Maxie (Triple X) by Kimberly Dean Read Free Book Online

her to bury her head in the sand.
    Zac closed the file and settled his arm along the back of her chair. “There are a few more things we need to discuss.”
    She let out a long breath. Honestly, she didn’t know how much more she could take. “Like what?”
    Leaning back in his chair, he stretched his long legs out in front of him. “Like are we serious or are we in it for the hot, kinky sex?”
    Maxie spun towards him so fast, it was a wonder she didn’t give herself whiplash. “ What? ”
    “If our cover story is going to fly tonight, we’ve got to be on the same page.” He tugged on a strand of her hair. “I’m thinking we’re hot and heavy, but it’s starting to lead somewhere. What do you think?”
    The tightness that had slid down her body gave a delicious squeeze, and Maxie’s thighs trembled. He was wickedly smart—and flat-out wicked. “I think you’re crazy.”
    He smiled. “You’re the one who came up with the plan, Beauty.”
    She wasn’t going to forget that anytime soon. Agitated, she traced the edge of the table. “Why do you keep calling me that?”
    “Because it fits, and because you were asleep in my arms this morning until I kissed you awake.”
    Her eyes widened to the size of saucers. “You kissed me?”
    “No, but I’m working my way up to it.”
    Her sawdust-filled mouth started watering. Swallowing hard, Maxie turned her gaze away. Even the file seemed safer than him right now, although she knew he was teasing.
    Wasn’t he?
    He gave another tug on her hair. “Things were getting a bit heavy there.”
    Yes. Yes, they were. She let out a puff of air. He was teasing her.
    She folded her hands in her lap. She supposed he was right, though. If they were going to make it through dinner, they’d better have their stories straight. Whatever her motivations for having him there, he’d been helpful dealing with the sisters and going through the documentation they’d provided. “We’ll just tell them we’re dating.”
    “Trust me, that’s not enough to make a cover story fly. We’ll need more details. Intimate, tiny details.”
    She tried not to squirm at the way he said intimate. “Okay, how long should we tell them we’ve been going out?”
    He grinned. “I wouldn’t have wasted much time. Let’s say right after I moved here.”
    “When was that?”
    “You know the answer to that.”
    Yes, she did. Vividly. “We met at your welcome party and started going out soon afterwards.”
    She only wished.
    “If you hadn’t been so hard to catch, we might have,” he muttered.
    This time she kept her surprise to a quick glance, but he’d picked up the high school flyer again. What was her type? He was.
    Maxie hooked her hair over her ear, confused as to when he was pretending and when he wasn’t. “Do you have any brothers or sisters, Sheriff?”
    “You’d better start calling me Zac.”
    “Zac.” It wasn’t so hard. It was what she called him in her fantasies where they actually had discussions.
    “Or honey works too. Whichever you prefer.”
    Her face heated.
    He sighed. “I have two brothers and one sister.” He cocked his head. “Did you ever think about having siblings?”
    Think about it? She’d been obsessed with the idea. Every Christmas, birthday or lost tooth, she’d asked for sisters.
    With an s .
    She bit her lip. Had there been more to that obsession than she’d known? “My mom always used to get sad or change the subject whenever I asked. Once I got older, I thought it was because they couldn’t have any more children. Now?” She shrugged.
    He tapped the file. “Now, it’s another thing to add to your list.”
    That list was growing fast.
    Maxie rubbed her temple. “If Roxie and Lexie are right about everything, we probably don’t need to pretend. To be seeing each other, I mean.”
    “Let’s keep up the charade.”
    “Why?”
    His handsome face darkened. “Even if they are related to you, that doesn’t mean they’re good people. Give