Max smiled back and decided he liked Mags more than he cared to admit but he still went in for the kill shot. "So you have absolutely no fear of the two men who caused you to have three abortions?"
"I asked for them," she said with no emotion in her tone. "I didn't want their kids . . . I still don't."
"And the baby you had?"
Mags' pale green eyes lit up for a moment before they dimmed again and she bit her lip. "Wasn't their kid."
"Yet some inbred White Knight piece of shit is raising that kid you did want?"
She shrugged her shoulders. "I trust Jake and his old lady. He's a tough bastard but he's fair. It's not him who can't have kids but her. She had a rough upbringing. It gave her happiness to have the baby and I wanted to do it."
He slowly walked toward her. "So, Jake is the father of the baby?"
A smile played on her lips again. "I never indicated he was."
Max's heart beat faster in his chest but he still managed to keep his calm reserve. "Who is the father?"
"Just a married man I was once deeply infatuated with and cannot have. I'm not gonna tell you because he doesn't know. I knew . . . Jake wasn't the father. My son's father was separated from his wife at the time and we would get together when I came through town. It was five years ago, leave it alone."
He pushed his robe out of the way as he sat next to her, admiring the silky waves of her dark hair, the way her skin seemed naturally sun-kissed with just a hint of gold, her full pinks lips, high cheekbones, and her imperfectly pert nose, which had been broken at one time but fixed enough to fit her face.
"How did you break your nose?"
Mags glanced at him with a sly look in her green eyes. "I didn't. Stella did . . . she's Nel's wife. Some doctor they have on the payroll fixed it. He did a pretty bang up job but I didn't want plastic surgery. I think it gives me character. Why? Do you think it makes me ugly? My nose . . . with a slight bump on the bridge if you look carefully enough?"
Max stared at her for a long time. "Nothing could make you look ugly, Mags. You should know that by now. You're stellar-strong, intelligent and fierce. You're harder than a lot of the men I work with and know. Why didn't you fight back?"
"You're assuming I didn't. She also had a broken nose and a couple of broken ribs by the time I got done with her. She opted for the plastic surgeon though." Mags sighed and stretched. "It's late. Go to bed. Tomorrow, we work on becoming more buddy-buddy with each other, yeah?"
He nodded his head. "We'll also move out of here into the house I told you about. There's transportation for you there so you can get around. Then we can start to strategize when we need to meet your uncle. It has to happen . . . soon. Dimitri is not a man known for his patience."
She pushed herself off the bed and stood, her tiny sleep shorts riding up the half moons of her ass before she pulled them down. "I never thought he was but you also need to let him know that this situation isn't gonna happen overnight. From what I know about Angelo, he's an extremely suspicious man. You think he's not gonna think I have an agenda if I just pull up with you and gush how I wanna get to know him all these many years later? The plan won't work that way."
Max glanced from Mags' body to her face. "I didn't think it would be that easy. At the same time, I do believe both of us have enough resources and life experience to pull this off, don't you?"
"Of course, that goes without saying." She turned toward him, smirked with an almost childish deviousness and said, "Good night."
Just like that, she was gone, and Max was left with one of the worst case of blue balls he'd ever experienced.
Mags was right, this wouldn't be an easy situation at all, but little did she know, his reasons-and hers-for coming to that very conclusion were as different as night and day.
The next morning, shortly after Max and Mags enjoyed a delicious breakfast together of scrambled eggs, sausage patties, artisan rolls, fresh fruit and copious amounts of coffee, he made good on his promise.
They left The Heritage together and drove to Birch Tree, where the quiet and well maintained Serenity Village was located. Mags looked out of the window, again, alone in her thoughts and firmly inside her own head. He didn't bother to interrupt what ever she was thinking about with insipid talk or useless conversation.
However, Max admitted freely she was correct. They needed to get to know each other and the best way for that to happen included establishing a life of normalcy as soon as possible.
He wasn't crazy about hotels either and preferred to stay at the simple yet gorgeous home he owned in Serenity Village although he failed to alert Mags it was his house and not just a place for them to crash. Part of him was afraid of what she might think and what his expectations were if she knew they would be living in a house he bought and paid for with his own money. At this point, when they still didn't trust each other anywhere close to one hundred percent, it was easier for her to believe Dimitri had set the home up as a front for their upcoming assignment.
The house had a rather grand yet upper middle-class look to it with its dark stone paint, two stories and welcoming front yard covered with grass and flowers. Meanwhile, there was a roomy backyard with a pool/Jacuzzi he kept covered in the late fall/winter months, a large barbecue grill and a full outdoor set replete with table, chairs and an in-built stereo system.
Max parked in the three-car garage and immediately lowered it as soon as he turned off the Range Rover. The garage also housed a top of the line, seven hundred series silver BMW and sangria-red Mini Cooper. He didn't realize when he'd decided to purchase the pint-sized car perhaps it might be too girly for a woman like Mags but it was too late now. Whether she liked the vehicle or not, it belonged to her and would provide a means of transportation.
He stepped out of the SUV moments after she did and marveled as she strolled over to the Mini Cooper before squealing with glee. "Is this mine?"
Max waited until she turned around to face him before he nodded his head. "I thought you'd want something more feminine but now I know you, I'm beginning to reassess my choice in vehicles."
Mags shook her head. "No, it's perfect! For a moment there, I thought you would think I was a Smart Car type of chick but this is the perfect combination of badass and feminine. I love it!"
He felt quite pleased with himself until she walked over and embraced him. It was mildly awkward at first since he wasn't used to being touched and he never expected a show of emotion from her in that capacity. Beneath the hard exterior, that same young woman who lost her parents still existed.
Max didn't know whether to feel elated or disconcerted before he wrapped his arms around her waist and squeezed.
As they separated, she looked around the garage before those gorgeous pale green eyes settled on him again. "Sorry . . . I think I had a bonafide chick moment there. Perhaps I went a little overboard but I'm not used to receiving gifts. I want you to know I appreciate what you've done for me-that's all."
"Consider it a pleasure." He smiled before he began to walk towards the garage door and opened it, allowing her to enter before him.
They walked directly into a large laundry room with a washer and dryer, and an industrial sized sink for hand washing items. It was spotless and extremely well organized. If Max despised anything in the world, it was clutter.
He'd grown up around it and remembered his beautiful mother who was indeed the most important person in the world to him. The level of laziness and lack of care she had for her clothes, jewelry and expensive shoes disgusted him. He knew his fastidiousness was a symptom of a chaotic childhood but it was not a secret he planned to share with Mags anytime soon.
She studied the containers of washing detergent, bleach and fabric softener before she turned toward him with a sly smile. "I didn't take you for being so domestic but this house definitely has . . . a woman's touch."
Max raised dark eyebrows over calm blue-green eyes. "That would be the housekeeper, Darby. She makes sure all of the supplies are kept up to date and in stock. She also comes by to dust once a week when no one is here to look after the place. I don't like walking into a house that doesn't feel like it's not . . . lived in."
Mags opened the door and walked down the hallway, passing a full bathroom on her way to the formal living room. It was complete with a set of black leather sofas, a glass coffee table and a La-Z-Boy chair that he found to be quite comfortable. A Bose stereo system had also been set up in the room but obviously it was a place of relaxation since the sun streamed directly into the room. The pale gray walls complimented the set up beautifully.