by Melody Anne
He stayed by her side the entire time. The doctor walked in, shook Max’s hand, then had her x-rayed, cleaned up, and wrapped in no time. It figured that Max knew the doctor on call. Who didn’t he or his family know?
Luckily, her foot wasn’t broken, just had a nasty bruise, and a slight crack. It didn’t need a cast, thank goodness, and she should be on her feet in no time. It was as she’d suspected. The doctor gave her a few sample packets of pills so she wouldn’t have to stop at the pharmacy, then ordered her to keep off her foot for the next few days. She knew that would be impossible. She lived on her own.
“Thank you, Max,” she practically choked out. He gave her a wide smile.
“I’m sure that thank you caused more pain than your injury,” he said with a wink.
“I do appreciate it, but you didn’t have to ruin your day by catering to me. It’s not even a bad injury,” she pouted.
“So, in your opinion, I should’ve just left you twitching on the ground.” When he said it like that, he made her sound ridiculous. Of course, he wouldn’t just leave her lying there, but his driver could’ve easily taken her to the hospital. She was sure Max knew she would’ve made him take her home and forgone the hospital.
He wheeled her back outside, where his driver was waiting. They loaded her back into the car, and she leaned her head against the seat. The pain pills were kicking in and she couldn’t seem to keep her eyes open. She decided to rest them for a moment. She was partially pulled from her sleep when she felt Max’s arms come around her. She just couldn’t open her eyes, so she laid her head on his shoulder, and quickly fell back asleep.
Cassie woke up with her foot throbbing and turned over. She slowly opened her eyes as she realized she wasn’t in her bed. She pushed her arm out, feeling the satin sheets, and the soft pillow. Yep, definitely not her bed. She looked around just as Max walked in the room.
“Your foot is probably throbbing again. You’ve been asleep for several hours,” he said casually as he helped her sit up and placed a tray on her lap.
“Where am I?” she asked, though she had a bad feeling she already knew.
“My house. The doctor said you couldn’t put any weight on your foot over the next few days so that ruled out your place,” he said. She had to fight down the panic. She couldn’t stay with him, in his bed, surrounded by his scent. She was trying to distance herself from the man. Him taking care of her wouldn’t help her accomplish that goal.
“I…I can’t stay here,” she stuttered.
“Of course you can,” he said with steel running through his voice. It was the tone she was used to when he wasn’t willing to compromise. She’d lost the battle before she uttered a single word. His mind was made up, and short of a band of thieves coming in and kidnapping her, she wouldn’t be leaving his house until she could walk.
“Do you often take women as prisoners into your home?” she asked.
“Only the really lucky ones,” he said with a wink. She was trying to irritate him into leaving her alone, but apparently it wasn’t working.
The pain in her foot overruled her stubbornness, and she finally took the pill from the tray and drank it down, then picked at the food so she wouldn’t get nauseous from the pill.
“Feel better?” he asked after they sat in silence for about ten minutes. She could feel some immediate effects, and hated to admit it to him, but she was feeling a bit better already, but her eyes were already starting to droop. She needed to use the restroom, but she didn’t want to ask for his help, she’d rather crawl in there. As if he could read her mind, he pulled back the covers. She noticed, for the first time, she was wearing an oversized t-shirt, and nothing else. He must have changed her, which brought a blush to her cheeks.
“I’m going to carry you to the bathroom. I’ll come back in ten minutes and pick you up again. There’s a toothbrush in there. The doctor wants your foot to stay in this wrap all night, so you should wait to bathe until tomorrow,” he said as he placed his arms under her waist and knees. She began to protest, but he ignored her as he carried her into the luxurious bathroom, and gently sat her on the edge of the tub. “I’ll be back in ten,” he said before shutting the door.
Cassie quickly took care of her needs, and even managed to wash her face. She was getting more and more tired, though, and it was hard to hop around the bathroom. The jarring movement caused more pain to shoot through her foot. She was going to try and hop back to the bed, but she didn’t know if she could make it without falling on her face. She could’ve in her small apartment, but not his huge master bedroom.
Right on time, there was a light tap on the door, then Max peeked in. When he saw her swaying by the bathroom sink, he quickly stepped in and scooped her back up in his arms.
“Why are you so stubborn?” he admonished her. She was too worn out to argue with him, so she just rested her head on his chest, and sighed when he placed her back into the soft bed. He covered her up, and she fell asleep before he could even turn out the light.
Chapter Nine
Something shifted on top of Cassie, startling her out of a deep sleep. She tried to sit up, and found she was trapped. She started to panic, kicking with her leg, trying to escape.
“Cassie, it’s just me, calm down,” she heard Max say. She struggled for a moment longer, before the words connected with her foggy mind.
“Wh…what, where..?” She couldn’t seem to get coherent words past her mouth. She looked up to find Max leaning over her. She looked from his worried expression, then downward, noticing he wasn’t wearing a shirt. The sight of him was both a relief and a worry.
“What are you doing here?” she finally remembered how to talk.
“I was sleeping until you nearly beat the crap out of me,” he said with a chuckle, leaning over her with his head propped on his hand.
“That’s not what I meant. Why are you in bed with me?” she demanded.
“It’s my bed,” he said simply.
“I’m sure this house has other rooms, so why not just put me in one of those?” she asked.
“Cassie, it’s not like we haven’t slept together already. What’s with the panic?”
“First of all, I felt trapped when I woke up and it scared me. Secondly, we’re not in a relationship and should no longer be sharing a bed,” she said in her most prim tone. He actually had the nerve to smile at her, which sent her temper flaring.
“Someday, you’re going to find out that you don’t always get your way,” she said in a huff. He chuckled. She was close to hitting him, which surprised her, since she’d never been violent before.
“So, you’d be upset if I ran my hand along your stomach like this,” he said as he rubbed along her belly, slowly making his way toward her breasts. She gaped at him, too shocked by his boldness to think about stopping him.
“Or, you’d probably be real upset if I bent down and ran my tongue along your neck like this,” he practically purred, before he bent down and smoothed his tongue along her throat, making her pulse jump and her breathing become labored. It would be so easy to get lost in his embrace. She couldn’t remember why it was such a bad idea for them to make love again, but she knew, somewhere in the back of her mind, that she had to stop him. She’d figure out why later.
“My foot hurts,” she blurted out. In truth she hadn’t thought about her foot once since waking, but now that she’d used it as an excuse, she realized it was throbbing. He immediately stopped and looked into her eyes.
“Looks like a cold shower for me,” he said with another chuckle, before jumping from the bed, wearing only a pair of loose sweats that did nothing to hide his aroused state from her. He went to the bathroom and came out with a cup of water, then took a pill from the bottle on the nightstand and sat next to her. Her eyes lowered to his pants, before she realized what she was doing, and she jerked her head back to his face. He smiled at her knowingly, then gave her a wink.
“Later,” he promised. Not if she could help it, she thought.
She took the pills, then sat with him, awkwardly.
“I’ll go grab you some toast and juice, then you can take a bath,” he said, before leaving the room. She took a few deep breaths, gave herself a pep-talk, and waited for his return. She was grateful when the pills kicked in. Max returned with a tray and she quickly ate the toast. She figured the sooner she finished, the quicker he’d leave her to bathe and dress.
“Ready?” he asked.
“For what?” She looked at him with confusion. She certainly wasn’t going to let him help her bathe. She absolutely had to put her foot, even the hurt one, down at some point.
Max just rolled his eyes before flipping back the covers and lifting her in his arms. She was getting tired of his cave-man tactics, but protests didn’t do her any good. He once again set her on the edge of the tub, then turned on the faucet. She watched as he added some vanilla scented bubbles to the tub. He carefully unwrapped her bandaged foot and looked it over.
“I’ll be back in ten,” he told her before slipping from the room. She stared at the door, wondering if he thought she could finish bathing in ten minutes, or if he really did think he was going to help her. She didn’t want to find out the answer.
She quickly placed her hair atop her head, brushed her teeth and stripped, then gingerly climbed into the tub. She wouldn’t admit to him how hard it was to get into its luxurious depths. She broke out in a sweat before she managed to sink below the bubbles. As she laid her head against the cushioned back, a sigh escaped. The temperature was perfect, and a bath had never felt so good.
There was a tap on the door, then Max was walking in, heading straight for the tub. She sunk down a bit deeper, even though the bubbles were covering her from the neck down.
“I’m fine, Max. I don’t need a babysitter,” she said, eyeing him warily.
“The pills you took have a sleeping aid in them. I don’t want you falling asleep in the tub. Plus, I’m sure your neck and shoulders are a bit tense, since you’ve been sleeping so many hours,” he said.
He knelt next to the tub and brought his hands up to her neck, gently massaging the area, before he moved down to her slick shoulders. She let out a little moan as he applied pressure. She hated to admit he was right, but she was tense. She didn’t know if it was from sleeping so many hours, or because he was next to her as she lay naked in the tub, but his massaging fingers felt incredible, especially with the hot water surrounding her body.
He smoothed his hands along her neck, putting her into almost a trance. She shut her eyes and let herself enjoy being pampered. He was being so good to her, how could she possibly be angry about that?
“Cassie, wake up,” she heard Max say, but it was through a thick fog. She ignored him and let her mind shut down.
Max continued to kneed her shoulders for a moment as she fell asleep in the hot water. He figured he was going to deserve a medal for keeping his hands above the water line. She was so beautiful, and knowing she was naked underneath the thin layer of bubbles was playing havoc with his painful arousal.
He stood up and pulled the plug on the tub, before grabbing a towel and laying it over his chest. He reached down and easily lifter her into his arms, quickly wrapping the towel around her glistening form. He was breathing as hard as if he’d just finished running a marathon. She was intoxicating in her innocence. He laid her on top of the covers, quickly drying her, before covering her with another of his oversized t-shirts.
Concealing her body from his view did nothing to lessen his raging body. He knew her every curve, and he wanted to sink deep within her folds. He once again lifted her into his arms so he could move the covers, then laid her gently in the bed. She made a sighing sound, before flipping on her side and snuggling deep into the bed. He grabbed the extra wrap the doctor provided him, and made quick work on her foot, then covered her. His next stop was an ice cold shower, which did nothing but turn him blue, and have him curse his honor.
A couple hours later Max stepped into the bedroom and found Cassie sitting up in bed, looking more alert than she had in the past twenty-four hours. He was glad to see she didn’t seem to be in as much pain.
“Are you ready to come downstairs for a while?” he asked.
“Yes, I think I’m going a bit crazy lying in bed for this long,” she eagerly answered.
Max bent down and picked her up, thinking he could get used to carrying her around. He loved the feel of her in his arms. He was beginning to think he wasn’t going to let her go. Never had he thought of happily ever after with one woman, but the more time he spent with Cassie, the more the thought appealed to him. He couldn’t imagine letting her go.
“It looks as if you’ve been swept off your feet, Cassie,” Amy said, surprising them both as they walked into the inviting den.
“Looking like a Knight in Shining Armor, Max,” Lucas said with a chuckle. Cassie felt her cheeks warm.
“I hurt my foot,” Cassie said with embarrassment. She was sure the situation looked a lot worse than what it was. Max had just carried her from upstairs, and she was wearing one of his old shirts and way oversized sweat pants that were barely hanging on to her hips.
“Oh, darling, there’s no need to hide our love,” Max said with a wink, which had her face flaming even more.
“Max, quit teasing her,” Amy came to her rescue. Max set her on the couch and immediately pulled up a footstool and propped her foot.
“What are you out doing?” Max asked.
“We were stopping by to see if you wanted to join us for dinner, but it looks as if you’re a bit busy at the moment,” Lucas answered.
“Cassie came out to the Habitat site and was in the wrong place at the wrong time. A piece of wood fell from the roof and landed on her foot. Luckily, it’s not broke, but she can’t put any pressure on it for at least a few days,” Max told them.
“I’m sorry, Cassie. As soon as you get better, we’ll have to get pedicures,” Amy said, sitting next to her and giving her a quick hug.
“Thanks, Amy. I would love that,” Cassie told her.
“Dad wanted us to stop by and make sure you’re coming to Mom’s party next weekend,” Lucas said.
“Of course, I wouldn’t miss my aunt’s birthday. I know Joseph would hunt me down for sure,” Max said with laughter.
“Are you going to come, Cassie. You’ll love it, I promise. Before you start shaking your head, realize the house is always over-crowded for these parties. My father-in-law doesn’t consider it a success unless half of Seattle is there to worship his wife,” Amy said with enthusiasm. How could Cassie say no to that?
“I suppose I could stop by, but I’d feel out of place,” Cassie hedged. She could take the opportunity to speak with more of the Andersons about Max, though, and justify being there by having it be a working thing. As if Max could read her mind, he poked at her.
“The house will be full of people who know all kinds of things about me. You’ll be able to write an entire book by the time the evening is over,” he told her with his signature wink.
“Ah, you know just how to convince me,” she said with a smile. She had enough information to write an article about him unlike anything else that had ever been written, but she couldn’t pass up the opportunity. She was now getting in far deeper than she should, but she felt a bit trapped at the moment.
“Good, that’s settled, so why don’t we change our plans, order pizza, and play Uno,” Amy said. Cassie was thrilled with the thought. Her heart couldn’t take any more alone time with Max, plus she enjoyed Amy’s company.
“Sounds great to me. I’m going to make some calls and see who else can come over,” Lucas said, walking from the room.
Within an hour the pizza was delivered, and several of Max’s cousins and siblings arrived. They turned the den into game central, setting up a large table and pulling out several board games. After a few rounds of Uno, Max pulled out Pictionary, and then laughter reigned as everyone fought to win.
Cassie had to smile a
s she looked around at the close family. She was in a room of very alpha males, who jabbed one another, and tried their hardest to win, even if it was only a board game. The women all laughed at their antics. It was all done in good humor, though, with a lot of ribbing, without anyone getting upset.
“Time for Charades,” Max called out, which had the group of people groaning. If they’d been competitive before, it would be nothing compared to how they’d be playing charades.
“Girls against guys,” Emily called, making the men groan.
“Okay, but no cheating,” Mark said as he quickly bent down and kissed his wife.
“We wouldn’t even think about it,” Jennifer defended with a wicked smile.
Soon, the real competition was on, and Cassie found herself laughing so hard, her stomach was in pain. The women were ahead by three points and the men were huddled together as if it were a game of football. They broke apart and the deep concentration on their faces caused the women to go off in another round of laughter.
Max stood at the front of the room and looked at his card. Amy started the clock. He held up his hand with one finger.
“One word,” Lucas shouted, as if he’d just solved a complex puzzle. Max nodded yes, then looked around in a bit of panic. Cassie could see he was having a hard time trying to act his card out. Finally he dropped onto his hands and knees, which caused her to start laughing again. He started moving around the floor slowly, taking huge, exaggerated steps.
“Cow, horse, rhino,” Mark shouted. Max turned his head and glared at his cousin. He moved his head back and forth, and the girls couldn’t help but laugh even harder at the ridiculous picture he made on the floor. Then, he stuck his arm in front of his face and started moving it up and down. Cassie figured it out and quickly whispered it to her team, but had to wait for the timer to run out.
