Second Chances (Athena Group Novel Book 1) (2 page)

No matter, he had been assured that coming down here he would get away and have some time to think. He didn’t want to see or talk to anyone for a very long time. He needed to reboot before he could deal with people. He had already been here a month and John had assured him that no one occupied the house next door. That seemed to hold true, until today.

“I thought you said I’d be alone John?”

“No, I said it was a good place to be alone, big difference.  Why? What’s happened?” John asked.

“There are people moving in next door! So much for peace and quiet! Why did I ever listen to you? You have to move me. I can’t do this. I don’t want to be around people down here?”

“Max, it can’t be that bad. Maybe it’s time for you to deal with this.” “Go to hell John!” He hung up and threw the phone onto the table.  What was he going to do?

Chapter Two

Sitting on the beach watching as the sky began to darken she saw the stars begin to twinkle against the ebony sky. She missed the times when she was a kid and could just lie back in the grass to gaze up at the stars. The moon was full and bright this evening as it rose above the water. Its light shining across the waves as they danced across the ocean towards the shore. The quiet solace and whispers of the waves helped clear her mind. Her toes curled into the soft pale sand as her body began to relax she felt the quiet breeze rustle across her skin.

Immediately she was aware she was no longer alone as her muscles tensed and a tingle swept up her spine. She popped up on both feet with one swift motion of a reverse roundhouse kick and brought his legs out from under him.

“Umph! What the hell!”

Breathing hard and just staring at each other, Shelby felt the warmth of his body shoot through her like lightning setting her body on fire. As her body awakened to the feel of him beneath her, she had an overbearing desire to lean down and kiss him. She realized she was straddling him and ready to mount up. Gasping she jumped off, startled at what she had done and about to do.  She crossed her arms and backed away as she glanced at him noticing he was dressed in a black polo shirt with khaki shorts. He was barefoot and thanks to her, completely covered in sand

“Where the hell did you learn to move like that?” He demanded.

“Why were you sneaking up on me Max?” She huffed.

“I wasn’t sneaking up; wait, what?” He stared at her with shock.

She stood her ground as he slowly rose and began to dust the sand off of himself while cursing under his breath. Something about chivalry being dead? Covering her mouth to suppress a grin, she wasn’t quick enough to keep the giggle from slipping out when she noticed him glare at her.

“I’m sorry; I overreacted, but after this afternoon let's just say that you had it coming.” She bit her bottom lip to contain the full blown laughter that was threatening to escape.

“Is that so? I’m impressed that you took me down so quickly. It appears you have learned a lot over the years.” He looked at her cautiously as he dusted off his hands.

She sat back down on the beach and swept her arm in an invitation for him to have a seat. As he sat down next to her, she could feel the warmth from his arm. A faint scent of soap and aftershave mixed with the evening breeze from the ocean stirred a memory from so long ago.

“I’ve learned more than you know. I’ve had too.” she whispered.

He was looking out at the ocean when he spoke.  “I was surprised when you arrived yesterday.”

She watched him carefully. “How long will you be here?” The muscle in his jaw tightened at her question.

“I really don’t know. I haven’t thought about it.”

She took a moment to look at him and his profile. He had aged, but it didn’t do anything to take away from his good looks. His hair touched the tip of his collar, and he obviously hadn’t shaved in a day or two. Oh how she’d love to run her fingers through his hair and feel that stubble against her skin. His arms were a nice shade of brown from extensive time outdoors. His arms were sculpted from hours of exercise, and just under the cuff of his shirt she saw the tattoo that she had traced with her fingers so long ago. He draped his arms across his bent knees as he sat next to her. It was as if no time had passed since she last saw him as every memory of his touch flooded back into her body. 

He caught her looking at him. She was about to look away, but the look in his eyes took her breath away. He wanted her; she saw it in the hard lines of his face.  That couldn’t possibly be true. He had walked away.

Her throat went dry as she stared as his mouth, the liquid shot down to her core staring at his mouth. Her tongue darted out to wet her parched lips. His lip turned up on one side just a tad in response to seeing her tongue dart out over her lips. Breathing in some of the ocean air she stood up to go inside before she lost all sense of reason.

“I need to go back in, goodnight. I’m sorry for knocking you on your ass.” He took her hand, and warmth shot straight to the middle of her core. She pulled away leaving him staring after her.

Walking into the house the lights immediately came on in the living room. She knew he was still standing there watching her as she went into the kitchen to fix something to eat. She hadn’t eaten since noon, and her stomach was fussing at her. She looked in the fridge for the fruit that they had bought at the market earlier. Taking a few pieces of kiwi, bananas and sliced cheese, she placed them on a plate, grabbed a bottle of water and went upstairs to settle in. She pulled a book out of the suitcase and lay down on the bed to read. Losing concentration after a few pages her mind began to wonder back to the beach. She was so surprised to see him here, but so happy at the same time. Casting the book aside, she stood to look out over the ocean. She couldn’t forget the feel of him beneath her as she straddled his chest. The warmth from his abdomen had singed a path up her thighs and straight to the center between her legs.

Thoughts of him invaded her mind. The way he had looked at her, made her body tingle and immediately her body responded as if nothing had changed. It had been a long time since she had been in any kind of relationship and the slow burn that began earlier in the afternoon now turned into a raging fire.

After Eddie, she had pushed herself into her work and training. Then there was the matter of Amanda. She had raised Amanda on her own from the time she had caught her ex with his secretary. Which left no time for dating, but Max had reminded her of what she had been missing. She missed having strong arms to hold her and not just any arms either. She missed his arms. He was the reason she wasn't a casual person.

Touching her fingers to her lips, she kept thinking about his mouth and remembered what it tasted like. She could almost feel them on her lips when she closed her eyes. No, she had to get him out of her mind. A shower was in order to relieve some of the tension in her body and then maybe she could get some sleep. Oh it was going to be a long night.

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Max walked into his house and tried to figure out what had just happened. Sitting on the couch, he tried to catch his breath. He had never wanted a woman with the intensity he had for Shelby. He had felt her heat against his abdomen when she was straddling him and body had flushed with desire. Her hair falling down around her face had made his hands itch to wrap his hands in it and pull her in for a kiss. His pants were becoming more and more uncomfortable thinking about how she felt.  He had to find out what she was doing here.

Chapter Three

Liz looked across the desk at John and just smirked. “John, you know that I will not take on an assignment from the bureau without everyone’s input. What is it that you want me to do?”

“I came here hoping that you would help us.”

“Shelby is on vacation with her family. A long overdue one at that and I won’t interrupt it to ask her what her thoughts are on this assignment. When she gets back, we will discuss whether or not we will help.” She dismissed him with that.

“Liz, why do you close out the world, especially me?”

She wasn’t going to have this conversation. Liz cocked her eyebrow at him. “John, why would I open myself up to you or anyone in the bureau? You know how I feel about the entire system.”

Before he could say anything, she raised her hand in a stop position. “You came to me because you have to follow the rules and play by the book and I don’t. Is that it? Don’t want to get your hands dirty?” She was mocking him.

“I came to you because I thought; we were friends!” He demanded as his hands curled into a fist on his knee.

She saw the frustration in his body. They had known each other for many years, but she knew that he thought her to be a cold woman and that people in the bureau called her the Ice Queen. She wasn't easily intimidated, and she was highly protective of her girls. She paid a high price to be who she was and she didn’t care what others said or thought about her.

John got up and walked to the door and turned to Liz. She never took her eyes off of him as she sat there with her arms crossed looking superior to anyone else. He walked out of her office. He had no choice but to wait.

###

Shelby awoke to the sounds of Amanda talking in her sleep. She watched as her daughter lay there sleeping so peacefully. It had not been too long ago that she was just a little girl. She was growing up so fast and becoming her own independently strong young lady. What was she going to do about Max? She had to keep them apart as it wouldn’t take long for him to figure out who her father was. She got up leaving her to sleep. Breathing in the morning breeze as she walked outside and looked at the house next door she was slightly disappointed when she didn’t see him. The remnants of the encounter from last night were still flowing through her.

She took a quick shower; towel dried her hair as she got dressed. Trying to slip on her flip flops, she tripped over her feet. “Slow down Shelby”. She looked over at Amanda to make sure she was still asleep. She could smell coffee brewing in the kitchen mixed with smells of bacon and biscuits. Her stomach growled fussing at her for not eating the previous night. Putting her hair up as she walked down the stairs grabbing a biscuit and walked out onto the beach to see the sun rising over the ocean. As she finished her small breakfast, she looked out over the water.

She kicked her flip flops off as she walked down to the water line of the shore watching the tide rolled out. Her toes began to sink into the wet sand as the waves slowly rolled across her feet. The soft sand worked as a natural pedicure on her toes as she wiggled them. The sand swirled around her feet as the waves brought in small remnants of shells with each wave that rolled in.  Mesmerized by the little fragments that tumbled in she was curious as to where they came from.  She bent down and picked up a few shells when she came across an unusual find; a Murex shell. It was amazing she was able to find one that was completely intact. The Murex shell was rarely found on the beach. Most shell hunters only found them in local gift shops after they had been colored and polished. The shells could come from any vast part of the ocean.

She heard splashing and looked up just in time to see Max running towards her. Holy mother of all that is hot! She almost dropped her shell but held onto it for dear life. She watched as he came towards her jogging in a pair of running shorts, tennis shoes and a six pack that just begged to be touched. Oh, Happy Trails! He was sweating from his run and boy was he hot! She had him between her legs just last night. Damn! She wanted to back track and feel those ripples between her legs again. She couldn’t help herself, but she could only stare at him as he moved forward. Her mouth went dry as he approached and her blood began to move rapidly in tune to each step he took. Her happy parts were cursing her as he moved closer.

He stopped “Good Morning, scavenging the shores for seashells, I see.” He noticed the death grip she had on the shell.

It took her a moment to realize he was speaking to her. “Good Morning, you are up awfully early.” Oh great she sounded breathless.

“Yep, I may be on sabbatical, but I still try to get my run in each day. It’s a lot more enjoyable on the beach when no one is around.”

“Ah, yes, I remember how much you like to run.” She couldn’t help it. Immediately she saw the shift in his demeanor. “So? A sabbatical? From what?”

“I’m just here taking some time off from work for a bit.”

“I see. What do you need to escape from this time?”

“I tell you what; tell me where you learned to maneuver like that and I’ll tell you my reasons.”

Her eyes widened, and she was speechless for a minute. “Sorry I don’t think so.”

“Hmmm, a mystery; I do love a mystery. Just remember I know what lies beneath that surface.” He winked at her.

She couldn’t help but giggle with that. “Really? You’re flirting Mr. Taylor.” She smirked. When she covered her mouth to keep from a full blown laugh coming out, the shell decided at that particular moment to throw up on her. Salt water rushed out of the shell and into her face and down her shirt. Sputtering she tried to get the taste of the salty sea out of her mouth.

He tweaked her nose, “See what happens when you laugh at someone Shelby?” His eyes had darkened when he looked at her as she swallowed. “There are consequences to laughing at someone.” He ran his finger along her jaw.