Taylor was silent until the elevator doors slid closed. Mac had never had this elevator all to himself, not once. He figured the fates were having a good laugh at his expense that he was alone with her now. A woman who wanted-

“I’ve never been turned down for wild, screaming, sweaty sex before,” she said.

Mac stared at the control panel, gritting his teeth.

“Yeah. It’s a first for me, too.”

She waited until the elevator dipped a little as it came to their floor. “Why?”

For a brief second he closed his eyes to the bafflement and hurt in her voice. “Because with you, Taylor, it wouldn’t just be wild, screaming, sweaty sex.

With you, it would be different. And God help me, but I can’t handle it.”

She stared at him, then slowly, as the doors opened and people waited politely to get on, she sighed. “Yeah.”

He had no idea if that was an admission that it would be more for her, too, or if she was just agreeing that he couldn’t handle it.

He practically ran out of the elevator.

“What are we doing here?” she asked as she followed him down the hall.

“Checking on permits.” They came to the right office. Without thinking, he put his hand low on her spine, leaning past her to open and hold the office door for her.

At the feel of her, he jolted, and so did she.

Looking at him from accusing eyes, she whispered, “See?” Putting her mouth to his ear, she let her lips brush against his sensitive skin. “Twitchy. We’re twitchy for S-E-X.”

Oh yeah, she was killing him. He’d been sporting an erection since she’d gotten in his truck, and there was no relief in sight.

They waited in line for three minutes and thirty-three seconds-not that he was counting-standing close, breathing each other’s air, arms brushing, until Mac was in such a state he couldn’t remember why the hell he’d thought being with her today would be a good idea.

It was a dumb idea. A really, really dumb idea.

Made even dumber when exiting the elevator on their way out of the building five minutes later-thankfully with a handful of other people this time-they ran into an older couple he knew well.

“Mac!” The woman, dressed to the hilt in a black suit and sensible heels, reached for him. “Oh, Mac!”

Taylor watched with interest as the very elegant woman hugged Mac, then pulled back to smile into his face. “What a pleasant surprise.”

The man hugged him too, complete with manly back slapping. “Hey, I was on the green yesterday,” he said. “Hit an 82, three under par. When are you going to join me?”

Mac winced. “I don’t play anymore. You know that. I haven’t played in years.”

“Four,” the woman said with a pointed expression. “You haven’t played golf in four years. Since-”

“I remember,” Mac said, a strained smile on his lips. “I’m just too busy these days.”

“Ah,” the woman said with that same pointed expression.

Mac looked at Taylor, and if she’d known better, she’d have sworn he looked rather adorably panicked. “Well, we’ve got to-”

“No, wait. We’re just heading off to lunch,” the man said. “Come with us. Both of you,” he said politely, eyeing Taylor with friendly curiosity. He had a look to him, and he reminded her of-

“Taylor.” Mac swiped at his cheek, which had the woman’s lipstick on it. “This is Assistant District Attorney Lynn Mackenzie, and her husband Judge Thomas Mackenzie.”

The assistant DA grinned. “Taylor, what a lovely name.” To Mac she said, “And you! You got yourself a girlfriend! Oh, Mac, and you never said a word.”

“Uh…” Mac avoided looking at Taylor. “No, I’m just working on her building.”

“Ah, a business relationship.” The woman lifted a teasing brow. “I get it.”

“No, really.” Mac shifted on his feet, which Taylor found fascinating. “She’s a client.”

Also fascinating, was the slight tinge on his tanned cheeks.

Mac was blushing.

“It’s just a business thing,” he said.

The assistant DA studied Mac closely, her eyes lit as if she was onto a scoop. “Are you just saying that so I’ll go away?”

“Absolutely not.” Mac still hadn’t looked at Taylor.

“Darn it,” the woman said forcefully, glaring at the man with her. “Darn it!”

“Now, Lynn, I’m sure he’ll come around one day soon, and-”

“No he won’t, he’s too stubborn.”

“Yeah, well…we’ve really got to go…” Grabbing Taylor’s elbow, Mac tried to back out of the circle. “Nice see you…uh…Judge.”

“Hold it right there, Thomas Ian Mackenzie.” The assistant DA put her hands on her hips. “Are you trying to hide the fact that we’re you’re parents?”

And though Taylor should have seen that one coming, her jaw dropped. She stared at Mac. “You’re the son of the judge?”

Mac sighed. “Yeah.”

“And the son of one of the assistant DAs?”

“That, too,” he admitted.

“You are kidding me!”

Lynn’s smile faded a bit. “Is this a problem?”

Taylor sighed. “No. It’s not a problem. It’s…um, lovely to meet you.”

Lynn crossed her arms. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“No, really.” Taylor eyed Mac, thinking she’d kill him later. “It’s just that Mac might have mentioned any time over the past few months he was the son of the judge and an assistant DA, sometime like…oh, I don’t know…maybe when I told him I’m Isabel Craftsman’s daughter.”

“Isabel Craftsman, the mayor?”

“Yes,” Taylor, said, staring at Mac, who was still avoiding her gaze.

“Hmm.” Lynn raised her eyebrows as she eyed Mac. “I think I see.”

“Mom-”

“Oh, now he calls me Mom.” Much more friendly now, Lynn shook her head at Taylor. “Honestly, Taylor, I’ve never seen this man before and he’s calling me Mom.”

Taylor had to laugh at the easy wit and charm, but she supposed she would have expected no less from whoever had raised Mac.

“So why don’t the two of you join us for lunch?” his father asked.

Taylor looked at Mac, interested to see if he’d allow this.

“Sorry.” Mac kissed both his parents, then gripped Taylor’s arm. “We have to go.” And he dragged her out of there so fast her head spun.

“Smooth,” she said when they were both out on the busy street. “Making sure I couldn’t drill the parentals.”

“Hey, I was just making sure they couldn’t drill you. I love them, but believe me, they’re ruthless matchmakers.” He stopped at a hot dog vendor on the corner. “One or two dogs?” he asked Taylor.

She gaped at him. “This is the lunch you offered me? The one that is supposed to make me sigh in bliss?”

“One or two?”

South Village had nearly as many cafés and restaurants as it did people, and most of them were excellent. On weekends, 20,000 people from all over flocked to the streets to experience the food. It was one of her favorite things about living here, something she hadn’t been able to afford lately, and Mac, who had earned a good chunk of her money recently, was going to buy her hot dogs? From a street vendor? “Two,” she sighed, and made him buy her barbecue chips, too. She didn’t say a word as he took their food and started walking, she just followed.

Which brought her to another bone of contention. When had she ever followed a man?

They walked around the block to the back of the town hall, where the botanical gardens bloomed in vivid, vibrant colors. In the light of day, they dazzled in every shape and hue, and Taylor had to admit, just walking through on one of the brick trails, with the scents and sights, she sighed in sheer pleasure of being outside.

They sat down and he handed her a hot dog. “Ketchup?”

Shaking her head, she took a bite. It was heavenly. Damn, she hated when he was right. “So…why didn’t you tell me?”

Mac was suddenly very busy eating. “Tell you what?”

“That you come from the same kind of world I do?”

“We don’t.”

His parents had just about dripped elegant sophistication. “Of course we did, I just met-”

“You just met the two nosiest, bossiest, most interfering parents on the face of this earth, yes. And they love me, ridiculously so, but they never sent me away to schools for years on end, and they sure as hell never ignored me, not my hopes and dreams, not me as a person. Not once.” He nudged her arm with his, his eyes painfully deep. “That never should have happened to you either, Taylor.”

All her life she’d felt like a bug on a slide, people waiting for her to make a fool out of her family’s name, people waiting for her to fall on her face. And all her life there hadn’t been many to understand what that had been like. Only Jeff.

But Mac…he was looking at her with empathy, too. Because he understood. He understood her.

While thinking about this, she inhaled every last chip in the bag, and didn’t even flinch over the calorie content. “What I mean is,” she said, trying again.

“We both came from considerable wealth.”

Some of the warmth faded from his eyes. “I don’t consider myself that way.”

“Oh, come on Mac, I saw your mom’s shoes.

Prada,” she said with a sigh, licking mustard off her thumb. She started in on the second hot dog. “And the diamond earrings. Stunning. You can’t tell me they don’t pull down mind-boggling salaries.”

With careful consideration, he took his last bite of hot dog. Polished off his soda. Leaned back, away from her, he slid his sunglasses over his eyes as he viewed the incredible colors around them. “I suppose they do.”

“So all those times you called me a princess? Why didn’t you ever say anything about it?”

“And when should I have done that? When we first met and I needed your job?” He set down his drink and stood. “Or maybe when you were snubbed by those women at the historical society meeting? Yeah, maybe I should have told you then, when you were smarting over what they’d said to you.”