Free Maxie (Triple X) by Kimberly Dean Page A

sure you don’t mind?”
    Zac’s expression altered. It was subtle, but Maxie was beginning to learn how to read him too. She could tell as his mood went from surprised to disagreeable to thoughtful. When he turned towards the sisters, it had changed yet again. Calculating, she worried.
    “The more the merrier,” he said. “We’d love to have you.”
    We?
    Maxie had thought her head was clear, but that one word jumbled it back up. “ What? ” she squeaked.
    He smiled at her and hooked his thumbs in the pockets of his jeans. “You don’t think I’d let a strange man stay overnight with you alone, do you?”
    She stared up at him.
    He brushed a finger across her cheek. “I’m the big, bad, protective boyfriend. Remember, Beauty?”
    She did when he stole a quick kiss from her lips. The hot brush of his mouth unhinged her knees, but he was already pulling back and jingling his keys at Lexie.
    “Are you okay to drive?” he asked.
    Besides him, she was the only one who’d watched her intake. One bourbon was all she’d managed to choke down before she’d switched to Diet Coke. She held up her keys, smiling. “I’m fine. What’s the address?”
    Maxie followed along dumbly when Zac grabbed her hand. What had just happened? How had she filled her house with guests, including a pretend hot-and-heavy boyfriend?
    “We’ll come to the motel and help you pack your things. You can follow us to the house.”
    “Thank God,” Roxie said as she got into Lexie’s Acura. “You know how sweet I am. Let’s go before I melt.”
     
    If possible, the air was even steamier when Maxie climbed out of Zac’s Jeep at the Inndigo. The moisture in the air made it hard to breathe and the heat felt physically heavy. Of course, that could have been the pressure she suddenly felt pushing down on her. For a timid sort, she’d taken a huge, unsuspecting leap.
    She glanced around the parking lot. The place wasn’t as rundown as she’d made it in her head, and it was relatively empty. The motel’s guests might be on the road or at the bars. Park Art wasn’t a big draw for these types.
    She sighed. Maybe she’d blown things out of proportion, but she was glad she wasn’t letting Lexie and Roxie stay here. It was the addition of Zac that had her flummoxed.
    Where was she going to put him? He wasn’t thinking he’d sleep with her, was he? How far were they going to push this deception?
    “It shouldn’t take us long.” Lexie had the rental unit’s key in hand as she got out of her car. “We haven’t unpacked much.”
    “Don’t forget all the trinkets you bought at the shops along the waterfront,” Roxie said.
    Lexie grimaced. “Okay, it might take a bit longer than I thought.”
    “I can help carry things,” Zac offered, following along.
    They gathered at the door, but the moment Lexie opened the motel room, stifling heat swirled out.
    “Holy steam baths, Batman.” Roxie pulled back sharply. “It’s even worse inside.”
    Maxie stood on the threshold and felt the mugginess coating her skin. The air conditioning not only wasn’t working, it was pushing out heat.
    Lexie braced herself before lunging inside. “Let’s make it fast.”
    Together, they collected things and threw them in suitcases. Maxie gathered sacks from the local stores and rushed them out to the car. Zac went down to report the malfunctioning cooling unit to the manager, and when he returned, they loaded him down with suitcases to carry to the trunk. It took only a few minutes, but by the time they had everything ready to go, they were all sticky with sweat.
    “I can’t take it.” Roxie pulled her tank top away from her skin. She looked miserable as she panted for air. Turning around, she searched for relief.
    “Get in the car,” Lexie said. “I’ll turn the A/C on high.”
    Roxie didn’t hear her. She was already heading across the parking lot, her steps gathering speed.
    Maxie watched her. What was she doing?
    Her gaze focused on the only