Courage in the Kiss (14 page)

Hadley sat for a few minutes, staring at Maxx across the table, her cup of coffee held tightly between her hands. It had been nearly an hour since their intense encounter in the living room, and parts of her body still lit up in response to a glance from those deep blue eyes.

She could barely concentrate on what he was telling her, because he was so stunning. She didn’t know, looking at him now, how she could ever think of leaving him. As though reading her mind, he looked up from the notebook he was scribbling in and smiled.

“So what do you think?” he asked, sliding the notebook across the counter.

It hadn’t been long since they had lunch and the boys wouldn’t be back from their game for another hour. Shaking off her thoughts, Hadley reached for the notebook and slid it closer.

He’d drawn plans for a new set up, in the London office. It was due to be inspected in just two weeks, when he’d travel down south to make sure it met with the plans. But there had been changes since the last plans she’d seen and these were great.

The open offices were designed with special ergonomic chairs and adjusted desks. Everything was designed for the employee; with keyboards and screens in the perfect position to aid blood circulation, comfort, and organisation.

“This is fantastic,” she admitted, leaning closer to read the scribbled descriptions beside some of the details.

“Yeah, I read a study that said it could actually increase productivity,” Maxx explained, sounding excited by the project. He took a sip of coffee and flipped the phone to another picture. “These are the desks I was telling you about. The shelf the keyboard sits on can actually rotate, to accommodate each employee. So if they move desks, they can adjust the shelf,” he continued.

Hadley smiled to herself at his excitement. He was like a kid in a toy shop. It was adorable.

She studied the picture and turned back to the drawings, wondering how she could help. He’d thought of everything to rejuvenate the main office of the building Emerson had built from scratch.

“Hadley, you’re not going to leave now, are you?” he asked, suddenly. “I mean…you couldn’t, not now. You were going to leave, to escape me, and you don’t have to do that anymore,” he reminded her.

Hadley reached across the tabletop and took his hand. “No, Maxx,” she promised. “Even if I wanted to leave, I couldn’t. I couldn’t imagine not being close to you,” she explained, feeling like a stupid girl again for admitting that.

Maxx just smiled and lifted her hand to his lips. “Good,” he approved, gently extracting his hand to brush aside a strand of hair from her eyes. “Because I like having you here. Now that I don’t have to watch what I’m doing or saying around you, we’re having fun together, right?” he admitted.

Hadley watched him, trying to figure out what exactly he was trying to say. “Yeah, we have a lot of fun,” she agreed. And she wasn’t just talking about the sex, and didn’t think he was, either. He’d really opened up since that first night they slept together, and now she could see him in a whole new light.

“So this doesn’t have to be weird anymore, does it?”

“What about when Micah and Rowan are around?” Hadley asked, bursting his bubble. “One of them is going to notice or walk in on something. Especially after that performance from earlier,” she reminded him.

Maxx shrugged it off and collected the drawings, to stuff them into his briefcase that sat on the seat next to him. “Leave me to deal with Micah. Those boys are old enough to know what’s good for them, so if they step out of line, I’ll be there to remind them that they want us on their side,” he said, with a mischievous smile.

“They do?” she asked in amusement.

“Sure.” He nodded and winked at her. “When they want their girlfriends over and some privacy, we’ll be there to either get Dad out of the house, or make sure they don’t get a second alone.”

“You’re evil.” Hadley laughed at him and his playful mood.

Maxx laughed with her, until that comfortable, casual atmosphere returned. It was so warm and surprising that she couldn’t get used to it. But, damn it, she wanted to. She wanted so badly for this to be the rest of her life; making love with Maxx, having coffee together, enjoying some carefree conversation.

It was almost perfect. But only almost.

Maxx arrived at the football pitch, after a pleasant morning with Hadley. He’d meant what he told her, that being with her was fun, but he hadn’t admitted that it was more than just fun. Being with her woke him up, as if from an eternity of boredom and monotony.

She was so different to all the other women he’d known that he couldn’t figure out how he hadn’t seen it before.

At least she’d promised to stay, instead of leaving home to escape his oblivious ignorance. That was all Maxx wanted to hear; that she’d think about it and very possibly come round to his way of thinking. He just wanted her to be happy and get to share some of that happiness with her, for a while.

He’d noticed her on the phone to Conway, and worried that it would be one step too far. That his request for a ‘fling’ would suddenly seem dirty and degrading to her, once Conway reminded her that what she really wanted was for Maxx to marry her.

That phone call had taken away all her vitality and spark; he couldn’t have that.

His phone beeped in the holder by the radio. Since the car was stopped, while he waited for Micah and Rowan to leave the changing rooms, he picked it up and read the text from Hadley.

The doctor called. Once you’ve dropped the boys off, we can pick up your dad. Had.
There were even two x’s at the end, indicating kisses.

Maxx couldn’t help but smile. She really was a gem. If he only had the time, inclination, and energy to get involved in a serious relationship, it would be with Hadley. She had everything –
was
everything – he’d ever want in a partner. She wouldn’t just be a wife, to sit at home and raise the kids, to keep the house and do the chores. She’d be an equal part of everything he did, from business to their home life.

But that was impossible.

Maybe in five or ten years time, he could give her what she really wanted, but even that wasn’t a guarantee. With his dad retiring, the entire weight and burden of the business would fall on his shoulders.

The back door opened and the weight of the car shifted, as Micah threw his bag inside and then climbed in after it. “Hey, thanks for coming,” his brother said, as Rowan climbed in the other side. “I know you probably had better things to do,” he admitted as they both got comfortable.

Like Hadley?
he thought, only to wipe the smile from his lips and nod at his brother through the rear view mirror. “No problem,” Maxx replied, putting his phone back on the dock, after sending confirmation that he’d seen and understood Hadley’s text. “We were just waiting for the doctor to call. Had’s sent a text to say that we can leave, as soon as I’ve dropped you two at the house,” he explained.

He wasn’t saying anything about how he and Hadley had spent their time, or that each encounter with her was even more mind-blowing than the last. The less Micah knew about them, the better. The last thing he needed was permission or disapproval from his kid brother.

They sat in a comfortable silence all the way home, as Maxx thought about whether he’d rushed Hadley into things. To be quite fair to her, he hadn’t exactly given her much choice. He’d slept with her first, before admitting that it was nothing more than sex for pleasure’s sake.

Honestly, he’d hoped it would snap him out of that awkward infatuation phase he’d had for the last six years. Instead, it only magnified it until all he wanted was to wrap Hadley up in his arms and never let her escape his clutches.

Maxx stared at the road, wondering what exactly he could do to thank her for what she’d said just before he left the house. Going over the drawings and plans for the London office had just been a whim; an idea that popped into his head, because he knew Hadley loved decorating and had a great eye for detail. He’d never expected glowing praise and stunning brown eyes boring into his, as she told him how incredible and wonderful he was.

No matter what she thought about his high ranking position in his father’s firm, no one had ever told him he was smart before. He’d never been that smart and hadn’t heard anyone even attempt to convince him that he was. Hearing her say how smart she thought he was, gave him a good feeling. No matter what he decided or thought about their future together, Hadley was willing to stand by his judgement.

Before he knew it, they’d arrived at the house and he was parked in the garage, not really remembering the drive. Maxx chalked it up to autopilot and decided not to dissect it too closely.

He took the keys from the ignition and got out of the car, while the boys chatted amongst themselves and headed inside.

He followed and found Hadley fixing her hair at the hallway mirror, as she’d done the night of the party. He crossed to her and placed his hands on her shoulders, taking in her unique, natural beauty and appreciating that it was all his. For now.

“Baby, you’re one of a kind.”

Hadley smiled through the mirror at him, uncertainly, then blushed and looked away. Always so innocent.

They weren’t the words he’d planned on saying, but they explained how he felt well enough. Although ‘I love you’ would be more appreciated, he was grateful that she hadn’t tried to push him toward those three little words since they first kissed. It might be what Hadley wanted, but Maxx also understood that she wanted it to be real.

Besides, she didn’t deserve to just be loved. She deserved adoration, a desire so strong it would kill him if he woke up and found it was all a dream. Hadley deserved to be worshipped with a passion, though she’d never ask to be held on a pedestal, only loved for who she was.

Maxx adored her and, for now, that would just have to be enough. In the beginning, just being around her had become an obsession; to feel that real, pure, and complicated lust that drove him crazy. It was unlike anything he’d ever felt before, but he wouldn’t have it any other way.

Now, he didn’t have to go crazy from wanting her. He could go crazy from
having
her. From having Hadley all to himself, with no other guy around to steal her attention or try to tempt her away. And, even if they came, he wouldn’t have to worry. Hadley was all his.

She’d never love anyone else.

Hadley lay her head against the back of the seat as she watched Maxx driving toward the hospital. He seemed tense, uncomfortable somehow. She really hoped it had nothing to do with Emerson coming home; though a part of her said that worrying about Emerson’s return meant that Maxx was anticipating what it might mean for them. Namely, the loss of privacy to do and be whoever and whatever they wanted.

“The doctor said they need the bed, but your father is less than thrilled about it,” she confessed, relaying the phone message to him.

They hadn’t had much time to talk, with Micah and Rowan being in the house. Now, instead of speaking her mind no matter where she was or who was around, she had to check herself every other minute, for fear that she’d give away her new relationship with Maxx.

“They’ve got him packed already and he’ll have to spend the next hour in the family room, waiting for us and his medication,” she explained with a deep sigh. Emerson was not going to be happy about this.

“Serves him right,” Maxx grumbled to himself.

“Is something wrong?” Hadley wondered, not sure why he seemed so frustrated. Without thinking, she put her hand on his thigh and gave it a gently squeeze to encourage him to talk.

He exhaled so deeply that she wondered how long he’d been holding that breath. Then his left hand left the steering wheel and covered her own. “I just have a feeling that I’ll need to leave sooner than planned, now that Dad’s taken ill,” he explained. There was a harshness to his voice that suggested he was angry with Emerson.

“It wasn’t exactly his fault,” she argued, not sure why it sounded as though Maxx felt differently.

“Isn’t it?” he asked, shaking his head. “He’s a selfish bastard, Had, and you know it. If he thought ending up in hospital would make you stay, he wouldn’t think twice about faking an attack. And, really, a panic attack?” Maxx asked, letting go of her hand to change gears. “Since when has he ever been afraid of anything? He’s a grumpy old man, used to getting what he wants. The minute you said you were going to leave, that he wouldn’t get to adopt you, that all went out the window.”

Hadley turned to gaze out the window, wondering if he was right. In her whole life, she couldn’t remember Emerson ever having had a panic attack before. Neither did she recall him having to fight for what he wanted. It always fell into his lap, as it did with most Williams men. Money, prestige, women, power; it all came too easily to each and every one of them that she’d often thought they were too good to be true.

Now, Maxx’s words made a startling kind of sense. Not only that Emerson was unhappy with her refusal to be adopted, but that he would try emotional blackmail to get what he wanted. Looking back, she wasn’t even sure that it would be the first time.

“I shouldn’t have said anything,” Maxx apologised, suddenly. “I know how much he loves you, but I just can’t help thinking that there’s an ulterior motive here. He was too nice to you during the party, despite being selfish and acting like a child before and after it. Now he’s sick and has ‘medication’? For a panic attack?” he said, now driving primarily with his left hand, as the right elbow sat on the window ledge, so he could lay his head on his hand.

“He’s going to milk it for weeks and, in that time,” he continued, disheartened, “I’ll have to go to all the offices and reassure all the board members that his illness isn’t going to affect the business. I’ll probably have to leave this week, before word starts spreading,” he explained.

Hadley nodded gingerly. “Barnabas is on the board. He could have called half a dozen of the others by now,” she realised.

Maxx nodded silently and kept driving.

With a smile, Hadley let Maxx open her door and hold his hand out for hers. He was such a gentleman, and his temper seemed to be soothed by the very fact that she noticed it.

She’d spent most of the drive watching him, his hands, his lips, where his gaze settled. Everything about him was captivating and tender.

She placed her hand into Maxx’s and lifted her trainer clad feet over the deep sill of the car. He took the majority of her weight as she tried to step out elegantly, without flashing her underwear to half the parking lot.

Maxx laughed as her left hand immediately pressed down on her skirt, to hold it in place. “Don’t spoil the fun,” he teased with a wink.

Hadley almost hit him. Instead, she allowed him to let go of her hand. He pulled off his suit jacket and helped her on with it, before stepping in front of her and buttoning it shut.

“That should save your dignity,” he said, still smiling as she looked down. He was right; the jacket covered her entire backside, keeping her skirt in place with the four button fastening.

“Thank you,” she replied, grateful for the rescue. It would be far too embarrassing to flash a whole parking lot, then have to hear Maxx teasing her about it for who knew how long. Probably forever.

“You’re too cute,” he commented under his breath.

Since he sounded happy and approving, Hadley chose not to argue. She simply took his hand again with a faint smile, and encouraged him toward the main building.

It took five minutes to find the map of the hospital, then another ten to find the right elevator and reach the correct floor. The minute they walked into the ward, Emerson’s doctor, Dr. Holton, approached from the nurses’ station, where he’d been pacing.

“Thank god you’re here,” he greeted them, running his hand through his hair.

“Is something wrong?” Maxx asked, as Hadley squeezed his hand a little tighter.

“You could say that.” The doctor smiled, leading the way to the Family Room. He stopped at the door and turned to Maxx. “I’m afraid we had to put your father in here, because we needed his bed. But I’m not sure if it’s that he was put here or the fact that you’re a little late, but I must warn you…he is not a happy man and has made a lot of rather false and bothersome complaints to the nurses.”

“In other words, he’s been a nuisance and you’re glad we’re here to drag him away,” Maxx translated, lessening her worry from dread to mere annoyance.

The doctor smiled and opened the door for them. “I was trying to put it more politely, but since you suggest it, yes,” he answered truthfully. He waited until Maxx followed Hadley inside, before shutting the door behind them, leaving them to sort it out themselves.

As soon as Hadley saw Emerson, she let go of Maxx’s hand and crossed to the frail looking man lying on the sofa. “Oh, Emerson.” She sighed, getting to her knees as he looked up at her with a harsh frown. “I’m so sorry we’re late,” she apologised as she hugged him.

Technically, it wasn’t their fault; the traffic had been slow, resembling rush hour more than the lazy afternoon traffic it should have been.

“Oh, do stop your fussing. I’m perfectly fine,” Emerson groaned, shrugging her off.

Hadley practically fell to the floor with the action, then slowly rose to her feet as she realised that Maxx’s warning hadn’t been an overreaction. Emerson was still furious that she refused to let him adopt her.

“What on earth took you so long? I’ve been stuck in this box for almost two hours,” he complained, pushing himself to sit up.

“I…we…” Hadley turned to the window to stop anyone seeing her tears. She couldn’t help but cry. They couldn’t help being late from the traffic, but two hours was ridiculous. Why hadn’t the doctor called sooner?

He looked so ill…pale, thinner, almost weak. She couldn’t believe Maxx’s words anymore, that he’d done this to himself. No one could make themselves look this sick, without the doctor or nurse getting suspicious.

Emerson continued with his complaints as she wiped away some more tears, trying to be inconspicuous, but his words were callous and undeserved.

“Are you so self-centred that you would leave me here, simply to get back at me? Is this your last little bit of punishment before you leave?” he spat, as she caught his reflection in the window. He started fussing over his bags, checking and closing them, then opening them again. “Is this how you repay me for having looked after you, after what happened to your parents?”

Hadley wondered how he could be so cruel and unfeeling by bringing up her parents.

“Dad! Shut up,” Maxx growled, as he moved to stand behind her. “Baby,” he whispered, his voice soft and full of warmth. He ran his hand over her hair, appearing fully aware of her tears and pain. “You know that everything he’s saying is a lie. He’s just trying to hurt you,” he reminded her, turning her round.

Taking a deep breath, she tried to compose herself and let Maxx brush aside her tears. “Let’s get him home and send him off to ‘rest’,” he hinted, with a discreet wink.

“What’s wrong with her?” Emerson asked, already off the sofa and heading for the door, sounding far too intrigued for her nerves to take. “She’s not pregnant, is she?” he asked disapprovingly.

Hadley turned to glare at him and let out a drawn out sigh. “No, Emerson,” she bit out. “
She’s
not pregnant.” She couldn’t believe how little he thought of her. Did he really think that was her reason for leaving? Or staying?

Just who the hell did he think the father was? And when had she had time to get knocked up? She woke up at an ungodly hour, went to work, then went to bed and did it all over again. This past week with Maxx was the only time she’d ever had to herself and even now they barely had any time alone together.

Emerson huffed and left the room, leaving his bags for someone else to carry, as he continued to the nurses’ station.

Maxx took a deep breath and grabbed the bags, muttering to himself. “Just a few hours and you’ll be out of here. Leave him for someone else to cope with,” he grumbled.

“Oi, you!” Hadley laughed and whacked his arm, as she wrestled one of the bags from him. “That would be me.” She reminded him that he’d be escaping the torment and quite happy to do so.

Maxx laughed and wrapped his now free arm over her shoulders. “Sorry, baby. But you always did know how to handle him,” he apologised, half-heartedly.

Hadley shook her head with a fond smile, as she walked out to the nurses’ station ahead of him, thanking the nurses and the doctor for all they’d done for Emerson. She had no doubts that they’d suffered greatly for it, but there was little she could do now except thank them for putting up with it.

At the elevator, she looked behind her to see Maxx following, walking slowly.

“What took you so long? I’ve been standing here for ages,” Emerson groaned, holding open the elevator doors, grudgingly.

Hadley rolled her eyes and waited for Maxx, dropping the bags on the elevator floor. Maxx was silent as they rode down to the ground floor and made their way to the car, listening to Emerson’s constant criticism and grumbles. As soon as he saw the car, there were more complaints, but Maxx never said a word.

Hadley was too busy thinking about how unhappy he looked, to bother answering Emerson.

Maxx got his dad settled in the car and opened the boot, standing next to Hadley as she wondered whether to say anything or not. Finally, it was too much to bear.

“What’s wrong?” she asked, again.

Maxx threw his dad’s bags into the boot, before grabbing her around the waist with both arms and swinging her into his arms. Before she could speak, his mouth plastered to hers.

A moan escaped him as she responded instinctively, uncaring of the fact that Emerson could see them. With the way he was acting, she didn’t care anymore.

But then Maxx pulled away and smiled at her. “We’ll continue this later,” he promised with another cheeky wink.

Hadley closed the boot with a satisfied, happy sigh as Maxx moved round to the passenger door and held it open for her.

“I love you,” she whispered, unable to hold back as she stood beside him. She ducked into the passenger seat, ignoring Emerson’s grumbles from the back seat.

After that kiss, Emerson could go jump in a lake for all she cared.