Hide and Seek (21 page)

T
he's
different. She makes me feel different. I want more than I should
. The conversation replayed through Elisa's mind over and over and over. Though she'd allowed Lizzy and Maxim to believe she'd been asleep, their harsh words had roused her, enough for his confession to have stuck like glue in her mind.

“I want more,” she whispered to herself. What did that mean?

A tickle in her throat erupted into a cough and she covered her mouth, hacking. After a moment, the fit passed and she cleared her throat.

She felt awful and her mind was in utter turmoil. Could he have been for real?

This illness was getting to her brain.

With a sniffle, she rolled to her side and snuggled in bed. But she couldn't stop thinking about him.

Maxim was a sweet talker. He bullshitted women, always with one sole purpose: to get into their pants. But he already had plenty of access to her, and besides, he had no motivation to tell
Lizzy
such things. No motivation, that was, unless they were true.

Could it be? Was Maxim falling in love with her?

Her heart skipped with joy at the thought.

Elisa swallowed down the happy feeling. Good Lord. Was
she
falling in love with
him
?

Nah. Couldn't be. Shouldn't be. She knew better.

And when it came to matters of the heart, surely reason prevailed.

Hah.

Suddenly too warm, Elisa kicked the blankets down and flipped onto her back. Three days she'd spent in this bed and she was losing her mind. Though Lizzy's gracious doctor had paid her a visit and supplied her with antibiotics, not to mention Maxim smothering her with care and soup, she still felt somewhat feverish and headachy. But she'd had it with lying around.

She needed to get up.

Elisa threw her feet over the side of the mattress and sat up. Gingerly, she stood on shaky legs. It seemed forever since she'd stood on her own and gaining her balance took a moment.

Stretching, she walked to the window, not surprised to see that it was snowing hard. Again. This had to be the worst winter ever, but Elisa was thankful for it. She'd miss the cold weather when she joined the Peace Corps and was shipped off somewhere hot and buggy.

She'd miss Maxim.

But her mind was made up. It might not be what she
wanted
to do, but it was the right thing to do. For herself, and the world.

Footsteps sounded in the hall, and a moment later, Maxim walked into the room, carrying a tray with yet another bowl of steaming soup and mug of hot cocoa.

“What are you doing out of bed?” His stern voice was full of worry. “You're going to make yourself dizzy and fall.”

Since when had he turned into Mr. Serious?

She shrugged her shoulders and returned her gaze to the window so he couldn't see her smile. “I needed to move around.”

How was this the same boy she'd attended college with? He was being so sweet, so loving. Taking care of her like she was a precious commodity. Any woman would be lucky to have him.

She
was lucky to have him.

If only it could stay this way.

Suffice to say, he'd proven himself. He was a far cry from Max Cox, the reckless, thoughtless jerk she remembered. She was beginning to think he was her dream guy.

Which was exactly why she would enroll in the Corps the moment she was feeling better; it was past time to end this crazy fling.

She glanced at him again, the thought of being separated from Maxim making her instantly sad. “I feel like I've been in bed a year.”

“Well, you've gotten your exercise. Now back into bed. I want you better.” He set the tray on the nightstand and closed the distance between them, taking her in his arms. “No protests.”

Just the mere contact of his fingers on her upper arms, even through the thick fabric of her flannel nightgown, caused tingles to dance over her skin. It had been days—days and days and days—since they'd had sex. Probably why her thinking was so loopy.

Elisa lay against him and let him guide her to the bed, wishing they could make good use of it. “So you can get the blow job you're owed?”

She knew her insinuation wasn't accurate, at least not entirely, but she wanted to push him. To see how he'd react. There was definitely more to Maxim than sex. She enjoyed seeing that side of him exposed.

“No, Elisa.” His voice was weary, confirming she was dead wrong to even imply such a thing. He guided her to the mattress and she lay back as he tucked her in. “In fact, I'll let you off the hook for that one. Honestly, I just want to see you get better.”

Interesting…

Because she didn't want off the hook.

She cleared her throat. “You know, we may not be able to make love, but there was the second part of our deal.”

Silently, he propped some pillows behind her back then set the tray on her lap. Steam from the soup rolled in her face, a welcoming comfort.

Turning away, he grunted. “Eat your soup.”

He prowled to the window, his hands shoved in the pockets of his blue jeans. Completely clammed up. Again.

She had to know why. Never had she wanted to unearth the mystery behind the man more than she did right now. And this time, she wouldn't let the conversation end prematurely.

“Come sit next to me,” she encouraged, patting the spot next to her. “Answers for answers, remember?”

“Right.” His response was stiff and he didn't move toward her.

Time to pull out the big guns.

“Well, here's your answer. I plan to join the Peace Corps.”

That gained his attention. He turned to her, his eyebrows furrowed, his lips drawn tight. “You're kidding, right?”

“No.”

Walking to the bed, he sat on the edge. “When?”

“As soon as I'm better.” She stirred her soup in circles. “I'll probably leave the cabin in a week or so, get on with my life.”

“No.”

She raised her brows. “No?”

If only she could simply obey him…wouldn't that make the decision so much easier? But she couldn't. She had to do what she had to do. And number one on that list was getting away from him.

“I won't have it,” he barked, not looking at her. Maybe he thought he could hide his anger, but his clenched hands were a red flag. “No.”

Comments like that sure made moving to South America seem easier.

“Well, you can't help it. It's my life, Maxim.”

Removing the tray of uneaten soap, he set it on the end table and leaned over her. Looking dead serious, he stared into her eyes. “What if I told you I could offer you something better?”

Not this again. “I told you, Maxim, working at the hotel isn't for me.”

“No, doing good, just like you want to do, but in Egypt, for your own organization.”

Yeah. Right. Like that could happen. He was grasping at straws.

She shook her head. “Maxim—”

“Listen to me.” He took her hands, imploring her to listen. “There's a lot of poverty in Cairo and a lot of little kids running and playing in the streets. It's always driven me nuts. Forget the fact that it's annoying, it's dangerous. Unhealthy. But their parents are too poor to afford things like sports and after-school activities and babysitters. Sometimes they can't even afford school. What if we gave them a place, a place something like the YMCA, where they could come? Or maybe some sort of preschool or sports activities? You could run it, I could finance it. Eventually, I could get corporate sponsors and—”

“Whoa!” She jerked her hand free of his, held it up to hush him. Her mind was whirling. This idea was coming from Maxim?
Maxim?
Why?

“I don't know Maxim. It's a good idea…” Elisa chewed her lower lip. “But not a good idea.” As much as she'd love to be near him, as much as she'd love to participate in a charity like that, it would never work. Nothing good could come of it.

She shook her head. “You and I, we're temporary. We both know that. I can't base a future on temporary.”

Moreover, she wanted to save the rainforests. To help protect the environment. Working with children was great, but it wasn't part of her dreams.

Was it?

He retrieved her hand, his thumb caressing the center of her palm. “Even if…this ends…we'll still be friends, Elisa. We'll always be friends, right? So what does it matter?”

“Maxim—”

“Hey, just think about it, okay?” He stared into her eyes, his gaze filled with need. “I'm not just asking you because I want you to come to Egypt. I really want to do this, so consider it. Please?”

She should stick with no. Leave it alone.

But damn him, he looked like a lost puppy dog. No matter how hard she tried, the word “no” wouldn't form on her tongue. What was it about Maxim she could never deny?

“I'll think about it.”

“Good.” With a nervous smile, Maxim stood and stepped backed. “Eat your soup. I'm going to go clean up the kitchen.”

What? She didn't think so! Elisa grabbed his arm, almost throwing herself from the bed in an attempt to jerk his unwilling body back to the bed. “Oh no, you don't. You aren't getting away so easily. I want my answer.” She pulled him down.

“Damn it,” he grunted, falling over her.

“That's right buster. Fess up.” She tugged his shirt, urging him to lie next to her. “Come on. Out with it.”

After a moment, he released a heavy sigh and wrapped his arm around her. Unbuttoning his shirt, Elisa rubbed her fingers back and forth on his bare chest, feeling the coarse tiny hairs. “You really don't want to talk about it?”

“No. I do…but I don't. It's hard.”

She'd never heard him sound so very grave. Reluctant. Hard. “Why?”

“Talking about death is never easy.”

Death? Wow. This was big. A lot deeper and darker than one would expect hidden in a guy like him. Guilt seeped into her heart, reminding her of all the times she'd called him a man-slut.

“No. It's not,” she told him softly. “What happened?”

“My brother was murdered, by his wife, if you ask me.”

Wham!
His admission delivered the final blow to her old opinion of him, knocking it out. And she'd thought she had a good reason not to want to fall in love?

She gulped, feeling awful. She'd judged him so harshly, for so many years. “That's terrible. I didn't even know you had a brother.”

“It happened right before college,” he continued, his voice hollow with pain. “Back then, Keaton was managing the hotel for my parents, working late nights. One day, he went home early and found his wife in bed with another man.” His lips curled in disgust. “Keaton loved her, more than she deserved. In that moment, I think he must have lost his mind. He ran out of the house, hopped in his car, and went racing off. Witnesses say he must have been driving at least a hundred and twenty m-miles—” Maxim choked up, tears brimming in his eyes. He swallowed and sucked in a deep breath. “He was decapitated.”

“Oh, Maxim—” Elisa rolled over and wrapped her arms around his torso, hugging him. “I wish I would have known.”

“Yeah, well, I took Keaton's place at the hotel, but I vowed never to be like him. Never to fall in love.” He sighed. “So, now you know.”

She squeezed him tight. “I'm so sorry.”

“Don't be. You didn't know.” He kissed her head gently. “But I am sorry you're sick. I take the blame…and the responsibility of making sure you get better.” He sat up and laid his hand on her forearm. “So you should get some rest.”

He thought it was
his
fault she'd gotten drunk, not slept, and then become sick because
she'd
pushed him to play their game again? Why?

“Maxim, that's silly—”

He stared at the window a moment, then looked to her. “No, it's true. But it's okay, at least I think it is. Your being sick made me realize many things.” He cleared his throat. “I think…I think by keeping my promise to myself, I was failing myself. Failing you. Failing lots of people. So you can consider me a changed man, Elisa.”

“Changed?”

He smiled slightly. “You heard it here, first.” Standing, he bent and planted a quick kiss to her cheek. “The milk is sitting out and you should get some sleep.”

With that, he disappeared from the room.

H
aving
gotten the truth off his chest, Maxim really did feel like a changed man. He felt real.