you hungry?”
Max’s question snapped her out of her daydream. A glance at the dashboard clock told her she’d been lost in thought for half an hour. “Where are we? I don’t remember the trip from the airport taking so long this morning.”
“I thought we’d take a little detour before heading back to Houston.”
A detour? What was he up to? She recalled his last question. Did he want to prolong their time together by taking her to dinner?
“You don’t need to feed me. I can make it back to Houston.”
“About that.”
She wasn’t sure if it was his words or his tone that sent her uneasiness into overdrive. “About what?” Before long, the sign appeared for Highway 292 confirming her unspoken fear. “Where are we going?”
“The beach.”
“Which beach?” she asked.
“Gulf Shores.”
She’d known the answer before he spoke. Naturally, he’d pick the place where it all began. He wanted closure. What better way to get that than recreate the fantasy of those four days and let their romance run its course? And fantasy is exactly what it had been. She’d been running from reality. Being with Max then had been a frantic grab at the joy her life had been missing since she’d married Brody. She’d never been happier before or since.
Curses exploded in her mind like fireworks. This was going to end badly for her. Worse than the first time when she’d convinced herself the magic of those days had been all about the best sex of her life. Now, she knew better. Max was a complex man who both frustrated and fascinated her. What she felt for him went way beyond the purely physical. She felt a spiritual connection to him. And when that was ripped away, she would no longer be whole.
“I can’t.” She surveyed his profile and noted the steely set of his jaw. His lips might be relaxed into a half smile, but he was not in a cooperative frame of mind. “I’ve got things I need to do.”
“What sort of things?” He raised dark eyebrows, daring her to lie.
“Things.”
“I thought you said your schedule was clear this weekend.”
“I never told you that.”
“True. I must have overheard you talking to Hailey about how much you were looking forward to a weekend with nothing to do.”
“You eavesdropped?”
“Eavesdropped is such a negative word.”
“Listened in. Snooped. Spied. Take your pick.” Her accusations bounced off him like bullets off Superman.
“It’s not like you left me much choice. Perhaps if you were more willing to tell me what’s going on in your life.”
Rachel ignored his not-so-subtle dig. “I’m not going to sleep with you if that’s what you think is going to happen this weekend.” With a disgruntled huff, she folded her arms over her chest.
He took his eyes off the road long enough to show her he didn’t believe that for one second. “Who are you trying to convince? Me or you?”
She ground her teeth together because she had no snappy comeback. Already her body was softening in anticipation of the feel of his lips against her skin, his hands finding where she burned for him.
“I suppose with all the dating you do, you’re pretty confident when it comes to getting a woman into bed,” she muttered, unable to leave well enough alone.
“I’m confident you’ll wear yourself out resisting what your body wants.” He reached across and took her hand in his, fingers sliding over hers with intoxicating results. He lifted her hand and lightly brushed to his lips across her knuckles.
She sighed at the gentle tug of his warm, moist mouth against her skin. She felt a damp heat between her thighs and resisted the urge to squirm on her seat as he ministered to the inside of her wrist, tongue flicking out to probe her staccato pulse.
“Pay attention to your driving.” She used her free hand to pry herself out of his grasp. Much more of that delicious sucking and nibbling and she would put that hand of his where it would do her the most good. “I don’t want to get into an accident.”
With a low, sexy chuckle, he returned his full attention to the traffic around them.
Even with the air conditioner running at full blast, Rachel felt uncomfortably warm. Since willing her body to cool and settle wasn’t working, she peeled off her jacket and released the top two buttons on her blouse. Raking her fingers through her hair, she disturbed the gel she’d used to restrict the waves into a sleek hairstyle. She rolled up her sleeves, took off her clunky jewelry, kicked off her shoes and shed her professional image.
“I suppose I’m falling right into your trap by saying I have nothing to wear but the clothes on my back.”
“Normally, this would be where I’d tell you that I intend to keep you naked all weekend.” Max glanced over at her, eyes burning with carnal promises. “But I had Hailey pack a bag for you. It’s in the trunk.”
Her own sister had betrayed her. Rachel’s chest ached as she rested her elbow on the door and her head on her palm. “You thought of everything.”
“I like to prepare for all contingencies.”
Off to their left, sunlight sparkled on the Gulf of Mexico. A familiar sight from her childhood. Rachel flinched away from the sharp stab of nostalgia. Was it possible her father had been dead ten years? She missed him every time she sat in his scruffy old recliner or pan fried grouper the way he’d taught her.
They’d been a happy family—she, Hailey and their dad. Both Rachel and her father had worked hard to make sure Hailey never missed the mother that had run out shortly before Hailey turned two. Rachel remembered her as a sharp voice and little else. Her dad hadn’t talked about her and there weren’t any pictures of her in the house. The lack of a mother hadn’t bothered Rachel until she turned thirteen and realized she didn’t know much about becoming a woman. If she’d had a mother to advise her, would she have made so many stupid choices?
“Are you all right?” Max had caught her wiping away a tear.
“The sun’s in my eyes.” She lowered her visor and blinked rapidly to clear moisture so she could see. “I wish I hadn’t forgotten my sunglasses back in Houston.”
Max whipped his off. “Take mine.”
“You need them to drive.”
“I’ll be okay.”
“Thanks.” She slipped them on, appreciating the UV protection as well as the shield against Max’s curiosity. “I’ll buy a pair when we stop.”
It was an hour’s drive from Pensacola to Gulf Shores. Rachel recalled making the trip in reverse with her high school friends in those happy days before her father died. They’d head up to the “big city” to catch a movie or go shopping. There’d been a huge sense of freedom in getting in the car and going.
Her decision to take Hailey to live with Aunt Jesse in Biloxi after their dad died had robbed her sister of those sorts of fun times. If only she hadn’t been so afraid to take on the responsibility of supporting her and her sister. At the time it seemed sensible to seek out the help of an adult. Of family. Too bad she didn’t know what a loser their aunt was until it was too late.
Max’s warm fingers stole over the fist balled on her thigh. “You know, it won’t kill you to talk to me.”
The soothing slide of his skin against hers caused her to release the breath she’d bottled up. She loved holding hands with him. They’d done a lot of that during those days at the beach. In fact, she doubted they’d gone more than five minutes at a time without touching. When they’d been out in public, most people had taken them