“Sweat or freeze are the choices?”
“Yes.”
“Freeze.”
She patted his knee. “Then that’s what we’ll hope for.”
He laughed. “You don’t have any control over it?”
“Sorry, no.”
She’d found out the night before how faulty the air conditioner was. She had alternated between near heatstroke and frostbite all night long. It was miserable. She had intended to mention the problem to her father this morning, but she’d forgotten about it until now, and the heat index was rapidly rising.
She loosened the neck of her robe and fanned herself. “Do you mind if I watch SportsCenter? The roundup is coming on soon.”
He handed her the remote as he asked, “How old is the air conditioner?”
“It’s brand-new.”
“Then why…”
She found the channel, muted the program that was ending, and turned to Max. “Daddy got a deal,” she explained. “He doesn’t buy anything unless he can get a great deal.”
“I don’t care if he got it for half price, if it doesn’t work-”
“Half price isn’t a deal to my father. Eighty percent maybe, but not fifty.”
He shook his head. “He should take it back.”
“Yes, he should,” she agreed. “But he won’t. He’ll get a repairman to fix it one of these days. I’ll mention it to him tomorrow. Would you like a beer? You can’t watch SportsCenter without a beer.”
“Sweetheart, you’re a dream come true. A beautiful woman who likes SportsCenter and drinks beer.”
“We’re not such a rare breed,” she said.
She put his unopened can of Diet Coke back in the refrigerator, got out two bottles of Bud Light and a jar of mixed nuts, and went back to the sofa. She handed Max one bottle, twisted the cap off the other, then tapped his bottle and took a drink.
She put the jar of nuts on the table and sat down next to him. “It’s getting hotter in here,” she said as she placed the cold bottle against the side of her neck. She adjusted her position on the couch a couple of times and ended up leaning into him. “I’d move over and give you some room, but there’s a lump, and it’s very uncomfortable. I think a spring’s about to pop through.”
“I like you pressed against me.”
“I’m not making you hot?” After asking the suggestive question, she put her bottle against his cheek. “Feel good?”
“You feel good. The roundup is on.”
It was one of her favorite shows, and tonight the topic was once again the upcoming football season. Simon’s name was mentioned about a dozen times. Max was answering texts, but she noticed he smiled whenever one of the commentators complimented his brother. He didn’t show any reaction to the criticisms.
Halfway through the program, Ellie removed her robe. She didn’t care whether it was appropriate or not. She was burning up.
“We could open the windows in the bedrooms, maybe get a crosswind. They’re the only windows that open.”
“What’s it like outside now?”
She found her cell phone, looked up the weather, and groaned. “It’s ninety and humid. I think we’re going to have to sleep in the house tonight. This is worse than paint fumes.”
“I don’t think so,” he said. “It’s not so bad.”
“I can suffer through it if you can,” she said. “And it’s only for one night. We’re leaving tomorrow.”
He nodded. “Good,” he said. “I was going to bring it up if you didn’t. We can’t stay here. If there were a fire, we’d be trapped, and walking down the outside steps would give anyone a clear shot. We’re going to have to find a better place to stay, one that isn’t open-”
“We’re not trapped here,” she argued. “We could go down the stairs that lead into the garage or even go out one of the back windows. There’s a rope in the garage, and it really isn’t too much of a jump…” She stopped, realizing there was no need to protest. “You misunderstand. I want to leave Winston Falls and go back to St. Louis. If I stay here, I’m putting my family in danger.”
Ellie stared at the television but she wasn’t paying attention to the program. Frustration was building inside her again because she didn’t have any control over what was happening. She put her beer down and went to check the thermostat. She hadn’t even touched it when she felt a blast of cold air come through the vent in the hall.
“We now have air-conditioning,” she announced.
“Good to hear.” He turned off the television and stood. “Are you serious about going back home?”
He was walking toward her, and she was feeling breathless again. “Yes, I’m serious.”
“How will your dad feel about your leaving?”
She thought about it a few seconds and then said, “He’ll be relieved, and that will make him feel guilty.”
“When are you going to talk to him?”
“First thing in the morning,” she said. She leaned against the wall, and he stopped in front of her.
“And your mother?”
“Oh God. She’ll have a fit. She won’t believe anything I say once I tell her I’m leaving. It’s not going to be pretty,” she added.
The dark look in his eyes made swallowing difficult. She wanted him to take her into his arms. She wanted him. She tried to block the thought but didn’t have much success. Did he have to be so provocative and mesmerizing?
“There’s no need to tell why we’re leaving,” she said. “Agreed? You are not going to tell my father about Willis Cogburn.”
“Yeah, sweetheart, I am. I’m obligated to warn him of the possible danger.”
“But I’ll be gone-”
“Doesn’t matter.”
She poked him in the chest. “This is exactly why I’m not going to sleep with you. You’d feel obligated to tell.”
Max brushed her hair over her shoulder and trailed his fingers down the side of her cheek. Her skin was silky and soft, and he didn’t think there was a single flaw in her complexion. “I don’t remember asking…”
“Then you don’t want…”
He leaned down. “I didn’t say that.”
She smiled sweetly. “I could have you in bed in less than ten minutes.”
Max loved the way she smiled. Her eyes sparkled with such devilment. Damn, he wanted her. He leaned even closer until his mouth was just inches above hers and whispered, “Five minutes, sweetheart. That’s all it would take me to get you in my bed.”
Ellie could feel all her resolve melting away. She tilted her head and closed her eyes. His mouth brushed hers.
“This isn’t a good idea,” she said. Her voice was so faint, it was barely audible.
“I know,” he said as he circled her mouth with gentle kisses.
“You’re here because of your job, and we shouldn’t let anything interfere,” she whispered breathlessly.
“You’re right.” His lips moved to her earlobe.
“We’ve got to stop.” She sighed.
“Uh-huh,” he said as he nibbled on her ear.
It took every last ounce of willpower to slowly pull away, but Ellie gently pushed against his chest and stepped back.
“Good night,” she said.
She walked into her room. Closing the door was the hardest thing she had ever done in her life.
SEVENTEEN
Her bedroom felt like an inferno. She looked all over the room, even behind the bed and underneath it, but couldn’t find any vents. Who had her father used to install the heating and cooling system in these rooms? she wondered. Whoever it was obviously gave him a deal he couldn’t resist.
Ellie opened the door and felt a rush of cold air. She noticed Max’s bedroom door was also open, and she wondered if the only vents in the apartment were the two in the tiny hallway.
She quietly got back in bed and was sound asleep in seconds. An hour later the cold awakened her. She was freezing, and the top sheet and thin blanket couldn’t block the arctic blasts pouring into the room. My God, she could see her breath in the air. For some reason she thought that was hilarious and had to stifle her laughter with her pillow. Exactly what kind of a deal had her father gotten? It must have been a doozy.
She got out of bed to shut the door and remembered she had left her cell phone in the living room. She found it on the arm of the sofa, plugged it into her charger on the kitchen counter, and, shivering, headed back to bed.
She turned the corner and came to a quick stop. Max was leaning against the door frame to his bedroom watching her. His hair was tousled, his gaze intense.
It was impossible not to stare at him. He was so incredibly virile. A perfect specimen, she thought. She took a breath and forgot to let it out. No other man aroused her the way Max did. He was bare-chested and had pulled on a pair of jeans. He hadn’t bothered to zip them, leaving the suggestion that he hadn’t worn anything to bed. Picturing him na*ed made every nerve in her body tingle.
Another blast of frigid air blew across her face. Rubbing her arms to try to warm her skin, she whispered, “Did I wake you?”
He lazily moved away from the door and reached for her, gently pulling her into his warm arms. She could have easily stepped back if she had wanted to, but turning away from him was out of the question given her insane need to touch him.
Heat radiated from his chest, and she sighed against his shoulder as she put her arms around his neck. Even his scent aroused her. And his touch was making her warm all over. His strong hands caressed her back, then moved lower to firmly grasp her hips. His chin rubbed against the top of her head. She leaned back and looked into his eyes, saw the passion there, and knew he wanted her as much as she wanted him.
Her fingers spread upward into his hair as he lowered his head and kissed her. He wasn’t in any hurry. The kiss was slow. His tongue penetrated and rubbed against hers, and when she imitated the action, he growled low in his throat and deepened the kiss.
Holding her in his arms, his mouth slanting over hers again and again, Max backed into the bedroom but stopped when he reached the bed. Her mouth was hot, wet, wild under his, and the way she stroked his neck made him crave more. She didn’t resist when he pulled her gown over her head. Her hands got in his way as she tried to push his jeans down. In seconds they were both na*ed and fell into bed together. He rolled over, nudged her thighs apart, and stretched out on top of her.
Max let out a long, raspy breath. He wanted to savor the moment. He could feel her heart under his as he lifted a strand of hair from the side of her neck and began to kiss her there.
She moved restlessly against him as he slowly moved down her body, gasping when he began to caress her breasts. His hands moved lower to span her waist then lower still. He kissed her navel, heard her indrawn breath, and knew he pleased her. There was a scar above her right hip. He kissed it, then moved lower to stroke and taste her until she was writhing in his arms and moaning with desire. He lifted up, kissed her again, a scorching kiss with no reservations.
Ellie pushed him onto his back and began to make love to him. She stroked his shoulders, his arms, marveling at the strength and heat she felt under her fingertips. She kissed every inch of his chest, loving the feel of his coarse hair against her breasts. She stroked his tight stomach with her tongue while her hands moved lower to caress his arousal. He sucked in his breath and shuddered.
He pulled her up, kissed her once more, then rolled away from her.
She tried to pull him back.
“I want to protect you,” he whispered, his voice thick with desire.
Seconds later, he pressed her onto her back, and shaking with his need now, he spread her thighs, covered her mouth with his, and thrust inside her.
She cried out and raised her h*ps to take more of him. Max’s head dropped to the crook of her shoulder and he took deep shuddering breaths to try to slow down. Hot liquid heat enveloped him. It was exquisite torture to stay still. She began to move under him, stroked his shoulders, and drove him wild with her uninhibited response. He moved, slowly at first, and then more forcefully until he was burning.
For the first time in his life, he lost control. He couldn’t slow the pace. She wouldn’t let him. He had absolutely no discipline as he drove into her, trying desperately to give her as much pleasure as she was giving him. Her nails scored his shoulders, and she began to tighten all around him, squeezing him, and as he pushed harder, she cl**axed.
Ellie said his name in a whisper, then shouted it as sensations unlike anything she had ever experienced before rippled through her.
His cl**ax followed and was as violent and satisfying. It consumed him, drained him, took every ounce of his strength. With a loud, lusty groan, he collapsed on top of her.
It took several minutes for both of them to recover. When he was finally able to take a normal breath, he lifted up and looked at her. Passion was still there in her eyes, and her cheeks were flushed from their lovemaking. She was so very beautiful, and he realized he was once again in awe of her.
He leaned down and kissed her. “Are you okay?”
She sighed. “Oh yes,” she whispered. “It’s all good.”
He laughed. “Yeah?”
“Yes,” she repeated.
He rolled onto his back. Their bodies were slick with perspiration, but blasts of freezing cold air cooled their skin.
“I’ll be right back,” he said gruffly as he swung his legs over the side of the bed. He glanced over his shoulder at her golden body and then laughed. Ellie was sound asleep.
He guessed she was right. It was all good.
EIGHTEEN
Ellie was unlike any other woman Max had ever known. The women he had taken to his bed usually wanted pillow talk and sometimes praise after sex, or at the very least to be held. Ellie, on the other hand, wanted to sleep.
An hour later, he made love to her again. He woke her by trailing his fingers down the valley between her br**sts and her navel. He watched her face. Her eyes didn’t open, but she sucked in her breath. Smiling, he leaned down and kissed her.
“This time I’m setting the pace,” he told her in a gruff whisper. He tugged on her earlobe with his teeth to get her attention. He was determined to teach her how to relax and take it slow even if it killed him, and it damn near did. If she hadn’t been so responsive, he might have been able to get their lovemaking to last a little longer, but neither one of them could stop their release. She ended up on top of him, and after the tremors left, she put her head on his shoulder and was sound asleep less than a minute later with his arms wrapped around her.
