“When I was younger, I worked so hard to keep our life moving forward. But at any moment it was like my father could pull the rug out from under me. Everyone at school thought I had my life together until he showed up drunk to meet with my teachers. All the bills were paid, until he decided to help but then forgot where he’d put the mail, and the electric company turned off our power. I can’t live like that again.”
“I’m not asking you to.” Hunter reached out and took her hand. “Have a little faith in me. Not a lot, just a little.”
Their interlaced fingers rested on the console between the seats. Maggie’s gaze locked on their joined hands. She forced herself to relax for the first time since she’d set foot in Dan’s backyard.
“I’ll try,” she said reluctantly. “As long as you don’t pull another stunt like that.”
“That’s fair.” Hunter nodded. “But next time, I expect you to stand up for yourself.”
“I will.” She hadn’t wanted Carter’s hands on her. But she was a big girl and could handle herself. She didn’t need to be rescued. Of course, saving the day was Hunter’s default. He was a hero—she just didn’t need him to be hers.
He traced circles on the palm of her hand with his thumb. It felt as if he was brushing away her anger with his touch.
“I do trust you,” she said. “To a point, but—”
“Enough for tomorrow night?” he asked.
Her throat went dry, but she managed an affirmative nod. Her mind went to the pair of heels in her closet. She’d known when she bought them that she wanted to follow him wherever he led her—when it came to sex. But she wasn’t ready to let go of the rest of her life. She knew letting go in bed was only a temporary fix, like Saturday night. But she wasn’t ready for more. She might never be.
14
MAGGIE WOKE UP before her alarm, and this time it wasn’t the smell of coffee that had her marching down the stairs before six. She needed to write. Last night, Carter had suggested that a bestselling book would make her a shoo-in for tenure. Excitement coursed through her as she typed up her notes, crafting paragraph after paragraph about Hunter’s mission on horseback. She stopped every so often to scribble follow-up questions.
Three hours into her work, Hunter appeared in the door with a mug. Maggie accepted the coffee with a smile, but remained focused on her computer screen. “Were the aid workers injured when you rescued them?”
“Good morning to you, too,” he said.
Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him perch on the edge of her desk and fold his arms across his chest. Her mind might be focused on work, but her body? Every inch of her was aware of Hunter as a man, not a Ranger and the subject of her book. She sneaked a peek and her breath caught. A man without a shirt. Damn him. Desire pulsed through her.
“Well?” she asked, trying to keep her mind from following her body’s let’s-get-naked-with-him cues. “Were they? Injured?”
He hesitated, unfolding his arms and then crossing them again. “They’d taken a hit or two, but were still mobile.”
“Did their limited mobility slow you down?” she asked, keeping her gaze locked on her computer.
“Is there a reason you won’t look at me?”
“You’re not wearing a shirt,” she replied, her fingers moving over the keyboard.
“You’ve seen me without a shirt before,” he said playfully.
“I’m working right now,” she said. “We had a deal. We keep work and the other stuff separate.”
Hunter chuckled. “The other stuff?”
Maggie felt a faint blush creep up her cheeks, but refused to turn away from her computer. It was too dangerous. If she looked again, she’d want to touch. And if she touched him...other stuff would happen. Here. On her desk. She crossed her legs, pressing her thighs together.
“You know what I’m talking about,” she said.
“I do.” Out of the corner of her eye, she saw him stand and move around behind her desk chair, disappearing from view. She felt his breath on her neck and then his lips brushed her skin. “But you have no idea what you’re in for tonight, do you, Maggie? Only that you’ll be completely under my control. And, honey, tonight we’re playing out my fantasies.”
Her hands froze on the keys.
“I’m going to town for a few supplies. Dinner will be at seven. Don’t be late, and Maggie...?”
“Hmm?” she murmured, her body humming from the way his breath danced across the sensitive skin on the back of her neck.
“Be sure to wear your heels.”