The Gamble

Chapter Nine Settling

My eyes drifted open and I saw the wall of Max’s chest.

I was held tight to his side, my cheek on his shoulder and my arm was draped across his belly. It was either dawn or clouds were covering the sun for it was morning and there was light but it wasn’t the sunny Colorado mornings I had swiftly become accustomed to.

It struck me that I felt rested, not like I’d spent the craziest week of my life, but like I’d just had a week on a beach with nothing to do but sit in the sun, read a book and, if the spirit moved me, go play in the water.

And I knew it wasn’t the three orgasms (one in the sauna) that I’d had last night.

It was something else, or a bunch of something elses.

And I knew all of them, every last one and I decided to take that quiet me-awake/Max-asleep morning time, finally, to sift through them in my head.

Those something elses included Max calling me Duchess, not as if he’d christened me that name eight days ago, but like he’d called me that since birth.

And they included Max holding me while I was gripped in a fever, trembling with the chills.

It was Max making me oatmeal and telling me he’d never give me a reason to take a timeout and, if I took it anyway, he’d phone.

It was buffalo burgers and the fact that he ordered them for me, not because he was domineering (or not entirely) but because he knew they were delicious and he wanted to give that to me. Coupled with that, it was the fact that he made sure I had an ale when he found out I didn’t drink lager.

It was Max sharing his beautiful bluff and having his picture taken with me, a picture where he did, indeed, look happy. And so did I.

It was Max teaching Damon a lesson after Damon hit me.

It was him taking care of Mindy, talking to Bitsy for the police, on his back under his Mom’s sink because she needed it fixed.

It was Max hearing me tell Sarah I liked her earrings and going to buy them for me and, after finding out I’d already bought them, bringing home the ring.

It was his voice when he spoke of Charlie, as if he respected him and he’d never even met him.

It was because he had my back with my Dad, found my Mom amusing and got along with Steve.

It was because we fought all the time and he was right, I enjoyed it. It was challenging, he made me think, kept me on my toes. He wasn’t boring, staid and predictable. He didn’t let me walk all over him. He was honest and if something was on his mind he shared it even if it would anger me or he was calling me out on one of my many neuroses.

It was also because Max seemed not only to have patience with my many neuroses but most of the time he thought they were cute.

It was because he knew how I took my coffee, he held my hand, he kissed my forehead and he draped his arm along the back of the booth when we were sitting together.

It was Max telling Mindy she was loved; she just didn’t get how much.

It was because he was a good kisser and better in bed.

It was because he held me when we slept, like right then, his arm under my body, wrapped around me, holding me to his side as if, even in sleep, he had no intention of ever letting me go.

Even with all that, I knew I would never be the love of Max’s life. I knew someplace deep he’d already had that and in that deep place it also hurt knowing I’d never be that for him. If it worked out with us, I wouldn’t ever be the love of anyone’s life. But that wasn’t what bothered me. It was that I wouldn’t be that person for Max. Especially Max.

But I also knew it had taken him ten years to find someone he’d like to explore sharing his life with again. And he’d made it clear that someone was me.

So I would never be what Mom was to Steve.

But being Max’s second chance at something good was better than anything else I’d ever experienced. Nothing else even came close.

If I gave it a chance it would be settling, definitely.

But I decided, pressed to Max’s side, in his bed, in his A-Frame in the Colorado Mountains, after living the craziest week of my life and going through what we went through yesterday and still waking feeling rested and safe, I could settle for that.

Sweetheart, you’re selling yourself short, Charlie warned in my head.

Go away, I replied and shifted up, my decision made which might be stupid, insane and irrational, but I no longer had it in me to care. I put my mouth to Max’s amazing chest and I trailed it down to his nipple. Once there, I flicked it with my tongue.

Max’s fingers slid in my hair and I heard a drowsy-husky-gravelly, “Honey.”

I’d forgotten about that so I added it to my list. It was also the fact that Max called me “honey”, “baby”, “darlin’” and “babe”.

Not to mention his gravelly voice.

I didn’t lift my head when I heard him speak, just moved over him, straddling his body and adding my hands to my discovery.

I took my time and Max let me. Over to his other nipple where I played then down where I ran the tip of my tongue along the ridges of his belly. All the while my fingers moved along the contours of his chest, his sides then down to his hips.

I moved down too, my body and my mouth. He opened his legs for me and I positioned myself between them, curling small, I wrapped my hand around his hard shaft and swirled the silky tip with my tongue.

“Fuck, baby,” Max groaned, his fingers sliding back into my hair and fisting.

Encouraged, I swirled and swirled and swirled then opened my mouth over him and sucked him inside, as much as I could take and I liked every inch I could get.

Max’s fist twisted in my hair and he growled, “Fuck.”

I was guessing he liked it too.

Taking him deep, I decided I liked more than the taste of him, the feel of him in my mouth. I liked knowing how much he liked it so I slid him out and sucked him back in again and again and again.

Max’s other hand went into my hair and suddenly, when I slid him out, his hips surged up, filling my mouth so full, I nearly took all of him. Then he pulled out and surged back in again and again and again.

It was Max taking over, as usual, Max being domineering and it was delicious.

So delicious, I felt the tightness and wet of excitement gathering between my legs and I moaned against his shaft.

When I did, he pulled out of my mouth, his hands left my hair, they went under my arms and I was yanked up and over him. I didn’t get the chance to process this quick change of circumstances, he knifed to sitting and then before I knew it my t-shirt was gone. Then he rolled me to my back on the bed and my underwear was gone. Then he somehow maneuvered me so I was straddling his face but was facing his hips.

“Wrap your mouth back around me, Duchess,” he growled from between my legs before I had time to come to terms with my position which under normal circumstances this early in a sexual relationship might be a little daunting. But I felt the vibration of his words between my legs and I liked it a lot, enough to forget to feel daunted.

I leaned down and did what I was told. The instant I did, Max’s hands went to my bottom, he pulled me down to his mouth, my knees slid out to the sides and he returned the favor and the very idea of daunted was history.

It was spectacular, so spectacular it took every bit of concentration to keep giving him what I knew he liked when he was giving me what I absolutely adored. He groaned against my sweet spot, I moaned against his cock. It was taking and it was giving and it was sublime.

I was close to climax, I knew it, I wanted it and I worked him faster because of it.

He lifted me up and half-rolled, half-tossed me to the side. Then he opened the nightstand drawer and grabbed a condom. Once he turned back to me, he wrapped a hand around my ankle and I gasped with surprise and excitement as he dragged me, spread-eagled between his knees in the bed.

I sat up as he pulled the condom out of its wrapper and tossed the packet aside.

“Hurry,” I whispered, my hands moving on his body as he began to roll it on.

“You’ll get my cock, baby, lie back,” Max’s voice was hoarse and his eyes were not on his task, they were on me.

I waited and dropped my head to watch his hand at work. He really was beautiful everywhere.

It had only been a second but I decided he was taking too long.

“Max, hurry.”

“Lie back, Duchess,” Max growled. “I wanna see you naked, spread on my bed.”

My gaze went from what his hand was doing to his face. I caught his beautiful but hungry gray eyes and I sucked in breath.

Normally I was uncertain how I felt about my body and didn’t give it much thought. Though I was certain I didn’t like flaunting it naked.

At that hungry look in Max’s eyes, I forgot I didn’t like flaunting.

So I whispered, “Okay,” and laid back.

He leaned into me, one hand in the bed, one hand wrapped around his shaft. Then he slid the tip though the wetness between my legs, all the while his eyes roamed my face and down my body.

“Come closer,” I urged.

“In a second.”

He kept sliding his cock against me, rolling it over my sweet spot and all around, making me tremble and shift with impatience, my hands going anywhere on his body I could reach.

“Come inside,” I begged, bending my knees and putting my feet in the bed to get closer to him while capturing his hips and giving them a tug.

“In a second, baby.”

“Now, Max.”

“I like that,” he gritted, his head was bent, watching what he was doing then it lifted and his gaze locked on mine. “Beautiful.”

He was right, so very right. I still wanted him inside.

The tip of his shaft rolled over my ultra-sensitized sweet spot again, the feel of it shot straight through me, it felt great but it wasn’t near enough and I lost patience.

“Max!”

I watched as he grinned slow and slid inside slower. My neck arched back.

Max’s body covered mine and his hips moved in a slow, sweet rhythm while he wrapped my good leg around his back and I wrapped my bad leg around his thigh.

His mouth came to mine but he didn’t kiss me, instead he murmured, “So sweet, Nina, Christ, you feel so fuckin’ sweet.”

One of my hands trailed his back, my fingernails grazing as the fingers of my other hand slid into his hair.

“I need you to go faster, darling,” I whispered against his mouth but he shook his head and pulled out, stilling with only the tip inside. “Max,” I breathed, wanting him back.

“You like my cock,” he stated somewhat arrogantly and after he did his teeth nipped my lower lip which felt wicked and sexy so I decided to forgive him for being arrogant.

“Yes,” I replied, “I like all of you but right now that’s my favorite part and I want it back.”

I was concentrating on what was happening between my legs so I missed Max’s body going tense.

Then he asked, “You like all of me?”

I was in such a state, I didn’t think before I replied, “Yes.”

He slid inside, my eyes slowly closed then he slid back out so I only felt the tip and my eyes slowly opened.

“Max.”

“What do you like best?”

My attention was elsewhere so I had to ask, “What?”

“What do you like best? About me.”

“Max.”

“You want it, Nina, you gotta –”

“You know how I take my coffee,” I said swiftly and when his body didn’t move, indeed, when he stared at me like I’d grown a second head, I desperately went on. “And you bought me buffalo burgers, you call me ‘honey’, you kiss my forehead, you took me to your bluff and the ring is beautiful and thoughtful and may be the best gift anyone’s ever given me, now, please –”

He didn’t let me finish, he drove inside and he kept doing it, not a slow, sweet rhythm this time, but fast, hard, rough with his mouth locked to mine and our tongues clashing.

My legs tightened and my fingernails stopped grazing and started digging as it built back up and then, without warning, overwhelmed me.

“You’re there, baby,” he muttered against my mouth and he was right, I was there, my lips parted in a silent moan and I heard him go on. “Christ, Nina, your pussy feels so fuckin’ beautiful when you come.”

“Max,” I whispered as the climax he gave me continued to engulf me.

“Right here, honey.” He kept driving deep, hard and fast but his breath was ragged.

My arms and legs locked around him because he was right there, as close as he could get and I wanted him there forever.

I came down, holding him close, kissing him deep as he kept thrusting until he planted himself to the root, stayed there and growled in my mouth.

Yes, I wanted this forever.

I kept Max locked in my limbs as he started drifting in and out of me, he kissed my mouth, my jaw, my neck then rolled to his back, taking me with him and keeping us connected.

His hands glided along the skin of my back, over my bottom, aimless and soothing and I lay on top of him, my face pressed into his neck. I gave him all my weight not because my recent decision weighed on me. No, that made me feel weirdly free. I gave it to him because I couldn’t hold it and I knew he was strong enough to take it.

I liked that about him too.

“Duchess?” he called.

“Mm…” I answered and his fingers tensed into my skin then they started gliding again.

“When you were sick, saw birth control pills in your bag.”

“Yes?”

“You on the pill?”

“Yes.”

His hands stopped gliding and his arms wrapped around me. “Next time, baby, don’t want anything between us. Yeah?”

I had missed two pills while I was sick so I doubled up for two days after. I had no idea if this strategy would work and I didn’t care. Max didn’t want anything between us, I didn’t either.

“Yes.”

His arms gave me a squeeze.

I raised my head and looked down at his content, amazingly handsome face that, if this worked between us, could be mine.

This thought washed over me in a way that was so gorgeous, so warm, I automatically lifted up further and put a hand to his face, using my fingertips to memorize the contours of one side, his cheekbone, his temple, his hairline, his lips. It didn’t feel as good as it looked but it was close.

I was sliding the backs of my fingers along his stubbled jaw when he spoke.

“You okay?”

My eyes went to his and I saw his were searching.

“Mm hmm,” I answered.

His mouth twitched and he muttered, “I got morning but naked Nina Zombie sittin’ on my cock.”

I shoved my face in his neck again.

“Mm,” was my response.

I felt his body move with silent laughter then he said, “I’m gonna shift you off me, darlin’. While I’m gone, you move from this bed, I’ll –”

“I won’t move,” I murmured my assurance.

He was silent a moment before his arms gave me a squeeze and he called my name. “Nina?”

“Yes?”

“You sure you’re okay?”

I nodded. “I’m good,” I cuddled closer, “very good.”

I felt his body grow still under mine then his arms got tighter.

“How good are you?”

I snuggled even closer and answered, “Max, I’m very, very good.”

He was silent again then his hand slid up my spine and sifted into my hair, cupping the back of my head and holding my face close.

“Thank, fuckin, Christ,” he muttered, keeping me close for awhile before he rolled me to my good side, pulling out at the same time. He got up on an elbow but leaned down, kissed my temple and then he left the bed.

I was curled on my side, parallel to the pillows and I crawled back under the sheets and curled again with a pillow held to me.

I watched Max walk out of the bathroom naked and I decided I liked that too.

He pulled the covers up a bit, yanked the pillow out of my arms, tossed it to the head then replaced it with his body.

This was much better.

He gathered me in his arms, sliding a thigh between my legs so I hooked one on his hip and pressed close, my hands at his chest.

“What happened?” he asked.

“What?” I asked back.

“You’re different,” he observed.

I was. And maybe he wouldn’t like me different. Maybe, when the thrill went out of the chase because there was no chase, he’d lose interest.

All my contentment vanished and I felt my body get stiff.

“Shit, there she goes,” he muttered.

I stuffed my face in his throat and lied in order to cover my sudden fear. “I just remembered what’s on this morning’s agenda.”

He was quiet a moment then his arms gave me a squeeze. “Fuck. Yeah. Jesus, I forgot all about that.”

I tipped my head back to look at him and he dipped his chin down to catch my eyes.

“Maybe we can go on the lam, head to Mexico,” I suggested.

He grinned at me but replied, “Nothin’s chasin’ me off my mountain, Duchess, not even your dick of a Dad.”

I sighed and then pressed my face in his throat again. “It was just an idea.”

Has fingers slid through my hair before he told me, “You say what you gotta say and then we’ll get the fuck outta there.”

I nodded. “Okay.” Then tipped my head back and noted, “Since what I have to say will take approximately five seconds, we should eat breakfast here. Do you know what time we’re supposed to be there?”

He rolled, taking me with him and twisting his head to look at the clock then he rolled us back into place and said, “Eight o’clock.”

I didn’t catch a glimpse at the time so I asked, “What time is it now?”

“Six thirty.”

I felt my eyes get wide and my body jerked. “Oh no! I have to start getting ready!”

I tried to pull out of his arms but this not only didn’t work, he rolled again, this time into me so he was mostly on me.

Then he shoved his face in my neck and announced, “They don’t get fancy Nina.”

Then I felt his tongue where his gravel-voiced words just sounded and goose bumps came up on my skin.

“Max, everyone gets fancy Nina,” I informed him, ignoring the goose bumps. “I am fancy Nina.”

His hands started moving on my body and his lips slid up to my ear. “They can get wet-haired, makeup free Nina.”

I gasped, not in shock at his words, in something else when his fingers curled around my breast.

“Max –”

His mouth came to mine. “Shut up, baby, and kiss me.”

“Max –”

His thumb swiped my nipple and he repeated his demand, “Kiss me.”

His thumb swiped back and I did what I was told.

***

“Nina, Jesus, babe, get a move on!” Max shouted from downstairs.

“Be right down!” I shouted back and I looked at myself in the mirror above the bathroom basin.

Getting ready, I noticed that bruises had risen around the scrapes on my leg and it ached in a dull way. That was the bad news.

But the good news was, no one could see that with my jeans on and the bruise on my cheekbone was mostly faded and light makeup covered it completely. This was good because I didn’t want Niles to see the bruise and jump to the same conclusions Dad did.

I grabbed my empty coffee mug which had been filled and brought up to me by Max. This was after Max had made love to me (again), slower this time and with nothing between us which, even for me, felt better. Then Max went downstairs, made coffee, came back, we had a shower (together again), he’d gone back downstairs, brought up two full mugs and shaved, wearing nothing but a pair of jeans while I stood at his side putting on my makeup. I found, although it was single basin sink, the counter was wide as was the mirror so dual occupancy was quite comfortable. Not to mention nice.

Especially when I could see Max’s chest in the mirror and right beside me.

Ready well before me, he’d left to do Max things which I discovered, when I’d left the bathroom to go get my clothes, didn’t include making the bed. But on the way back to the bathroom when I looked out the windows, I noted it did include shoveling the steps to the house. So I made the bed, got dressed and did my hair.

Max could be dictatorial or, I should say, just plain was but I was ignoring his wet-hair, makeup-free edict. As ever, “fancy Nina” would be in attendance at the breakfast meeting that day. This was habit but it was also the fact that I was confronting my Dad and I needed fancy Nina. Fancy Nina didn’t take anything from anyone (anymore). I’d never tried out wet hair, makeup free Nina. There was no telling what she’d do. She might be a wimp, who knew?

So I’d put on a designer sweater I’d bought at Harvey Nichols. Full price, it was a small fortune but it had a snag so it had been marked down and then put on sale (and I had a friend who was a dab hand at knitting so she fixed it and you couldn’t even tell). It was a soft taupe with a hint of rose, loose-weave and a bit see-through. It had long, wide sleeves, a deep vee neck that showed serious cleavage and a fair amount of chest thus it necessitated a camisole. Therefore I wore a fitted white one under it which only seemed to pronounce the cleavage. I also wore my Colorado adventure jeans, my high-heeled tan boots and the silver earrings and matching ring Max bought me. In fact, I’d never taken Max’s ring off.

I walked into the bedroom and saw it was two after eight. It took fifteen minutes at least to get to town. We were going to be late.

Normally this would put me in a panic. I didn’t like to be late nor did I like it when others were late, late was the worst, unforgivably rude. But since this was my Dad and he was a jerk, I didn’t much care. Though, to be fair, it wasn’t nice to make Niles wait however, to be unfair, I wondered if he’d even notice.

I scurried to my suitcase and gathered some clothes for the laundry, lights but I didn’t have enough so I opened the walk-in closet and found a massive pile of Max’s dirty clothes strewn all over the closet floor.

I stared at the mess, deciding he seriously needed a hamper.

I picked through them, finding not many lights so I gave up on the lights, dumping them in a tidy-ish pile in the closet. I grabbed some darks, Max had loads of darks, going back to my suitcase to get my own.

“Nina!” Max shouted.

“Coming!” I shouted back and rushed to the stairs.

I went directly to the back room, shoved in the clothes, measured in soap, turned on the washer and heard voices.

I walked out, still carrying my empty coffee mug and turned the corner to see Max in the kitchen, talking to a plump, petite woman with mouse brown hair which I decided in an instant would look fabulous with highlights.

I walked toward them, my heels sounding on the wood floors and Max’s eyes came to me then they dropped to my cleavage and stayed there. I ignored Max and looked into the warm, brown eyes of the woman to see she was smiling at me

“Hi,” I said.

“Hiya,” she said back.

“Babe, this is Caroline, Caroline, you’ll probably remember Nina,” Max introduced.

“Hi Caroline.”

“So cool to meet you!” she exclaimed. “Last week, you were o-u-t, out. Never seen anyone that out and my kids get sick all the time. You even slept through me vacuuming, not just down here but the rug under the bed.” I stared at her in horror when she informed me of this tidbit but she just kept talking. “Good to see you’re feelin’ better.” I’d hit the mouth of the U of the kitchen and once I did I lifted my hand to pull my hair away from my face to hide my embarrassment that she’d vacuumed around a bed I’d been o-u-t out in, opened my mouth to say something but her eyes zeroed in on my hand and she cried, “Oh my God! You have Jenna’s ring!”

Before I could react, she rushed forward and grabbed my hand, pulling it down and yanking it to her.

“Um…” I muttered, her head snapped up from her study of my ring and I saw she was wearing no makeup and she had the most beautiful peaches and cream skin I’d seen in my life.

“Jenna only makes these special and they cost a fortune!” Caroline cried out this information in an excited tizzy. “She says it’s ‘cause they’re a pain in the ass to make, seein’ as they’re rings and all. They cost more than the earrings which are a whack. I don’t get it, it’s less silver but what do I know? I’m no jewelry designer,” Caroline told me.

“Um…” I mumbled again, not knowing what to say about the fact that Max bought me a ring that cost a fortune. I knew how much the earrings cost; if the ring was more that was saying something.

But Caroline didn’t give me the chance to say anything, she kept right on going.

“I’ve wanted those earrings for ages, had my eye on them for… ev… er. I keep startin’ to save and then shit happens. Still, I hope someday to live the dream.” The entire time she spoke, Caroline did it through a big smile. “The ring, shoo! No way!”

For some insane reason, I told her, “Max bought it for me.”

At this news, her eyes bugged out and her mouth dropped open.

Then she twisted her torso to look at Max still holding my hand and she practically shrieked, “Killer! I love this!”

My mind was racing to find a way to make this news a little less “killer” and thus stop it from being spread around town when her fingers curled tight around my hand, she turned back to me and shook it with excitement. At that my hopes were dashed and I knew this would be all over town in a matter of hours. Maybe minutes.

“Caro, you wanna let Nina go? We gotta get into town,” Max said and I knew from his voice he was grinning and also he didn’t mind if news of his ring on my finger was around town within minutes.

“Oh, right,” Caroline muttered and dropped my hand then swept my empty mug out of my other one. “I’ll take that, you two get.”

“Nice to meet you,” I said to her.

“Right back at ‘cha, sister,” she said to me, turning toward the sink and I decided that I was definitely going to like Caroline. She had great skin, warm eyes and any woman who calls other women “sister” was a woman you’d like.

Max caught my hand, I quickly grabbed my purse from the counter and Max led me to the closet. Then he opened it, grabbed my coat and helped me put it on. Then he took my hand again and without putting on a jacket he led me to the door. He was, by the way, wearing a pair of jeans, boots and a heavy, navy blue, flannel shirt over a white thermal.

“Later, Caro,” he called as he opened the door.

“Later,” she called back and I heard the sink go on.

“Lock up when you leave, would you?” Max asked from the open door he’d pushed us through.

“Gotcha,” she replied on a wave and Max closed the door.

It was cold, definitely colder than it had been and there was a new layer of snow over the other layer that hadn’t quite gone away. It coated the landscape in white and made Max’s vista brand new again. There wasn’t much snow, maybe an inch or more, but it was there and the effect was magnificent.

There were also clouds covering the sun and the steps had been cleared but the gravel drive was still blanketed with white.

“You gonna be safe in those heels?” Max asked, dropping my hand and sliding his arm around my shoulders as we started down the steps.

“I think so,” I replied but suddenly, on the last step, his arm disappeared from my shoulders then reappeared behind my knees, sweeping my legs out from under me.

I started to fall, a small cry escaping my lips but he caught me in his arms, lifted me and carried me to the Cherokee.

“Max!” I exclaimed, wondering what Caroline would think if she was watching and she was probably watching.

“I’m hungry,” he stated, crunching through the snow to the Jeep. “You breakin’ your neck will keep me from breakfast.”

“I wouldn’t have broken my neck,” I snapped.

“Not takin’ the chance.”

“I’ve been walking on high heels since I was six and my Mom bought me plastic, little girl dress up shoes,” I informed him.

“Still not takin’ the chance.”

I really had no option but to let him carry me, regardless of what Caroline would think (and tell everyone in town). I couldn’t exactly wrestle him in my present position, he might drop me and I wouldn’t win anyway.

Therefore I muttered, “Whatever,” as he opened the door and set me in the seat.

He slammed the door, rounded the hood and got in as I buckled my seat belt. He strapped himself in, started up, did a three-point turn and drove down the lane.

“I’ll take you, Nellie and Steve to The Mark for breakfast after you do your thing,” Max offered as he turned into the road.

“The Mark?” I asked.

“Where we had burgers,” Max answered.

I liked the idea of revisiting The Mark where we’d had our first kind of date. And visiting it with Mom and Steve. Mom, like me, loved her food and Steve was a no-nonsense, stick-to-your-ribs food kind of guy so I knew he’d enjoy it. Something to look forward to after something definitely not worth looking forward to.

“They do breakfast?” I queried.

“Best biscuits and gravy you’ve ever tasted,” he replied and guided the Cherokee through another turn.

I scrunched my nose. “Um… I’m not a biscuits and gravy person,” I told him.

He grabbed my hand and pulled it to his thigh. “They also make homemade granola. Never eaten it but everything at The Mark is good.”

Homemade granola. I’d never had homemade granola. That did sound good.

We drove for awhile in silence and when Max had to make another turn and downshift to do it he placed my hand on his leg and this time, of my own accord, I turned it and curled my fingers around his solid thigh.

There was a fresh nuance to this action that I liked a great deal. I’d touched his hard thigh naked in bed, in the sauna and in the shower and I’d felt it between my legs. It felt better naked and in those places and touching it just then keenly and pleasantly brought up the reminder.

I let that nuance wash over me and closed my eyes at the happy feel of it then they popped open when an unwanted, unwelcome, highly intrusive and intensely painful thought popped into my head.

That thought was to wonder if Max held Anna’s hand while he drove and curved her fingers around his thigh when he had to let her go.

And that thought was so intrusive and so painful, it made me slide my hand away. I hid this from Max by using it to pull my hair from my face. Then I snapped down the visor, snapped up the cover for the mirror and dug into my purse to find my lipstick.

We neared the main road and Max stopped to wait for a clearing to make a left.

“Nervous, Duchess?” he murmured softly as I uncapped my lip liner and focused on my lips.

I wasn’t, not really. Instead I was thinking about Max and the dead love of his life and trying not to let those thoughts sear my soul.

“A little,” I lied and lined my lips with a slightly shaky hand.

“It gets ugly, honey, we’re out of there,” Max declared, finding his opening, taking the turn and accelerating down the cleared-of-snow road.

“Okay,” I replied, capping my liner, dropping it in my mini-makeup bag and finding my lipstick.

I finished my lips, flipped the visor back up and placed my hand on my purse, not on Max’s thigh although I wanted to do that I just found I couldn’t.

Max didn’t notice. Instead, he pushed back into his seat and his hand dug in his jeans pocket. He pulled it out and without taking his eyes from the road he held up my engagement ring between our seats, the ring between his finger and thumb.

“Found that after you had your thing the other day,” he muttered as I stared at the ring. “Take it, babe, and do with it what you have to do.”

I reached out and took it, still staring at it, remembering how I felt when Niles had given it to me. He hadn’t gotten down on a knee. He hadn’t slid it on my finger. He’d just placed the box on the table at the restaurant where we were eating, slid it next to my empty plate and said, “I’d be delighted if you’d accept that.”

And I’d been delighted to accept it, delighted at the thought of not being alone, of belonging to someone and the ring was gorgeous, the diamond was over a carat and excellent quality, set in a thick, just-this-close-to ostentatious band heavy with gold.

My mind moved from Niles and like women so foolishly do when they meet someone they like, it flew forward months and months and I wondered, if things worked out with Max, how he’d propose.

Then suddenly I wondered how he proposed to Anna.

Then I shoved that thought aside and wondered what his ring would be like.

Then I wondered about the ring he gave to Anna.

Stop it, Nina, and talk to him, Charlie ordered in my head.

I swallowed, tucked the ring into my own pocket, looked out my side window and didn’t utter a word.

Max didn’t take my hand again as we drove in silence into town and he parallel parked on the street three cars down from the hotel. I opened my door, jumped down, shut it and rounded the bonnet, meeting Max on the sidewalk.

I had my head down but stopped when his hand took mine and he didn’t move.

I turned, looked up at him and saw his face was blank but there was something working behind his eyes, something I didn’t get but they were roving over my face.

Finally, Max spoke. “A warning, Duchess, I won’t let your Dad give you any shit.”

The conflicting emotions I had in the Jeep settled at his declaration of support and I moved closer to him.

“Okay,” I said.

His hand squeezed mine and then it tugged, bringing me closer and his other hand went to my hip.

“Another warning,” he muttered, his eyes locked on mine.

“What?” I asked when he didn’t say anything further.

He looked at me a second then I saw his jaw tense, his hand got tight in mine and his fingers gripped my hip.

“Max?” I prompted, his apparent battle to gain control over something I didn’t understand was beginning to worry me because it didn’t seem at all like Max.

“The right thing to do would be to let you do what you need to do,” Max stated.

I felt my brows draw together in confusion and I repeated, “What?”

“Not gonna do that, babe.”

“What?” I asked again.

“You think to slide back, settle for something that made you run away because you think it’s safe, because it’s familiar, because you’re scared of takin’ a gamble on me, I’m warnin’ you now, Duchess, I’m not gonna allow that.”

Oh my God.

He was worried. In his Max way, he was worried I’d walk in, take one look at Niles and go back to my old life. Or let Niles and my father talk me into it. That was why he was silent in the Jeep and that was why he didn’t take my hand, because this was on his mind.

“Max –” I whispered, moving closer and putting my hand to his chest.

“You just need to know, I gotta fight to keep what we got so we can build on it, I will. Him, your Dad, you, I don’t give a fuck. In my life, I’ve learned when to let shit go and when to fight. This, babe, what we got, I’ll fight for.”

My hand slid up his chest and curled around his neck as I got closer. I felt tears prick the backs of my eyes and my stomach melted. I was back to thinking settling for Max would be perfectly all right. Definitely.

“Max –”

“Fair warnin’.”

My fingers tensed on his neck and I squeezed his hand. “Okay,” I whispered, “fair warning.”

He dipped his head and touched his mouth to mine, let me go but his arm curled around my shoulders, mine curved around his waist, my thumb going into his belt loop and we walked to the hotel. We no sooner opened the door when we heard it.

My mother screeching, “You dare!”

My head whipped to the side and up and I saw Max already looking down at me, his face both surprised and amused.

“Oh no,” I whispered.

Over my words, I heard my Mom scream, “Let me at him!”

Max’s arm dropped but he grabbed my hand and walked quickly with long strides and I had to rush double time to keep up with him as he dragged me to the hotel restaurant. When we entered we saw everyone in the restaurant had their heads turned to a corner table.

This was because, at the corner table, Steve was holding my mother back and her arms were outstretched toward my father, her fingers curled as if she was imagining strangling him.

Niles was standing, looking somewhat troubled and uncertain what to do but Dad was sitting, staring up at my mother with an ugly smirk on his face.

Upon sight of this scene, I realized my mistake at being late.

Perhaps I should have come as wet-haired, makeup free Nina.

“I see you haven’t changed, Nell,” I heard Dad remark acerbically.

Oh dear.

“I… you… I… argh!” Mom screeched.

Max and I hit the table and I opened my mouth to speak but Max got there before me.

“What’s goin’ on?”

Niles was now staring at Max, not me, but Max, not looking somewhat troubled but looking like he’d been punched in the stomach which, I had to admit, made me feel more than a little guilt. Dad still didn’t move. Steve kept struggling to control Mom but she suddenly stopped fighting and turned to Max.

“You didn’t say yesterday what he did!” she shrieked, her arm swinging out in an arc to point at Dad on the word “he”.

“No point,” Max calmly replied to Mom.

“No… no… no point!” she yelled, staring at him with wide eyes.

“Mom, what on earth is happening?” I asked but before Mom could answer, Dad spoke.

“Nina, good God, aren’t you even going to say a single word to your fiancé?”

I glared at my father then I looked to Niles and tried to rearrange my features into something a little less angry and a lot more sensitive.

“Hello Niles,” I greeted softly.

Niles’s eyes had moved from Max to Max’s hand clasping mine and he’d grown pale.

Then he looked at me and stated, “I don’t understand.”

I blinked at him, not understanding what he didn’t understand.

“I’m sorry?” I asked.

“I don’t…” His eyes went back to our hands and then came to my face. “What’s happening?”

I felt Max tense beside me but I was still blinking at Niles.

“What’s happening?” I repeated.

“This is… you’re standing there holding hands with another man,” Niles replied.

I pulled in a breath as the guilt hit me, harder this time, I gave a tug at my hand but Max held firm so I stopped tugging and said softly, “I know, I’m sorry, this must be shocking, it’s –”

“How did you taking a holiday in the Rocky Mountains translate to you standing across from me, a week after you left, holding hands with another man?” Niles asked, his eyes had gone narrow and color had suffused his face.

“I wasn’t on holiday in the mountains, Niles,” I reminded him gently. “I was taking a timeout.”

“Timeout from work,” Niles said instantly.

“Timeout from you,” I said back, “from us. I told you that, I don’t know how many times.”

Niles’s head tilted to the side and he retorted, “I don’t even understand what that means. I didn’t then and I don’t now.”

“Then you should have asked me when I explained it to you, told me you didn’t understand.”

“I didn’t think it was worth discussing and I certainly didn’t think it would mean it would lead to this.”

He didn’t think it was worth discussing?

Now it was me who I suspected looked like I’d been punched in the stomach.

I let that go, it wasn’t easy but I did it and instead, asked, “Did you read my e-mail?”

“I scanned it, I didn’t have time –”

Max got even tenser at my side but I was concentrating on the fact that I was getting tense too. Very tense. Ultra tense.

“You scanned it?” I asked quietly but I wasn’t being quiet in an effort to be gentle. I was being quiet in an effort to control my temper.

“Nina, things are busy at work, you know that, that’s why I couldn’t come with you on your holiday,” Niles replied, sounding like he was getting irritated though only mildly so.

“Niles, I didn’t ask you to come with me. The whole point of a timeout is to be apart so you can think about whether or not you want to be together. I explained that to you.”

“That’s ridiculous,” Niles returned and that dangerous film of red that boded bad things started to coat my vision.

“Fuckin’ hell,” Max muttered while I concentrated on trying to clear my vision so I didn’t end up screeching like my mother.

“You can stay out of it.” My father entered the conversation by speaking to Max.

“Sorry, Larry, I’m in it,” Max shot back and if things weren’t going so very, very poorly I might have laughed. Dad hated to be called Larry, hated it.

“And who are you?” Niles asked, scowling at Max.

“I’m Holden Maxwell,” Max answered immediately, in other words before I could. “I own the house Nina rented. There was a mix up, I had to be in town on personal business and Slim didn’t tell Nina. She showed up at the house and I was there. Lucky I was. She was sick as a dog, lapsed into a fever so bad she was delirious for two days and I was worried I’d have to take her to the hospital. The fever broke and since then things have advanced between us. We’ve gotten to know each other, we both like what we know and, bottom line, you didn’t take care of what was yours. Now, as Nina has explained, you’ve lost it, I found it and it’s mine.”

As usual, Max didn’t mince words and Niles was now scowling at him but doing it with his mouth hanging open.

Max ignored Niles’s scowl and, his head swinging between me, Mom and Steve, he asked, “We done here?”

I heard Steve chuckle.

However, Mom declared, “I’m not done.”

“Yeah you are, sweetheart,” Steve said, pulling her back a couple of feet.

“I’m not done, either,” Dad stated and finally stood.

“You got nothin’ to say. Far’s I can see, this ain’t your business,” Max told him.

“She’s my daughter,” Dad declared.

“You fathered her but that doesn’t make her your daughter,” Max retorted and Dad’s face got red.

“As far as I can see, this isn’t any of your business either,” Dad returned.

“Then seems to me you aren’t seein’ very well,” Max replied.

Dad didn’t continue because Niles spoke.

“I lost it and you found it and now it is yours?” Niles asked Max and Max looked to Niles.

“That’s what I said,” Max answered.

I decided to wade in. “Niles, please, listen to me –”

“This is unbelievable,” Niles snapped at me, definitely mildly irritated, maybe even more than that though that surprised me. I’d never heard him snap, not in all the years I’d known him. “I heard his voice over the phone and I couldn’t believe it, not even after Lawrence told me what was happening. I’m standing here looking at you now and I still can’t believe it.”

My patience waning, I explained, “I’m uncertain what you can’t believe since things haven’t been good between us for awhile, a long while, Niles. And I told you I was taking two weeks to think about our relationship. Then I wrote you an e-mail which, incidentally, it took me two hours to write, explaining we weren’t going to work and all the reasons why. Then I phoned you and told you we were over.”

“Perhaps, if you were feeling this way you could have spoken to me, face to face, not in an e-mail or over the phone,” Niles suggested patronizingly. “And you wouldn’t be acting like your mother, performing this drama which forced me to leave work and fly halfway around the world.”

That red film came back, this time with blinding white flashes, the anger so strong, pent up so long, I had to speak through my teeth in order not to scream.

“If you’ll remember, Niles, I did. I spoke with you about Charlie’s house and how I didn’t want to leave it and you didn’t listen. I spoke with you about how I was feeling about us, how I felt lonely even when I was with you and you didn’t listen. I spoke to you about how my father wasn’t a part of my life and here he stands.” Like my mother, I swept my arm out to indicate my father but I didn’t take my eyes from Niles as I continued. “I spoke with you about the fact we haven’t been intimate, not in months and months and how that concerned me but you didn’t seem to care.”

At these words, I felt Max’s hand convulse in mine but I ignored it and kept right on talking.

“I spoke to you about how all the times I spoke to you about all these things – and there have been lots of times I’ve spoken to you about all these things, Niles – I spoke with you about how that bothered me deeply. And I spoke with you about how it upset me nothing ever seemed to get through, no matter what it meant to me, how important it was. And, finally, I explained exactly what a timeout meant, hoping maybe you wouldn’t want me to go that maybe, in the end, you’d do something to save us, to show me you cared. But off I went and you didn’t even phone to see if I got here safely which, in the end, I did but, being as sick as I was, I actually didn’t.”

“And I explained, when you spoke to me about all these things, such as you holding onto Charlie’s house, that you needed to let them go and move on with your life and you agreed,” Niles responded.

“I agreed?” I asked, the confusion back, mingling with the anger.

“You’re wearing my ring,” Niles declared.

I stared at him a moment, thrown, not comprehending how my accepting his ring meant I agreed with him about anything. Then in order to get this done and get the heck out of there, I nodded and stuck my hand in my pocket.

“I’m glad you mentioned that,” I said, pulling out the ring, leaning forward and putting it on the table. “You can have it back.”

“I can have it back?” Niles asked, incredulous, his eyes moving back and forth between me and the ring so fast I feared he’d give himself a seizure.

“Niles, for the last time, please hear me. We don’t work. It’s over.”

Niles stared at me a second, his eyes getting cold in a way I’d never seen before, in a way that made my blood chill, in a way that Shauna wished she could go cold then he looked to Max and stated bizarrely, “I’ll double his offer.”

At this strange turn of the conversation, I was back to blinking but this time also shaking my head a little.

Max, however, didn’t seem confused by Niles’s words. Niles’s words made Max go from annoyed to angry. I knew it because I felt it.

“Seriously?” Max asked disbelievingly.

“What offer?” I queried but Niles and Max ignored me.

“Double, take it,” Niles’s eyes swept Max from head to toe then went back to his face. “Undoubtedly you can use it.”

“What offer?” I repeated.

“Go to hell,” Max bit out.

“Triple,” Niles threw out instantly.

“I always liked you, not much, but I liked you,” Mom hissed at Niles, also clearly not surprised at this turn in the exchange. “Now, your true colors shining through, I don’t like you. Not at all.”

Niles didn’t bother to look at Mom, he continued to stare at Max.

“You’d be a fool to walk away from that,” Dad advised.

“What offer?” I asked, looking up at Max.

“Your father offered this…” Niles started explaining and my eyes went to him, “man two hundred and fifty thousand dollars to disappear out of your life. I’m making it three quarters of a million.”

I gasped at this news and took a step back but Max’s hand held mine fast, he took a step forward and he was stronger than me so I went with him.

He put the knuckles of his fist to the table, leaned toward Niles and spoke quietly, cuttingly, in his rough, gravelly voice.

“Fucked her last night, man, and this morning. Five times. Five. It was like she hadn’t been touched in a decade. So fuckin’ sweet. Damn,” he taunted, his eyes locked on Niles. “You’ve had her, you gotta know, not enough money in the world’s worth that.”

Niles’s torso jerked back and his face went pale again but it was my father who spoke.

“Honest to God, Nina, what on earth is the matter with you? You’d choose this over Niles?”

I stood there, shocked at what Max had said to Niles, shocked at what I was seeing from Niles, shocked that any of this was even happening and I looked at my father, silent. Then I looked at Niles. Then I looked over my shoulder at Mom and Steve. Finally, I looked at Max.

What I had taken in consisted of both Dad and Niles wearing corduroys and nice sweaters. Both fair. Both slim. Both good-looking in a polished way. Both looking like money, breeding, class but not a lot of warmth. In fact, they both looked weirdly detached even though they were participating in this debacle.

I also saw Steve’s attractive silver hair and I knew it had been dark before it’d changed its color. He was dressed much like Max without the thermal. No airs. No graces. All man. He had his arm around Mom’s waist and her back was held close to his front. He was bigger and taller than Mom and looked like he could take on a bear and would if that bear threatened his Nellie.

And I’d seen Mom wearing lovely tweed trousers, a fitted, black turtleneck, a tailored, trendy, black leather jacket over the sweater and a neat, stylish black purse on her shoulder. Earrings, a pretty, unusual necklace glinting against her sweater, her hair pulled back softly in a ponytail, her makeup flawless. She stood in Steve’s arm, dressed fancy, dressed somewhat like me, dressed like she liked to dress, standing there like she’d been built to stand held close to Steve.

And I felt Max’s big, warm hand wrapped around mine, engulfing it, steady, strong, safe. He’d stood by my side through this fiasco and never let me go.

I stared at Niles and Dad across the table and I got it then, it penetrated.

Niles actually didn’t care about me. Once he had me, he thought he had me and that was it. The world revolved around him, his wants, his preferences, his habits and all around him fit into that world. He didn’t have to work at it, as partners always had to work at it. He didn’t care enough to work at it. It was up to me to care, to fit, to revolve around him, his wants, his preferences, his habits. He didn’t listen to me because what I said didn’t matter, it didn’t fit into his world and thus it didn’t mean a single thing to him.

Even now, standing across from me, having lost me, he didn’t try to win me. He was trying to buy off Max.

“You got nothin’?” Max prompted Niles and my attention went from what was now screamingly obvious back to him.

“If you think you can goad me into getting physical then think again,” Niles snapped back, his face had changed again to another look I’d never seen on him. Contemptuous, even scornful, and that hideous look shook me from my scalp straight to my boots.

“I just told you I fucked what you consider your woman, fucked her five times, and you got nothin’?” Max asked, disbelieving.

“This is hardly gentlemanly behavior.” My father entered the discussion.

Max straightened and turned to Dad. “Not one fuckin’ thing gentlemanly about protecting what’s yours. Looks like you’re gonna lose it, you do everything you can to stop that from happening.” Max looked back to Niles. “And you didn’t do that. She was a week away from me, she walked into a room I was in holdin’ another man’s hand, I’d lose my fuckin’ mind. Not at her. Wonderin’ where I lost my way and I’d talk to her about how to find my way back.” I heard my mother make a noise from behind us but I was too busy staring at Max’s profile, letting his words sink in and noting, as they were doing that, how good they felt. When Niles didn’t respond, Max finished, “Christ, you stand there, starin’ down your nose at me and you don’t even get it’s you who doesn’t deserve her.”

Moments passed and I continued to stare at Max’s profile, his words rocking me in a good way but also wondering how rude it would be if I made out with him in front of Niles.

“Nina,” Niles called and I started, my eyes, with effort, leaving Max and going to him. “Perhaps we can speak alone,” he suggested tardily.

“Too late, asshole,” Max muttered, turned from the table and dragged me out of the restaurant.

This was because things had gotten ugly and therefore, as Max promised, we were out of there.

We exited the restaurant, Mom and Steve on our heels, and I was still trying to come to terms with all that was said and all I’d discovered inside. Max, however, had already come to terms with it and the terms he’d come to was him being annoyed at me.

“Said it yesterday, babe, you didn’t listen,” he muttered, dragging me down the wooden plank sidewalk with Mom and Steve following.

“Sorry?” I asked, walking swiftly to keep up.

“Said you ain’t goin’ to that showdown, them fuckin’ with your head. Did you listen? Nope. Said you wanted to go. Jesus,” Max explained tersely and I tugged on his hand to stop him which he did, right outside The Mark.

“Are you insinuating that was my fault?” I asked.

Max looked down at me and replied, “Babe, we were all there because you wanted us to be.”

“Oh my God,” I snapped and tried to yank my hand from his but this effort failed so I gave up and went on. “Are you serious?”

“You were gonna marry him, Nina, did that scene surprise you?” Max asked.

“Yes!” I shot back. “Yes, it did. I’d never seen Niles like that in my life.”

Max’s brows went up. “Honest to God?”

“Honest to God!” I cried. “I’d never marry that.” I looked at Mom who was staring at me with a mixture of anger, shock and distress and carried on, “I can’t even… I don’t even…” I stopped, the entirety of what just happened hit me, I tilted my head back then I shouted, “I almost married that man!”

“Honey –” Max murmured, pulling at my hand but I yanked it away, successfully this time, and took a step back.

“I almost married my father,” I whispered aghast as I fully processed this monstrous realization.

“Duchess, baby –”

“He offered you money,” I told Max.

“So did your father,” Mom put in informatively.

“Nellie,” Steve said low.

“I mean, who acts like that?” I screeched.

“It doesn’t matter, it’s over. You returned the ring. Done,” Max stated, no longer annoyed, apparently now in control-another-one-of-Nina’s-wild-hairs mode. He knew me enough by now to know, he didn’t control me, I’d march back to that restaurant and wring Niles’s neck and my father’s, for that matter.

But Nina was not to be controlled.

“Two years, two years I wasted on him. Oh. My. God.” I threw my hands out. “What a fool! I’ll never get that time back!”

Max looked over my shoulder then at me and said quietly, “Babe, calm down, let’s go in, get food –”

I interrupted him, still ranting, “All that time I kept thinking and thinking, was I doing the right thing? Would I hurt him? How could I hurt him? He’s a good man. Wondering, worried, my head filled with rubbish. I swear, I made myself sick with it. I did!” I shouted. “You were there! I actually made myself sick with it!”

Max caught my hips and pulled me closer to him. “Nina, it’s done.”

“I spent two hours writing an e-mail to him, Max, making certain it didn’t hurt too much and he didn’t even read it.”

Max’s hands gripped my hips harder and he said softly, “This isn’t anything to be angry about.”

My eyes grew wide and I yelled, “You didn’t waste two years of your life on him.”

“And you realized it was a mistake. You did the right thing, the smart thing. You made the right decision and now you’re free to move on with your life.”

I glared at Max because he was right and I wanted to be loud and angry for at least a little while longer.

I mean, my God, I nearly married my father. And I hated my father!

“You know what’s annoying?” I asked Max and his hands slid around my hips to the small of my back, pulling me closer.

“What’s annoying?” he asked back but I saw he was no longer in Control Nina Mode, now he looked amused.

“When you’re right and I want to be angry and you being right means I can’t be angry anymore,” I informed him.

“Baby,” he muttered through his grin.

Yes, amused. My eyes narrowed on his grin and my stomach growled. I decided I could be annoyed at Max while I ate.

Therefore I demanded, “Feed me.”

“I’m guessin’ about now if I told you that you’re cute, you’d get pissed.”

“Absolutely,” I snapped.

“Then I won’t tell you you’re cute.”

I put my hand on his chest, gave an ineffectual push and demanded again, “Feed me, Max. I need homemade granola and you better hope they have yogurt or all hell’s going to break loose.”

His grin turned into a smile, he bent his neck, kissed my forehead and his lips still there, he murmured, “Granola.”

Then he dropped his arms but caught my hand and, glancing at a now-smiling Mom and Steve, he led us into The Mark.

***

It was clearly past normal breakfast time for mountain people because the restaurant was only a quarter full.

There was no Sarah, it was Trudy who led us back to the corner booth we’d had that first night and she did it while chatting to us, especially me, like she’d known me my whole life.

We sat, Max and I with our backs to the wall, and barely got ourselves sorted before Arlene marched up to our table, introduced herself to my mother and Steve and then launched into a tirade about the proposed new plans for some strip mall. This tirade was directed mostly at me in a way that made it seem like Arlene and I had been in cahoots during a variety of shenanigans and therefore Arlene thought I’d agree wholeheartedly with her and together we’d start arranging meetings where we’d create signs and banners and organize townsfolk to picket the building site. Then she declared she needed to “get wrecked” and we were to meet her at The Dog at eight o’clock that night. Then without waiting for us to accept or decline this invitation she marched away.

Trudy came back, took our orders (lucky for Max, they had yogurt but no berries) and walked away but when she did a woman approached. I remembered her from the night of Max teaching Damon a lesson. She was the one who ran in to get Mindy and my bags. She was also, I discovered, the designer who made my earrings and ring and although we’d spoken less than a dozen words to each other she chatted animatedly to me and Mom, Max and Steve like we’d all been present when they’d taken the training wheels off her bike. Then a mountain man across the room called her name in much the same impatient tone as Max spoke to me before we left his house. She smiled at us, gave us a finger wave and told me, specifically, she’d see me at The Dog as if we met there frequently for Girl’s Night Out then she left.

Everyone but Max watched her go.

Then Steve turned to me and said, “How long you been here again? I thought it was a week.”

Max slid his arm along the back of the booth and burst out laughing.

I ignored Max’s laughter and explained, “People here are friendly.”

“I’ll say,” Mom muttered and I heard Max’s phone ring.

He leaned forward, pulled it out of his back pocket and looked at the display.

I did too, it said “Bitsy calling.”

“Sorry, gotta take this,” Max murmured and slid out of the booth, flipping it open.

I sat in the booth watching him walk to the entry as he put the phone to his ear and deciding I liked the way he walked. He was tall, big, his body muscular but his gait wasn’t lumbering. It was agile, fluid, almost graceful in a manly, macho way.

“Can I just say…” Mom started and I looked at her to see she was also watching Max, “that I don’t like him.” She looked back to me, leaned in, her eyes alight and she finished, “I love him.”

“Mom –”

“No, I adore him,” she amended.

“Mom –”

“No, I want to adopt him. But if I did that might make it weird, seeing as you’d be brother and sister, in a way, so I’ll just wait for him to become my son-in-law.”

“Nellie,” Steve said through a smile, “enough.”

“I’m moving to Colorado,” I blurted my announcement and both Steve and Mom stared at me.

“Come again?” Steve asked.

“I’m moving to Colorado.”

Mom clapped loudly and cried, “Yay!” even louder.

I leaned forward and hissed, “Mom, be quiet! Max has asked, kind of, in his Max way which means he told me I was moving here but I haven’t agreed, yet. He doesn’t know I’ve decided. I want to tell him, special if I can.”

Mom leaned forward too and whispered, “Yay.”

I smiled at her, shook my head at Steve and sat back.

“This is wonderful.” Mom was still whispering. “Marvelous, sweetie. Perfect timing. We haven’t had a chance to tell you, with all the things going on, but Steve and I have bought an RV.”

My heart skipped and I stared at her, knowing where this was going but I didn’t get a chance to say anything before Mom carried on.

“We don’t have it yet, we’re getting it customized so it’ll take some time but, you see, now we can come up here for the summers!” she cried.

“Nellie –” Steve started.

“Mom –” I said.

“I just hope Steve can get it up that mountain but if he can, we’ll hook it up to the side of Max’s house. It’ll be perfect.”

“Nellie –” Steve started again.

“Mom –” I repeated.

Mom waved her hand in front of her face and kept talking. “You’ll be close again. I just love this. It’s perfect.”

“Mom –” I said yet again.

“Nellie,” Steve said over me, “they’ll just be starting out.”

“Pish posh. Starting out. They act like they’ve been married for years and anyway, Max loves me,” she declared. “And he’s a man’s man, like you. You can help him chop wood for the winter and, I don’t know, other man stuff.”

Steve stared at Mom for several seconds then looked back to me. “Don’t worry, doll. I saw a brochure at that hotel for an RV park. We’ll haul the car up with us and hook up there.”

“No we won’t,” Mom told Steve.

“Yes, Nellie, we will,” Steve told Mom.

“No, darling, we won’t. I want to be close to my Neenee Bean,” Mom shot back.

Jesus, I forgot how much I like your Mom, Charlie said in my head, sounding amused, and I rolled my eyes.

“Mom –” I began but Steve again spoke over me.

“We’re not, love. We’ll come up, we’ll stay a few weeks but we’ll hook up at the park, give them privacy.”

“There’s enough privacy with us in the RV outside Max’s house,” Mom retorted then looked at me. “Though, we’ll probably use your bathroom and, maybe, your kitchen.”

I sighed.

Steve spoke. “Nellie, it’s not gonna happen.”

“It is.”

“No,” Steve said in a firm way that couldn’t be denied, even by my Mom, “it isn’t.”

Mom glared at Steve knowing, by Steve’s tone, there was no way she was going to get her way. Steve calmly accepted her glare. Trudy arrived with four coffees.

“Thank you,” I said to Trudy and tried not to smile at the realization that Mom had her Max. I’d been happy for her when she found Steve. Now, understanding, I was ecstatic.

Max came back and slid into the booth beside me while I poured milk in my coffee.

“Today’s plans have changed, babe,” he announced before taking a sip of his and I looked at him.

“Plans?” I asked, not knowing we actually had plans.

“Yeah, gotta be at George’s in an hour.”

“George’s?” I queried.

“Though, thinkin’ this is good, you can meet him, feel him out.”

“Meet him? Feel him out?” I parroted.

Max turned fully to me and put his arm on the back of the booth.

“Yeah, he’s the attorney I was tellin’ you about,” Max reminded me and I stared because the phone call hadn’t been from George, it had been from Bitsy.

“Why do you have to go there?”

Max’s easygoing nature vanished and his jaw got tight before he answered, “Curt’s will is bein’ read and, apparently, I’m mentioned.”

I leaned into him and put my hand on his thigh before I breathed, “Really?”

“Yep,” Max answered, not looking happy.

“What’s this?” Steve asked.

I looked at Steve then at Mom. “Curt is the man who was murdered.”

Mom’s eyes got wide, she leaned forward again and breathed, “Really?”

“Jesus, it’s uncanny, like two peas in a pod,” Max muttered, his eyes moving between Mom and me.

I decided to ignore that and told Max, “That’s bad form, Max, informing you that you need to be at the reading an hour before the actual reading.”

“Like I said,” Max told me, “George is busy. Bitsy said he’s covered. He set up the reading, told her when and called her awhile ago to get her help gathering everyone.”

I didn’t repeat it but this was bad form. Perhaps this George person did need help. That was good considering I needed a job.

“So, our plans?” I went back to the earlier topic.

“You and me go to the reading, before that we find out when the insurance people are gonna come to take a look at your car and then we go see Mindy.”

I hadn’t forgotten about Mindy but I also hadn’t quite figured out my Save Mindy from Herself Strategy. I had forgotten about the car.

“Can we go to the reading?” Mom asked. “I’ve never been to the reading of the will of a murdered man.” Her eyes searched the ceiling without her tilting her head up then she looked at us again and finished, “Or any man for that matter.”

Max and I looked at Mom but it was Steve who spoke. “Nellie, you can’t just sit in at one of those things like you’re goin’ to watch a play.”

“Why not?” Mom asked Steve. “I’ll be quiet.”

“Like that’ll happen,” Steve muttered and Mom gasped in affront.

Max chuckled.

“We’ll go out,” Steve said to Max. “Check out that RV park and we’ll make dinner reservations for that Rooster place you were tellin’ me about…” he paused and glanced at me, “for just Nellie and me, leave you two be for awhile.”

“RV park?” Max asked.

“I’ll explain later,” I told him quickly.

Mom spoke to me. “I want to know what happens at the reading the minute you know.”

“Mom, it’s not exactly your business,” I informed her.

“Sweetie, everything that has something to do with you is my business,” Mom informed me.

“Okay, agreed, but this has to do with Max.”

“And Max is with you therefore it has to do with you so I want to know everything, immediately.”

“She’s got you there,” Max murmured and she did which was exasperating.

“Where’s my granola?” I asked, craning my neck and searching for signs of Trudy.

“Max, sweetie,” Mom called, but her head was bent, she was digging in her purse, “give me your phone number. Calling Nina is like calling England even when she’s here. I’ll call you.”

“Don’t do it, Max,” I warned.

Max looked down at me, pressing his lips together and when Mom pulled out her phone, he gave her his number.

And, in case you haven’t got it yet, I like him too, Charlie said in my head.

I sat back in the booth defeated and Max’s arm curled around my shoulders which made me feel not so defeated.

“Nina,” Steve called, my eyes went to his and his were warm but the only thing he said, and he said it softly, was, “Doll,” and that one word made me feel even better because I knew he’d make everything okay, even with Mom.

Softly back, I replied, “Love you, Steve.”

Max’s arm curled me close to his side but I only had eyes for Steve.

“Me too, darlin’,” Steve replied.

Mom pulled in an audibly shaky breath and Trudy arrived with our breakfast.

***

“Thank God you’re here!” Bitsy exclaimed on a whispered cry when Max and I walked into what a brass plaque outside the door announced was George Nielson, Attorney-at-Law’s offices.

She’d positioned herself at the door looking like she was waiting for us and wheeled herself around before the door fully closed behind us.

She only had eyes for me and at one glance through the reception area I knew why.

Shauna Fontaine was sitting across the reception area smiling like the cat who got her cream.

“Oh no,” I whispered.

“What the fuck?” Max asked, not on a whisper, his eyes were on Shauna and his face was hard.

“George says she’s mentioned in the will,” Bitsy told us, still whispering urgently and she looked like she was struggling with tears or anger or both. “He didn’t tell me until I got here, he didn’t want me to be worried.”

“Fuckin’ Curt,” Max muttered under his breath and I tore my gaze off Shauna and looked down at Bitsy.

“Just breathe deep,” I suggested because I didn’t know what else to say.

“I’d like to breathe fire,” Bitsy said back. “What was Curtis thinking?”

“Curt didn’t think much and when he did it was about himself,” Max told her bluntly and I nudged him with my elbow which I think had more of an effect on my elbow than on Max for he didn’t budge and his eyes remained in the unhappy scowl he was directing to Bitsy.

Bitsy pressed her lips together, I didn’t know if this was to bite back a retort or to hold back tears. Then she looked to me.

“I’m just glad you’re here. You can sit in, listen to the will. I’ll make George let you look at it after. If he gives Shauna anything, or… everything…” she swallowed then went on, “you can help me fight it.”

“Bitsy –”

“Just listen in, okay? I already told George you’ll be here. He says there’s no reason to be worried but I want you in there, okay?”

I looked up at Max who was looking down at me. He nodded so I pulled in a deep breath and looked back to Bitsy.

“Okay,” I told her.

“Thanks, Nina,” Bitsy whispered then she took in a deep breath too, turned her chair around and wheeled into the room.

Max and I followed.

“Max,” Shauna greeted him, her voice a contented purr then she looked at me and her eyes grew cold. “Nina.”

“She bitch from hell,” I replied, Bitsy’s head shot around and she looked at me with wide eyes, her fear had disappeared, delighted astonishment in its place while Max grunted his amusement. I heard a few twitters from the others occupying the room but Shauna glared ice daggers at me.

A tall mountain man-esque person, “esque” because he was wearing a suit but this barely concealed the mountain man within, with black hair cut super short even though there wasn’t much of it to cover his scalp walked out of his office.

“Bitsy,” he said looking at her then he looked at Max. “Max.” His eyes scanned the room as he nodded to the others assembled of which there weren’t many, another mountain man, an older lady and gentleman and me. However they slid right past Shauna without acknowledging her and then he announced, “Let’s get this done so you can all get on with your days.” Then he turned and walked back into the office.

We all followed.

“My next holiday is going to be to a nunnery in the depths of the highlands of Scotland. Maybe on an island,” I muttered to Max and he grabbed my hand and gave it a squeeze but I looked up at him to see he entered the room smiling.

Someone had pulled in a number of chairs and we all sat, Max and me on a couch in the back of the room. Bitsy was up close and she turned to look at us, I gave her a nod, she nodded back and looked back at George.

George seated himself behind his big, lawyer’s desk, a desk nearly every lawyer except those who didn’t happen to be partners in massive law firms seemed to have. Mountain man under his suit or not, George took his business seriously and he wanted those sitting across from him to take him seriously doing it.

I was wondering how much a desk like that cost when he began.

“Strangely enough, Curtis changed his will about a week before he passed,” George announced and I watched Bitsy stiffen and Shauna smile.

She’d told him she was pregnant around that time, I decided, and I got tense right along with Bitsy and Max who shifted at my side to drape his arm along the back of the couch.

I dropped my hand to his knee and squeezed.

“We’ll just get started,” George said and then he started and when he did I listened closely.

Listening, I heard there didn’t seem to be anything Bitsy had to worry about. Curtis had bequeathed her his business, his money, the land he owned except for some generous bequests he left to his mother and father (the older lady and gentleman in the reception area) and a stretch of land he gave Trevor, a business colleague whose name I knew because Kami brought it up so often. There were a few personal items he also gave his Mom and Dad. The will wasn’t very long but it was straightforward.

“To Holden Maxwell,” George read and I sat up straighter as Max’s arm moved from the back of the couch to my shoulders. “I leave the acreage…” George went on but Max went completely still by my side and everyone gasped and turned to stare at Max as George read out the situation of the acreage he left Max, fifteen acres in all apparently.

When he was done giving the estate description, George’s eyes left the papers in his hand and they locked on Max as he said straight to Max instead of reading the words from the page, “Max, you win, buddy.”

Bitsy emitted a little, choked sob and Curtis’s mother bit her lip but I moved my gaze through them to stare at Max’s profile seeing his face still hard, his jaw tight, his gaze riveted to George.

George’s eyes moved back to the paper and quickly, but his lips twitched as he did it, he finished, “And finally, to Shauna Fontaine, I leave the knowledge that, when I started it with her I got a vasectomy.”

I felt my eyes grow so wide I feared they’d pop out of my head. I also tried and failed to stop a startled giggle from escaping my lips and my gaze flew to Shauna who had gone pale but that didn’t stop her from looking murderous.

I looked toward Bitsy when I noticed her turning in her chair and the minute she caught my eye I saw she was struggling with hilarity.

“Welp, that’s it,” George stated, “except he’s left two personal letters, one to you, Bitsy.” His eyes moved to us at the back of the room and he called, “And one to you, Max.”

“Shit,” Max muttered and I looked up at him.

I’d failed to look to see if he thought Curtis’s mention to Shauna was as funny as Bitsy and I did. But looking at him then I noticed he didn’t seem to think one thing was funny.

Max stood and I did it with him as the others also moved to their feet. Without looking at anyone or saying a word, Shauna left the room as the rest shuffled around murmuring to each other.

Trevor approached Max after he squeezed Bitsy’s hand.

“Don’t start,” Max warned when Trevor opened his mouth to speak.

“Max, come on, you know, now especially, we could use you.”

Max didn’t respond and Trevor looked to me.

“You Nina?” he asked.

“Yes,” I replied.

“I’m Trevor,” he told me.

“Yes,” I smiled at him, “I did hear your name read in the will.”

He smiled back but my smile died when he spoke. “Rumor has it you caught the uncatchable.” He jerked his head to Max, I was startled by his words and didn’t have the chance to recover when he went on. “Talk to his stubborn ass. Get him to see sense.”

“Um…” I began, my muscles growing tight.

“Trevor, shut it,” Max growled.

“Curt’s gone, Max, someone’s gotta step into his shoes,” Trevor told him.

“That’d be you,” Max returned.

“Ain’t me and we both know it,” Trevor replied, leaned closer and said low, “Now, you’d be doin’ it for Bitsy.” Max made no response, his face was stony and Trevor regarded him for several seconds before he finished. “’Spect, you think on that awhile, I’ll see you at the office.” He nodded to me, mumbled a, “Pleasure to meet you,” and walked away.

I turned to Max and asked, “Darling, are you okay?”

Max looked down at me and said, “Gave me the acreage around my land.”

“Sorry?”

“That fifteen acres? It’s acres he bought up for what he was plannin’ for my land. That’s what he gave me.”

I leaned into him and put my hand on his bicep as I whispered, “Oh my.”

A muscle leaped in Max’s jaw, he bent closer to me and whispered back, “Ain’t what you think, babe, the inheritance tax on that land’s gonna be crippling.”

My hand flexed on his bicep as my heart squeezed and I breathed, “Max.”

“I pay it, it’ll cut deep and it’ll be hard for me to keep all of it. Means I’ll have to sell it. I’ll make a whack on it but whoever I sell it to isn’t gonna keep it clean. They’ll build. Means I’ll have condos or houses or somethin’ restin’ at the edge of my land. Land that’s been unspoiled for… fuckin’… ever.”

“Darling,” I whispered.

“And it’s the land that butts the edge of the bluff.”

My fingers spasmed on his bicep, my stomach dropped in an unpleasant way and I stared at him.

Then I got closer and said, “Max, you can’t sell it.”

“He fucked me, babe. He said I won but that was his sick joke. He fucked me. Instead of givin’ that land to Trev or Bitsy, who’d have to do somethin’ with it themselves which wouldn’t be on me, he gave it to me knowin’ I’d have to sell, knowin’ he’d be makin’ me ruin my mountain, destroy my bluff. When if I stayed with him years ago, I’d have my land, that land and I’d be in a position to afford to keep both just like it is.”

I felt my heart begin to race as that red started seeping over my eyes. I didn’t even know him, but I hated Curtis Dodd.

“You can’t sell,” I declared.

“Got no choice, Duchess.”

“I’ll help you.”

Max’s already stony face turned to granite.

Then he growled, “Not gonna happen.”

“Max –”

His eyes moved over my shoulder and he clipped, “Later.”

“Max,” Bitsy said, wheeling up to us with George at her side, she was beaming. “Curt finally did it. Healed the breach.” She was apparently unaware of the catastrophe that had been perpetrated in this room. “It sucks, he did it after dyin’, but at least he did it.”

“Yeah,” Max grunted and Bitsy turned her smile to me.

“It’s a long story but at least it ends well,” she told me.

“Mm hmm,” I mumbled, my hand travelling down Max’s arm to grasp his and his fingers curled around mine in a death grip.

“You must be Nina,” George said and I nodded while trying not to wince. “Bitsy tells me you’re her new attorney,” he went on and my eyes swung to Bitsy who was still grinning ear to ear and then back to George as he kept talking. “And, seein’ as I don’t exactly want to lose her as a client, thought we could talk while these two read their letters from Curtis.”

“Nina’s movin’ to town, George,” Max announced and George’s eyes, still on me, grew shrewd. “Yeah, I’ve seen her in action, you definitely wanna clear an office for her.”

“You’re moving here?” Bitsy asked, even more delighted at this news.

“Well –” I started.

“Yeah,” Max stated.

“That’s great!” Bitsy declared.

“Um…” I mumbled.

“Letters are on the desk, they’re addressed on the envelopes, don’t know what’s in ‘em. It’s weird, the timin’, but Curt just gave ‘em to me to give to you a coupla weeks ago,” George told them and moved to me, taking my elbow and Max dropped my hand as George finished. “We’ll give you a minute.”

He led me out as I looked over my shoulder at Max who jerked his head at George then he followed Bitsy who was wheeling toward the desk. I lost sight of them when George closed the door. Then he led me a couple of feet away and stopped.

“You really movin’ here?” he asked.

“Um…” I answered.

“Need help, seriously, divorces, adoptions, wills, a bunch of snot-nosed, rich kids doin’ shit, petty crime, their parents always wantin’ their kids to have their day in court rather than takin’ their community service or payin’ their fine like they should, teachin’ the kids a lesson. I’m fuckin’ buried.”

I stared at him then said, “Well –”

“Don’t want to lose Elizabeth Dodd as a client, either. If she keeps Curtis’s business alive, she’s a freakin’ cash cow.” My eyes narrowed and George said swiftly, “In a good way, of course.”

“Yes, there are a number of good ways someone could use the term ‘cash cow’ when referring to a human being,” I retorted.

“Still, you see what I’m sayin’,” he told me.

“I do indeed,” I replied.

“Send me your resume, I’ll have a look,” he invited.

“Why don’t you send me yours and I’ll see if I want an office here or if I want to put up my own shingle,” I returned.

His brows shot up and he asked, “Competition?”

“I know it’ll be a new thing for you as Max told me you’re the only business in town but I decide to go that way, I’m sure you’ll get into the spirit of things.”

His hands came up in a placating gesture. “I see no reason to shake things up, Nina. You got experience, we can work together.”

“We may be able to work together if I never hear you refer to Bitsy or anyone else as a cash cow. They’re clients with issues we need to help them sort. Not dollar signs. Or at least that’s the way I work. Am I understood?”

He grinned. “So you’re one of those?”

“One of what?”

“A liberal.”

I rolled my eyes but answered, “Yes.”

“Make things interesting.”

“I live to make things interesting.”

“Yeah, I heard about The Rooster.” My brows went up and he explained, “Brody stopped by yesterday morning. Heard you tore Shauna a new one.”

“Well –”

“And Kami.”

“Um…”

“Wish I’da been there, shit, just the Kami thing, woulda paid money for that. She’s somethin’ else and I don’t mean that in a good way. Hell, grew up with her and Max and everyone wondered how they could even be related. But would sell my kid to watch someone tear Shauna a new one. That woman, cold as ice, pure frost.” He grinned bigger and stated, “Never in my life was I more thrilled to change a will. I typed the damn thing myself when Curt gave me the change.”

I decided maybe I might like him.

“You wouldn’t have to sell your children, I’m happy to do it for free anytime she pulls out her ice daggers and takes aim.”

He tapped my arm and said frighteningly, “She’s got her eye on Max, both Max and Curt for donkey’s years. With Curt gone and him screwin’ her so royally, I suspect you’ll have a number of opportunities. I’ll get Max to put me on speed dial.”

Before I could respond to this horrifying news, the door to his office opened and we both turned to see Bitsy wheel out, her eyes red-rimmed, her face still wet and Max walked out behind her with an expression like thunder.

I felt a squeeze in the region of my heart; I began to move toward them but stopped when Max spoke.

“Another change of plans, babe,” he said, his voice ominous, “we gotta go see Mick.”

I stared at both of them, silent.

But George mumbled, “Uh-oh.”

***

I stood on the porch of Max’s A-Frame watching the big tow truck with my rental in the flatbed maneuvering down the road. Max, in his Cherokee, had seen it coming when he arrived, passed the turning to the road and stopped, did a three-pointer and was idling there, waiting for the flatbed to go the other way and give him full clearance to the road. When the truck turned and lugged away, Max turned in.

I had gone with Max and Bitsy to the Police Station which was a block and a half away from George’s office. Max nor Bitsy had said anything while we walked and wheeled our way there. Bitsy was still struggling with tears. Max was still looking thunderous.

Max had walked right up to the reception desk and I stood by Bitsy who took my hand.

“What’s happening, Bitsy?” I asked but she shook her head and choked back a sob so I just gave her hand a squeeze and looked at Max.

He came back to us, his eyes on me, his face not having lost that stormy look of fury and he said, “You gotta get to the house, babe. The rental car people will be there in half an hour.” I nodded and he went on, “I’ll make a call.”

The call he made was to Brody who, after Bitsy and Max disappeared deep into the Police Station with Jeff, came to get me and he took me to Max’s in his Subaru. He let us in using his key to Max’s place and he’d stayed with me while the rental car guy took pictures of the car and talked to me. Then he’d stayed a little while longer while I made coffee and wandered to the utility room to discover that Caroline had taken care of the laundry. We drank coffee and I called Mom and asked Brody for Bitsy’s number which I used and left three messages because it took me so long to tell her what I had to say which was essentially that I needed her to come to Mindy’s Mom’s house and that she had to trust me and doing all of that trying to be sensitive to whatever current calamity she was facing. Then after the tow had come, successfully backing into Max’s lane and up to the car with a difficulty that was hair raising just to watch and all seemed to be going okay, Brody had told me he wanted to get back to Mindy and he’d see me later.

He was not in a Brody mood, not that I really knew what a Brody mood was, but I knew the events of the day before were weighing on him. I knew this mainly because, how could they not? I let them, not that I wanted to but because he was a mountain man and I figured he’d want to be left to his own thoughts.

He left and five minutes later when the tow was heading out, I saw Max heading up.

I watched him park, get out of the car and crunch through the snow to the steps. The sun hadn’t burned off the clouds, it was still chilly and I’d wrapped my pashmina around my neck and was in my coat, ready to go.

“Hi,” I said when Max had gone up two steps.

“Babe,” Max said back.

“You okay?” I asked when he made it to the porch.

“No,” he replied when he made it to me.

It killed me, I could tell his thoughts too were heavy but there were other things going on, too many of them and they were too important to delay.

“I’m sorry but can we talk in the Cherokee? We need to go back down, get to Mindy.” He nodded but didn’t touch me which was strange and, I thought, vaguely alarming. “You need to lock up. I’ve turned off the coffee, the house is good.”

“Right,” he said, moving toward the door, his keys jingling in his hand.

I licked my lips.

Something was wrong, very wrong. One couldn’t say Max knew me through and through or I knew him the same way, not even close. But he was affectionate, touchy, he got close almost all the time. Most especially when something was on his mind or he thought something was on mine.

This distance was strange and I didn’t like it.

To hide that, I walked down the steps to the Jeep, crunched through the snow in my high-heeled boots and got in the truck. I turned to look through the driver’s side window expecting to see Max approaching the SUV or at least walking toward it, but I saw nothing.

I looked up to the house and there was no Max at the door locking up. I twisted in my seat, looking all around.

No Max.

I looked back to the house to see him exiting. He locked the door and then he jogged down the steps to the car. I buckled in as he slid in. I heard a jingle and I turned to see him holding up a set of keys.

“Keys,” he muttered, shaking them between us.

“Sorry?” I asked.

“To the house, take ‘em,” he ordered, jingling them again.

Automatically my hand came up and my fingers closed around the keys. Without further ado he let them go, started the ignition and did a three-pointer.

I held the keys in my hand thinking this should be a bigger moment, Max giving me the keys to his house.

I waited a second for him to say something. He didn’t.

“Max –”

He cut me off. “Nina, just… don’t.”

Don’t? Don’t what?

“Max –” I started again.

“Nina, seriously.”

Seriously what?

I didn’t ask. I swallowed, dumped the keys in my bag and looked out the passenger window.

Max drove in silence. He didn’t take my hand, he didn’t turn on the radio, he just drove.

Something was very wrong and logically I knew it had to do with whatever was in those letters. Illogically, my garbage-fuelled brain told me it had to do with me.

Logically, I thought, Curtis Dodd had something to do with Elizabeth Dodd being paralyzed and Anna Maxwell being dead. Now Curtis was dead and he’d not only screwed Max in his will, he’d also left him a letter which necessitated a trip to the Police Station. This would make anyone moody.

Illogically, I knew Max didn’t have a problem sharing pretty much anything except stories about his beloved, dead wife. Therefore, his not sharing with me now, my garbage-fuelled brain told me, had to do with me.

And my garbage-fuelled mind reminded me that I’d foolishly offered to help Macho Mountain Man Max pay for his new land. He’d said he didn’t mind that I made more money than him but my father and my fiancé had both tried to pay him to leave me alone then, not two hours later, I was offering him money. Men were proud, especially, I figured, macho mountain men.

I was such an idiot.

We hit town and about two blocks in, Max turned right. He drove into a residential area and parked in the drive of a house that looked like it was built in the seventies and the Brady Bunch lived there. Max got out and I did too. He didn’t wait for me to get to his side before he headed to the front door.

My stomach clutched painfully.

The door opened and Barb stood there.

“Max,” she greeted then her eyes came to me still making my way up the path and she said, “Nina.”

“Barb, how’s she doin’?” Max asked as Barb moved out of the door and Max moved in.

Barb held the storm door open for me as I made my final approach and she answered, “Hangin’ in there.” She closed the door behind me and turned to us, her gaze on me. “It’s good you’re here. She’s talkin’ a bit and the bit she says is mostly about you.”

I nodded, unsure if this was good or bad, decided to go with good and whispered, “Where is she?”

“Upstairs,” Barb answered, closing the front door on the storm door.

“I… planned something. I hope you don’t mind,” I told her, avoiding Max’s eyes.

Barb studied me then her eyes filled with tears she didn’t let fall and she whispered back, “Glad someone has a plan. I have no stinkin’ clue what to do.”

I reached out and grasped her forearm, giving it a reassuring squeeze.

“How about I make some coffee while you bring her downstairs?” I suggested, Barb nodded and I went on, “Can Bitsy Dodd get into your house?”

I felt something come from Max and watched Barb’s body jolt.

“Bitsy?” Barb asked.

I nodded again. “Yes.”

“Sure, Brody’s here, he or Max can get her in the house,” she said. “They’ve done it before lotsa times.”

“That’s good,” I told her and turned to Max who was studying me, his eyes intense but his expression was blank. “Can you take care of Bitsy?”

“Yeah,” he replied and his eyes went to the door before going to Barb. “Someone’s here.”

Barb turned back to the door and I took off my coat. Moving into the house, I dropped it on the couch and I went in what I hoped was the direction of the kitchen. Luckily, my hopes came to fruition.

Max followed several moments later.

“It’s your Mom and Steve,” he told me as I searched the cupboards for coffee.

“Good.”

“Nina, you know what you’re doin’?”

I found the coffee, took down the canister and yanked out the pot from the coffeemaker.

“Not really,” I replied.

Max got close as I filled the pot. “Don’t know ‘bout this shit but I’m guessin’ now’s a sensitive time.”

I pressed my lips together and turned off the faucet.

Yesterday, according to Max, I had this. Yesterday, he trusted everything I did with Mindy. Yesterday, he let me take care of everything.

Today, or, I should say now, after whatever happened, he wasn’t so sure.

“I figure what I have planned might not help but it won’t hurt,” I told the coffeemaker as I poured the water in.

“Nina, look at –” Max started, not calling me “babe”, “honey”, “darlin’”, “baby” or “Duchess” but “Nina”.

He didn’t finish because my Mom was there.

“Max, sweetie, there’s a lady in a wheelchair outside who needs your assistance.”

I was measuring coffee into the filter but I felt Max’s hesitation like it was physical then I felt him leaving the same way.

Mom got close. “Did you learn what’s going on?”

I had told her my plan for Mindy over the phone and I’d also filled her in a bit about the reading. I hadn’t explained that Max couldn’t afford to keep the land he was given just that he was given it. I had told her about the letters but, as I didn’t know what was in them, I couldn’t give her that knowledge.

“No,” I answered.

“He’s not himself,” Mom observed with what had to be her keen mother’s sense since she’d been in his presence approximately twenty seconds and she’d known him less than two days.

Still, she could say that again.

“Hey,” we both heard as I flipped the switch to the coffee and we both turned to see Mindy in the doorway.

She looked a little pale, she definitely looked listless but other than that, she looked like Mindy.

“Hi there, my lovely,” I said to her, moved across the room, took her in my arms, gave her tight hug and, I was pleased to note, she hugged me back.

I pulled away slightly, gave her a smile and told her, “It’s already afternoon and I’ve not witnessed any brawls. Slow day.”

Her head tilted to the side and her lips twitched before she said, “Well, I gotta be with you. I don’t see any brawls either unless you’re there.”

My hands gave her upper arms a squeeze as my heart was processing her lip twitch hopefully. “Yes, I forgot about that.”

“Max had a showdown with Nina’s ex-fiancé in the hotel restaurant this morning, though, alas, no punches were thrown,” Mom informed Mindy, pushing into my space, giving her a hug and kissing her cheek before pulling back.

Mindy looked from Mom to me and asked, “No joke? You’re fiancé’s here?”

“Unfortunately, yes,” I answered.

“Ex,” Mom put in firmly, “ex-fiancé.”

Mindy gave Mom another lip twitch before looking at me and asking, “Why’s he here?”

“Because he’s a jerk, like my Dad, who’s also a jerk.”

“I thought you said he was –” Mindy started.

“I was wrong,” I told her. “During the showdown he exposed his true self and let’s just say I won’t be tearing up over pizza the next time we go out,” I explained.

“Bitsy’s here,” Barb called from the doorway before Mindy could reply and I looked at Mom then at Mindy.

“Bitsy?” Mindy asked, now looking confused.

“Mindy, can you trust me for about fifteen minutes?” I enquired and watched her body lock, panic filled her face and I thought for a second she would flee.

Then, seeming to struggle to push it back, she nodded and whispered, “I trust you all the time, Neens.”

I pressed my lips together and swallowed the lump that formed in my throat as my eyes slid to my Mom who was smiling a gentle smile at me. This smile from Mom, as it always did my whole life, gave me strength. This was good. I needed it because I was scared to death my plan was going to go south.

Then I took Mindy’s hand and gave it a squeeze. “Let’s go into the living room.”

I led her by the hand into the living room, Mom and Barb following. Bitsy was sitting in her chair by the couch and she looked run through the mill but when her eyes hit Mindy, her torso straightened and her gaze grew alert.

“What’s up?” she asked me but didn’t look away from Mindy. “You said on the message you needed me here but you didn’t say why. Is everything okay?”

“No,” I replied honestly, Bitsy’s eyes grew wide and they instantly flew to Max who was standing just inside the room by Steve, Brody and some other person, a man I didn’t know.

I thought Bitsy looking at Max was telling. I shoved that back, focused and guided Mindy to the couch where we sat, me at her left side.

“Bitsy, can you get close, please, right up here, in front of Mindy?” I called as Mom sat down on Mindy’s right side.

Bitsy wheeled forward and got close to Mindy’s front as Mindy looked between the lot of us.

I looked at Bitsy and stated softly, “I know you’ve had a tough day, a tough week and I wish I had time to explain what was happening here so you wouldn’t be blind-sighted by this. But I didn’t and now, I need you. This is going to be hard, but, will you trust me?”

Her eyes were moving between Mindy, Mom and me and then she looked at me and nodded.

“Can you take just a little bit more?” I prompted when Bitsy didn’t answer.

“I… I think so,” Bitsy answered.

“Neens, what’s this –” Mindy started but I talked over her, keeping my gaze steady on Bitsy.

“Bitsy, yesterday, Mindy tried to commit suicide,” I announced.

Bitsy gasped and jolted back in her chair. Mindy tensed and then started to stand up but I grabbed her hand on one side and Mom grabbed the other side, holding her down.

I turned to Mindy and put a hand to her knee. “Yesterday, darling, yesterday you said you didn’t want anyone to know. And, I promise you, in anything else, anything else, I would respect your wishes.” I lifted my hand from her thigh, cupped her cheek and whispered, “Not this. This is too important.”

“Neens, I can’t do this,” Mindy whispered back, tears filling her eyes, fear stark on her face and my courage took a direct hit but I forged onward.

“Oh yes you can, sweetheart, you can because you’ve got strong women all around you and we’re going to help you do this,” I told her and the tears slid down her cheeks. “You know I was beaten by my boyfriend. You know that Bitsy’s legs were taken away and all that happened to her recently. What you don’t know is that my Dad cheated on my Mom while she was pregnant with me and left her without looking back at either of us for seven years. She’s now married to the love of her life and happy as a clam.”

“Neens –” Mindy whispered on a ragged breath.

“What I’m saying is, life socks it to us and we survive.”

“Neens –”

“We fight.”

She shook her head and the tears continued to fall.

“And when we can’t fight, we learn to turn to others who’ve learned life’s lessons, who’ve survived, who’ll gather close and help us make it through.”

She kept shaking her head and tried to pull away but I dropped her hand and grabbed her face with both of mine.

My voice was fierce when I said, “Mins, we don’t give up.”

I heard crying, Mindy’s and others, maybe Barb, but I kept my eyes glued to Mindy.

“We never give up.”

“Neens –”

I interrupted again and said, “You’re loved.”

“I know,” she whispered, her face blanching at the same time it flinched, what she did to those who cared about her the day before scored into her features.

“No one is angry at you,” I assured her. “We all understand.”

She shook her head. “No you don’t.”

“Oh yes, darling, we do. And we hurt for you and that’s a beautiful thing.”

“It isn’t.”

“It is. To be that loved, Mindy, it’s beautiful.”

She closed her eyes tight and then opened them.

“You’re strong.” It was an accusation.

“I’m not. What I am is someone who has a great Mom, I had a wonderful brother and I have a lot of good friends who helped me through. They taught me things along the way, filled me up with something that I could keep with me and I didn’t know what it was, not until now. I didn’t know they were filling me with something I could give away when it was my time to give. Something that I’m giving now, to you.”

She bit her lip and swallowed before whispering, “I can’t stop thinking about it.”

“Of course not, you were violated,” I whispered back. “What happened to you was hideous.”

“I’m weak.”

I pulled her face close to mine as I leaned in and rested my forehead to hers. “Then promise to find help to get strong.”

“I can’t get clean.”

“That’s because you’re polishing a diamond. How much more brilliant do you want it to shine, my lovely?”

Her body jerked so violently, her head came away from my hands.

“Mindy,” Bitsy called, I dropped my hands and Mindy struggled but she looked at Bitsy who lifted her arms toward the younger girl. “Come here, baby, I need you to listen to me now.” Mindy shook her head, Bitsy leaned forward and urged, “Please, give me your hands.”

“I can’t,” Mindy sobbed.

Bitsy leaned forward further and took Mindy’s hands. Lifting them up between them, she shook them hard.

“After this happened to me, I thought about suicide,” Bitsy shared and Mindy hiccoughed a loud sob and tried to pull away but Bitsy held on tight. “I did, so many times, God, so many.”

“I can’t do this,” Mindy moaned.

“I wish someone like Nina knew,” Bitsy talked over her. “I wish I had this kind of support around me. I had to fight back the urge on my own,” Bitsy said. “I never told anyone, until I told Nina the other day. I don’t know how I made it.”

“You… you…” Mindy stuttered.

“I fought it back. Sometimes I didn’t know why, what was the point? But I did it and I’m glad I did.”

“Wh… why?” Mindy asked.

“Because I have nieces now and they’re the loves of my lives. Because, no matter what people think, I had more time with Curt and he was good to me, he made me laugh. Because I got to watch you grow up and grow beautiful.” Mindy shook her head and tried to pull her hands away again but Bitsy held tight. “This kind of thing happens to you, one thing I learned is that you have to give away some of the pain. You can’t carry it all with you.”

“I… I’ve tried, with Becca, I don’t know how to let it go,” Mindy told Bitsy.

“It’s easy, you just give it away,” Bitsy explained.

“I –”

“Give me your pain, Mins,” Bitsy ordered gently.

Mindy shook her head and pulled at her hands again.

“Give it,” Bitsy urged and the tears kept falling but Mindy just stared at Bitsy until Bitsy leaned in even closer and whispered, “Give it to me, honey.”

Bitsy and Mindy looked into each other’s eyes for long moments while I held my breath. Then suddenly Mindy fell to her knees in front of Bitsy’s chair, shoved her cheek to Bitsy’s belly, wrapped her arms around Bitsy’s waist and burst into loud body-rocking tears.

Bitsy stroked Mindy’s hair with one hand, her back with the other and she curled around Mindy protectively while she did this.

I felt Mom’s fingers take mine.

“That’s it, beautiful, let it out,” Bitsy cooed and Mindy cried louder.

“Coffee now,” Mom murmured, getting up and pulling me with her.

“Mom, we can’t –”

Mom’s hand tightened in mine and I looked at her. “Coffee.”

I nodded, she let my hand go and rounded Bitsy’s chair to me, her arm coming around my waist as she led me toward the kitchen. I saw Brody holding his weeping Mom, Steve was moving toward us, the other person had disappeared but Max was watching Bitsy and Mindy.

“They need some time,” Mom stated to the gathering and kept moving me toward the kitchen.

Steve followed closely, Barb and Brody after Steve and Steve had pulled me into one of his hugs when Max arrived.

Mom searched through the cupboards to find cups. I pressed my cheek into Steve’s chest and avoided Max’s eyes.

“Steve and I did some searching,” Mom said softly to Barb and Brody. “There’s a rape crisis center a couple of towns over. We contacted them, they said they do callouts and they’re waiting for you to phone.” When Barb nor Brody said anything, Mom went on, “Now’s the time to call, to get her some help. I know it goes against the grain to push her after yesterday but it’s the right thing to do.”

“She didn’t call when we asked her to call them before,” Barb whispered.

Mom set the last cup on the counter, got close to Barb and took her hand.

“Then make her,” Mom whispered, “or, better yet, do it for her.”

Barb looked in Mom’s eyes, anxiety, uncertainty and fear in her own then slowly she nodded.

Mom looked to Steve. “Darling, will you give me that number we wrote down?” Steve pulled it out of his pocket, gave it to Mom and Mom asked Steve as she led Barb away, “Can you finish the coffees?”

Steve nodded, let me go and moved to the coffeepot.

I stood swaying, hoping that my gamble would pay off and also hoping that Max would take over for Steve.

He didn’t. Instead, to my surprise, Brody came close, grabbed my hand and walked me to the kitchen table. He sat in a chair and I stood uncertain in front of him with my hand in his. Then he tugged my hand so hard my arm jerked in its socket and with a soft gasp I went down into his lap where both his arms came around me in an embrace so tight it forced the breath right out of me. His face went into my neck, my body stiffened in his arms and my eyes flew to Max who was staring at us with a muscle jerking in his jaw.

Now what did I do?

I pulled in a breath, turned my head and positioned my mouth at Brody’s ear.

“Brody,” I called.

He didn’t answer.

Hesitantly, I put my hand to his hair. “Brody, darling, look at me.”

He did, pulling his face out of my neck and tipping it back, he looked at me and spoke.

“Owe you the world,” he whispered.

I forgot my discomfiture, settled into him and put my hand to his neck. “Brody –”

“She’s my world, my baby sister,” he said. “She’d not be here, if not for you. Owe you the world.”

I didn’t know what to say to that because essentially it was true.

So I decided to change subjects. “Promise me we’re going to have this moment and you’re going to let it go.”

“I’ll never forget,” Brody vowed.

I nodded and said, “Yes, I know, you’ll never forget, I’ll never forget, Max won’t ever forget but after this, will you promise to let it go?”

His eyes held mine for several long moments before his lit and he asked, “If I don’t, will you arrange an intervention for me?”

I felt my mouth move into a mini-smile. “Probably.”

“I won’t have to hug Max, will I?” he went on.

“Maybe, if you don’t let it go,” I threatened. “Cotton, Mick, Jeff and Pete too, since they’re the only men I know in town. Oh wait, today I met George Nielson, I’ll have to invite him along.”

Brody gave me a small grin before it faded but the light in his eyes grew more intense and he whispered, “Then I’ll let it go.”

“Good,” I whispered back.

“Coffee,” Max grunted from close.

I looked up at him to see he was, indeed, close and he was holding a cup to me. I also realized that I was still in Brody’s lap and I mostly realized this because Max was staring at my behind in a way that communicated a good degree of displeasure.

I scooted off Brody’s lap, took the cup of coffee Max was offering with a murmured thanks and made my way to the safe haven of Steve.

No one spoke, even when Mom and Barb came back. Max didn’t get close. Instead, he seemed lost in his thoughts as he stared out the kitchen window to the backyard.

I tried not to look at him doing this but I couldn’t keep my eyes from going to him as I sipped my coffee feeling, for the first time since I walked up the steps to his A-Frame, lost and alone.

I felt this way until Steve got close, slid an arm along my waist and put his lips to the side of my head.

“That couldn’t have been easy, with Charlie and all,” he murmured to me. “Proud of you, doll.”

“Thanks,” I murmured back and Max must have heard, for his eyes came to us, that muscle jerked in his jaw again before he turned back to his intense perusal of the backyard.

***

At Bitsy’s request, I stood in the sliding door of the van that brought her to Barb and Darren’s house. The man I hadn’t met who I saw in the house (his name, I found out, was Burt) was her driver.

“You okay?” I asked.

“Thanks, Nina,” she answered and my head jerked at her words.

“I thought you’d be mad at me, putting you on the spot in there, um –”

“Nope,” Bitsy told me, smiling but there was something sad about it. “You know, all these years in this chair, people still handle me like I’m made of glass. It sucks. Everyone’s always taking care of me. That sucks too. Not once, not even once that I can remember for ten years, did anyone need me, make me feel like I still had something to give.” She reached out a hand to me and I took it before she finished. “In there, I had something to give. You knew my day was shit but you trusted me to do it, you trusted me to be strong enough, you knew Mindy’s problems were bigger than mine and you treated me like a normal person instead of someone made of glass. So, thanks.”

“Um… you’re welcome?” I said on a question, she laughed softly and even her laughter did nothing to lessen the sadness in her features.

The laughter died away, her eyes went funny and she whispered, “Wish you’d come here ages ago.”

I studied her then asked quietly, “You okay?”

She pulled in a breath through her nose, seemed to shake off whatever had hold of her and she nodded. Then her eyes slid over my shoulder before they swiftly shot back to me.

Then for some reason, she whispered urgently, “Take care of Max.”

Her mood had shifted yet again and surprised at her tone, her words and the fervor behind them, I started to turn but heard Max’s deep voice asking, “Ready?”

I nodded to him and then looked back at Bitsy, leaned in, gave her a kiss on the cheek and then moved away. Max moved in, slid the door closed then pounded on the roof twice with his open palm.

When the counselor from the rape crisis center had arrived, Mom and Steve left (this was also in order that Mom could get ready for The Rooster). Shortly after that, Max and I said our good-byes to Mindy, Brody and Barb and we went out with Bitsy and Burt to the van.

Now it was time to go back to the A-Frame.

Max stood by me and watched Bitsy’s van pull away and she and I waved at each other when it did. Max didn’t move, just watched silently. Then without looking at me he walked to the Cherokee. I followed.

He didn’t open my door, just bleeped the locks and I climbed in, buckled up and Max had the SUV out of the drive before I got myself situated in my seat.

We were in town when I hazarded words.

“Everything okay?”

“We’ll talk when we get home,” was Max’s alarming answer.

I wanted to push it, in fact, my palms were itching and words were on the tip of my tongue, I wanted so badly to push it. Something was wrong and I didn’t know what it was. I didn’t even know if I wanted to know what it was. I just knew I had to know. With effort, I kept silent all the way to the house.

Snow had started gently falling by the time we turned into the road that would turn into the other road that led to his house.

Max parked and jumped down. I did too.

He hit the front door far faster than me mainly because he wasn’t wearing high-heeled boots but this could also be attributed to the fact that his legs were a lot longer than mine.

I followed through the open door Max didn’t close. I closed it and my eyes went to him as I shrugged off my coat. He was in the kitchen heading to the fridge. I hooked my coat on a dining room chair and heard the hiss of a cap coming off a beer. I turned to the kitchen and saw him with his head back, taking a drink.

I stopped at the edge of the counter and watched as he dropped his beer hand and leaned into his other hand on the counter.

I pulled up the courage to start. “Max –”

But Max spoke over me.

“I know the situation was extreme but is it too fuckin’ much to ask you not to sit in another man’s lap when I’m standin’ in the room? Scratch that. Is it too fuckin’ much to ask it even if I’m in another fuckin’ state?”

I felt my mouth drop open and my stomach pitch.

“Sorry?” I whispered.

“For what?” Max asked.

Unnerved, I didn’t know what to say, so I stammered, “I… but… but it was Brody.”

“Don’t give a fuck who it was.”

“But –”

“Don’t give a fuck why you did it either, Nina, just don’t do it again. Yeah?”

“He… Max, he pulled me in his lap,” I reminded him. “Under the circumstances, I could hardly pull away.”

“No circumstances are the right circumstances for you to have your ass in another man’s lap.”

I shook my head, those short, quick shakes again.

“Are we… are we really talking about this?” I asked in disbelief.

“Positions reversed, Nina, you were in a room and I had a woman in my lap, would you like that?”

My stomach pitched again at the thought he planted in my head and at the fact he kept calling me Nina.

“No, of course not,” I told him.

“Point made,” he replied curtly.

“Unless it was Mindy or something,” I added.

“I fed Mindy baby food. You’ve known Brody a coupla days. That’s hardly the same fuckin’ thing.”

“In a way, it is.”

“What it is, is, I’ve known you a week and you’re fuckin’ me. You’ve known Brody –”

I lost my incredulity at our conversation and my mild confusion and the fear that I felt whenever he was angry at me and that red film covered my eyes again.

“Don’t you finish that!” I warned.

“Again, point made,” Max shot back.

I leaned in and snapped, “You’re impossible!”

“Yeah, you’ve mentioned that.”

I glared at him and he held my glare. Neither of us spoke, neither of us moved. I wanted to throw something at him but nothing was in reach and if I had to reach for something I could swear at that moment my entire body would shatter.

Regrettably, I was unable to hold his clear, angry gray eyes so I turned my head, looked into the house and realized there was really nowhere to go to escape him. Except one place. So I went there.

I stomped across the room, my boots loud against the wood floors. Then I stomped up the stairs. Then I stomped to the armchair to see my bag was gone and I stopped, staring at the chair. Then I stomped to the closet, threw open the door and turned on the light inside. I saw my limited amount of clothes hanging next to Max’s, my sweaters tidily folded on the fitted shelves again next to Max’s and my shoes lined up on the tilted rods also next to Max’s. My suitcase was folded up and tucked into a corner. All of my clothes had been laundered and, those that needed it, ironed and so had Max’s.

Caroline was good at her job.

I turned out the light, slammed the door and stomped to the bathroom. I opened the medicine cabinet and saw my toiletries tucked neatly away. Then I opened a drawer in the vanity and saw my makeup. So I stomped back to the door, saw my robe was on a hook at the back and I felt like shouting with glee when I saw it. Then I slammed the door and locked it.

Then I drew a bath and started the long, complicated procedure of giving myself a facial.

What I wanted to do was leave Max’s presence, his house and the state in which he currently resided.

Something else I wanted to do was walk downstairs and scream in his face.

Since I didn’t have a car and since I was so angry I couldn’t trust my own mouth and since my Mom and Steve worshipped the ground Max walked on and they’d planned a romantic dinner a deux at The Rooster thus I couldn’t call them to come and get me, I was stuck with the facial.

So I gave myself the longest facial in the history of me giving myself facials.

The water in the tub was cool but even after the facial, I had not cooled down when I climbed out and toweled off. I lotioned my body like I’d be graded for the endeavor and then I wrapped myself in my robe, grabbed my clothes and boots and walked out.

The house was lit downstairs and up with both lights illuminated on both nightstands but I could see and hear no Max.

I dumped my clothes and boots in the closet and went in search of my underwear which I found in one of the drawers (yes, by Max’s). I snatched out a pair and put them on, pulled on my last pair of pajama bottoms and a shelf-bra camisole. The bottoms were cotton with tiny, retro daisies in sherbet colors against a raspberry sherbet background with the camisole being lime sherbet. I shrugged my robe back on and confiscated a pair of Max’s socks, the best ones I could find deciding I’d steal them just to tick him off. I yanked them on while hopping around foot to foot.

Then I went across the room, slid open the doors to the TV, selected the most gruesome horror movie I could find even though I didn’t normally watch horror movies since they were horror and thus scared the dickens out of me, even the silly, bad ones which always made Charlie laugh his behind off when he used to force me to watch them with him and put it in the DVD player. Then I curled up on the bed, shoving most of the pillows behind me, tucking one to my front and I glued my eyes to the television set.

My stomach reminded me I hadn’t had lunch and I silently told it to shut the hell up.

The movie had scarcely started before a young woman was being chased through the woods, the blood of her hacked up boyfriend covering her barely clad body when I felt Max’s presence hit the loft.

Although a part of me I was not listening to was glad he was there (simply because the movie was scaring the dickens out of me), I didn’t look at him. I kept my eyes fixed on the TV even as I felt the bed move when he sat on it and I heard one boot then the other hit the floor. The bed moved again and I stayed completely still and focused on the TV.

Max slid in behind me, his arm went around my middle and he pulled me into his hard body. With a forceful jerk I pulled myself forward and with an equally forceful jerk he hauled me right back.

I gave up and held myself completely still.

“Turn off the movie, Duchess.”

Oh, so now I was Duchess. Now, after he proved, like most – no all men (except Charlie and Steve) – that he was a world class jerk.

I didn’t move nor speak.

“Baby, turn it off.”

Now I was baby. Nice.

He sighed then he pressed closer to my back.

“It’s been a shit day.”

I stayed silent and watched the young, barely clad damsel come to a bloody end in the woods.

“Curtis knew someone wanted him dead.”

My body gave a small twitch at this news but I remained silent.

“He had death threats.”

I watched the screen and somehow, shortly after the nubile, young lady met her dastardly end, two other young, good-looking people were having somewhat raunchy sex in a cabin.

This, I knew from my experiences horror movie watching with Charlie, did not bode well. Sex was usually the last thing anyone did in a horror movie before their life was snuffed out with an axe, hatchet, a glove made out of long, razor-sharp blades or a common kitchen knife.

“Bitsy’s life has been threatened too.”

Thoughts of gloves made out of razor-sharp blades flew from my head, my body jerked and my head swiveled around to look at him.

“Curt didn’t tell anyone, he hired a PI,” Max continued.

I broke my silence and asked, “Is she going to be okay?”

“Mick’s set something up.”

I thought of Bitsy alone in that big house, unable to move around except in a wheelchair.

“I should go stay with her,” I declared to Max and his brows knit.

“What?”

I yanked out of his arm, rolled off the bed and threw down the pillow saying, “You’ll have to take me.”

“I’m not takin’ you to Bitsy’s.”

“Then I’ll call Arlene,” I stated as I threw open the door to the closet and turned on the light.

“Nina, get in here.”

I ignored him and walked to my chocolate colored cords on a hanger, pulling them off.

“Nina,” Max called and when I continued to ignore him and examine my sweater selection on the shelves I heard him mutter, “Jesus.”

I selected a cream colored, cable-knit but I barely pulled it from its position on the shelf before it was yanked out of my hand by Max. Then he tossed it on the shelf (now not folded which was a shame, Caroline was good at folding sweaters). Then, while I was still staring at the untidy sweater, my cords were yanked from my other hand and tossed on the floor.

Belatedly I turned to look up at Max and exclaimed, “Hey!”

He grabbed my hand, flipped the switch to the closet light as he pulled me out and then he closed the door.

I twisted my hand in his and snapped over the dying screams of (undoubtedly) the young lovers on the television, “Let go.”

“No, we’re gonna talk.”

“I think you said enough earlier.”

“Babe, I was pissed and I’ll admit I didn’t handle that very well.”

I felt my eyes narrow as I repeated, “You didn’t handle that very well?”

Max ignored that and moved on. “You also didn’t catch my meaning.”

“Oh, no, you’re wrong. I caught it all right.”

“No, I don’t think you did.”

“Trust me, Max, I did.”

“I’m not Niles.”

That brought me up short and the only thing I could do was stare.

Then I hissed, “What?”

“I give a shit,” Max stated.

“You give a shit about what?”

“Everything.”

“Perhaps you’d like to give me more detail,” I suggested and tried to twist my hand out of his again but he only used it to tug me closer and then his other hand lifted and his fingers curled in a way that could not be mistaken around the side of my neck. It wasn’t painful, not in the slightest, but it was firm and it sent a message.

I stilled.

“All right, Duchess, you want detail, here it is. Brody’s my best friend and I know he wouldn’t fuck me over and I’m takin’ a wild guess the amount of times you’ve been fucked over, you wouldn’t either. It wasn’t him, it wasn’t that, it wasn’t even you sittin’ in his lap, though, I’ll repeat, I didn’t like that one fuckin’ bit.”

“That isn’t detail, Max,” I pointed out. “That’s you repeating yourself.”

“It was you callin’ him ‘darling’.”

I blinked and shook my head briskly, once.

“I’m sorry?”

“You sat in his lap with your hands on him and you called him ‘darling’.”

My blood started heating and I cried loudly, “He was upset about his sister!”

“Yeah? Well, so am I.”

“Yes, and if I remember, I call you darling too.”

“Yeah, but you’re sleepin’ with me.”

I pulled against his hand, sputtering, “I… you… I don’t get…”

“That’s mine,” Max declared and I stilled my struggling and stared at him.

Then I informed him, “You call other women ‘babe’ and ‘darlin’’ and –”

“You’re my only Duchess.”

He had me there.

“It doesn’t mean anything,” I told him and his brows drew together dangerously.

“Duchess doesn’t mean anything to you?”

“No, me saying ‘darling’.”

“It means something to me.”

“Well, I didn’t know that,” I defended.

“Yeah, so now I’m tellin’ you.”

“Well, maybe you should tell me before you get angry at me for doing something I didn’t know you didn’t want me to do. And maybe when you get angry you’ll find a way to let me know you are without being a total jerk.”

“And maybe you’ll cut me some slack when I got a friend with a murdered husband, a dead man writin’ me notes, a sister who’s been raped and we found face down in a river, a new girlfriend whose Dad’s a dick and whose fiancé is an asshole and both of ‘em are in town and a future that means the end of my mountain as I know it.”

“And maybe you’ll cut me some slack when I’ve broken up with my fiancé and I just found out he’s an asshole and he’s in town and so is my dick of a Dad. Not to mention, a girl I’ve come to care about tries to commit suicide like my brother did. And, on top of all that, I’ve decided to up stakes again and move to a different country again and gamble on a man I barely know but who is annoying, impossible and can be a jerk. I’ve got to find a job and buy a big lawyer desk so people will take me seriously and my mother and Steve are so excited about all of this, they’re already planning to park their new RV beside your house and use your bathroom and kitchen!”

I ended this on a shout, so absorbed in my tirade I didn’t see his expression change. When I noticed his eyes had gone warm and his face had gentled, I saw my mistake immediately but had no time to backtrack. Max dropped my hand but wound his arm around my waist and started shuffling me back toward the bed.

“Max –”

“I knew somethin’ changed this morning.”

“Max –”

“You’re movin’ here.”

“Max –”

“You’re buyin’ a lawyer desk.”

“Max –” I stopped talking this time because I fell back to the bed and Max fell on me.

Then his mouth went to my neck.

“Get off me!” I snapped.

“Nope,” he said against my neck then his lips trailed up and his teeth nipped my ear.

I shivered.

Then I cried, “Off! We’re not done arguing.”

“We can pick it up after we celebrate,” Max said in my ear and I shivered again.

Then I pushed at his shoulders and bucked my body, neither to any avail.

“We’re not going to celebrate. I’m changing my mind. I’m only coming back to look in on Mindy, have a beer with Arlene at The Dog, stop by Bitsy’s and have a latte and do a bit of shopping. Then I’m going right back to England.”

Max’s mouth came to mine and he said, “Cotton’ll be pissed, you don’t make him a fish pie.”

“Then I’ll carve some time out for Cotton, now get off.”

He didn’t get off. He slanted his head and kissed me. I tried to turn my head away but both his hands framed my face and kept me stationary. This didn’t work so well for him, since I kept my mouth closed.

Max lifted his head and demanded, “Stop bein’ pissed, Duchess, and open your mouth for me.”

I glared at him. He grinned.

Then all of a sudden the grin died and his eyes moved over my face as his thumb stroked my cheekbone.

After he did this for awhile, he muttered his confession, “I was a dick.”

I pulled in breath, shocked not only that he admitted it but that he understood he was being one.

“Shit comes up with Curt, history, for me, for Bitsy,” Max went on and my body tensed under his for I knew some of the history and guessed the rest and wondered if now he was going to talk about it. “Normally, I can let it go. Today it was in my face and I didn’t handle it very well.”

I waited for him to say more and for awhile he didn’t, he just kept looking into my eyes. Then he did.

“It’s been a long time since I’ve had someone I gave a shit enough about to share anything with and I’m out of practice.”

This was something, a hint, and I waited for more. This time, I didn’t get it.

Instead, his thumb drifted over my bottom lip while his eyes watched it then he dipped his head and touched his mouth to mine before lifting his head again.

His hand cupping my jaw, he whispered, “I fucked up, baby.”

I closed my eyes and turned my head away, disappointed, no, beyond disappointed.

But at least he could admit when he was wrong. That was something.

I opened my eyes, looked at him and gave in. “Don’t worry about it, Max. It’s been…” I searched for a word and settled on, “crazy.”

He touched his lips to mine again before he pulled slightly away.

“Promise me you won’t sit in another man’s lap.” His voice was gentle but serious and I nodded.

“I think I got that.”

“And don’t call anyone ‘darling’. That’s mine.”

I swallowed, liking that he’d claimed that, and nodded again.

His forehead came to mine and he whispered, “Love it when you call me that in your accent, honey.”

My body relaxed under his and my hands went to his waist but I reminded him, “I don’t have an accent.”

I watched from close as he grinned.

“Now, Duchess, what exactly is a lawyer desk?”

I couldn’t help it, I grinned back. “Can I tell you while I make us something for dinner?”

Max lifted his head. “Yeah, dinner would be good. Then we’re gonna celebrate.”

“No, then we’re going to finish my movie.”

“Babe, that movie’s shit.”

“I know but I was kind of into it.”

He grinned again then his eyes dropped to my mouth. “I want a kiss first.”

My body relaxed even more under him and I whispered, “Okay.”

“I want your mouth open this time.”

I felt a shiver on my skin (and elsewhere) as I repeated, “Okay.”

“Give it to me, baby.”

I lifted my head and put my mouth to his and repeated yet again, “Okay.”

Then I opened my mouth and kissed him.

***

We were in the kitchen, the water was at the boil and I had the cookie sheet out as well as all the fixings for dinner.

Max had asked me what I wanted to drink, I’d requested a glass of wine from the bottle he opened last night (the Chardonnay this time) and he’d poured it for me.

Now he was standing hips against the sink, drinking beer and watching me. I opened the packet of hot dogs and he burst out laughing.

My eyes went to him. “What?”

His head dipped to the counter. “This duchess food?”

“What?” I repeated and he walked up to me, putting his beer on the counter and picking up the tube of biscuits.

“Mac and cheese and pigs in a blanket with white fuckin’ wine,” he stated through his smile. “Is this duchess food?”

“No, it’s Nina’s Home in America Food. They don’t have macaroni and cheese in a box and biscuits in a tube in England and when I’m home I eat the food I like that I don’t get in England.” He kept smiling at me as he pulled the wrapper off the tube then rapped it on the edge of the counter so it gave a soft “poof” as it exploded open. “Max!” I cried. “You stole the fun part!”

His hand snaked out, caught me behind my neck, yanked me to him so he could kiss the top of my head then he let me go muttering, “Sorry, honey,” and twisted the tube open.

I pulled out some hot dogs thinking that my telling him I was moving to Colorado wasn’t exactly a special moment between us. I was also thinking that I had the Max I knew back after the Max I didn’t know and who kind of scared me was around for the afternoon and I didn’t want to go back to the other Max. I was also thinking I really wanted to know what was in Curtis Dodd’s letters and I was thinking it was Curtis Dodd’s letters that brought out the other Max.

But I really wanted to know what was in those letters.

“What was in Curtis’s letters?” I blurted then tensed.

Max took a hot dog from me and started to wrap a biscuit around it.

“Bitsy’s letter, a bunch of shit about Shauna, more shit about how he loved Bitsy and only Bitsy even though he was nailin’ Shauna and the fact that he’d received death threats,” Max answered, not sounding angry, not looking broody, just being Max.

“And yours?” I prompted, wrapping a biscuit around a hot dog.

“A bunch of shit about how I needed to take care of Bitsy and take care of the business for Bitsy and how Bitsy had death threats too and, seein’ as I was readin’ his damned letter, how I needed to take care of that and what he was doin’ about it with the PI and how I couldn’t tell Bitsy her life was under threat.” He put the biscuit-coated hot dog on the tray and reached for another one. “Oh, and more shit about how he loved only Bitsy when he was fuckin’ Shauna.”

I tried to keep the tone light. “That’s a lot, was your letter ten pages long?”

Max’s eyes came to me. “Curt had a natural talent with bein’ able to be a serious fuckin’ pain in the ass in twenty words or less, so no.”

I smiled at him, put my hot dog down on the tray and started another one, asking, “So, he knew someone wanted to kill him.”

“Apparently, yeah.”

“Why didn’t he go to the police?”

“Question for the ages, babe, why did Curt do most of the shit he did?”

I had no answer for that.

“Does Bitsy know she’s under threat?” I went on.

“Mick and I talked, we thought she should know, we told her.”

“Oh dear,” I muttered, thinking that probably wasn’t very fun at all.

“Yeah, she didn’t know whether to be freaked or pissed.”

I looked from my hot dog to Max. “Which did she settle on?”

Max grinned at me and answered, “Pissed.”

I stopped wrapping hot dogs with gooey biscuit dough and leaned into Max. “Is she really going to be safe?”

Max stopped putting blankets on the pigs and held my eyes. “Yeah, she’d be here or we’d be there if I didn’t trust Mick. He’s got a man watchin’ her house. Burt, who drives her everywhere she needs to go when she isn’t with family or friends, has been told. Her folks and sister have been told. I talked to him and her brother-in-law is spendin’ the night tonight. They got a huge security system in that house, never use it, but Bitsy’s promised to keep it active when she’s in or out of the house.”

I was beginning to realize why the moody Max was in attendance that afternoon as I turned back to the hot dogs. “That makes me feel a little better.”

“I’ll feel better when they catch this fuck,” Max muttered.

“Me too,” I agreed and then I caught sight of his hot dogs and informed him, “Max, you don’t put two biscuits on the hot dog, only one.”

“One don’t cover it, Duchess,” Max informed me and I looked at him.

“Yes, well, this is true, but I don’t have two hundred pounds of pure muscle to fuel. I have a behind that likes biscuits and asks them to stay awhile in the form of fat. Ergo, only one biscuit.”

He grinned at me and proclaimed, “You got a great ass, babe.”

“I’ve got a fat ass, Max.”

Without warning, both his hands were on my ass and the front of my body was plastered to the front of his. Surprised at my new position and the swiftness I was in it, I put my hands on his chest and tilted my head back.

He wasn’t grinning anymore when he repeated, “You’ve got a great ass, Nina.”

“Max –”

“You aren’t fat.”

“Max –”

“Your whole body is fuckin’ beautiful.”

My heart skipped a beat and my stomach melted as did my body and it did this into him and I said again, “Max –”

“Not a big fan of my woman running herself down, not even doin’ it as a joke. You got an unbelievably pretty face, fantastic fuckin’ eyes and a spectacular body.”

“Max, I –”

His hands squeezed my bottom and he interrupted me. “And I hear you say different again, Duchess, I’m not gonna like it.”

I studied him and realized he was perfectly serious, about all of it, and I had no idea whatsoever how to respond to that.

“Yeah?” he prompted when I seemed unable to form words because I was too busy being moved by all he’d said and the fact that he meant it.

Then for some stupid, insane, irrational reason, five stupid, insane and irrational words came out of my mouth. “Why do you like me?”

His hands slid from my behind to the small of my back as his head tilted to the side and he asked, “What?”

“Why do you like me?” I threw out a hand and continued. “Why are you so sure about all of this?”

His grin came back and he stated, “It ain’t because you know how I like my coffee.”

My stomach melted to non-existence at him imparting the knowledge that he remembered what I said that morning and my hands slid up to his neck.

“You take your coffee black, Max, that isn’t hard to remember,” I told him and my hands gave his neck a squeeze. “And it also isn’t answering my question.”

“Think I just mentioned your pretty face, your beautiful eyes and your spectacular body,” he reminded me.

“That’s it?”

His eyes roamed the area of my head before they came to mine and he added, “You got great hair.”

“Max.”

He held my gaze for a long moment then his brows drew together and he asked, “You’re serious?”

I leaned back a bit in his arms and answered, “Of course.”

He watched me another moment then muttered in disbelief, “Fuck.”

“Fuck what?”

“You can’t be serious,” he told me.

“I am,” I replied.

“Babe,” he said.

And that was it. I waited for more but apparently that really was it.

“That’s it? Babe?”

“Nina, for Christ’s sake.” Now he sounded impatient and I started to get scared.

I drew back further but his arms got tighter.

“Max, I asked you a question,” I prompted, the fear becoming full-fledged as the impatience hit his features.

“Think you were there when you got in my face about rentin’ this house,” he told me.

“Yes, but –”

“And stomped on your high-heeled boots in your cute little tantrum when you walked out that first night and took me on again outside in a fuckin’ snowstorm.”

My tantrum wasn’t cute. It wasn’t even a tantrum. I was angry.

I let that slide and started, “Of course, but –”

“And you’re a zombie in the mornin’ and it’s fuckin’ adorable.”

The fear started sliding away and I started melting back into him.

“Max –”

“You were also there when you told me you loved my house. And when you told me beer was invented in Germany. And when you told Cotton how his pictures made you feel. And, if I remember, you were there when you looked at the bluff like you’d stepped into heaven. And when you went on about some television character’s lipstick. And you were also there when you took on Damon for Mindy. And when you practically threw Mindy in Jeff’s arms. And when you threw down with Kami and Shauna, both in one night. And you were definitely there when you saved Mindy’s life yesterday and you were also fuckin’ there when you did what you did for Mindy today.”

I couldn’t believe he remembered all that. Heck, until then, I hadn’t remembered all that. Some of it but not all of it and some of it I was trying to forget because it hadn’t been all that fun.

“Max –”

“The people in this town are friendly enough with outsiders, Duchess, but only as much as they gotta be. They’re friendly with you because they like you and they like you because, like me, they see all that, that’s a fuckuva lot to like and they know that’s just scratchin’ the surface.”

I couldn’t take anymore, I wanted to, but I couldn’t.

“Stop talking now,” I whispered because if he didn’t I’d start crying.

“You asked.”

“Okay, I did, but you need to stop talking now.”

“Baby –”

I looked down at the cookie sheet. “And don’t be nice anymore, I prefer you annoying.”

His body started shaking with laughter and he called, “Nina, darlin’, look at me.”

I kept my face averted. “No, I need to put the pasta in the water.”

“Honey –”

I pushed against his shoulders. “Let me go, Max.”

I felt his face in my neck. “You’re demonstrating another reason I like you right now when you act crazy and cute.”

Only Holden Maxwell would think my neurotic crazy was cute.

I kept pushing his shoulders and demanded, “Stop it, Max.”

His hand slid up my spine, his fingers sifted in my hair and his lips went to my ear. “All that, and there’s a lot of it, Duchess, I can hold in my arms. You wanna know why I’m so sure, that’s why.”

I choked back my tears and this made a girlie noise so I shoved my face in his chest.

He held my face there with his hand in my hair and he held me close with his arm around my waist. I held back the tears and I did this by deep breathing loudly.

Once I succeeded, Max kissed the top of my head again and offered, “I’ll put the macaroni on.”

Then he let me go and I turned back to the biscuits and hot dogs instead of downing the entire glass of wine which was what I wanted to do or, better, move back into Max’s arms.

***

We’d sat at the stools to eat the macaroni and cheese and pigs in a blanket.

We took our slices of cake up to the loft and ate them in bed while watching the horror movie.

The dirty plates were on the nightstand, I had my wineglass in my hand. The pillows were piled up and I was in the curve of Max’s body as well as his arm.

I was thinking that horror movies were a bit less scary watching them curled into Max, though not that less scary.

We were coming onto the climax and I was thinking we were in the homestretch. The heroine had to survive, of course, or how could there be a sequel? She was the only one left of the original crew, someone had to survive.

Though it wasn’t looking good for her.

She ran into the deserted, broken down cabin which was a mistake, seeing as the psychopath used to live there before he hacked his whole family up with an axe and that was his favorite haunt.

She turned a corner into a room and there he was, him and his axe and he was ready to strike.

So he did.

At the same time, Max’s phone rang.

I jumped half a foot up from the bed and emitted a little terrified scream, nearly sloshing my wine on the bed.

Max started laughing.

Then he hit the pause on the remote and leaned into me, grabbing the phone from his nightstand and beeping it on.

Up on my elbow, I took a calming sip of wine and twisted my head to look at him as he said into the phone, “Yeah?” My eyes caught his and he said, “Yeah, sure, she’s here.” Then he offered the phone to me.

I felt my eyebrows go up.

“Me?” I asked.

“Arlene,” he answered.

“What?” I asked.

He shook the phone at me. I sat up and took it.

“Hello?” I said into it when I put it to my ear.

“Where are you?” Arlene queried.

“Um… watching a movie with Max.”

“Watching a movie with Max?” Arlene asked as if I said I was strapping in to take a joyride with Evel Knievel.

“Yes,” I answered.

“You’re supposed to be at The Dog with me getting wasted.”

Oh dear. I forgot about that.

“Oh, Arlene, I’m so sorry, I… the day kinda got away from me.”

“Yeah, I heard, two blond English guys are at the hotel bein’ snooty and actin’ like their shit don’t stink. Two blond English guys, word on the street says you, your Ma and Max faced off with this mornin’. That makes Damon, Kami, Shauna and two snooty, blond English guys. Girl, what is it with you?”

“Um…” I answered for there was no answer to give, I didn’t know what it was with me.

“You fight with two English guys then throw a fit on the sidewalk outside The Mark in the mornin’, come night, you get blotto at The Dog.”

Wow, the people in Gnaw Bone didn’t mess around with gossip.

“Is that a rule?” I asked.

“Yeah, it’s a rule,” Arlene answered.

“I thought it would be better to give myself a facial and relax in front of a movie,” I told her.

“You thought wrong,” she replied then demanded, “Give the phone to Max.”

“Sorry?”

“Phone… to… Max,” she repeated.

“Okay,” I agreed, happy to give the unhappy Arlene to Max, I held the phone to him and said, “She wants to talk to you.”

His mouth was twitching and he took the phone from me then he put it to his ear.

“Arlene,” he said then he paused to listen then he said, “Right.” Then he bleeped the phone off and put it back in its charger.

I stared at the phone. Then I stared at him.

Then I noted, “That was quick.”

“Yep,” he replied.

“What did she say?”

“You and your Mom are meetin’ her for drinks tomorrow night.”

“We are?”

“She says she’s arrangin’ a Girl’s Night Out.”

“Um…”

“Jenna’s there now too, Arlene says she’ll be there again tomorrow night. She says Jenna says she wants to get to know you.”

“Um…”

“I’ll go with,” Max offered and I stared at him.

Then I said, “Command performance Girl’s Night Out with Arlene I’m guessing doesn’t include you being there.”

“I’ll take Brody and Steve, we’ll let you do what you gotta do and we’ll have Guy’s Night Out.”

“I don’t think Girl’s Night Out works when it happens at the same place and the same time as Guy’s Night Out.” I supplied helpfully.

“Babe,” he replied, grinning then said no more.

Still being helpful, I explained, “I know you think that word speaks volumes but, I have to tell you, it actually doesn’t.”

His grin got bigger then it changed then my wineglass was no longer in my hand, it was on the nightstand. I had one second to look at it sitting there then I was in Max’s arms and on top of Max.

“Max…” I started, his hand slid in my hair and he rolled, taking me with him so he was on top. “Max! The movie!”

His mouth was at my neck as he informed me, “The police guy saves her at the last minute then he gets hacked in the first five minutes of the sequel.”

“You ruined it!” I cried as his hand pulled my robe over my shoulder and his lips trailed its progress.

“Trust me, you didn’t miss much,” he said against my shoulder.

“I would have liked to see it play out.”

His mouth moved back up my shoulder and down my chest as he changed the subject when he muttered, “Like lyin’ with you on my bed, watchin’ a movie.”

I liked that too, a lot.

Still, I said, “Yes, well, then we should have finished the movie.”

I was paying so much attention to his mouth, I didn’t notice his hand had slid up my side, my ribs until his fingers curled around the edge of my camisole at my breast.

“Prefer what we’re gonna do now,” he murmured against my cleavage and before I could retort his fingers pulled down my camisole exposing my breast then they curled around it, lifting it up and Max’s mouth closed around my nipple and sucked deep.

My back arched as heady sensations shot straight from my nipple to between my legs.

My fingers slid into his thick, fantastic hair, I forgot all about the movie and I whispered, “Yes.”

His mouth pulled my nipple deeper then his tongue swirled. I closed my eyes and just let my body experience the beauty of it.

He released my nipple, moved up and his lips hit mine.

“Bet you’re already wet,” he whispered there then his fingers tugged at the drawstring of my pajama bottoms, his hand slid in, I gasped at his touch and his eyes darkened with desire when they found he was right. “Fuckin’ love that,” he growled and kissed me, his tongue in my mouth, his finger slid inside me and I moaned, not just already wet, but also already ready for him.

His finger slid out but then hit my sweet spot and rolled and my back arched to get closer to him but also to show him how very, very much I liked what he was doing.

“Crazy,” Max muttered against my mouth.

“What?” I whispered, my hands had pulled his thermal free and were gliding along the skin of his back.

“That asshole had you, had this,” his finger slid in then out and started rolling against my sweet spot again, “didn’t take care of you,” Max went on. “Didn’t touch you for months. Let you walk out of that restaurant without puttin’ up a fight. Fuckin’ crazy.”

“Max,” I breathed and he kissed me again, his finger still moving.

When he stopped kissing me, he told me, “Want you ridin’ my cock tonight, Nina. Wanna see all of you, wanna watch you fuck me, watch you make yourself come.”

“Okay,” I whispered, though I didn’t know how I managed to speak since my entire body spasmed at his words.

He kissed me again, deep, hard, beautiful then stopped and ordered, “You’re gonna suck me first though, I want your mouth on me again.”

“Okay,” I repeated in a whisper.

“Your mouth,” Max growled, “Christ, nearly as sweet as your pussy.”

I shifted with agitation under him. He was going to make me climax just by talking to me.

“This too,” he said but said no more.

“Sorry?” I tried to concentrate but it was difficult.

“This,” his body pressed into mine, his hard crotch rubbed against my thigh, his finger slid inside and then started moving in and out and his tongue swept my bottom lip, a combination that was mind-scrambling. “This too is why I’m so fuckin’ sure about us.”

My hand left his back and went to his face. “Max –”

Max cut me off, not that I knew what I was going to say. “Take your clothes off, baby, want you naked while you work me.”

“Okay,” I breathed.

Then I took my clothes off while Max did the same.

Then I curled between his legs and sucked his cock until he yanked me over him. Then I rode it, fucking him while his eyes never left me, mine never left him and his hands moved all over me. I rode him until I made myself come and kept going until he did too.