Falling for Max (16 page)

“I’ve seen some done in HO scale, at expos and such, and they’re pretty remarkable,” Mitch said. “And since you’re here, Tori, I want to thank you for being there for Liz. And for Paige, of course.”

She was going to brush it off as nothing, but they were his wife and his sister, so it wouldn’t be nothing to him. “I’m glad my other job is flexible, so I can help as much as possible.”

“Where is Paige? I haven’t seen her for a while.”

“She went in to put Sarah to bed and I haven’t seen her since, so I’m guessing she went to bed, too. She’s working in the morning, but she’s not taking the baby since I managed to free up a couple of weeks at home. That means I’ll be getting up at the ass-crack of dawn, too.”

“I offered to do it, but Paige doesn’t think I’m a four-thirty in the morning kind of girl.”

He laughed and shook his head. “Paige has opened at the diner since she bought the place and we were all raised here at the lodge, so we’re a whole family of early risers. Though Sarah’s taking it to a whole new level.”

Tori laughed, but a chill hit her and she shivered. Instantly, Max’s arm was around her shoulders, offering her warmth.

“We should get going,” Max said, and he let go of her just long enough to shake Mitch’s hand.

Her teeth were starting to chatter by the time they’d said all their goodbyes and reached his car. Max opened her door for her, then hurried around to get in. It seemed like forever before the engine started generating heat and he would hold his hand in front of the vent every few seconds. Once he deemed it warm enough, he cranked the fan up. She didn’t miss the way he pointed the vents in her direction and she put her hand over his where it rested on the gear shifter.

“Thanks,” she said when he looked over at her.

He just smiled and rubbed the side of her hand with his thumb. Tori breathed in the warming, Max-scented air of the car and felt her good intentions crumbling around her.

Chapter Sixteen

Max pulled his car into the bank lot, which was considered overnight tenant parking after the businesses were closed, and parked next to an old beat-up truck he assumed was her cousin’s. He killed the ignition and put the keys in his pocket as he walked around the car. He grabbed her flower basket from the backseat, where he’d tossed it along with his serial killer mask, then opened her door.

She laughed when he offered his hand. “I just got warm and now it’s back into the cold.”

“Only for a minute.”

Once she was on her feet, he tightened his fingers slightly, not letting her hand drop away as they walked around the corner of the bank to her door. She had her keys in her other hand, though she made no move toward the lock. But Max was hoping for more than a quick good-night kiss on the sidewalk.

“I should walk you up,” he said.

“You didn’t last time.”

“But it’s Halloween. People get up to no good on Halloween.”

She smiled and shook her head. “Last night was Halloween night. Tonight was just the party.”

“Call it curiosity, then. It doesn’t seem fair that you’ve rummaged in my closet and dresser drawers, but I’ve never seen where you live.”

She didn’t totally buy the excuse that rolled so easily off of his tongue. He could see that in her eyes. “That’s true.”

“Plus I’m carrying your basket.” Which weighed less than a hardcover book, but it was the chivalrous thought that counted.

He had to let go of her hand so she could unlock the door and let them in. After following her up the stairs, he had to wait while she unlocked the interior door, too.

“It’s a little messy.” She flipped on the light switch as they entered. “Actually, compared to your house, it’s probably a lot messy.”

It was essentially a wide-open space, like a loft, which meant he could not only see the living, kitchen and her work areas, but—
bam
—there was her bed. And unlike him, making it wasn’t the first thing she did in the morning.

She had one of those old-fashioned quilts made of bright-colored blocks stitched together, but it was shoved back so he could see the tangle of white sheets. She was a restless sleeper who liked a lot of pillows, and knowing that sent heat rushing below the belt.

“See?” She waved a hand. “You can see the whole thing from right here. Except the bathroom, of course, but it’s pretty standard. Sink. Shower. Toothbrush. All that bathroom-type stuff.”

She was nervous. It wasn’t really a nervous babble that gave her away, because she was a talker all the time, but he could sense it in her. It surprised him because she was always so confident and he hadn’t guessed having a man in her apartment would throw her off.

“It’s warm in here,” he said, setting the basket of fake flowers on the floor next to the door.

“I have one of those programmable thermostats and I’m usually working this time of night. I sit still most of the time, so I have it set a little warmer. I’m going to go wash this crap off my face. I don’t have any decaf, but I have hot cocoa cups for the brewer, if you want one.”

He wandered a little while she was in the bathroom, not being too nosy, but wanting a feel for her home. Despite what she’d said when they entered, it wasn’t messy. It suffered from a lack of closets and storage spaces, so more of her belongings were out than his, but she was tidy and he’d guess there was a method to her organization.

Especially at her desk. While the blue couch and the battered wooden coffee table, and maybe even the bed, were hand-me-downs or thrift store finds, she’d spared no expense on the massive L-shaped desk. Nor the computer equipment that covered half of it. He had no idea what it all did, since his technical ability was limited to making his laptop do invoicing, email, research and being Facebook friends with his family so he could see photos of his nephews. He noticed the only photograph on display in her apartment was a picture of her and Hailey stuck on the fridge with a magnet.

He brewed them each a mug of hot cocoa. He wouldn’t drink very much of his because of the caffeine content, but she’d given him an opening to stay longer and he was taking it.

When she came out of the bathroom, he didn’t choke off his laughter in time. She’d scrubbed her face clean of the soot, and her hair was brushed out. She’d lost the hat, robe and—judging by the bare feet and ankles—the wool underwear. That left her in the billowing white dress. Or nightgown. He wasn’t sure how that garment had started its life.

“Ha, ha.” She rolled her eyes.

“You’re like the heroine of an old gothic novel.”

“If you go get your Hannibal Lecter mask, we could film an indie horror movie.” When he shifted, intending only to show her the mugs of hot cocoa, she held up her hand. “I was kidding.”

“I made cocoa.”

The mug lured her back into arm’s reach, but he didn’t touch her. He could smell the soap she’d used to wash her face, combined with a faint smoky smell that probably lingered in the dress from the fire.

Tori picked up the mug and took several sips, but she didn’t carry it to the couch or step away with it. She put it back on the counter, though her hands remained curled around the warm ceramic.

“Did you have fun tonight?” she asked, tilting her face up to look at him.

“It was one of the most fun nights of my life.”

“You need to get out more if hanging out in the cold, watching dressed-up ATVs is a highlight.”

“I think it was the company.”

The blush across her freshly scrubbed cheeks made his pulse quicken and he turned so he could put his hand on her waist. The blush darkened and he moved closer, so their bodies were almost touching.

Bending his head, he brushed his cheek over hers, feeling her breath in hot bursts near his ear. “I want to kiss you.”

“That’s such a bad idea.”

She hadn’t pulled away, though. “Why?”

“None of this—especially tonight—is part of the plan.”

“There’s a plan?”

“We’re supposed to be finding you a wife.”

“Oh, that plan. I’ve lived this long without one. I can wait a little while longer.”

She put her hand against his chest. “Define a little while.”

“However long this takes.”

“This?”

“Every time I look at a woman’s mouth, I wonder what it would be like to kiss you. Every time I think about having a woman in my life, I wonder what it would be like to spend a night with you. I’m not going to make any forward progress until I stop looking at women and thinking about you.”

She relaxed her arm a little, but the hand against his chest was still resistance and not a caress.

“I’m tired of fighting this, Max. I want you and I’ve tried not to because it’s not fair to you, but I’m not going to say no tonight. But you need to know that I might let you sweep me off my feet tonight, but they’ll be firmly planted on the ground again tomorrow.”

“I know where I stand.” He thought he actually knew better than she did, but if he pushed, she was going to push back. As in pushing him right out the door.

Patience was something he was good at, and if she wasn’t ready to admit she had feelings for him, he’d wait. And he’d worry about tomorrow when tomorrow came.

She relaxed her arm, her palm sliding over his chest, and he turned his head to capture her mouth. Her kiss tasted like hot chocolate, with a hint of minty toothpaste, and he ran his tongue over her bottom lip.

Her fingers curled in his shirt and her other hand slid into his hair, holding him to her. He ran his hands up her back, hating the bulky dress that had amused him earlier.

He savored the kiss, wanting more, as she unbuttoned his shirt. Her hand slid under the fabric, only to encounter the thermals.

“You have too many layers on,” she muttered against his mouth.

He’d been thinking the same thing. Unbuttoning the outer shirt and peeling it off didn’t take long, and then he yanked the thermal shirt free of his jeans and pulled it over his head.

The feel of her palms gliding over his bare chest practically seared his skin.

“That’s better,” she whispered, and then she took his hand and led him toward the bed.

* * *

Tori pushed thoughts of tomorrow out of her head as she crossed to her bed, Max’s hand in hers.

The turning point had come hours before, when he’d touched her and she’d let him. When he’d put his arm around her and she hadn’t laughed and found a reason to step away and shrug him off. Definitely when he’d offered to drive her home and she’d accepted.

She threw back the sheets, wishing she’d made her bed for once, and then turned to face him. “Still too many layers.”

He put his hands on her waist, drawing her close. “Are you in a hurry?”

She laughed. “A little bit, yeah. It’s been a while.”

“I’m not a man who likes to rush things.” He hooked his finger in the neck of the dress. “This thing has a lot of tiny buttons.”

“I’m lazy, so when I put it on, I only undid enough so I could pull it over my head.”

He popped the top button open and then another. It was enough so he could dip his finger into the hollow of her throat. A third button and he could part the fabric enough to kiss the same spot.

She threw her head back and he sucked gently, undoing two more buttons. Then he lifted her and set her on the bed, where he gently pushed her back onto the mattress.

“I’m starting to really like this dress,” he murmured.

“More than black leather?”

She could tell by his sharp intake of breath it only took one more button for him to realize she wasn’t wearing anything under the dress anymore. “I don’t think black leather would be nearly as fun to take off.”

Tori wasn’t going to argue with that sentiment. As he undid enough buttons to push back the fabric and bare her breasts, she raked her nails over his back.

Then his mouth closed over her nipple and she arched her back off the bed. Burying her hands in his hair, she moaned as he sucked gently at first, and then harder. When he gave the same attention to the other breast, and he flicked his tongue over each nipple in turn, she squirmed.

As each button revealed more skin, he stroked her and kissed her. Never hurried, he took his time exploring her body until she wanted to scream.

Then he got to the buttons below her naval and she sucked in a breath as his mouth followed his trailing fingers from her stomach to...

“Undo that button,” she pleaded.

“You’re rushing me.”

“You’re
killing
me.”

His chuckle vibrated against her skin. “I thought my attention to detail was one of the things you liked about me.”

“Bigger picture, Max. Let’s think big picture. Like the fact you still have your pants on.”

He sighed and moved back up her body. Looking down at her, he smiled a wicked smile. “You made me lose my place. Now I have to start over.”

She groaned, whacking his shoulder. “I know where you left off. I’ll show you.”

Resisting easily when she tried to guide his hand to that button at the junction of her thighs, Max bent his head and kissed her throat. Then he ran his tongue over her collarbone before blowing lightly across the moistened flesh.

By the time he reached her naval again, Tori was almost burning with a hunger she thought would consume her. She was used to sex that was fast and hard and sweaty. This slow, excruciating exploration of her body was new and she reveled in it.

The sweet ache was almost too much, though, and she whimpered when his fingers freed that pivotal button. Then another.

“You’re like my favorite book. I linger turning the pages because I don’t want to reach the end, and I want to read passages over and over, savoring the words.”

“Turn the damn page,” she said, her voice pleading.

He made quick work of the rest of the buttons and the dress fell away. She pulled her arms free, and then fisted her hands in the sheets as his mouth closed over her mound. His tongue flicked over her clit and she groaned, opening her legs to him.

The man wasn’t kidding about attention to detail. He teased and licked until she lifted her hips off the bed, needing more. “Please, Max.”

He kissed his way down her thigh, almost to her knee, before he stood. “I have to get these off.”

Tori sat up, intending to hasten the process of removing his pants, but he shook his head. “If you touch me right now, it’s over.”

As tempting as it was to make Max lose control, she had bigger plans for him. She watched as he removed his jeans and the thermal bottoms, then his socks. The boxer briefs went next and Tori was happy to see Max was as eager as she was to move on to the next chapter of this book.

He leaned over her, probably to push her backward onto the bed, but she put a hand on his chest. She didn’t want any more interruptions.

“Do you have a condom?” She could tell by the way he tensed, he didn’t have one right at hand.

“I left it in the glove box.”

“Frozen condoms. Just what every girl wants.” She laughed and pushed at his shoulder. “I have one in my nightstand.”

He sat up, but when he reached for the drawer, she slapped his hand. “I’ll get it, Max.”

“Is that where you keep your secrets?”

She pulled open the drawer enough to slip a condom packet out. “Never ask questions about a lady’s nightstand drawer.”

Because she was stretched across his lap, her back was to him and he pressed a kiss to the base of her spine. Heat flooded through her and she slammed the drawer closed.

“Here.” She handed the condom off to him and moved back into the middle of the bed.

When he joined her there, she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to kiss him. Biting at his bottom lip, she wrapped her legs around his hips and urged him forward.

He filled her as slowly and deliberately as he’d unbuttoned her dress and she dug her fingernails into his back.

“You’re not a very patient woman,” he said, his voice husky as he moved his hips slowly. Very slowly, giving her just a little bit more each time.

She tried lifting her hips, but he only chuckled and pulled back. “Please.
Please,
Max.”