Intimate Betrayal

For a mere second, Maxwell shut his eyes and inhaled the scent of her hair, experienced the fragile delicateness of her lush body. He grew hard with desire and desperately wanted to lean downward and kiss her pain away.

“Just a few more minutes,” he whispered in her ear. “Where is your room key?”

“In my purse.”

Without losing his balance or her, he slipped her purse from her shoulder and fished out her key. He tightened his hold on her and pressed the button for the elevator.

“Where’s your medication?” he asked as soon as they were inside the suite and he had her settled on the couch.

“It’s in the medicine…cabinet,” she stammered, shutting her eyes and leaning her head against the cushions of the couch.

Maxwell returned moments later with the medication and a concerned frown.

“Percodan. This is powerful stuff.” He looked down at her and she squinted up at him to bring him into focus. “How long have you been taking it?”

“I haven’t had to take anything but over-the-counter painkillers for the past three years. But the pain got so intense since I’ve been here, I had to call my doctor in Chicago to call in a prescription.”

Maxwell walked over to the lamp that sat on the end table near the couch and turned the light off. He crossed the room and turned on the stereo, reducing the volume to a mellow level. Stepping up behind her, he placed his thumbs at her temples and slowly applied a rotating pressure.

“Just close your eyes and relax,” he coaxed. “You don’t need that medicine,” he continued in a lulling voice. “We can get rid of your pain together.”

“But…”

“Shh. Trust me, Reese,” he whispered.

“That’s the second time you called me Reese tonight,” she whispered over the pain. “I’m wearing you down,” she added languidly.

Maxwell looked down into her exquisite face. He smiled.

“Magic fingers,” she hummed deep in her throat. “Magic.”

Reese awoke sometime after 1:00 a.m. to find herself alone in the semi-darkened suite with a quilt covering her. The faint aroma of Maxwell’s distinctive scent lingered in the air. A slow smile tugged at her mouth. As much as Max tried to be the tough, unapproachable ice man there was an innate gentleness about him that warmed her as no man had been able to do before. His elusiveness was an aphrodisiac, a challenge that she couldn’t resist. To hell with getting burned.

During the two weeks they’d spent together, she’d witnessed the gradual, if not grudging, change in him. But there was so much about him that she didn’t understand. What was it that made him so distant at times, so leery of reporters, so unwilling to show the human side of himself?

All of her instincts told her that Maxwell Knight had so much more to offer the right woman. And instinct also told her that she was that woman. Getting him to realize and accept that was going to be a lot tougher than getting her story. She stood, stretching her long body.

She’d never given up before, even when the doctors had given up on her. Even when she fought to overcome the nightmares, the loss of her family and her memory, she’d never given up.

She wanted Maxwell Knight. And she wouldn’t give up until she had him—totally.

Chapter 4

Religiously, every Saturday morning for the past fifteen years, Maxwell went to the dojo, either in the role of the Sahbamin—teacher—or to work out. His class of eight-year-olds were not due to arrive for two hours.

When he arrived, the only other person present was his best friend, Chris Lewis. He was glad to see his buddy, who’d just returned from a martial arts tournament. He needed to talk.

Maxwell stowed his small duffel bag in his locker and changed into his gui. Shortly, he joined Chris in the small room where they meditated before each session.

Chris and Maxwell bowed toward each other and silently took their places on the straw mats. The peaceful atmosphere of the dojo was what Maxwell needed. His spirit was in disarray. He couldn’t seem to focus or center his energy. And he’d been that way since Reese Delaware steamrolled into his life.

How was he going to be able to accomplish all that needed to be done in the next month when images of Reese haunted his every thought?

“You’re not here today, brother,” Chris said as they left the prayer room. “What’s up?”

Maxwell walked out onto the practice floor, trying to form the words to explain to his friend.

As graceful as a gazelle, Maxwell moved through his warm-up paces of Tai Kwon Do, the only martial art accepted in Olympic competition. The intricate combinations of kicks and punches were a marvel to watch and difficult to master.

“Remember I told you about the Board’s decision to allow a full-fledged article to be written about me and the company?”

“Yeah, I remember, and I had to listen to you bitch and moan about it for weeks.” He chuckled. “So…what happened?”

Maxwell took a deep breath and on the exhale lashed out his right leg, cutting sharply through the air. He glanced briefly at Chris from the corner of his eye. “She’s here.”

Chris’s eyes widened. “She?”

A quirky smile played around the corners of Maxwell’s mouth. “Yeah, she.”

“Well don’t stop there. I take it she’s the reason why you’re performing like an amateur instead of a master teacher,” he said, observing Maxwell’s uncharacteristically choppy moves.

Maxwell dropped his hands to his sides and unclenched his fists. He crossed the huge room and took a seat on the wooden bench. Chris joined him.

“She…she has my head all messed up,” Maxwell confessed, avoiding Chris’s questioning looks. He braced his forearms on his muscled thighs and leaned forward.

“She must really be something if she can raise your blood pressure. I’ve never known you to give a woman any more of your time than was absolutely necessary,” he chuckled.

Maxwell laughed, then slowly sobered. “She’s not like anyone I’ve ever met before,” he said, a slight frown creasing his brow. “Every time I’m round her my hormones go on a rampage.”

“Sounds like you need to just get it on and get it out of your system,” Chris hedged, trying to goad his brother-friend into confessing what was really bothering him.

“It’s not about sex, man. I mean, that’s part of it,” he added, feeling the throb of excitement just thinking about the possibilities. “But it’s more than that.” He shook his head in confusion, trying to find the words. “There’s this…connection that I feel when I’m with her. She’s exciting, intelligent, fun. She has this way of making me take a real look at myself. She’s not afraid to challenge me.”

“She sounds like a powerful lady.” He patted Maxwell on the back. “Just the medicine you need, my brother. So what’s the problem?”

“The same problem I always have. I just can’t let go. How do I know if she’s really interested in me, or just wants my story?”

“You won’t until you put yourself out there and find out. Listen, I know you’ve been burned—bad. Victoria Davenport was a first-class bitch. I know that your Moms and Pops left a lot to be desired as parents. But there comes a time when you have to dust yourself off and try again.”

Maxwell stood up. “Easier said than done.”

“Give her a chance, man. Forget the fact that she’s a reporter. And go with what you feel.”

“I’ll think about it.”

Chris rose and joined his friend in the center of the floor. “That’s your problem, my brother. You think too much.” Maxwell laughed.

“So, what’s this wonder woman’s name?”