She hugged me so hard, the air puffed past my lips.
“Thank you. Oh, this is so nice! No one’s ever done something like this for me.”
“You should try something on. I got your sizes when I washed your clothes—”
“It doesn’t matter if they fit.” She blinked hard as she stepped away, touching the clothes. “It’s the thought. Y-you’ve done so much for me…”
She turned again and threw herself into my arms. I held her close as she sniffled.
“Are you okay?” I whispered.
“I’m happy.”
“Oh.”
“And I don’t like to cry, but you’ve overwhelmed me this weekend. First, the golf, now this—”
I shifted so I could see her expression. Her towel slid from her hair, leaving the long strands framing her face. Eyes sparkling with tears, the tip of her nose red, hair needing a brushing…she was beautiful. Stunning. I wanted this woman in my closet, but more importantly, in my life, every day.
“I want you happy, pretty girl. You deserve all the happiness.”
This time, her smile started in her eyes. They sparkled brighter than any gem, and they captivated me. I caught my breath. In that moment, I fell all the way in love with Keelie Hayes.
While Keelie dressed,I sped through my shower. She knocked on the bathroom door to tell me she was heading back downstairs. She was so thoughtful about my issues. I needed to be the same about hers. She was opening up to me. I just needed patience until she told me everything.
I hated the mereideaof patience.
I tugged on my underwear and sweatpants before grabbing a shirt, which I shrugged over my too-damp chest as I hurried back to the kitchen…and found Maxim and Keelie leaning on my kitchen island. She rolled her glass of grapefruit spritzer between her hands, mouth gaping as she hung on Maxim’s every word.
“Whoa… He tried to hit her?”
Maxim growled. “He did.”
Keelie gasped. “That’s so scary!”
“That’s why I want her to stay with me.”
“Wait. I’m missing something. Do you know her? Like, before last weekend?”
Maxim shook his head.
“But you want her to move in with you?”
I came to stand next to Keelie, and she immediately shifted her weight to press herself into my side. I wrapped an arm around her waist, enjoying the warmth of her body. She’d chosen a pair of shorts and a flowy top with sleeves that ended just past her elbows, and she’d pulled her damp hair into a messy bun. I kissed her temple, and she turned to smile at me.
I could get lost in those big, blue eyes.
Maxim sighed. “He threatened her. Knows where she lives. The cops can’t do anything until he hurts her. I have good security. Better than her place. I can make sure that…twerp…doesn’t bother her.”
Keelie took another sip of her drink before she asked, “What does she want to do?”
“Ida Jane says she doesn’t want to impose. How can one small woman in a guest room cause more imposition than my head refusing to stay in the game? Huh? You talk to her. Make her see reason. Please, Keelie. I don’t want her to be hurt.”
Maxim Dolov, one of the biggest D-men in the league, blinked at Keelie with these fucking puppy-dog eyes, and she melted. “I guess I could talk to her.”
Maxim rose to his full height. “Yes! Yes, make her see I’m going to help her.”
“B-but why?”
