He hung up and paced up and down the only strip of clear floor the small trailer provided. What time was it in Sydney, the middle of the night? Ally could have been asleep. But dammit, she still should have answered her cell phone.
How else could he reach her? Max looked up the number for Geena’s store and punched it in. It rang several times before he got another recorded message. Of course there was nobody in the store at this time of night, what was he thinking?
He called Ally’s cell phone again, his heart pounding. Voice mail. Shit.
What if he was too late and something had already happened to her? The thought made him short of breath, as though he’d been running a sprint.
Nobody was there to protect her. Neither Ally nor her sister would be any match for a guy with violence on his mind. Ally could be lying in a hospital bed and he wouldn’t even know about it. Nobody would think to tell him. He didn’t have Geena’s cell phone number, and if she was at Ally’s bedside, or if the asshole had hurt her too, he’d never be able to get hold of her.
He closed his eyes for a moment, an image of Ally and Geena lying comatose on two hospital beds chilling him all over. He could hear the slow beeping of the heart monitors, and smell the disinfectant the nurse dabbed on her wounds. Ally’s phone was probably sitting in the drawer where nobody could hear it ring, or it could have been smashed in the attack.
Max stabbed the redial button. The sound of Ally’s phone clicking to voice mail again made him want to punch something.
“Ally, please pick up your phone. I need to know you’re okay. Call me right away.” He checked his watch. “I’m leaving for the airport now, but I’ll keep trying you. I’ll get the first flight I can, but I won’t land in Sydney until tonight at the earliest. Leave a message if you can’t get hold of me – I might not be able to take a call on the plane.”
Max stuffed his phone in his pocket and flung open the door. He’d have to stop at his apartment to grab his passport, but he couldn’t spare the time to pack a bag. That didn’t matter, and it meant he’d get out of the airport faster when he arrived in Sydney. Limo service would be too slow to arrive, so he’d flag down a cab on the street in front of the set. On the way to his apartment, he could look up the number for the King’s Cross police station and get them to Ally’s right away.
Tearing out of his trailer, he almost collided with Sandy.
“Max.” She grabbed his arm to stop him from pushing past her. “What are you doing?”
“I have to go. Tell Cromhill I’m sorry, and if all goes well I should be back in a few days.”
“A few days? What are you talking about?”
“Sorry, Sandy, I don’t have time to explain. I’m flying to Sydney. I’ll call you when I get there.”
“What about the film?”
He tugged his arm out of her grip and kept moving. “Screw the film. Ally could be in danger. Look, if I get time to call you from the airport, I will, but I have to go now.”
“Wait! Ally’s not in danger, at least not that I know of. Max, she’s here.”
“What?” He spun to face her. “What are you talking about?”
Sandy gave him a puzzled frown. “I have no idea what’s going on with you two, but the woman you’re rushing halfway around the world to see happens to be taking a shower in my trailer.”
* * *
Ally turned off the trailer’s shower, rubbed her hair semidry with a towel before wrapping it around herself, then stepped out of the tiny bathroom. She’d left her phone lying on the trailer’s narrow bed so it wouldn’t get wet, and it had rung three times while she was shampooing her hair.
She reached for it and the door opened. She whirled around. A man was silhouetted in the doorway. Her mind flashed straight to the video footage she’d seen, and for a second she thought he was Thomas, though that was impossible. Then her breath caught.
Max. He’d had his hair dyed and styled to look like Thomas’s.
Blinking against the bright sunlight behind him, and with his face in shadow, she tried to make out his expression. Was he still angry with her? Would he be furious she’d come to L.A. and found him?
“Ally.”
The one word he spoke made her heart lurch. She hadn’t known you could miss someone’s voice so much that hearing it could be like a physical shock. It took everything she had not to throw herself against him, to fling her arms around him.
Crap, she was trembling. Her heart was trying to break out of her chest. If only she’d had time to dress and dry her hair properly before she saw him. If only her head wasn’t swimming, all her practiced apologies forgotten.
“What are you doing here?” His voice was rough.
She managed to answer, though her voice came out breathless. “I’ve come to tell you how sorry I am.”
“No.” He stepped into the trailer and took hold of her bare upper arms. His expression held such a mixture of emotions, she couldn’t tell whether he was stern, angry, or relieved. “Just tell me you’re all right. Tell me he hasn’t hurt you.”
The shock of having his familiar, longed-for body so close to her confused her almost as much as his words. She shook her head to clear it. “Hurt me? Who?”
“I saw the threats on your blog, from that crazy fucking asshole you used to date. They scared me, Ally. I have to know you’re okay.”
“Comments from Barry?” She felt a wave of dismay. If they were public, everyone would be able to see Barry’s nasty brand of poison. “Lacey’s cousin is helping us out for a few days. He must have approved the comments by mistake.” She shook her head. “Barry’s all talk. He likes to torment people who won’t strike back. He’s a coward at heart.”
“He’s posted things like that before?” Max tightened his hands on her arms. “Ally, you have to go to the police and press charges. If you don’t, I will. I won’t have him saying those things about you, and I sure as hell won’t let him get anywhere near you.”
She looked up into his eyes, wishing he’d put his arms around her. Right now she’d do anything he asked, if only he’d forgive her. “Okay,” she agreed softly. “You’re right, I’ll report him.”
Max made a low, relieved sound. For the first time he seemed to notice she was only wearing a towel, because he gave her a puzzled frown. “Why were you taking a shower in Sandy’s trailer?” He shook his head impatiently. “Never mind, there’ll be time for explanations later. At least you’re here, and safe.” His gaze ran over her body and his lips quirked. “Not to mention, almost naked.”
Ally took a deep breath. It was time. All her trouble to get here had come to this moment, right now. She could only pray she’d find the right words, to try to make him understand why she’d lied to him, and how sorry she was.
She clutched her towel a little tighter, and straightened her back. “I need to apologize, and try to explain. Let me start by saying that I—”
“Ally, there’s no need to do this now.” His hold on her arms softened and became a caress. “When I saw those threats, I didn’t care about anything else. All I could think was that I needed to protect you. Right now I can’t even remember why I was ever angry with you. I’m just grateful you’re okay.”
A loud, purposeful noise came from the door and Sandy cleared her throat. “Ah, sorry to interrupt. I tried to tell Cromhill you needed more time, Max, but he’s insisting you come and shoot your scene.”
Max hesitated.
“Go,” whispered Ally. She wouldn’t do anything that might hurt his career any more than she already had. “We’ll talk afterwards.”
He nodded once, and moved toward the door as though to leave. Abruptly he turned back and in one smooth motion, pulled her into his arms. Before she could even gasp, his mouth came down on hers. Warmth shot through her, and she melted against him. Thank goodness his arms were around her, because her legs might have buckled. She hadn’t dared to hope he’d ever kiss her again, and oh, he felt so good. She wove her fingers behind his neck and press
ed him closer.
“Max, they’re all waiting for you.” Was she imagining it, or did she hear a smile in Sandy’s voice?
Max pulled away, easing his grip from around her waist, and Ally bit back a sound of protest. Without him, everything felt cold. They needed more time. She had to know whether he was just reacting against a scare, or if his anger about what she’d done had really softened.
Max fixed her with a fierce glare and lifted one finger in a scolding gesture. “Don’t ever scare me like that again.” His scolding finger transformed into a gentle caress and he stroked her cheek before he turned and strode out.
Sandy leaned in the doorway, shot her a thumbs-up, then raced after him.
Ally sagged against the small bed. Weak at the knees, she hitched up her towel. Her heart sounded like a kettle drum.
It had all happened so fast, she could hardly believe she hadn’t dreamt the whole thing. Did kissing her mean Max forgave her? But she hadn’t gotten to apologize yet. She hadn’t told him how she felt.
She touched her lips, wishing she could keep the feel of him on her skin forever, and a smile slowly broke over her face. Oh god, if that kiss hadn’t been real but some kind of dream, she’d rather die right now than have to wake up.
Ally shook herself. No doubt he’d come back after shooting his scene, and she wanted to be ready for him, with dry hair and wearing more than a towel. It was a pity her clothes were so dirty.
Wedged into one corner of Sandy’s trailer was a short metal rack overflowing with clothes. Each hanger held a complete outfit, and each had been labeled with a number. Sandy must be playing Cora in the movie, and this was her wardrobe. Ally ran her hand down a black leather minidress. She recognized it from a costume description for a scene toward the end of the script. It had a zip running all the way down the front, and Cora had worn it to tease Thomas when they were out together in public, wearing it slightly unzipped, and accidentally bending to give him glimpses of her bare breasts and butt cheeks.
Come to think of it, Sandy wasn’t too dissimilar in build to Ally. Sandy was slimmer, and maybe her hips were narrower. But the dress might fit Ally.
* * *
“Ally?”
Max cracked open the door of Sandy’s trailer, half-afraid Ally might have vanished. The lights were out. Had she left? Shit, he hadn’t been gone long. He’d finished up his scene in record time, and Cromhill had raved about how good his performance had been. Amazing how his need to get back to Ally had focused his mind. He’d been determined to get the shot in the bag with only one take, and although Cromhill had insisted on a second take “Just in case”, Max was certain he’d nailed it first time.
“Ally?” He pushed the door open and stepped into the dim room.
She stood in the narrow space next to the bed, hands on her hips, her hair up in the same style as on the first night they’d made love. She was dressed in the same black leather dress Sandy had worn in their scene together a few days ago, but on Ally it looked far sexier. She had the zip pulled far enough down so her breasts were accentuated, pushed up by its tight fit. The sleek leather hugged the gorgeous curves of her body and barely covered the top of her thighs. Her beautiful legs were long and inviting. Had it been that short on Sandy? When Sandy had worn it, his pulse hadn’t sped up and his jeans hadn’t suddenly felt too tight.
Ally used the voice he’d come to think of as Cora’s. “You didn’t let me apologize, Max, but now I’m going to make you listen.”
Max shut the door behind him. “Ally, you don’t have to—”
“Sit down.” She gestured to the bed. “Don’t interrupt until I’ve finished speaking.”
She was sexy when she ordered him around like that. Funny how he’d always hated being bossed, but Ally’s commands only made his pulse speed up.
Max lowered himself onto Sandy’s tiny bed. From there the view was even better, her skirt so short he could almost make out if she was wearing anything underneath. Almost, but not quite, and not knowing was sure to drive him crazy.
He licked his lips and forced his gaze back to her face with an effort. “Okay, I’m listening.”
“Max, I came to L.A. to apologize, but sorry is an easy word to say, and you’ve already heard it. So I’m not going to say it again. Instead I’m going to tell you exactly why I fell in love with you.”
He almost protested. But she was determined to tell him, and even if he no longer needed to hear it, it seemed she needed to say it. Maybe not so much for him as for herself, and he could appreciate that. The least he could do was shut up and listen.
She pushed back a strand of hair that had come loose from her hairdo, and her hand trembled a little. Was she nervous? He wanted to soothe her and tell her it was okay, but at the same time, he didn’t want to move and put her off.
She cleared her throat. “It wasn’t only your looks, or the way we could talk so easily. It wasn’t that you always made me laugh, or even the way you made me feel when we were making love.” A ghost of a smile shaded her lips. “Although that last one might have played a big part at first.”
He smiled back. Did she have any idea how beautiful she was? How hard it was for him to stop himself from touching her?
“But Max, what made me realize how deep my feelings were, was when I realized I hadn’t just fallen in love with you. Somehow I’d started to love myself again too.” She swallowed, and her eyes were suddenly liquid with tears. “Barry had taken that from me. He told me I was a mess who couldn’t do anything right, that I wasn’t good enough. I hadn’t realized his voice was still embedded in my head, buried so deep I didn’t know I was still listening to him. You helped me shut that voice up. To change the words I was saying to myself, and make new ones true instead.”
Max’s chest was tight. He couldn’t sit still and watch her cry. He needed her in his arms, needed to soothe the tears away. But when he moved to stand up, she motioned him back down.
“No, please don’t touch me, or say anything, or I won’t be able to finish.”
She wiped at her eyes impatiently, almost angrily. One side of her mouth twisted into a half-smile that showed how determined she was not to give in to her tears, and his heart broke for her. She was brave, and strong, and she’d suffered so much. He’d never let anyone hurt her again. Dammit, he’d never hurt her again.
She sucked in a deep breath and went on. “Before I fell in love with you, I wouldn’t have had the guts to wear a dress like this, to demand to be heard, or to say the things that are in my heart. You gave me that. And even if you can’t forgive me for what I did, I want you to know that I’ll always be grateful. Max, I’ll love you forever. For me, there’ll never be anyone but you.”
With those words, she was able to swallow back her tears and her gray eyes cleared. She’d said what she needed to, and he could see she felt better for it.
Max had told Mrs. B he didn’t know how he could trust Ally again, but looking into her unclouded eyes, he could finally admit the truth to himself. Hadn’t he seen them filled with shadows while they were in the Blue Mountains, and hadn’t he known, deep down, she was hiding something? Hell, he was pretty sure she’d been on the verge of confessing more than once, and he’d stopped her. He hadn’t wanted to know what it was, because he hadn’t wanted to ruin their time together.
He took a deep breath. Ally had been right to insist on talking like this. They both had important things they needed to say to each other, and he had to get something off his chest too. Actually, there were a few things he wanted to say, and he couldn’t do it sitting down, not with her short skirt distracting him.
He rose slowly, the top of his head almost grazing the top of the small trailer, and looked into her eyes.
“I have three things to say. First, I need to apologize.” She made a sound of protest, but he touched one finger to her lips to quiet her. “I should have listened when you tried to explain why you’d lied about who you are. I was hurt, and angry, and stubborn. But that’s no
excuse for turning my back on you.”
He reached out and ran one hand slowly over her cheek. “Now I can see that I was afraid of being vulnerable. Afraid that being in love with you had given you the power to hurt me. I wanted to be angry with you, Ally. I hugged my anger like a shield to keep you away. But that shield crumbled in an instant when I thought you were in danger.” He tucked a stray strand of hair carefully behind her ear. “I’ll never turn my back on you again.”
“Max, I—”
“That was only the first thing.” He grinned. “Two more to go.”
“You don’t have to—”
He cut her off, tempted to stop her objection with a kiss. But she was right, it was better that all their confessions were out in the open. He hadn’t finished yet, and he needed her to hear the rest of it.
“The second thing I want to say is to tell you why I fell in love with you.” Her eyes widened, and he chuckled. “It’s only fair. You told me yours, now I’m going to tell you mine.” Unable to resist teasing her a little, he put one finger to his chin in a mock thoughtful gesture. “Um. Now let me think about it….”
She gasped and lightly smacked his arm, making him laugh.
“Oh yes, now I remember.” He sobered, and ran his hands over her upper arms. “Ally, I love you because you have the best laugh in the world. Because you’re the bravest person I know, and that crazy asshole ex of yours didn’t even come close to breaking you, though I have no doubt he gave it a damn good try. Because when you give me orders, your chin juts out and those little freckles on your nose are so damn cute it makes me want to do whatever you say.”
She chuckled. “Max, you—”
“I haven’t finished. I love you because your eyes go lighter and darker with your moods, and I’m getting to know exactly which shade means you’re hungry, which means you’re sad, and most importantly, which shade means that you’re horny. I love you because the first time I met you, you had tomato sauce on your T-shirt and you still managed to convince me you were a dominatrix. And because I could never have imagined falling in love with someone who didn’t know what a DeLorean was, but you never stop surprising me.”
The Rich List Series: Contemporary Romance Box Set (Millionaire, Billionaire, CEO) Page 18