Mac took her hand from his arm and kissed her fingers. "It's fine. Can't feel a thing. They shot me full of lidocaine before they sutured it."
Lizzy clung to his hand. "Was there any...any permanent damage?"
Mac kissed her fingers again. "The doctor said there shouldn't be. They'll know more when they get me to physical therapy."
"I'm so sorry," Lizzy whispered. "If it wasn't for me, you wouldn't have gotten hurt. If you hadn't had to protect me, you could have gone after Jacobsen on your own."
"Lizzy, stop." He twined his fingers through hers. "Because of you, we found out who killed Kelly. Caught him, too. Do you think I regret a tiny hole in my arm?"
He didn't look like he regretted it. In fact, he looked as if he'd take any number of bullets, as long as he could sit in that hospital bed and hold her hand. Her heart thundered in her chest, and heat rushed through her. "I don't like to see you hurt," she whispered.
"I know. But I'm damned glad it's me and not you."
He meant it, too. She saw the truth in his eyes. "Mac, I don't...I want..." She closed her eyes. If she said what she wanted to say, she was putting herself out there. Leaving herself completely open to him. Her heart trembled, and at the last moment, retreated. "Speaking of Jacobsen, did you hear anything about him?"
"You did a number on him." Mac shook his head. "Broke his arm with your crutch, and sliced open his side with a steak knife. Never saw anything quite like it."
"He was trying to hurt you. I was scared. And angry."
"You're my Amazon woman." He shook his head. "The agents debriefing me while I waited to get sewn up loved your knife-in-the-cast trick. They'll be talking about that for a long time." He ran his finger down her cheek. "Might even try to recruit you."
"Don't think I want to be an FBI agent."
"I agree. One in the family is enough."
She sucked in a breath, and Mac tugged her closer. "I'm not trying to put any pressure on you, Lizzy. God knows, we've both been through the wringer this week, and we both need to catch our breaths.
"But you need to know that when I saw you walk into the office the night Kelly was killed, I felt as if I'd been struck by lightning. I told myself it was because I'd just come off an intense case, hadn't dated anyone for a while, and it was just lust. But it wasn't.
"I couldn't stop thinking about you, Lizzy. And not because you were part of my job. I told myself I was obsessed with you because I had to catch the person who killed Kelly, and you were my only lead.
"But it wasn't my job, or the case. It was you." He lifted the hand with the IV and cupped her cheek. "I've always been Mr. Responsible about my job. The FBI came first."
"Because of what happened when you ran away after your dad was killed?" she asked, brushing her mouth over his. Lingering.
He kissed her back, his hand tangling in her hair. "Yeah." He rubbed his nose to hers. "I took my job seriously. Didn't let anything else get in the way. It always came first. And for a long time after I started chasing you, I told myself it wasn't you. It was my job. What I had to do. But even back on Skipjack, I knew that wasn't true. I knew it was all about you." He kissed her again, and she sat down heavily on the bed next to him.
Mac's monitor beeped faster and faster, matching the thunder of her own heart, and Lizzy eased away. "I don't want the nurses to throw me out for getting their patient excited," she panted into his neck.
"Can't have that," he said, his mouth in her hair. "Don't want to let you go."
She didn't want to let Mac go, either. "Ever since my dad died, I've hated law enforcement. Distrusted them. Thought they were all bullies and thugs like Kyle Diggens. But even after I knew you were an FBI agent, even after I knew you'd lied to me, I still wanted you. And not just for sex. I wanted to know you. Find out everything about you."
Mac tugged her closer. "When I saw Jacobsen with his gun to your head, I knew it hadn't been about the job from the moment I saw you. It was about you, Lizzy. I wanted to find you. Meet you. Get to know you. And now that I have, I don't want to go back to the man I used to be. I want...I want a chance with you. We met less than a week ago. A very intense week.
"Now I'd like to get to know you without this case hanging over our heads. Without you fearing for your life."
His eyes were saying all he wasn't saying out loud. That he wanted far more than to get to know her.
That's what she wanted, as well. She wanted to dive in with Mac. She wanted everything with him. But he was right. Tonight was too soon for promises and 'I love yous'. They needed time to get to know each other. Time to be normal. The rest would come. Staring into his eyes, she knew it would. She loved him. And she knew he loved her, too. But for now, this was enough.
"I'd like that, too, Mac," she said softly.
He twined his fingers with hers again and tugged her against him. "We started backwards, didn't we? We slept together before you knew my name or who I was. Can we start over? Get to know each other? Maybe go on some dates?"
"That sounds wonderful." She kissed him, lingered. "Exactly what I want." She kissed him again, and need rose in her, wrapping itself around her heart. "But I'll have to insist on the third date rule," she teased.
He frowned. "What's the third date rule?"
"I never have sex until the third date."
"I bet I can change your mind."
*****
Thank You
Thank you for reading Find Me. I'm honored you chose one of my books, and I hope you enjoyed it!
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My Books
(by series)
The Donovan Family
Love Me
Watch Me
Find Me
Trust Me
The Devereux Family
A Safe Place
The Woman He Knows
Bending the Rules
Welcome to Otter Tail
An Unlikely Setup
Can't Stand the Heat?
Life Rewritten
For Baby and Me
The McInnes Triplets
A Place Called Home
No Place Like Home
Home at Last
Door County
Small-Town Family
Stranger in a Small Town
Partners in Crime
In Her Defense
Family First
Cameron, Utah
Rodeo Man
For the Children
Cowboy With a Badge
The Fugitive Bride
The Marriage Protection Program
Stand-alone titles
Hometown Girl
Two on the Run
Family on the Run
To Love and Protect Her
A Thanksgiving to Remember
Someone to Watch Over Her
To Save His Child
The Dark Side of the Moon
An Honorable Man
An Innocent Man
Personal Best
About the Author
Two-time Rita finalist Margaret Watson published her first book in June, 1991. Since then, she has written thirty books for Silhouette Intimate Moments and Harlequin Superromance, as well as four titles in t
he Donovan Family series.
Margaret’s books have won or been finalists in many contests, including the Colorado Award of Excellence, Desert Rose Golden Quill, Holt Medallion, and National Reader’s Choice. Her most recent book, TRUST ME, was released in November, 2014.
When she's not writing, Margaret practices veterinary medicine. She lives in the Chicago area with her husband, three daughters and a menagerie of pets.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21
Chapter 22
Chapter 23
Chapter 24
Thank You
My Books
About the Author