Page 115 of Fire and Ice

"I went for a walk."

"For six fucking hours?"

Maia lifted her chin in defiance. "I ran into Mike Callahan. We had a lot of catching up to do."

Okay, that probably wasn't the right thing to say. Jack flushed with renewed rage and he turned away from her, breathing hard as if wrestling for control.

When he swung back, he barely had it under check. "I've been worried sick for over an hour wondering if you had blacked out somewhere and you were out catching up with an ex-boyfriend?" He spat out the final word in disgust.

For a minute, Maia felt guilty that she had indeed been inconsiderate, but the unusual insecurities she had been feeling today returned. And she couldn't stop herself from blurting out her own angst.

"First, if you had given me my cell phone back, you would have a way to contact me and you wouldn't be so worried. Second, you insist on bringing me to your penthouse and, in your words to"—Maia raised her fingers to insert air quotes around the next two words—"take careof me, but you're hardly ever around. And lastly, if avoiding me is your way of telling me you're done with me"—by this time her voice was near shouting—"just tell me to my face! You're obviously regretting bringing me back here with you. You're feeling sorry that I got hurt while I was your girlfriend and it would suck to be the man known for abandoning me while I was injured." God, someone shut her up!

"Maia..." Jack tried to pull her to him but she swatted his hands away.

"Don't touch me! Mike was right. You're a fucking player. You'll never be satisfied with one woman," Maia hissed, and then cursed. "God, you've turned me into a blathering idiot!"

She stormed into their bedroom and started pulling out her stuff to pack into her suitcase.

"You are not leaving," Jack said curtly. He approached her from behind and wrapped his arms around her like bands of steel. Maia struggled furiously, even pretending to yelp in pain so he would loosen his grip. But Jack was onto her and instead hauled her to the bed, tipped her on her back and landed on top of her immobilizing her lower body. He gripped both her wrists on either side of her head and glared down at her.

"Listen, I don't know what bullshit Callahan had fed you," Jack ground out. "But know that I feel differently this time. It's different with you." He leaned in to brush her lips in a gentle kiss and his expression softened. "I don't feel sorry for you, you silly goose. I genuinely want to take care for you." He sighed. "I'm sorry that I had underestimated the demands of MDI on my time. We got slammed by an unusually big first quarter order from the DoD and I had to make sure we had all the raw materials ordered and personnel ready for production. You can ask Derek, he's been with me the whole time."

"I just missed you," Maia replied in a small voice, then averted her eyes. When had she become so pathetic?

"Babe, I missed you too," Jack whispered back and gave her a deep, soul-searching kiss. He dropped on his back and dragged her on top to straddle him, stroking her thighs.

"I can't wait to make love to you again," he continued. "Though I missed you like hell, I welcome the heavy workload to keep my mind off my craving for you. And believe me, the work hardly dented it. I hunger to be with you. I was afraid I would break down and do something barbaric and force myself on an injured woman."

"I am feeling better. I haven't been dizzy in 48 hours."

"I want you in top shape when I make love to you. I'm thinking Thanksgiving weekend," Jack smiled roguishly. "You know, you haven't worn that black bustier set I got for you yet."

"I'll make sure to pack it," Maia said softly as she bent down to kiss him.

***

The silver Cadillac Escalade crawled slowly down Interstate 95, caught in the Northern Virginia Thanksgiving traffic. Richmond was 90 miles south of Washington DC, but at the rate they were going, it would take them three hours to reach the Commonwealth.

Maia had had an early morning follow-up check up with Doctor Anderson. It was surprising that the doctor was available on the eve of Thanksgiving, but Jack figured that was the business of the medical profession.

He made sure that he would be on hand to accompany Maia on her follow-up visit with the doctor which was why he worked his ass off the previous week to get everything settled at MDI before he took off for the Thanksgiving weekend. Jack remembered their brief fight the previous Sunday and realized how far he'd come from his previous relationships. First of all, if any of his girlfriends had complained about him working too much and not spending enough time with them, that was a death knell and he would have found a way to get rid of them instantly. But when Maia threw his neglect at him, he was oddly pleased. Finally, she needed him and missed him! Of course, Maia had to ruin the moment by mentioning Mike Callahan.

Jack knew exactly what Mike Callahan had told her. Jack's reputation in New Park's and DC's social circles was well-known. He was a serial dater. He was one of the tri-cities's most eligible bachelors but tabloids always warned the socialites to proceed with caution when entrapping Jack McCord. He had called Callahan the next day and told him to mind his own fucking business.

To which the New Park DA replied coldly, "I will. But if you ever hurt her, know I will find a way to make your life miserable."

Jack looked over at the slumbering redhead curled up in the passenger seat. One thing was for sure: his woman seemed to inspire lifetime loyalty from her previous relationships. This irked him no end. It was as if there were any number of ex-boyfriends waiting in the wings for him to fuck up. Yes, that pissed him off no end.

"Jack, why are you growling?" Maia asked sleepily.

Startled that he had actually been doing it out loud, he lied, "Traffic. Go back to sleep, babe. This is going to be a long trip."

Maia sat up. "Well, I should be better company then."

Jack angled his eyes over at her as if assessing her mood.

"Well, if you're up to it, now might be a good time for a conversation."

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