by Melody Anne
“If you’re into that sort of thing,” Mav said with a laugh and a wink.
“You’re disgusting,” Coop said with a frown as he pulled his son a bit closer as if to protect the baby’s delicate ears from the crude talk.
“I’m not the one with his mind in the gutter,” Mav pointed out.
Before Cooper or his uncle could say anything more, Mav set down his coffee cup and then quickly scooted away. Stepping off the back deck, he jogged down the wide expanse of lawn that led to the beachfront access.
He was officially on a mission. Not only was he going to get Lindsey to chair his fund-raiser, which would cause them to spend a hell of a lot of time together, but he was going to show her that life was too short to be wasted.
Most importantly, Mav was going to show her that she needed him right there beside her. And he wasn’t going to give himself time to think about what he was doing. This girl wasn’t going to get away.
No matter what it took.
CHAPTER NINE
“I give you full marks for the low back, but I have to take a few points away because of the longer hemline.”
At his laughing words, Lindsey’s first instinct was to run for the fence and keep on going until she was locked safely inside her cottage. Her feet twitched as she prepared to make her escape. These days, her fight or flight response was all flight and no fight.
She’d barely taken her first step when the voice registered. Maverick. It took all her willpower, but she stopped and turned to face him. He stood there, leaning against the fence separating Coop’s property from the beach, but he didn’t reach out for her, didn’t try to stop her, didn’t say another word after his obnoxious comment about her dress.
Instantly, Lindsey’s adrenaline slowed and she felt herself relax. She hated that she felt safe with him and no one else. She hated this power he had over her. He seemed to have more power over her than she had over herself.
“You wouldn’t exactly be the first person I’d call for fashion advice, Mav,” she said after several moments. When she looked up into his sparkling green eyes, she felt the jolt go through her system that she now expected when meeting his gaze.
“Ah, sugar, you wound me,” he told her with his standard knock-a-woman-to-her-shaky-knees smile. Between the smile, the confidence, and the damn eyes, the man was a danger to all women—young and old. So unfair in so many ways.
“Nothing could wound your inflated ego,” she said, nearly feeling like smiling.
Maybe if Lindsey understood her reaction to Maverick a bit better, she wouldn’t always be so thrown when in his presence. But as things stood, she just didn’t get it, didn’t understand how she could enjoy being around him. He was tall and broad, far too muscular for her normal tastes, let alone for how she felt after that behemoth of a man had attacked her at the hospital.
Lindsey wasn’t exactly petite at five feet seven, but she’d always been more attracted to the bookish, academic type, the kind of guys who were good looking but didn’t stop traffic, the kind of guys who weren’t so solid you felt like you were running into a brick wall when you were pulled against them. She preferred softer men. That was her security net—had been for a long time. She liked that she intimidated men. It meant they were too afraid to hurt her.
Mav didn’t fit anything she wanted. He stood six four, and had the shoulders and chest of a linebacker. His stomach was pure iron and his hips—ah, those hips were made for pumping while a woman’s legs were wrapped around them. Realizing where her thoughts had just gone, Lindsey jerked her face upward, her cheeks pink as she met his eyes again.
Desire, hot and heavy, sparked in his gaze before he seemed to tamp it down, and then he winked at her and gave her a lopsided grin.
“You can look all you want, sugar,” he purred.
“I wasn’t looking,” she said way too loudly.
He laughed—actually laughed at her, which royally ticked her off. Oh no, he didn’t get to mock her without getting the sharp end of her wrath rained down upon him.
“I wasn’t,” she reiterated, stomping her bare foot in the sand, as if that would do any good. The action only made his grin bigger.
“It’s okay, sug,” he began. She was about to ream him some more when he continued. “Look all you want,” he said with a shake of his head as if scolding her, making her want to pummel his arrogant ass.
Her head was spinning. Was he actually flirting? If he was, he wasn’t too good at it. She looked at him for several tense moments as she waited for him to go on, but he seemed comfortable enough just standing there letting the breeze ruffle his dark hair.
Finally, she couldn’t take the silence. “What is wrong with you?”
“Let’s take a walk. I want to talk to you about some things.”
Before she could accept or deny his invitation, he moved up next to her and slowly twined his fingers with hers, giving her time to pull away. On the one hand she wanted to move a couple of feet to the left, but on the other, there was an odd sense of security having him so close. She was torn about what to do.
“It’s okay. I’m not going to do anything more than hold your hand. We’re just two buddies taking a stroll down the beach,” he told her as he gave her arm a gentle tug.
Lindsey looked longingly at the gate that would lead her to her friend’s property and, more importantly, to the safety of the cottage—the cottage with a couple of locks on the door to keep the world out.
“Come on. You’re going to hurt my feelings,” he said as he tugged again.
“I . . . uh, I can’t be out long,” she told him, but much to her surprise she found her feet moving along as she followed him closer to the water lapping against the shore.
“I wouldn’t want to keep you out too late,” he said with a chuckle. It wasn’t even noon yet, but she decided to let that one go.
They reached the water, and that’s when she noticed his pants were already rolled up and his shoes and socks gone. He pulled her into the freezing surf, and she again tried to yank her hand away from him, but he wasn’t having it. When the water was to her mid-calves, he stopped and she shivered as she stood there beside him.
“What do you want to talk to me about?” she said. He didn’t appear to be in a hurry, but she figured the sooner he said whatever it was he wanted, the sooner he would let her escape. At least she hoped that was the plan.
“I want your help, and I’ve decided I can’t take no for an answer.”
“If it’s the fund-raising, I can’t do it,” she told him, deciding to be firm. She wished her voice came out a little less breathy.
“You’re going to help me, and in turn, I’m going to help you.”
“I don’t need your help with anything, Maverick,” she told him, tugging on her hand again. He didn’t release her. The thing was, she did need his help, but she had too much pride to ask for it. Plus, admitting she needed help would show just one more of her weaknesses, and she couldn’t do that.
He didn’t respond for several moments, and she began to chew on her bottom lip as she waited to see what he would say next. Lindsey felt him turn, even though she was looking out into the bay, gazing at the masts of several sailboats as they glided along the rolling water.
With his other hand, the one that had the cast all the way to the palm, he touched her chin. Her head went back, and she looked up at him, unable to pull away.
“You know I don’t like to be touched,” she warned. But the words didn’t actually come out as much of a warning. They were more of a panting request.
“I know, sugar. But you need to be,” he said, his eyes darkening again, though he made no more moves to invade her space.
“I’m not your sugar,” she informed him. “And if you know, then why aren’t you letting me go?”
“Because I also know that fear and pain are eating away at you, and I’ve decided I care too much to allow that to happen. It’s my duty to not give up on you.”
She was dumbfounded at
his words. To her this seemed like so much more than him trying to get her back into his bed. It seemed like he meant what he was saying. And what was even more astounding than that was her response to him.
“Your duty?” she gasped. “Who in the world do you think you are? You don’t know me from more than a few conversations, a one-night stand, and a few failed flirting attempts. You have no idea who I even am or what I’m thinking or feeling.”
“I’ve been to hell, sug, and it’s not a great place to be. You’re hurting and there’s a connection between us. You know it, I know it.” Thankfully he didn’t comment on the sex part of their relationship. She was weak right now, and he seemed to know it, though she didn’t necessarily feel that he was taking advantage of that fact.
“That sounds like a line if ever I’ve heard one,” she said.
“No lines. I’ve decided we’re better off together right now. I need help, you have time, and this will be good for you and me both. I’ve been told I’m a bit arrogant. You can help me out with that since you seem to have no trouble holding back what you really think about me,” he said with a smirk. “And this fund-raiser is truly for a good cause. I know you will love being a part of it.”
She looked into those green eyes and found herself almost getting lost in them. If she didn’t know any better, she just might think there was a touch of vulnerability there. But that couldn’t possibly be the case. Not with a man like Maverick, who held the world in the palm of his hand.
“Even if I were foolish enough to accept this . . . kind . . . offer, what in the world do you think I need? And how do you plan on giving it to me?”
When his lips turned up in a wicked smile, Lindsey thought it might have been a good idea to rephrase those last sentences. But if he made some crude remark, she would at least be able to put him back in the sty where he belonged.
“I’m far too much of a gentleman to give in to that question,” he said with a laugh and a wink. “No plans. We will just plan the fund-raiser, make it better than ever, and see where it leads us. You got out the other night and the world didn’t end. Let’s take it a day at a time.”
What she should do was tell him thanks but no thanks, and then let him watch her backside as she disappeared. But dang it all to heck, she was intrigued by the idea. No pressure. He promised no pressure. But could he actually keep that promise? It seemed that there was always pressure building within her whenever he was around.
Oh, this was already messy and complicated. She was a fool to think spending more time with the man wouldn’t make that worse. But for some reason she wasn’t telling him no.
“I don’t know. You have to give me time to think about it.”
“I can give you time to think, but not too much. I don’t want you talking yourself out of this,” he said.
“I haven’t talked myself into it, so how could I talk myself out of it?” she pointed out.
At her words he laughed and tugged her against him. Her stomach stirred and she wanted to pull away—but at the same time she found she was exactly where she wanted to be.
Complicated. This just proved how complicated the situation was.
“And when we’re all done with planning,” he said as his lips widened in the biggest grin she’d ever seen, “we can celebrate.”
Lindsey had no doubt what kind of celebrating he had in mind. She wanted to tell him he really did need an adjustment in his arrogance if he thought he was getting her back in bed again, but the lashing she wanted to give him seemed to get lodged in her throat.
“Want to clarify that?” she asked with narrow eyes.
His fingers rubbed along her lower back as he held her tightly to him. “I won’t lie to you, Lindsey. I want you night and day.” The intensity in his gaze had her heart thundering. “But don’t worry. I won’t act on it until you’re the one dragging me into the bedroom.”
It took her several seconds to process his last words, and once she had, the thumping of her heart increased, but this time it was because of irritation. She decided emphatically that Maverick Armstrong really did need to be taken down off his high horse. If anyone could reach him all the way up there, that might just be possible to do.
She shot him a look that should have killed him on the spot, and this time when she yanked to free herself, he actually released her. The momentum almost sent her on her butt into the freezing sea water that had already numbed her feet.
“Do you honestly think I have so little pride that I would need to force you into my bed?” she cried in outrage.
“That just goes with the territory, sugar. I’m impossible to resist. But that’s not the point of this mission. That’s just a pleasurable detour.”
“You pompous, assuming ass. I wouldn’t sleep with you again if you were the last man on the planet,” she scolded.
So quickly, she didn’t even have time to blink, he was right up on her again, his hand behind her head. Her breath rushed out and her body shook, but this time it wasn’t from fear. This time it was from something she didn’t even want to begin to analyze.
“I never said anything about sleeping, sugar,” he said.
Then he leaned down and brushed his lips across hers. It all happened too quickly for her to have much of a reaction, but just as quickly as he’d grabbed her, he let her go again and took several steps back.
“See, sugar, you can feel so much more than fear. You can feel anger and desire,” he said with his smile back in place.
“Are you playing games with me?” she gasped.
“Nope. I just like that I can inspire so much passion in you,” he told her.
“That’s not passion, you ass. That’s fury,” she snapped.
“Fury and passion go hand in hand. Not everything is about sex,” he said. She took a menacing step toward him and he backed up real quick. It made her feel powerful. That was something she hadn’t felt in a very long time.
“I think I better get out of here while I still only have one broken arm. I’ll pick you up tomorrow,” he told her with another laugh.
With that, he turned and walked away, soon disappearing. Lindsey watched him until he was gone, and only then realized her fingers were pressing against her lips where his had barely brushed against them.
He’d made her run through a gamut of emotions in the past half hour, and she wasn’t sure exactly what any of that meant. But she knew one thing for sure. She wasn’t going to help him with the fund-raiser. No way, no how. She standing firm, battening down the hatches, and locking the doors and windows.
Maverick Armstrong was dangerous, probably the most dangerous man she’d ever met. And if Lindsey wanted to keep what was left of her sanity in place, then she had best stay away from him.
That decided, she slowly made her way back to Stormy’s yard, peeking around before slipping through the fence and then rushing to the guest cottage. Maybe it was time to move.
That thought sent fear through her. No. It wasn’t time to leave yet. She just had to be more aware when Maverick was around, that was all. If she avoided him, she’d be just fine.
If only she believed that were actually possible.
CHAPTER TEN
The floor was getting worn out as Lindsey paced back and forth across the living room. She wasn’t waiting on Maverick. No way, no how. Again, she turned and looked at the clock: 10:00 a.m.
What did the time matter? For one thing, she had vehemently decided she wasn’t going with the man. For another, he hadn’t exactly set a time that he was planning on showing up, so it did her absolutely no good to sit there and gaze at the clock.
“Argh!”
The low grumble escaped her mouth as she turned again only to be stopped in her tracks.
“Miss me?”
There he was, leaning against the wall next to her open door. Had she left it unlocked? No way. She couldn’t have done that. She hadn’t forgotten to secure the doors once since the attack. Was this man seriously messing with her head so much t
hat she couldn’t even remember to lock the doors anymore?
“No, I didn’t miss you in the least,” she said through clenched teeth. “Ever heard of knocking?”
“The door was open and you seemed to be in a world of your own, so I thought I would wait until you worked through whatever it is that has you pacing the floors,” he told her with that damn grin of his that made her legs shaky.
“How long have you been standing there?” She would have thought she’d notice the intrusion. That she hadn’t felt anything amiss worried her on a whole new level.
“Not long. Just enough to see you wearing holes in the floor,” he told her as he pushed off from the wall.
“Well, you can turn around and leave now. I’m not going anywhere with you,” she said decidedly.
“We both know you’re frustrated because you want to go out and that, more than anything else, is what’s worrying you. And since you’re all dressed and ready to go, we don’t want to waste the day,” he said, coming closer.
She backed away from him until her butt hit the back of the couch, trapping her as he boxed her in.
“I do not,” she whispered.
Those damn fingers lifted and he brushed her loose hair back behind her ear as he held her captive with his gaze.
“Listen, sugar, I’ve gotten wounds before. I’ve seen things most people can’t even imagine actually exist. I’ve watched helplessly as fallen soldiers haven’t been able to pick up the pieces of their sanity. I’m not willing to do that with you. What you went through was tragic. But I’m going to give you a reason to keep on living, to keep on loving life, and to forget about the bastard that tried to take all of that away from you.”
No passion, no cockiness, no alpha male rested in those piercing eyes as he spoke to her this time. Only compassion. She wasn’t sure what scared her more.
“I . . . I’m not afraid,” she said, knowing the crack in her voice belied the words.
“You’re strong, sug. Trust me, I know this, but it’s okay to show a few cracks when we’ve been hit,” he said, his hand now resting on her shoulder. “We all have a few open wounds.”