organization and Cara’s death, but he’d be damned if it happened a second time.
Frustrated with failing to keep his mission objective—getting Max back to Lassiter Group headquarters—front and center, he grabbed the extra pillow off the bed, along with the bedspread and crossed to the bathroom.
When she didn’t answer his knock, he shoved the door open.
She turned from the sink, a towel in her hands. “Do come in,” she scoffed.
The less than spacious bathroom left only a few feet between them and his gaze dropped to the open buttons on her pants. Dropping the blanket and pillow, he closed the distance between them.
She backed up against the vanity, but didn’t push his hands away when he stepped in to fix her pants for her.
“I’m handcuffed, not paralyzed. But if you’re inclined to be so helpful, why not take the cuffs off?”
“Injured, not brain dead.” He made quick work of fastening the buttons but didn’t retreat until he realized how still she was, like she was holding her breath.
He glanced up, searching her face to be sure she wasn’t about to try something. Their gazes met, held and then she broke eye contact.
“Fuck, no.”
So she’d finally noticed the pillow and blanket.
Without waiting for a thank you, he made a strategic retreat, falling back to the doorway.
“Wait a minute.”
Lucas shook his head. “You’re sleeping in here. In the tub, on the floor, I don’t particularly care.”
Max stepped over the pile on the floor. “What about the bed?”
He blocked the doorway with his arm just in case she was serious, and God help him, she looked like it. “What about it?”
“It’s big enough for the two of us.”
“But I thought you didn’t get friendly with every perp who made a pass at you?”
Her eyes shrank to murderous slits, and she slammed the door in his face.
“Bet you’re wishing you’d stayed in the tree, huh?”
No matter how thick the door was, he very clearly heard, “Asshole.”
Satisfied she’d stay out of trouble for a few minutes at least, he returned to the bed and picked up the phone to call Tess.
Hoping last night had only been a dream, Max opened her eyes.
No such luck.
Same cracked light fixture and drab bathroom—minus the potato bug that she’d seen scuttling across the floor last night. She didn’t even want to think about where it might have crawled for the short time she’d actually spent sleeping. Between wondering about Lucas and who he worked for and running through countless scenarios to get herself out of this mess, sleep hadn’t been high on her priority list.
Sleep hadn’t been a priority for three months actually. Staying one step ahead of Blackwater, finding places to lay low, conserving what little money she had left and doing her best not to think about what the bastards had done to Cara made sleeping difficult at best and pretty much impossible when a nightmare took hold and wouldn’t let her go.
Staying with Sherri had been the closest she’d come to any kind of peace, and thanks to Lucas and Snake she was back to square one. Damn them.
Recognizing the first stirring of anxiety press down on her lungs, she stood and scrubbed her face with cool water, rubbing until she felt the cold seep into her pores, waking her up all the way.
A flash of color caught her eye and she spotted her bag on the floor by the door. She must have slept deeper than she thought since she hadn’t heard Lucas come in.
Listening at the door, she didn’t hear any signs of movement. Either he was still asleep himself or he was sitting there waiting for her to get moving. Actually, the latter seemed unlikely. Barging in and telling her to get her ass in gear seemed more probable after how things had gone down last night.
Either way, she had a little time to get cleaned up and pull a few random twigs from her hair while she tried wrapping her mind around the only option she had left.
She’d lie.
Lie and use his attraction to her
Frustrated with failing to keep his mission objective—getting Max back to Lassiter Group headquarters—front and center, he grabbed the extra pillow off the bed, along with the bedspread and crossed to the bathroom.
When she didn’t answer his knock, he shoved the door open.
She turned from the sink, a towel in her hands. “Do come in,” she scoffed.
The less than spacious bathroom left only a few feet between them and his gaze dropped to the open buttons on her pants. Dropping the blanket and pillow, he closed the distance between them.
She backed up against the vanity, but didn’t push his hands away when he stepped in to fix her pants for her.
“I’m handcuffed, not paralyzed. But if you’re inclined to be so helpful, why not take the cuffs off?”
“Injured, not brain dead.” He made quick work of fastening the buttons but didn’t retreat until he realized how still she was, like she was holding her breath.
He glanced up, searching her face to be sure she wasn’t about to try something. Their gazes met, held and then she broke eye contact.
“Fuck, no.”
So she’d finally noticed the pillow and blanket.
Without waiting for a thank you, he made a strategic retreat, falling back to the doorway.
“Wait a minute.”
Lucas shook his head. “You’re sleeping in here. In the tub, on the floor, I don’t particularly care.”
Max stepped over the pile on the floor. “What about the bed?”
He blocked the doorway with his arm just in case she was serious, and God help him, she looked like it. “What about it?”
“It’s big enough for the two of us.”
“But I thought you didn’t get friendly with every perp who made a pass at you?”
Her eyes shrank to murderous slits, and she slammed the door in his face.
“Bet you’re wishing you’d stayed in the tree, huh?”
No matter how thick the door was, he very clearly heard, “Asshole.”
Satisfied she’d stay out of trouble for a few minutes at least, he returned to the bed and picked up the phone to call Tess.
Hoping last night had only been a dream, Max opened her eyes.
No such luck.
Same cracked light fixture and drab bathroom—minus the potato bug that she’d seen scuttling across the floor last night. She didn’t even want to think about where it might have crawled for the short time she’d actually spent sleeping. Between wondering about Lucas and who he worked for and running through countless scenarios to get herself out of this mess, sleep hadn’t been high on her priority list.
Sleep hadn’t been a priority for three months actually. Staying one step ahead of Blackwater, finding places to lay low, conserving what little money she had left and doing her best not to think about what the bastards had done to Cara made sleeping difficult at best and pretty much impossible when a nightmare took hold and wouldn’t let her go.
Staying with Sherri had been the closest she’d come to any kind of peace, and thanks to Lucas and Snake she was back to square one. Damn them.
Recognizing the first stirring of anxiety press down on her lungs, she stood and scrubbed her face with cool water, rubbing until she felt the cold seep into her pores, waking her up all the way.
A flash of color caught her eye and she spotted her bag on the floor by the door. She must have slept deeper than she thought since she hadn’t heard Lucas come in.
Listening at the door, she didn’t hear any signs of movement. Either he was still asleep himself or he was sitting there waiting for her to get moving. Actually, the latter seemed unlikely. Barging in and telling her to get her ass in gear seemed more probable after how things had gone down last night.
Either way, she had a little time to get cleaned up and pull a few random twigs from her hair while she tried wrapping her mind around the only option she had left.
She’d lie.
Lie and use his attraction to her
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