Saving This (The McCallans #5)

by Hadley Quinn

  He’d been surprised to learn that her parents ran with some pretty elite Hollywood crowds back in California. No wonder she seemed less-than-impressed with who he was. But that was perfect—someone of a similar caliber he didn’t have to explain much to.

  It didn’t mean he felt comfortable with her, though. Max didn’t care what she thought of him, even with whatever personality he threw at her. And that was his game so no one got too close. It was easy to keep people at a distance when they didn’t understand who he was.

  “Ready?” her voice broke his thoughts.

  He’d barely pulled his wetsuit on—it was just hanging from his waist. She was completely ready to go, waiting for him as she tossed the hat into the back and whipped her hair into a ponytail.

  Max slid his arms into the rest of his suit and reached back to tug it closed. “Yeah. Ready.”

  He followed her to the beach, and the only thing on his mind was the fact that his father would kill him if he knew he was up here surfing. He could barely get away with it in calm waters down south without his dad lecturing him about doing dangerous shit that could ruin his career. But up here…he had to keep reminding himself he wasn’t being limited.

  “So FYI, these days I take it easy,” Anna told him as they waded through the shallow waves with their boards.

  He gave her a smirk as he replied, “You mean I shouldn’t expect to be very impressed?”

  She shrugged, but was trying to hide a smile. “I just didn’t want you to feel intimidated. And I don’t care if I impress you or not.”

  Somehow, he felt that was true. She even left him on his own as she went belly down on her board and began paddling out.

  Max peered up and down the coast to check out how populated the beach was. He didn’t see many people, but he also realized the two of them seemed to be away from everyone else. Obviously the more inhabited waves were about a quarter mile north, and noting the mediocre waves in front of them, he realized Anna had traded better surfing for more privacy.

  As much as he appreciated the thought, he really didn’t feel like being out here. He was drained from not only working so late, but ignoring his father’s incessant phone calls. Finally he just sent his dad a quick text that he was fine, just taking some time off, and then turned his phone off. Once he got in the car with Anna that morning, it was obvious his dad wasn’t happy with what little information Max had given him and had continued to send him messages until he replied again. And of course that wasn’t good enough because his father wasn’t going to stop until he knew exactly where he was.

  Max took a deep breath and forced some energy through himself, glad he could finally feel the coffee start to take effect. The next couple of hours actually went by in a blur, and as tired as he was, it did feel good to be in the cold water. It also felt good to do something he used to love doing all the time with his brother, but hadn’t for several years. He’d been on a board, just not with Teague and not as often. He missed those days. They’d spend hours at the beach when they were younger without a care in the world. The pressures of stardom hadn’t met him quite yet, and really, most of the time they were out in public was without their dad’s knowledge anyway.

  On his last standing coast inland, he noticed Anna sitting in the sand on her board. He’d lost track of time and had no idea how long she’d been there. As he stepped off and slogged through the water to join her, he tried to gauge her mood.

  “Well, well, well,” she smiled at him. “For someone who didn’t want to leave the house this morning, you sure made good use of your time.”

  He wiped the salty water from his face and then sat on his board a few feet from her. “Sorry if I made you wait.” She paused for so long he looked to his right to see if she’d heard him.

  Anna was still smiling, shaking her head. “Are you kidding?” she chuckled. “It’s nice to have someone outlast me for once.”

  Max cocked an eyebrow and ran a hand through his wet hair. “Sweetheart, don’t underestimate my endurance.”

  She opened her mouth in surprise, and then smiled like she was unsure of his humor as she eyed him for a moment. Or, maybe she was just caught off guard that he would imply something like that. Either way, her reaction was entertaining.

  Anna stood and pulled her board up from the sand. “I don’t know about you, but I’m starving and need something warm and salty in my mouth.”

  She gave him the same arched eyebrow as she turned for the parking lot. Her wit made Max laugh to himself as he hoisted himself up to follow, but he also felt like she was challenging him.

  “Hey, don’t you eyebrow me and walk away,” he called from behind.

  She stopped and turned around, surprise written all over her face. Then she laughed out loud. “Eyebrow you? Did you seriously just say ‘don’t you eyebrow me’?”

  He shrugged a shoulder, and now that he’d caught up to her, they started walking together. “Yeah, don’t do that eyebrow thing to me. It’s not cool. Nor is it cute.”

  That was a total fucking lie. If he hadn’t been in fifty-five degree water less than five minutes ago, he might have been turned on by her feisty sass. Wetsuit or not, the cold water was an enemy to his manhood.

  She scoffed at him. “Don’t tell me not to eyebrow you. You eyebrowed me first. You can’t eyebrow someone and then tell them they can’t eyebrow you back.”

  He was ready to laugh at this banter. Instead, he kept a neutral face. “Well now you’re just acting like a brat. It’s okay if I do it. You, however, don’t get to eyebrow people. On cute little blondes, it just looks bitchy.”

  She smiled as they approached her car. “You make no sense. What the fuck is wrong with you? I’ll eyebrow you as much as I want. You of all people don’t get to call me a brat. You’re a brat.”

  This was too funny. For once, it was hard for him to maintain a straight face. He couldn’t tell if she knew he was just messing with her right now or not. It was hilarious and adorable all at the same time, and it was enough to make him forget he was completely exhausted at the moment.

  Max grabbed a towel from the back when Anna opened it. As he used it to wipe the sand off his board he said, “So do you want something warm in your mouth, or not? Because if you keep yapping, you’ll be so full of hot air it might be enough to fill you up. No room for anything…better.”

  She responded with, “Ha!” which made him smile as she ripped the towel out of his hand to hastily brush the sand off her board. “No wonder your brother doesn’t like you.”

  “No wonder your parents don’t like you.”

  She shrugged, then threw the towel in the back and slid her board up on the top rack. As she stripped off her wetsuit, she casually shrugged. “You don’t know anything about my parents.”

  “You don’t know anything about my brother and me.”

  While she was standing there in just a bikini he was trying not to stare at, Anna yanked another towel from the back and started drying herself off. She pulled on a pair of sweats and said, “Stop talking to me.”

  Amused, he watched as she walked around the SUV, climbed behind the wheel, and pulled the door shut.

  He knew he could get under anyone’s skin if he wanted to. She played it pretty cool, he had to give her credit for that, but he knew he’d provoked her. Now he didn’t have to worry about being friends with her while he was up here. He just needed to get his script done and get back to L.A. He didn’t need a beautiful, charming woman to distract him.

  Feeling smug, he secured both boards on the rack, threw on his sweats, and slid into the passenger seat shirtless. He expected that she’d be sitting there pouting like an insolent child, but instead, she was laughing with someone on speakerphone.

  And it was a dude.

  “I gotta go,” Anna said as she returned Max’s wary eye contact.

  “Alright,” the guy replied. “Talk to you later, hon. Take care.”

  They hung up. Anna tucked her phone under her leg and turned the i
gnition. Without a word, she backed out of the parking space and said, “Thanks for hooking the boards down.”

  “Did I have a choice?”

  She snickered. “Sure you did. You could have been an ass and left them untied so I’d drive away with them falling off.”

  “Not worth the hassle.”

  “Hmm, then why is it worth the hassle to try and piss me off?” she questioned.

  He could feel her gaze on him as he stared out the windshield. “I’m not trying to piss you off.”

  “Liar.”

  He turned to look at her. “That’s pretty brazen.”

  “Oh? So is flirting with me and then saying shit to piss me off.”

  He didn’t respond that time because she was right on the nose. The worst part was that she’d called him out on it.

  “I get it,” she said after he refused to answer. “I get it because I’m the same way. But you don’t fool me, Max. I mean you confuse me, but don’t think I’m not up for a challenge to get through your bullshit.”

  He looked at her again but still couldn’t respond. She was beating him at his own fucking game. He turned away and asked, “What do you feel like eating? I need something, like, now. I’d say we could clean up and go somewhere nicer later, but I need a burger or something.”

  He could hear her soft laughter as she pulled onto the highway. “Hey, I say yes to both. Thanks for the offer to take me on a date later.”

  Max had to force himself to not smile. She was not only witty, but she was bold. She also didn’t bat her eyelashes and giggle like a bimbo no matter what stupid thing he said. But he had a feeling she had part of his personality pegged just right and that made him uncomfortable.

  “Whatever works for you,” he mumbled in agreement.

  The rest of the ride was silent except for music. Oh yeah, and Anna singing along to the Beastie Boys. He approved of her choice of music, but when she’d turn to him and rap with one hand in the air, it was comical. The girl had no reservations whatsoever. It was refreshing for a change. And when he dug his wallet out to pay for drive-thru, she already had it done and paid for. He also skipped out on having to decide on a place to stop because she hadn’t even asked.

  This was undefined territory he was in.

  After pulling into Quentin’s driveway, she paused to write something on a napkin. “Here are my digits. Call me when you’re hungry later and we can go on that date.” She stuffed it into his bag of food and handed it over. “I can’t promise I won’t sell your number if you text me, though.”

  She winked at him as she hopped out of the Tahoe, and before he could unload his own things from the back, she was already doing it for him. Max stepped out of the vehicle and was standing there with a bag of takeout food, watching her do all the work, and after five seconds, he realized why he hardly felt guilty for it.

  She was standing on the tailgate in her sweats and bikini top. With skin and breasts and…

  Yeah. He was pretty useless.

  Anna hopped down and slid his board the rest of the way off. He had enough sense to grab it from her and set it against the garage door while she pulled the wetsuit out for him.

  “You good?” she asked, tossing it his way.

  He nodded as he barely caught it, and before he could conjure up what he should say to her, she was already backing out of the driveway.

  Chapter Ten

  This was a new feel for me, something I wasn’t quite prepared for. I’d been taught how to be strong, mentally and physically, and I’d been shaped into a leader over the past few years. I’d gained the respect of my fellow Marines and felt comfortable they would follow through with any order I gave them because they trusted I would be right there with them.

  And now here I was, completely incapable of doing any of the things I’d been doing since the day I’d enlisted. I could barely walk let alone run, jump, or turn. Physical therapy kicked my ass and I’d only been doing it for two weeks since my last surgery. My hip and pelvis had miraculously been put back together, but trying to walk again had been a bitch. I was quiet and followed the therapists’ orders, but under my breath and in my mind I was surly and insubordinate.

  I’d reached an all time low. I could conquer the pain for the most part, but it was my attitude that was taking a hit. And I couldn’t sleep at night. I was exhausted, and sometimes that made it so my body didn’t comply with what I wanted it to do and the suffering was harder to manage.

  I was eventually talked into taking something for the pain. So far, I felt pill popping was for the weak and I’d refused it over and over once they unhooked me from fluids and I started moving around more. I thought I was strong enough to get through it on my own. But I was convinced taking something at night would not only lessen the pain, but also help me sleep. Looking back, I know my hesitance was a sign. My father had had trouble with painkillers and I didn’t want to go down the same road. But I thought I could handle it, thought I knew when to stop.

  I was wrong.

  Max read for another ten minutes, learning how Tate had become addicted to pain killers until the day he told himself he needed to quit. He felt there was something missing in his life, but until he could figure it out, he needed to rely on his own internal compass to get himself back on track.

  The parts about Tate’s high school days completely blew Max’s mind. The guy had no reservations when it came to being honest about his personality, and reading how he described himself as “selfish and arrogant” were surprising. Max had never gotten that vibe in the time he’d known him. Tate claimed he’d been a smart ass, having no regard for others’ feelings, and that he often made jokes about his opponents on the sports field because he believed he was superior to them all.

  But it was the next part of Tate’s journals that hit Max the most, and it wasn’t because he was surprised… It was because he could relate.

  My dad had been hard on me most of my life, but I knew that was the military guy in him and I could respect that. He had been raised that way so it was engrained in him to be firm and expect compliance. I wanted him to be proud of me, but I didn’t necessarily want to follow his same path. I didn’t think a military career was for me, but when my friend got arrested for involuntary manslaughter and I didn’t get the sports scholarships I was hoping for, life seemed to kick my ass in a different direction.

  I had a lot to think about, like who I wanted to be and where exactly I was needed in the world. Even though I’d been trying to carve my own path, I realized my father had a lot to do with who I already was anyway. For as long as I could remember, I’d been trying to avoid myself, who I really was. I decided I needed to apply my confidence and physical strength toward a greater good and that’s why I became a Marine. We all have innate qualities that will always be a part of us. It just took me a while to polish those assets and be comfortable with the power they held. I needed to stop being afraid to utilize them the right way…

  Max stared at those last three sentences for almost five minutes, reading them over and over. For some reason, those words resonated within him. He’d been creating a heartfelt movie script with all the emotional qualities worth sharing with the world, but there was a theme starting to peel away and reveal itself at this point.

  Life wasn’t always about the ups and downs that would inevitably come our way, but how we faced those obstacles. Sometimes we did it with grace and it was effortless because we knew what we needed to do, but other times it was a clumsy fight just trying to balance our strengths and weaknesses. It was okay to not have all the answers; some revelations weren’t ready for us to recognize just yet. And it was also okay to admit when you needed help, that you aren’t able to face it alone.

  Max sighed, gulped down the final ounces of his lukewarm tea, and applied his fingers to the keyboard again. He typed furiously, losing track of time and concern for anything else. Then he read what was left of Tate’s journal: how he met Kellie, and how there comes a moment in life where everythin
g just clicks into place.

  It felt a bit intrusive reading these personal thoughts—how much Tate loved Kellie and how they had both enriched each others’ lives for the better, knowing that they complimented one another and just…fit. He confessed how devoted to her he was, and how completely connected they were; how he would fight to the death just to keep her happy and safe.

  Max set the papers aside and returned to the script, typing away again until a sound broke his cadence and slowed him down somewhat. He used the pause to read over his words—

  “Man, you are in a zone,” a voice cut into the silence.

  Max spun around in the computer chair, his heart jumping into his throat from being startled. Anna was standing in the doorway of the bedroom, seeming surprised that she’d scared him.

  Then she cringed. “I’m sorry, you paused like you heard me, so…”

  “What the fuck do you want?”

  She raised her eyebrows in a sassy manner and he instantly felt bad for being so abrupt. But you don’t just sneak up on someone like that; he wasn’t used to people invading his personal space so easily. He always had another person or two in between wherever he was.

  “Sorry, uh, you just… I didn’t hear you come in,” he said, rubbing the stiffness from the back of his neck.

  She pursed her lips together, seeming to study him for a second. Her eyebrows were creased together and she frowned, seeming concerned. “I knocked four different times. Then I came around to the back because I saw a light on back here. The sliding door was unlocked… Sorry, but I was worried. I thought for sure you would have heard me.”