Chloe moved sluggishly towards consciousness. Her eyelids felt too heavy to lift. It was easier to leave them closed. She might slide back into oblivion again. The memory of crying herself to sleep made a blank nothingness more desirable than having her mind recall the reasons for her misery, starting up another tormenting treadmill of thoughts. Better to keep them blocked out.
She took a deep breath and wriggled into a different position, frowning as she realised there was other movement on the bed. Then a small wet tongue licked her forehead. Luther! Had she slept a long time, missing on giving him dinner? It was wrong to keep indulging herself if he was hungry. He’d been such a good guard dog.
She dragged an arm up, pushed the bed-covers away from her head and affectionately ruffled the fur behind Luther’s ears. ‘It’s okay. Mummy’s waking up, baby,’ she mumbled, slowly forcing her eyes open.
‘I’m here, too.’
Max’s voice-deep and gravelly, wanting his presence known and acknowledged.
Her eyelids flew up.
He was sitting on a chair beside the bed, leaning forward, elbows on his knees, his dark riveting eyes scanning hers anxiously. ‘I was worried about you, Chloe, so I let myself in.’
She grimaced, remembering her promise to call him. ‘Sorry. Should have phoned. My mother came and…’
‘She came here?’
His sharp concern brought back the whole horrible barrage of advice. ‘I won’t do it,’ she muttered fiercely.
‘Do what?’
She hauled herself up to a sitting position, hugging her knees as she viewed the man she loved with rueful eyes, answering his question with blunt honesty. ‘Screw all I can get out of you while you’re still enjoying a relationship with me.’
He straightened up in his chair, his face tightening with grimly held anger. ‘You shouldn’t have let her in, Chloe. Shouldn’t have listened to her.’
‘I didn’t let her in. But it’s a bit hard not to hear her when she’s shouting at you over the back fence.’
‘Persistent harridan!’ he grated out, rising to his feet, his hand flying out in a furious, cutting-off gesture. ‘You can’t stay here, Chloe. She’s going to keep pestering you now that she knows where you’re living. And she’ll tell Tony this address, have him camping on your doorstep next, use him to help muddy your mind against me, get you back with her. And him.’
It was strange seeing Max so disturbed and edgy. He’d always been the man in absolute control of himself and the situation. She watched him stalk around her bedroom, aggression pouring from him as he talked through what was on his mind.
‘No doubt in the world that Tony won’t try to get you back, use Laura Farrell’s fraud to plead malevolent manipulation on her part, grovel for forgiveness…’
Surprise spilled into an instant query. ‘You know about that?’
He whirled to face her, throwing up his hands in wild dismissal. ‘I was worried about you not contacting me. I called Gerry Anderson, and before you say it wasn’t my business to ask him what was happening with you, I couldn’t stand not knowing if you were in some kind of trouble. Which is also why I used the key you gave me to enter this house when there was no response from you. And Luther showed me where you were because he understands I care about you,’ he finished vehemently, his eyes blazing a fierce refusal to accept any protest about his actions.
At the mention of his name, Luther leapt up from his pillow and trotted down to the end of the bed for Max to pat him in approval. Which he did, eyeing Chloe with determined purpose. ‘I’m taking you and Luther home with me. No argument.’ He took out his mobile phone. ‘I’ll call Edgar, tell him we’re coming, ask Elaine to do dinner for two…’
‘No, Max.’ She shook her head at him. It was strange how calm she felt, probably from having spent all her emotion before falling asleep this afternoon. ‘I’m not going to run away from my life again.’
He frowned. ‘You’re better off with me. I can protect you, ensure that…’
‘For how long, Max?’ she wryly inserted.
‘As long as need be,’ he retorted, his strength of purpose sharp and strong.
She sighed, looking at him with sadly resigned eyes. ‘Eventually it will end…whatever you feel for me. And if I let myself become dependent on you, it will be even harder to manage on my own. Today was-’ she winced ‘-difficult…nasty…and I just wanted to shut it out, but I have to face other things that come up, Max, not expect you to always rescue me.’
His mouth thinned in frustration. His eyes burned with the need to override her opposition. ‘I don’t like it,’ burst from him with explosive feeling. ‘I don’t like you being on your own. You belong with me.’
Belong…?
Her heart flipped at his use of that word. It was the first time he had expressed such a possessive connection-the deep caring it carried. She stared at him, her breathing completely suspended, hopes and fears tumbling through her mind as her need and love for him beat through them, demanding the chance for real fulfilment.
Yet there was one question she wanted answered and it spilled out in a wild rush. ‘Would you have had sex with her, Max?’
‘What?’ He looked stunned, confused.