by Lila Monroe
I take my bra off.
“ . . . it’s an excellent one,” Max finishes. He reaches for me, but I duck away.
“Race you!” I cry, and dash across the sand. I hit the water, splashing through the shallows, and then dive in. The water feels amazing against my bare skin, and I lie back, letting the salt buoy me up. There’s a splashing noise, and then Max joins me. And yes, he’s abiding by the rules of skinny dipping, too.
“Too slow!” I call, smiling.
“You had a head start.”
He grins and kisses me, and I drink him in, sinking into the dance of our tongues and the stroke of his hands up my naked body. Heat surges through me. Everything he does feels so fucking good. I want to just drown myself in him.
I run my hands over the ridge of muscle in his shoulders, naked and wet from the tide. Max makes a low groan of pleasure and kisses me harder. He cups my breast, teasing his thumb over the peak until I whimper, and then his hand is sliding lower, between my legs.
I gasp. I can’t believe we’re doing this, out here for anyone to see. But the moon slips behind a cloud, and the water hides his slow, insistent stroking, and soon I’m whimpering his name over and over.
“Oh God, Max . . .”
He watches my face as his hand rocks against my core. Every pulse of his fingers sends me higher. The desire in his expression only makes me more giddy. He plunges deeper.
“Come for me, Hallie.” He nips at my neck, his voice a low, commanding growl. “Come for me. Right now.”
Who am I to resist such a sexy order? His thumb sweeps over my clit, and the water swells around our chests, and I break apart in his arms with a gasp.
Yes.
* * *
After I come back down to earth, my fingertips are pruning in the water. Real sexy. “How about we take this to dry land?” I suggest, and we wade back to shore. We’re just reaching the heap where we left our clothes when I hear voices carrying, and the swoop of flashlights.
“Someone’s coming!” I panic. It’s got to be one of the cousins or their crew, but the last thing I want is a family reunion while I’m naked and covered in post-coital flush.
“Quick, this way.” Max grabs my hand, and I clutch my dress against my body, hopefully protecting my modesty as we dash through the shadows. Max skirts the main path, and yanks me to a low, sleek cabin set just back from the beach. We burst through the door, and Max eases it shut behind us. I peer out from behind the blinds.
“I don’t think they saw us.”
“Good.”
His voice is right behind me, and then his hands are hot on my body. I turn, and Max kisses me until my head is spinning and the rest of my body is begging for more.
“What is this place?” I ask breathlessly, coming up for air. In the dim light I can make out a living area with couches, and some kind of bar . . .
“Beach cabana,” Max answers, sounding distracted. His hands rove lower. “So you don’t have to go back to the main house for a drink.”
Of course. Any other time, I would marvel at the excess, but right now, I’m just thanking whatever moneybags designer came up with this bright idea. Because there’s no way I can make it back to our bedroom, not with Max right here against me: naked, and wet, and so fucking perfect. I run my hands down his chest, reaching for his hard length. But Max captures my hands away.
“I’m not done with you yet.”
He pushes me back on one of the soft couches and leans over me, dropping more hot kisses down my throat. His fingertips skim over my breasts with a torturously light touch that leaves me aching. Then his mouth closes over one nipple, the sweep of his tongue drawing it to a sharp peak in an instant. I moan, tangling my fingers in his hair, but it’s still not enough. I slide my hand down his body and grip his cock. “I need you,” I moan. “I need all of you.”
“You’ve got me, sweetheart,” he says. He finds a condom from his pants and rolls it on, pushing me back deeper into the cushions. I pull him down to cover me again, hungry to feel him, and then—yes—he’s pressing into me inch by blissful inch until I’ve never felt so full.
Max sets a steady, almost gentle pace. Gliding out and thrusting back into me with strokes that leave me quivering. Drawing out the pleasure, and fuck, what pleasure it is. It’s like he knows exactly what to do to leave me moaning, when to fuck me harder, and when to leave me strung out on the edge.
“Please,” I’m gasping. “Oh God, don’t stop.”
“Never.” His voice is a low growl in my ear. Max slams into me again, harder this time. “Fuck, Hallie, you feel so good. I’ve never been with anyone who makes me feel like you do.”
He thrusts deeper, his cock hitting that special spot inside, and my answer is lost in a moan. I’m almost beyond words now. “Me too.” I manage to hold on tight. “Oh, God. Right there. Don’t stop.”
And he doesn’t. I’m so close, so fucking close, and then Max pauses, and grasps my chin, turning my face up to meet his heavy-lidded gaze, and fuck, just seeing the pure, animal desire in his eyes is too much for me. I come undone just like that, losing my breath in the surge of pleasure that crashes over me, again and again. Max groans, and with a shudder, he follows me over the edge.
Damn. That was . . .
Incredible. Epic.
Real.
Max collapses beside me, and then wordlessly tugs me into his arms to spoon. I snuggle back against him, perfectly worn out. My eyes are starting to glaze over as my gaze drifts around the room. It’s practically as fancy as our guest suite. Cushy couches, framed pictures all over the walls. Trust Franklin Carlisle to turn even his beach cabana into an art gallery . . .
Somewhere in my half-asleep brain, a memory sparks.
Carlisle publications have always been a window to the world. In fact, this very building used to be the tallest in the city, before the Empire State Building was constructed.
My pulse stutters. I sit up with a jolt.
“What?” Max asks, raising his head.
“I think I know where the prize is.” My heart beats faster. “The Carlisle Publishing building in New York!”
I quickly explain about my conversation with Ernest, what seems like a hundred years ago . . . but was only last week. “There’s a gallery there, that’s what he could mean. The photographs are the windows to the world. ”
Max’s eyes widen. “That could be it. No wonder he’s been laughing at us for hanging around here.”
My brain is already two steps ahead. “Do you think we can get out of here to investigate without anyone noticing?”
Max grins. “Oh, I know how to go into full-on stealth mode. We’ll be in New York before they even realize we’re gone.”
20
Hallie
The taxi crosses the bridge into downtown Manhattan just as the dawn glow is lighting the streets. Even to my bleary eyes, it’s a gorgeous sight. I stifle a yawn, taking in the pinkish tinge reflecting off the skyscrapers, the streets that are about as quiet as Manhattan ever gets. My head feels muggy, I didn’t manage to sleep more than three hours of sleep on the plane, but my heart is thumping with anticipation.
We’re close. This is the final treasure location, it has to be.
My stomach grumbles, and Max looks over with a smile. “Hungry?”
“First the treasure, then breakfast,” I say firmly.
“You always did have your priorities straight.” He glances out the window. “I love the city this early in the morning. Like the calm before the storm. We should go to Cairo sometime,” he adds. “There’s a spot near one of the markets, best coffee I’ve ever had in my life and great food too. The way the light hits the buildings around there as the sun is just rising . . .” He smiles at me. “You’ll love it.”
“Oh,” I say, as casually as I can manage, pretending my heart isn’t flipping over at the mention of future plans. Our future. “That sounds amazing.”
“Have you ever been?”
I shake my head. “
I’ve tagged along to Europe. And to Tokyo once. But that was all business—assisting at conferences and that sort of thing. I didn’t get to do a whole lot of sightseeing.”
“Then we’ve got a lot of catching up to do.” Max squeezes my hand. “I’m looking forward to it.”
I can’t help beaming back at him. My throat suddenly feels tight with emotion, but it’s a good kind of emotion. I haven’t wanted to ask if our not-so-fake relationship will see out the week, but it seems like Max is thinking the exact same thing as me.
That this, whatever crazy way it started, is something real now. Something special.
The cab pulls up outside the building, and he pays the driver before we climb out.
“Ready?” Max looks as tense and excited as I feel. After all, there’s nothing between him and a billion-dollar inheritance now. We took extra care to sneak out of the estate without anyone noticing. We left on foot, hailing a cab a mile down the road to take us to the airport, grabbing the first red-eye flight that would take us out here. 007’s got nothing on us.
“Ready.” We push past the massive doors and stop in the majestic foyer. That moment when I stood here before my interview feels like it was a year ago, not just a week.
The gallery is closed, a little sign hanging in the frosted glass window.
“What exactly did the last clue say again?” I ask.
He brings it up on his phone. “From inside and above, it’s a window to the world. Arrive to see it first, and you’ll find your prize unfurled.”
“Inside and above,” I repeat. “So it could be the gallery or the roof. There’s an observation deck up there . . .”
“77 floors,” Max says. “That really narrows it down. Well, why don’t we start at the top and work our way from there.”
We get in the elevator, my pulse thumping faster. I can almost taste it: our victory—well, Max’s victory, but it feels like mine too—waiting for us up there.
“Nervous?” I ask Max.
He kisses me. “Not anymore. I’m ready for this,” he says, and I know he doesn’t just mean winning. He’s ready to take control of the company, and take it in the right direction, and I know he’ll do an amazing job.
The elevator stops at the top floor, and the door opens.
“So, you finally made it.”
We stop dead. The observation deck is full. Artie, Cordelia, Parker and Brad, plus a couple of their SWAT team looking guys, and a few dudes in suits for good measure. There’s barely enough room for us to get out of the elevator.
Artie steps forward with a sneer. “Haven’t I always told you, Max: never fly commercial. It takes twice as long, and you can miss out on all the breaks.”
He holds up another linen envelope—but this one is twice as big as the clues, with a fancy wax seal. A seal that’s clearly been broken. “In this case, the jet saved us a fortune. And lost you one. Whoops.”
My heart sinks. Beside me, Max is rigid. “How the hell did you get here in time?” he demands. “You guys were stuck back at the estate! You had no idea where to look!”
Artie chortles. “All thanks to your lovely fiancée. Thanks for the intel, Hallie.” He winks. “We never would have beaten him without you.”
Wait, what?
Before I can sputter a response, Artie has snapped his fingers to summon his crew. “Enough chit-chat. We’ve got celebrating to do—and a business to sell.”
They brush past us to the elevator. “But, you’re lying!” I protest. “I never—”
Ding!
The doors close behind them. Max and I are left alone.
“You need to tell me what the hell is going on.”
Max’s voice is like steel. I turn. He’s staring at me like I’m a stranger.
“I don’t know!” I protest. “I swear I didn’t tell them. He tried to bribe me into helping him, days ago, but I told him to stick his offer up his ass. Max, you have to believe me!”
“He knew to come here,” Max says slowly. “Not just the city, but this building. Right after we figured it out. No one even knew we’d left. And why would he thank you if you had nothing to do with it?”
I throw my hands in the air. “I don’t know! Because he’s an asshole. I have no idea how he figured it out, but I swear it had nothing to do with me. Why would I sabotage you when we were so close?”
“Maybe he offered you more money than I did,” Max says darkly. “What’s your price then? A hundred grand? A million? You were only doing this for the money anyway. So why not go with the highest bidder?”
I feel like I’ve just been hit in the gut. “That’s not the kind of person I am. I wouldn’t do that to anyone.” A swell of emotion fills my throat. “I wouldn’t do that to you.”
But Max is still looking at me like the past week means nothing. He shakes his head. “I thought that was true. I thought— For fuck’s sake, Hallie, I trusted you with everything. So you can stop lying. Just admit it. What was your price?”
I don’t know what to say to make him believe me. I don’t know if I’d believe me if our positions were reversed. Ten minutes ago, everything felt perfect. How can it all have come crashing down so fast?
My eyes well up. I swipe at them, fighting to keep my voice steady. “I’m not lying. I didn’t sell you out. If you trusted me before, then keep trusting me. We can look into it, try to figure out how he—”
“No,” Max snaps. “I don’t ever want to see you again. Enjoy your dirty money.”
He turns on his heel and stalks away. “Max, please, listen to me!” I desperately follow and grab him by the arm. He jerks around. His eyes are so hard with anger they freeze me in place.
“Why did you even take this job?”
“What?”
“You heard me. I asked you before, back when all of this was just beginning, and you said you’d tell me later. Well, now is later. So?”
I falter. “I . . . I . . .”
Max stares at me, waiting.
“I thought, maybe, I could show my photographs to someone,” I confess, my cheeks flushing red. “I applied for a job at one of your magazines, and didn’t get it. I just wanted a chance,” I add miserably. “To be judged on my talent.”
“And you do have ample talents, don’t you?”
My head snaps up. “That isn’t fair.”
“Why not? You said it yourself, you were using me from the start. But why settle for a couple of photography assignments when you could take a slice of the whole company?”
“No.” I gulp, my tears coming now. “It’s not like that!”
“I know exactly how it is.” Max’s angry expression drops, just for a moment, and I see the betrayal in his eyes.
Somehow, that’s worse.
“I trusted you, Hallie.” His face twists with emotion. “I thought you were different from these vultures. Someone real. But I guess I was wrong.”
He gets on the elevator before I can say another word. The doors slide shut, and then he’s gone.
I sink down onto one of the deck’s benches and drop my face into my hands. The tears stream out with a sob I can’t control. It’s over. I’ve lost it all. The guy, the company that should have been his, the dream he was building for his future . . .
But I still don’t understand how any of it happened.
At last, my sobs subside, but I don’t even know what to do next. My stuff is still in Palm Beach, but I can’t face going back there. And how? This was all Max’s mission: I was just along for the ride.
Don’t let yourself get swept up in the moment, Olivia told me. It’s purely business. I wish I’d listened to her. Maybe then I wouldn’t feel like I’ve lost the best man I’ve ever known.
Hello, heartbreak. Population: me.
21
Hallie
“Why are you sitting on the couch upside down?”
Jules’s footsteps stop by my nose. She peers down at me.It’s kind of hard to look her in the eyes with my head tipped back toward the floor. �
�I don’t know. I thought maybe a little more blood to the brain could get me out of my funk. That’s a thing, right?”
“I’m not sure it’s a typical cure for broken hearts, no,” Jules says, sounding amused. She sits down beside me. “Is it working?”
“No. Mostly it’s just making me feel dizzy.” I turn the right way up and sigh. It’s been two weeks since Max left me on that rooftop, and my heart still hurts like it was five minutes ago. “This is ridiculous,” I wail. “I hardly knew him. Aren’t there rules about that?”
“I think it’s a month of grieving for every year you dated,” Jules says, looking amused.
“So I should have been over him in, like, two hours.” I slump lower.
“So you haven’t heard anything at all from him?”
“No,” I say mournfully. “He thinks I screwed him over. Which I didn’t. I mean, I screwed him, but—the good way.”
Jules muffles a snicker. “Yeah, I had gathered that part.”
I kick the cushion, which probably isn’t fair, since it’s never done anything to me. “What’s wrong with me? I knew from the start he was too charming for my own good. No strings, Mr. Love ’Em and Leave ’Em.”
Except that wasn’t the real Max. No, the man behind that devastating smile was kind, and funny, and sweet . . .
I turn and scream into a pillow.
Jules pats my head sympathetically. “I’m sorry, babe. I never thought you’d lose your head like this. Or your heart.”
“It just . . . happened.” I sniffle. “It seemed like he was feeling the same way. Like there was something real there.” My heart still aches, just remembering the betrayal on Max’s face right before he walked away from me.
“Maybe it was real,” Jules says gently. “He wouldn’t have been that angry with you if he didn’t care.”
I don’t know what to believe. “Either way, it’s over. He still thinks I sold him out.”
“Well, the truth is on your side,” Jules says. “Maybe it’s weird for me to say this as a lawyer, but sometimes that does matter, no matter how much other people try to bend it. The truth will come out, and then he’ll realize what a mistake he made not trusting you.”