Maid for Love by Marie Force

arch look. "You were about to put medicine on my elbow."
    "That's not how I remember it."
    With a gentle push to his chest, she turned her injured arm so he could have access.
    "If you want to be that way about it…"
    "I do."
    Mac applied ointment and bandages to her elbow and hand.
    "You can't come in here and upend my whole life and then just walk away," she said after a long period of quiet while he dressed her wounds.
    Her soft words and the bravery behind them touched him. "I'm not going anywhere."
    "You're going back to Miami."
    "Not for a while."
    "Don't you have a business to run?"
    "I'm taking some time off."
    "How much time?"
    "A month or two."
    "That's an awfully long vacation."
    He looked up at her. "Can you keep a big secret? One that would freak out my mother?"
    "You knocked up some floozy in Florida, and now she's after the family fortune?"
    "Very funny. You're just a regular comedienne, aren't you?"
    Her unexpected giggle took his breath away. "You should do that more often."
    "What? Make fun of you?"
    "Laugh. It sounds good coming from you. So do you want to hear my secret?"
    Maddie settled back into the sofa, her face still pale from the pain of her injuries. "Yes, I want to hear your dirty secret."
    "I never said it was dirty." Mac sat next to her and brought her feet to rest in his lap. "I had an anxiety attack last week. It scared the hell out of me. I thought I was having a heart attack."
    Concern radiated from her. "What brought that on?"
    "Too much stress, not enough sleep, skipping meals."
    "So you're on a forced vacation?"
    "I guess you could say that, but I also wanted to see my dad and find out if he really plans to sell McCarthy's."
    "You've heard about that, huh?"
    "Yeah. It makes me so sad to think of that place belonging to a stranger."
    "Well, your dad can't work forever."
    "I know." Mac began to massage her feet. Talking to her was almost as much fun as kissing her, and it seemed that he couldn't be near her and not want to touch her. "You have the softest skin."
    She tried to remove her feet from his lap, but he didn't let go. "I can't do this, Mac. I don't take these kinds of risks. They don't work out well for me."
    "Will you give me a chance? That's all I'm asking for."
    "I have to consider Thomas."
    "I know you're a package deal."
    "I can't think with you sucking up all the space around here."
    He flashed her a smug smile.
    "I knew that would go straight to your head," she muttered.
    "I have to take the compliments where I can get them. You're rather stingy that way." He watched her stifle a yawn. "Let's get you into bed." After helping her to the chair across the room, he unfolded her bed and turned down the covers. "Do you want me to sleep on the porch?"
    Maddie thought about that. "It's already all over town that you're answering my door in a towel and buying me lobster, so I guess the damage is done."
    "Are you sure? I don't want to cause you any more trouble than I already have."
    "Yes, you do."
    He couldn't help but smile at her sauciness as he tucked her in.
    "Use the sofa cushions to make a bed on the floor." She directed him to a closet in the hallway for a pillow, and after checking on Thomas one last time, Mac settled into his sleeping bag on the floor. A balmy harbor breeze rippled through the window sheers, and the full moon cast a glow upon the room.
    "How's the pain?"
    "Okay."
    "Want some more pain pills?"
    "No, thanks."
    "What time do I have to be at work tomorrow?"
    "Nine thirty."
    "Maybe you should tell me what I'm going to do once I get there—if you're not too tired."
    "The first thing you have to do is report to housekeeping in the basement and punch in."
    Mac listened to her talk about crazy Sundays and how to stock the cart with towels, clean sheets, toiletries, toilet paper and cleaning supplies. Lulled by her soft voice, he had to force himself to pay attention.
    "Are you listening to me?"
    "Absolutely. No DNA. Check."
    "I said more than that."
    "But DNA is the