The Alice doesn’t lift her eyes to us. With her head down, she checks the list and lets us in without a word spoken. Most people would have thought that bitchy, but I can see immediately the girl is just shy and probably not used to working with people.
We make our way up the stairs, and before I hit the top step, I see them. Nat, Mimi, Lola, and Tina sit on one side of the booth, while Nik and Trick sit on the opposite side. They’re all smiling and laughing, already having a good time. I can’t help but feel my stomach coil at not seeing Max sitting there. I mean, I know the guy has to work, but I was still hoping to see him. I mentally hang my head in shame.
Okay, okay. I’ll be honest. I really just came here to see him. Ugh. I know. Pathetic.
I paste on a smile, link my arm through Felicity’s, and walk us over to the booth. “Hi, guys,” I call as we approach the side. The women turn to me smiling, but quickly gape.
Nat is the first to speak. “Holy shit.”
Tina blinks, and then adds, “Yeah, I second that.”
Lola whistles. “Damn, Lena.”
Mimi ogles me appreciatively. “Oh yeah, I’m liking that dress.”
A blush heats my cheeks. I mumble, “Ah, thanks. I don’t think you’ve met Felicity before,” then I pull her with a jerk, throwing her in the line of fire. Felicity handles it like a pro, greeting everyone with smiles, handshakes, and compliments on what they’re wearing. It’s like she was made to be around people.
I slide in next to Nik, and Felicity sits by my side, already talking away at the girls. I hear conversations going on around me, but I don’t hear much of anything being said. I’m too busy looking around. Looking for someone.
“He’s downstairs, in the security room with Ash,” is whispered into my ear.
My cheeks flame. I look up at Nik, and stammer, “I don’t know…I mean, I wasn’t look—” He raises a brow as he looks down at me, and I know I’m busted. I slump. “Was I that obvious?”
He lowers his voice a notch. “Not to anyone but me. I see all.”
I sit and smile with no feeling, pretending to listen to the conversation as I sip my drink. I should get up and dance. I should ask Felicity to dance with me. That’s what people do when they go to clubs, don’t they? They dance…I think. Nudging Felicity, she takes the hint and steps out of the booth. I tell everyone, “We’re going downstairs to dance,” but we somehow end up at the bar, talking to Sheriff and downing shots of tequila.
After four shots, I know I’m starting to become intoxicated. How do I know this? Firstly, I’m starting to think everything is hilarious. Secondly, I’m beginning to lose function of my legs. Felicity pulls me to stand. “Come on; let’s dance!”
As I stand, I wobble on my feet and we both burst into laughter. Sitting back on my stool, I utter, “I might sit this one out. You go ahead. I’ll watch.”
Not needing any more prompting, she heads out into the sea of people, and soon enough, she’s bumping and grinding with a very attractive guy. And this guy is taller than Flick. Bonus.
Felicity: Would you be totally pissed if I went home with this guy?
I focus hard on my cell’s screen before laughing out loud. Finding her in the crowd with my eyes, she pouts, and I respond to her text smiling.
Me: No way! I’ll only be pissed if you don’t get an orgasm out of it. Have fun!
I look up at her, and the random dude is sucking on her neck. Reading the text I just sent her, she lifts her thumbs high in the air. I blow her a kiss and turn to the bar. Someone occupies the stool next to mine, but I don’t look over. I yell out over the music, “Sheriff, I need another shot over here.”
But the person next to me reaches over the bar and gets two shot glasses and a bottle of tequila. He places a shot glass down in front of me and I gape. “I don’t think you’re allowed to do that,” I tell him.
I look up, and smiling, golden eyes meet mine. “Sure I can.”
And my heart swells. Smiling like a loon, I lean forward and wrap my arms around his neck, squeezing him to me. “Max! I was just thinking about you! I missed you!”
I feel his body still. “You missed me?”
“Duh!” Oh man, I must be completely hammered. “I’ve been looking for you!” Make that obliterated.
His arms wrap around me. He gives me a gentle squeeze before releasing me. His golden eyes look down into mine as he says in all seriousness, “I’ve been looking for you too.”
Not quite wanting to let go of him, I place my hand on his thigh and smile up at him. “I dressed up.” I thank the gods above for leaving out ‘for you’.
His eyes sweep my see-through dress and flash a moment before they hood. He mutters hoarsely, “I can see that. You’re stunning.”
That’s about the time I ramble. “My friend Felicity helped me. I don’t really like all the girly things. I mean, you’ve seen my undies. I don’t really know how to make myself appealing to the opposite sex. I must’ve missed that class.”
Max makes a choked sound before downing his shot, then my own. Coughing, he wheezes, “You’re looking for a man tonight?”
My mind suddenly sobers. I smile softly, but it’s forced. “Sure. I mean, I’m only human, right? I have needs like anyone else.”
He eyes me good before saying, “You want to know how to be appealing to the opposite sex, Lena?” My eyes widen. Max is about to impart his wisdom on me. He’ll give me the key to his heart. I need to listen, and listen I will! Lifting a hand, he gently pushes stray hairs away from my face, lowers his lips to the shell of my ear, and whispers, “Just breathe, baby.”
My breath leaves me in a whoosh. Then I say the stupidest thing I could ever say right now.
“Please kiss me.”
Chapter Twenty-Four
Helena
“Please,” I beg through a shaky breath. “Please kiss me.”
Max groans, running a hand down his face. “C’mon, sweetheart. You don’t even like me. Now I know you’re drunk.”
Reaching up, I take his hands down from his face and hold them tight. “I’m not drunk.” But he eyes me in a way that I know he knows I’ve been drinking, so I adjust my last statement. “I’m not that drunk. I’m tipsy at most. I’m Croatian, dude. It’ll take a lot of booze to take me down.”
He hesitates, but right now, I’m willing to do anything to have those lips on mine. Anything. Even play dirty. I play with his fingers and look down at his manly hands. They’re nice hands. “Do you know the last time I was with a guy was four years ago? Seriously, Max. Four years ago! And it’s building up inside of me, you know, that feeling? I just…I just really want to feel that again.” I fight a sigh. “I sound like a crazy person, don’t I?”
When I lift my face, we’re nose to nose. His eyes search mine a long moment before he gently presses his lips to mine. My stomach dips. He keeps his eyes on mine, watching for my reaction. The kiss lasts a few seconds and it’s nice, but as he pulls away, I feel myself pout.
That was it?
Lifting his hand, he runs his thumb over my bottom lip and utters, “Okay?” Blinking, speech evades me. I simply nod. His gaze moves down to my lips, and without meaning to, they part slightly. Max closes his eyes tightly and mutters, “I’m trying to be good here, Lena. Stop doing that.”
I’m confused. “Doing what?”
Lifting his hand, he pinches the bridge of his nose. “Stop being sexy.”
And my vagina floods.
When I discreetly press my thighs together, Max spots it. His eyes flash. “Fuck. Now you’ve done it.” His warm lips connect with mine, harder than before. One arm goes around me while the other hand fists in my hair. And it hurts. I whimper. Oh God, it hurts so good. It’s like he knows exactly what I need.
My eyes close. I moan into his mouth. I pull away only a second to pant, “More.” My hands roam his broad chest a moment before he slips his cool tongue into my mouth. He tastes like icy, sweet mint. In a moment of sheer bliss, I gasp into him and fis
t his shirt.
Tilting his head to the side, he deepens the kiss, pulling me impossibly close. His lips leave mine. He pecks kisses onto my lips before trailing down my jaw, further down my throat, kissing a line down to the valley between my breasts.
My nipples become taut; I feel them rubbing through the sheer material of my dress. Damn. I can’t stop. I want this too much. Lowering my head, I place my lips by his ear and whisper, “Take me somewhere.”
His lips still and he pulls away, covering his eyes with his hands, almost looking ashamed. “You got me fucked up.” Only loud enough for me to hear, he mutters through a sigh, “You got me seriously fucked up, cupcake.”
He moves to stand, but I snag his wrist and ask in shock, “Wh-where are you going?”
Avoiding my gaze, he places his hands in his pockets and looks down to the floor. Taking in a deep breath, he responds on an exhale, “You don’t want me. Don’t worry; I’m not judging. I get it. You miss it.” He puffs out a long breath. “I do too.” Looking pained, he closes his eyes. “And looking like you do, smelling like you do, with my cock aching just from you standing a foot away from me, it’s hard to turn you down.” He steps away from me, adding, “But you deserve better.” He turns and walks away from me.
Oh, hell no.
I might have put up with this once, but I am not putting up with it again. I stand so hard that my stool wobbles as I stomp after him. Gaining on him, I reach his side and grab hold of his arm. He looks down at me in confusion, but I cut him off, pissed as hell. “Don’t you do that. Don’t you tell me you think you know what’s best for me.” Going out on a limb here, I pause, and then ask cautiously, “Do you want me?”
He shakes his head. “That’s not the point.”
My heart aches. “That is exactly the point. Tell me. Do you want me or not?” Because if he doesn’t, I’ll walk away and pretend none of this ever happened. I’ll do what I can to maintain a relationship with Ceecee and help her whenever she needs. Max and I will go back to being friends.
He steps closer to me, his hand cupping my waist. “I want you. I want you more than anyone I’ve ever wanted in my life.”
I can’t believe this. Did he really just say that? Oh lawdy lawd, he did. What am I meant to do with this? Slowly, so as not to spook him, I wrap my arms around his neck and pull his face down to mine. A hair’s breadth away from his lips, I utter, “Then take me home.”
Reaching up, he takes my hands and lowers them. “I can’t give you anything. I don’t want a relationship, Lena.”
And angels sing in my ear. I smile from ear to ear, and then chuckle. “Me either.”
His brows furrow. “What? I’m not kidding, cupcake. I don’t want a relationship.”
My hands clap together in front of my chest, and I murmur, “Dear God, you’re perfect.” Grinning, I tell him, “Same here. I don’t want a relationship. I worked my ass off to get where I am. I don’t need a man to make my life complete. I just want to have some fun.”
He straightens, thinking about what I’ve just said. He points to me. “Then what exactly would this be?”
I shrug. “No strings. Friendship. Sex. Affection. Whatever.”
His eyes widen marginally. “That sounds pretty good, actually.” But his face falls. “What about Ceecee?”
“I love Ceecee. I’ll continue to work out with her, and I’ll make sure she doesn’t know about us.”
He scratches at the back of his head. “I don’t keep things from my daughter. I’d have to tell her.”
Huh? “Tell her what, Max?” I lean forward and whisper loudly, “That we’re fucking?”
His face turns serious. “No, but I’d have to tell her I like you and that we’re more than friends. I’d tell her you’re my girlfriend, for as long as we want to do this. Then, when you get sick of me, I’ll just tell her we broke up.”
His girlfriend? My heart starts to palpitate. I swallow hard. “But we’d just be friends that are bumping uglies, right? I wouldn’t actually be your girlfriend. Right?”
“I don’t share you. If you want to sleep with someone else, this all stops, yeah?”
My nose bunches. “I wasn’t planning on sleeping with anyone else, Max.”
A small smirk appears on his face. “Friends that share affection and sleep together. I think that would make you my girlfriend, baby.”
My stomach and heart flutter in unison. I like that he called me baby. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad if he called me his girlfriend. Even though I know this term is a fabrication of what would really be happening. “What would we tell everyone else?” I ask quietly.
He wraps his arms around my waist, pulling me into his torso. “Exactly what we tell Ceecee.” He leans down to peck at my lips. “I won’t keep you a secret, Lena.”
I look off into the distance, mind working a mile a minute. “I’d have to tell James then. He might tell me I can’t work with Ceecee anymore. Now it’s a definite conflict of interest.”
“Let me talk to him. I’ll take you home tonight, sleep at yours, and then we’ll tell Ceecee tomorrow over breakfast, yeah?”
Oh my God. This is really happening.
“Okay.” I smile up at him. “Yeah, okay. So we’re really doing this?”
His nose touches the tip of mine then captures my lips in a sweet but firm kiss, leaving me breathless. He pulls away and my eyelids flutter as he utters through a smile, “Fuck yeah. We’re doing this.”
The kissing started as soon as we got out of the car. I threw my door open, stepped out, and went to rush up the stairs to my apartment, but Max showed me he had other plans. As soon as my feet hit the sidewalk, arms circle my waist from behind, holding my body still. I turn in his arms, and as soon as I see his smiling eyes, I melt. It’s not fair for someone to be that good looking. It just isn’t.
“Hey,” he mutters.
I smile. How can I not? “Hi.” He pulls me close, cupping my cheek as his lips hit mine. I grip his sides tightly, trying my hardest not to fall over, although I’m sure he would catch me. He kisses my mouth then runs his lips over my bottom one, nipping then soothing the sting with gentle, warm pecks. My heart aches from the tenderness his mouth rains upon mine. The leisurely kiss is intoxicating. Soon, I feel light and happy knowing we’ll be in my apartment tearing clothes from each other.
My vagina twerks in approval.
Against my lips, he mutters, “I don’t think we should have sex tonight.”
Shock hums through my body, killing my buzz. My jaw drops and I ask on a whisper, “What?”
Lifting a hand, he searches my face and tugs at the ends of my hair. “Listen, you’ve been drinking, and I need to be sure you want this as much as I do, or we’re gonna have problems.”
Oh, brother.
The alcohol in my body hangs its head in shame while my mind shakes its head at it, and my vagina puts its hands on its hips and glares at it.
I reach up and grip the lapels of his shirt, smiling hard. “I’m fine. I swear.” My smile falls. “Please don’t withhold sex from me.” I laugh nervously. “It’s been too long and I might just go crazy.”
His lips hit my forehead. His breath warms me as he speaks softly, “What’s another day on four years?”
He has a point. I guess. But I pout and whine, “But I want sex now.”
Reaching behind me, his large hands grip my ass. Hello! He pulls me into his body and my stomach dips violently as something hot, thick, and hard pushes into the softness of my belly. He replies hoarsely, “Me too. And I want it bad, but I want to wait. Just until tomorrow.”
His hands grip my behind harder. His eyes close as he pushes deeper into my belly. With a pained groan, he pulls away, and I bite my lip to stop my smile. It pleases me knowing I’m not the only one suffering. And because I’m as classy as an elephant in a tutu, I look right down at his erection and gasp, “Oh my,” while touching my fingertips to my mouth. If the outline of his bulge is anything to go by, I’m going to be very sor
e tomorrow night. And I’m so looking forward to it.
Holla!
Not taking my eyes off the groin of his jeans, I sigh. “Okay. We’ll wait.”
Holding his hand out to me, I take it and bask in the warmth of his body. He entwines our fingers and we walk to my apartment in comfortable silence. Somewhere between there and here, it hits me. I’m standing in front of my apartment, hand-in-hand with the guy I’ve been crushing on, and he wants me as much as I want him. Happiness warms me. I let out a content sigh. I don’t feel lonely anymore.
Taking my key, I unlock my apartment and open the door. The second I walk in, Tedwood lunges for me. At the last second, he notices I have company, and instead of latching onto my leg, he flies past it, purring and rubbing himself up against Max’s calf.
The little worm!
Anger bubbles through me. Without thinking, I kneel down then lower my face to the small cat’s, point at his nose, and whisper, “I know what you’re doing…and I don’t like it.”
Blinking up at me, Teddy steps forward and licks the tip of my finger. Anyone else would see this as a sweet gesture. They would oooh and aaah and tell me how sweet my little kitty is. But I know what this is.
This is Tedwood mocking me. I’m being mocked by a freaking kitten.
I stand, remove my shoes, and throw out my hand while walking into the kitchen. “That’s Tedwood. Teddy for short. He hates me, but pretends he likes me when I have company. He likes to mock me by letting me pat him for approximately four pats and not a pat more, or he turns my hand into minced meat. He also shows his love by shredding my clothes. Oh, and yesterday, he did a giant cat turd in my favorite sneakers.”
Filling a glass with water, I sip from it and watch as Max picks up Tedwood, holding him in front of his face with a stern glare. “Listen here, little man. You upset your mom, you upset me. So if I were you, I’d stop with the stooge antics, all right?”
He takes his finger and scratches behind his ear. Holding Teddy under his arm, he smiles over at me. “There. You have any more issues, you let me know. I’ll put him in line.”