Authors: Karen Rose
Tom shook his head. „It’s not you I don’t trust,“ he muttered, bolting from the car and up the landing into their building, not looking back.
Chapter Nine
Chicago
Thursday, March 8
6:45 p.m.
Caroline was tense today. Had been since she’d brought him his morning coffee. It emanated from her in waves so powerful they were almost tangible. But she’d insisted nothing was wrong.
He’d had a meeting run late with the dean after classes and wasn’t sure she’d even be waiting for their dinner date when he got back, but she was. She was tense and preoccupied, but she was there waiting for him and Max considered that a good sign.
So now they walked together, side by side, out of Carrington’s history building and towards his car, but she was miles away. Something had changed. Max just wished he knew what. He’d already racked his brain, wondering what he possibly could have done to precipitate her current mood and determined he’d done nothing.
He shivered and pulled his coat lapels closer with his free hand. He’d forgotten how cold Chicago spring freezes could be. Caroline was freezing, too, her teeth chattering. Her coat was thin, and thinking of her broken-down car and her apartment in the poorer section of town, he wondered if she couldn’t afford anything better. Again a feeling of protectiveness welled from somewhere deep inside, but it was no longer unfamiliar.
So intent he was on Caroline, he completely missed seeing the patch of ice. His feet lost purchase with the pavement and…
„Ugh.“ The grunt was accompanied by a solid thud as he hit the pavement. The grunt came from his throat. The thud came from his head.
For a moment the world went black. Then Max opened his eyes and saw stars. Luckily they were in the sky, right where they were supposed to be. He wagged one foot experimentally, then the other, sighing with relief when both feet responded normally. He pushed himself up on his elbows, still blinking when Caroline appeared at his side.
She dropped to her knees and went to work checking for broken bones. „What happened?“
„I was practicing my gymnastics,“ Max responded dryly. „That was my triple Lutz.“
Caroline looked up from examining his knees with a wry grin. „That’s figure skating.“
„So I had a little trouble on the dismou-Ow-nt!“ Max shrunk back from her hands when she hit a sore spot just above his knee. „Just making sure you were paying attention.“
„Trust me, I was,“ she murmured.
„Oh, really?“ he asked, his deep voice going even deeper.
Caroline met his gaze head-on and nodded silently before dropping her eyes to his ankles to continue her cursory check for broken bones. She had been paying attention. All afternoon. She’d listened for every thump of his cane as he paced the length of his office, every rumble of his voice through the wall when he answered the phone. She’d alternate between wincing over Tom’s explosion the night before to reliving the wonderful evening of shared laughter with Max. Just as real were the memories of the shimmering sensations she felt at that tiny little caress of his thumb across her lip. That tiny little caress that rocked her to her toes, sent shivers down her spine, left her tingling long after. That tiny little peck on her lips that, God help her, left her wanting a whole lot more than dinner. She now sat back on her heels and looked at his face. He’d been watching her thoughtfully as she checked him for obvious injuries. The warmth in her cheeks now radiated through her whole body.
„You should get this knee checked out, Max. Are you hurt anywhere else?“
„I don’t think so. Maybe just my pride.“ He winced. „And my tailbone. Shit.“
She watched as he struggled to stand, then fell back again with a muffled curse. „Let me help you get up.“
„You can’t. I’d pull you down with me.“ He lifted an eyebrow and she could see the gleam in his eyes even in the darkness. „Now that’s a thought.“
His teasing did the trick, soothing her nerves and restoring the easy camaraderie they’d shared over dinner with his zany brother. Chuckling, she braced herself on her heels, crossing her arms across her chest. „Nice try, Max. Next you’ll be telling me your car’s out of gas. Here, hold on.“
He viewed her with new confidence, gripped her forearms, and together they eased him to his feet. „You’ve worked in a hospital.“
„No, but I’ve spent enough time in them.“ She tried to bite back the words, but it was too late. The hospital was something she never discussed with anyone. Not even Dana knew all the details of her injury and recovery. Burying the most painful memories deep was the only thing that seemed to keep her going, especially when she’d first escaped. It appeared some of those memories were breaking loose and bubbling up. Maybe Dana was right. Maybe she was starting to feel safe. Then again, maybe she was just naive, like Tom had accused. The thought still stung. To change the subject she looked away. „Here’s your cane. Let me walk a step ahead in case there’s more ice.“
He clenched his teeth and took a few steps. „I thought the woman was supposed to walk six paces behind.“
„Ah, the pitfalls of our field. Get out of the past, Professor, and into the twenty-first century.“ Hearing him merely grunt in reply, she looked over her shoulder to find him leaning on a light pole, his face contorted with pain. „Or should I say cut the macho act and let me take you to a hospital?“
„No hospitals. I hate the damn things.“
Remembering how she’d also hated them, she relented. „Okay, then let me drive you home.“
„No. We’re going to dinner, even if it kills me.“ He took another step, then grimaced. „And it just might.“
Caroline shook her head. He didn’t need dinner. He needed an orthopedic surgeon, but she wouldn’t press the issue. There would be other dinners, she thought, quelling her disappointment. „Let me take you home, Max.“
He gritted his teeth and leaned on his cane. „No. We are going to dinner.“
Caroline rolled her eyes. The man’s head was thick, which was fortunate as his head took the brunt of his fall. „Tell you what. I’ll take you home, throw something together and we can still have dinner. What’s wrong now?“ she asked, exasperated when he didn’t move.
„This wasn’t what I’d planned.“
Caroline sighed, her breath instantly turning to vapor momentarily blocking him from view. „Plans change. Max. Either I take you home or I take you to a doctor. Your choice.“
„You’re a bossy woman.“ But he eased his foot forward, still leaning heavily on the cane.
„So I’m told, by sources more experienced than you. I’m also a good cook.“
„Then home it is.“
His house was old-fashioned, white with gingerbread-type latticework in the eaves. A front porch wrapped across the front and around the side where a classic porch swing moved in the night wind. She could see a tire swing hanging from one of the massive trees in the front yard. A light was burning at the front door, but there was no evidence of anyone else around for miles.
„Nice place,“ she said. It was. It was the kind of house she’d always known existed, always known normal people lived in. Loved each other in. Where mothers rocked then-children to sleep at night and husbands said „I love you“ and murmured endearments for no reason at all and didn’t drink themselves into abusive rages.
Caroline put Max’s car in park and sat staring at the front porch, almost hearing the happy cries of children, almost seeing flowers blooming in the neglected beds lining the porch. The house drew her, or maybe it was the illusion of normalcy that exerted the magnetic pull. Either way she was setting herself up for an enormous fall. The man, the house. The fantasy of it all.
Max studied her profile in the soft light of his grandmother’s front porch. She was staring at his house with an expression so wistful, so sad it twisted his heart. „I’m glad you like it. Let’s go in.“
His driveway was blissfully empty. No Dave, no Ma, he thought with relief, as he fished for his house key and opened the door for Caroline. Alone, he thought, in the darkness of his foyer.
Finally.
Caroline blinked when he flipped the switch, flooding the foyer with bright light.
„Sorry. My grandmother had bad eyes at the end so all the lights in the house are this bright.“ He tugged at his gloves, shoved them in the pocket of his overcoat. Watched her turn and, in her quiet way, take it all in. Recognized how important her reaction would be.
„It’s nice, Max.“ She crossed to the far corner, heavy with shadows and dust and trailed her finger along a vertical line of smudges on the wall. „Oh, look. How sweet. Which one is yours?“
Max felt a warmth fill his chest at the memory of Grandma Hunter’s growth chart and at the way Caroline’s face had softened as she spied it. That her eyes had snapped to it almost immediately despite the corner location didn’t surprise him in the least. She hadn’t looked at the dingy paint or loud wallpaper, but at the signs of home and love. He took the few steps to join her and, reaching over her shoulder, inhaled her scent before pointing to one of the tallest marks.
„That one. That was on my thirteenth birthday.“
Caroline’s head tilted back to see where he pointed. „About the same size my Tom is now.“
And where did Tom get that height, Caroline? Max wanted to ask. But he didn’t, because she didn’t offer and because he wasn’t sure he really wanted to know the answer.
„Yes. I remember the day like it was yesterday.“ The back of her head nearly brushed his shoulder as she looked up and it would only take the tiniest of movements to bring it into contact with his body. His minute shuffle forward was plenty enough to accomplish the task. She tensed, but didn’t pull away. He took that as tacit agreement to continue.
„And?“
Oh, yeah. Thirteenth birthday. His mind had flown from sweet memories in the past to the sweet fragrance she wore in the very real present. He shuddered out the breath he hadn’t realized he was holding. „I was thirteen and all I wanted was a dirt bike. My older brother had one and I’d coveted it from the day he turned thirteen. I suspected Pop would get it for me, but I wasn’t really sure. Ma had fought him tooth and nail when he bought Peter’s.“
„Peter would be your older brother.“
„Uh-huh. He’s five years older and twin to my sister Catherine.“
„Peter and Catherine the Great, eh?“
Max nodded, using the motion to brush his cheek against her temple, feeling the slight tug of her hair against his evening stubble. He could hear the amusement in her voice. „You’re quick. My dad was a history buff. Anyway, he – “
„Was?“ Caroline interrupted, turning to look up at him, sadness in her eyes.
Max cleared his throat. „My father died in a car accident twelve years ago.“
She was quiet for a long moment, just looking at him. „You loved him.“
Yes, Max thought. As much as it was possible to love a father. More. But the words wouldn’t, couldn’t come. His throat had closed shut against the wave of sudden, intense memory.
Caroline lifted a tentative hand to his cheek, cupping his jaw. „Then you were lucky.“
Her gentle touch was a soothing balm, easing back the barrier that went up so automatically. „Yeah, I guess I was.“ She stood there, looking up at him, those blue eyes filled with compassion and tenderness. „I take it, then, that you were not.“
She pulled her hand away. „No.“ She forced a smile. „Tell me more about the dirt bike.“
So he did. Anything to wipe that wounded expression from her incredible eyes. „Ma thought we would break our necks out there, but Pop was of the firm opinion that boys needed an outlet for their energy. So we had the cake and ice cream and I was practically dancing in my seat. Then Grandma Hunter wanted to mark my height and I didn’t want to. I told her I was too old and she became so sad. I never could stand to see her sad, so I folded and trotted over here and stood obediently while she drew the line. Then she leaned up and whispered that I had become a man, that this was the last year she would be able to mark my height.“ He swallowed, remembering the sharp sense of loss he’d felt at her words.
„Because you showed respect for her feelings.“
„What?“
„You were a man because you showed respect for her feelings. A boy wouldn’t have done what you did, Max.“
The memory became even more poignant. „I suppose you’re right. I never thought about it that way. I always thought it was the magic of being thirteen. Or growing too tall for her to reach the top of my head.“
„So you got your dirt bike?“
„Yep. I ran outside and there it was, all shiny and new. Pop had come through for me.“ He chuckled. „Then Pop drove me to the hospital the next day when I broke my wrist. And Ma never said I told you so.“
„What a wonderful memory.“
His eyes focused on the top of her head, her dark brown hair picking up the bright light of the foyer and he suddenly wished for the muted shadows of candlelight. Memories of bikes and birthdays and falls on the ice vanished as a slug of lust hit him square, rekindling the state of half-arousal he’d borne all day into a blazing urgency. He wanted her.
„Why do you always wear your hair up in a braid?“
Caroline’s eyes widened. „It’s easier. Max, what – “
But he’d already pulled the band from the tail and was working to free the entwined strands. „I want to see it down,“ he said, his voice gone husky, then watched that irresistible blush color her cheeks once again. It seemed like an eternity since he’d touched her.
Caroline felt heat surge and unbuttoned the top buttons of the coat she still wore. His palm cradled the back of her head, his fingers gently scraping her scalp as they worked their way into the thickness of her hair, sending it falling to the middle of her back. His other hand freed the buttons on her coat and pushed it from her shoulders, blindly hanging it on a hook behind him.
„Caroline?“
With difficulty she lifted her eyes and saw him staring down at her, his intentions fair and clear. She mustered a faint nod and then ceased to think at all when his mouth covered hers. His mouth was everything she’d dreamed. Strong and soft, it monopolized, demanded and gave back everything it took. And more. He nudged, nipped and feasted, still touching with only the hand on her head and those sensual lips. The heat smoldered deep within her body, then ignited, unleashing a response she’d never known she held at bay. Her hands clutched great handfuls of his overcoat as if it were a lifeline, a tether to anchor her as the storm of new emotions nearly swept her off her feet.