Chapter Eleven
AFTER SHARING A bottle of wine and a delicious shrimp and pasta dinner, Max and Treat walked back to the festival grounds. The parking lot was empty except for their cars, amplifying the end of their evening. The last thing Treat wanted to do was leave Max for another day. These stolen hours were nowhere near enough. He wanted to spend days and nights getting to know everything about her. When he drew her into his arms and gazed into her eyes, enjoying the way her breathing went shallow, he knew she was right there with him.
“What are you thinking right now?” he asked.
She’d been careful with what she said and how she said it over dinner, probably because she was afraid of stepping over the line they had last night. But he couldn’t ignore the flicker of heat in her eyes, or the way she pressed her body against his on the walk home. He was learning more about Max from the things she didn’t say than the things she did.
“That I’m not ready for the night to end,” she said softly.
He’d bided his time as long as he was able, but he couldn’t wait another second, and he lowered his lips to hers, drinking in her unique essence coalescing with the wine they’d shared. When she melted against him, he threaded his fingers into her hair, angling her face so he could take the kiss deeper. She moaned into their kiss, and his body flamed. His hands ached to touch her, but he reluctantly held back, taking her in a series of tender kisses instead.
She was hardly breathing as he brushed his lips over hers and said, “Then let’s not end it just yet.”
Her fingers curled into his shirt and her lips curved up as she glanced toward her car. “I do have dessert.”
“I want you for dessert, but I’ll settle for more time with you.”
Her eyes widened, and she trapped her lower lip between her teeth.
“We’ll go slow, Max. I’m not going to hurt you, and I sure as heck don’t want to scare you.”
“You don’t scare me, and I believe with my whole heart that you won’t hurt me.”
After several more steamy kisses, Treat followed Max to her apartment. He parked beside her car and came around to help her out.
“I can’t believe I’m taking you into a one-bedroom apartment.”
“What do you mean? What’s wrong with that?” He grabbed the cake box and put his arm around Max as they crossed the parking lot.
“You own gorgeous resorts. I wish I could magically create a glamorous house for me to call my own, but…”
He stopped at the entrance to the building and swept her into his arm, balancing the cake box against his side. “You need to get over whatever is going on in that pretty head of yours.”
“My apartment is small,” she said apologetically.
He kissed the corner of her mouth. “I love small.”
“It’s not glamorous. It’s…utilitarian.”
He held her tighter. “I’m all about efficiency.”
“There’s nothing special about it.”
She swallowed hard as he set the box down and gathered her in his arms. Her breath was sweet and warm as he tilted her chin up so she had no choice but to look at him and said, “It’s yours. That makes it special.”
He covered her lips with his, and her keys dropped to the concrete. They both smiled into the kiss.
“I think we’d better get inside before you try to take advantage of me,” Treat teased.
They went up to her apartment, and he was aware of her watching him as he took in the secrets of her private world. Max’s home was exactly as he’d envisioned, meticulously tidy and beautifully put together, yet understated. The beige couch and overstuffed chair spoke of comfort and stability, just like Max. His gaze skimmed over the bar separating the cozy kitchen from the rest of the living space.
“It’s small, I know,” she said, “but—”
“It’s perfect,” he assured her, and it was. Just like her. “As much as I appreciate the finer things in life, I don’t get off on them the way other wealthy people do. My bungalow in Wellfleet is a testament to that. It isn’t much bigger than this. So, let’s both relax, Max. I’m with you, and if you lived in a tent it wouldn’t change the way I feel about you. I’m just a regular guy,” he said as they went into the kitchen and he set the cake on the counter.
Max took two plates from a cabinet. “If you call guys who look like Greek gods, smell like hot summer nights, and whose eyes scream of sinful promises regular, then yeah, you’re just a regular guy.” She leaned against the counter looking painfully alluring, and slightly amused. “I’ve had exactly two males in my apartment before, and I’m pretty sure the Cub Scout selling popcorn with his mother didn’t count.”
“Please don’t tell me about the other guy,” he said under his breath. He opened the box and found a plastic fork standing upright in a half-eaten layer of cake. “My, my, my. What have we got here? You might think you don’t know what to do with a man like me in your apartment—and I assure you, I’m much more of a man than whoever the other guy was—but you sure know what to do with a chocolate cake.”
“Hey, don’t judge.” She laughed and carried the cake to the table. “A girl has to have her priorities straight. And the other guy was just a date. I knew exactly what to do with him, and I did it. I said goodbye at the door. But then you came into my life. You were just this deep voice over the phone, the owner of the resort where I was planning my boss’s wedding. You were a mystery, and after we spoke a few more times, you became a fantasy.” Her expression turned serious, and she said, “And then you walked into the room and my heart nearly stopped. For the first time in my life—in my life, Treat—I couldn’t think straight.”
“I remember every second of the day we met,” he said as he closed the distance between them. “My first thought was, Where have you been hiding?”
She blushed, and he ran his fingers down her cheek.
“It’s the truth, Max. You were looking at me in the same way you have been since we came together again, like you wanted me but you were unsure. And from that very first second, when your cheeks flushed and you opened your mouth to speak but no words came, I was hooked. Danica had to introduce you, and I thought you were the sweetest, sexiest woman I’d ever met.” He took her hand in his and brushed his thumb over the back of it. “I remember how soft your skin was when I kissed your hand and how you looked shocked, as if no one had ever done that before.”
“No one had,” she confessed.
“That’s a shame, because a woman like you deserves to be treated like a lady.” He placed his hands on her hips and said, “A lady and a lover.”
She inhaled a shaky breath.
“I made one mistake with you, Max, and I’ll spend the rest of our time making it up to you. I don’t want to make you nervous, but I don’t want you to think that you can’t be the woman you are beneath the proper professional when we’re alone. I got a taste of the passionate woman you are, and one day I hope you’ll feel comfortable enough to let those feelings come out without embarrassment, without worry of judgment or fear of the unknown.”
“I want that, too,” she said just above a whisper.
“I don’t want only a sexual relationship with you, Max. I hope you know that. I adore who you are, and have since the first time we spoke on the phone. You were confident and smart, and it was clear that your primary concern was that your friends’ weddings came off as perfectly as they’d hoped. That spoke to me because friends and family come before anything else in my life. It didn’t hurt that you had the sexiest voice I’d ever heard in my life. Even without seeing you, I knew you were special.”
She lowered her eyes, and he lifted her chin again, falling heart first into her. “When we finally met, when you didn’t respond to me immediately, you then stood taller, pushed your glasses to the bridge of your nose, and told me you had jet lag.” He lowered his face closer to hers and whispered, “I wanted to take you back to my room, tuck you into my bed, and let you rest just so I could have all of your energy when I wore you out later that night.”
“I knew you were special, too. But why didn’t you push me to come back to your room later that night? When I said I wasn’t ready?”
“I didn’t want to coerce you into my bed. I would never do that to anyone, especially you. I thought we’d have the rest of that weekend together, and eventually, when you were ready, we’d come together naturally.”
A rush of air left her lungs. “And then we had the misunderstanding.”
“It made us stronger,” he said, and touched his lips to hers.
“I felt the same way, Treat. That’s why, for the first time in forever, I didn’t want our night to end, and I didn’t want to say good night at the door.”
“Because we’re meant to be together, Max.”
EVERY PART OF Max wanted to drag him into the bedroom and love him until the sun came up. She was nervous, and he’d feel her trepidation no matter how much she tried to hide it, but how could she get over her fears unless she faced them? She slid her arms around his neck and went up on her toes, but all she could reach was his chin, so she pressed a kiss there.
The second her lips touched his skin, he shifted, capturing the kiss and taking it deeper for a long, heated moment, leaving her breathless.
“Max.” Her name came out strained. “You do remember why I sent you this cake, don’t you? I can’t have you freak out on me again. It makes me feel guilty.”
She buried her face in his chest, her heart beating wildly. “I didn’t freak out. I just got nervous, and I would have gone through with it if you hadn’t stopped us.”
“We moved too fast for my girl, and I will never, ever ignore your well-being.” He kissed her lips. “We’re going to be very careful about not going too fast tonight.”
“Why do you have to be such a gentleman?” Would this be easier if he were pushy? One look in his caring eyes and she knew the answer. I wouldn’t be with you if you were.
“Because it’s how I was raised, and I care about you too much to let you rush into us. Waiting a day, a week, a month won’t make or break us, Max.”
“It might break me,” she mumbled, earning a devilish grin.
“If you still feel this way tomorrow, maybe we’ll revisit those sinful promises you mentioned seeing in my eyes.”
He held her so close, it was impossible not to notice his arousal. Her pulse spiked as they stared hungrily into each other’s eyes. She swallowed hard. Hard. Oh gosh, don’t think about that. After going years without intimacy, then finding a man she adored, not thinking about him in that way was pure torture.
It was impossible.
His eyes turned dark as night, and she wondered if he could read her mind.
“Cake!” She reached for the fork, stabbed a hunk of the decadent dessert, and shoved it into her mouth. Treat’s deep laughter eased the pulsing knot that had formed inside her. She shoveled another forkful into her mouth.
“Does that work?” he asked.
She piled more cake on the fork and fed it to him.
“Mm. That is good. But um…” He glanced down at his groin. “Apparently it’s not a remedy.”
“Trust me, this will work. I’ve relied on chocolate cake many times in my life.” She fed him another bite. “Of course, I’ve never tried it with the object of my desire standing a few inches away.”
A rumbling, growling noise climbed up his throat, and it was the sexiest thing she’d ever heard. He took the fork from her hand, shoveled cake onto it, and fed it to her. Crumbs tumbled down her chin, and he kissed them away.
“There’s not enough cake on the planet,” he said, and pressed his lips to hers. Sweetness exploded into their kiss.
Sometime later, after too much cake and not nearly enough kisses, they made their way to the door to say good night.
“I haven’t ever had this much fun,” Treat said.
Her heart was so full, she couldn’t stop grinning. “Me either.”
“I should go. What time do you work tomorrow?”
“Seven thirty until we’re done for the day. You know how that goes. I should be home by ten.”
He gathered her in his arms and gave her another heavenly kiss. “That’s a long day. I wish you had the day off so we could spend it together.”
“I only work crazy hours during the festival, but I wish I had a day off to spend with you, too.” A week. A month. “But you’re supposed to be visiting with your family, not spending all your time with me anyway.”
“Josh and Savannah left for New York an hour ago, and Hugh and Dane took off late last night. I have plenty of time during the day with Rex and my father.”
“They came all that way just for a short visit?”
“Family’s important to all of us. We make it happen when we can. Now, let’s talk about us. I’ll pick you up here tomorrow evening.”
“Are you asking me on a real date?” she teased.
His lips lifted in a wicked grin and he crushed her against him. “Not asking. You don’t have a choice. Tomorrow evening is mine.”
His mouth came coaxingly down over her smiling lips. When he intensified the kiss, she was thankful he was holding her up, because every second of their kisses dragged her further under his spell.
“Tomorrow,” he said, and held her hand as he walked out the door.
His fingers slipped along the length of hers, and when they parted, she mourned their connection.
“Good night.” He took a few steps toward the stairs and turned back. “One more kiss.”
Elation filled her as his lips met hers. She had never craved kissing anyone, and every single one of Treat’s kisses left her breathless.
When their lips parted, she whispered, “Night,” missing him already as he headed for the steps again.
He glanced back.
“One more?” she asked hopefully, and then she was in his arms, pushing her hands into his hair, wanting so much more.
When they reluctantly separated, he said, “If I don’t leave now, I won’t leave at all.” He touched his lips to her cheek, her chin, and then he cradled her face in his hands and said, “See you in my dreams, sweetness.”
She watched him descend the stairs, listened until his footsteps were no longer discernible, and then she went inside and leaned her back against the door. She closed her eyes, reveling in his scent lingering on her clothing and skin. She pressed her hands to her thundering heart, completely and utterly drenched in happiness, and when she opened her eyes, she saw his image everywhere—there in her private world—and she hoped it never changed.