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 slept 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.”