“Sorry, Mrs. MacDermot.”

“Silly boy. I don’t mean that. I mean leave those dishes. Those arguing women can finish. You two go outside and get some air.” Dez’s mother winked at her. “It’s getting too hot in here.”

“Mom!”

Mace didn’t wait for another invitation. He dried off their hands and dragged her past their agitated siblings and out of the house onto the porch. He stepped back inside, grabbed her leather jacket and a plastic bag. He helped her put on the jacket, sat in one of the chairs, and pulled Dez onto his lap.

She watched her three friends talking with Smitty in her driveway. She had a feeling they would be joining forces with Mace and Smitty. Not that she minded. She couldn’t think of anyone she trusted more. Especially if they ever needed to protect Mace.

“I got you a Christmas present.”

Dez’s head snapped around. “Mace, you didn’t—”

“Here.” He cut her off and handed her a wrapped package. “I got you one thing, but I gave it to Sissy Mae. I think you’ll like this more.”

“Thank you.” She kissed him and then pulled the wrapping paper off. Her eyes immediately filled with tears. The man actually listened to her. He heard her.

“The Cops 3-Pack,” she whispered in awe.

“If I had more time I would have checked to see if they had any other DVDs, but these were the three I found. You don’t already have them, do you?”

“No,” she lied. She’d burn her copies tomorrow. These meant much more. “I didn’t get you anything.”

Missy suddenly burst out the front door and was down the steps when the word chicken flew at her from inside the house.

Missy spun around and marched back up the stairs. “That’s it, Old Yeller! This is between you and me now!”

Smitty ran into the house after her. Vinny, Sal, and Jim following, probably hoping to catch sight of a little girl-on-girl catfight. Twisted perverts.

Mace grinned at her. “Merry Christmas to me.”

Dez laughed as Mace took off her old Guess watch. “Here. Wear this every once in a while, too. You know, like, every day. So you’ll think about me when you’re on duty.”

Like she could ever not think about him. She watched as he put a nice stainless steel watch on her wrist. Big and heavy, definitely designed for a man. But she liked big male watches.

When she finally took a good look, she openly gawked at it, then at Mace. “Mace. This is a Breitling.” Stainless steel her ass. More like titanium. She’d seen enough counterfeits to recognize the real thing.

She did keep forgetting the man was rich.

“Don’t worry about it. I’ve got others.” Wildly rich, apparently.

“But why do you want me to wear it?”

“Because I want everyone at your precinct to know you belong to me.”

Dez shook her head. “I’m surprised you don’t want to tattoo ‘Property of Mace Llewellyn’ across my fuckin’ forehead.”

He looked away from her, clearing his throat, and settling her more firmly on his lap. “Uh…why would I want to do that?”

Before she could say anything beyond “thank you” or “you’ve already thought about doing that, haven’t you,” Mace pulled her close into his chest and held on to her. She relaxed against him and allowed herself to just be. Kind of a new feeling for her. She was usually doing something. Kicking somebody’s ass. Taking somebody’s name. But on this chilly Christmas night, she just wanted to sit with her…what? Boyfriend? Lover? House cat? Well, whatever…she just wanted to sit with her Mace and enjoy her life.

“You cold?”

She snuggled up closer to him. “Not at all. You?”

“Not with your hot little body next to me.”

She’d never heard anyone use the words hot and little when discussing her body. But, hell, she would accept it for what it was. A Christmas miracle!

She heard her front door open and the nails of her dogs scrambling across the wood of her porch. She winced. She really needed to trim their nails. You shouldn’t be able to hear your dogs coming a mile away because of their toenails.

She glanced back and watched as her father leashed them up. “Watcha doin’, Daddy?”

“Taking these beasts for a walk.” Her father liked her dogs, but he’d never really offered to take them for a walk before.

“Is it getting a little too much for you in there?”

He shrugged. “Something like that.” He tied several plastic bags to one of the leashes. “I won’t be long. As soon as your mother is done clearing up, I’ll get them out of here.” He smiled at Dez. Then glared at Mace. “You take care of her, boy. I’d really hate to have to kill you.”

“Daddy!”

“Understood, sir.”

“Good.”

The old man walked down the stairs of Dez’s porch, her huge dogs calmly walking beside him. Instinctively knowing not to rush the seventy-year-old man.

“I don’t believe you two.”

Mace stretched like the big cat he was, Dez still on his lap. “It’s a male thing. So I don’t want you to worry your pretty little head about it.”

Dez growled. “I’m not going to argue this with you now. But tomorrow, I’m going to kick your ass.”

Mace happily ran his hands over Dez’s body. Even with all the clothes she had on, she still immediately responded to his touch. God, he loved that.