Alicia stood in the middle of the garden, staring at nothing.
How did she feel about Max?
“I really hate it when I talk to Catherine. She always makes me think.” Moving around the plants, she mulled over what Catherine said to her. Max and she were destined to each other. Did she believe that?
“Is that why we keep getting thrown together? No matter how much distance I try to put between us I end up right next to him every time.” She didn’t like the thoughts running through her head. Max was like a magnet for her. Whenever she was near him she found herself strongly attracted to him.
There was something about Max. He stirred her blood and her body. When they were intimate the rest of the world melted away. If she was honest with herself she had to admit she enjoyed being with Max. He knew how to make her soar.
But was she in love with him?
“Alicia?”
She turned toward the voice. “Yes, Jacob?”
“Mr. Santos has had to leave for a while. He asked you to remain. I have prepared a light snack if you wish to eat a little something.”
“Jacob? Can I ask you something personal? About Mr. Santos?”
“Of course.” He gestured for her to follow him back to the kitchen where she found Catherine. “What would you like to know?”
“Later.” She didn’t want to ask him any questions in front of Catherine.
Catherine looked up at her words. “Jacob, I need to get back to my place. Can you thank Max for his hospitality?”
“Yes, ma’am. Should I prepare a place for you at this evening’s meal?”
“Please. And Patrick will be joining me.”
Alicia stared at the clock. She had an appointment with her psychiatrist, but didn’t know if she should keep it. Her Jeep was still in front of her apartment. “Um, Catherine, can you drive me to my place? I’d like to get my Jeep.”
“Max can take you there in a few hours.” Catherine slipped on her shoes.
“No.” Alicia sighed. “I have an appointment I’d like to keep without an interrogation. Is that okay?”
“Sure, but you don’t need your Jeep. I’ll drive you.”
“Afraid I’ll run away?”
“Of course not, but I know Max. How would you explain your Jeep suddenly appearing in his driveway? He wouldn’t get angry with you. But he would at me.”
“Oh, come on.”
“Sorry. That’s the deal. I’ll take you and bring you back. Or you wait for Max to take you to your apartment.”
Great. Now everyone would know she was crazy. “It’s kinda private.”
“Unless you’re meeting another man I promise to keep it to myself.” Catherine smiled. “Let me get my purse and we’ll head out.”
Catherine was true to her word. She parked at the curb in front of the medical building. She didn’t ask any questions about her appointment. Alicia was grateful, too.
She walked into the doctor’s office and smiled at the receptionist.
“Miss Braswell, the doctor will be right with you. She had to step out for just a minute.”
Alicia nodded. She wasn’t looking forward to this meeting.
The doctor walked into the outer office. “Oh, good. Come on in.”
She followed the doctor in and took her seat. “I’m sorry I missed our last meeting, Karen.”
“That was another first for you.” The doctor took her pad and sat down. “You’ve never missed an appointment before.”
“I know.” How would she explain this? “This new assignment has kept me very busy.”
“Interesting.” Her doctor leaned back in her overstuffed chair. “This new man in your life seems to continue making you change all your habits.”
“He’s only a client.” Except for the tattoo that announced their mating and she wasn’t about to tell the doctor that bit of information.
“I have to disagree. You’ve never slept with any of your other clients. You’ve never met them at their house. Can you disagree?”
“No.” She couldn’t look her in the eye.
The doctor took a few notes. “So tell me what’s been going on since we last met.”
Now or never. She needed to ask the doctor what she thought about what was going on. “Doc, I need to tell you about something and I’m not sure how to. I know I have asked you not to talk to me like I’m a client, but maybe this time you should.” Alicia took a deep breath. “There’s something about Max. I’m afraid I’m falling for him and I’m not sure I want this to happen.”
“Why not?”
“Because he frightens me. He’s dominating and pushy.”
“And?” The scratching of the pencil filled the air.
“He’s a great lover. He’s kind and caring, and every time we make love I don’t have the dream. But when I’m not with him the dream changes.”
“What is the dream about now?”
“The wolves are still there, but now the second wolf attacks the first one. Once it kills the other one it comes after me.” She covered her eyes. “I wake up with the jaws of the wolf closing on my throat.”
“So you’re still being attacked by the wolf.” She took a few more notes. “Very interesting. It sounds like you are making changes to the dream the way I suggested. Now you have to take that dream and change it a bit more.”
Alicia looked at the clock. “I need to be going.”
“But you still have a half hour.” The doctor looked at the clock too. “In a hurry?”
“Someone’s waiting for me.” Her voice, quiet. “I also need to redo my schedule for now. I’m finding it hard to make my regular scheduled appointments.”
“That’s fine.” She wrote a little more. “Call me when you need to come in. We can also speak over the phone.”
“Thanks.”
Alicia and Catherine rode back in a relaxed silence. At least she got a chance to talk to her doctor instead of calling again and canceling.
Catherine dropped her off in front of the mansion.
Alicia rang the doorbell.
Jacob opened the door. “Ma’am, you know you are welcomed here. You don’t need to ring the bell.”
“I don’t feel comfortable just walking in.”
Jacob led her back to the kitchen.
“Jacob? Can I ask you a few questions about Mr. Santos now?”
“Of course, ma’am.” He walked to the refrigerator and pulled out a pitcher of lemonade. What would you like to know?”
“I’m just curious, mind you. How long have you worked for him?”
“My family has worked for Mr. Santos’ family for generations.” He opened a set of cabinets and pulled out glasses.
“Really?” She leaned against the counter. “Then you knew him as a boy.”
“Yes. I have watched him grow into a man. He is very unique.” Jacob gave a soft smile. “He’s always been on the outside looking in with people. You’re the first he’s let inside.”
“Jacob, I haven’t known him that long.” Was he that much of a loner that everyone felt she was special to him?
“Yet, you know him better than most, ma’am. It’s the little things you don’t realize you know.” He filled a glass for her and held it out to her. “It will just take a little time for you to realize it.”
***
Max’s anger still boiled close to the surface as he drove home. Sonora refused to see the truth. He wanted to shake her. He wanted to scream, too. Somehow he needed to convince her to let go of her hate and accept the only way to survive.
When he pulled up to the house he saw Catherine’s car gone. He sniffed the air. Alicia had been outside recently, but he knew she was in the house now.
He let his nose lead him to her side. He found her in the kitchen with Jacob, whispering something as he walked in. Max said nothing as he accepted the glass of lemonade Jacob had ready for him.
Alicia clammed up the moment he walked in. She must have been asking questions about him.
“So where did you go?” He gave her one of his best smiles and took a bite of the sandwich Jacob had prepared.
She stared at him blindly for a moment. What was going on in her mind?
***
That damn smile of his. Every time he flashed it she found her mind went blank for a moment. She felt like a deer in headlights.
“Out.” There was no way she would tell him about her doctor’s visit. She wasn’t ready to admit she was just a little touched in the head. Even if she could put the blame totally on him.
“Sir, if you don’t need me anymore I have other work to do.”
“Of course, Jacob.” Max patted him on the shoulders. “We’ll clean up after ourselves.”
“You don’t need to do that, sir. I’ll be back to take care of the kitchen later.” He gave a slight bow. “Oh, and Miss Catherine will be back for dinner with Patrick.”
“Thanks.” Max placed his glass in the sink and turned to Alicia. “So you’re not going to answer my question?”
“I’d rather not.” She waited for Max to push until she caved.
“Want to help with the dishes?”
“Sure.” He was going to let it go? That was very uncharacteristic.
They stood side by side at the sink. Max washed while Alicia dried.
“So, do you have any questions after talking to Catherine? Anything you need me to answer?” He handed her another glass. “Or are you comfortable with what you’ve been told?”
“Comfortable? I don’t think so. Right now, I have so much information racing through my head I’m not sure I’ve had time to work through it all.” Alicia took the glass. “The one thing I find interesting is that you have a hidden island near Ireland. I’m not quite sure how you’re pulling it off.”
“Catherine told you about that, did she?” His voice cracked a little as he focused on wiping down the sink.
Did she hit a nerve? “Yes. What can you tell me about it?”
“It’s home.” He paused for a moment. “I spent a good portion of my childhood there. My parents had moved to the States, but I was able to go back to the island to visit family a lot. Spent all my summers and some of my winters there.”
“How do you keep it hidden? With our technology now that shouldn’t be possible.”
“First, there are very few people who know about the island. They keep the secret from everyone else. Plus I can afford the best technology to keep it from prying eyes.”
“And how are you hiding it from satellites?” She brushed some hair from her face. She had meant the ‘you’ as a plural. So he was responsible for hiding the island. Just how long has he been doing that? “From what I know you can’t hide from the government. They can pinpoint you by your cell phone if they want to.”
“And there’s technology to block stuff like that too.” He turned the water off and turned toward her. “As the world has changed so have we. I’ve worked hard to keep ahead of all technology. It’s my job to keep everyone safe and I take it seriously.”
She leaned a hip against the counter as she turned to face him. Not having an argument for that she moved on to the next subject. “Catherine told me how your people started by marking children betrothed for each other. Then the mark just started to appear on those destined. No one knows when or how it happened. Catherine said I must have a little of your people’s blood in me for the tattoo to show up on me.”
“You seem quite comfortable speaking to Catherine.” Max stared at her for a moment. “I had thought the same thing, but wasn’t sure if you’d believe me.”
“I don’t feel like I’m pulling teeth when I speak to her. You don’t like to reveal anything unless you have to. It’s hard to believe anyone who feels revealing information, even simple things, falls under the need to know basis.”
His eyes narrowed.
“Look. You are walking all around the problem here. You say that our mating doesn’t have to mean anything, yet everyone around you believes that it’s real. How can I try to live a normal life when they treat me like I’m something special?”
“Forget how everyone else is acting. You are the most important thing and what they think doesn’t matter.”
“Oh, come on. It does matter, at least to me.” She pounded her chest. “Are you saying this mating means nothing to you?”
“No!” He grabbed her hand and placed it on his chest. “I want to shout to the rooftops about our mating. I’m keeping this quiet because of you. I don’t want to scare you away because of something that passed between us. I’m hoping in time you’ll feel better about us and maybe even accept it.”
She looked at him. “If this mating is supposed to be so special how come it wasn’t?”
“That’s because I botched it.”
“How?”
“It’s supposed to be beautiful and intimate. Like any ritual should be.” He linked her fingers with his. “Instead I didn’t even know what I was doing and dragged you into it without realizing it. I wish I could do it all over again.”
So now she had to decide if she wanted to be mated to him for real. Part of her wanted to know how it was supposed to be. She must have stood there for a few minutes because Max touched her arm to bring her back to him.
“You okay?”
She wasn’t sure if she was ready to tell him what she was thinking so she decided to move the conversation to something else. “I’m not sure if I buy the tattoo suddenly appearing on the two betrothed after years of it being painted on.”
“That falls into the story passed down from generation to generation. We can’t prove any of it. We’re just going by what we’ve been told.”
“Okay. I’ll let that one go.” She pointed to the soapy water still in the drain. “Will the tattoo disappear if I decide I don’t want to be with you?”
“I don’t know.” His hands shook a little as he dipped it in the water to pull the plug. “I don’t remember anyone who was destined to mate walk away from their partner.”
“Okay.” She leaned against the counter again. “I do have another question to ask that has nothing to do with the tattoo.”
“Ask away.” He seemed relieved to change the subject.
“Why won’t you let me go home? You have come up with every type of excuse to be with me or have me with someone of your choosing. I’d really like to know why.”
“To protect you.” He ran his hands through his hair. “I’ve told you before about my competition, and how ruthless she is. Twice she’s approached you and twice you were alone.”
“She hasn’t tried to hurt me.”
“Yet. But she hasn’t figured out yet that you’re worthless to her. Once she does she could be quite ruthless. I want to protect you from that.”
“I can take care of myself.” She grabbed a towel and wiped the counter down forcefully. His comment hurt her feelings and she was being a little childish.
“I know that.” He placed his hands on her shoulders. “But you’re not dealing with someone who fights fair. She wouldn’t attack you in a way you can defend against.”
Alicia huffed as she picked up the glasses. She could fight with the best of them. That skinny little woman couldn’t beat her in a fight.
“She wouldn’t fight you with fists. It would be more like she’d get you fired, have you evicted. Attack you financially where you can’t really fight back.”
She sat the glasses in the cabinet. “If she’s going to attack me financially why are you worried about a physical one? That’s something I can defend against.”
“Even if she were to send four men at once? I don’t want to take that chance.” Max reached up and closed the cabinet. The stubborn set of her jaw caught his eye. He’d have to prove it to her. “All right. I can tell you won’t take my word for it. How about a match?”
“What sort of match?” She gave him a disbelieving look.
“You and I in a match of your choosing. If you can beat me then I will trust you to protect yourself.”
“So if you beat me then I must put up with whoever you decide I need to have to protect me?” She thought about it for a moment and nodded. “Okay.”
“Good.” He guided her out of the kitchen. “So, how do you want to do this?”
“Sparring works for me.” She gave him a big smile.
“That’s fine. I have a mat and gear in my gym.” He led her to a small changing room. “I should have something that fits you.”
Alicia looked around. “Is this the only place to change?”
“We can take turns.” Max gave her a quick smile before he stepped out of the room.
Alicia climbed out of her outfit and slipped into workout clothes. She was used to the fit of her dock so chose something loose to wear. She walked out into the workout room barefooted and comfortable.
“My turn.” Max came out a few minutes later dressed in soft, thin drawstring pants that gave him plenty of movement and left nothing to her imagination.
This wasn’t good. Her focus would be on him, not the match. “You fight dirty.”
“We haven’t even started yet.”
“Oh?” She looked him up and down. “And what do you call that outfit?”
“The same as yours. Comfortable with great movement.”
“Let’s do this.” She laced her fingers together and stretched out her arms. Next she bent at the waist and placed her hands between her legs to loosen more muscles.
Max placed headgear, footpads and hand pads on the mat near her feet. “I also have chest protectors and mouth pieces as soon as you’re ready.”
“Fine.” She finished her stretches and started warming up. Bouncing and doing crosses and jabs helped warm up her muscles more. “Aren’t you going to warm up?”
“I’m already warmed up.” He put on his footpads then head gear.
Alicia switched to a bounce from foot to foot as she swung her arms in a crisscross pattern across her body. Then she dropped to the mat and put her footpads on. “You might want to play macho man, but I know I need to wear chest gear.”
“Against the wall.”
She found what she needed and donned the gear quickly. Popping on her headgear, she slapped on the gloves. “Ready.”
“Come on to the mat.” He stood proud while he waited.
“I must tell you I’m a black belt.” She smiled as she joined him on the mat.
“I know. You hold a third degree in taekwondo.” He smiled back. “I did my homework on you before I hired you. Remember?”
Anger infused her. Good. She should be able to focus it and beat the crap out of Max. Something she needed to do.
She squared off with him, holding her hands in a protective position. “Let’s go.”
“You throw the first punch.” He stood there waiting.
She dropped her hands. “What do you mean? That’s not the way to spar.”
“Trust me. You get the first shot. I promise not to pull my punches or treat you like a girl, but I hate being the aggressor.”
She growled and went back into a sparring stance. “Why do you want to piss me off? Do you think it will make me lose control? I’ve been trained better than that.”
“Let’s see.” He waved her toward him. “Show me what you can do.”
She centered her thoughts and circled Max. He just stood there. “Please do something. I can’t attack someone who refuses to defend themselves.”
“Fine.” He held up his hands and started to move so he was always facing her, but took no swings at her.
“This is ridiculous.” His actions made no sense. She finally stopped waiting and took a shot. Nothing major just a jab to the chest.
Max grabbed her arm, spun her around and pinned her to the floor before she could react. She had never seen anyone move so fast.
“How many times shall I pin you before you give?” He stood up and helped her to her feet.
“That was a lucky break. You won’t be able to do it again.” She tapped her glove against his before stepping back into a sparring stance again.
“Watch me.” He continued to move, but not defend himself. “Alicia, I’d rather save you the bruises and humiliation coming, but I know you. You won’t believe me if I tell you there’s no way you can beat me.”
“You think I can’t defend myself?” Anger started to boil.
“That’s not what I said. I hold several sparring records. In most martial art circles I am considered unbeatable.”
“This isn’t fair.” She dropped her arms. “You pick the one thing I’m good at because you knew I couldn’t beat you.”
“That’s not why I offered the match. This is the one area you have total confidence. I knew you couldn’t turn it down. If I can beat you maybe, just maybe, you’ll think twice before you walk down some dark alleyway.”
“This didn’t convince me to want a bodyguard. It just proves that you’ll cheat to get your way.” She wanted to punch him.
He pulled off his gloves. “How would you like to settle this?”
“It can’t be a physical challenge.” She ripped off her gloves and threw them on the ground. “You’re such a putz. You know that?”
“I’m sorry. I don’t always fight fair.” He removed his headgear. “My reasons for doing things the way I do is always sound, but you might not like it.”
“I’m not an employee you can push around.” She walked up to him and poked him in the chest. “I am an independent woman. No one tells me what to do.”
“Alicia, you really don’t want to do this.”
“What? Piss you off?” She poked him again. “Why not? You’ve yanked every chain I own like a puppet master. I need to even the playing field a little.”
“We’ve already determined you can’t beat me in a fair fight; why do you want to provoke me?” He grabbed her hand.
“Because I’m angry. Because you don’t fight fair. Because I’m so frustrated with the way you treat me.”
He pulled her closer to him. “Haven’t you ever wondered why I do the things I do?”