Not even the fact that Max was taking a dangerous job to get them out of financial disaster could keep Logan awake. Mind you, he could simply be exhausted after the temper tantrum he’d thrown. She snorted quietly.
After Max’s announcement, Logan had lost it. He’d exploded, and after twenty minutes of yelling, Max had stormed out of the house. Logan had gone into the office to try and sort out how bad things were.
And she’d gone to bed. Alone.
Logan had slipped into bed a few hours later, placing a soft kiss on her forehead before rolling over and going to sleep. But she knew she wouldn’t be able to sleep until she knew if Max was all right.
She slipped out of bed and quietly left the bedroom. As she reached the bottom of the stairs, she saw the kitchen light was on. She walked into the kitchen, breathing a little easier when she saw Max. He was sitting at the table, his head lowered, and his shoulders slumped. She just stood there and studied him.
God, she loved him.
“You come to yell at me too, love?” he asked, turning to look at her with those deep gray eyes.
She gave him a small smile. “I never could sneak up on you.”
There was a moment of silence then he held out his hand. She took the offered olive branch and moved forward, slipping her hand into his. Pushing his chair back from the table, he drew her onto his lap.
He hugged her tightly, his grip almost desperate. “I am so sorry, baby.”
She ran her hands up and down his back.
“I wish you had let us know what was going on. We’re all in this together, Max. If I’m not allowed to bottle up my worries, then neither are you.”
He snorted. “Guess I’m a hypocrite as well as a poor provider, aren’t I?”
A poor provider?
“We’re facing financial ruin, Savannah. I’m head of this household. It’s my job to look after us all.”
“First of all, I’d like to see you tell Logan that and walk away without a black eye. Secondly, Max, I didn’t marry you so you could provide for me. I’m not with you for your money or your ranch.”
“Just as well since I don’t have any of the first and how long I’ll have the other is debatable.”
“You want to know why I married you?”
“Because you had the bad taste to love me.”
He really was down on himself. And that wasn’t the Max she knew at all.
“I happen to think I have excellent taste in husbands. When I met you, I didn’t think there were any good guys left. You know about Alistair. About what he did.”
“He was a fucking idiot.”
“Yes. I think I knew it was over before I caught him in bed with the next-door neighbor, though. I didn’t love him. I didn’t feel any passion for him. But I stayed with him because I didn’t want to be like my mother. Going through man after man. I wanted a relationship that would last. I’m not sure why I ever thought Alistair was that man. I guess because for the first time I had my mother’s approval. Stupid, huh?”
“All I’ve ever wanted is to make my dad proud of me,” Max told her.
“I can barely remember my father. Have I told you how I used to dream about him returning to get me?”
He shook his head.
“I always thought that one day he’d just show up and tell me he was a secret spy and that’s why he’d disappeared from my life without a word. Never happened, though.”
He ran his hand up and down her back soothingly.
“I had the best that money could buy. The best education. A big house. A maid and a cook. Nice clothes. And you know the only thing I ever really wanted? To come first with someone. To be noticed. To have someone love me. You love me. Logan loves me. I didn’t marry you for the material things you could provide. But because you’re there for me. You never give up. No matter how often I try your temper or muck things up. You’re always there. Supporting me.”
He kissed her cheek. “I never want you to want for anything, Savannah.”
“I don’t. I have everything I need.”
He shook his head, glancing down at her hands. He ran his thumb around and around the palm of her hand. Shivers raced through her, hunger filling her.
“I always swore my wife wouldn’t work too hard.”
She snorted. “I’m hardly at risk of that. Even before all of this happened, I didn’t exactly work long hours.”
“If I had my way, you wouldn’t work at all.”
She stayed silent even though she longed to ask more questions. She knew bits and pieces about their childhood, but they usually changed the subject when their parents came up.
“My father treated my mother like she was the most precious thing in the world to him. He showed us how a man should look after his woman. Take care of her. After he died, my mom was lost. She wasn’t the same. Then she met Gary. He was nothing like our dad. He was an asshole. He was a truck driver so he was gone a lot, which was the only good thing about him. He drank too much, he was emotionally abusive and he never gave my mom enough money to get by. I don’t know what happened to the money dad left her, Gary probably gambled it away. I have no idea why she married him.”
“Maybe she was lonely.”
“Being lonely would have been better than being with him. She cleaned houses to make ends meet. Most days she must have put in twelve hours. She was so thin, you know? Frail. Probably didn’t get nearly the amount of food and sleep she needed.”
“She died of pneumonia, right?”
“I didn’t get home in time to say goodbye to her.”
“Oh, Max.” Her heart broke for him.
“I loved her. I could never understand why she stayed with him, you know? He used her. He took the money she earned and gambled it away. He was a selfish asshole. And she stayed with him.”
“Do you think I’m a selfish person?”
She felt him stiffen then he placed his fingers under her chin and turned her to face him. “Selfish? Why would you say that?”
She shrugged. Now, that she’d asked the question she was regretting it.
“Savannah,” he said warningly.
“I just think I could do more around here. I’ve never been that interested in ranching, but it means a lot to you and Logan. And you always pay attention to the stuff that’s important to me.”
“Savannah, we never expected you to show interest in the ranch. It’s our responsibility.”
“You guys work so hard, and you could use the help, right?”
“Savannah, you have your own career. And right now, you have more important things to concentrate on.”
“Yes, but I don’t want to be some pampered princess that sits home on her butt looking at her pretty manicure. Once I feel better,” once she could leave the house without freaking out, “I thought you could show me how the ranch works.”
“I’d be happy to show you how the ranch works.”
“You don’t think I’m capable of mucking out stalls and fixing fences?” she asked, her temper stirring.
“I think there’s no way you’re doing either of those things.”
She wiggled, trying to get free from his hold. “Let me go.”
“No.”
“Max!”
“What’s going on in here?” Logan asked, stepping into the room. “The two of you are making enough noise to wake the dead.”
“Sorry, did we wake you up?” she asked guiltily.
“No, I always wander around the house at two in the morning,” he grumbled.
She didn’t take offense at his attitude, she’d gotten used to how grumpy Logan got when he was awakened unexpectedly.
He took a seat across from them.
“Savannah wants to learn how to muck out stalls and mend fences.”
“She what?”
“Those were just examples,” she muttered, feeling put out. They didn’t need to look so incredulous.
“No way in hell,” Logan stated, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms over h
“Why not?” she asked indignantly.
“Because if a wire flicked back at you, it could seriously hurt you,” Max explained.
“All right. What about mucking out stalls? Nothing too dangerous about that, is there?”
Logan frowned. “Not dangerous.”
“Good.”
“You’re still not doing it, though.”
“Guys, I want to help. We’re in this together, right? Max, it’s not all on you to keep this place afloat. We’re here too.”
“You shouldn’t have kept this a secret,” Logan growled.
Max sighed. “I know. I know it was wrong to keep quiet while things spiraled out of control. But it made me feel like a failure to admit what was going on.”
“If I’d known how badly we needed money, I’d have gone back to work already.”
Max’s hold on her tightened, and she instantly knew she’d said the wrong thing. He already felt like a failure. Accepting help was not Max’s strong suit. And he’d already told her he’d rather she didn’t work at all. “You are not pushing yourself too far too fast. Your health is the most important thing, Savannah. The last thing you need to be worried about right now is money and this ranch.”
“Max is right,” Logan said shortly. “It’s up to the two of us to sort this out. You should have been discussing this with us, not going off half-cocked and accepting jobs from Travis Andrews.”
“It’s the only thing I could think of that would save us from having to sell this place.” Max took a deep breath. “But that’s an option if it’s something the two of you want.”
She sat up and turned to look at him. “What? No, you love this place!”
“But this isn’t just about me.”
“No, it’s not,” Logan agreed.
She glared at him across the table, but he just stared back at her calmly. “He’s been a selfish prick; I’m just agreeing with him. Trying to take this all on was a fucking selfish thing to do. And now he gets to go play hero and try to fix this mess.”
Max set her aside and stood. “You think I want to go?
She stood and glared at Logan then Max. “Both of you, stop. I can’t go through another shouting match where you end up storming off.”
“Sorry, love,” Max said, sitting.
Logan grunted but didn’t say anything more.
“I think we can all agree that Max should have told us what was going on sooner. That he doesn’t need to fix this problem alone, right?”
“Right,” Logan agreed.
Max didn’t look happy, but he nodded.
She turned to Logan. “But we’ve made mistakes too. Both of us realized the ranch wasn’t doing that well, but we never asked Max about how bad things were.” She turned to Max. “Logan and I are adults. We don’t need sheltering from the hard facts of life.”
“I’m not dumb,” Logan told him. “You can talk to me about finances and shit.”
Max’s eyes widened. “I don’t think you’re dumb. You’re a dickhead at times but you’re not dumb.”
Men. A compliment couldn’t come without an insult.
“Call Travis and tell him you’re not doing the job,” Logan ordered. “We’ll figure something out.”
Max shook his head. “I can’t. We need a big injection of cash. Fast. I’ve gone through every alternative. This is the quickest and simplest way.”
But he’d be gone. And she didn’t know for how long or how dangerous it would be.
“What if we sell some things?” Logan asked.
“There’s nothing to sell that would bring in enough cash to get us out of this hole. Plus, it could take weeks to sell things. This is one job. I’ll be gone a week, ten days at most, and it will bring enough cash in to get the bank manager off my back. Travis is expecting me tomorrow night. My plane ticket is booked. I can’t pull out now. He doesn’t have enough time to find someone else.”
Tomorrow night?
“What exactly does this job involve?” she asked. “Who is this Travis?”
“Travis Andrews owns Raptors, Inc.,” Max explained. “We’ve done some jobs for him the past. It helped us get the deposit for this place. Raptors, Inc. takes jobs overseas, mainly escorting people or cargo.”
That didn’t seem so bad. But, then, why would it pay so well?
“What Max isn’t saying is that the jobs usually involve going into some of the shittiest places on Earth. Places that don’t welcome Americans.”
She licked her dry lips. “So you’ll be going overseas? To someplace dangerous?”
Max looked over at Logan.
“No, don’t sugarcoat it for me. I’m not putting up with that any longer.”
“Excuse me?” Logan drawled.
Max leaned back in his chair as she climbed off his lap. “Watch your tone there, love. You’ll do well to remember who’s in charge here.”
“And it’s not you,” Logan pointed out, as though she needed the clarification.
She felt that familiar thrill at their words. It had been so long since they’d truly dominated her. Yeah, they were still in charge. But it was gentler. As though they were afraid she’d shatter if they were too forceful. She wouldn’t. She was strong.
“How dangerous is this?”
They stared at each other.
“No, don’t shut me out. I know you’re just trying to protect me but I need to know the truth about this. It has to be high-risk if it’s paying so well, right?
“You’ve been through a lot, I don’t think it’s unreasonable for us to want to protect you,” Max pointed out.
“I know you’re both feeling very protective, especially at the moment, but I won’t break.”
“It’s dangerous,” Max confirmed. “But I can take care of myself. I never told you this, but I was Delta Force. The best of the best. I will come back. I have every reason to want to come home.”
“You better,” she told him fiercely. The need to tell him not to go burned inside her, but she couldn’t let the words out. She could see how much he needed to do this.
“Do you know where you’re going?”
He shook his head. “No, not yet. I’ll get the details when I arrive for the briefing.” Max drew her onto his lap. He raised her face up, studying her intently. “I don’t want to leave you.”
“We’ll be fine,” she said quickly. The last thing she wanted was for him to be preoccupied, worrying about her. If where he was going was really that dangerous he needed to concentrate on keeping himself safe.
“Logan’s in charge while I’m away.”
“I’m always fucking in charge,” Logan grumbled.
“You’ll be a good girl and do what he says.”
She grinned. “Of course. When don’t I?”
Logan snorted. “I can foresee a lot of spankings coming your way.”
“Promises, promises,” she said lightly.
Max raised his eyebrows. “I almost detected some need in your voice. Have we been neglecting your discipline, love?”
“It’s been a long time since she’s gotten a spanking,” Logan added. “And I mean more than those few swats you gave her the other day.”
“I haven’t done anything to deserve a spanking,” she protested, even as her body heated at their words.
“I doubt that’s true,” Logan said.
She turned to glare at him. “I’ve been perfect.”
They both laughed. Assholes. Although it was good to see the tension drain from Max’s face.
“She tried to open the door without one of us there and without the go-ahead from her therapist,” Max pointed out.
Damn it.
“But that wasn’t a rule,” she said smugly.
Max raised one eyebrow. “I think it comes under not putting your health at risk. What do you think Logan?”
“Definitely,” Logan replied, standing.
She jumped up from Max’s lap and turned to run. Of course, she was under no illusion she’d outrun them. Still, this seemed to be the time to make a dash for it.
Logan caught her at the foot of the stairs. And with a cry of victory—that was the best description she could think of for the noise that escaped him—he picked her up and swung her over his shoulder.
She took a moment as he climbed the stairs to catch her breath. Wow, she was the first to admit she’d never been in great shape, but that that short sprint had her panting was a definite sign she needed to work on her physical strength.
Logan threw her gently on the bed, and she bounced softly. Immediately, he started to strip. She sat up to watch him. Damn, she loved his body. His wide chest, defined abs, and large shoulders.
He moved his hands to his jeans. His movements were hurried, his eagerness clear. Finally, he stood naked, and she licked her lips as she took him in. His thick, hard cock, his long, muscular legs, and his trim waist.
“Like what you see, darlin’?” he asked.
“Yes,” she said. She was breathless again, for a whole other reason.
Max walked in. “Didn’t take you long to get naked.”
“Never does, bro,” Logan replied. He knelt on the bed and pulled her close, holding her by the hips, his touch firm but not painful. Then he kissed her. Pleasure erupted. Short bursts that spread through her body. He cupped her breasts, rubbing her nipples through her top. Well, his top, since she was wearing one of his T-shirts. On her, it was like a nightgown. He reached down and stripped it off her, revealing her naked breasts.
“Damn, that’s a gorgeous sight,” Max said, coming up behind her. He pressed his naked chest against her back. Shoot, she’d missed him stripping. She tipped her head to one side and let him kiss down her neck as Logan dropped his mouth to her nipples. Oh hell, her skin grew so sensitive, it was almost too much.
“You sure you’re ready for this?” Max asked, squeezing her panty-clad cheeks.
She tightened then forced herself to relax. “You mean I have a choice?”
“Not usually,” Max told her. “But if it’s too soon then you tell us.”
“Molly said that a spanking could be therapeutic,” Logan stated. “It can be a way to relieve tension and stress.”
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