The other woman bent over to brace her hands against her knees.Her necklace swung like a limp lasso as she gave Maxie a long look.“Neither was she.”
Well, shit.
Zac stared at the two of them, dumbfounded.How could Maxie not know she had sisters?
“Surprise,” the lippy one said, but there was a quiver to her voice.
What the hell?
He regarded them suspiciously as the woman who was kneeling rescued Maxie’s dress from the puddle left by the watering can.This had to be some kind of prank, but these two didn’t just resemble Maxie, they were outright doubles.And there weretwoof them.
Maybe it was still too early in the day, or maybe he’d gotten decaf by mistake.Either way, he couldn’t wrap his mind around what he was hearing or what he was seeing.The two women looked like her sisters, and really, they looked like more than that.When he’d first seen them coming down the street, he’d had to fight to keep his jaw from smacking against the pavement.Up close, he was still having trouble telling them apart.If they were sisters—and what other explanation could there be?—they’d come from the same egg.
He kept his groan underneath his breath.One Maxie Miller had been giving him sleepless nights.Three of her?He didn’t think he could take it.
He considered the helpless woman in his arms.She obviously hadn’t been able to.
Moving purposely, he scooped her up and got to his feet.His arm under her knees got caught under her skirt, and he touched taut, smooth skin.He flexed his fingers in appreciation.He’d spent a lot of time trying to figure out how to get this woman into his arms, but this wasn’t quite what he’d imagined.
He hefted her higher against his chest.“Get the door.”
The one in the shorts was already moving in that direction.The other woman gently tucked Maxie’s dangling hand into her lap, close to his heart, and stepped out of the way.
“What are your names?”he barked as he carried Maxie into her shop.She would be mortified if she could see what was happening.He knew her well enough to understand that, and he wanted some answers before she woke up.
She was going to need them.
“Lexie Underhill,” the one in the dress said, hurrying after them.
“Roxie Cannon,” the other one said as she let the door close.The bell overhead jingled, so light and normal when everything else had gone heavy and out of whack.
He put the names into storage as he surveyed the shop.Pots, plants, gardening tools and a wall full of refrigerated flowers surrounded them.There was a doorway behind the workbench.Turning into the back room, he found a sofa.He started to lay Maxie down, but changed his mind.Instead, he lowered them both onto the cushions.Stretching his legs out in front of him, he settled her on his lap.
“Maxie?”
Her head rolled towards him, into his shoulder, and her breath hit his neck.He covered her legs with her skirt.She was still unconscious, and it worried him.“Somebody get her some water.”
The one named Roxie went back into the shop.
“I’ll go clean up the mess out front,” Lexie said.With concern, she brushed her fingers over Maxie’s brow and whispered, “I’m so sorry.”
Zac didn’t watch either of them go.His focus was on the woman sprawled over him like a warm blanket.She wasn’t showing any signs of distress, but he began checking for injuries.
Her cheek felt soft under his fingers, as did the line of her jaw.The dress was halter style, and it left her shoulders bare.They were like raw silk as his touch glided over them.He felt no bumps, and nothing seemed broken or out of place.His gaze dropped lower.Absolutely nothing…
From his vantage point, her breasts filled the neckline of the dress.The rounded globes rose and fell in time with the puffs of air hitting his neck.Pale, plump and kissable.He settled his hand over her stomach.It was flat and tight, warm and vulnerable.He couldn’t stop from caressing her in a slow circle, but then his fingertips brushed against her hand.It brought him up short.
Catching her wrist, he found the Band-Aid on her finger.The wound looked new, but it hadn’t been affected by the fall.
Still, it had to hurt.
He ran his thumb over her palm and looked into her serene face.Her eyelashes were dark fringes against her cheeks, and her lips were slightly parted.Pink and lush.
Well, damn if that didn’t make him want to kiss her even more.
“Come on, Sleeping Beauty.”
Roxie’s heels clicked across the floor as she returned.She passed him a glass of water and a damp rag.“She looks like she’s down for the count.”
