Free Lost Causes by Mia Marshall

dangerous is the worst thing for you. You don’t need to be that woman, Aidan. Let me be dangerous, instead.”
    Some primitive part of me responded to his vow of protection, but another, much louder part disliked being told to be weaker than I was. Mac was wrong. Until we were all safe again, I did need to be dangerous. I just needed to figure out how to do that without endangering myself as well.
    “What is it?” The words were whispered into my ear, the breath warm.
    I ignored the question. I might not be able to hide my transparent face, but that didn’t mean I wasn’t allowed some private thoughts.
    “You two planning on breaking it in already?”
    Mac bent his knees slightly, positioning himself to see out of the filthy windows. Luke still leaned against the Pinto.
    “We’re coming out now,” I said, glad for the distraction.
    Instead of moving toward the door, Mac turned his head and captured my lips with his own. My breath stopped for a moment as I forgot where I was or who might be watching, then a melting warmth that had nothing to do with the day’s heat poured through my body. I wrapped both arms around his waist and slipped my hands beneath his t-shirt to feel his back, thickly muscled and damp with sweat. I dug my nails into his skin.
    Mac tilted my head, adjusting the angle, and deepened the kiss. He resisted my efforts to pull him closer, to push the pace into something a bit more frantic, a bit hungrier. Instead, he chose a slow, lazy exploration, and only his hand tightening around my waist hinted at the need building within him.
    My magic rose, fire and water together, and met the small piece I’d left behind the night I healed Mac. They mingled and fed off each other as our lips did the same. Most of the time, I felt fractured, but not with Mac. When Mac touched me, I was whole.
    He ended the kiss, pulling back enough to see me clearly. We wore matching expressions of affection and longing, but there was another emotion on his face, one I knew wasn’t mirrored on mine.
    The bastard looked smug.
    I stepped back, out of arm’s reach. “What, was peeing on me too messy?” I pointedly didn’t check to see if Luke was watching.
    He had the grace not to act confused. “I thought this would be more pleasant.” He smiled. “Are you complaining?”
    I wasn’t entirely sure. The modern feminist side of me was annoyed that he wanted to assert a claim. The primitive side thought it was kind of hot.
    “Have you finished marking your territory?” I said.
    His eyes flashed. “Not even close.” He stepped toward me, erasing the small space I’d bought for myself. “If you check my back, you’ll notice you also marked me.”
    I blew out my breath, hoping to expel some of the rampant lust. “Maybe we can make Miriam steal a van for us.”
    “The kind with curtains in the windows?”
    “And shag carpeting. Hell, yes.” I grinned, almost wishing we weren’t joking.
    Mac and I slept together most nights, but that’s all it was—sleep. In the past, we’d come close to doing a lot more, but that was before I started losing my mind on a regular basis. Until we found a cure, any loss of control, even the good kind, wasn’t an option. I knew Mac agreed. Neither of us made any effort to sneak away from the others for more than a quick word or a few rushed kisses.
    It was the right decision, and it sucked.
    “We should join the others.” I needed to get away from Mac before my libido decided it didn’t give a damn what was going on in my brain.
    Mac blocked the aisle. I pushed him lightly toward the door. He didn’t budge, but he wouldn’t have if I’d put my full strength behind the move.
    He threaded a hand through my hair and pulled me in for another kiss, hard and fast. This one had nothing to do with Luke and everything to do with the two of us. “Soon. Soon you’ll be cured, and the minute that happens, we’re going to discover what we’ve been missing all this time.” Before I