His to defend, p.19
His to Defend, page 19
While he headed to the garage, Amina started clearing the table. She had made an apple pie for dessert, but maybe they could eat it as a midnight snack.
“Ta-da,” Maxwell said, and Amina turned from the sink to face him. In one hand was a bottle of champagne. The other hand held a beautifully woven picnic-type basket. He was holding it up too high for her to see what was inside.
What had her laughing, though, was the boyish grin that was spread across his handsome face. Whatever he was up to had him feeling pretty proud of himself.
“So what’s in the basket?” she asked.
“It’s a surprise. I’ll show you when we go upstairs.” He wiggled his eyebrows up and down and she cracked up laughing.
“I happen to love surprises. Let me clean the kitchen and we can head up.”
“Or you can leave all of that, and I’ll take care of it later or in the morning.”
Amina glanced around the large space. She always washed dishes or loaded them in the dishwasher while she cooked. Outside their dinner plates and glasses, there really wasn’t much to clean except for wiping down the stove and countertops.
“You know what? It won’t take me long in here. Give me fifteen minutes, then I’ll meet you upstairs.”
“That’s perfect. It’ll take me that long to set everything up.”
“Okaaay. Should I bring anything with me?” she asked in her most seductive voice, and Maxwell’s grin widened.
“In fifteen minutes, be upstairs and only bring your birthday suit.”
Amina’s mouth dropped open, and then she burst out laughing. Not that he saw it, though. The moment the words were out of his mouth, he turned and jogged up the stairs. She didn’t know what she had expected him to say, but it hadn’t been that.
Oh, this should be fun.
* * *
“When you said you had a surprise for me, I never imagined it would be a bubble bath for two. Especially since this morning I had actually thought about us doing something like this.”
“Great minds think alike,” Maxwell said as Amina settled back against him. The bathtub was huge and could easily accommodate them both, but he hadn’t taken into consideration how good her perfectly round butt would feel against his shaft. He wrapped his arms around her and held her close. “Last night, I saw you admiring the tub and figured you might be interested in experiencing it.”
“You figured right.”
Maxwell had always been a bath guy, and the large master bathroom and tub were what sold him on the house. Add that with dual vanities, travertine floors and a huge walk-in shower, and he’d been sold. Now to share his favorite pastime with the woman who owned his heart was sweeter than the chocolate-covered strawberries he had picked up on the way home. He had to stop by three stores before he found the ones he wanted and another store for the basket and candles. The shocked expression on Amina’s face and her slamming naked body when she walked into the bathroom made his efforts worthwhile.
He never considered himself a romantic, but Amina made him want to go the extra mile for her. It wasn’t just because she’d had a rough couple of days. No, it had everything to do with the way she made him feel. Alive. Needed. Desired. Maxwell couldn’t remember the last time any woman had had that type of effect on him. Then again, she was the only woman who ever made him want more. More of what life had to offer. Like a forever love, marriage and children.
Amina turned slightly, her head brushing against his chest when she glanced up at him. God, he was crazy about this woman. Her beautiful, bright eyes held a happiness that he wanted to see all the time.
“This is the best surprise I’ve had in a very long time. The candles. Chocolate-covered strawberries. Music. Max...” she started, but stopped and bit down on her bottom lip before continuing. “Thank you. Thanks for being so thoughtful. I really needed this.”
“Anything for you, baby,” he crooned, and lowered his head to cover her mouth with his. Her body was at an odd angle, but he couldn’t resist kissing her. Going forward, he planned to do everything he could to keep her happy.
When the kiss ended, Amina settled back against him. Maxwell let his hands wander into the water as Teddy Pendergrass’s “Turn Off the Lights” flowed through the speaker.
“This is perfect,” Amina said wistfully.
“You’re perfect...for me,” Maxwell said close to her ear as he placed feathery kisses down the column of her scented neck.
The bubbles tickled his nose, but that didn’t stop him from nibbling on her soft skin. He slid his hand over and cupped her more-than-a-handful breast, squeezing and loving the way she moaned and moved against him. The pad of his thumb brushed over her pert nipple and the erotic sounds she was making had him growing hard.
“Damn, you feel good,” he murmured against her neck.
“Mmm, I love being hugged up against you like this,” she said on a breath. “But if you keep touching me like this, this bath is not going to last very long. I’m going to want you to do something else.”
“If that something else involves me drying you off, carrying you to the bedroom and burying myself deep inside of you... I’m all for it.”
“That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
Maxwell learned the night before that her sexual appetite matched his, and he wanted nothing more than to get her back in his bed. But their relationship was more than just sex, and he wanted to make sure there was no mistaking that. Right now, they’d enjoy their bath, talk, and then they’d see where that led.
“We’ve agreed to date,” Maxwell started, “but there’s something we haven’t discussed.”
Amina started to sit up and turn again, but Maxwell held her in place, loving the way she felt against him.
Once she settled back down, she asked, “What haven’t we discussed?”
“How do we want to handle those who know me, you and Jeremy?”
Seconds ticked by before she responded. “I have no idea. I would like to believe that I don’t care what people think, but deep down, Max, I do. I don’t want to be accused of...”
“Of what?”
“Of hopping from one friend to another. That’s not who I am. This is not something I go around doing. It’s just—”
“Sweetheart, you don’t have to explain it to me. I know who you are. You’re one of the most virtuous people I know.” Maxwell kissed the side of her head. “How about we just wing it?”
“Like we did with Jeremy’s parents?” she murmured.
Before the Kellys left town, Maxwell had tried talking to them, wanting to defend Amina and let them know that they were wrong about her. He talked to them, but no matter how he tried to explain that Jeremy had lied, they didn’t want to hear it. They believed their son as most parents would. Maxwell was glad they didn’t live in town but wondered if that would change once they learned they had a granddaughter.
That was another issue. He had received word that Jeremy was indeed Camille’s father. Not that Maxwell was surprised. The kid looked just like him. His only concern was Amina. Though he didn’t plan on making it a habit of keeping secrets from her, he wouldn’t share that bit of info unless she asked.
“You’re mine, baby, and I’m yours. Anyone who has a problem with that can kick rocks,” Maxwell said.
Amina sputtered a laugh. “Wow, so eloquently phrased, but it works for me. I’m a grown-ass woman. I don’t have to answer to anyone. Thanks for reminding me of that.”
“Anytime.”
“And for the record,” she continued, “my family is going to be thrilled to know that you and I are seeing each other.”
“Good, because I’m playing for keeps.”
She squeezed his thigh. “Me too.”
Silence fell between them as they each got lost in their thoughts. Maxwell never imagined that he’d get a second chance with her, and he wasn’t going to blow it. They should’ve been together from the start, but like the saying went, better late than never.
“How could I have been so wrong about Jeremy?” Amina said out of the blue. “I just don’t understand how I could’ve chosen a man capable of cheating, stealing, and someone who just didn’t give a damn about others.”
Maxwell didn’t know where this was coming from or what to tell her. Jeremy had changed so much. He was nothing like the person he’d been when they went through the police academy. If anyone would’ve told Maxwell that Jeremy could be capable of half the things that were turning up, he would’ve laughed them out of the room. Some of it didn’t even make sense, like the cheating.
He placed a lingering kiss on Amina’s cheek. How could anyone mistreat this woman? She was by far the sweetest, most thoughtful and compassionate woman he’d ever been with. She was the type of person you wanted to make smile, keep happy and, more than anything, protect. Which was what he planned to always do.
“I know I should let it go and move on, but I can’t believe he would intentionally put my life at risk,” Amina said. “Drug money? He stole drug money,” she snapped.
“We don’t know that for sure,” Maxwell said weakly. They might not have the proof, but he was pretty sure that was exactly what Jeremy had done. Now all they needed to figure out was where it came from and who wanted it back.
“I don’t know why I keep acting surprised. I just can’t believe I messed up so bad, and for what? To get married? To have a family? If only I had listened to those around me. If only I had heeded the signs.”
“I think you’re being too hard on yourself,” Maxwell said, keeping his arms wrapped around her. He hoped to provide her with some comfort and wanted her to feel how much he adored her. “Jeremy wasn’t always like that. Me and the detectives on his case are still trying to piece everything together, but it’s clear none of us knew him as well as we thought we did.”
“That’s for sure. My sister Katrina said something the day Jeremy was killed. She never liked him and said that she wouldn’t be surprised if secrets were revealed now that he’s dead.”
“Well, she called it because there’s been one shocker after another where he’s concerned.”
Maxwell hated the way his friend’s life ended, and he wished he could’ve done something to get the guy back on the right path. But had he known what was going on before Jay was murdered, Maxwell wasn’t sure if he would’ve been able to make a difference. Especially not after the way Jeremy had betrayed him. That had been hard to forgive...but maybe not impossible.
Maxwell slid one of his hands down the center of Amina’s body. He could hear her uneven breathing increase when his hand stopped at the center of her core and he slipped a finger into her sweet heat.
“Ohhh,” she moaned, and her legs fell open, giving him more room, but it wasn’t enough for him.
“What do you say we move this party to the bedroom?” he suggested.
“I’d say yes...oh, yes.”
Maxwell wasn’t sure what the future held, but one thing he knew—he was never letting Amina go.
Chapter 21
“Amina?”
“Hmm...” she said, her face buried in the pillow as she struggled to wake up. It felt as if she had just fallen asleep. After their bubble bath, she and Maxwell had made love for much of the night. And though she was basking in the afterglow, she felt like a limp noodle. There was no part of her skin that his hands and mouth hadn’t touched, and Amina enjoyed every minute of his exploration.
The side of the bed dipped slightly. “Sweetheart, I’m getting ready to leave.” Maxwell’s deep voice penetrated her sleep-fogged brain, and heat rushed through her body where his hand suddenly rested on her back. His fresh scent reached her nostrils, and her body stirred with his nearness. Memories of their bath and their lovemaking flooded through her mind. Even though he had worn her out the night before, she craved more of him.
“Do you really have to leave?” she murmured into the pillow. “I was getting used to your hot, muscular body hugged up against me.”
He chuckled and nibbled on the side of her neck, which made her squirm. “I would love nothing more than to stay in bed with you for the rest of the day. But duty calls.”
Amina didn’t want him to leave, but she understood he had a job to get to. She slowly turned onto her back. When she did, her heart swelled at seeing the love brimming in Maxwell’s eyes. Sure, it was probably too soon to call what they were feeling for each other love, but that’s what she saw when he looked at her.
“Hey, beautiful,” he said, and lowered his head and kissed her sweetly.
God, I could get used to this.
Never had a man made her feel so adored. She’d been so starved for affection over the last couple of years, it was a little weird to suddenly be the center of a man’s attention. But she liked it...a lot.
When the kiss ended, Amina cupped Maxwell’s cheek, his light stubble tickling her palm. “Good morning, handsome. I love the way you wake me up.”
“Not as much as I love doing it.”
His mouth covered hers again and the slow, drugging kiss made her toes curl. Even more so when his hand slipped under the covers, and her body shivered despite the ferocious heat singeing her skin from his powerful touch. With each lap of his tongue, desire sung through Amina’s veins making her want him all over again. She knew their relationship was in the early stages, but what she wouldn’t give to wake up to him every morning.
“Mmm, you make it hard to leave,” Maxwell said when he lifted his head.
“Are you sure you have to head into work?”
“Only for a few hours. Then I’ll be back. I was thinking that maybe we can go out and have a late lunch and catch a movie. Are you available?” he asked.
“For you? Definitely. And that sounds like fun. I haven’t been to the movies in a while.”
“Cool, check the movie listings and decide on what you want to see.”
“What if I pick a chick flick?”
“Whatever you want. I’m game.”
He stood from the bed and pocketed his wallet and cell phone, then grabbed his keys. He wasn’t dressed in his uniform. Instead he had on a gray dress shirt, a dark tie with silver specks and navy blue pants.
“Oh, before I forget to tell you, I have a uniform sitting outside in front of the house,” he said of a police officer.
“Wait. What?” Amina pulled the sheet up over her bare breasts and adjusted the pillows behind her. “Why do I need a cop outside? Did something else happen? Am I in more danger than you’re letting on?”
“Nothin’s happened. I just want to be on the safe side, especially since we don’t know who or what we’re dealing with. The officer, Ted, will be here until I get back.”
“So this is only for today?”
“No, it’s until we find the bastard who’s been harassing you.”
He didn’t say whether that bastard was the guy who killed Jeremy, but he’d once said that he thought the incidents were connected.
“I hope you find this person soon,” Amina said, tightening her hold on the sheet covering her body. It wasn’t that she was afraid, but Amina didn’t want to always be looking over her shoulder. “I’m ready for my life to go back to normal.”
“I know, baby,” he said softly, and brushed her bangs away from her face. Amina’s heart kicked inside her chest at the tenderness of his touch. “I’m going to do whatever I can to make that happen. Especially since I’m looking forward to us spending more time together without this mess hanging over our heads.”
Amina smiled and reached for his hand. “Me too. Thanks for everything you’ve done for me. I hate that we had to reconnect under these circumstances, but you’re the highlight of this whole ordeal.”
Maxwell braced his hand on the headboard and the other on the bed as he lowered his head. He kissed her again and this one was as sweet as the ones before. She felt so cherished and...loved. They might not be at that point yet, but she felt it with every kiss of his lips, every touch of his hand and in the way he looked at her.
I’m playing for keeps, he’d said the night before, and Amina planned to hold him to that. She believed in her heart that they were destined to be together, and she couldn’t wait to see what the future held for them.
When the kiss ended, Maxwell stared into her eyes. “I’ll never be able to get enough of you.”
There was so much conviction in his voice with each word he spoke. And the intensity in his eyes made her want to scream to the world that he was hers. Soon. Soon, she’d be comfortable letting everyone know that they were together. First, she wanted everything about Jeremy to be a thing of the past.
“I have to get going. Don’t forget to go through the photos Trace took. Shoot me a text if you spot anything out of the norm. There might not be anything in the pictures, but this is a method that Trace has used in the past. And it’s helped with a couple of his cases.”
“Okay, I’ll look through them first thing.”
After Maxwell left, Amina lounged in bed for a little longer. Would it always be like this when she woke up next to him? The kissing, the talking, the just being together? It felt so foreign. Yet, she knew that was how it should’ve been with the man she married. At least that’s how it was with her parents and her sisters’ marriages. Granted, she was seeing their relationships from the outside looking in, but they all had something she and Jeremy never had—good communication...and mutual respect.
She and Jeremy never had that type of connection. Amina could see it clearly now, but back then, she’d been clueless to what all was missing in their relationship. The two of them also hadn’t been friends before getting together, and that was the difference with Maxwell. The last couple of years they’d bonded and a friendship developed. Add that to the mutual respect between them and they had something to build upon. Something that was never a part of her marriage.
