Maybe Lucas knew what he was getting into with going after Blackwater, but her own determination to see the dealer brought down had already come at a high price. Whether or not Lucas had lied to her, she didn’t want him to end up dead too.
Her stomach wrenched painfully at the thought.
“Max?”
The concern in his voice only made it that much harder to pretend last night hadn’t meant anything to her. “Oh, does your ego need a little boost this morning?”
“Not quite.” He continued to stare at her, his gaze probing a little too deep.
“What?”
“Last night,” he began, but she sidestepped to cut him off.
“There’s really nothing to say. We both got carried away last night, and it’s not all that surprising considering how much adrenaline was drop-loaded into our bloodstream in a twenty-four hour period.”
His lips twitched. “So the sex was about adrenaline?”
Apparently it only sounded like a reasonable explanation in her head. “I don’t think we really need to fixate on it. We’re both adults and we had sex. End of story.”
Lucas didn’t press the subject, surprising her, and they feel into an awkward silence that only grew more uncomfortable as they traveled along. After nearly an hour they reached a paved road, but with little traffic they could flag down for a ride.
Finally a red pickup truck stopped, and the driver offered them a ride to the closest gas station after Lucas lied about their car breaking down. Unfortunately, the closest gas station ended up being nearly a half-hour drive, during which she was pressed up against Lucas from shoulder to knee.
But that wasn’t the worst part. Lucas had stuck with their original story of being a vacationing couple and held her hand whenever he got the chance, his grip solid and warm. Only when the lazy rub of his thumb across the top of her hand left her insides all tangled up, did she finally tug her hand free.
Thinking about her plan to eventually slip away from Lucas was the only way she could distract herself from how good he felt next to her. As it was, by the time they were dropped in front of a small brick structure with two gas pumps out front and hopefully a pay phone inside, Max was about to melt right out of her skin.
Inside the store they found a guy in his mid-forties behind the counter, reading the paper.
“Morning,” he called out as they walked inside. “Another dreary day, but better rain than snow I say.”
Still a little chilled from the walk, Max shivered hearing the word snow.
“Do you have a pay phone?” Lucas asked, taking a look around.
“Sure. Down the small hall at the back, opposite the washrooms.”
“Great.” Lucas took a step, paused.
She waited for him to say something about going with him, or at least give her a look warning her to stay put, but he headed for the phone without a backward glance.
Deciding it was better to hear his side of the conversation than none at all, she trailed behind him. A thickly frosted cinnamon roll sat with some other baked goods on the end of the counter, and she eyeballed it as they passed.
She leaned up against the wall, watching Lucas dig out his wallet from his side pocket and use a credit card to place the long distance call. At least one of them had money, which meant that cinnamon roll was hers when he finished the call.
Lucas looked a little relieved at whoever answered the phone, but his expression quickly changed and he paused, listening.
He cursed under his breath. “We don’t need to wait—” He snapped his jaw shut, listening again. “That’s not necessary. Max is working with us on this.”
Whatever the voice on the other end of the phone said, Lucas didn’t appear happy to hear it.
“Don’t tell Caleb, Joe. Not yet.” Lucas glanced at his watch. “Eli can’t get here before then? I can try renting a car—” He flashed Max a quick look. “Fine. We’ll find a place to lay low and call you back with the location.”
All traces of his earlier laid-back mood had vanished by the time he hung up. Max turned and headed back to the counter, grabbing two cinnamon rolls, along with something to drink on the way.
“Just passing through?” The man behind the counter asked.
Lucas wandered over to the far aisle, browsing the shelves and leaving Max to answer. “We’re from Ontario actually. Just visiting some family in the area.”
The owner began bagging the items. “My son lives in Toronto. Just landed himself a new promotion and bought a house in the suburbs. He and his wife are expecting a baby and are about to make me a grandpa.”
“Congratulations.” Lucas dropped a couple of T-shirts on the counter with a logo Max only got a peek at before they were added to the bag on the counter. “Is Miss Maddy’s Bed and Breakfast far from here?”
“About twenty kilometers or so. You stick to the main road for about ten to twelve kilometers and then take a left. It’s a big old farmhouse, you can’t miss it. Maddy has done the place over really nice.”
“Great.” Lucas handed over his credit card.
Max noticed him staring at the newspaper on the counter and she followed his gaze to the headlining article about the incident in Riverbend and whether or not it was connected to yesterday’s car chase involving two suspects.
Max tensed, but kept her smile in place, shooting a quick glance at Lucas.
He looked thoughtful for a second, then gave her slow, sexy grin. “A little alone time and a break from your family is just what we need.”
“They’re not that bad,” she managed for the owner’s benefit, trying not to stare at Lucas’s mouth.
He glanced at the owner. “It’s like visiting with The Addams Family, but I’d do just about anything to make her happy.”
If she thought the sincerity in his voice was too much to process, Lucas looping an arm around her waist and pulling her close was probably enough to knock her brain offline.
He ducked his head, his mouth drifting lazily across hers. The kiss was over before it really got started, but the tease of his lips, soft and slow, lingered long after he’d turned back to the counter to collect their bag.
“I’ll give Maddy a call and let her know to keep an eye out for you two.”
Max trailed Lucas out of the store, looking forward to the twenty kilometer walk as much as she was to pretending that kiss hadn’t made her crave a longer, deeper one.
“I take it we have to wait at this bed and breakfast for your team?”
He nodded. “Yeah. Seeing as we made the front page of the local paper, probably better if we’re not hitching our way into town to rent a car.”
“So I take it hot-wiring cars is not one of your strengths.”
He pulled one of the cinnamon rolls out of the bag and took a bite. “One stolen car per assignment is my limit.”
She took the second roll he held out.
“And twenty kilometers isn’t that far,” he added.
Glancing down at her non-hiking boots, she failed to work up much enthusiasm. “Maybe for some people.”
“At least it’s not raining.”
She punched his arm. “Are you trying to jinx us?” The words had no sooner left her mouth than the air thickened into a wet mist followed by a drizzle, and she shot him a dirty look.
Three and a half hours later they reached the bed and breakfast, both of them soaked to the bone. A woman in her late sixties—by Lucas’s guess—with hair dyed a bright fire-engine red and sharp, intelligent eyes waited for them on the huge porch that ran the length of the farm house.
Haunted came to mind as he surveyed their temporary safe house even though there wasn’t any peeling paint or broken windows. Still, the place gave off an eerie vibe that sent a shiver zipping up down his spine. Clearly all the updating had taken place on the inside.
He and Max exchanged speculative glances as they walked up the steps that creaked under their weight.
The woman smiled in welcome, but there was an edge t
o it that hinted at a steel backbone beneath the simple white apron and heavily applied make-up.
“Welcome. I’m Miss Maddy, the proprietor. Let’s get you inside and out of this horrible weather.” She paused. “No bags?”
“This was an unscheduled stop actually. We’re taking a time-out from some overbearing family members we’re visiting.”
“The Addams Family, right.” She grinned, apparently having heard all the details from the gas station owner. She squeezed herself between them. “I haven’t had any guests in a few weeks. The last couple who stayed with me had an unfortunate accident. I tried to warn them… Oh, but I should stop myself before I really start to ramble. You two need to get settled.”
Unfortunate accident?
Brow arched, Max met his gaze.
“I’m sure you’ll both just love it here,” Miss Maddy continued. “This used to be my great, great-grandmother’s home. She was a fisherman’s wife, spent a lot of her time alone with her fourteen children and such. My grandmother inherited the place and then my mother. When it passed to me, my Earl suggested I turn the place into a B&B. Earl always had good ideas like that, a thinker he was.”
Max smiled at Miss Maddy, the innocent curving of her lips certainly not meant to entice him, but damn if he wasn’t thinking good and hard about her lush mouth. She’d finished off her cinnamon roll a while ago, but he’d bet he could still taste the sweetness on her lips.
His body tensed, revisiting the memory of how her body had strained beneath his last night, and his thoughts quickly turned to getting rid of their hostess, backing Max into a corner and peeling the wet clothes off her piece by piece.
“Perhaps, I’ll just save the tour for later and get you two…ah…settled.”
“Do any of your rooms have twin beds?” Max asked.
Miss Maddy frowned and Max hurried to add, “He snores.”
“I don’t—” Lucas began.
“Want to keep me up. I know.” Max smiled sweetly. She turned to Miss Maddy after warning him with a subtle jab of her elbow.
He decided to keep quiet in case she started talking about erectile dysfunction again. Once was plenty.
Miss Maddy slipped behind the desk in the foyer. The inside had definitely been redecorated, the warm earth tones and solid wood furniture off set by cheery colors that made him feel at home.
“I don’t have twin beds, but I could offer you adjoining rooms if you prefer.”
“One will be fine,” Lucas insisted, handing over his credit card before Max said another word.
“Oh, the room at the very top has a pull-out sofa bed.”
Max smiled. “Perfect.”
Seeming pleased that she’d satisfied her guests, Miss Maddy finished registering them and selected a key from the cupboard behind her, then waved for them to follow her upstairs.
Lucas gestured for Max to precede him. He regretted the thoughtless decision the moment he had Max’s sweet ass swaying in front of him, right at eye-level. Christ, she was killing him and she probably didn’t even know it.
She’d blown him off this morning, and at the time he thought it was the right call. Maybe it still was.
Joe hadn’t wanted to hear anything about Max willingly working with them, and after his solo mission, he didn’t need to give his boss another reason to rake his ass over the coals. Getting further involved with Max would put him on Joe’s shit list. Might even earn him Eli’s top spot.
Except that near kiss in the gas station—and if her tongue wasn’t in his mouth, it wasn’t an actual kiss to his way of thinking—felt different somehow. He didn’t want to go deeper than that, and Max’s ass really wasn’t helping him to forget the whole damn thing.
Ahead of them, Miss Maddy opened the door at the end of the hall. “This is Passion’s Penthouse.”
Lucas stopped in the doorway, resisting the urge to shield his eyes at the overpowering shades of pink. Pink walls, pink carpet, pink ruffles on the pillows, even the furniture, which he guessed was a nice wood of some kind, had been painted pink.
He swore his testosterone levels dropped just taking one step over the threshold.
Max glanced at him then averted her face, but not before he saw her grin.
“This is actually my favorite room in the house,” Miss Maddy added. “A lot of memories.” She glanced longingly at the bed, and Lucas prayed she wasn’t about to share any of those memories.
“Well, I’ll leave you two to unwind. Dinner is at six o’clock, but I’ll bring you up a snack shortly. And there are nice fluffy robes in the closet so you can put your wet clothes in the basket right outside the door. I’ll see that they’re cleaned and brought back later this afternoon.”
“We don’t want to put you through too much trouble—”
“I insist,” Miss Maddy cut in, her words laced with just enough sugary bite to make him rethink disagreeing.
“You two enjoy.” Miss Maddy smiled and left, closing the door behind her.
Relieved to be alone, Lucas removed his soaked shoes and socks. He glanced at the bed, but opted for the pink rocking chair since he was still wet. The phone on top of the roll-top desk in the corner caught his eye.
Max checked out the bathroom. “There’s a claw-foot tub in here.”
“Let me guess. It’s also pink.”
“But pink is your color,” she teased, reminding him of the pink sweater that hadn’t survived their little adventure.
Needing to call Joe back and preferring to talk without Max overhearing anything that might make her skittish, he padded into the bathroom and turned on the tub faucet.
Max leaned in the doorway behind him, arms crossed. “Calgon calling?”
He snorted. “It’s for you.” He took a step toward her, letting his gaze slide the full length of her body. “Although that tub is plenty big enough for two.”
She cocked her head, looking like she was thinking it over just long enough to make his whole body clench. “I think I’ll pass.”
He stopped in the doorway, fully aware he was crowding her. “As long as you’re sure.”
Her attention slipped to his mouth. “I am.”
“Okay then,” he murmured against her ear as he passed. “You know where to find me if you change your mind.”
She closed the door without a backward glance.
Damn.
With Max secure in the bathroom, he grabbed the phone and moved as far across the room as it would reach before dialing headquarters. Not surprisingly, Joe answered, but before Lucas got more than a few words out, the bathroom door opened wide enough for Max to toss her clothes out.
“Would you put those in the basket for me?”
He glanced down, noticed the silky purple panties peeking out from under her shirt. He swallowed just to make sure his tongue hasn’t gotten stuck anywhere after the sudden image of Max sitting on the edge of the tub, sliding her panties down her legs ran through his head.
“Lucas?”
“Sure, no problem,” he finally answered, and Max shut the door once more.
“Lucas?” This time it was Joe saying his name.
“Hang on a sec.” He lowered his voice, picking up the clothes without giving the underwear another thought—mostly—and tossed them in the basket outside the door.
“What took you so long to check in?”
“We’re in the middle of nowhere with no vehicle and trying not to draw any more attention to ourselves that necessary.”
“Just keep it that way. Eli ran into a little problem, but should be there by tonight.”
He glanced at the door, wondering how he was going to keep Max from rethinking her decision to help him in the meantime, and he’d seen that brief fight-or-flight glimmer in her eyes this morning, right around the time she hadn’t wanted to talk about the flat-out incredible sex they’d shared.
She hadn’t entirely abandoned the idea of ditching him just yet. He just wished he knew whether their sleeping together was working for or agai
nst the odds of that happening.
And thinking about sex when Max was on the other side of the door, probably slipping into the tub, her skin wet and warm from the water…
“What’s going on with you, Luc?”
The question succeeded in making Lucas turn away from the door. He pressed the heel of his hand to his right eye where he could feel a headache building.
“I’m good. It’s just been a crazy couple of days.”
“And the target is cooperating?”
Hearing her called a target bothered him for some reason. “Max is fine.” He wasn’t sure he could say the same about himself. He glanced again at the door then, hearing Joe sigh, became annoyed with his own lack of focus. “I’ve got it covered.”
“I know you’ve had your doubts about the extent of Walker’s involvement—”
“She didn’t kill Cara, Joe.” He was confident of that much. “And she was there that night. She might be able to identify someone who can lead us to the weapon. She mentioned a Russian being there at the time of the deal but thinks he was killed. If we can figure out who he was working for, we might have something to work with.”
“I’m sure any cooperation on her part will work in her favor with the DA.”
Lucas struggled to keep the anger out of his voice. “We can’t turn her over to the NYPD, Joe. Blackwater will get to her.”
“Our priority is the weapon, Lucas. Not protecting a dirty cop.”
“She has nothing to do with his dealings.”
Joe sighed again. “Then how come the guy she was engaged to marry, a fellow cop, thinks she’s guilty? He’s gone on record as stating that’s the reason he broke it off.”
He shook his head, unable to remember having read that in the brief notes he had on Detective Wade Cummings. “When was this?”
Joe ignored the question. “I know you took Cara’s death hard, Lucas, but if you can’t follow orders then I need to know that right now. Eli is on his way and you two will escort Walker here to see if she has any useful information, and then she’ll be turned over to the proper authorities. Is any of that going to be a problem?”
Trust Me: The Lassiter Group, Book 1 Page 14