Taming Mad Max

by Theresa Ragan

  “Jealous?”

  “Envious.”

  “But not jealous?” she asked, her fingers brushing over his corded neck and down over his broad shoulders, her mouth following.

  “I was beyond jealous. There is no word for what I was feeling.”

  She curved her open palm over one muscled arm and smiled.

  He kissed the corner of her mouth, then moved her hair out of the way so he could kiss her neck.

  Tingles covered her body. Tiny explosions detonated inside her body. His warm hand cupped her breast. She sucked in air.

  He rolled over and pulled her with him until the entire length of her was laid out on top of him. His mouth was hot, his tongue hotter. Using his body as a mattress was more than she could handle. Blood pulsed and throbbed between her legs. His skin was warm. Everything about him was hot, and she felt a frenzy of excitement inside her belly as she kissed his chest, her tongue circling one hard nipple and then the other before he groaned and rolled over again, sandwiching her between his body and the mattress.

  Every part of her ached for him. By the time he kissed her good and passionately, she was a lost cause, pulling him closer and arching her hips against him, her fingers gliding through his thick head of hair.

  He had to pull away to catch his breath. “I forgot what a vixen you are.”

  She laughed.

  He laughed too, and then used his tongue to make her squirm with desire. “Max,” she whispered, ready to explode.

  He sat up, leaned over her and reached into the top drawer of the bed table where he retrieved a condom. The anticipation of having him inside of her made it difficult to breathe. It had been way too long. His muscles contracted as he slid on the condom. His mouth covered hers again. This kiss was different...sizzling hot, and yet he still took his time, tasting and nibbling. She clutched at his shoulders, felt him hard against her thigh. Nothing existed but the two of them.

  Kari left a trail of kisses across his neck as he slid into her, setting off a round of explosions she hadn’t expected. He was bigger and better and hotter than she remembered. Everything he did, every touch, every kiss, added to the fire as their bodies danced. One last final thrust caused her to burst into a million pieces.

  #

  Lindsay awoke in Cole’s arms. She turned to read the neon numbers on the clock. It was five-thirty in the morning. She had to leave by six or she’d never get to DLS in time.

  She wriggled her way out of his arms, climbed out of bed, gathered her clothes, and headed for the bathroom. After a quick shower, she towel dried her hair and slipped on her dress and heels from last night. She looked into the mirror and scrunched her nose. Her eyes looked tired and her hair had seen better days, but she didn’t care. By the end of the day she could very well be pregnant. Her insides fluttered with anticipation.

  She opened the bathroom door, tiptoed across plush carpet, and stopped at the foot of the bed before heading out. The comforter had slipped downward, revealing Cole’s broad and muscled chest. She longed to climb back into bed with him. What if he was the man for her, the one who would actually stick, the one she could count on to stay by her side through thick and thin? Maybe Cole Fletcher was destined to be the father of her children.

  Then again, maybe not. She exhaled. Stick with the plan.

  As she headed downstairs she got her first good look at Cole’s house. Enormous only began to describe the monstrosity. She hadn’t taken the time to look around last night, too consumed with Cole as he rocked her world and made her forget everything but him. His house was amazing. Cole was amazing.

  She picked up the phone in the kitchen, pushed a few buttons, then asked the operator to connect her with a taxi company. Before the operator came back on the line, Cole reached a hand over her shoulder, took the receiver from her and placed it back on the cradle.

  “What are you doing?” she asked.

  “You weren’t going to say goodbye?”

  “I was going to call you later. I’m late and I didn’t want to wake you.”

  “Let me grab my keys and I’ll take you home.”

  “I don’t have time to go home. I need to go straight to DLS. It’s Downtown.”

  “You’re still going through with this?”

  She nodded.

  “Nothing will change your mind? Not even when I tell you I think we’ve got something incredibly special going on here.” He raked his hand through his hair. “You are something else, you know that? I’m desperate here. Help me out because I don’t want you to do this. You’re not even willing to give us a chance.”

  “I can’t.”

  “You mean you won’t.”

  “Okay, I won’t. But you don’t understand.”

  “Then help me to understand.”

  “I want to be with you Cole. I wish I could give us a chance. But I also need to do things my way. When I was a child I did everything my parents asked of me. I went above and beyond the call of duty to get good grades, do my chores, etcetera. I was a loving, doting daughter. But what good did it do me? My father was furious I was moving away after high school, so he disowned me. Just like that.” She snapped her fingers. “My first serious boyfriend did the same thing after I told him I wanted to have lots of kids someday. One day he was there and the next day he wasn’t. Another man I dated for three years left two days after proposing. I could go on, but I’ll spare you the gory details. Bottom line: I don’t understand men. I never will. So, what do I do? I make a life for myself. I start my own business, which thrives because I care about each and every child as if they were my own. I date when the mood strikes me. I’m not a horrible person, Cole. I always compliment Mrs. Diller at the Post Office. Twice a week, I bring dinner to the old lady who lives across the street because she lives like a hermit, afraid of the world. I spend a month out of every year collecting canned foods and coats for the homeless. I do it because I want to. No expectations. But then, for once in my life, I decide to do something for myself. Something that I know will make me the happiest person on this earth. Something to make me feel whole and alive. I decide to stop waiting for the perfect man and just go for it, have a baby of my own. I’m not a selfish person. I’m strong though, and I know what I want. I’m going to have a child, Cole. And if you would like to be a part of my life and my child’s life, you know where to find me.”

  He raked his fingers through his hair and said, “I know how you feel about children and you haven’t seen me disappear into thin air. I love kids too. And I care about you, more than you know. But I can’t make any promises today. It’s too soon, and I don’t think you could make me any promises either. We need time to let our relationship grow, time to make sure the foundation is sturdy enough to go the distance. If you do this—knowing how we both feel about one another—knowing you might be giving up something great, then I guess this is it for us.”

  She remained firm. “I have to do this. I want to do this.”

  “Then I guess this really is goodbye.”

  She didn’t want to choose between him and having a baby, but she’d known all along it would come down to a moment like this. Her throat tightened as she watched him walk off to find his keys.

  #

  That same morning, while Max waited for the coffee to finish brewing, he read the label on the can of nuts Dan had left behind. One serving of roasted peanuts was 170 calories. Not bad. Zero trans fat and they were a great source of protein. He popped a handful into his mouth and then pulled two mugs from the cupboard. Did Kari like cream and sugar in her coffee? Hell, did she even drink coffee? There were so many things he didn’t know about her. What sort of music did she like? Did she have a favorite color? What month was she born in?

  Suddenly, knowing these things about Kari seemed crucial. Maybe not life or death, but he wanted to know everything about her. He didn’t have to know everything today, not even tomorrow. But he wanted to spend the rest of his life getting to know Kari, peeling back the layers and discovering all
there was to know about her. His heart did a flip-flop as he realized he needed to tell her how he felt. Right this moment. Forgetting all about the coffee, he headed back upstairs.

  What if he said the wrong thing? Worse yet, what if she refused to marry him? What would he do? Maybe last night had been another figment of his imagination. That thought made his heart jump to his throat. He took the last six stairs two at a time and took long strides into the bedroom, more surprised than relieved to find her right where he’d left her. In his bed.

  She stretched and arched a curious brow at him, maybe because he was standing before her wearing a pair of boxer briefs and nothing else. Or maybe because she could see the panic on his face. He didn’t know. He didn’t care. “Marry me.”

  “No.”

  “Damn it, woman. What do you want me to do? Confess my undying love for you? Is that what you want to hear?”

  “It would be a good start.”

  “I just had an epiphany. I can’t live without you,” he said. “I knew that even before Mom showed me the letters.”

  She sat up and her beautiful pale breasts made it extremely difficult for him to concentrate while he said, “I should have believed you from the start. I had no reason not to trust you.”

  “You didn’t have any reason not to trust your mother either.”

  He loved her even more for saying that. “I’ve never been in love before,” he confessed. “I’m not good at this.”

  He couldn’t tell if the smile on her face meant she understood, but he decided to let it go and forge onward. “Even if Molly wasn’t involved in this whole crazy deal between me and you, I would still want to spend the rest of my life with you. I’ve never met anyone like you. I always thought that feeling this way about someone would feel like a trap door being shut, do you know what I mean?”

  She shook her head, adding “No” for good measure.

  “Are you purposely trying to make this difficult for me?”

  “Not at all.”

  “You’re the most stubborn woman I’ve ever met.”

  She lifted a brow.

  Max knew she loved him. Her eyes said it all. He saw the look she gave Molly when their daughter was around. The look she was giving him now was close to that. He felt confident she didn’t care whether he played football for the NFL or if he was a produce manager at the corner market. She may not need him in the same way he needed her, but he knew she loved him. If he were lucky, she’d love him for the rest of his life.

  The strangest thing happened in that moment. It was as if something inside of him lifted, as if a huge incredible burden had been literally hefted from his insides. “That’s what love is all about, isn’t it?”

  Her eyes never left his.

  “Love makes breathing easier,” he told her.

  She seemed to ponder that.

  “Love makes the moon brighter and the water taste fresher.”

  Her eyes sparkled.

  “All those ridiculous love songs are starting to make sense,” he said. He was definitely on to something because her eyes were welling up now. “This might sound crazy,” he said, “but I think I know how Tom Cruise felt when he jumped on Oprah’s couch.”

  She laughed.

  “I’ve never felt this way about anyone but you. I’m in love with you, Kari Murphy, and nobody can tell me I’m not. I always thought of love as this crazy tangible thing, but that’s not how it works. No neon sign pops up and says, ‘Hey, buddy, this is it!’ Love isn’t something you can touch or grab onto. It just is.”

  She still didn’t say a damn word, but she must have realized her breasts were throwing him off a little because she pulled the sheet high enough to cover them.

  “I’m not letting you walk out of here,” he went on, “until you agree to be my wife.” He stepped toward her and she opened her arms to him, letting the ridiculous sheet fall once and for all. But he must have moved too fast, too sudden, because everything changed in that one single instant. His legs gave out first, buckling at the knees, his surroundings becoming a hazy fog of darkness as he fell. “Not now,” he whispered. “Don’t take me now.”

  CHAPTER 22

  Lindsay waited until she could no longer see Cole’s car before she entered the building on La Grange Avenue. Although Cole had clearly been hurt, he insisted on driving her to DLS. After signing in, she went to the baby wall, a giant corkboard where clients posted their success stories along with pictures of their babies. Lindsay visited the baby wall every time she came into the building, and she always left feeling inspired by the other women’s stories. If everything went as planned, it wouldn’t be long before she’d be holding her baby in her arms and posting a picture of her own.

  A door opened and a nurse called her name.

  Lindsay followed the woman into one of six examination rooms. After being weighed, the nurse took her pulse and her temperature. “How are you feeling today?”

  “Good. A little nervous.”

  The pregnant nurse gave her a reassuring smile.

  “When are you due?” Lindsay asked.

  “Two weeks and a day,” the nurse said with a laugh. “Not that I’m keeping track, or anything.”

  “Did you use a donor?” Lindsay asked before she realized she was being rude. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t be so nosy.”

  “I don’t mind,” the nurse said, rubbing her tummy. “But this little guy is the result of the best night of my life...my honeymoon in Paris. Little Jack is due exactly nine months from the first day my husband and I arrived in The City of Lights.”

  Lindsay sighed. “How nice.”

  Once Lindsay was seated comfortably, a blood pressure cuff was wrapped around her upper arm. The nurse inflated it, using a stethoscope to listen as the cuff deflated. She jotted down some numbers before she handed Lindsay a paper gown. “Put this on when I leave and, oh, I almost forgot.” The nurse pulled a file from beneath stacks of paper on the counter. The file was labeled “Baker’s Baby.”

  “Inside is a CD,” she explained. “Many women who come to us want to hear the donor's voice or hear how the donor responds to specific questions. Some want to save the audio interview for their child to hear at some time in the future. Also inside is the picture you requested of the donor at a young age.” The nurse peeked inside the folder and smiled. “Oh, you chose well. You’re going to be very happy. He’s a cutie.” She handed Lindsay the file and patted her arm. “I suggest you put on your gown, then take a look at the picture while you wait for the doctor.”

  “How long will the procedure take?”

  “You’ll be out of here in less than an hour.”

  “That’s fast,” Lindsay said. “Thank you.”

  The door closed, clicking shut with a finality that made Lindsay’s heart pump a little faster. She exhaled as she glanced at the file clutched in her hands. Her fingers trembled as she opened it. The boy in the eight-by-ten glossy looking back at her had curly-blond hair and a wide grin. She guessed his age to be about twelve. He had a strong jaw for such a young boy and eyes the same metallic gray as Cole’s. She found herself smiling back at the picture as she wiped a tear from her cheek.

  She seldom cried. Were they tears of joy or nervous tears? What was wrong with her? This should be one of the happiest days of her life. But her stomach felt queasy and for the first time in months she questioned her decision.

  She’d been looking forward to this day for too long to be fearful or hesitant. The wave of emotions she felt was unexpected and unwelcome. Lindsay stood, placed the file on the counter, and waited for a slight dizziness to pass before she unfolded the paper gown and began to undress.

  #

  Kari hovered over Max as he lay in a hospital bed looking pale and weak. She reached her hand over the side of the bed, careful not to bump the IV hooked to his arm as she took his hand in hers. His fingers felt cold. “I’ve been worried sick. What did Dr. Stone say?”

  “He’s perplexed,” Max said. “Just as Dr. Sm
ith was two months ago and Dr. Persons was two years before that. They’re running tests, trying to figure out what’s wrong.”

  “I never should have signed those papers clearing you,” Kari said. “This is my fault.”

  “I’ll be fine,” Max said. He used his free hand to reach up and touch her cheek. “Now that you’re in my life again, I’ve got something to live for.”

  His eyes closed for a moment and her heart sank at the possibility that something could be seriously wrong with Max. She couldn’t lose him. Not now. Not ever.

  The door opened.

  “Max,” Kari said, squeezing his hand. “You have visitors.” By the time he opened his eyes, Breanne and Molly stood at the side of his bed. Molly stood next to Kari on one side while Breanne stood on the other side.

  “How are you?” Breanne asked her brother, unable to hide the panic in her voice.

  “I feel great,” Max lied. “I could climb Mount Everest if the doc would just clear me.”

  Molly reached over the bars and put her hand on his shoulder. He raised his hand and covered her small hand in his. “Shouldn’t you be in summer school?”

  “Breanne’s going to take me,” she said. “But first I wanted to see you.”

  “You’re all worrying too much. I’m fine. I’m Mad Max. I’m indestructible, remember?”

  Molly’s fingers traveled to the back of his neck. “You have a rash.”

  “I do?” He felt the small bumps there. “I’ll tell the doc when he comes back. Speaking of the devil,” he said as Dr. Stone entered the room.

  “Good news and bad news,” Dr. Stone said. “Your heart is in great shape and you’ve tested negative for Syncope.”

  “Syncope?” Breanne asked.

  “It’s a sudden and temporary loss of consciousness, or fainting,” Dr. Stone explained. “Most people pass out at least once in their life, which doesn’t usually indicate a serious medical problem. However, sometimes syncope indicates a dangerous or even life-threatening condition.”