Duplicity (4 page)

Chapter Eight

Maxx had been acting strangely since the police let them leave the club. Zowie frowned as he bullied her into going back to his place in Tahoe. She had argued with him the entire ride there, but he didn’t want to listen to reason.

“You’re just not listening to me, Maxx! I can’t just be holed up in your house for fuck’s sake!” Zowie lost what little patience she was born with.

Maxx picked her up and carried her up the stairs of the entryway into the house and directly to the same bedroom she had been in before. He cuffed her ankle again despite her trying to kick him with her free foot. “What are you doing? Obviously I haven’t had anything to do with the shit going on!”

Maxx raised his eyebrow at her and shook his head. “I still don’t know that for sure, and you tend to get yourself in more trouble when you’re not closely monitored. I’m not making that mistake again. This is for your safety.”

“You’re handcuffing me to your bed for my own good? What insane kidnapping book did you learn that from?”

Maxx shook his head and walked into the bathroom. “Once everyone is caught and things are wrapped up we’ll know more about what is going on, and then you should be safe.”

She caught sight of him in the doorway of the bathroom since he didn’t bother to close it. He stripped his clothes and turned the shower on. She didn’t have to imagine how hot the shower was as the steam filled the bathroom and seeped into the bedroom’s air. She blamed her difficulty catching her breath on that humidity.

When she saw a firm, perfectly muscled backside as Maxx stepped into the shower she had to resist the groan of lust that immediately formed in her throat. She knew she should be fighting any attraction to him since he was an overbearing, troublesome man. When faced with not only his hot sense of humor, but also the last few days of adrenaline rushes, and his pert ass, she was weak and unable to resist him.

Biting her lip, she slid her hands down under the sheet he had placed on her and slipped her hands into the waistband of her panties. She ran her fingers around her clit, which felt like it had been swollen in preparation for attention for days. Arching her back, she closed her eyes as she imagined Maxx in the shower, the soapsuds trickling down his chest and back, over his muscles and down into parts she had spent far too much time thinking about.   

The electricity of her thoughts mixed with the glide of her fingers across her very wet skin made for very little effort needed to drive her crazy. Zowie sank two fingers inside her core. She bit down on the pillow to stop the sounds from escaping her mouth and increased the pace of her thumb’s circles on her clit. Before long, she was seeing sparks behind her eyelids and let out a muffled moan.

She grinned as the water turned off almost immediately after and thought about how close the call had been. Zowie admitted she still felt the attraction for Maxx, but was happy to have the edge taken off, even if by her own doing.

Chapter Nine

Maxx had to force himself to wait in the shower and take his time while in the next room he could both hear and smell Zowie’s need and subsequent pleasure. He was harder than he could remember being in his adult years. His wolf’s urge to take her was stomping around under his skin, making him yearn for the forest where he could let his wolf out and run himself out of steam.

Walking out of the bathroom with a towel around his waist, he looked over at the beautifully rumpled vision that was Zowie. She had the decency to look guilty. He closed his eyes for a moment and inhaled the musky scent she had perfumed the air with when she found her release.

Walking over to the bed, Maxx leaned down and reached for the hand Zowie had been touching herself with. She appeared startled when he did so. He then stuck the two fingers she had used to penetrate herself in his mouth with a rough groan. Sucking strongly on the digits that he was simultaneously jealous and in awe of, he licked all of her juices off her fingers before releasing her hand.

Zowie opened her mouth to speak as he released her fingers from his mouth. He swooped down and covered her lips with his own.  He expected she might be resistant or angry, but she immediately let out a moan and arched into the kiss. Maxx didn’t need more prompting than that and began to thrust and parry his tongue against hers. After a few moments he pulled back and pressed his forehead against hers.

“Christ. You’re a walking heart attack…” Maxx was panting, and he knew his wolf was very close to making itself known in a very permanent and unwelcomed way.

“You’re not exactly tame yourself.” Zowie tried pulling his face back down to her lips.

“Zowie, if I kiss you any more I’m going to take you. You’re covered in bruises and recovering from multiple abductions this week alone. I don’t think right now is the time to start this.” Maxx forced himself up and away from the bed.

“Well then what exactly do you have planned for me while I’m stuck here? This is ridiculous, Maxx. You have to let me loose. I’m not going to try to leave without you. I promise.” Her logic was solid, but he wasn’t willing to trust her running around on her own after the shenanigans she had involuntary found herself in this week.

“I promise I will let you out as soon as I hear that the coast is clear. Now get some rest. I’ll go make some dinner for when you wake up.” Maxx didn’t give her the time to argue. He simply pulled on his shorts and walked into the living room.

Maxx was convinced he could simply maintain his emotions while waiting for the rest of the idiots to come for him. He knew he could take them out one by one if necessary and would, if he didn’t have to worry about Zowie in the process. He didn’t dare share his plans with her though, because she had a tendency to unwillingly mess them up. While she took a much-needed nap, he decided to go run in the hopes he could shake this unease he had crawling under his skin since he had smelled her lust.

Stripping once again out on his back deck, he ran into the woods. As soon as he was safely out of sight, he shifted into his wolf and let out the longest and hungriest howl he’d ever made. The feelings of need he felt for Zowie combined with the rage he’d been feeling since she had been attacked on his bar top manifested in a snarling, howling, and overall intimidating noise. The animals in the area immediately made themselves scarce, and he chased after a rabbit that was not as fast as the rest. He caught and quickly made the kill before shifting back to human form and carrying the rabbit back to the deck where he once again put his clothes on. Padding through the kitchen, he made sure to wash up at the sink before he began preparing the rabbit. The idea of making a meal from start to finish for Zowie had a strange warmth spreading in his chest. He decided it was best to chalk that up to melancholy over all of the things they had gone through recently and continued working on the rabbit stew. He had enough trouble to worry about without adding his unstable emotions to the mix.

Chapter Ten

Zowie awoke to smells of food cooking that instantly had her stomach growling and reminded her she’d not eaten since the night of the fire. Going over twenty-four hours without food was not something she typically chose to do, and she did not want to continue that habit. Groaning at the aches and pains that had set in while she slept, she was surprised when the door opened and Maxx stood in the light of it with a smile and a plate.

“You’re up then. I was a bit worried for a few that you might not wake up on your own. I’d make a terrible prince charming.” Maxx appeared almost shy at that moment, which did not fit right on his usually arrogant face.

“I’m not staying another second handcuffed to this fucking bed.” Zowie refused to give in to any misplaced fantasies while restrained to the man’s bed.

Shaking the keys at her, Maxx put the plate down on the dresser and walked over before sliding his fingers around her cuffed ankle. “I hadn’t planned on it, but if you don’t watch your sassy tone I might reconsider.” When the cuff released, he rubbed gently over the skin that bore no marks from the metal. He hadn’t put it on tightly and she hadn’t tried to escape, so unlike her wrists from the bar fire she hadn’t been injured.

Sliding carefully out of bed and trying not to wince, Zowie walked toward the bathroom slowly before closing the door behind her. After using the bathroom, she gingerly stripped off the borrowed shirt and her panties before sliding into the warm spray of the shower. The sting of it over her cuts and bruises hurt, but the feeling of being clean soon overcame that discomfort. Scrubbing herself with his sandalwood scented body wash twice before rinsing, she took extra time to shampoo and condition her hair before she shut the water off and toweled herself briskly. She was still very keyed up despite her act of rebellion, but she was worried about whether she should let herself care for Maxx given all he was involved with. She couldn’t shake the feeling that he was hiding things from her, and she didn’t want to be an unwitting accomplice to anything she wouldn’t normally agree to. Wrapping herself in towels, she stepped out of the room and found a pair of cut-off sweats and a tank top on the bed. Sliding those on, she wandered out into the living room and toward the kitchen.

Zowie wasn’t sure what she expected to find in there, but two plates on the dining table with candles and wine was certainly not it. On the plates was a hearty looking stew over rice. “Did you really make that yourself? From scratch?”

Maxx laughed and walked over, pulling the chair out for her to sit in. “I most definitely did. I’m not just good for my alcohol supply…”

Zowie blushed as she sat in the offered chair. “I bet…”

Maxx’s hand slid across her neck as he moved to his own seat and offered a toast. “To having multiple lives. If I didn’t know better I’d think you were part cat.”

Clinking her glass gently against his before taking a sip of the red wine, Zowie allowed herself to take in his beautiful eyes, the gentle slope of his nose, and the almost pouty shape of his lips. His hair was in a bun, which had a strange effect on her and made her want to mess it up with her fingers while nibbling on his chin.

“Thanks … it’s not every day your boss is on the mob’s shit-list, is best pals with a Judas, and is hotter than a whore house on nickel night.” Zowie’s eyes slammed shut, as the last statement had come benefit of her frequent brain filter malfunction.  

“Oh? That sounds pretty hot.” Maxx leaned forward, and she could tell he was trying to rein in a laugh.

“Don’t laugh at me. I can’t help it. When I’m around you my brain lets my mouth take the wheel.” Once again, Zowie turned red as she realized how that sounded.

“I’m not laughing at you. I like some of the things you say … particularly when your life isn’t in danger at the moment. If I were sure you weren’t injured or possibly concussed, I would be completely content right now.”

“I don’t think I’m concussed, just have a real knack for belting out incriminating information when I’m nervous.” Zowie took a bite of the thick stew to stop from making more of an ass out of herself. The taste of the meat and vegetables caused her to close her eyes and savor the perfectly cooked meal. She couldn’t quite contain the groan of joy that escaped her.

“I don’t know why you’re nervous. You’ve been giving me a run for my money since we met. I’ve never had someone push me as much as you do … and I like it.” Maxx ate some of his stew as well.

Zowie shook her head as she finished her third bite. “I’m always more sassy when I’m being intimidated. Consider it my version of porcupine quills … of the verbal variety.”

A warm hand reached under the table and closed over her knee where the cut-offs left her bare and rubbed gently.  Zowie bit her lip to resist the urge to moan. Tilting her head to the side, she watched Maxx as he continued eating his meal with no other visible distraction.

Taking that as a challenge, Zowie also began eating her meal in silence and attempted to shut off her over-worked brain and hormones.  When her hunger kicked in it didn’t take her long to finish the stew. Looking up, she noticed Maxx was now watching her quietly from where he sat.

“Was it good?” His voice was deeper than it had been when he was teasing her.

“It’s delicious, but I’m sure you know that. Are you okay?” Zowie wasn’t sure what to do with the sudden tension she was feeling.

“It’s just important that you liked it. I’m fine, just wanting things to be good for you after you’ve been through so much.” Maxx’s voice was as near to a growl now as was possible.

“Bullshit, what’s wrong? You don’t sound right.” Zowie stood up and white knuckled the table, hoping he wasn’t hiding anything else from her.

“Christ, you don’t let up do you? Nothing is wrong right now, little miss riding hood. Go relax for a bit while I clean up. We can go for a walk.” Maxx sounded closer to normal than he had since she’d finished eating.

“Fine. Don’t forget to wake me up if I fall asleep though. I need to get out of here and get some exercise.”

Chapter Eleven

Maxx cleaned up the dishes quickly after they had finished eating dinner. His thoughts were dark as he knew he was having more and more difficulty resisting his wolf. Looking into the living room, he laughed softly as he noticed Zowie had curled up on the couch and immediately fallen asleep. He respected how hard she was fighting to resist the effects the last few days had on her. Lord knew he was barely resisting the effects she had on him.

Turning toward the kitchen window while he finished the dishes, he cursed as four vehicles he didn’t recognize pulled into the drive. He quickly drew the blinds down and watched, dismayed when a large group of men with guns and one man with a long pipe-like weapon got out of the cars.

As the man with the strange weapon got out and kneeled, he ran through the kitchen to the living room, throwing Zowie over his shoulder and running down the stairs to the mud room on the first floor.  “They’re here! We gotta go!”

The world around them suddenly exploded. The sharp burn in his arm and shoulders told him he had been hit with something, but he didn’t have time to investigate. The ceiling was coming down around them. He slammed through the back door and immediately allowed himself to shift halfway. The men were still all at the front of the building, and Zowie was limp on his shoulders. That caused him concern, but he had to get them out of the area before he could check her out.

Running into the woods behind the house, he got a good mile and a half away before he put Zowie down. She had some scratches and cuts. It looked like she was otherwise fine but unconscious. Shifting back down to his normal size, he winced as he felt the injuries in his shoulder and back more profoundly.

Tapping Zowie’s cheeks, he murmured softly, “Okay, I need you to wake up. We have to get moving before they realize we aren’t dead in that house.”

Zowie tossed her head to the side and woke up. She immediately gasped and grabbed his face. “What the fuck was that?”

Maxx shook his head and tried not to laugh. Only Zowie would wake up with that kind of question on her lips.

“Well, you did say to make sure I woke you up for our walk... The guy with the rocket launcher decided to beat us to it. Are you okay? Do you hurt anywhere?”

Zowie’s face as she looked him over was incredulous. “Me? We have to get you an ambulance or something. You’ve got metal sticking out of you and burns all over! Oh my god, you’re bleeding everywhere.”

Maxx sat down on the ground next to Zowie as the realization that he actually was bleeding too much hit him. Frowning, he looked at Zowie and grunted. “I actually am going to need you to pull this piece out of me before I change to heal, or I won’t be able to get us out of here.”

Zowie frowned. “What do you mean before you change? You brought fucking clothes out here?”

Maxx shook his head, feeling a bit dizzy now. “No … I’m not normal…”

“Well no shit, Dick Tracy, but what are you talking about? I need to get us help!” Zowie was becoming hysterical.

Maxx was quick to grab her arm and shake her slightly to refocus her. He placed her hands on the large metal shrapnel sticking out of his shoulder. “No, not like that. I just need you to pull out the metal piece. After that, close your eyes. I’m okay and won’t die, but you just need to stay here. Whatever you do, don’t run off. Those fuckers with the gun are still there.”

Zowie flinched and closed her eyes with a disbelieving face. “If you die on me I will not forgive you!”

Maxx grimaced and took her hands in his, wrapping them around the blunt end of the metal sticking out of his shoulder. “Look, we’ll just be glad it’s not silver. I can’t heal around it though, and I’m too weak to pull it out myself right now. On three I just want you to pull as hard as you can. It’ll be okay.”

Zowie folded her hands around the edge and looked like she was ready to either faint again or vomit.

Maxx grabbed her face and kissed her hard. Releasing her just as quickly as he’d kissed her, he smiled. “Okay, one … two … three!”

Zowie pulled back hard enough to dislodge the shrapnel and send her backwards on the ground with a thud. Maxx didn’t wait for her to sit back up before quickly stripping out of his clothing and shifting to his wolf. When Zowie managed to scramble back up, she screamed when she saw him. Unable to tell her verbally to stop, he reflexively chuffed at her and licked the side of her face.

“You … can’t … be serious…” Zowie stared at him.

She was even paler than she had been before if that were possible. The idea that she could be going into shock sank into his mind. However, he heard footsteps in the brush that were not friendly. Growling low in warning, he turned and waited for them to get closer.

“See, there’s blood trailing out here. No way they were both killed in there. Someone got out.” The man who had launched the rocket into the house was now leading another guy with a gun into the clearing they were in.

Zowie looked over at him and seemed to understand that he needed her to be quiet and to stay put.

As the two men made it into the clearing, the rocket launcher guy grinned at Zowie. “See, told you someone made it out. Well isn’t it our lucky day that it was the one with tits?”

Maxx immediately pounced on the man before he could do anything else, and Zowie swept her legs out and kicked the feet out from under the other man. As soon as he bit into the first man’s neck and separated his jugular vein, he spun on the other man and plowed into his side as he aimed to shoot at Zowie. The shot went wide and the man swore before swinging wildly to club him with the gun.

Moving in, Maxx bit the man on the hand holding the gun until he had mangled his wrist, causing the hand to release the weapon. Maxx took that opportunity to dive on him and make quick work of his throat as well.

When he jumped off the other man, he was not moving. Looking over to Zowie, Maxx noticed she was staring at him but not saying anything. Unsure of what would be the best move next, he took inventory of his injuries and noticed they were all well on the way to healing and were all manageable now. Concentrating, he shifted back into a man and walked to his clothing. He dressed, hoping he hadn’t traumatized Zowie more than she’d already been at this point.