This time it was Maxie’s turn to reach out.She hadn’t quite worked her way up to a hug, so she squeezed Lexie’s shoulder instead.“I’m looking forward to meeting him.”
“I like Zac.”A small smile curved Lexie’s lips.“Don’t you two wake us with any mushy stuff either.”
“We won’t,” Maxie said in surprise—until she realized that was supposed to be a possibility.And after the way they’d kissed… Her own cheeks heated.“I mean…”
Her gaze flashed up to meet eyes that so much resembled her own.
They’d done it again, copied each other verbatim.
Zac looked at them questioningly as he walked past, carrying Lexie’s bag to her room.
“I know we were a surprise you weren’t expecting.”Lexie squeezed Maxie’s hand.“Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Just make sure this boyfriend of yours knows whose woman is whose.”The words were light, but Zac said them with enough edge to make Maxie’s toes curl in her sandals.
She was supposed to behis.
She stood uncertainly in the hallway.They were the only two left, but she still wasn’t sure what their sleeping arrangements were going to be.She clenched her hands.The chill was on her skin, but heat was building inside her.All she could think about was the way he’d lifted her out of the pool and pulled her close.
Was he expecting a continuation?
Half of her hoped so, while the other half wanted to rush to her bedroom and lock the door.She wasn’t good at these things.With Roxie and Lexie tucked inside their rooms, her confidence and spontaneity were waning.Self-consciousness was coming over her like a heavy, familiar cloak.
Pivoting on her heel, she made a beeline back to the kitchen.
She was putting away papers when Zac appeared in the doorway.His gaze was like a touch, and the goose bumps on her skin tightened.As did her belly and her nipples.He knew she wasn’t wearing a bra.It hadn’t bothered her all day long, but now it was all she could think about.Her breasts were bare and sensitive.Achy.She’d dived into that pool with nothing between her skin and the water, but she felt more exposed now than ever.
Wordlessly, he began helping her gather everything together.They collected all the personal papers but stacked the photo albums in a tidy pile on the table.He helped her carry everything else to the desk in the living room.Once it was stowed away, though, she was uncertain.
There was only one thing left to do.Go to bed.
Zac made one last trip back outside.When he returned, he had a bag swung over his shoulder.
She stared at it.“You packed a bag?”
“Gym bag.I missed my workout today.”
She twisted her fingers.Probably because of her.He’d done so much for her.
“You’re tired, Maxie.Let’s put you to bed.”
She was tired.Tired and raw.The day, her emotions and even the swim in the pool had drained her of any energy she’d had.
He caught her hand and glanced towards the stairs.When he lifted one eyebrow, she realized he was asking where her bedroom was.She bit her lip but nodded.There wasn’t much she could do but follow when he tugged her in that direction.
Her knees wobbled as they climbed the stairs.Sheriff Zac Ford was taking her to bed.It was more than she’d imagined possible, and it turned her on more than she could let him know.The tension in her body was coiling, pulling tight.Her nipples were ticklish, and her wet panties clung.
They were supposed to be pretending.So why did it feel so real?
At the top of the stairs, he turned on the light and strolled down the hallway.Her home office was to his right, so he continued until he made it to the open door on his left.Her bedroom.
“Wow.”He stopped inside the doorway.With the lights out, the nighttime view from the picture window was clear.Perched up on the hillside, her house overlooked both the town of Indigo Falls and the Cobalt River.“That’s a fantastic view.”
So was the one she had.He looked big and sexy in her bedroom, with his shirt opened and his jeans molding to his backside.
She cleared her throat.“I did some remodeling after my grandmother passed away, combining two small rooms and the bathroom.”
Making a spectacular master bed and bath, one she hadn’t shared with any man.
