Emma Darcy - The Master Player

‘I’m glad I gave him to you,’ Max said in a fond tone. ‘If he hadn’t been barking his head off this afternoon, alerting me to trouble, I’d still be wondering how long I’d have to wait before you felt comfortable about admitting the attraction between us.’

She sighed over the needless tension she’d put herself through. ‘I thought I kept it hidden from you.’

He shook his head. ‘You can’t hide sexual chemistry, Chloe, and it’s always been there between us. It was why you never felt comfortable in my presence. You clung to your mother or Tony, using them as safety barriers because you didn’t feel safe with me.’

His perception shamed her in a way because she hadn’t faced up to the truth in the past, her mind instinctively shying away from examining the feelings he stirred in her, labeling him dangerous-to be avoided whenever possible, kept at a distance when he was unavoidable. ‘Well, I feel safe with you now,’ she said decisively.

Although she wasn’t safe from falling in love with him.

And he would move on from her, just as he’d moved on from Shannah Lian. That was his well-documented reputation with women, as her mother had pointed out. She couldn’t expect it to turn out differently with her. She still had to keep Max at a distance…from her heart.

He frowned at her. ‘What are you thinking?’

‘I’m thinking I’ll take all you want to give me of yourself for as long as you want me with you, but I mustn’t get too addicted to it because it will come to an end sooner or later.’

Max instantly thought, I might not want it to come to an end, but he pulled himself back from saying it. He’d never held out even the suggestion of a lasting relationship to any woman and it would be wrong to plant the idea of it Chloe’s mind. He didn’t know the future. He knew this woman was different to the others who’d passed through his life, knew she evoked feelings that were not usually touched in him, but this was all very new and it was happening now. Next month…next year…sooner or later…the feelings might wane.

‘All I want to give you of myself,’ he repeated musingly, his eyes teasing hers. ‘That’s a sweeping statement, Chloe. You might want to draw limits. You can, you know. You’re free to make whatever choices you like. I don’t own you. I hope you won’t ever let anyone own you again.’

It was good advice and he saw it sink in, saw her shedding the kind of ownership her mother and husband had inflicted on her, saw the realisation that her life was hers to shape any way she liked, saw the will to do it being born, saw her slipping away from him.

Which gave him the weird sense that he’d just cut his own throat and might end up bleeding to death from caring about her too much.

But it was still good advice and he wouldn’t take it back.

He didn’t want to be selfish with her.

She deserved to flower into the person she could be, freed from the suppression of her past life. He would enjoy watching her become that person-a survivor like him, moving forward, finding her own sunshine, opening up to it, seizing the opportunities that appealed to her. The husk of her mother’s Chloe would be left behind and the Maria in her mind would emerge.

Maria…

Mary…

CHLOE did set limits. She would not go out in public with Max. First, it was bound to create a frenzy of gossip, bringing the paparazzi down on her like a cloud of bees, just when they’d lost interest since nothing juicy had eventuated from her move to Max’s guest house. Second, the cast of the show would inevitably treat her differently. She’d already had a taste of that and decided that it would be much easier working with them if their suspicions about her relationship with Max were not confirmed. Third, she didn’t want to give Tony any nasty ammunition to fire at her, nor give her mother the smug satisfaction that once again she’d known better than Chloe. Which she hadn’t, but she’d think it.

‘When we’ve finished shooting this season’s episodes for the show, and I’ve moved to a place of my own, then I’ll go out with you if you still want me to,’ she’d said, being very firm on this point.

‘Uh-huh,’ Max had agreed, a gleam of wry amusement in his eyes. ‘I can see that making an independent stand is important to you. But in the meantime, can we carry on in private?’

She’d laughed and hugged him. ‘I’d be very disappointed if we didn’t.’

‘Then I shall attempt to make what time we have together as entertaining as I can.’

He did. For Chloe it was almost an idyllic existence, living in the children’s house and being with Max. There were so many pleasures-making love, watching episodes of M*A*S*H together, sailing, lazing by the pool, sharing the delicious dinners Elaine cooked for them in the big house, watching and discussing television shows Max was interested in acquiring.

At first she’d been a bit self-conscious about their new relationship where the three E’s were concerned, but she needn’t have worried about their reaction to it. Edgar maintained his air of deference at all times. Elaine, who was an avid fan of the show and loved how Chloe played her part in it, was only too happy to have a closer acquaintance with her and always welcomed Luther into her kitchen. Eric seemed to assume she was becoming a fixture at Hill House and took to asking her opinion of whatever he’d been doing around the grounds.

It would have been so easy to let everything else slide. Happiness was addictive. But the sense that she had to get her own life in order-apart from Max-could not be ignored. That had been her worst mistake in the past, letting things slide. She would not be guilty of it again.

Max gave her the name of a good divorce lawyer, whom she met, subsequently setting the ultimate separation from Tony in motion, listening very carefully to the legal issues involved so she could fully understand her position and make sensible decisions. The lawyer assured her he would negotiate a fair settlement with Tony, not allowing her husband to milk the divorce for more than he was entitled to.

She bought herself a little car, a white VW Beetle, which was cute and comfortable and easy to park in the city. Having acquired her own transport, as well as the confidence to handle her own problems, she dispensed with Gerry Anderson’s services, thanking the security guard for having taken such good care of her and Luther.

‘A pleasure, Miss Rollins. You have my card. Call me if you ever have a problem I can help you with,’ he’d said with a touching sincerity, which left Chloe feeling she had a ready friend if she ever required a security guard again.

She needed the car in her hunt for suitable accommodation. Her choice was limited because most apartment complexes would not allow pets and no way was she going to part with Luther. She didn’t want to commit herself to buying a property, not before her divorce was settled, so finding something right to rent was difficult. Saturday mornings were taken up with looking at places, none of which really fitted her requirements.

‘I’d like something close to a park that I can take Luther to,’ she remarked to Max after being disappointed in her search once again.

‘There’s no time pressure, Chloe. I’m perfectly happy for you to stay on here beyond the two months,’ he assured her.

She gave him an arch look. ‘I don’t intend to hang on until it doesn’t suit you, Max.’

He frowned. ‘I wasn’t suggesting you do.’ The dark brilliant eyes sharply probed hers. ‘I like what we have together, Chloe. It may suit me for a very long time.’

Her heart skipped a beat. She liked it, too. She loved it. But indulging in forever dreams with Max was not good for her. A long time might only mean a year or two.

Max watched the temptation to stay with him slip into uncertainty and the urge to do battle with her doubts was too insistent to deny. He liked coming home to her, more than he could ever have imagined coming home to anyone. He felt a buzz of joyful anticipation each time he drove through the gateway and it wasn’t so much the welcoming sight of Hill House he looked forward to, but being with Chloe again. She delighted him in every sense.

‘You’re happy here,’ he argued. ‘Luther is happy here. Eric and Elaine are happy to mind him when you go out. When we go out. As we will as soon as your work on this season’s episodes is done.’

They were in the children’s house and he drew her into his embrace, deliberately reminding her of the ready intimacy they shared. He stroked her cheek as his eyes bored into hers, commanding her surrender to his will. ‘You love this place,’ he said with soft seductive persuasion. ‘You have your own car, your independence. You can pay me rent if that will make you feel more right about staying on.’ He moved his fingers to her lips, arousing sensitivity to his touch. ‘I want you to stay, Chloe.’

He saw a multitude of emotions warring in her eyes-desire, hope, yearning, fear, panic…the latter jolting his drive to win what he wanted.

She pushed away from him, words tumbling out in a desperate burst. ‘I can’t, Max. I can’t. Don’t ask me to.’

Her hands clapped her cheeks, smacking off the lingering influence of his touch. Her eyes begged him to understand. Max didn’t but he stood still, instinctively knowing he had to wait for her to explain, not press for anything. It appalled him that he had struck fear in her. She was precious to him. Hurting her in any shape or form had never been his intention.

Her hands dropped from her face. She wrung them as she gulped in deep breaths, struggling for control of the agitation that had gripped her. Max was acutely aware of feeling more tension than he did in any critical business meeting. He’d always been prepared for them, confident of coming out on top, but he’d had no experience of what was happening here and now with Chloe.