abdomen.
Her toes curled. No, the bed was definitely not big enough, not with him in it.
His blue gaze stroked her slowly, and a smile settled onto his lips. “Put us together, and we’re ready for some one-on-one.”
Her breathing stopped entirely.
“Basketball, I mean.”
Maxie’s cheeks heated, and she stood uncertainly in the bathroom doorway. Her hair was only towel dried, and the breeze from the air-conditioning vent made her shiver. She didn’t know which was worse, standing here with him watching her or climbing into bed with him.
He lifted his hand. Hanging from his index finger was one of her frilly nighties, the white one with the bandeau bodice. “I found this under the pillows.”
The sight of him holding that silk lit a fire under her. She darted to the bed and snagged it from his grip. Balling it up, she hurried to the dresser, only to discover that the curtains were still wide open. His Jeep was in her driveway and countless townspeople had seen them out together tonight. She didn’t need to give them even more of a show. She untied the sashes that held back the floor-length curtains. They swung down, shutting the world out.
And closing them in together.
Hesitantly, she turned.
Zac was still watching her, and in that moment the house seemed too quiet. More people were downstairs, but up here, with only one low-wattage lamp lit, it had become way too intimate.
“What happened at the pool, Maxie?”
Her chin popped up. The question threw her, and it was more personal than anything she’d prepared herself for. “We went swimming.”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”
Her lips flattened. “I was overheated.”
“That parking lot could have been on fire, and it wouldn’t have been hot enough to make the Maxie Miller I know strip down to baby-pink panties in the middle of a public place.”
She winced. Trust him to notice that detail. She searched for another plausible reason. “I…”
“And don’t tell me it was peer pressure.” He propped his head in his hand, rolling onto his side as he watched her. “I believe that for Lexie, but not for you.”
Maxie stared at the floor and wasn’t surprised to see that she’d rocked her right foot back onto its heel. The room became impossibly quieter when the air conditioning clicked off. The only sounds were their breaths, and hers had gone too short and ragged.
“Something happened out there, Beauty. I saw it come over you. What was it?”
She couldn’t explain. Honestly. It had been instinctive. When she’d seen Roxie in that pool, she’d been transported back to another time and place.
Tightness pulled at her chest. “I was reminded of something,” she confessed.
“What?”
He wouldn’t understand. There was no way to communicate what she’d felt in that moment. Her gaze flicked away but stuck on the TV in the corner of the room. She couldn’t tell him, but maybe she could show him. After all he’d done, he deserved some kind of explanation.
And she wanted to see it again.
She had to see it.
Impulse took over, and she hurried to the entertainment center. Hands shaking, she pulled open a drawer and began searching through old videotapes. She found the one she wanted, and her heart began tap-tapping against her rib cage. He might not understand when he watched the video, but she would.
She’d been wondering all her life, and tonight she might have gotten an answer.
Her hands were unsteady as she plugged the video into the old VCR/DVD combo unit. Sweeping up the remote, she pushed play. The bed shifted behind her when Zac moved closer. She sank to the floor when the video started playing, and hit the fast-forward button. There they were, her mom and dad at the zoo.
“Is that you?” His voice was only inches from her ear. “God, you were beautiful even then.”
Maxie braced her back against the bed. She zoomed through the segment of her laughing at the monkeys until she found what she was searching
Her toes curled. No, the bed was definitely not big enough, not with him in it.
His blue gaze stroked her slowly, and a smile settled onto his lips. “Put us together, and we’re ready for some one-on-one.”
Her breathing stopped entirely.
“Basketball, I mean.”
Maxie’s cheeks heated, and she stood uncertainly in the bathroom doorway. Her hair was only towel dried, and the breeze from the air-conditioning vent made her shiver. She didn’t know which was worse, standing here with him watching her or climbing into bed with him.
He lifted his hand. Hanging from his index finger was one of her frilly nighties, the white one with the bandeau bodice. “I found this under the pillows.”
The sight of him holding that silk lit a fire under her. She darted to the bed and snagged it from his grip. Balling it up, she hurried to the dresser, only to discover that the curtains were still wide open. His Jeep was in her driveway and countless townspeople had seen them out together tonight. She didn’t need to give them even more of a show. She untied the sashes that held back the floor-length curtains. They swung down, shutting the world out.
And closing them in together.
Hesitantly, she turned.
Zac was still watching her, and in that moment the house seemed too quiet. More people were downstairs, but up here, with only one low-wattage lamp lit, it had become way too intimate.
“What happened at the pool, Maxie?”
Her chin popped up. The question threw her, and it was more personal than anything she’d prepared herself for. “We went swimming.”
“Don’t play dumb. You know what I mean.”
Her lips flattened. “I was overheated.”
“That parking lot could have been on fire, and it wouldn’t have been hot enough to make the Maxie Miller I know strip down to baby-pink panties in the middle of a public place.”
She winced. Trust him to notice that detail. She searched for another plausible reason. “I…”
“And don’t tell me it was peer pressure.” He propped his head in his hand, rolling onto his side as he watched her. “I believe that for Lexie, but not for you.”
Maxie stared at the floor and wasn’t surprised to see that she’d rocked her right foot back onto its heel. The room became impossibly quieter when the air conditioning clicked off. The only sounds were their breaths, and hers had gone too short and ragged.
“Something happened out there, Beauty. I saw it come over you. What was it?”
She couldn’t explain. Honestly. It had been instinctive. When she’d seen Roxie in that pool, she’d been transported back to another time and place.
Tightness pulled at her chest. “I was reminded of something,” she confessed.
“What?”
He wouldn’t understand. There was no way to communicate what she’d felt in that moment. Her gaze flicked away but stuck on the TV in the corner of the room. She couldn’t tell him, but maybe she could show him. After all he’d done, he deserved some kind of explanation.
And she wanted to see it again.
She had to see it.
Impulse took over, and she hurried to the entertainment center. Hands shaking, she pulled open a drawer and began searching through old videotapes. She found the one she wanted, and her heart began tap-tapping against her rib cage. He might not understand when he watched the video, but she would.
She’d been wondering all her life, and tonight she might have gotten an answer.
Her hands were unsteady as she plugged the video into the old VCR/DVD combo unit. Sweeping up the remote, she pushed play. The bed shifted behind her when Zac moved closer. She sank to the floor when the video started playing, and hit the fast-forward button. There they were, her mom and dad at the zoo.
“Is that you?” His voice was only inches from her ear. “God, you were beautiful even then.”
Maxie braced her back against the bed. She zoomed through the segment of her laughing at the monkeys until she found what she was searching
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