Mastered by Malone (Haven, Texas 6)

5

She carried the dirty linen from her bed and Alec’s down the stairs. She probably should have made two trips, but she couldn’t be bothered walking up and down the stairs all the time. She was feeling tired as hell these days. She knew it was because she wasn’t sleeping—or eating. The nightmares were still plaguing her. And, even worse, she was about to run out of her meds. Which meant having to go to Alec to talk about getting more. Shit. She really didn’t want to do that.

Maybe it was time she went off the meds anyway. Surely, she could do without them. Perhaps. Oh, hell. She wished she could talk to her cousin. She’d spoken to Jardin a few times and he’d told her Mike was worried about her but otherwise fine.

She heaved up the pile of linen, determined to wash it all today. Most of it smelled a bit musty. She wondered how long it had been since it had all been washed.

Mia took a step and stood on the hem of her pants. She immediately dropped the linen, trying to grab for the railing to keep herself from falling, but her fingertips slid off the wooden banister as she flung forward. She tensed, letting out a cry of alarm as she waited for her body to hit the stairs. But instead of slamming against wood, she came up against a hard chest. The person who caught her, let out an oomph as they braced themselves against the banister to keep them both from flying.

She took in a shaky breath. Then another one. She didn’t want to look up. She knew it wasn’t West or Jaret or Tanner who’d caught her.

She knew it was him and she did not want to look up.

He just held her against his chest for a long moment. Her feet weren’t even touching the ground, they just dangled in the air. She had the crazy thought that she could just snuggle in against him as though they were cuddling.

Then he set her down. Disappointment hit her hard.

Stupid.

She took a step back. “Sorry about that. Thanks for catching me.” She tried to move around him, but he grabbed hold of her shoulders, holding her there. “Umm, Malone? You okay?”

Why wasn’t he saying anything? She risked a look up into his face, saw how tense his jaw was. He was glaring down at her. Was he mad?

“Uh, is there something wrong?”

“Something wrong?” he repeated.

“Yes, is there something wrong?”

Silence.

“You’re. . .um. . .acting odd. Did I hurt you?”

“Hurt me?”

Why was he repeating everything she said? “Did I hurt you? When I fell against you.”

“Did you hurt me? Hurt me? Fuck.” He stared down at her. Then he moved one hand to cup the side of her face, wrapped his arm around her back and pulled her in to kiss her.

And, oh, boy, what a kiss it was. Her body sizzled from the tip of her toes all the way up to her hair. He didn’t just kiss her, he possessed her. He took complete control and all she could do was hang on for the ride.

When he drew back, she couldn’t help but make a small sound of protest. She wanted more. Needed it. But instead of kissing her again, he swung her into his arms, one under her legs, the other around her back, and he turned, carrying her downstairs.

“What are you doing?” she asked. She wrapped her arms around his neck, terrified he was going to drop her. But he didn’t even show a hint of strain as he carried her straight into his office and then set her down on the leather sofa that lay in front of the fireplace. He started to pace back and forth, and she just sat there for a moment, watching him, taking him in.

Her lips still tingled, and her clit throbbed. Damn, if that’s what it felt like to kiss him, what would it be like to take things further? To have him touch her, taste her, take her?

She cleared her throat. She got that he was angry. She just wasn’t sure why. She inched her way forward on the sofa, ready to stand. He must’ve seen her movements because he turned around and pointed a finger at her.

“Stay.”

She ground her teeth together. She wasn’t a damn dog. Her heart was still racing from her near miss. And that kiss. What the heck did that kiss mean? She had no idea. All she knew was that right now, the last thing she wanted or needed was an Alec Malone lecture.

“Thanks for catching me,” she said. “But I need to go tidy up the mess I made. I’ve got to get the sheets in the wash. And I’m gonna be late getting dinner started if I don’t get a move on.”

He moved closer, his hands on his hips as he loomed over her. “You fell down the stairs.”

“Yes, well, I just tripped. I’m sure I would have been all right. Sure, I might have had a couple of bruises—”