Undressed by the Rebel: The Honourable Maverick

CHAPTER SEVEN

‘SHE can’t go.’

‘Excuse me?’ Max flicked his gaze up from where he was slotting the bassinette, stuffed full of baby clothes and nappies, into the back of his car.

‘Your sister,’ the motel manager said nervously. ‘The police might want to talk to her again. She’s their best witness.’

‘She’s already given them a statement. They can talk again later. Preferably tomorrow. We’re only going to be just down the road. I gave you my address on the registration form.’

The manager looked bewildered. Things were happening in his establishment that were far more than he had any desire to cope with. Max took pity on him.

‘I know it’s a bit weird. She should have come home with me in the first place but she’s kind of independent is my sister. Extremely capable but she likes to manage things on her own.’ Not that she was putting up any kind of resistance to him having taken control for now. Ellie was sitting in the back seat of his car, with Mouse in the baby seat strapped in right beside her. She had to be listening to this exchange but she was sitting very still. Looking tense enough to snap at any moment.

Max didn’t want any further delays. He smiled at the manager and lowered his voice. ‘She doesn’t really approve of me, you know? I like to ride motorbikes and have parties. Not the best environment for a new baby, is it?’

‘N-no, I guess not.’

Max shut the back hatch of the SUV so that Ellie couldn’t hear him. ‘But this hasn’t turned out to be a very good environment either, has it? I can’t leave her somewhere where people get stabbed and thrown off balconies.’

‘Nothing like this has ever happened before.’ The manager was almost wringing his hands. ‘All the police here…all that blood…They’re putting up tape, did you see? In case that guy dies and it becomes a crime scene. What’s that going to do to my business?’

Max had seen the tape. Luckily he’d moved so fast he’d got most of Ellie’s possessions out of the unit before it became impossible to access the door. Now he needed to get her away from here. The last thing Ellie needed was the police asking too many questions. They would be wanting to talk to him at some stage and he needed to think about what he was going to tell them concerning his relationship with their chief witness.

Talk about weaving a tangled web of deception. The strands were winding themselves ever more tightly around him and it was getting hard to think straight. All Max could do was run on instinct and hope that it served him as well as it always had when it came to out-of-control situations. He wasn’t at all sure that it had worked particularly well over the last week but he had no choice other than to continue to go with it. No way could he leave Ellie here to fend for herself. She was in a fragile state anyway and this nasty incident must have shaken her up badly.

Max ignored the manager’s anxious fluttering around the back of his vehicle as he climbed into the driver’s seat. He had to manoeuvre to get out through the extra police cars that had arrived on scene and a glance in his rear-view mirror showed the manager now talking animatedly to an officer, pointing at his departing car. He suppressed a sigh. How much time would they have before someone official came knocking at his door?

For a wild moment, Max considered driving right past his own address. Finding somewhere else to put Ellie and Mouse. Somewhere nobody could find them. The police or Marcus Jones. But then what? They’d be totally dependent on him, wouldn’t they?

And why on earth did that ridiculous scenario hold some kind of strange appeal? It was crazy. This whole week had been crazy and by the time Max had formed that inescapable conclusion, he was outside his apartment.

‘Here we are.’

The statement, admittedly uttered with some resignation, fell into silence. Max turned his head to find huge eyes in a very pale face.

‘I’m really sorry, Max.’ The apology was a whisper. ‘I’m a lot of trouble, aren’t I?’

Yes. She was. She and the mouse had turned his life completely upside down in the blink of an eye and the worst of it was that Max was still lying awake at night, haunted by what could have happened if he hadn’t become involved. She’d got under his skin. Maybe it had happened in that first moment, when she’d stumbled into his arms and growled at him to let her go.

Or maybe it had been Mouse who’d really got under his skin. Seeped in, probably, which was hardly surprising when they’d spent so much time with their skins touching.

Whatever. He was in this up to his neck. He couldn’t get out until that fierce Ellie appeared again. The one who would shove him away and growl at him in a brave stand for independence and autonomy. There wasn’t a hint of fierceness in her face right now. Max could see fear and uncertainty. But when his gaze slid down and he saw her hand resting on the edge of the baby seat, holding a tiny hand in her fingers, he could see the bond between a mother and child. The love.

He could see the courage that came with that as a given.

And it was a gentle kind of fierce.

Max could only smile. A poignant tilt to his lips that felt nothing like any smile he’d ever produced in his life.

‘Hey…’ He moved his gaze back to Ellie’s face. ‘I like trouble. Keeps life interesting. They didn’t call us the “bad boys” at school for nothing.’

He carried the baby seat into the apartment and then he ferried in the baby gear.

‘Uh-oh…where’s your bag, Ellie?’

‘I must have left it behind. I was only grabbing baby stuff.’

‘So you don’t have a change of clothes or anything?’

‘No.’

They both looked at what Ellie was wearing. The horrible, shapeless sweatshirt and jeans that looked five sizes too big. And then Max frowned.

‘Your clothes are covered in blood.’

‘Oh, my God…’ Ellie stared down at her stained jeans. ‘They’re saturated. What if he had hepatitis? Or HIV?’

‘Get them off,’ Max said crisply. ‘Get into the shower. Have a really good scrub. I’ll throw these into the laundry and soak them in bleach. Check that you don’t have any open wounds…on your legs, in particular. Did you get any blood on your hands?’

‘No. Someone gave me plastic bags.’

‘That’s right. I wondered what you were using when I arrived. That’s good.’ Max stepped towards the baby seat where the mouse was beginning to squeak. ‘I’ll look after her. The bathroom’s just down the hall. First door on the left.’

‘But she sounds hungry.’

‘I’ll give her a bottle. She’s had them before, I don’t think she’ll mind.’ Max didn’t mind either, he realised. He had enjoyed those feeding times up in PICU. Missed them, almost.

‘But—’

He raised his eyebrows at Ellie as if surprised by her insubordination. ‘Shower, Ellie,’ he ordered. ‘For Mouse’s protection as much as your own.’

Ellie gave an audible gulp. ‘But…I won’t have any clothes.’

‘I’ll find you something and leave it outside the bathroom door. Go on. There are clean towels in there and plenty of soap and shampoo so wash your hair as well. A thorough scrub from head to toe, got it? Decontamination.’

He had undone the safety belt around Mouse and was lifting her into his arms. Ellie stood indecisively for a moment longer, watching him. And then, with a noise that could have been a tiny sob, she turned and fled towards the bathroom.

It was a good twenty minutes before she emerged. Her hair lay in damp strands over her shoulders, spikes of her fringe hanging into her eyes. She had rolled up the sleeves of that salmon-coloured shirt he rather liked even though it was too close to being pink and the tail hung down far enough to almost cover the red silk boxers he had also provided.

With her face scrubbed clean and her bare legs and feet, she looked like a teenager. A malnourished one at that. She also looked far shyer than Max had anticipated. She was in his house and now in his clothes and she was clearly discomfited by the turn of events. She not only looked incredibly young but rather too vulnerable as well.

‘Squeaky clean?’ He tried to sound casual but he could smell how clean she was, dammit. Had she discovered some soap he didn’t know he had? Or was that vaguely floral, gorgeously feminine scent simply coming from her exposed skin? He hadn’t seen her this uncovered since that day she’d breastfed Mouse for the first time.

Oh, God… Why did that scene keep ambushing his brain, not to mention other regions of his anatomy?

Ellie was nodding. ‘How did it go with the bottle?’

‘See for yourself.’ Max couldn’t help a proud grin as he waved at where he’d placed the bassinette, tucking it into a corner of the living area, away from any draughts from the windows. ‘Fed, burped, changed and back to sleep. I reckon she’s had enough excitement for one day.’

The nod was heartfelt this time. ‘Me, too.’

‘Hungry?’

‘Starving.’

‘Me, too.’ This was good. Something to focus on that took his mind off Ellie’s bare legs and the knowledge that she wasn’t wearing a bra under that soft, old shirt.

‘The fish and chips are stone cold. I was just waiting for you to get out of the bathroom so I could go and get a fresh lot.’

‘No.’

Max stopped in his tracks even though he was already halfway to the door. Escape into some fresh air had been the perfect plan but the anguish in Ellie’s whisper made him feel as though he’d come up against a brick wall.

‘What’s wrong?’

‘I…um…I’d rather you didn’t go. What if…the police come? What do I tell them?’

Her expression suggested a belief that Max would have all the right answers and her trust undid something deep within. So did the thought that she didn’t want to be left alone. That she wanted him to stay with her.

‘Oh…Ellie…’ Her name was almost a groan.

An admission of defeat?

He walked back towards her, one step at a time, feeling as if he had no other choice at all. He gathered her into his arms and then realised that this was the first time he’d held her since she had stumbled on his doorstep—a lifetime ago. She’d been covered in shapeless clothing then and all he’d really been aware of had been the baby bump between them. Now it was just Ellie with a mere layer of silky material between them. He could feel the real shape of her body and the way it fitted against his. The length of her back. Firm, round little buttocks, all slippery under the silk. Her nose was buried against his chest and it even rubbed against him, a bit like Mouse when she was hungry or upset.

Max held Ellie with one arm around her back and with the other he smoothed the damp strands of her hair.

‘It’s OK,’ he heard himself murmur. ‘I’ll look after you. I’m not going anywhere for a while.’

The words seemed to echo. Where had he heard them before?

Oh…yeah…Back when he had started the skin-to-skin thing with Mouse, that’s when. When he’d known he was caught for as long as it was going to take because to do anything else simply wasn’t an acceptable option.

Ellie tipped her head back far enough to look up at him. Her face held a look of astonishment.

Of hope.

But a question lingered in her eyes. Was it possible he really mean what he’d just said?

Max couldn’t think of anything more he could say to reassure her. Words seemed to have deserted him, in any case, as he looked down at those toffee-coloured eyes. At a nose that Mouse would undoubtedly share when she grew up. At lips that were parted just a fraction.

He tried to smile but that ability had clearly deserted him along with the power of speech. So he did something that seemed to come naturally. He bent his head and brushed her lips with his own. A kiss that wasn’t really a kiss. Only reassurance. The kind you could give any female friend.

So why did it feel like a very different kind of kiss? The first stroke of something he wanted to dive into headlong. He was so aware of the scent of this woman in his arms. The feel of her body. He wanted to taste her. To hear the kinds of sounds she might make when she wasn’t scared or shy. When she was more than merely happy, in fact. Max was good at eliciting sounds that came with intense physical stuff. A sigh of pure pleasure perhaps or the groan of ultimate satisfaction.

He could—

Whoa! Max managed to stop his mouth descending again. He even managed to straighten up. To suck in enough air to resuscitate his brain.

‘How—’bout I put them in the oven, then?’

‘Huh?’ Ellie’s eyes snapped open. When had she closed them? And why?

‘The fish and chips. Would they be all right if we reheat them, do you think? I’d hate to give you food poisoning.’

‘Oh…’ Colour was flooding Ellie’s cheeks and she wriggled free of his arm. Or maybe he’d dropped it already. ‘I’m sure they’d be absolutely fine.’

‘Right. I’m onto it, then.’ Of course they’d be fine.

He would be too as soon as he was far enough away from the feel and scent of Ellie.

It hadn’t been a kiss.

Not a real kiss.

It didn’t mean anything. Not to him, anyway.

To Ellie?

The world had tilted so sharply beneath her feet at the merest touch of his lips on hers that she knew she was in real trouble. She’d seen it coming, though, hadn’t she? She’d known how easy it would be to fall in love with him. She’d tried, God help her, to maintain some distance. Just a shred of independence—both physical and emotional—and where had that landed her?

Here. In his apartment. In his clothes, for heaven’s sake.

In love.

But just because you felt that strongly about someone it didn’t mean you had to act on it, did it? It didn’t mean that Max was going to guess how she felt and run for the hills. And he would run. Why wouldn’t he? He was a gorgeous bachelor, part of a group of them, and they all played with toys like powerful motorbikes and had women lining up for their attention.

Ellie couldn’t afford for Max to want to run. She needed him right now. So did Mouse. They both needed his friendship and his protection. Not for ever. Just for a week or two. Surely she could keep the way she felt hidden for that long? And then she could step out of his life and keep the basis of a friendship that would last for a lifetime.

She had to try. Friendship with this man was an infinitely preferable option to scaring him off so that she never saw him again. They could stay in touch. Visit occasionally, even. It wouldn’t be beyond the realms of friendship to ask him to be a godfather to her daughter and, that way, they would have a link for life. Not that she’d ask him just yet.

With their dinner reheating in the oven, Max had taken himself off to a laundry space. He’d insisted that it was no trouble to disinfect Ellie’s clothing and put it through the washing machine and dryer. It would be good to go in the morning. He’d been so keen, in fact, it had been difficult to avoid the impression that he found her wearing his clothes as disturbing as Ellie did, albeit for very different reasons.

He seemed to keep himself very busy for the rest of the evening as well. He made up the spare bed and helped Ellie sort the baby gear and then he made more than one phone call to speak to Jet, who was on duty again in the emergency department.

‘That guy Nigel looks like he’s going to make it,’ he informed Ellie eventually. ‘He’s been to Theatre. The knife skated over his ribs and the damage was pretty superficial. His ankle’s been fixed. He’s got a good concussion but his C-spine checked out clear.’

‘Oh…thank goodness for that. If it had turned into a murder investigation, I would have had to stay in the country for court appearances or something, wouldn’t I?’

Max gave her an odd look. ‘Yeah…I guess. But you weren’t planning on leaving immediately, were you?’

‘As soon as I can.’ Ellie found a smile to give Max. ‘Don’t worry. We won’t be messing up your lifestyle for too long. We might even be able to go back to the motel tomorrow.’

The look she got now was almost a glare. ‘I don’t think so. Not with the type of clientele that place attracts. The police will be swarming around for days, I expect.’

‘If Nigel’s going to be all right, maybe they won’t need to talk to me again,’ Ellie said hopefully. ‘I was worried about what to tell them.’

‘The truth,’ Max suggested.

Ellie’s eyes widened. ‘You mean my real name?’

‘No, not that bit.’ But Max looked less than sure. Then he gave his head a slight shake. ‘It’s not doing any harm,’ he said. ‘And it seems to be working so far. I’d stick to McAdam if I was you.’

Ellie had reason to remember the advice the next day, well after Max had gone to work and she was alone in the apartment with Mouse. She had her baby in her arms when the knock came at the door. For a moment, panic set in. It could be the police. It could also be Marcus. What if he’d had someone watching and had been informed that she’d moved in with Max? He’d had enough time to catch a plane from Auckland and find her here, without any protection other than a locked but probably flimsy door.

Heart thudding, she went to peer through the peephole on the door.

‘Max?’ A feminine voice called. ‘You home, babe?’

The image through the peephole was distorted. Ellie could see what appeared to be the longest pair of legs she’d ever seen. Long and sleek and black. Like the hair that flowed from the woman’s head. She opened the door and then wished she hadn’t. The woman really was long and sleek. She towered above Ellie, thanks to the stiletto heels that finished the look of her tight leather pants. Ellie was back in her newly cleaned maternity jeans and baggy sweatshirt that had both gone a rather odd, patchy colour from being bleached. She had never felt so short and dumpy and dowdy.

‘Ahh…’ The woman’s rapid up-and-down glance said it all. ‘Is Max here?’

‘No. He’s at work.’

‘Damn. I’ve got something I think he’ll be quite excited about.’

Ellie didn’t doubt that for a second. This woman would be just his type. Heavens, she already had biker chicks’ pants on. She could sling a leg over the back of his bike and put her heavily bangled arms around his waist and ride off into the sunset at a moment’s notice.

‘I’m Gina,’ the woman said. ‘I’m a…friend of Max’s. And Rick’s,’ she added with a confident smile.

Ellie nodded. She tried, and failed, to smile back.

‘And you are?’

It was right then that Ellie remembered the advice and it was simply too tempting not to use it.

‘I’ll Ellie McAdam,’ she said.

‘Oh…’ Perfectly sculpted eyebrows shot up. ‘Max’s sister?’

‘No.’ This time, Ellie managed a smile. ‘His wife.’

Maybe the advice hadn’t involved using the fraudulent relationship as well as the name but Ellie couldn’t resist. She couldn’t even summon sympathy for how Max was going to explain his way out of this after she’d gone.

‘And…’ Gina’s gaze dropped to the baby in Ellie’s arms. ‘Oh, my God…’