Everywhere.
Hungry for the connection, desperate to forget her problems, trembling in her boots for more of this man beneath her, she kissed him back with all the pent-up longing and need she felt. When they broke free, his eyes were heavy-lidded with lust and desire, and she had one single, devastating thought.
All these years later, she still wanted him as her own.
Chapter Six
MAX DIDN’T often act without deliberate conscious thought. In his job, his life depended on him being a clear, levelheaded thinker at all times.
But at the moment, with the wind and snow beating up his truck on the outside, the interior both dark and intimate, his tongue halfway down Rory’s throat, he couldn’t kick-start his brain or mobilize his thoughts. All he could do was feel. And, Christ, what he felt. Rory’s loose hair streaming over his shoulders and arms as she strained against him, her petite body chilled enough to sink in and concern him—which was an excuse to wrap her up even tighter in his arms.
Better.
Carl gave a happy “wuff,” and clearly thinking they were all going to wrestle, he tried to stick his big, fat head in between them.
Rory choked out a laugh and gave the dog a playful shove and then, in what might have been Max’s favorite part of the day, hell his entire year, Rory slid her fingers back into his hair and kissed him.
Yeah, that worked. Big time. He tried to keep it light but she kept responding with more than he expected, sweeping her tongue into his mouth, sliding it sensually against his, and he was a goner. With a groan, he tightened his grip on her and gave her all he had.
She whispered his name, her voice filled with such longing that it reached deep inside his chest and squeezed around his heart. She was still straddling him, her knees tucked on either side of his hips, and then she rocked against his killer hard-on and he forgot to breathe. But breathing was optional anyway as he kissed her hungrily, completely lost in her, just gone.
When she finally pulled free, she was breathless, her eyes dazed, her lips full and wet. “What was that for?” she asked softly.
He had no idea. She was driving him crazy. Since the day he’d begun working in the same building as her and he’d realized that there was a serious chemistry between them, she’d been driving him crazy. But this was a whole new level of crazy, the kind that made him want to get her naked so he could warm her up in the most basic of ways.
Not good.
None of this was good, this seeing new sides of her that he didn’t want to see. Rory sharing everything she had, Rory being sweet and kind. Resourceful. And incredibly courageous. And, Christ, but he really loved that about her. She’d been through hell and was here on the other side, stronger than ever.
The thing was, in his life, he took care of people. Clients at work. Coworkers. Carl. His friends. His family. Although . . . it hadn’t escaped him who’d been taking care of who on this trip.
“Max?”
“I don’t know what that was,” he said. “You turn me upside down.”
She let out a snort. Clearly he wasn’t the only one off his axis.
Headlights came up behind them, uncomfortably close. All he could see in the dark night was that the vehicle was large. Possibly a tow truck, hopefully a tow truck but possibly not, and he carefully nudged Rory off his lap and back to her seat. Her eyes widened when he leaned forward to grab the Maglite he’d left at his feet and his jacket raised up, clearly revealing the gun at the small of his back.
“What—”
“Wait here,” he said, and then he slid out of the truck, locking it behind him. They were on a deserted road in a damn blizzard.
Sitting ducks.
But it was a tow truck. “Got a call,” the driver said, hopping out. “Bad battery?”
“Yeah, if you can just give me a jump, I should be able to get it home and replace it.”
The guy nodded and they went to work.
“Hopefully you get all the way through,” the tow truck driver said when they had Max’s truck running again. “I heard they’re going to close the road five miles up. There’s a wreck that they might not get cleared until morning.”
Hell. “Thanks.” He got back into his truck and looked at Rory. And Carl too, since he was once again in her lap, the big baby. Max didn’t feel like smiling but that’s exactly what he did since his dog was bigger than she was. “Shouldn’t you be in his lap?”
She had her arms wrapped around Carl in a hug and they looked pretty comfy. “He wanted a snuggle.”
No shit. Any male in his right mind would want a snuggle from Rory. The thought surprised him. But it was the utter truth. “We can go back,” he said, “or we can forge forward with no guarantee. What’s your vote?”
She looked surprised. “You’re giving me a say?”
“Yes,” he said. “Merry Christmas.”
She rolled her eyes but stared at him some more, her expression going solemn and serious. Whatever her thoughts, they were deep and troubled, and he knew it was related to why she was in such a desperate hurry to get home.
“I vote forge forward,” she finally said.
He nodded. “Forward it is then.”
But three minutes later he was second-guessing their decision. The snow had gotten worse and so had the driving conditions.
“I get why you’re mad at me,” Rory said quietly. “And I know it won’t help anything, but . . .”
“I don’t need an apology from you,” he said. He felt her gaze on him but kept his on the road. “Shit.”
“What?”
He pointed to the flashing sign ahead: Highway closed three miles ahead.
Take next exit to turn around.
She didn’t speak, but her sucked in gasp spoke volumes. They were silent as he got off at the exit. They were in a very small mountain town. Actually town might be a bit overstated. There was a gas station, a convenience store, and a tiny motel. Emphasis on tiny.
Max pulled into the lot. “I’m going to ask you one more time—go back or stay and get rooms?”
She bit her lower lip.
“It’s one in the morning,” he said. “I’m exhausted. You look exhausted.”
Carl let out a low huff.
“And Carl’s exhausted,” he added and got a ghost of a smile from Rory. “If we get rooms, we would get some sleep and hopefully the roads will open up at daylight.”
“Daylight,” she repeated softly, staring out the window. “So we won’t make it home by dawn.”
There was something in her voice. Emotion. Deep emotion. “Better than going back to San Francisco though, right?” he asked.
She didn’t answer.
“Rory? Stay or go?”
She closed her eyes. “Stay.”
“Okay.” He nodded. “Do you want to call home? I’m sure there’s a phone in there we can use.”
“It’s too late,” she said softly. “They go to bed early. It’s okay, I’ll call them in the morning. I don’t want to wake up the whole house.”
“Okay. Wait here with Carl for a sec, I’ve gotta go try to bribe them into letting him stay as well, otherwise I’m stuck in the truck.”
“We’re stuck in the truck,” she said, reaching to pet Carl.