Free Fools Rush In by Ginna Gray Page B

Max, that's very sweet of you. But, really, there's no reason for you to get involved in this."
    Max raised his hand and cupped her cheek. Warm and caressing, his gaze moved over her face, lingering a moment on her lips before returning to delve deeply into her eyes. Holding her gaze, he touched the corner of her mouth with his thumb and smiled a crooked little smile. "Oh, yes, " he said in a strange, soft voice. "I'm afraid there is."

Chapter 5

    The sharp surge of excitement caught her off guard.
    One moment they had been arguing, and the next, without warning, the air was charged with electricity, a taut, quivering awareness that pulsed between them and made every nerve ending in her body stand at attention.
    His nearness, the warmth in his gaze, the husky timbre of his voice, all had a devastating effect on Erin. Her heart beat faster; her chest tightened. She was acutely conscious of the light touch of his hand against her cheek. Beneath it, her skin grew flushed as a tingling heat radiated outward from each tiny point of contact.
    Her breathing was suddenly shallow, almost painful, and as she gazed at him in the shadowy dimness, she felt an insane desire to turn her face into his palm and kiss it, to run her tongue over that ridged, sensitive flesh and taste him.
    The thought shocked her, and she swallowed hard, thrusting it away. The attraction was strong—she felt it humming between them—but she knew that she couldn't, she mustn't give in to it. No matter what Max's feelings were, Elise was in love with him. She had to remember that.
    Erin edged back just enough to pull free of his hand. "Well, since you insist, I have to admit that I'm grateful for your help," she said, striving to keep her voice polite and friendly, unaffected. "To tell you the truth, I'm not sure whereto start."
    Max allowed the retreat, but the look in his eyes promised that the matter was far from forgotten.
    He settled back against the door, drummed his fingers on the seat and pursed his lips thoughtfully. "That would depend on whether or not you think she left town."
    "I'm almost certain she did," Erin replied, relieved that the moment of sensual tension had passed. "Elise avoids stress or trouble of any kind. Something like this would send her—or anyone, for that matter—running, just as hard and as fast as she could go."
    "Well, at least she didn't take her car. That was a smart move, and it shows she's not so panicked that she can't think straight. If someone on the police force is involved, it would be a simple matter to run a check on it. She'd probably have been picked up before she made the city limits."
    Erin shivered, recalling the trouble she had attracted by using Elise's car.
    Determinedly, she pushed the chilling memory aside and forced herself to think. "Which means she must have left by bus. Even if she managed to get on a flight, she would have taken a bus to the Albuquerque airport."
    "Not necessarily. She could have taken a taxi or rented a car, or had a friend drive her." Max shrugged. "She may have even hitchhiked, for all we know."
    Erin gave a startled little laugh. Then, realizing he wasn't kidding, she cocked her head to one side and studied him curiously. "You really don't know Elise very well, do you?"
    "That's what I've been trying to tell you all evening."
    "Yes, well, believe me, it would never occur to my sister to stand by the side of the road with her thumb out, not even in a dire situation like this one."
    Max grinned, his teeth a flash of white in the dimness. "No, that'd be more your style."
    "That's right," Erin replied with a wry grimace. "If someone were after me, I'd light out of here any way I could."
    "Then let me remind you that, indirectly, someone is after you. With that face, you're in just as much jeopardy as Elise."
    Erin drew in her breath and clamped down on the spasm of fear that rippled through her. She could sense a lecture coming and was determined to dodge it. "All the more reason to