Chapter 12
Twelve
M argot had lost her ever-loving mind. What was she doing? Thinking about more with Max and leaning in to kiss him were two wildly different things.
But she’d be damned if she stopped. Hearing him say how he felt—how he wanted more—she couldn’t deny it anymore. She wanted this man. Even if getting involved with someone again scared the daylights out of her.
Beard stubble pricked her fingers as she urged his face closer. Those blue eyes that always looked at her and the twins with such kindness now burned a steely blue with desire.
It ignited a fire in her gut. One only he could extinguish.
After he fanned the flames, of course.
Eager to feel the burn, and done playing it safe, she closed the gap.
Holy crap.
The press of his mouth on hers did not disappoint.
White-hot need, more intense than any she’d ever felt, burned through her lips, prickling the skin on her scalp.
Why had she not done this before?
A soft whimper escaped her, which spurred Max’s hands into action. He skated one down her arm and over her hip, urging her into his chest. Margot clutched his shirt with one hand, the other still stroking the beard stubble on his jaw.
In just moments, need clawed at her. She wanted this man. Wanted him like she’d never wanted any other before, including Tad. And their sex life hadn’t been boring.
But there’d never been this… this… urgency. It consumed her, obliterating all thought except the need to strip them both.
Emboldened by the desire flooding her system, she shifted to straddle his lap.
Max’s phone rang from the other room.
With a low groan, he wrenched his mouth away, staring at her with passion-filled eyes for a blink before lifting her up to move her to the side.
“It’s Asher.”
Margot knew that. She recognized the distinctive ringtone. He was lucky he was hundreds of miles away on the west coast. Where she couldn’t reach him to throttle him.
Covering her face as Max hurried through the connecting door, she heaved a sigh. It probably wasn’t a bad thing Asher interrupted them. This thing with Max had gone from idle to full speed in an instant. And as good as he made her feel, it was wise for them to take things at a more sedate pace. She valued their friendship and didn’t want this to be just a flash in the pan.
That didn’t mean her body liked it, though.
Scrubbing her hands down her cheeks, she dropped them into her lap. The low murmur of Max’s voice grew louder as he walked into her room. As he stepped over the threshold, he put the phone on speaker. Asher’s smooth, rich voice filled the space.
“Hi, Margot.”
“Hello, Asher.”
“So, I was telling Max, I got a hit on the car.”
“That was quick.”
“It helped that Max had the VIN and the license plate. It came back registered to a Liam Hughes.”
She gasped. “You’re sure?”
“Yes. Why?”
“Hughes is my maiden name.” She sent a bewildered glance at Max.
“Asher, did you find a driver’s license to go with that name?” Max asked.
“Yes. It’s a Texas ID, and the picture is definitely Tad. Unless he has an identical twin.”
“No. He’s an only child. How did he get a driver’s license with that name? You need a birth certificate and a social security number.”
“There are some great forgers out there,” Asher said. “He could have bought a new identity. No need to go through government channels.”
“Did you get an address to go with the name?”
“Yeah. It’s for an apartment complex in Boise. I did a quick look-up on it. It’s one of those short-stay places. He was there for about a month, eight months ago, and there have been two other people registered at the same address since then. It’s a dead end.”
“Eight months?” Max frowned.
Margot knew her expression looked the same. What happened to the other six?
“I know. That threw me too. Wherever he was for those six months before that, he was completely off the grid. I can’t find him. Under his name or this alias. Same goes for after that. There’s nothing.”
“Okay.” Max rubbed his fingers on his forehead. “Did you find anything on the safe deposit key?”
“Not yet. I’ll keep looking, but don’t hold your breath. There are millions of those things in the U.S. I need more to go on than just the key.”
Margot wrinkled her nose. That’s what she’d been afraid of.
“All right,” Max said. “Keep us posted.”
“Yep. You do the same. Talk to you later.”
“Bye.” Max ended the call and pocketed the phone.
Any desire that had hummed through Margot’s veins had disappeared with their conversation. Lusting after Max while discussing her ex-husband’s murder felt wrong. She stared at him for several moments, then looked away. Her gaze landed on her shoved-aside dinner, and she picked it up. Toying with her food, she tried to ignore the awkward silence.
Dammit!
Why did she let her hormones take control? Jesus, he probably thought she was a sad sack. A man pays a little bit of attention to her, and she tries to jump his bones. She wouldn’t blame him at all if he picked up his dinner and went back to his room.
He moved around the end of the bed and sat on the desk chair.
Margot glanced up in surprise.
“Eat.” He motioned to the to-go box in her hands, his gaze soft.
“Max—”
“Eat, Margot. Before your food gets even colder.” He speared a chunk of salmon and ate it.
Okay, then. They were pretending nothing happened.
She hoped that didn’t go on too long.
Because she couldn’t.
That kiss—and what they’d almost done—had upended her world. Saying they wanted more and acting on that were two entirely different things. Talking about it meant things could change. Acting on it meant things had changed.
And she needed to know where they went from here.