by Lori Foster
She stopped under the tree where she’d awakened. The raw ground was spongy now, more rocks washed to the surface, weeds tangled. She choked down the strangling memory and whispered, “Here,” with her eyes fixated on the spot.
Miles turned her toward him, for a hug, she thought, but then his hand curved around her neck, his thumb under her chin, tilting up her face...and his mouth settled on hers.
A wash of sensual heat clashed with the cloud of memory—and won. The fear disappeared in the wonder of finally kissing him again. Opening her hands against his chest, feeling the heat and hardness of him, she gave a soft moan.
He turned his head, his lips moving over hers, coaxing them to open. The second she followed his lead, his tongue slowly sank in.
Maxi clung to him, lost, confused, in need. She got closer, as close as she could.
His hand moved down her back, fingers spread, until he ended just above her bottom. He eased his mouth away with soft nibbles, making her sigh.
Of course she knew what he’d done, and she appreciated it. “Nice distraction.”
“Yeah,” he said, his voice low and rough. “That was as much for me as for you.” His arms crushed her tight. “I’m sorry I doubted you at first.”
“It’s a bizarre story.” She tilted back to see his eyes. “Thank you for believing me now.”
After one quick nod, he gave her another kiss, this one quick and firm, then released her so he could study the area. “I think we can rule out a woman, unless she’s a beast. Only a man, a strong man, could carry you this far from the house. Deadweight...” He flashed her a look of apology.
“I know what you mean.”
Face tight, he ran a hand through his dark hair. “Unless someone used a wagon or something, right? The ground was dry and solid that night, so tracks wouldn’t show.” He crouched down, picking at a few rocks.
“That’s the first thing I felt,” she said. “Those blasted rocks digging in. I didn’t understand, you know?”
“The drugs were still in your system, too. Rohypnol has an amnesiac effect.” He twisted to examine the trees. “Let’s put some lights down here, too. There are solar spotlights that work great without electricity. We can place them around the pond and on a few trees beneath the branches.”
“We’ve got time to walk the whole property if you want.”
“How many acres do you have?”
“Twenty-five, but only about ten that are cleared.”
Standing, he gently touched her face. “Let’s save that for tomorrow. It’s been a long day and you need a good night’s sleep.”
She didn’t want to think about that yet. Sleeping meant her going upstairs alone and she just knew she wouldn’t be able to close her eyes.
After that kiss, she’d hoped he’d take things a few steps further, but he hadn’t yet made that move. Her jitters were returning big-time, and the idea of the dark really did her in.
As they made their way back to the house, she said nothing, but she noticed the lights, some of them already flickering on as dusk fell.
Miles had accomplished so much in such a short time.
No matter what else happened, she owed him an enormous debt—one that went well beyond his salary as a hired bodyguard.
* * *
THROUGH THE BINOCULARS, hunkered in the woods a good distance away, he watched Maxi and the man stroll back toward the house. He couldn’t see the man’s features well, but he looked big. Was he a boyfriend? He’d meet him soon and draw his own conclusions.
Not that it mattered. Whoever he was, his presence complicated things. He’d have to adjust his plans...and ramp up the pressure.
He thought about them kissing. Odd that Maxi had chosen that particular spot, right where he’d put her. He’d thought drugging her would be enough, that she’d finally give up and move out.
Instead, she’d brought reinforcement.
Damn, but he almost admired her gumption. She was a tough lady. But not tough enough—because he couldn’t lose this particular game of wills.
One way or another, she had to go. There was no other option.
CHAPTER SEVEN
MAXI SAT ON the couch staring blindly at the small television, not really seeing the sitcom that played. She’d already gotten ready for bed in her usual soft shorts and T-shirts. Usually she lost the shorts to sleep, but she wasn’t sure she could be that blatant with Miles so reserved.
He’d kissed her but stopped short.
Honestly, she had no problem telling him what she wanted, except that he’d been angry with her over their last time together and she wasn’t sure it’d be fair to get pushy now. He had a right to set the parameters of their relationship. It would be wrong to come on too strong, knowing he’d take her fear into account, and might do something he’d rather not do.
Besides, if he wanted her, wouldn’t he say so? Like her, Miles wasn’t exactly the shy type.
Hearing the shower shut off, she licked her lips. Tension, both sexual and the kind tinged with fear, thrummed through her bloodstream. She kept her gaze glued to the TV, but that didn’t calm her rioting thoughts.
As she’d told him, every step he took squeaked so that she could almost track his movements in her mind...and imagine him breathtakingly naked. She went stiff and still when he stepped out of the bedroom. In her periphery she saw him coming toward her.
Freshly showered, wearing flannel pants and nothing else, he stopped in front of her.
Good God, those loose-waisted pants hung low. Her heartbeat quickened at the sight of ripped abs dusted with dark hair, at those cut muscles over his hips angling down as if pointing to the prize and at that happy trail of downy hair that traveled from his navel to beneath the waistband.
“I already brushed my teeth. You?”
She nodded.
“Ready for bed, then?”
It was only ten, but after the day they’d had, of course he would assume she was tired. She stood and came eye level with his chest. How could he be so wide in the shoulders, but so trim in the waist and hips?
And how could he smell so sinfully good?
Before she grabbed him, Maxi turned on leaden feet and went to the base of the stairs. Right behind her was the room Miles would use. No, she wouldn’t look. If she did, she’d end up in there.
She put one foot on the step.
Miles took her arm. “Maxi.”
“Hmm?”
He dropped his head in clear frustration. She waited, and finally he turned her to face him. “Why don’t you just ask?”
“What?”
He smoothed her hair, now loose from the braid. “You don’t want to sleep alone. We both know it. Just ask if you can sleep with me.”
Had she been noble for no reason? To be sure, she asked, “That’s what this is? You were waiting for me to ask?”
He cupped her face. “That’s right. You’re going to ask, and I’m going to say yes—but this time it’s going to be on my terms.”
Relief that she wouldn’t have to sleep alone outshone everything else. “Okay.” And then out of curiosity, she added, “But what exactly are your terms?”
“Let’s get in the bed, then I’ll tell you.”
* * *
“THE PILLOWS ARE NEW,” Maxi said as she crawled in. “And I washed all the bedding.”
“You told me that.” Knowing she was nervous, Miles felt like an ass for not reassuring her earlier. While riding on his anger and wounded ego over the assumption that he’d been dumped, the plans had made sense. He’d wanted the upper hand, and what better way to get it than to hold out?
Now? Now he wanted her confident and relaxed. He wanted her trust. He just plain wanted her.
Leaving on the stupid sleep pants, he crawled into bed next t
o her, turned out the light and made an attempt to get comfortable.
Maxi immediately turned toward him, one hand sliding across his abs. “Miles...”
“Shh.” He caught her hand, raising it up to hold against his chest. Safer territory—but still he burned with need. “We should get some sleep.”
Her silence felt palpable, until she whispered, “You don’t want me anymore?”
Damn, how could he be immune to that wounded tone? “You know better.” If her hand had wandered a little lower, she’d have the proof of how much he wanted her. “But the doc said you could be feeling the effects of that drug for up to twelve hours.”
She snatched her hand away from him. “You know that I’m not.”
Quietly, reminding her of their past, he said, “I know you were there one minute, gone the next, and now you’re back—”
“We’re in my house now, not yours.”
“And that makes all the difference? Why, Maxi? Because you can’t leave, or because you’re scared and want to keep me close to feel safer?”
Her indrawn breath made him feel even worse. He didn’t want to accuse her, but the facts were there, a solid wall between them.
“You say you’re interested again, but how are either of us to know if that’s truth, or circumstances? I’d rather wait and get things figured out.”
Temper gathered as conspicuous tension in her slim body culminated with a stated “Fine.” She jerked around, her back to him. A fist landed on her pillow, once, twice, then she curled up tight.
Away from him.
But she didn’t leave, which proved his point. Right?
Even pissed, she wanted to be with another human being. Not him specifically, but anyone who could be a shield from her terror.
Pretending he’d missed the anger, Miles spooned her, one arm sliding under the pillow to cradle her head, the other wrapped around her waist. He aligned his legs with hers so that he surrounded her. And protected her from her demons.
It’d be a tough way to sleep, but for Maxi, he’d suffer in silence.
An hour later, neither of them was asleep when the soft flash of lightning penetrated the curtains. He felt Maxi go alert. He, too, opened his eyes to stare toward the window.
The storm started quiet, a slow strobe that gradually built until thunder rattled the windowpanes. One crack of lightning came so close it lit up the bedroom like a beacon.
In the next second, the house went utterly quiet. No light, no sound.
Maxi came up to an elbow.
He tightened his hold on her. “Electricity is out.”
In a whisper, she said, “I know.”
“Another example of why solar lights are great.” He said, “Stay put and I’ll check it out.”
“No.” Her hands clutched at him.
“I just want to make sure, that’s all.”
“How?” she demanded. “The circuit breaker box is in the basement, and it’s locked up. This is a small town and the lights go out in storms.”
“It’s happened before?”
“Yes.”
And she’d been alone. Was it before or after the trouble started? Miles’s eyes had adjusted enough that he could see her in the dark. “Okay, then. I’ll just make sure we’re locked up.” That would help her to rest easy, he figured. “And maybe find a flashlight?”
“I’ll come with you.”
She crawled over him before he could stop her. For one heart-stopping moment, her hips straddled his, then she slid off the side of the bed and tugged on his hand. “Come on.”
Using his cell phone for light, Miles went with her into the kitchen, where she pulled a hefty utility flashlight from beneath the sink. Together, they checked each door and window. Finding it all secure, he let her lead him to the living room, where she chose a fat candle in a holder, then located matches on the open shelves.
In the bedroom, she put the candle on the dresser and lit it. The mellow glow stretched out to the bed but didn’t quite reach the shadowy corners of the room.
With that done, she crawled back into the bed, propping up against the headboard to wait for him. “Storms don’t bother me,” she said. “Not usually.”
“I like them.” He put his cell back on the nightstand and got in next to her.
Nodding, she agreed, “They’re sexy.” Then with a narrow-eyed glare, she added, “Usually.”
“You’re still angry with me?” She should have lost that edge by now.
“Not really, no.” Under the sheet, she pulled up her knees and crossed her arms over them. “I’m mad at myself, actually. You don’t believe me about anything, and I have no one but myself to blame.”
“I believe you,” he protested.
She shook her head. “No, you don’t. You think I stopped wanting you, when that’s absurd.” Her gaze moved over his body and she said again, “Absurd.”
Appreciating her admiration, Miles smiled.
“You think I only want you now because I’m spooked, but if that was true, believe me, Gary would have been happy to play big bad protector. It’s not a natural fit for him, being the selfish, cheating bastard that he is, but he’d have been here in a heartbeat if I’d asked.”
Now Miles scowled. He didn’t want her thinking that way.
“I never stopped wanting you. I thought I was being noble by leaving you alone. I mean, who’d want to get dragged into my dicked-up life? For once, I was trying to prioritize the right way instead of just winging it and hurting people along the way.”
“I’m a big boy, honey. I can take care of myself. You should have trusted me to make that decision on my own.”
Her gaze, dark and sharp in the candlelight, cut to him. “The way you should trust me to know what I want?”
Ah, hell. He was only a man. He’d always gone after what he wanted, and he wanted Maxi.
A small voice in his head reminded him that he’d wanted an MMA career, too, but he’d accepted the reality of altered opportunity.
He couldn’t change the facts on his fight career, so he shook off those misgivings. This was totally different. Maxi was here, alert, clearheaded and stating her case.
She wanted him.
While he mulled all that over in his head, she held very still. Not until his gaze met hers and he said, “Come here,” in a rough growl did she let out her breath in a long rush.
He reached for her at the same time that she threw herself against him. It was as if they’d both been fighting the inevitable.
Their mouths meshed, not with slow seduction, but desperate hunger. He took her to her back, one leg locking over hers to keep her still. Her fingers tunneled into his hair, her grip tight, almost desperate.
Kissing a path over her jaw to her throat, Miles fumbled to raise her shirt. She released him to help and the second his naked chest met hers, she groaned, her body arching into him.
He’d thought about this moment a lot, but plans disappeared under the force of overwhelming lust. Not just lust, because that he could handle. It was the gentler emotions that stole his breath, the fact that this was Maxi, that she was both vulnerable and demanding, sweet and scorching hot. She set him off like no other woman could, and he loved it, craved the wildness and the ultimate satisfaction.
Rearing up over her, he tugged the shirt off and tossed it to the floor. He shifted to the side of her to strip away the soft shorts and tiny panties. Helping, Maxi lifted her hips, and the second she was naked, she reached for him.
But not just yet. He caught her hands while he looked at her body bathed in candlelight. “God, you’re beautiful.”
“Right now, Miles,” she insisted. “Take off your pants.”
He shook his head. “Let me look at you first.”
A little desperately, she s
aid, “You’ve seen me before.”
“And I’ve missed looking at you.” Now, with her completely naked, he saw that she was slimmer, her hip bones more noticeable, her stomach concave. She’d had so much on her plate and stubbornly hadn’t asked him for help as soon as she should have.
He didn’t question wanting to make her life easier. Hell, he’d been hooked before she disappeared on him. Having her back, understanding, at least in part, her reasons for not sticking around, only ripened everything he’d felt.
Her breasts, still full and firm, drew him first, and he bent to take one nipple into his mouth.
Moaning, she tried to tug her hands free.
“Stop fighting me.” He caught her nipple in his teeth for a careful tug that made her whole body stiffen, then moved to the other breast.
“This was my idea,” she protested.
“Great idea.” After circling with his tongue, he sucked hard, heard her keening cry of excitement and lifted up to kiss her. “But it was never your idea alone. I haven’t stopped wanting you. Not for a single second.”
Understanding caused a smile. “Good.” She breathed hard, her eyes dark and determined. “I want to touch you, too.”
“Soon.” He looked down her body again. “I’ve missed the taste of you so fucking much.”
“Miles,” she groaned.
He should have given her more time, but he couldn’t wait. “Open your legs, Maxi.”
With a small whimper, she bent one knee out to the side.
Still holding her hands in one of his, Miles stroked her, over her soft breasts, down her ribs and flat belly, over each silky thigh—and then between them.
She lifted into his touch.
He didn’t mind that. Her urgency was yet another turn-on. This time, though, he’d keep control. She needed relief? He’d give it to her, and devastate her in the process.
Cupping his palm over her mound, he felt her heat. She immediately moved against him, showing him what she needed. One of the things he’d enjoyed most about Maxi was her uninhibited response.
Letting his fingers explore, he watched her face. Her eyes were closed, her head tipped back. When he stroked a finger into her, she groaned low and bit her bottom lip.
