She nodded, surprised he understood. "Exactly. I have to fly. It's like breathing for me. Except my father owns all the air." Her fighter pilot sister had figured out how to make it work and her bomber brother just didn't care.
Why the hell wasn't there a patch of the sky she could claim for her own? Not one she'd located yet, anyway. "I wish I could find my niche in his world."
Sharing her frustrations felt good. Max was so easy to talk to, a good listener. No games. No facades. Just open honesty. "I feel as if I have ten times more to prove to these guys because of the Air Force pedigree. I need to make sure everyone knows I earned my wings with hard work instead of soaking up the benefits of nepotism."
She smacked her throbbing leg in frustration. "Damn it, I should be flying combat in Cantou instead of working the Flipper Flight." Darcy stopped short. "Uh, no offense."
A half smile tipped a dimple into Max's cheek. "None taken."
"Of course, now I can't even fly in earthquake relief supplies for three days. My missions will have to be taken on by someone else. Way to make a big impression as the new co around the squadron."
Max turned solemn eyes her way. "The crew's respect for you seems rock solid."
His sure tone bolstered her. Typical for the guy-minimal words, maximum punch.>"That's not my point." She stopped, bit her lip, shook her head before continuing, "I shouldn't expect you would understand about my job. We're just from two different walks of life." She nudged his foot with hers. "But then I guess the different-worlds part is a lot of what I enjoy about you, Dr. Maxwell Keagan."
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?''