There it was again. The reality that Darcy would make a military sharp turn in the other direction if she knew the truth about him. He should be relieved. He wasn't.
She scooped the rag off the floor and flung it in the sink with the toothpaste. "Thanks for checking on me. Twice. But I'm better now. I should put my leg up and go to sleep so I can finally call this day over."
She studied the bed as if it were a hill to conquer, a battle to win. He couldn't just walk out and leave her alone with those demons lurking behind her eyes.
And maybe he needed a little while longer to reassure himself the snake was nothing more than coincidence after all.
Without taking time to think and therefore change his mind, Max scooped her up in his arms. Darcy yelped, flinging her arms around his neck. "What are you doing?"
Turning sideways, he angled out of the bathroom. "You need to stay off your feet, and I've got an idea for the perfect place to do that."
"Uh, Max." She eyed the bed. "I don't need you to tuck me in."
"That's good. Because you're not going to bed." Not there anyway.
"I'm not inviting you to keep me awake either."
An image he did not need, thank you very much, especially with her nestled so warm and soft against him. "I'm not offering. I prefer my bed partners not be half-dead on their feet."
She needed a distraction and he intended to provide one. He refused to question his impulsive decision. He dipped to twist open the knob and toed the door open. Staying away from her hadn't kept her safe, and he'd already determined he couldn't shut down the investigation. Which left him only one alternative. Keep Darcy with him whenever possible.
Starting now.
"Max!" She slapped a hand to the door frame to stop him from moving farther. "I'm not so sure whatever you have planned is such a good idea."
Securing her against his chest, he stared into her shadowed brown eyes and asked, "Are you really ready to try sleeping?"
Her hand slid from the door frame and curled around his neck. "Where are we going?"
"To find some neutral ground."
Chapter 7
Neutral ground? Being held in Max's arms seemed more like landing smack-dab in the middle of an explosive mine field. Darcy stayed rock still as Max carried her along the outdoor walkway.
The man was hung up on another woman, for crying out loud.
Darcy tried to ignore the scent of musk and suntan oil. Tried. And failed. Damn it, she didn't need the grief of wanting a guy who wanted someone else. Especially not now when her emotional reserves lodged somewhere in the negative numbers after the whole snake debacle.
Max rounded the corner, tucking her closer, nestling her br**sts against his buff chest. Her traitorous body responded. Please, Lord, she hoped Max wouldn't notice.
She wasn't sure how much more of his TLC she could withstand before she lost it. Except he'd nailed her state of mind dead-on in guessing she couldn't stomach staying confined to her room. The night air and Max's arms surrounding her made for a fabulous sensory distraction. "How far away is this neutral ground of yours?''
"Not much farther." He jostled her closer, launching a shower of tingles from his touch all the way to the roots of her windswept hair.
"Good. Because while I appreciate the ride, I'm not overly anxious to be dropped."
"No worries." Hot, muscled strength rippled through his arms, against her skin, confirming his claim of a strength that could carry her for miles. For hours. Long, satisfying hours.
Max started up the outdoor stairs. Stairs? Darcy eyed the sunning deck on the roof over the center section of the cinder-block VOQ. At two in the morning, the cement expanse sprawled blessedly empty but for the call of night creatures and the whisper of salty wind.
Without breaking stride or a sweat, he cleared the steps and kicked wide the metal gate. White plastic lawn chairs and recliners were scattered over the deck, tables interspersed. Max strode toward two recliners nearest the fence and lowered Darcy into one.
His arms slid from beneath her slowly, gently. The night blanketed her with intoxicating heat. Maybe her body only hummed from all the meds or adrenaline rather than arousal. Either way, her skin burned everywhere he touched.
Parking-lot lights and the moon showered a nimbus through the whitened spikes of Max's hair, begging her fingers to explore. Just as she started to surrender and raise her hand, Max settled onto a chair beside her and propped his feet on the rail with his typical negligent ease that dominated any landscape he occupied.
What was it about him that drew her so? Already she knew she wouldn't forget him or their time together on the island. She hated unresolved business, like the way the lingering fears from her kidnapping had been brought too sharply into focus tonight.