by Kate Kinsley
And in his bed.
In a more permanent fashion.
A band of perspiration beaded across his forehead. The thought of being in a relationship terrified him, but the idea of spending a single day without Chanel made his skin prickle.
“I’m happy to take Milian on my runs, and I’m sure you’ll be happy to play fetch in the evenings.”
“While you use my bathtub?”
She patted his shoulder. “Sadly, for me, because of the change in our defined relationship, I think those days are over.”
“You can use it whenever you want, and I promise I’ll do my best to forget every time I took advantage of you in there.”
“Well, now I’ll never forget, and on that note, I best be going. Thanks for dinner. I’ll see you around the block.”
Oh. She’d be seeing him alright because he wasn’t going to let her go that easily.
Chapter Four
Chanel fiddled with the label on her beer bottle. The condensation beaded down the glass, dripping off the bottom like the final drops of water falling from a leaking faucet. She almost didn’t come to the block party. She didn’t really know anyone, but she figured if she wanted to have friends in the neighborhood, this would be the best way to make them.
Only, she found herself sitting alone, not even with her dog, staring at Max while Sasha plopped herself at his feet with Milian and another woman juggled her boobies under Max’s nose. His fucking eyes nearly bulged right out of his head he couldn’t tear his gaze away.
Jerk.
Why did it have to be so easy for him to move on? Couldn’t he at least pretend he cared for her more than as just a fuck buddy? Well, she wasn’t going to let him believe it bothered her for a single second. She snagged a couple of cold brews from the cooler and strolled as if she didn’t have a care in the world to the center of the street where Max had made himself comfortable.
“Well, hello there, stranger,” he said.
She handed him the longneck. “I’m sorry. I didn’t see your friend here, or I would have gotten her one.”
Ashley, the single woman who lived up the street and seemed to have the hots for Max and was always hanging around, leaned against the picnic table.
Chanel had only met Ashley two or three times. Once when she’d first moved in and then twice since Chanel and Max had called it off, and those last two encounters had been awkward and terse to say the least.
“I’m not a beer drinker anyway. Too many carbs,” Ashley said. “Now, those new beer spritzers. I’ll do one of those. I think maybe I have a few in the fridge in my garage. Max, would you be a sweetie and go get me one?” Ashley had to be fucking kidding. Did she actually believe that Max would go racing off to find her a damn beverage?
Not.
“I actually packed you up a few. I stuck them in my cooler.”
“You’re the fucking best.” Ashley looked inside the beverage container and found what she was looking for along with a couple of cheese sticks. “What would I do without you?”
“You’d go hungry, that’s for sure.” Max laughed.
Chanel sat down at the picnic table, using her foot to rub the belly of her dog. “For the record, those are my spritzers.” What the hell was Max doing? Did he seriously have to go and sleep with someone who lived on the same fucking block?
“I wondered why you had them. They so aren’t your drink,” Ashley said. “But since you dragged me to this thing, I was grateful.”
“You don’t like coming to neighborhood parties?” Chanel asked.
“I try to avoid them. I’m not the most social. Max knows that.” Ashley tapped her metal can to Max’s glass bottle. “I best go find my dad.” Ashley planted a hand on her hip, which made her boobs jump up and down. “Max, you can back out if you want to.” She held up her hand. “Really. I won’t hold it against you, though I can’t speak for my father.” She turned on her heel and headed up the road.
“I see you got yourself a new conquest.”
He burst out laughing. “Is that what you think?”
“Isn’t it obvious?”
“Me and Ashley? That’s fucking hilarious. Wait until I tell her you said that.” Max took a chug of his beer. “She and I are just friends.”
“Like you and I were.”
“You’ve made up your mind and no matter what I say, you’re not going to change it.” He let out a long breath, checking his watch. “I’m going to have to head out soon. We’ve got a big training session with the dogs.”
“How are the babies?” she asked. She told herself the only thing she really missed about Max was hearing and seeing the K-9 training videos. She had to admit, Max had to be one of the best dog trainers she’d ever come across in all her years as an animal lover. He’d done wonders with her own dog and had given her so many interesting tips and tricks to pass on to her clients.
Max was truly a dog whisperer, and she wished he would give dog training classes to all of her clients, something she’d proposed a million times and he’d agreed to give free seminars whenever he could, but nothing on a regular salaried basis.
All she wanted was a way to keep him close because the longer they went without being intimate, the less friendly they became, a dynamic she wanted to correct.
“They’re doing great. My bosses are very pleased, and I’m hoping next year I can add two more to the team.”
“That’s excellent. Let me know if you want me to be on the lookout for any rescue animals.”
“I will.” He leaned forward on the picnic table. “How have you been? Other than sending Sasha over to play, I don’t see you much. I miss our long talks while you soak in the tub.”
She arched a brow. “Your new friend doesn’t let you stare while she soaks?”
“I told you. Ashley and I are just friends. There are no benefits. Really.” He rubbed the back of his neck. “I don’t know why you’re making this so difficult. I’ve missed you and I think my texts and phone calls prove that.”
“And yet I see you out here with Ashley all the time.”
“Maybe if you’d listen to what I keep saying about her and how I know her, you’d get it.” He shrugged. “But you don’t, so I give up.”
A long silence filled the air. She knew Ashley worked for the same company and that they had known each other for a few years. Except he hadn’t spent much time with Ashley outside of work until after Chanel had broken up with him and that made her question his current denial.
“How goes things with the clinic? When I was there the other day, your assistant said you were out of the office and wouldn’t be back. Some emergency. Is everything okay?”
She shouldn’t tell Max what was going on, but she couldn’t bite her tongue if she tried. “My asshole ex-husband seems to think he should have a piece of my new business.”
“No fucking way.”
“He’s trying to start legal proceedings and everything.” Slipping back into easy conversation with Max was the last thing Chanel wanted, but it was everything she craved. Max didn’t judge or give his opinion on everything.
Even when he had one.
Generally, Max opened his arms and his heart, letting her purge the toxins of her day. It didn’t matter how trivial it seemed, Max gave her all the ear time she needed and more.
“What did your lawyer say?” Max asked.
“My ex-husband doesn’t have a leg to stand on. He has no grounds, but him and his lawyer will make waves anyway because they can, which means my business is now under investigation.”
“Any idea what triggered this last round of attacks?”
She glanced over her beer. “He lost his job.”
“Well, that says it all.”
“I’m done supporting him.” She should shut her mouth. Max might be good at pretending to care, but she shouldn’t have to anymore. “I’ve had to rebuild my entire life and I barely have two pennies to rub together anymore. I’m not letting him have a piece of what I’ve worked so har
d to salvage.”
Max reached out and took her chin between his thumb and forefinger. “As you shouldn’t. Stick to your guns on this one. It’s not your fault your ex can’t get his shit together. Focus on yourself for a change. You deserve it.”
She curled her fingers around his wrist. “Thanks.”
He stood and leaned over, kissing her forehead. “You’re a good person, Chanel. Don’t let your ex get inside your head and fill it with all that negative bullshit he spewed for so long.”
“I’m working on it.”
“Good,” Max said. “And for the record, there is nothing going on between me and Ashley.”
“Okay.”
“I was hoping you could help me find her father a good dog we can train to be a service dog.”
“I can do that,” Chanel said. For about ten seconds, Chanel thought about inviting Max over when the evening festivities were over, but then decided better of it when he took off running to help Ashley with her father, who was in a wheelchair.
Max glanced over his shoulder. “I’ll call you later, okay?”
She waved and nodded, but she wouldn’t answer. By the way Ashley and Max currently interacted, if they weren’t involved, they would be soon.
Chapter Five
“I know. I know.” Chanel scratched Sasha’s head. Poor dog had been pouting ever since Chanel had walked through the front door after a long day at the office where she spent all her time thinking about Max.
He’s wormed his way into her dreams as well as every waking second of her day. She couldn’t even blink and not picture him and his stupid dog.
How the hell did she allow herself to fall in love with her neighbor? She had more control over her emotions than that, and she certainly didn’t subscribe to the idiotic ideal that humans couldn’t choose who they loved. They absolutely could, if they put their mind to it. The only problem with that concept was it was ten times harder to make yourself fall out of love.
If you never tasted the rich, sweet flavor of chocolate, you’d have no idea how much you craved it every time you poured yourself a glass of white wine. You can’t miss what you never had.
And she wished she’d never had Max.
She stared out the front window and watched as he backed into his carport.
Sasha raced to the front door, barking wildly as she’d done for the last few days.
“Sorry, girl. We’re not going outside right now.” When they did, it would be out the back and through the path between the houses to the other side of the neighborhood.
Two of her cats pounced on Sasha. Normally, the banter would help Sasha take her mind off not seeing Milian anymore, but not this time. No matter what the cats did, Sasha wasn’t interested.
Ashley jogged up the street wearing her cute little jogging suit. She had the nerve to wave to Max before knocking on Chanel’s front door.
“Shit,” Chanel mumbled. “Go to your den.” Chanel pointed to the crate by the stairs.
Sasha whined, but did as she was told.
Chanel sucked in a deep breath and pulled open the door with a big smile. “Hi, Ashley. How are you?”
“I’m doing great, thanks for asking.” Ashley tucked a single strand of hair behind her ear. “I wanted to thank you for helping me with the service dog particulars.”
“It’s my pleasure.” Chanel eyed Max, who opened his back gate, but his dog didn’t budge. Nope. Milian barked, which made Sasha jump in her crate.
“Stay,” Chanel said. “Was there anything else? I’ve got a lot of work I need to do tonight.”
“This is none of my business, but it appears your dog is dying to go play with Mi—”
“Don’t say his name,” Chanel said. “Or mine just goes nuts.”
“It seems kind of cruel to keep them apart when they really like each other so much,” Ashley said. “Kind of like you and Max.”
“Excuse me?” Chanel blinked.
“He’s miserable ever since the two of you broke up, and he’s going about trying to get you back all wrong.” Ashley shook her head. “Well, so much for me being vague with my comments.”
“I have no idea what you’re talking about.” Chanel’s pulse soared. No way could she be hearing this correctly. “You’re not making any sense.”
“Oh, please. You know Max has it bad for you and you’re tripping hard for him, so why are the two of you playing this stupid middle school game?”
“I’m still not following.”
“Basically, go tell him you want to start taking baths in his tub again so he stops moping around the office. The two of you are perfect for each other,” Ashley said. “I’ve got to go finish my run, but really, I’ve never seen Max this head over heels for a girl before.”
Chanel opened her mouth to explain to Ashley how wrong she was, but no words tumbled out.
“Do you like Max?”
Chanel nodded.
“Then go get him.” Ashley stuffed her pod things into her ears and jogged up the street.
“Come on, girl. Let’s go out back and grill us some hamburgers and bring them over to Max for a peace offering.”
Sasha yelped, but followed her through the kitchen.
Chanel snagged a couple of frozen turkey patties from the freezer along with everything else she needed, only the buns had been pushed back on the top shelf of the pantry. All she needed was her favorite little step stool she kept tucked neatly in the broom closet. She’d bought the cute contraption because it exactly matched in color her coral barn door.
Unfolding it, she fiddled with the latch. For some reason, the metal plate wouldn’t stay fastened over the pin sticking out. Well, it shouldn’t matter. She’d only be on the second rung of the stool and only for a second. She set it down and gave it a good rattle.
It held steady.
“Here goes nothing.” Putting one foot on the step, she grabbed the counter for support, only the stool crumbled in a second, and Chanel’s ankle twisted, getting tangled in the metal. “Shit.” Her backside hit the tile floor, followed by the back of her head. She groaned.
A loud snap filled the air.
A sharp pain ricocheted from her foot, up her leg, zigging across her stomach, and landing in her brain with the full force of having a house collapse on top of her body.
She blinked, but the darkness wouldn’t go away.
It replaced what light and colors were left in her vision.
Sasha barked once. And then a second time, only Chanel could barely hear her dog. She reached out, trying to find Sasha’s collar, but found air instead.
A wave of nausea took over her mind, making it impossible to concentrate on anything. The sound of Sasha crashing through the front door smacked her ears just before everything went black.
Crash!
Thud!
“Looks like your girlfriend is back.” Max whistled once, sharp, and Sasha was by his side in two seconds. But she didn’t wait for him to get to her level and give her a little love. Nope. She raced back to the front of the house and started barking like crazy.
“What’s gotten into you, girl?” Max strolled to the front yard.
Sasha had raced across the street and jumped at the front door before returning to his side, scratching at his leg.
“Did something happen to Chanel?” He didn’t wait for an answer a dog couldn’t give with words but had already done so with action.
Max jogged across the street with his heart thumping out of control, but he did his best to squelch it. Now wasn’t the time to lose his cool. He followed Sasha to the back of the house. The kitchen screen door was all broken and torn. Max suspected that was because Sasha had jumped right through the center of it.
“Chanel? Are you in here?” No sooner did the words leave his lips than he saw Chanel crumpled up on the floor, knocked out cold, with her foot twisted up in the metal step stool.
He pulled out his cell.
“Nine-one-one. What’s your emergency?” the operator asked.<
br />
“I’ve got a Caucasian woman. Thirty-eight years of age. Looks as though she might have fallen and hit her head along with a potentially broken ankle. I don’t see any open wounds. No blood.” He dropped to his knees and gently pressed his fingers to her neck. “Strong pulse.”
“Who am I speaking with?”
“The name is Maxwell Webber. I’m a retired Navy SEAL.” He set his phone to speaker, placing it on the counter. He tapped Chanel’s cheek gently. “Chanel. Come on. Wake up.”
She groaned.
“Did you witness the accident, sir?”
“No.” He continued to try to rouse her. “That’s it. Open your eyes, Chanel.”
Her long thick lashes fluttered over soft-blue eyes.
Quickly, he assessed her ankle. The skin had turned a blackish-blue already and the injured area had become swollen to the touch. Based on the angle of her foot and the way it flopped, she most definitely broke it. He jumped to his feet and made a protective barrier around her leg and placed a bag of ice over a towel, gently resting it on her skin. He cradled her head in his lap. “She’s coming to.” He snapped his fingers. “Go. Wait. Bring back.” He nodded to Milian. “I have a service dog who will be sitting in the front yard waiting to take the first responders back to the kitchen where I’m tending to the patient.”
“I’ll let them know,” the dispatcher said.
“Max?” Chanel asked with a shaky voice. “What are you doing here?”
“I came to rescue you.” He kissed her forehead. “Looks like you fell.”
She shifted and groaned, bending at the waist and reaching for her bad ankle. “What the hell?”
“You might have broken it,” he said calmly. “When you fell off that contraption. What the hell were you doing anyway?”
“I was just getting down the buns for dinner.” She pushed her hair from her face.
“How many times have I told you that your little stool is dangerous and you should get a new one?”
“You can save the lecture. My fucking ankle is killing me and my head is pounding. I feel sick to my stomach.”
