“Don’t you open that door, sweetheart. My mother would turn over in her grave if I let you.”
“I’m not helpless, cowboy. I can open my own door.”
“Not when you’re with me.” Wade exited the truck, and she waited as he’d instructed for him to open her door. She thought of herself as a modern woman with all that entailed, but something about this cowboy’s gallant nature charmed her. It didn’t feel fake or even weak. Wade was real and strong, through and through.
When he opened her door, he reached for her hand to assist her out of the cab. “Call this my attempt at being a gentleman.”
She grinned. “You? A gentleman? I doubt that.”
Going to The Masters’ Chambers was something she had wanted to do. Austin Wilde owned the place. What if she found the one clue that would point her to where her brother might be? God, she hoped so. She was going. Without Wade, she wouldn’t have a chance of getting into the exclusive place. With him, the velvet rope would part.
When they got to the front door, he leaned down and kissed her before she could turn her head and offer him her cheek. His thick, manly lips pressed into hers like a crashing tsunami. Her toes curled and her skin tingled.
What a kiss!
Deep and moist. Forceful and delicious. It went on and on until even her legs felt like noodles. Mac’s nerves hummed at the edge of her consciousness. How long he held her mouth to his she wasn’t sure. Time seemed fuzzy and distant. Tick. Tock. Tick. Tock. And still he kissed her into a pleasure-filled dimension. As his tongue danced in her mouth, she felt her worry soften a bit. In his embrace, she believed somehow, someway, everything was going to work out.
Ending their kiss, Wade cupped her chin. “I guess you’ll find out tomorrow night if I’m a true gentleman or not, Mackenzie.”
Barely able to catch her breath, she didn’t offer any witty retort. Instead, she remained silent. Going with Wade might be a mistake—her willpower melted next to him—but what other choice did she have?
None.
* * * *
Mac hurried along Nugget Street heading toward Main.
She’d overslept. When she’d finally put her head on the pillow just a few hours before, the digital clock on her nightstand had shone the early-morning time in soft blue numbers. Falling asleep had been impossible. Wade Masters’s good-night kiss had undone her, keeping her awake more of the night. Why had she agreed to let him take her back to her apartment? I’m an idiot, that’s why.
She fought the urge to yawn. Fatigue didn’t matter, but making her shift on time did.
A trio, two men and a woman, were walking on the sidewalk heading her way. One guy had his arm around the pretty redhead’s shoulders, while the other had his around her waist.
As the triad got closer, the men tipped their cowboy hats to Mac.
“Good morning,” the woman said softly.
“Morning,” she answered.
As they passed, she recalled seeing them last night at Charly’s party. Was it still going on? Likely. Wilde was anything but sleepy. She’d have to get all the details from Charly and Jessie after her shift. For the first time in her life, she had friends, female friends. It felt great. But that wasn’t why she was in this town. Suddenly, the image of the napkin with the faded ink she’d found in her brother’s apartment floated to the front of her mind’s eye. One name, a phone number, and the cryptic digits and single letter were inked on it. Two. Six. One. One. Two. Zero. The letter ‘U.’ Four. Three. What did it mean?
I’m getting completely off task being here. She shook her head to remind herself to remain focused on the only reason she was in Northern Nevada and not at her desk in Denver. Still, attending the bachelorette party had been important. Austin Wilde had been there, too.
Speeding up her steps to just shy of a run, she shivered as the cool autumn breeze hit the back of her neck. One mistake and all her hard work might be for naught, and Trent might be lost to her forever.
Food. Music. Dancing. Spinning around the dance floor with Wade Masters had been like a dream. She’d spotted Wyatt gazing at her from the sidelines. Clearly, the two had changed tactics in their art of seduction. Instead of the dual attack, they’d chosen a singular one last night. Perhaps Wade was more interested in her than Wyatt. Didn’t matter either way. The evening had ended with a kiss and an invitation. That wasn’t quite right. Wade wasn’t really inviting her to The Masters’ Chambers. He was demanding she accompany him there. He was a rough-and-tumble cowboy. Not one ounce of metrosexual tendency in him at all.
Over the past few weeks, she’d poured a river of black coffee for Austin, learning only that the man was punctual and dictatorial.
Nothing else. Nothing useful.
Her jaw tightened at the thought. One thing for certain she did know—seconds ticked by more rapidly since her brother’s disappearance. Time itself was mocking her.
The java-addicted bastard had been her sole reason for coming to Wilde, Nevada, in the first place. Her only lead, though paper thin—literally. Every morning at six sharp the arrogant asshole entered Norma’s Diner. Without waiting for someone to seat him, he headed to the table farthest from the glass door entry, plopping his ass in the chair, positioning his back to the wall and his front to the entrance.
She guessed Austin had reason to be on guard. The president of the Wilde Silver Mine was one cool operator. Slick.
So far she’d learned nothing out of the ordinary about him, but the itch at the back of her neck told her he was hiding something. Her instincts had never failed her, but unlike some great story she was trying to uncover, this was personal. This was family. Could she be off her game? What was she missing? She whispered a silent prayer that today something might fall in her lap that would