Maxie (Triple X) Read online

  Preferably the one-handed kind.

  What was she supposed to do?

  Maxie stared at the ceiling, watching the dim light in the room grow brighter. It was early, predawn, but she’d woken up from a dead slumber. For a moment, the briefest slip of time, she’d thought she’d dreamt everything. Identical sisters, skinny-dipping, getting hot and heavy with the sheriff…

  Until she’d felt a weight across her stomach.

  Now her brain was racing a mile a minute as she tried to figure out the best way to handle her situation.

  And it was a situation.

  The weight was Zac’s arm. He was sleeping on his side with his arm stretched over her. Now that she’d fully regained her faculties, she could feel his breath stirring her hair and his knee pressing against the side of her thigh. Which was bare. Her sleep shirt was hitched up to her waist, and at some point during the night the covers had gotten pushed off entirely.

  Her face warmed. She knew when those covers had been dislodged, and she knew how her clothes had gotten disheveled. She was lucky to have them on at all. Thanks to Zac. If she’d gotten her way, she would have been waking up buck naked.

  With him in the same state.

  She glanced at him, afraid to move her head. He was still sleeping, his weight heavy and warm beside her. As nervous as she was about dealing with him, her thoughts got stuck on one thing.

  Yum.

  Oh damn. Her gaze traveled down his bare chest and ripped abs. No wonder he looked so good in his uniform. He looked even better out of it. The man was built. His shoulders were wide, and his waist was trim. His muscles were lean and defined, making all kinds of interesting pathways that her mouth wanted to follow. Her fingers curled, and she couldn’t help but rub her thigh against his knee.

  She flinched when his breath hitched.

  That one little sound reminded her that it wasn’t last night. She wasn’t caught up in the heat of the moment. The scorching, exciting heat. With the morning sun putting a glaring stamp on things, her natural tendencies had returned. That was a sleeping lion next to her, and she was timid, mousy Maxie. She might have done some crazy things, but he could eat her for lunch.

  He might want to, after what she’d done.

  She stared at the ceiling again, her pulse rate quickening and her body going tight. Her memories of the night before were crystal clear. As much as she wanted to blame her actions on the bourbon, she couldn’t. She’d known what she was doing, and she hadn’t been able to hold herself back.

  She also hadn’t been able to stay awake once all that excitement and anxiety had crested.

  Oh God. Had she really fallen asleep on him during sex? Well, after… But before…

  She squeezed her eyes shut in embarrassment. The gears in her brain ground hard, but she couldn’t remember anything after coming apart at the seams. She’d never experienced anything like the climax he’d given her, and they hadn’t even gotten to the part where he…

  Mortification settled over her. She’d fantasized about being like this with Zac Ford, and it had been even better than her daydreams. She’d been impulsive and free.

  But she was pretty sure she’d conked out on him.

  How could she have done that? How did a woman fall asleep with the hunkiest guy ever kissing her and touching her? Was she insane? Did she have a trip switch in her brain that wouldn’t allow too much stimulation? After all, she’d fainted yesterday morning.

  His hand flexed against her bare stomach, and Maxie nearly bolted out of the bed before she stopped herself.

  Heaven help her.

  She had to get out of this bed now, without waking him. She couldn’t face him yet. What was she supposed to say? How could she apologize? He hadn’t gotten to— And not because she hadn’t been willing to—

  That invisible hand that usually kept her from getting into predicaments like this was yanking at her. Trying to go slowly, she considered how their bodies were tangled together. The contact at his knee was easiest to fix. She pulled her leg away in increments. He didn’t stir.

  She reached for his hand. Everything inside her was on high alert as she wrapped her fingers around his wrist. The slightest jarring or the softest sound could wake him. His arm was unresponsive as she lifted it from her stomach. As if she were handling a grenade, she moved his hand to rest on his hip. The seconds ticked off in her ears. She waited for that arm to come alive, for a breath to expand his chest and alertness to kick him into gear.

  Her fingers shook as she let go of him.

  For a moment, she thought she’d pulled it off, but she watched in horror as his limp arm slid off his hipbone. It fell behind him, and he harrumphed in his sleep. She let out a startled squeak when the whole bed shifted as he moved.

  Instead of reaching for her, though, he rolled onto his back.

  Maxie was already heading in the other direction. That invisible hand wrenched her from the bed and onto her feet. Her heart was going a thousand beats per minute as she waited for him to wake.

  He was going to point at her, be angry and hurt. She couldn’t bear it, not after everything he’d done for her.

  Her breath rasped like a saw against wood. When he settled down, she risked a glance at the door. Could she make it? Could she escape without him noticing?

  It wouldn’t solve anything, but it would give her time to organize her thoughts and figure out a way to apologize. She blushed. She knew the best way she could apologize, but the sun was now shooting through the window in bright beams.

  Timid Maxie was firmly back in control.

  She tiptoed towards the door. She watched him every step of the way, and it made the trek even more difficult. He really was mouthwatering lying there. She was an idiot for sneaking away, but she’d already ventured beyond her comfort zone. The handle clicked when she turned it. She peeked at Zac, but he was a sound sleeper. She slipped into the hallway and, just as carefully, closed the door behind her.

  It was only then that she realized she hadn’t grabbed any clothes.

  She squeezed her hands into fists. Oh well, when fleeing a fire, one was supposed to leave all belongings behind. Maybe there was something she could wear in the laundry room.

  Her knees were wobbly as she started down the staircase. It was creakier than the flooring in her bedroom. She tried to ease her weight down onto each step until the need to rush overwhelmed her. She scurried down the last few and took a breath of relief.

  Coffee. The scent brought her chin up with a snap. Zac wasn’t the only visitor she had in the house.

  Darn it. She raked her hands through her hair and smoothed her oversized sleep shirt down to her knees. She wasn’t used to having a full house, especially of people she hardly knew.

  Going back into stealth mode, she hurried to the laundry room. She nearly stomped her foot when she discovered it empty. She’d done laundry the other night. Everything was upstairs and put away.

  It left her with another dilemma. Should she go back upstairs to try to spirit out some clothes, or should she face her guests in her pajamas?

  It was an easy decision.

  Pushing her hair over her shoulder, she headed to the kitchen. She wasn’t quite sure how to act around either Roxie or Lexie now. She’d tiptoed around them last night before jumping in with both feet. Literally. What would they expect out of her today?

  Because adventurous Maxie was not available for play.

  When she stepped inside the kitchen, she was surprised to find only Roxie. For some reason, she’d expected her to sleep until noon. “Good morning.”

  Roxie glanced up from the photo album she was poring over. She was curled up on a kitchen chair with both legs tucked underneath her. She was wearing soft shorts and a racer-back tank. She looked as if she’d slept in them too. “Hey. I hope you don’t mind I made myself at home.”

  If her visitor wasn’t shy about being in her pajamas, Maxie didn’t see why she should have a problem. She moved to the cupboard to get herself
a cup. “I never complain when someone makes coffee for me.”

  “I wanted to look at these,” Roxie murmured. She flipped a page and nibbled at her lip as she took in the pictures and captions.

  She seemed immersed in the photos of everyday life in what had been the Miller household. Maxie didn’t mind her thumbing through them, but they did bring up a lot of questions now. Questions about her childhood and things she might not have known. Most of all, though, they brought up feelings. Loving feelings. Fiercely protective feelings. She couldn’t remember being fierce about anything before.

  “You look like you had a good night,” Roxie noted.

  “What makes you say that?”

  “You look relaxed and, I don’t know, tumbled.”

  The coffeepot clinked against the mug when Maxie’s hand slipped. “I…I did sleep well.”

  “You must have tuckered our fine sheriff out.” Roxie chuckled before taking a sip of her own coffee. “I haven’t heard him moving around up there at all.”

  Maxie put the coffeepot back on the warmer before she could drop it. Her bedroom was right overhead. She remembered how Zac had looked splayed across her bed, and she busied herself with wiping up the counter where she’d spilled.

  “You’ve got a keeper there, girl.”

  Did she? How did one keep something she wasn’t sure she had? Especially when she’d fallen asleep at exactly the wrong time? Maxie bit her lip. He’d spent the night in the first place because they’d been pretending.

  She had to change the subject. If she thought about it anymore, her head might explode. “What are you looking for in those albums?” she asked.

  Roxie shrugged. “It’s interesting. We each grew up so differently.” She flipped a page and smiled at a picture of Maxie’s grandmother wearing a sombrero at a Mexican restaurant on her birthday. “Your life was so normal.”

  Maxie braced herself for laughs or jokes, but the word was said with so much wonder, it slipped by her defenses. She’d never thought that someone like Roxie could sound wistful.

  “It’s what I always dreamed of having,” the woman admitted.

  Maxie’s throat tightened. She’d been the girl at school without any parents, but she’d had her grandmother. She’d had family. She couldn’t imagine growing up in foster care, all alone in the world. “I’m sorry about your childhood. The things in that file…”

  “Don’t be. Don’t be sorry for what happened to me or what might have been. You hold on to what you had with both hands.” Roxie lifted the album. “You hold on to this. I want you as my sister now, but I don’t want to take your past away from you.”

  Maxie’s heart was beating a bit too hard. That was her biggest fear, with everything that had happened. She didn’t want to disavow the childhood she’d had. She couldn’t forget the people she’d loved, the family who’d raised her.

  “Lexie has another family too, you know. She’ll never give them up.” Roxie settled the album back onto the table and rolled her shoulders. “Much as they deserve it.”

  “What do you mean?”

  “You know that saying, ‘Money can’t buy you happiness?’ That’s the story of our sister’s life.”

  Maxie paused with her coffee halfway to her lips. “Were they not good to her?”

  “Mmm… Let’s just say that she was the one who was never good enough.”

  Not good enough? Lexie? Anger flushed through Maxie, but she heard footsteps in the living room. Roxie made a slashing motion across her throat, and they both let the subject drop.

  “Is that coffee I smell?” Lexie padded into the room. She hadn’t gotten dressed either, but she was wearing a satin robe. Her toenails were painted a dusty pink. How she could look so classy and elegant first thing in the morning was beyond Maxie.

  Not good enough? Who were these people?

  “Roxie made it,” she said. It was difficult with her jaw feeling like it was going to pop.

  Lexie’s eyes brightened when she saw the photo albums on the table. “I’ll take a cup.”

  “Make that two.”

  The voice was deep and rumbly, and it made Maxie spin around in surprise. For a moment she thought Zac had snuck up on her, but instead she found another stranger in her house. A tall, dark, handsome, intense one. She’d forgotten Lexie’s boyfriend was coming. Maxie tugged on the hem of her T-shirt. The way he was watching her was unsettling, as if he were trying to dissect her down to her parts.

  “Stop staring at her. You’re making her uncomfortable.” Lexie snuggled up against the man. He looped an arm around her waist, and the couple looked very right together, even though they somehow shouldn’t. There was something powerful about him. Powerful and driven, but protective.

  Lexie smiled. “Maxie, this is Cam.”

  “Sorry,” he said, holding out his hand. “It’s strange to see Lexie in another form. I’m used to the evil twin over there, but you’re different in yet another way.”

  “Morning to you too, Hatchet,” Roxie grumbled.

  Maxie accepted the handshake and found it warm and firm. “How do you mean?” she couldn’t help but ask. She wondered how somebody else saw them.

  “Cam,” Lexie warned. “This is all still new to her.”

  “It’s new to all of you.”

  Again, Maxie felt that astute gaze take her in. This guy missed nothing.

  “How?” she repeated.

  “Well, if you really want to know, Lexie is classically beautiful. Cultured. Roxie is striking and sensual, but you’re—”

  “Careful there, hoss.” Another male voice came from the doorway, and it was growly.

  Maxie jumped as if she’d brushed against a bug zapper. Zac had snuck up on all of them. He was suddenly there, in the flesh. He’d put his T-shirt on, but he’d propped both hands against the doorframe. The position made him look big and imposing.

  Surly.

  Cam turned, putting their new arrival in his line of sight. Zac was bigger and more muscled, but there was something edgy about Lexie’s lover. He’d be scrappy.

  Maxie’s weight went to the balls of her feet. For someone who didn’t like attention, she felt as if she were standing under a spotlight. This couldn’t go well, no matter how she judged it. Zac didn’t appear to be pretending, but if he was, he was getting a bit too deep in his role.

  Cam deliberately looked her up and down again. “I was going to say cute and cuddly.”

  Roxie snorted. “Like a teddy bear?”

  “Like the girl next door. Like a first love.”

  “And a teddy bear.” Lexie must have felt the tension too, because she winked at Zac. “After all, I want to hug her.”

  Maxie felt uncomfortable with everyone watching her, but Lexie walked over and wrapped her arms around her. There it was again, that feeling of familiarity.

  She pulled away, flustered. “Sit everyone. Grab some coffee. There’s orange juice in the refrigerator.”

  “Be careful who you get cuddly with, Hatchet.” Roxie jerked her thumb towards Zac. “That’s the sheriff. He carries a big gun.”

  Finally, Zac eased from his pose against the door and stretched out a hand. “Zac Ford.”

  “Cameron Rowe.”

  The handshake was testosterone-filled, and all the posturing made Maxie uneasy. Zac wasn’t in a good mood at all. Either he wasn’t a morning person, or something else had rubbed him the wrong way. Her stomach tightened. She knew what that irritation had been, only there had been no rubbing.

  That was the problem.

  “Anyone want pancakes?” she asked weakly.

  He turned his attention to the table, ignoring her. “Are you guys going to Park Art today?”

  Lexie glanced up from her seat. She’d pulled up a chair next to Roxie and was looking through another scrapbook. “I don’t know. We hadn’t discussed it, but it sounds like fun.”

  “Is there jewelry there?” Roxie asked as she flipped to another page.

  Maxie felt pinned when Zac’
s gaze swung back to her. For a moment, she was tongue-tied, but then he lifted his eyebrows. The question. He wanted her to answer it. It made her realize he’d never been to the event. He’d only been sheriff for a few months.

  And they’d only been masquerading as a couple for a day.

  Talk about a time warp.

  She wrapped her fingers around her coffee mug. “Jewelry, paintings, photographs and pottery. You’ll find a little bit of everything there. I have to go stock my booth this morning.”

  “You’re working it?” Lexie said.

  “I was going to. Maybe I should see if Laura could cover it by herself.”

  “Don’t bother. We’ll help you,” Cam said, decision made.

  Zac nodded. “Maybe I’ll see you there.”

  Maybe? Lexie sucked in a breath that hurt her throat. Was he calling it quits?

  “You’re leaving?” Roxie’s hair swung as his comment finally pulled her attention away from the photo album.

  “I’ve got to run home for a bit and then down to the station.”

  “Home?” Lexie blushed. “I’m sorry, I thought you lived here.”

  “Well that, sweetheart, is a point of contention.”

  Because they’d intentionally made them think that. Maxie’s entire body felt leaden. The lies were building up until she couldn’t carry them anymore. If he called her out, it would serve her right. He’d been such a good sport, but she’d pushed his kindness too far. Acted unbelievably selfish. Something real might have been happening between them, but she hadn’t held up her end. After last night, he had to think she wasn’t interested, when the opposite couldn’t have been more true.

  She stiffened when he curled a finger at her.

  “Come see me off, cuddly one?”

  Oh God. This was it. He wanted to talk.

  He held out his hand, and there wasn’t much she could do but take it. She put down her coffee, and he tugged her along. Maxie looked back over her shoulder to the kitchen. That was as far as she’d made it on her desperate escape, but she hadn’t had time to think things through. She still didn’t know how to explain or make things better.

  She had to hurry to keep up with him as he marched towards the front door. He wasn’t giving her a choice. She couldn’t run off again. She had to face him. Alone on the front porch, he closed the door behind them, shutting away the clink of coffee cups and the murmur of voices.