MAX Read online

  “Put your camera away,” I murmur.

  She glances up in alarm, her eyes widen. Then she hurries to follow my instructions.

  Two armed guards step out of the SUV. Both of their hands rest on the hilts of their guns in their holsters.

  With one hand, I punch in a quick SOS message to Judy in the transmitter, pinning our location to the message. With my other hand, I reach at the back of my belt to make sure my camp ax is right where it’s supposed to be. I step forward, putting myself between Ash and the armed men. If push comes to shove, I’m not letting anyone harm a hair on her head without a fight.

  Ash

  Max steps in front of me, his hands resting on his belt. “Problem, gentlemen?”

  One of the men removes his gun and uses it to gesture at my backpack. “What have you got in there?”

  “I don’t think that’s any of your business.”

  The man scowls. “It’s a federal offense to take anything from the park.”

  “So you’re aware of the laws? Interesting.” He turns his head slightly to the side. “You’ll want to make a note of that when it comes time for sentencing.”

  The man cocks his gun and Max faces forward again.

  I grip the back of his shirt, hoping he’ll take it as a sign to keep quiet. I don’t like these men any more than he does, but I’d rather give up the evidence than see him get hurt.

  “What are you doing here?” the man asks.

  “I’m going to need to see some identification from you first.”

  “Just tell him,” I whisper so only Max can hear me. “It’s not worth it.”

  He just shakes his head. My heart lurches.

  As the second guard says something to the first, Max reaches between us and pulls out a small ax. Where did that come from? In one swift motion, he throws it at a rock pile, sending a few pieces falling. The guards shout in surprise.

  While they’re distracted, Max kicks out their legs from under them, knocking their weapons away.

  I stare wide-eyed as Max takes both of the guns and orders the second guard to tie up the first with some rope he’s pulled from his backpack. He scurries to do as ordered. My heart pounds in my ears as I watch how he’s taking action of the scene. I barely blinked through it all. Once the second guard has his partner securely bound, Max calls me over.

  “Do you know how to shoot a gun?”

  I nearly choke on my tongue, but I nod. “I can figure it out.”

  He hands me one of the guns and drops to his knee to tie up the other guard. He checks both of their knots. Both wince when he pulls tighter on the ropes.

  Once they’re secure, I let out a breath and lower the weapon, which was shaking in my hands.

  Max slips an arm around me and pulls out his phone. “Good news everyone. Our ride will be here in a couple of minutes.”

  I turn to stare at him in disbelief. “Our ride?”

  “I called backup. Fortunately, someone was in the area.”

  I still can’t fully process everything that’s happened in the past few minutes. We’re a long way from the board rooms where Max used to take charge of cases. What he did here was every bit as sound of a defeat. Only sexier.

  Later, when we’re alone, I’ll have to show him later just how much I appreciate his heroics. For now it’s enough to be soothed by his gentle touch as we wait for the authorities to arrive.

  Chapter Six

  Max

  When the police finish their interrogation, we’re free to go. As suspected, they had no idea what to do with Ash’s evidence. But after checking out her warrant, they let us leave with everything. We step out of the station to my waiting truck.

  Ash raises an eyebrow. “It’s already fixed?”

  “The tow company had it fixed within an hour.”

  “One hour.” She shakes her head sheepishly “I guess I should learn to be more patient. We would have had a getaway car the whole time.”

  “There’s no saying we would’ve gotten away any easier if we had the truck.”

  She lifts her shoulders. “We’ll never know, will we?”

  I don’t suppose we will. Just like we’ll never know if we can make it unless we try. That was something I thought about plenty in the time it took for backup to arrive. I swore that if we made it out alive, I would tell her the truth. That I love her. That I fell in love with her that first time I met her in the lobby of my old law firm years ago. And this time, I’m not going to wait years to make a move.

  I’m not going to wait to ask if there’s any chance she’ll consider staying.

  But I will wait a few more minutes. I’d rather tell her back at my place. I’ll open a bottle of wine, light a fire. Set the mood. Getting sentimental in a truck with a loud engine and a gash of in the dashboard is hardly romantic.

  I clear my throat. “I know you have a room at the motel, but how about spending the night at my place?”

  “I’d like that.”

  That’s one more dragon slayed. Just a couple more to go.

  We’re nearly to my cabin just outside of town when her phone rings. She answers then does a lot of listening. She speaks in short sentences that are hard to comprehend without the other part of the conversation. But after a couple of minutes, her face lights up.

  “Thank you, Ms. Sherman. You won’t be sorry.”

  Based on the sheer joy playing across her face right now, Ash has had good news. Very good news.

  Setting her phone down, Ash angles her body toward me.

  “That was my boss. Even without the being held at gunpoint deal, we gathered enough evidence to shut down all operations at the company. We’ve saved the park.”

  “That’s great.”

  Yet I can’t let down my guard just yet. Not when I’m pretty sure the other shoe is about to drop.

  “The partners want to have a meeting with me tomorrow afternoon when I get back. My boss says they want to offer me a junior partnership.”

  “Look at you.” I force myself to sound happy, even as a lump lodges in my throat. “On the fast-track to success and saving the world all at once.”

  She covers one of my hands on the steering wheel. “I couldn’t have done it without you. I don’t know what they would’ve done to me if you hadn’t been there. I don’t know how I would’ve found the right information if you hadn’t been there to guide me. I owe it all to you.”

  “Give yourself some credit. You would’ve figured it out. I just helped where I could.” I turn my hand over to grip hers. “I know this is what you’ve always wanted. You deserve it.”

  I mean it. Because as much as I love this woman and want her to stay more than anything in the world, her happiness means more to me than my own. I have to let her go. I can’t—I won’t—make her stay.

  We pull into the dirt horseshoe drive in front of my cabin. I turn off the ignition. Her face breaks out into a fresh smile.

  “This is where you live?”

  I nod. It’s not much, but my heart swells with pride over the hours of care and work that went into making a home with my own hands. It’s better than the penthouse I lived in before I walked away from it all.

  “It’s incredible.”

  “I can give you a tour if you like.” Not that it’ll take long. There’s only a great room, a bathroom, and a storage closet. I never needed more. Now, I wish I had more to offer.

  “I’d like that tour. But first I need to thank my hero. . .”

  Leaning over, she presses her soft lips to mine. It lights a fire inside of me. All of the adrenaline from the day rushes back in an instant. I cup her chin with one hand, the other sliding into her hair. She grips my flannel shirt, dragging her closer. Angling my mouth to deepen the kiss, her tongue meets mine with a moan.

  If this is going to be our good-bye kiss, I’m going to make sure it’s one she doesn’t forget. Even if it takes all night.

  I tear my mouth from hers, pulling her head back, exposing her bare neck. I slide my tongue a
nd teeth across her creamy skim, earning another cry for my efforts.

  I lean toward her, but the seatbelt snaps me back into place.

  Giggling, Ash undoes her seatbelt and then mine. Kicking off her boots, she climbs over the console and straddles my thighs. Reaching for her, I push the seat back as far as it will go as our mouths meeting again.

  “You know,” I say in between kisses while we gasp for breath, “I have a perfectly good bed in the cabin.”

  “And I look forward to moving this in there for the next round.”

  Reaching between us, she unbuttons my jeans and inches down the zipper. Her hand slides inside, reaching for my cock. I thrust towards her once, then twice. I’ll embarrass myself if I let her keep this up.

  I take her hands and place them on my shoulders.

  “Hold on baby.”

  I lift her up and make clumsy, but quick work of tugging her jeans and panties down her hips. Settling her back in my lap, my cock rubs against her.

  Her eyes clench shut and she bites her lip. I slide my fingers into her and grunt with approval as I find her wet and ready for me. But I don’t just want her wet and ready. I want her unhinged and unable to think of anything but me.

  Ash’s breathing becomes more labored as my fingers work their magic. She grips onto my shoulders, her hips moving.

  Then her eyes fly open, and her gaze meets mine.

  “I want to come with you inside of me.”

  Her wish is my command. Lifting her up again, she pumps my cock once before guiding it to her entrance. With one quick thrust, I’m inside of her and she cries out. With each pump I think of how much I love her. How much I wish she’d stay. I move in and out a few more times before she tightens around me. As she throws her head back, I thrust into her once more, releasing my seed inside of her.

  Catching my breath, I rest my forehead against hers. Ash’s arms slide around my back pulling me close. My own hands slide around to wrap her in an embrace.

  It was deep and hot, like my love for her. I’ll never be able to get enough. It’s on the tip of my tongue to ask her to stay. To see what’s happening between us through. But while settling into a cabin on a mountain with some babies running around might be enough for some people, it won’t be enough for her.

  And as a man who rarely lost an argument in court, I’m not about to lose one now. Not when we have so little time left together.

  Chapter Seven

  Ash

  Max pulls his truck up to the curb at the airport. My cheeks flush at the memory of what happened in these very seats just yesterday afternoon. It’s hard to believe I’ve only been here a few days. And now it’s time to head back to D.C.

  I accomplished what I came here to do—and then some. I should be soaring high on the wave of imminent victory.

  Instead, I’m staring into the serious gaze of a man who saved my life—and stole my heart.

  This doesn’t have to be the end for us. There’s a thought I’ve been mulling over since last night, as I lay awake in his arms.

  Clearing my throat, I adjust my grip on my backpack. “You know, our firm could use someone with your expertise. You wouldn’t even have to take the bar again or renew your license.”

  “That’s nice of you to say. But do you see all this?”

  He gestures around us. Even from the low-lying airport, in every direction you look there are mountains and glaciers. Trees hiding any assortment of wildlife. A peaceful quiet you’ll never get in the city.

  “You’re brilliant and tenacious,” he says. “You’re destined for greatness. I’m glad I could help you with this case. I’ll be here if you need me again.”

  There’s a but coming. My breath catches.

  He tips my chin up. “But I can’t leave this for a career that’ll crush my soul.”

  Because his heart is here.

  And so is mine as long as he is in Montana.

  But I can’t stay.

  Can I?

  My phone chirps with a reminder that my plane will begin boarding in twenty minutes. There’s virtually no security at this airport, so I’m not worried about getting there on time. Not when my stomach is twisting in knots at the thought that this is it for us.

  “Right, well, I’d better go.”

  I reach for the handle of the door, but freeze. Slowly, I turn back to him. Those piercing eyes watching me, steady and unreadable as ever. Dropping my bag, I launch myself across the truck and into his arms.

  My eyes clench shut as our lips meet. I want to memorize everything about this moment. The way his hard hands mold to my curves, drawing me closer. The way his whiskers scratch against my chin, sending a mess of tickles and tingles through my body. The way he gently bites and tugs on my lip. The musky scent of the mountain air that clings to his skin, richer than any cologne bottled and sold.

  The way my heart can both burst and break with every breath I take when I’m with him.

  I want to remember it all. The bitter. The sweet. Everything in between and around it.

  My phone chirps again, and I pull back. I cup his cheek and rest my forehead against his.

  “Thank you for everything.” It’s on the tip of my tongue to tell him I love him, but I can’t. I can’t just drop that kind of a bomb a second before saying good-bye to him, maybe forever.

  Instead I grab my bags and am out of the truck, tears blurring my eyes as I race into the airport. I’m through security before I can draw a straight thought in my head.

  What’s waiting for me back at home? Work I love—and I really do love it. But nothing else. I’ve been so busy building my career, I haven’t made any friends let alone found time for love.

  And now it’s found me here. Why can’t I do what I love with the person I love? I mean, really. Why can’t I do it here? The environment needs protecting everywhere. Especially here.

  Grabbing my suitcase, I’m off again racing through the airport. I’m sure Max has already left, but I bet he’d come back. Or, I can call a cab and surprise him at work.

  Pulling my phone out, my thumb hovers over the home screen when a familiar voice catches my attention. I look up and see Max at the airline counter in a heated discussion with an agent. I gape, but make myself move toward him.

  “You don’t understand, the other half of my heart is getting on that plane.” My own heart flutters at his words.

  “You mentioned that, sir. Unfortunately that flight is still booked.”

  “There aren’t any extra seats you keep open just in case.”

  “Our airline doesn’t have a stash of open seats for grand romantic gestures.”

  Max’s hands ball into fists on the counter. Before he can make a scene, I reach for his shoulder. He freezes. Slowly he turns around, his jaw.

  “What’s going on here?” I ask.

  “I was trying to get a seat on your flight.” He stares at me closely. “What are you still doing here?”

  “I was about to get on that plane. But I realized I couldn’t go without telling you something.”

  “What’s that?”

  Moving closer, I slide my hands up his chest and grab onto his shirt. “It may seem like I love my career more than anything. But there’s one thing—one person—I love more.”

  He swallows hard. “I love you, Ash.”

  “And I love you.” And because I love him so much, I don’t even mind that he’s just beaten me to the punch. “Which is why I need to stay and give us a chance.”

  “But what about your job?”

  “I can set up my own firm here. It seems like you could use someone with my area of expertise to keep your park safe.”

  “It couldn’t have a better champion than you.” His arms move around my waist. “I never want to hold you back.”

  “You never will. But you can keep me grounded or raise me up when I need it.”

  “Deal.” Then his mouth captures mine in a smoldering, toe-curling kiss.

  Whatever our future holds, I know it�
�ll be richer than any job alone.

  Epilogue

  Max

  Five years later

  “Try raising it up about half an inch.”

  I glance down at my wife, who’s calling out orders from the safety of the ground. Meanwhile, I’m hanging over the roof of a building ready to ask how high when she says jump. It’s pretty much been that way since Ash and I made it official a few years back.

  I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  Still, I can’t let her know that I’m at her beck and call. At least not without making a bit of a scene first.

  Sighing, I shake my head at her. “I already measured the damn thing three times.”

  “Remember what we decided about using that word.” Ash motions to our three-year-old daughter who’s playing with blocks in the grass beside her.

  Josephine—Jo for sure—doesn’t seem to have noticed her papa’s use of the d-word. Nor does she seem to care. Our girl has heard worse. But we are trying to watch our language now that Jo repeats just about everything we say.

  When we adopted her last summer, she barely spoke. Now, she talks so much—and so fast— we joke about getting her a podcast.

  Again, I wouldn’t have it any other way.

  After we spent a year trying for a baby, the doctors told us our chances weren’t good. But my wife—the take charge woman she is—didn’t let the news defeat her.

  “It’s our dream to have a family,” she’d reminded me. “There are lots of ways to make your dreams into a reality.”

  Case in point what we’re doing here today.

  Once Ash finished arguing her case against the company that had put the glaciers—and our lives—in danger, she set up her own law firm here in Meadowlark. She still focuses on environmental law, but she’s added some family and small business law to her repertoire.

  While some of her colleagues worried she might be selling her career short by practicing law in a small town, it didn’t take her long to prove them wrong. My girl never does anything halfway. She now has two other lawyers on staff full-time along with a few paralegals. They’ve outgrown their office space.