Command Performance

“Then it ends and you’ll hurt,” Olivia said bluntly. “But what if you never give him a shot, Maggs? You deserve a little happy in your life, and I think he makes you pretty damn happy. Right?”

Maggie bit her lip. It had been so long since she’d thought about what made her happy. She’d been so focused on taking care of her father and then on her career that she pushed happiness to the side. “When I’m with him, I no longer feel as if I’m hiding part of myself. I can have my career and my, er, cake.”

“Is that what we’re calling it now?”

“It was supposed to be just one night of amazing sex. How did it get so complicated?”

“It’s never just sex. You’re not a robot, Maggie

. You’re a woman who happens to enjoy sex with this man, and you have a successful career. You can have both, but no one said it was going to be easy.”

“What if he never wanted me? Not really,” she said, voicing the fear that had wrapped around her like a vise when she’d overheard Connor and Jed talking. “What if he was only with me to do his job?”

“Do you really believe that?”

I’m never going to get enough of you. His words from the night she’d made his fantasy come true echoed in her head. That moment, when they’d made love, it had felt sincere. But there wasn’t a cold, hard fact she could point to that said, yes, he meant every word. She had to take it on faith.

“Maybe parts of it were real,” Maggie admitted. Her phone started vibrating again. Maggie leaned over and saw Hunter’s name.

“The parts that matter?” Olivia asked.

The connection between them that they’d tried to ignore, but couldn’t? She hadn’t imagined that, and she knew Hunter had felt it, too. She’d known she was safe to explore her fantasies with him.

And his kindness. That had been real, too. He hadn’t repaired her gutters and made s’mores for her because he’d been following orders. For the first time in as long as she could remember, she’d let someone help her, take care of her. And it had felt good.

Maggie nodded. “What do I do now?”

Olivia lowered her fork. “You start by answering your phone before I throw it out the window.”

Maggie picked up her cell, which was vibrating again. “Hunter?”

“Where are you?” He sounded breathless, as if he’d been running.

The sound of his voice stirred up her emotions. Desire, love and fear intermingled. Was she making the right choice? Was he worth the risk? “I’m at Olivia’s.”

“Give me the address. I’ll be right there.”

“You’re in New York?” she said, surprised. “How?”

“You didn’t think I’d let you go without a fight, did you? I hopped a military flight.” She heard the sound of a car engine turning over in the background. “Now give me the address. I found Logan waiting on your doorstep. He dropped everything when I asked him to meet with you. I’m bringing him with me now, so be ready with your questions, Miss Maggie.”

Maggie rattled off the address and then set the phone down, her hands trembling. “He’s coming here. And he has Logan with him, his teammate the army didn’t want me to interview. He really did it, Olivia. He put his job on the line for me. He loves being a Ranger. More than anything.”

“Maybe he loves you more,” Olivia said.

“Oh, God, maybe he does.” Maggie waited for the weight of this revelation to sink in and threaten to smother her. But it didn’t. Instead she felt the first inkling of hope pulling her out of the shattering despair she’d carried around with her since she overheard his teammates talking. If he was willing to put his career on the line for her, his feelings must be real. “What do I do now?”

“You decide whether he’s worth the risk. Whether you believe in him and trust him. Whether you love him enough.” Olivia handed her the chocolate cake container. “Here. Eat the cake. It will help you think.”

19

HUNTER PULLED UP in front of Olivia’s modest one-story cottage. He got out of his rental car and rushed to the front door without waiting for Logan. He had to see Maggie. He needed to know she was all right. And then he had to convince her that his future was here with her.

He knocked, and Maggie opened the door as if she’d been waiting on the other side. He could feel the tension in her body without touching her. She’d changed out of her business clothes into her exercise pants and gray hooded sweatshirt, the one that hugged her breasts. His gaze dropped briefly to her chest before he looked back at her face. She had a smear of chocolate on the side of her mouth. His hand itched to reach out and wipe it away. But he couldn’t. Not until he said what he came to say. Not until he was certain she wouldn’t pull back and slam the door in his face.

“What happened to your Mercedes? It’s not parked out front.” He grimaced as he said the words. He should have started with I love you, not where is your car? But what if something had happened to her? An accident?

“Flat tire,” she said. “The rim was bent out of shape. Olivia picked me up and I called a tow truck.”