When she glanced up, she caught Zac looking at her, mouth agape.
He closed it with a snap. “Now that’s a trick.”
Getting through this night was going to be the real trick.
Maxie chewed on her lower lip when he turned into her driveway. Headlights lit the cab of the Jeep as Lexie pulled her car in behind them. Almost simultaneously, the lights from both cars shut off, leaving her sitting alone in the dark with Sheriff Zac Ford, her make-believe love stud.
He watched her steadily, the lines of his face lit from the light over her back door. “Honey, we’re home.”
Chapter Six
Maxie’s brain was whirling a mile a minute, the effects of the bourbon completely gone as she opened the back door to her house. How was she supposed to carry through on this charade? Why had she invited everyone here when she needed time to contemplate all that had happened? For heaven’s sake, she’d kissed Zac like a sex-starved schoolmarm. Was he expecting her to—?
She froze on the threshold, her chaotic thoughts skidding to a stop. The kitchen. She’d forgotten how she’d left it. Her gaze swept over the table and countertops. Nearly every flat surface was strewn with photo albums, personal documents and family memorabilia. Her whole life was there, put out on display.
Anyway, life as she’d known it.
Her fingers trembled. She wanted to gather everything up and shove it into drawers and cupboards, but there wasn’t time. She could feel Zac close behind her and hear the others as they crossed the lawn.
He touched her lightly at the waist. “Show them to their rooms, and I’ll gather everything up.”
He understood. She didn’t want to hide. She just wanted privacy and time. She needed to figure out how she felt about everything. It had only been this morning when her life had been turned upside down.
With a bracing breath, she stepped aside for her guests. “Sorry about the mess.”
Lexie wrapped an arm around Maxie’s shoulders. “This isn’t a mess. These are your treasures.”
Roxie set her suitcase on the floor. The expression on her face was full of wonder, maybe even closer to yearning. Walking to the counter, she traced the edge of a photo album, careful not to let her hair drip on it. “Can we look through some of the pictures in the morning?”
Maxie realized how selfish she was being. This woman had bared her soul in an attempt to reach out and make contact. She’d handed over medical records, school records and more. Watching her face, Maxie could practically feel Roxie’s emotions. She was curious and envious.
“Sure,” she said, changing her mind. Pictures, she could handle. Maybe. “In the morning.”
She couldn’t deal with much more now. She was tired, wet and wrung out in so many ways. A shiver went through her. The air conditioning felt too cold against her damp skin, and goose bumps popped up when a wet droplet of water trailed down her spine.
“Your rooms are this way.” She led them across the living area to the downstairs bedrooms. “There’s one here. The bathroom is there, followed by another guest bedroom.”
“Why don’t you take the front one, Lex?” Roxie said. “That way you can watch for Hatchet.”
Lexie checked for a clock, and her face brightened when she saw the time. “He shouldn’t be long.”
“Don’t you two wake me with any mushy stuff. I’m bushed.” With a grin, Roxie walked away. Zac trailed after her, carrying her suitcase.
A blush was on Lexie’s face when she peeked at Maxie. “We won’t… I mean…” She clutched her vase of flowers close to her wet dress. “I’ll make sure we’re quiet.”
This time it was Maxie’s turn to reach out. She hadn’t quite worked her way up to a hug, so she squeezed Lexie’s shoulder instead. “I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
“I like Zac.” A small smile curved Lexie’s lips. “Don’t you two wake us with any mushy stuff either.”
“We won’t,” Maxie said in surprise—until she realized that was supposed to be a possibility. And after the way they’d kissed… Her own cheeks heated. “I mean…”
Her gaze flashed up to meet eyes that so much resembled her own.
They’d done it again, copied each other verbatim.
Zac looked at them questioningly as he walked past, carrying Lexie’s bag to her room.
“I know we were a surprise you weren’t expecting.” Lexie squeezed Maxie’s hand. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Just make sure this boyfriend of yours knows whose woman is whose.” The words were light, but Zac said them with enough edge to make Maxie’s toes curl in her sandals.
She was supposed to be his.
She stood uncertainly in the hallway. They were the only two left, but she still wasn’t sure what their sleeping arrangements were going to be. She clenched her hands. The chill was on her skin, but heat was building inside her. All she could think about was the way he’d lifted her out of the pool and pulled her close.
Was he expecting a continuation?
Half of her hoped so, while the other half wanted to rush to her bedroom and lock the door. She wasn’t good at these things. With Roxie and Lexie tucked inside their rooms, her confidence and spontaneity were waning. Self-consciousness was coming over her like a heavy, familiar cloak.
Pivoting on her heel, she made a beeline back to the kitchen.
She was putting away papers when Zac appeared in the doorway. His gaze was like a touch, and the goose bumps on her skin tightened. As did her belly and her nipples. He knew she wasn’t wearing a bra. It hadn’t bothered her all day long, but now it was all she could think about. Her breasts were bare and sensitive. Achy. She’d dived into that pool with nothing between her skin and the water, but she felt more exposed now than ever.
Wordlessly, he began helping her gather everything together. They collected all the personal papers but stacked the photo albums in a tidy pile on the table. He helped her carry everything else to the desk in the living room. Once it was stowed away, though, she was uncertain.
There was only one thing left to do. Go to bed.
Zac made one last trip back outside. When he returned, he had a bag swung over his shoulder.
She stared at it. “You packed a bag?”
“Gym bag. I missed my workout today.”
She twisted her fingers. Probably because of her. He’d done so much for her.
“You’re tired, Maxie. Let’s put you to bed.”
She was tired. Tired and raw. The day, her emotions and even the swim in the pool had drained her of any energy she’d had.
He caught her hand and glanced towards the stairs. When he lifted one eyebrow, she realized he was asking where her bedroom was. She bit her lip but nodded. There wasn’t much she could do but follow when he tugged her in that direction.
Her knees wobbled as they climbed the stairs. Sheriff Zac Ford was taking her to bed. It was more than she’d imagined possible, and it turned her on more than she could let him know. The tension in her body was coiling, pulling tight. Her nipples were ticklish, and her wet panties clung.
They were supposed to be pretending. So why did it feel so real?
At the top of the stairs, he turned on the light and strolled down the hallway. Her home office was to his right, so he continued until he made it to the open door on his left. Her bedroom.
“Wow.” He stopped inside the doorway. With the lights out, the nighttime view from the picture window was clear. Perched up on the hillside, her house overlooked both the town of Indigo Falls and the Cobalt River. “That’s a fantastic view.”
So was the one she had. He looked big and sexy in her bedroom, with his shirt opened and his jeans molding to his backside.
She cleared her throat. “I did some remodeling after my grandmother passed away, combining two small rooms and the bathroom.”
Making a spectacular master bed and bath, one she hadn’t shared with any man.
She dropped his hand. How long had it been since she’d sl
ept with someone? Just slept, their bodies side by side, touching and trusting? Her brain was fuzzy as she watched him move around her room. She’d broken up with her last steady boyfriend a while ago, and they’d never stayed overnight here, not with her grandmother in the house.
Butterflies fluttered in her stomach. Light from the hallway slanted across the bed, emphasizing how big and plush it was.
She flinched when Zac turned on the lamp on the bedside table. It brought everything out into the glaring open.
A muscle in his jaw flexed. “King-sized?”
“I flop around a lot in my sleep,” she said weakly. Always had.
He blew out a heavy breath and dragged a hand through his hair. “I can sleep downstairs on the sofa. We don’t have to continue this if you don’t want to.”
She stiffened. “We can’t tell them the truth now.”
Not after they’d made this big production of going out to dinner and inviting the sisters back to the house. They’d seen the way the two of them had behaved together. She’d gotten naked in front of the man. What would Roxie and Lexie think if they found out they’d been lied to all day?
But what about him?
Her thoughts stopped short. She’d assumed… “Unless you want to stop.”
She’d been so wrapped up, she hadn’t considered how all this affected him. She’d carried him along on her little deception, never asking if he wanted to join her or if he cared what anyone thought. He’d just blended into her life so seamlessly.
He must have been really good at his old job. He’d taken on the role of her boyfriend without a hitch, but he had a life too. He had to be missing more than a workout by tagging along with her all day.
And then there was his reputation. Her fingernails bit into her palms. The people at the restaurant. They’d talk about more than her dinner guests. “If you want to back out, you can. I didn’t mean to tie up your whole day or get you so deeply involved. If you want to leave—”
“Leave?” He looked at her like she’d grown two heads. “Let’s get one thing straight. I’m not going anywhere. That option isn’t even on the table. You just need to make the call whether I stay in your room or not. I’m fine with sleeping on the couch downstairs, but I’m not leaving you in a house full of strangers, especially when one has a nickname of Hatchet.”
“They’re not strangers,” Maxie blurted. She blinked. That wasn’t the bourbon talking.
“He is. I don’t know anything about this Cameron Rowe guy. When I did the background checks, I only took a cursory look at him.”
“Oh.” She really hadn’t given much thought to Lexie’s boyfriend.
But Zac obviously had.
He planted his hands on his hips, his pectoral muscles flexing. “So what’s it going to be? Here or the couch?”
There was a long pause as Maxie stared at him. She didn’t want to sleep in that bed with him. Her willpower was at an all-time low, and he was standing there looking so big and male and touchable. But he was thinking like a cop. He was doing the job she’d asked him to do. He’d kissed her, yes, and touched her, but was that all part of the act?
She heard movement downstairs. She didn’t want to ruin what had happened with Lexie and Roxie. Not tonight.
And she didn’t think she could bear to send him away.
“Stay. It’s a big bed.”
His gaze darkened as it raked over the mattress. “Not that big.”
That surge of need returned, slamming into Maxie’s belly. All she wanted to do was slide her hands over that amazing chest of his, grab him by the belt and pull him to the bed. But she wasn’t feeling so brave alone with him. She’d given in to too many impulses for one day, and doing anything like that was still beyond her. Probably always would be.
“I…I’m going to take a shower,” she improvised. She’d taken two steps towards it before she felt her wet panties clinging suggestively. She didn’t have any clothes in there, and as easily as she’d jumped into the pool half-naked, this wasn’t the same.
Easing by him, she opened a dresser drawer far enough to stick her hand inside. “I need to get the chlorine out of my hair.”
He lifted one of his eyebrows. He didn’t look as if he bought the excuse.
Grabbing what she needed, she scooted off to the bathroom. She shut the door with a click and sagged back against it.
She’d invited Zac Ford into her bed.
Her knees turned to jelly. She needed some time, but somehow she doubted he’d let her stay in here long. She tossed her clothes into the hamper, wet panties and all. When she got into the shower, her body shook. All night, alone in bed with Mr. Blond, Buff and Beautiful.
She should have drunk more bourbon.
Maxie took as long as she could, but eventually she had to leave the bathroom. She smoothed the oversized T-shirt over her thighs, wishing it was longer. Her normal sleepwear was lighter and girlier, but for tonight, this was better.
Or so she thought until she opened the door and saw Zac already stretched out on the bed. He’d stripped down too, and had gotten rid of the jeans and dark shirt. All he wore were gym shorts, the long, slippery nylon kind. Nothing else. His torso was bare, showing more tempting muscles that she’d missed. His shoulders were wide, tapering to a trim, rippled waist. The shorts he wore rode so low she could see his hipbones and a tempting tapestry of muscles working its way down his abdomen.
Her toes curled. No, the bed was definitely not big enough, not with him in it.
His blue gaze stroked her slowly, and a smile settled onto his lips. “Put us together, and we’re ready for some one-on-one.”
Her breathing stopped entirely.
“Basketball, I mean.”
Maxie’s cheeks heated, and she stood uncertainly in the bathroom doorway. Her hair was only towel dried, and the breeze from the air-conditioning vent made her shiver. She didn’t know which was worse, standing here with him watching her or climbing into bed with him.
He lifted his hand. Hanging from his index finger was one of her frilly nighties, the white one with the bandeau bodice. “I found this under the pillows.”
The sight of him holding that silk lit a fire under her. She darted to the bed and snagged it from his grip. Balling it up, she hurried to the dresser, only to discover that the curtains were still wide open. His Jeep was in her driveway and countless townspeople had seen them out together tonight. She didn’t need to give them even more of a show. She untied the sashes that held back the floor-length curtains. They swung down, shutting the world out.
And closing them in together.
Hesitantly, she turned.
Zac was still watching her, and in that moment the house seemed too quiet. More people were downstairs, but up here, with only one low-wattage lamp lit, it had become way too intimate.
“What happened at the pool, Maxie?”
Her chin popped up. The question threw her, and it was more personal than anything she’d prepared herself for. “We went swimming.”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”
Her lips flattened. “I was overheated.”
“That parking lot could have been on fire, and it wouldn’t have been hot enough to make the Maxie Miller I know strip down to baby-pink panties in the middle of a public place.”
She winced. Trust him to notice that detail. She searched for another plausible reason. “I…”
“And don’t tell me it was peer pressure.” He propped his head in his hand, rolling onto his side as he watched her. “I believe that for Lexie, but not for you.”
Maxie stared at the floor and wasn’t surprised to see that she’d rocked her right foot back onto its heel. The room became impossibly quieter when the air conditioning clicked off. The only sounds were their breaths, and hers had gone too short and ragged.
“Something happened out there, Beauty. I saw it come over you. What was it?”
She couldn’t explain. Honestly. It had been instinctive. When she’d see
n Roxie in that pool, she’d been transported back to another time and place.
Tightness pulled at her chest. “I was reminded of something,” she confessed.
“What?”
He wouldn’t understand. There was no way to communicate what she’d felt in that moment. Her gaze flicked away but stuck on the TV in the corner of the room. She couldn’t tell him, but maybe she could show him. After all he’d done, he deserved some kind of explanation.
And she wanted to see it again.
She had to see it.
Impulse took over, and she hurried to the entertainment center. Hands shaking, she pulled open a drawer and began searching through old videotapes. She found the one she wanted, and her heart began tap-tapping against her rib cage. He might not understand when he watched the video, but she would.
She’d been wondering all her life, and tonight she might have gotten an answer.
Her hands were unsteady as she plugged the video into the old VCR/DVD combo unit. Sweeping up the remote, she pushed play. The bed shifted behind her when Zac moved closer. She sank to the floor when the video started playing, and hit the fast-forward button. There they were, her mom and dad at the zoo.
“Is that you?” His voice was only inches from her ear. “God, you were beautiful even then.”
Maxie braced her back against the bed. She zoomed through the segment of her laughing at the monkeys until she found what she was searching for.
The puddle.
Her thumb missed the button. On the second try, she slowed the video to normal speed. There she was, Little Maxie, her eyes big and excited when she saw the standing water. Maxie watched, her throat tightening as the younger version of herself took off running like she’d done tonight. Another push of a button slowed the video to half speed. Her eyes began blinking fast as Little Maxie rushed towards the puddle in slow motion, only to stop at the last possible moment. The young girl’s face was poignant when she looked into the camera.
Maxie pushed the pause button and stared back at the sad, vulnerable expression on her own face. She recognized that emotion now. That little girl had wanted something very badly, and the grownup version of her was only now remembering what it was.
Maxie (Triple X) Page 8