Close Contact

by Lori Foster

  Miles whistled. “Wow. Can’t say I understand all that either, but it sounds pretty nasty.”

  “Very.” Because it was so ironic, Maxi laughed uneasily. “The property Mom left me? Turns out it was smack-dab in the middle of a big land deal. I made a killing off it.”

  Eyes flaring, Miles said, “Holy shit. I bet your brother and sister aren’t happy about that.”

  “They’d have been fine if it had gone the way originally intended. But for them to be on the short end? They’re livid. And then, of course, it wasn’t long after that my grandmother passed away, too. I was heartsick when Harlow and Neil jumped me at the funeral, demanding I do the right thing, which to them means selling the house and giving the profit to them.”

  “Bad timing,” Miles muttered.

  “Very bad. I was already hurt and angry, more so after Harlow claimed I could never take care of the farm, that I was in over my head. Neil agreed with her. They wanted me to be happy with a chunk of money and forget my grandmother’s wishes.”

  “To care for her cats?”

  She nodded. “I didn’t react well. I offered them each twenty grand to leave me alone, which admittedly won’t go far.”

  “Sounds generous to me.”

  At the time, it had sounded generous to her, too. But she hadn’t realized the financial tangle her mother had left behind. “They didn’t think so. Neither of them has been to the house, but I get plenty of texts and emails reminding me of my duty, and what I should do for them.”

  “What about your duty to your grandmother?”

  “Neil says they’re just a bunch of feral cats and don’t really matter, not when compared to my mother’s reputation.” She pressed a hand to her heart. “But they mattered to my grandma. You’ve seen the farm. She put her whole focus on those cats. They were her pets, her purpose. I can’t just ignore that.” One way or another, she was determined to finally do something right.

  Miles pondered that for a moment. “Has it occurred to you that it might be your brother or sister causing the problems? If they want you to sell, what better way to convince you than to terrorize you into it? Money,” he added, “can be a powerful motivator.”

  “No, they wouldn’t do that. Like I said, deep down they love me.” Sometimes she had to look really deep, but she knew the love was there.

  Sympathy crept into his expression and tone. “That could explain why, after you were drugged, you were only moved outside and not actually hurt.”

  Her throat tightened at the possibility, and she adamantly shook her head. “They wouldn’t scare me like that. This is just one of many battles that we’ve fought over the years.” They butted heads, her family got more fed up with her and she worked harder to hide her hurt. But they would never go this far.

  Clearly unconvinced, Miles said, “All right. You know them and I don’t. Just keep it in mind, okay?”

  Keep in mind that her own family would... No, she couldn’t believe it. To appease Miles, she said, “Sure. I’ll add it to my growing list of disturbing things to think about.”

  With regret, he whispered, “I’m sorry you’re going through all this.”

  “On the upside, I’ve been too busy juggling problems to wallow in grief.” She tried for a smile, but it eluded her.

  “Grieving is important.” Miles slid his hand down her arm until he could twine his fingers with hers. “Maybe while I’m helping out, you could slow down and take the time to feel.”

  Oh, she felt plenty around Miles. Too much. “We’ll see how it goes.” So far, she hadn’t wanted to think too much, not about losing her mom, not about losing her grandma and not about having her life turned upside down.

  His thumb brushed over her knuckles. “So now I know everything you have on your plate. Want to tell me what it has to do with avoiding me?”

  Even that simple touch from him did crazy things to her insides. Dropping her head back and closing her eyes, Maxi blew out a breath. “That first night I came to the bar...I just wanted to be me, you know? The person I was before I inherited a chunk of money and a farmhouse that needs a ton of work. I didn’t want to think about lost opportunities with my mother, or the new tension with my sister and brother. I didn’t want to dwell on how I’d once again completely misjudged a man. I wanted to escape for a while.”

  “With a one-night stand?”

  She opened her eyes to look at him. “That was the original plan, yes.”

  “I wasn’t judging,” he promised, picking up on her sudden antagonism. “Just trying to get a handle on things.”

  “Well...good.” She’d been judged enough lately.

  His mouth quirked in that crooked grin she loved so much. “I was the beneficiary of your ‘escape.’ There’s nothing about it that I regret.”

  He sounded so sincere, her hope rose. Twisting to face him, still very relaxed with her head resting back, Maxi whispered, “You mean that?”

  “Yeah, I do.” He squeezed her hand, then withdrew. “The only thing I regret is how it ended.”

  It kept coming back to that—not that she could blame him. “It didn’t exactly work out the way I’d planned either.”

  “No?”

  “I only wanted something for me, you know? My life was upside down, and I had so much to deal with, so many emotions pulling me in a dozen different directions. I wanted pure, hot sex—then I wanted to walk away with no strings attached. I had too many strings already.” And too many failures.

  “I trust you got the hot sex?”

  She grinned hugely. “Boy, that’s an understatement. You totally rocked my world.”

  Her words brought a heated look to his eyes that almost singed her.

  Softer now, she admitted, “I’d expected to have sex with a total stranger, and that’d be that. It was going to be my wicked splurge, my departure from reality.” As she searched his green-eyed gaze, her voice thickened. “Instead, I came back looking for you again.”

  With satisfaction, he whispered, “And then a third time.”

  “I knew if I let myself, I’d start a thing with you. But after striking out twice, it seemed really dumb to chance it, especially when I just plain didn’t have time or energy for it.”

  “By thing, you mean a relationship?”

  She nodded. After that third time, she’d felt not only physically hooked, but emotionally and romantically, too. That was dangerous.

  “You’re assuming that’s what I wanted?”

  “I wasn’t at all sure what you wanted. That last time, you were...well, I don’t want to say moody.”

  Brows flattening, he groused, “Yeah, please don’t.”

  His look of affront amused her. “You asked me so many questions, and you shared more of yourself, telling me that you might leave MMA and go into the bodyguard biz. The sex was just as phenomenal, but I was afraid we were getting too chatty.”

  “And getting chatty spooked you?” Miles shook his head. “Aw, babe, you’re nuts, you know that, right?”

  “Maybe.” Her family certainly thought so. “But for once, I thought I should be responsible and get my life in order. You saw the farmhouse. It was ten times worse when I first moved in. I’ve accomplished a lot in the time I’ve been there. I might’ve gotten more done if there weren’t so many strange things happening.” Her gaze moved over him. “Now I’m thankful you did tell me about your plans. Otherwise I’m not sure where I would’ve turned for help.”

  “You could have come to me either way.”

  Probably true. After all, as a professional fighter, Miles had the physical skills to handle most types of trouble. It continued to make her uncomfortable, knowing her departure from his life had angered him, so she did a topic switch. “I’m curious. You told me you were leaving MMA, but not why.”

  “I had my reason
s.”

  She’d researched him online and knew he’d been a force to be reckoned with, a skilled fighter with a string of wins behind his name, respected by others in the industry, adored by rabid fans. Why would he have left all that?

  When he said nothing else, she asked, “The reasons are a secret?”

  His enigmatic gaze cut her way. “They have no bearing on me being your bodyguard.”

  “Whoa,” she said, holding up her hands as if in surrender. “I didn’t know it was a touchy subject. This is me backing off.”

  “And that,” Miles said, “is our cue to get moving if we want to have time left to get everything done.”

  But...she’d been leading up to something there...something like an invite to share her bed again!

  Soon as they’d started talking about it, she’d recalled all the ways he’d touched her, tasted her, the positions he’d favored, how frantic he’d made her feel—and then how fulfilled.

  Blast him, he had her craving him all over again.

  Who was she kidding? Soon as she’d laid eyes on him at the Body Armor agency, she’d suffered an explosion of need. Not just sexual, but all those special things Miles made her feel.

  Sighing in very real frustration, Maxi gave up her slouched posture and handed him the bag with all their empty containers together. He left the vehicle to throw it away in a curbside trash can, then returned and started the engine.

  “Is your new apartment anywhere near the agency?” she asked as she fastened her seat belt.

  “Yeah, why?”

  “I want to get my car.” When they’d left, Miles had been adamant that she not drive, never mind that she’d gotten there on her own. Given the fuzziness of her memory, she hadn’t argued too much. Since they’d be nearby again, it only made sense for her to drive it back.

  “Leese and Justice will swing by tomorrow and get it before they come out.”

  “They don’t have the keys.”

  “They can get them from the office.”

  She narrowed her eyes on him. “When you took them from me, I thought you put them in your pocket.”

  “I left them with Sahara.”

  Well, that was high-handed of him. “Don’t ever do that again.”

  He pulled away from the curb, asking, “Do what?” as if he weren’t the least bit concerned.

  “Make a decision for me.” Even though she knew it was mostly sexual frustration making her snippy, Maxi said, “Deliberately mislead me.”

  His brows shot up and he spared her an incredulous glance before getting his attention back on the road. “That’s the pot calling the kettle black.”

  The accusatory tone only irked her more. “The pot is paying the kettle’s salary!”

  He snorted. “Do you really think you were in any shape to make decisions this morning?”

  “No, but you could have just said that you wanted someone else to bring my car to me.”

  He rolled one big shoulder. “At the time, I didn’t even know if Leese would be free. Since he is, it works out.”

  Maxi closed her mouth before she made an even bigger fool of herself. She’d blame the overreaction on the strain, but she knew that wasn’t it.

  She wanted Miles, and so far, he wasn’t all that receptive to the idea.

  Giving up for the moment, she noted the size of the security store where he pulled up and parked. “This place is immense.”

  “They’re top-of-the-line and should have everything we need.” After he stepped out, he walked around to open her door.

  Always the gentleman. Maxi left the SUV but didn’t go far. She put a hand on his chest—and even that, such a small touch, did crazy things to her. There was no give to his rock-hard body; how could she not react?

  Reining in her haywire hormones, she said, “Promise me, Miles. I’m not an idiot. You don’t have to do things for my own good. Just tell me the plan, and I can be reasonable.”

  He looked first at her hand on him, then into her eyes. He was so close, she breathed in the scents of soap and warm male skin.

  A sultry expression narrowed his gaze. Voice low and rough, almost hypnotic, he said, “Since I don’t know you well enough to make that judgment, I can only promise to try.”

  CHAPTER FIVE

  IT TOOK LONGER than Miles had counted on to get all the supplies they needed, plus groceries. Because he knew Maxi wasn’t working on all cylinders yet, he made a point not to rush her.

  For the most part, she held it together, but even at his apartment, she’d trailed him into every room, sticking close while he gathered up clothes, his laptop and overnight kit.

  Apparently she was afraid to be more than a few feet away from him.

  In one respect, he liked that. She wanted a protector? He’d gladly step up.

  On the other hand, he didn’t like seeing her this way. When he’d first met her, she’d been all bold, up-front honesty. She’d wanted him, she’d said so, and they’d both enjoyed themselves.

  Now she tiptoed around it. Sure, he’d caught the subtle hints she’d thrown out, picked up on her vibe.

  He wanted more than that.

  He wanted her outright admission so that this time they could start with a clean slate.

  She claimed to have ended things because of poor choices in her past, and the mess of her life. Well, he wasn’t a poor choice, and her life was no less messy now. Hell, if his suspicions were right, it’d get worse before it got better.

  He’d give her a day before he started digging for details. Right now, she was too exhausted.

  The proof was on the drive home, when she conked out for the duration.

  Not that he minded. With her asleep, he was free to look at her all he wanted. Half-curled in the seat next to him, only her seat belt keeping her upright, she had that boneless, utterly relaxed look about her.

  Could be the first good sleep she’d had in a while, all because she knew he’d keep her safe.

  He constantly glanced at her. The light tan and sun streaks in her golden hair told him she’d done plenty of work outside. Though still shapely, she’d lost a few pounds. Her nails, once perfectly manicured, were now short and buffed.

  The changes didn’t detract from her appeal; she was still a nearly irresistible temptation.

  But he would resist, because he had a plan, and by God, he’d stick to it, starting with giving her some time.

  Miles began prioritizing in his mind. Making the farmhouse secure was top of the list. Soon as possible, he’d also get on his laptop to do some research.

  That recent ex she’d mentioned... Miles wanted to know more about him, but he’d have to be careful how he asked.

  Maxi couldn’t know how much it mattered to him.

  Had she been in love? Was she still in love?

  Didn’t seem so, but women could be funny about things like that, especially a woman scorned, as the saying went.

  She claimed to want to avoid men now, so Gary, the cheating bastard, must have had some effect.

  It’d be better, Miles decided, if he’d only hurt her pride, and not her heart.

  Unfortunately, her ex wasn’t the only worry. Whether she liked it or not, he had to consider her siblings, too. By the minute, motives piled up, growing the list of suspects.

  As the wheels of the SUV went from pavement to gravel, Maxi stirred, sitting up sluggishly and looking out the window as if trying to orient herself.

  Stiffening, her gaze shot to him, and then she visibly relaxed.

  “How do you feel?”

  “Mmm, good.” Stretching—and looking sinfully sexy in the process—she mumbled, “Sorry about that.”

  “You needed the sleep.”

  “I don’t usually nap.”

  “All t
hings considered, you were due.”

  “I guess.” She yawned widely behind her hand, rubbed her eyes and smiled at him.

  That smile was so sweet, so innocent and trusting, he felt it clean through to his heart. “I want to get started on the floodlights today, but I think we should take care of the groceries first. Will we have to go into town to dump the old food?”

  “No. I have a big locking Dumpster and the garbage gets picked up tomorrow.”

  “Perfect timing.”

  Her gaze shifted away. “We’d accomplish a lot more if I put away the food while you worked on the lights.”

  Miles heard the unspoken but, so he held silent.

  “But,” she whispered, “I’m still not ready to be alone.”

  He wouldn’t mind if that attitude carried over to bedtime. “It’s not a problem.”

  “Right. I’m afraid to be in my own home? It’s idiotic.”

  “Actually, it’d be idiotic if you weren’t worried.”

  As if he hadn’t spoken, she said, “And it’s not your job to play grocery shopper and light installer on top of being a bodyguard.”

  “How many bodyguards have you hired?”

  “I...” Stymied, she frowned. “Only you. Why?”

  “My job is to ensure your safety. That involves making the farmhouse more secure and, when necessary, sticking close. Since I’m not the type to stand around idle while you do chores, you can damn well plan on me helping. With whatever. Got it?”

  Gratitude curled her mouth and softened her tone. “Doesn’t sound like I have a choice.”

  “It’s part of the bodyguard code.” The SUV bumped and bounced over potholes in the rough road. While he had her undivided attention, he decided to sneak in a little work. “This ex of yours. Does he know you moved out here?”

  “I didn’t tell him. If he knows, he found out from someone else.”

  “Like who?”

  “Well, he works with my sister.”