CHAPTER TEN
“MOVE in closer, Lacey. That’s it. There’s the same monkey who’s been watching you for the last week. He’s above your right shoulder. Hand him the carrot. Terrific. Now pull another one from your pocket and pat your shoulder. I want to see if he’ll swing from the branch and land on you.”
Nick’s well-modulated voice seemed to have no adverse effect on the monkey who kept scratching his head in contemplation. The other members of the crew had positioned themselves near the water to make suggestions and observe.
Suddenly Lacey got the inspiration to make a low hooting sound, mimicking George. Like magic, the monkey leaped onto her shoulder to get the other carrot.
“That’s beautiful, Lacey. Whatever you’re doing, keep it up.”
She felt like a fool, but continued to make funny noises. The monkey stayed put long enough for Nick to get some amazing shots.
“See if he’ll cling to you while you walk over to the pool.”
Lacey carefully worked her way through the lush undergrowth to the edge of the blue lagoon, a place large and deep enough to accommodate a dozen people. Where the river water ran into it, a fence had been erected to keep out the alligators, making it safe for swimming.
Already Lacey had learned that the crew demanded perfection, often shooting the same scene a dozen times to get the exact shot they wanted. The work was grueling, and the sweltering heat, the insects, made conditions almost unbearable some days.
She gained a new respect for actors and models, but had no desire to become one in spite of the crew’s insistence that she was a natural.
“Go over by that resurrection fern and see if the monkey will stay with you.”
Lacey obeyed Nick’s directive and gingerly sat down so her feet dangled in the water, afraid that any second now, the monkey would run off.
As she feared, he scrambled into some bordering mangroves. To her delight, however, he lingered nearby as if watching to see what she’d do next. On a whim, she slipped off her tennis shoes and began wading into the pool, hoping he’d follow.
All of a sudden the monkey grabbed one of her shoes and scurried to a nearby tree with his prize.
“Oh, no!” she cried, so startled by what had happened she lost her footing and fell headfirst into the water.
The guys roared with laughter, urging Nick to keep shooting. When Lacey surfaced she was laughing, as well, her sparkling eyes reflecting the primeval green of the Glades.
But Max’s smile faded as she emerged from the pool, her safari outfit faithfully following every line and curve of her body. From the look in his eyes, she might as well have not been wearing anything.
Her cheeks went scarlet. She knew how his mind worked. He thought she’d planned this on purpose. No doubt he could hardly wait to castigate her.
“Let’s call it a day,” he said tersely.
“I’m all for that,” Jeff shouted. He stripped down to his swim trunks and dove in the pool. In short order, Milo followed suit. Nick, always the joker, kicked off his shoes, and, screaming like a banshee, made a running leap into the lagoon, taking Lacey with him.
Her shrieks of laughter incited pandemonium and a huge water fight ensued. Lacey gave as good as she got, ignoring Max’s thunderous glances. After a thorough dunking by Nick, she tossed her head back and discovered he’d gone.
If the others noticed, they didn’t say anything. Lacey floated on her back for a while as one by one Nick and Jeff got out of the pool and started gathering their equipment. Milo was still doing laps.
“Lacey? The monkey dropped your shoe. I’ve put it with the other one on the side of the pool,” Jeff shouted as he and Nick walked away.
“Thank goodness!” Still laughing, she tread water for a few minutes, then let out a cry which alerted Milo. He swam over to her.
“What’s the matter?”
“What is it?” She pointed to something creeping through the vegetation at the other end of the pool.
“That’s a panther. It’s the one Ruth and Drew have tamed. He won’t hurt us. This is a water hole for all the animals and bird life in the game preserve.”
True to Milo’s prediction, the graceful animal made a hissing sound, then disappeared.
“I think I’m going back to the hut.” She scrambled out of the water and climbed up on the grassy bank to put on her shoes.
“What’s happened between you and Max?” He came straight to the point as they walked along the forest floor where the trees and vines overhead formed a cathedral-like canopy.
Her steps slowed. “I’m afraid you’d have to ask Max,” she said on a choked whisper.
Milo grimaced. “We’ve worked together five years, but in all that time, I’ve never seen him in this kind of shape. For what it’s worth, none of us likes the way he’s been treating you, and I’m about ready to say something.”
“Please don’t,” she pleaded. “He’ll think—”
“What?” Milo demanded, sounding as imperious as Max.
Hot tears filled her eyes and splashed down her face. Her pain was so intense, she had to say something or break down completely.
“For some reason, he thinks I’m a totally promiscuous woman who could never remain faithful to one man. He despises me.” Her voice shook.
Milo’s eyebrows furrowed. “Is that the reason you keep your distance with me and the crew? Because Max warned you off?”
“Let’s just say he manages to put a negative connotation on every move I make.”
“He’s a fool.” Milo sounded angry.
“If you get involved, he’ll only think the worst of both of us.”
“Max knows I don’t play around. I love my wife very much, even though we’re having problems right now.”
“But he’s accused me of being a temptation no one can resist,” she interjected bitterly.
“He’s in love with you.”
“Oh, no.” She shook her head furiously.
“He is, but something happened in his past. Something he can’t talk about, and he’s letting it get in the way.”
“He told me. It was a woman. She did something that made it impossible for him to love anyone. He hates me.”
“You’ve got that wrong. He’d like to hate you.”
She swallowed a sob. “It amounts to the same thing.” After a pause she said, “Milo, as soon as we’re through shooting, I’m going back to Salt Lake on the first available flight.
“Since you helped Jeff make all the arrangements, I wanted you to know my plans and not wonder what happened when I’m suddenly not here anymore. I trust you not to say anything to Max.”
“I won’t say a word.” He eyed her gravely. “To quote the rest of the crew, you’re one terrific lady.”
Once more her face was awash with tears. “Thank you. If it weren’t for the situation with Max, I’d be having the time of my life.”
He put a comforting arm around her shoulder and walked her the short distance to her hut. As luck would have it, Max was outside his hut talking to Jeff as they approached. He flashed them a venomous glance.
Lacey prayed Milo would remove his arm, but to her dismay, he tightened it as if to flaunt their relationship. She understood why he did it, but he didn’t have the faintest conception of what Max’s anger did to her.
“Thanks for the swim,” he said loud enough for Max to hear. “Let’s do it again.” After kissing her forehead, he strolled off. Lacey ducked inside her hut, not wanting to witness Max’s reaction.
Later, while everyone ate dinner, Lacey showered and washed her hair, then hurried back to the hut in a clean pair of shorts and top, deciding to make do with fruit and crackers she kept in her room. Under no circumstances could she tolerate eating at the same table with Max.
“At last;” a male voice grated as she closed the door, causing her to gasp in fright. She whirled around in anger.
“You have no right to be in here, Max.”
He lounged against the dresser with his hands in his pockets, looking remote. “An unlocked door is an open invitation. I’m afraid Milo won’t be making it tonight. I thought I’d offer myself instead.”
The dangerous glint in his eyes caused the adrenaline to surge through her veins. At any other time in their relationship she would have been overjoyed to hear him say those words. She would have gone willingly into his arms.
But her heart had died since coming to the Glades and she wanted nothing more to do with him.
“I’m afraid I’ll have to turn down your offer. Intimacy with a man who hates women as much as you do would be sacrilege.”
“Sacrilege?” She could feel his rage boiling beneath the surface.
“Would profane be a better word?” she cried angrily. “You know nothing about me, only what your twisted mind keeps imagining. For your information, I’ve never been to bed with a man in my life. After getting to know you, I’m not sure the day will come that I’ll ever be interested. You make me so angry. I wish to heaven I’d never met you!”
His face was a colorless mask. “You couldn’t possibly wish it as much as I do. Just so you know, we’re going outside the village tomorrow to shoot some scenes in the park. Your presence won’t be required.”
He strode from the room like an avenging prince, leaving Lacey weak and trembling.
For a minute she had to cling to the chair, too devastated by pain to move. She had no idea how long she stood there, but at some point Max’s pronouncement that the crew would be away from the village the following day galvanized her into action.
She pulled things out of the dresser and started packing her bags. Every day the hospital received deliveries from Miami. She’d grab a ride into the city. From there, she would take the first flight home.
Lacey returned to the furnished attic apartment at the base of Memory Grove in downtown Salt. Lake, but after living there two weeks, she still hadn’t grown to like it. In fact, she had the awful premonition that no place would ever feel like home again without Max.
It had been in desperation that she had moved out of her sister’s condo. She’d chosen this apartment not only because the walls and ceilings of the living room were one continuous window, giving her a breathtaking view of the city’s skyline, but because of its proximity to the majority of businesses and law firms she frequented as a CPA.
Determined to cut all ties with Max, she’d bought an answering machine so that when the phone rang, she knew exactly who was calling and why. The only problem was, she hadn’t yet answered the personal calls, particularly Lorraine’s and Valerie’s, which had been left day after day and were piling up, making her feel guilty and childish. And if she were really being honest, heartbroken.
Her new phone number was unlisted. Aside from Valerie and Lorraine, she’d only given it out to her clients, making it impossible for Max to reach her even if he’d wanted to. Which of course, he didn’t!
Feeling wretched, she warmed some soup and turned on her little portable TV. Since returning from Florida, she’d refused to listen to Radio Talk. To turn on the station would be like walking through a second Gethsemane.
But it was torture not to listen to his show even though she knew it wasn’t good for her. Tonight she’d sell her soul for the opportunity to hear his fascinating voice one more time. It was eight o’clock on a Saturday night. All she had to do was turn on the radio and Max would invade her kitchen.
Angry with herself for even considering it, she turned off the TV, opened her briefcase and started to work. But after staring at the same ledger for ten minutes, she realized it was no use, she couldn’t concentrate.
A glance at the clock told her Max’s show would be over in forty-five minutes. As if her hand had a will of its own, she reached for the radio which was sitting on the counter and turned it on.
“And it never occurred to me that she wouldn’t be there. Do you know how it feels to finally be ready to pour out your soul to someone, only to discover that you can’t find them anywhere?”
Lacey blinked in shock because she could hear Max’s voice shaking.
“So you still haven’t had any luck finding Lorraine yet?”
It was a good thing Lacey was holding on to the counter with both hands.
“No. But I’m never giving up. I love her, Patsy, and I have to find her or my life’s not worth living.”
“That’s what I said to you last month when my husband went off on another drinking binge, and you told me not to ever say that. It sounds like you need to take your own advice. Everyone has disappointments in life.”
“But you don’t know Lorraine, Patsy. She’s the only woman in the world for me. I never considered getting married until I met her. All I want is the chance to tell her that, and to beg her forgiveness for the way I’ve treated her.”
Lacey thought she was going to faint.
“If she’s as terrific as you say, she’ll forgive you. Like you told me, nobody’s perfect. Making mistakes is part of being human.”
“But I made a bad one, Patsy. So bad I can’t even talk about it.”
“I understand. I’m sorry, Max. We’re all rooting for you.”
“Thanks, Patsy. Call me again. Hello, you’re on the air.”
“Max?”
“You’re speaking to him.”
“This is Larry, the cabdriver who drove you home from the airport three weeks ago. I’m sorry to hear you’re still in such bad shape. I’ve picked up a lot of sad fares in my time, but I have to tell Lorraine if she’s out there listening, that what she did to you by moving out of her condo and leaving no forwarding address was cruel.”
“Yeah. It was cruel, but I deserved it, Larry. She was always so sweet, so loving, and all I ever did was tromp all over her feelings again and again till she couldn’t take any more.”
“Well, I’ve got her picture, the one you gave me. I’ve been looking for her. If I find her, I’ll call in and let you know where I saw her.”
“Thanks, Larry. I owe you big time. Now I’ve got to go to another call. Hello, this is the Max Jarvis show. You’re on the air.”
“Hi, Max. This is Casey. Don’t get too down. The same thing happened to me, so I hired a blimp to carry a sign saying, ‘Forgive me, Jean. Please marry me.’ It flew over the city all day long and cost me a fortune. But it worked. She called me that night and now we’re married with five kids.”
“I’m happy for you, Casey. Thanks for your novel idea. My outlook has been so bleak, I just might try it. Good night, Casey. Call in anytime.
“You know, if it weren’t for all you listeners out there helping me to get through this, I don’t know how I’d handle it.
“The guys on my crew told me I got what I deserved and haven’t been speaking to me since. When I discovered Lorraine had left Florida without telling anyone, I felt as if someone had slammed a crowbar into my gut.
“I’d finally gotten to the point where I could tell her the truth about my life, and she was gone. It’s like she’s disappeared off the face of the earth. Three weeks without her has been like three years. I’ve got to find her. I’ve got to make her understand. My entire life’s happiness depends on it.”
His pain was so tangible, Lacey felt it to her bones.
“Hello. You’re on the air.”
“Max?”
“Dear God, is it you, Lorraine?”
“No. It’s Valerie.”
Valerie?
Lacey was so stunned, she fell back in one of the kitchen chairs.
“When did you get back from Japan?”
“Today. I saw your message on the back door and have been trying to call in, but the lines have been continually busy. I finally called your producer and he let me break in because I’m family.”
“My producer is crazy about Lorraine, too. Have you heard from her, Valerie? Please say you have.”
“No. She hasn’t returned any of my calls from Tokyo, and I don’t know where she’s living.”
Lacey heard him smother an epithet. “If she hasn’t told you anything or made contact, and you’re her twin sister, then I guess it’s pretty hopeless.”
“What you’ve done to her must be pretty bad. It’s the first time in our lives she has refused to confide in me, and that lets me know she’s in agony.”
“She’s not alone.” The tremor in his voice reached Lacey’s heart. “I have to find her and talk to her.”
“My sister’s the sweetest, kindest, most giving and generous human being I’ve ever known. One of the true innocents of the world. To see her in this kind of pain hurts me because up to now she’s always been resilient and fun-loving.
“In fact she was always so happy, Daddy called her his sunshine girl. But. since meeting you, she’s changed. I don’t know Lorraine like this and I don’t think she could take being hurt any more.”
“Do you think I want to hurt her?” he cried.
It was almost embarrassing to Lacey to hear Max express his innermost feelings over the airwaves. But it also touched her heart that he would humble himself and break down in front of an audience of thousands.
“If anything, my crime has been loving her too much! I refused to believe a woman like her existed until it was too late.”
After a sustained pause Lacey heard her sister ask, “Have you ever told her that, Max?”
“I would have, but she left the Everglades while the crew and I were in the park taking pictures.”
“Well, don’t lose hope yet. We aren’t twin sisters for nothing. She’s a Radio Talk addict. I bet she’s listening to you right now.”
A rush of heat covered Lacey’s body from head to toe.
“I pray to God you’re right, Valerie.”
“Listen—I have my own methods of finding her. It shouldn’t take me very long.”
“Just so you know, I’ve already contacted everyone she knows, but not even Nester or her pastor know where she’s living. They’ll call me as soon as they come up with anything.”
He called them to help?
“I’ve got another idea. I’ll let you in on it later. In the meantime, good luck, and if I haven’t said so before, welcome to the family.”
“Thanks, Valerie, even if it is premature. You don’t know what that means to me. Lorraine, if you’re listening... Please phone in. Without you, I’m nothing. I love you, sweetheart. Please give me one more chance.”
By now the tears were falling fast and furiously.
“My producer says the calls are stacked up. Hello. You’re on the air.”
“Max—it’s Greg.”
At the sound of Greg’s voice, Lacey buried her hot face in her hands.
“Does this mean you’ve located Lorraine?”
“Not yet, but Annette and I have been working nonstop on it. We’ve been keeping an eye on her usual haunts.”
“I’ll never be able to thank you enough, Greg.”
Just how long had Max been discussing their personal lives over the air?
“Lorraine? This is Greg. Remember me? Your brother? I know you’re listening. I have to tell you, you were right about us. It’s Annette I love, and we’re getting married at Thanksgiving, so you’ve got to come out of the woodwork because Annette wants you for her maid of honor.
“If you could forgive me for being such an idiot, surely you can forgive Max. The man worships the ground you walk on. What more proof do you need? Come on, Lorraine. Why don’t the four of us make it a double wedding? Think about it and give in. You know you want to. You know you’re dying to marry the hotshot talk host from California.”
Lacey found herself laughing and crying, all at the same time.
“He’s had his reasons for being so cruel. Just hear him out, Lorraine. Remember Mr. Osana in A Majority of One? He went over to Mrs. Jacoby’s and they started all over again. Remember him saying, ‘You’ll accompany me to parades and concerts,’ and she said, ‘And you’ll come to my house for Thanksgiving.’ Remember how you cried, Lorraine?”
Greg. She shook her head. Trust him to quote from her favorite movie of all time. Unable to stand it another second, she phoned the business line. Rob answered.
“Rob? This is Lorraine,” she said, already out of breath.
“Lorraine?” he cried in disbelief, almost damaging her eardrum. “Whatever you do, for the love of heaven, don’t hang up! Max will fire me if that happens. Just hold on.”
She swallowed hard, feeling frightened and excited all at the same time. “I have no intention of hanging up. Can you put me on before the end of the program? It’s almost time.”
“I’m transferring you now. Max is going to have a heart attack.”
“Don’t tell him who it is. I want to surprise him.”
“Surprise is hardly the word for it. Please be nice. Life has been hell around here since he got back from his trip. He’s very fragile, Lorraine,” he whispered in a somber tone.
“I’ll be nice. I promise.”
She could hear Max saying they had time for one more call. “You’re on the air. Hopefully you’re one of Lorraine’s clients. I’ve been trying to locate her through her work, but so far I’ve been totally unsuccessful.”
Her hand shook. “H-hello, Max? I-it’s Lorraine.” She almost dropped the receiver. “I’m very hurt and confused, but I’m willing to talk at your place after the show.”
The silence spoke volumes. When he finally made a noise, he was all choked up. “Did you listeners hear that? Lorraine’s going to give me one more chance. Prayers do get answered, as her pastor said. If a miracle happens, by Tuesday afternoon I’ll be able to announce that I’m getting married to the woman of my dreams.
“A wise woman named Dr. Walker called in last week to say that if I didn’t start divulging something of my personal life over the air, I’d never gain credibility with my Utah audience.
“Right now I’ve got to work on gaining credibility in Lorraine’s eyes. Wish me luck. Have a good night. I know mine’s going to be one to rewrite the history books.”
The next few minutes were a blur as Lacey threw on her coat, grabbed her purse and dashed out of her apartment to the car park below.
A nasty hail storm followed by pelting rain were wreaking havoc, forcing her to cross town at a snail’s pace. Habits died hard as she drove around to the carport and realized Max’s and Valerie’s cars were in their stalls. There was no room for Lacey’s.
Sighing with frustration, she rolled down her window so she could see to back out and park in front.
“Leave the car there, Lacey. Neither your sister nor I is going anywhere on a night like this.”
His deep voice startled her. It seemed he knew her better than she knew herself or he wouldn’t have been waiting in back. After three weeks’ deprivation, the reality of his physical presence made her nervous and light-headed.
Neither of them said anything as she got out of the car. He rolled up the window and locked it, then followed her inside his condo.
Lacey walked through to the living room, experiencing an overwhelming sensation of homecoming. She didn’t understand how she could feel this way when Max had done nothing but deride and humiliate her from the beginning.
“I’d help you off with your coat, but if I were to touch you right now, I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
With her heart practically jumping out of its cavity, Lacey lifted her head and their gazes locked. Maybe it was a trick of light, but he looked leaner in his dark trousers and sweater.
Lines at the corners of his mouth and the bruised smudges beneath his eyes gave him a gaunt appearance. She could tell he’d lost weight. Anyone who knew him would think he’d been ill, yet she found him more desirable than ever.
Unfortunately, she knew her five pound weight loss had the opposite effect, making her drawn and pale. Even her black curls lacked their usual luster.
“I came over here to ask you to stop making our private lives public. Haven’t you done enough?” Her voice came out in a strangled whisper.
His jaw hardened. “I did what I had to do to find you again. All I ask is that you listen to me for five minutes. If you still want to walk out of here when I’ve finished, I swear I won’t stop you. You’ll be free of me and I’ll never mention you on my show again.”
Free of Max?
Unbidden tears filled her eyes and she quickly averted her head, subsiding into the nearest chair with her coat still on. “I—I know what you’re going to say, Max, and I can’t see that telling me about the woman who destroyed you will make the slightest bit of difference.
“You’re obviously a man who can love only once. She marked you for life, and you’re not capable of having a relationship with anyone else. I couldn’t live with a ghost between us, because that’s exactly what it would be. Deep in your heart you’ll never be free of her.”
To her horror, tears spilled down her cheeks like a gusher.
“In a sense, you’re right,” he murmured, his words like another dagger plunged into her heart. “For all her faults, my mother will always be my mother.”
“Your mother?” Lacey’s head went back and she stared at him in shock.
Slowly he nodded, but she could see he’d gone far away from her. “You’re very much like her. Not in looks. But you’re beautiful in the feminine way she is, you always smell divine. The way you move, the way you talk in that husky voice. Everything about you makes a man, young or old, want to carry you off to some isolated place and keep you to himself, forever.”
The realization that he was talking about his mother put such a different complexion on things, Lacey was in a daze. All this time she thought he’d loved another woman and had been scarred for life.
His mouth twisted unpleasantly. “Her power was too strong for my father to resist. Unfortunately, a ring and a piece of paper meant nothing to a woman who needed, who craved, the attention and gratification of every male around.
“For so many years I believed her when she’d tell me a friend of my father’s was visiting from another country. Our home was like a hotel. But until my teens, I hadn’t worked it out that men only spent the night when Dad was away on business.”
Lacey got to her feet, unable to contain the flood of emotions Max’s words had evoked.
“One night I needed to talk over a problem with my dad, but he wasn’t home. In desperation, I made the mistake of going to Mother. She was in bed with one of my dad’s colleagues and didn’t even know I’d opened the door. I left home that night and went to live with my best friend for a while.”
“Max—” she whispered heartbrokenly as she watched him rake a hand through his hair.
“Dad found out where I was and came to talk to me. It was a scene I don’t care to remember. When I asked him if he knew what kind of a woman Mother really was, he admitted that he did, but that she couldn’t help the way she was. He needed her, and had chosen to look the other way.
“At that point in time, I think I despised my father more than my mother. In my pain, I lashed out and told him she was like a sickness with him, that no woman should ever mean more to a man than his own honor and self-respect.
“Dad tried to explain, but I couldn’t handle it, and I left home for good.”
“How awful for you!” she cried.
He nodded grimly. “I thought it was the end of the world. My friend’s parents let me live with them until I was out of high school. I’d saved enough money from a part-time job to get me to Ceylon where I worked as a longshoreman.
“Occasionally I called Dad to keep in touch. He begged and pleaded with me to come home. He said he’d divorce Mother, but I knew he didn’t mean it. Whenever she wanted to make up with him, she knew exactly how to go about it. He could never refuse an invitation to her bed.”
“Didn’t she ever try to get in touch with you?”
“No. I was an encumbrance. I only remember one time my father raising his voice to her. It was when he told her he thought they ought to have more children and she said one was more than enough.”
“I don’t believe it,” Lacey murmured aghast.
He rubbed the back of his neck. “All that’s in the past. I finally grew up, went to college and saw the world in the process. Through a roundabout way, it led me into broadcasting.
“I’ve long since reconciled my differences with Dad. Mother eventually went off with another man and I understand she’s living somewhere in Australia. The good news is, when I went to see Dad last time, he informed me that he’d filed for divorce. He’s met a wonderful woman and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets married again.”
“Do you think he’s over your mother?”
Max took a deep breath. “If he isn’t, then God help him. But I don’t want to talk about my parents anymore. I want to talk about us.
“You have to understand that when I first met you, I felt a quickening inside that terrified me. Without sounding conceited, I confess that in my travels and work, I’ve known a lot of beautiful women and have gotten close to one or two, but I’d never been hit by an instantaneous, emotional response before. It all started with your husky voice.”
“I loved your voice, too. I loved everything about you, even though your arguments infuriated me most of the time.”
“The first night you called in on the show, I knew I wanted to get to know you better. When you came to the studio as my guest, you looked at me out of those incredible green eyes, and I fell hard. But I knew I was in the most serious trouble of my life when I thought you were married to my next-door neighbor.”
A nervous hand went to her throat. “When you gave me your address, I realized you had no idea I lived next door. I couldn’t wait to see you again and explain about Valerie because I was intensely attracted to you, too.”
“I know.” His vibrant voice penetrated the air. “That’s what was so terrible. Brad was away, and you were there, alone... I couldn’t help but remember the man who slept in my father’s bed while he was out of town. I was sickened by my own adulterous thoughts.”
“Now I’m beginning to understand why you were so cold to me.”
“You don’t know the half of it,” he groaned. “One night while I was shaving, I could hear your voice plainly through the wall. You were talking to George, talking about the trip you were going to take with him.”
It was so awful, but so funny, Lacey couldn’t hold back the laughter, but it was mingled with her tears.
“You wouldn’t have thought it was so hilarious if you’d been in my position,” he growled, but there was a light shining in his gorgeous blue eyes. “Some man was going to sleep over and George had to hide in the storeroom, never mind that his girlfriend was missing him like crazy. And all this fooling around was going on while Brad was away.”
Lacey wiped the tears from her eyes. “Oh, darling,” she cried softly and reached out to him. “No wonder,” she whispered, feathering his neck with avid kisses as he crushed her in his arms.
“It gets much worse,” he said, his forehead against hers as he caressed her shoulders through her coat. “The minute your guest left, another man pulls up in front in a motor home, and you rush outside with a baby in your arms. You can imagine what my mind conjured up.”
She could. “My guest was Brad’s supervisor from Denver. I’ve met him dozens of times. He always sleeps at the condo when he passes through Salt Lake. As for the other man, he came from the rental car place,” she confessed, brushing her lips provocatively against his. “It was for George’s sake, so that we wouldn’t have to be separated while I went to Idaho on business.”
But she didn’t get any further as Max’s compelling mouth silenced hers and they clung with a long-suppressed passion. Lacey lost cognizance of her surroundings until Max stopped kissing her long enough to say, “I went a little crazy every time I saw the way men reacted around you. I was even jealous of the waiters at the hotel. As for Dr. Rivera, I could have knocked his white teeth down his throat.”
“You forgot Nester.”
“I don’t want to think about him and the pictures that filled my mind of the lengths you must have gone to, to get that file from him. I don’t want to remember anything. But I guess it was when I saw you in Milo’s arms that something snapped and I knew I was on the verge of some kind of emotional crisis.”
She shuddered in remembered pain. “I really thought you despised me.”
He sucked in his breath and held her tighter. “That’s why I left the village and spent the night in the park, to get my head on straight. I never went to sleep, and gave everything a long, hard look. By morning I knew deep in my gut that you were totally innocent.
“It hit me then that you loved me and that I was terrified I’d destroyed the woman I loved more than life itself. I couldn’t get back to the village fast enough. But my worst nightmare became reality because you’d gone.”
She wrapped her arms around his neck. “I had to leave. You made it clear you hated me, but I kept letting you do your worst because I couldn’t bear to give you up.”
He shook his dark blond head. “Lacey, you’ve got to forgive me,” he begged in a hoarse whisper.
“Now that I know what was driving you, there’s nothing to forgive. I love you too much, and I want to make up for all your pain.”
“I don’t deserve you.”
“Hush.” She quieted his lips with her own, rejoicing in the right to touch this man, to love him for the rest of her life.
Again they were caught away in a tide so powerful, it threatened to consume her. His caressing hand found the buttons of her coat. Like magic it slipped from her shoulders and fell to the floor in a heap.
“Dear Lord, how I’ve needed this. I love you, Lacey. So much I could never, ever, share you with anyone else. I’m not like my father.”
Marveling at his vulnerability, her hands shaped the contours of his firm jaw and held him fast while the light of love burned in her brilliant green eyes.
“There’s no one else. Greg was like a brother, and not even Perry could coax me into bed. I’m a one-man woman, and I love only you, want only you. No matter how awful you were to me, I’ve never been happier in my life than when we were living together.
“That’s why I’m here. I adore you, Max. Do you believe me?” Her voice throbbed with the urgency of her question. Her entire future rested on his answer.
At last, incredibly, tears filled his eyes. He stared at her for a long, long time. “Yes. I believe you. I think I’ve believed it since the moment you introduced me to George, but I was so embittered by Mother’s behavior, I refused to admit you were her antithesis.”
His words released her pent-up emotions. Lacey had nothing but love to give him as her body molded to his. They swayed together from the sheer ecstasy of their embrace.
“I’ve been in agony over the love I feel for you. Make the pain go away, Max.”
“It’ll go away, I’ll see to it personally,” he vowed in fierce tones, drowning her in kisses until she couldn’t breathe. “But not until our honeymoon, and that means a church wedding with you dressed in white, surrounded by family and friends. After all my suspicions, I need to atone for my sins. Besides, I wouldn’t want to scandalize Mrs. Taggert. She’s one of my fans and has been searching for you, as well.”
“Making our private life public probably drew in another hundred thousand listeners,” she teased, pressing hungry kisses to his enticing mouth.
“Naturally. I’m going to marry Lorraine, Radio Talk’s sweetheart. That makes me an insider now.”
She flashed him a saucy smile. “Did you talk your boss into letting you do this? Is that why you’re really marrying me?”
But her teasing smile slowly faded as she saw the raw blaze of desire flare in his eyes, igniting her own passionate nature.
“I’ll answer your question when I take you to bed for the first time, Mrs. Jarvis. That kind of heart talk is reserved for husbands and wives only.”