Mastered by Malone (Haven, Texas 6)

“Yes, I do. There’re a few things you can do to help. Talking like this can help. About what happened. About how it made you feel.”

“I don’t think I can do that.”

It sounded like a form of torture. She didn’t want to talk about what happened. She just wanted to forget. “I know it’s scary but keeping everything locked down isn’t healthy. Sometimes going back to the scene can help.”

“What? You mean going back to the restaurant?” She wasn’t doing that. Not ever.

“Well, maybe not going back to the actual scene, physically. But going back to it in your mind. Hypnosis can help with that.”

She shook her head. “I don’t want to do that. I can’t do that.”

“All right,” Molly told her calmly. “What I’ll do for the moments is get you some more anti-anxiety medication. But I want you to think about what I’ve said. There are exercises you can do. And I’d really like to see you again, Mia.”

Yeah, she was pretty sure she didn’t want to see Molly again. She felt terrible for thinking that. Molly was here to help her. Just because she had suggestions that sounded like Mia’s worst nightmares, didn’t mean she got to be a bitch to her.

But her pulse was racing as she thought about having to confront what had happened that night. Having to relive it.

“Mia, can I take off my professional hat now and ask you something woman to woman?”

That was unexpected. Mia looked over at her and nodded slowly. “Sure.”

“How on earth are you resisting the Malone charm?”

Charm? She guessed Alec had a sort of charm about him. If you found overbearing, dominant men who think they’re always right charming.

“What do you mean?” she asked

“It’s well known through this county and into the next that those Malone boys just have to look at a woman and she has an orgasm.”

She let out a bark of surprised laughter. “Molly!”

Molly grinned good-naturedly. “What? I’m just telling you the rumor. And I’ve met them.” She fanned herself. “Why do you think I leapt on the chance to come out here? Not only are they a pack of lovable rogues, but there are also completely insane. Coming here is like winning the super bowl for a psychiatrist. I could write papers for the rest of my life on this bunch.”

Her eyes widened. “They’d let you do that?”

“Good Lord, no. But it’s still a hell of a lot of fun. Riles Jake up something good though. I’ve stopped telling him when I’m coming out here. Last time, Tanner shot a hole in his hat and he locked him up. Alec was not happy.”

“I can’t believe Tanner did that. He didn’t shoot at you, did he?” She’d kill him if he had.

“Oh, no. Although one time they disabled my car and told me they were keeping me. I had a date that night, so I wasn’t very amused.”

She shook her head. “I’m sorry about that. If anything like that happens again, you tell me.”

Molly gave her an interested look. “They don’t scare you at all?”

“No. They don’t scare you, do they?” she asked Molly.

“No. But I have a poor sense of self-preservation, as my husband likes to say.”

“They’re not dangerous. Well, not really. They’re just a bit, um, impetuous. They’re good guys.”

Molly laughed. “I did wonder when Alec called me what state I was going to find you in. Three weeks out here on your own, I worried I might find you in a fetal position in the corner, slowly losing your sanity.”

She shook her head. “You make them sound completely feral—”

Molly laughed. “Feral. That’s exactly the right word. Honey, the whole town thinks they’re feral. They’re the wild Malone boys. They’ve been known to incite bar brawls, riots, they’ve been called the scourge of the state. They live up here, with little regard for things like the law, yet they’re hardly ever held accountable. And do you know why?”

She shook her head.