"Am I covered in dirt and sand?"

He shook his head. "No, but you're going to be covered in bruises by morning. A hot soak will ease things a little. h.e.l.l, look at your feet." As he said it, he knelt and lifted one of them, shaking his head as he examined the sole, which felt to Maxie as if she had walked over a porcupine.

He lowered her foot again. "Strip down, take a nice soak, " he said. "Take your time." He nodded at a plaid flannel robe that hung from the towel rack. "You can put that on when you finish. 'Kay?"

She resigned herself to bathing alone as he left the bathroom. He didn't close the door all the way, though, she noted. Just enough to give her some privacy-unwanted or otherwise.

Maxie peeled off her shirt and panties, stepped into the steaming water and sank down into its heat. It felt good, mostly, though it stung in some places. She leaned back and let the water keep running, so it would rise even higher around her shoulders. When it lapped at her neck, she finally shut it off, but only because it would have run over otherwise. Then she. closed her eyes and let the hot water soak her aches and pains away.

Thoughts were chasing their tails in her head. Lou's fearless attack on that vamp. h.e.l.l, if that didn't prove he loved her, she didn't know what would. Stormy's possession, or whatever the h.e.l.l was wrong with her. It seemed to be getting worse. Max had to find a way to help her. The vampire, he was on her mind, too. She'd never seen him before, didn't know his name. But she had drawings of him. Maybe if she sent some copies around-h.e.l.l, none of the vampires she knew had faxes. What was that b.a.s.t.a.r.d doing with two young girls, anyway? And why did he want her and Stormy to come out there... alone?

It was Stormy he wanted. She'd sensed it before, and now he'd admitted it. There had been something palpable and electric between them out there tonight.

But slowly the soothing hot water dissolved her racing thoughts and replaced them with relaxation. She closed her eyes and let the chaos melt away. Stopped thinking and just felt instead. Felt the pain soothing away. Felt the water soaking the grit gently out of her numerous sc.r.a.pes and scratches. Felt the worry easing from her overworked mind.

Lou waited until he was sure the water must have gone cool before he went to the slightly open door and spoke her name. She didn't answer, so he peered around the door.

She lay in the water, head back against the tub, eyes closed. One arm dangled over the side of thebathtub, smooth skin gleaming and damp, but marred with scratches and bruises that were already growing dark and purple. The ends of her hair were wet against her neck.

"Maxie?" he said, a little louder this time.

Nothing. He would have thought she was faking if he didn't know better. Not that she wouldn't pull a trick like that. She would. Wouldn't even bat a long, thick eyelash first, either. But she wasn't. Not tonight.

Sighing, he walked into the bathroom and told himself not to look at her. He took a big towel from the shelf, held it up and moved toward the tub, willing himself to keep his eyes on her face and nothing else.

It would have worked, too, if he hadn't been human, and male, and in possession of a pulse.

He looked.

She lay on her back in the water like a newborn G.o.ddess. Her knees were bent and leaning toward the back of the tub, so his view was of the wet curve of her hip and then that of her waist. Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s were tempting beneath the water's surface, her delicate collarbones making him want to touch, to trace. And then her neck. She had a neck to beat all necks. A neck that made a man understand why it was that vampires always went for the jugular. A h.e.l.l of a lot more than blood pressure, that was for sure.

He moved closer, leaned over her kissable toes and pulled the stopper. The water began to drain, and he waited, not bothering to stop looking now that the damage was done. He figured at this point he could look his fill and do no worse. The problem was, with Maxie, he never got his fill. Not even close.

When the water was gone, and her skin grew goose b.u.mps and her nipples went tight with the chill, he leaned over and laid the towel over her, gathered her closer to tuck it around behind her and scooped her up out of the bathtub. She was dripping wet, and the towel didn't come together very well in the back. He snagged the bathrobe on his way out and tossed it onto the bed. Using one hand, he opened it and then laid her on it.

She opened her eyes a little but didn't move to be of any help. The towel covered her while he slid her hand into the sleeve of the bathrobe. Then he did the same with the other hand, and drew the robe closed over her front. He tied the sash, then tugged the wet towel out from under.

Maxie smiled. "Leave it to you to find a way to get a wet, naked woman out of the tub and into the bed without having to look at or hardly even touch her."

He lifted his brows. "I tried my best, Max, but even I'm not that good."

She blinked at him, looking first confused, then surprised. He didn't give her time to comment or speculate. "I'll get the first aid supplies."

"I'll settle for a morphine drip and a stiff drink."

"Can you make do with aspirin and a beer?" She nodded. "Sounds like heaven."

He returned to the bathroom. By the time he came hack, she was lying under the covers and the robe was on the floor. She read his face, tugged the covers down in front. "I pilfered one of your T-shirts. The robe was damp, and I was cold." "That's fine."

"You didn't look like it was fine when you thought I was naked under here."

He smirked and came to sit on the edge of the bed, then handed her two aspirin tablets and gla.s.s of water.

She swallowed the pills and set the gla.s.s aside. "What else you got?"

He grinned at her. G.o.d, Maxie could always make him laugh, no matter the circ.u.mstances. Holding up a tube of muscle rub, he said, "It's odor free, but works as well as the smelly kind."

"You travel with muscle rub?" She speared him with her gleaming green eyes. "Is that a prop to convince me you're over the hill?"

"A handful of old injuries. They act up every now and then."

"Yeah? What kind of injuries? You take a bullet in the line of duty?"

He slanted a look at her. "Roll over."

She did. Lou tugged the blankets down to her hips and lifted up the T-shirt. He squeezed some of the liniment onto his palm, rubbed his hands to warm it, then began ma.s.saging it into her skin. It was warm and taut, and he loved touching it. Everything in him came alive when he ran his hands over her flesh.

He felt her relaxing into his touch, heard her sigh. "G.o.d you've got great hands, " she said. "So, you gonna tell me what happened? How you got those old injuries?"

He rubbed at a knot beneath her shoulder blade, then ma.s.saged the shoulders themselves. "I was still a rookie, act up in a speed trap on a highway, and a guy went by me doing seventy-five. So I hit the lights and siren and went after him. Pulled him over. Ran the plates. Then I got out and walked up to the driver's door."

"And?"

She was looking over her shoulder at him, her eyes wide.

"Got nailed by a pickup the size of a tank. Felt like it, anyway." He rubbed the small of her back.

She rolled over onto her back so quickly he found himself with his hands on her belly. It was soft, and he liked the feel of his hands there, but he took them away all the same. "Why don't I already know about this stuff, Lou? G.o.d, I've known you for-how long now?"

He shrugged. "Years."

"Almost a decade. I thought we were friends."

"We are friends."

"Then why is it I'm just now finding out about major things in your life?" "Maybe just now is the first time I felt compelled to tell you."

She blinked at him. He stared down at her and read her face. Why now? she wanted to know. She wanted to know if it meant anything, if it was some kind of signal that he was maybe ready to kick this thing up a notch.

Well, he wasn't ready for anything of the sort, but he didn't want to hurt her feelings by telling her not to go there.

"So where's that beer you promised me?" she asked.

He was surprised as all h.e.l.l. But he got up and went to the cooler on the table across the room, got out two beers, popped the tops and handed one to her. She'd propped up a bunch of pillows and was sitting upright now.

He sat down to sip his beer, then set the can down and reached for the liniment again. He knew this was the lamest, most pathetic, sorry-a.s.s game he'd ever played, because there wasn't a reason on G.o.d's earth why she couldn't rub this stuff on her own legs. At least with her back, the need for his a.s.sistance was plausible. Barely. But this was purely gratuitous, and he knew she knew it, too.

She would use it against him; he knew she would. But he yanked the covers back, anyway, and when he saw all the scratches, he set the liniment down and picked up the antibiotic ointment instead.

"How badly were you hurt?" she asked.

He used his forefingers to dab ointment on the gouges and cuts, scratches and sc.r.a.pes. "Broke a femur and three ribs, and dislocated a shoulder."

He stole a look at her eyes. They were wide and fixed on his face. "It's okay, there was no permanent damage. I'm fine now."

"You're lucky it didn't kill you."

"Don't think I don't know it " He shrugged. "Better skip the other stuff on your legs. They're bruised, but that stuff would b.u.m in the cuts and sc.r.a.pes. Now..." He moved up on the bed, caught her chin in his hand and bent closer to look at her face. He turned her head left, then right. "There are some nasty scratches on your neck."

"Are there?"

He nodded, realizing a little too late how close he was to her face and how intently her eyes were probing his. He cleared his throat and put a little more of the ointment on his fingers, then ran them gently over the smooth skin of her neck.

He was fine until she tipped her head back and closed her eyes, her breath easing out of her lungs in a shuddering sigh.

He didn't realize his hand had gone still until those green eyes opened again and locked onto his.

Then her head lifted from the pillows and she pressed her mouth to his. Briefly, lightly, she kissed him.Then she kissed him again, and again. Taunting, teasing little pecks that only left him wanting more, until finally, unable to resist her, he slid his arms around and underneath her, one at the small of her back, one between her shoulder blades. He drew her to him, and he kissed her fully, deeply. Her arms twined around his neck. Her body arched up against him, and G.o.d, everything in him burned for her.

When he finally took a breath and lifted his head away, she whispered, "Don't you dare start giving me a list of reasons why we shouldn't, Lou. You do, and I swear I'll shoot you with your own gun."

He stared down at her, wanting her so badly his entire body strained to get closer.

"It doesn't have to be anything more than this. Just this, " she whispered. "Just us, here and now. No future. No past. No demands or expectations or repercussions, I swear."

He knew she meant it. He also knew she was dead wrong.

She straightened and trailed hot kisses across his neck, along his shoulder. And then she said, "For G.o.d's sake, Lou, make love to me. Please."

He thought of all the reasons why he shouldn't. But he was way beyond that kind of self-denial. Had been, he figured, since seeing her naked in that bath.

He was almost trembling-both with wanting her so badly for so long and with certainty that he was making the most horrendous mistake of his life-when he cupped her cheek with one hand and drew her mouth back to his again.

He felt her smiling against his mouth. And then her hands were on his chest, fingers wending their way between his body and hers to deftly open the b.u.t.tons of his shirt. She pushed it open and then her hands were on him, and he was suddenly living in a state of physical bliss.

Chapter 17.

It was happening. She could hardly believe it was happening. His mouth on hers, his hands pushing the T-shirt up. He lay in the bed beside her now, and he stopped kissing her to look at her as he lifted the shirt over her head and tossed it aside. He looked at her the way a child looks at Santa Claus. Awe and wonder in his eyes. His hand moved, the back of it sliding over her neck and collarbones, then lower to her breast, where each knuckle humped over her and made her close her eyes in pleasure and arch her back to his touch. He went still, so she opened her eyes again. "Lou?" He was still staring at her body. But then he looked away. "I can't do this."

"What?"

He rolled away from her, sitting up, feet to the floor on his side of the bed. "I...I've got that muscle rub on my hands."

"That's not a reason... Lou?"

He was getting up, walking into the bathroom, though he left the door open. His shirt hung open as he leaned against the counter, turned on the faucets and began washing his hands.

She got up, too, knowing d.a.m.n good and well he was trying to run away from her yet again. She wasn't standing for it. Not this time, dammit.

She strode into the bathroom and stood behind him at the sink. "Don't do this to me, Lou. Not this time... not after...all of that."

He lowered his head, not even meeting her eyes in the mirror.

"I'm doing this for your own good."

"Why don't you let me worry about what's good for me? You stick to worrying about what's good for you. I'd be good for you, Lou. So good..."

"Stop."

Swallowing her pride, she dropped the robe from her shoulders. Just let it fall to the floor at her feet.

Then she gripped his arm and tugged him until he turned around. His eyes widened, then fixed on her, before moving up and down her body over and over.

"Jesus, Maxie, what are you doing?"

"I'm doing this for your own good, Lou" She reached for his hands. They were still wet, dripping. She drew them to her b.r.e.a.s.t.s and pressed them to her. Then she let go, so she could slide her own hands over him, underneath the shirt that hung open. "G.o.d, I love your chest, " she said as she let her palms trace every ripple. "And your abs..." Her hands moved lower.

His hands were squeezing her b.r.e.a.s.t.s now. Kneading, gently and rhythmically. She wasn't certain he was aware he was moving them. She slid hers to the front of his jeans and opened the b.u.t.ton and zipper.

He didn't pull free or run away. She felt him tremble under her touch as she drew the zipper down and slid her hand inside.

He was hard, warm to her touch. She let her fingertips dance over the tip of him and heard his breath come stuttering out. She took his measure by wrapping her hand around him, then sliding it down slowly, squeezing as she did.

He made a sound, a deep groan that told her she was on the right track. Smiling, nearly drunk with the power she felt surging through her-the knowledge that he couldn't say no to her, even if he wanted to-she dropped to her knees, shoving his jeans down as she went, and before he had even an instant to object, she had him in her mouth.

He swore. A long, growling stream of cuss words, and he even backed up a little, but his a.s.s only hit the sink counter. She took him deeper, then let her lips slide all the way to the tip, where she used her tongue before sucking harder and taking him deep again.

She looked upward as she mouthed him. Saw him tip his head back and close his eyes even as his hands buried themselves in her hair. He was shaking harder now. Trying, she thought, to resist the urge to hold her head captive and plow into her throat. Instead, he slid his hands to her shoulders and firmly pushed her away.

Fine. She got to her feet, wrapped her arms around his neck and took his mouth, pulling him away from the sink as she did. His hands moved to her backside, cupping her cheeks, squeezing them, pulling her hard against him. And he pushed her mouth wide open with his tongue, then dug in, licking deep. She thought maybe she'd pushed him past the place where he was capable of turning away, so she used her hold on his neck to support her as she lifted her legs and wrapped her thighs around him.

His hands tightened harder. She wriggled until she felt his hardness nudging at her opening, and then she pushed herself lower, sheathing him, taking him inside. They sank a little as his knees gave, but he caught himself, straightened and moved, carrying her, on him. He pushed her up against a wall and drove up into her, once, twice, again, each time stabbing more deeply. Then he spun her away from the wall and stumbled toward the bed.

Her back hit the mattress, his weight pressing her into it, his hips using the momentum to drive still more deeply. She tipped her hips high, straining to take all he wanted to give her, though he was already stretching her to her limits. She arched. He caught her hips, halting her. "Easy, babe. Easy. I'll hurt you."

She replied by grasping his a.s.s in her hands and tugging, even sinking her nails in a little. "More, " she whispered against his ear. "I want all of you." Then she bit his earlobe.

With a deep shudder, he gave her what she asked for. His hands slid to her knees, and he pushed. She unlinked her ankles from behind his back and let him open her wider. He pushed her knees apart and upward, and he met her eyes.