CHAPTER FOUR
Max’s Magic Rule #5:
Convince females in the audience you only have eyes for them.
Max was pissed for two reasons.
First, he was close enough to hear the scumbag currently trying to pick up Grace. The guy had hit on at least three different women before her, and had only focused on Grace when she’d shown her garter.
Second, Grace was showing said garter while wearing a mind-boggling short skirt. Her outfit was come fuck me wear most places, but especially in Vegas.
That meant even though Grace had been ready to ask for his help last night, she was now more than ready to give herself to another man. It was one thing for her to trust and respect Max enough to ask such an intimate favor, quite another to see him as just another dick that might get the job done. If that’s all she saw him as—
But even as Max’s anger continued to build, he saw the strain underneath her game face. No, coming to him last night hadn’t been easy for her. And the only reason she was here right now was because Lucy had encouraged her —Melina had said as much when she’d told Max where to find them.
Neither Grace nor Lucy had seen him when he’d arrived. And now he stood behind them as they faced the jerk-off—what was his name? Blake. Probably a fake name to go with the fake persona. Under the neon lights of the nightclub, the tan line on the man’s ring finger told him everything he needed to know. Max pulled some bills out of his pocket, handed the money to a passing cocktail waitress, then scooped two martinis off her tray. She gave him a crooked look, but then shrugged and walked off.
He came around from behind the girls’ table and held the drinks out—one for Lucy, and one for Grace.
“Hi, Dixie. Sorry I’m late with the drinks. Took forever to get them from the bartender,” he said, smiling broadly at Grace, who looked puzzled, and—though she hid it quickly—pleased to see him.
“Max,” she said slowly. “What are you—”
“Oh, sorry, babe. Did I get you the wrong martini?” He turned to the married jerk-wad and took his hand, shaking it before the man could walk away. “Hi. I’m Max Dalton. I’m the headliner at the Portofino. This is my date, Dixie. And you are?”
Next to him, he heard Lucy snort and mutter under her breath.
“Just leaving,” the man said. He pulled his hand out of Max’s tightening grip, turned and walked off. Leaving Max alone with one visibly annoyed and probably horny woman and another who was laughing hard enough to pee her pants.
“Dixie,” Lucy said. “I totally get it. Grace is a sweetheart and she’s from the south. Heart of Dixie.”
“You read my mind.” Max winked at Lucy then turned to Grace. “The guy was married,” he said. “And he’d tried picking up on three different women before you caught his attention with…” He stroked the outside of Grace’s thigh, tracing his hand up from her knee, past the tip of her stockings. Then, with one finger, he lightly flicked the garter strap.
Grace gasped.
Without taking his gaze off Grace, he said, “Lucy, you know I adore you, but Grace and I have something we need to discuss. Think you could make yourself scarce for a while?”
“Um, yeah. Sure. I’ll be at the bar. Grace? Find me when you’re done, um, talking to Max.”
After Lucy left, Max took his hand off Grace’s oh-so-sexy thigh and sat on Lucy’s stool. “We didn’t finish our conversation last night,” he said, getting right to the point.
“Oh, we finished it,” she said. “I’ve moved on.”
“So I heard,” he said.
Her face flamed, but she tilted her chin up, apparently not willing to be intimidated by him. “You did not overhear our conversation on the baby monitor.”
He just looked at her.
Exhaling loudly, she rolled her eyes. “Okay, fine. But you did not hear the entire conversation.” She scrunched up her nose, which he found adorable. “Did you?”
“Answer this question first. Why are you willing to settle for having a child with a man you don’t love?”
Her brow furrowed. “That’s what you sent Lucy away to discuss?”
He shrugged. “It’s a bleak way of going about making a family.”
“Not all of us are about passion, Shugah.”
“Do you realize you only call me Sugar when you’re trying to pull the wool over my eyes? Newsflash: It’s not working. You overflow with passion.”
“I have reasons for bein’… practical,” she insisted.
“I’m aware of that. That’s what brought you to the club last night, looking for me. It wasn’t that you just wanted me to give you an orgasm. You needed me to give you an orgasm because no other man has been able to get you there.”
She’d been pink before, but now she blushed so red she practically glowed. “Okay, so you obviously heard everthin’ I said over that baby monitor. But me comin’ to you last night? Call it a case of temporary insanity. Or massive sexual frustration. I wasn’t thinkin’ clearly.”
“I’m not worried. But I’m not stupid, either. I’m not going to let you brush off what you said as unimportant.”
She refused to answer, but for the first time, dropped her gaze from his to stare at her hands in her lap.
He leaned in close to her, mentally willing her to stay put. She held still. When he got his mouth to her ear, he whispered, “Last night, you told me what you wanted. Tonight, I’m telling you I’ll do it.”
She didn’t pull away. Instead, she turned her head until her mouth was even with his ear, and whispered back, “You’re a true gentleman, Max, but I told you what I wanted. I don’t want it anymore.”
He leaned back then, settled in his seat and grinned at her. “Liar.”
Her eyes darkened and he could swear she shifted, pressing her thighs together under that miniscule skirt. “It won’t work,” she said. “You made your choice when you walked away from me last night. I made mine. You know about my little… issue. I wish you didn’t, but you do. So you have to know how sick and tired I am of dealing with it. Elizabeth interruptin’ us last night was a sign. I’m finally receivin’ the message and movin’ on to more important things.”
“Bullshit. You’re embarrassed because of what you told me and pissed because I walked away. But I already explained why I did, and it had nothing to do with not being interested in giving you what you want. You know that’s not the case. You know how damn attracted I am to you, right?”
“Max—”
“Tell me you get how attracted I am to you, Grace.”
“You seem to be attracted to me, yes.”
“I have been for a long time. And you’ve wanted me, too. You need an orgasm? Then you’ve come to the right man. As for moving on to more important things, with said things being a baby and a stranger to be your baby’s father—”
“Will you please lower your voice,” she hissed, looking around. Luckily, no one seemed to be paying them any attention.
“—we can talk about that idiocy later.”
“It’s not idiocy. And it’s none of your business.”
“You made it my business last night. You made you my business.”
“Like I said, I trusted you last night. I don’t anymore. You walked away from me, Max. You left me there, feeling like a complete fool.”
He covered her hand with his. “I know I did. And I’m sorry. I promise, Grace, that won’t happen again.”
She shook her head, obviously not letting what he was saying sink in. “You’re my best friend’s brother-in-law. It would complicate things.”
That’s exactly what he’d thought. Why he’d never come on to her. Now that he knew Grace needed him, things had changed. “It won’t complicate things between the four of us because Rhys and Melina don’t have to know. Between you and me? I like complicated.”
“I don’t.”
“That’s right,” he said, placing a hand on her knee and skimming the top of her stocking with a finger. “You like things practical. It’s why you came to me last night. Because common sense told you if any man could give you what you need, it was me. Here’s a word of advice, Grace. When if comes to sex, trust your instincts.” His finger traced a little higher, insinuating itself just under the hem of her skirt. Damn, her skin was soft. So much softer than the silk of her stocking. Heat washed through him and his dick strained against his pants. He took a shallow breath and told himself to get it under control. Practicality, he reminded himself. That’s what they’d been talking about.
“Now tell me the truth,” he said as his finger traveled even higher up Grace’s thigh. With a gasp, she caught his wrist, stopping him from going father. “Before you came to Lodi’s, did you make sure your hotel room was spotless, and stash condoms and lube in the bed stand next to Gideon’s Bible?”
He was just teasing her, trying to get his own raging desire under control, but she glowered at him and pushed his hand away. “I was wrong. You, sir, are no gentleman.”
“And we’ve already established you need a good lay. I’m here to give it to you. The condoms we’ll use. The lube you won’t need. I’ll make you come, Grace. I’ll make you come so hard you won’t know if you’re still on this earth or in the ether.”
“Better men than you have tried,” she said.
He grinned, reached out and stroked a finger against her cheek. “See? That was your first mistake, Dixie. Because no one’s better than me. And I won’t stop until I’ve done whatever magic it takes to make you scream my name.”
“You arrogant—”
He hadn’t been planning it, but he couldn’t resist. Cupping the back of her head, he pressed his mouth against hers. Not aggressive. No tongue. But not tentative or shy either. He sipped at her lips as if she was a fine wine, and it was true—she was intoxicating. She tasted like peaches, soft and ripe and succulent.
He immediately wanted more.
So did she.
Her lips parted. Her tongue sought out his, taking his breath. Angling his head, he took the kiss deeper but only briefly. Even so, by the time he pulled away, they were both breathing hard. Staring at each other in a way that screamed encore.
He leaned his forehead against hers, stroked back her silky blond hair, and whispered, “Think about it. And don’t get on that plane tomorrow. Fly with me instead.”
Then he left.
She knew where he lived and it was important she trust him enough to come to him. If they didn’t have that, Max knew no amount of sexual technique was going to get Grace off, not when having an orgasm was obviously so difficult for her in the first place.
Either she’d show up at his place later, or Lucy would get her back to the hotel safely. But even as he left, Max was pretty certain he’d see her soon.
Grace was fighting it but she knew what she wanted.
She wanted him.
***
Struck by indecision, Grace watched Max walk away.
Her mind told her to let him go.
Her body screamed to run after him.
His kiss. His words. Neither had been completely over the top, but they’d been just bold enough to get her attention and prove what she’d always believed. Max Dalton would be a spectacular lover.
Good Lord, the sound of his voice alone, cajoling her to fly with him while they were in a crowded bar, where anyone might overhear him, had her soaked and pressing her thighs together to ease the ache.
She refused to think of Operation Baby as idiocy, no matter what he or Lucy or Melina or anyone else thought. She knew what she wanted. But she also couldn’t deny she still wanted what Max was offering, too.
“You’re kidding, right?”
Lucy’s voice caused Grace to jerk.
“You’re actually still sitting here when I saw Max Dalton just make his move?”
Grace turned to face her friend. “I’m scared, Lucy,” she whispered before she even knew what she was going to say. But it was true so she didn’t bother trying to take it back.
Lucy nodded, but still asked. “Why?”
“Because—because I trusted him last night and he hurt me, even if I understand he didn’t mean to. Besides, what if I do let him—” She waved her hand in a small circle. “—you know. If Max Dalton can’t give me what I want in bed, no one can. And if he can, how will I live without him? I’ll be screwed either way. If I concentrate on family first, there’s always the chance that later… ”
When her words faded into a prolonged silence, Lucy reached out and hugged her. “Grace, there’s nothing wrong with you. So many women have the same problem and for many different reasons. You don’t need to rush out and have a baby because you think you’re defective.”
“I know,” Grace said, resting her cheek against Lucy’s shoulder for a moment, even as she admitted to herself—she did think she was defective. All she wanted was to be normal. She was so tired of reaching for something she couldn’t have. Of enduring the psychological pressure and the physical frustration that came with repeatedly getting turned on only for it to go nowhere. Great sex should come naturally. The only thing that might come even more naturally was procreating. If she couldn’t have the first…
But she wasn’t going there. Not with Lucy, who already saw too much. Maybe her motives were slightly mixed up, but in the end it didn’t matter. Taking a deep breath, she pulled back. “I don’t want to have a baby because I think I’m defective. Not completely,” she said swiftly when Lucy opened her mouth to argue with her. “I just want a baby. I want one while I’m still young. I want one even without a man in my life. And I’m ready to have one. Honestly. But you were right. If I can... find what I’m lookin’ for with a man beforehand, it would ease my mind about the future. And you’re also right about Max. He did make his move.”
Lucy looked like she wanted to respond to several of Grace’s comments but contented herself with simply saying, “So what are you waiting for then?”
Grace looked in the direction Max had gone. Her heart thudded like a runaway train in her chest. “Do you think I can still catch him?”
“I’m betting he’s walking really slowly, just in case. Now go for it, girl. And remember, no matter what happens, you are fabulous, Grace. You are fierce. You are an amazing woman. And Max isn’t doing you a favor here. He’s reaching out for what he’s wanted for a long time. You’ve just given him a great excuse to do so.”
Grace stood but looked at Lucy with confusion. “Why would he need an excuse to proposition me? Anyway, you’re wrong. This is a favor Max is doin’ for me. At most, he’s bored and this is a challenge he can’t resist. That’s all.”
“You keep telling yourself that,” Lucy said. “But we’ll see where we are in a few weeks.”
“This is one night. Then I’m movin’ on with my plan.”
Lucy nudged her in the side, silently encouraging her to go after Max. “We’ll see,” she said. “Just don’t think you’re getting away with not giving me details afterward.”
With another gentle nudge from Lucy, Grace began walking toward the exit. Part of her felt like she was a robot on autopilot. The other part of her felt incredibly human, her tummy dancing to the hum of people in the bar and her teeth unable to keep her lip still.
Nervous.
Excited.
And yes, hopeful.
This was Max Dalton they were talking about.
The Max Dalton.
But more importantly, it was the man who’d promised he’d do whatever it took to make her fly. Even if in the end he failed, she knew everything leading up to that moment would be the best she ever had.
***
Max was just unlocking his car when he sensed someone behind him.
He turned and saw Grace.
She looked about ready to bolt and he automatically raised his palms, as if she was a small animal he didn’t want to scare off. “Grace,” he said with a smile. “I—”
She took several jerky steps closer then said, “I want a baby.”
“Grace—”
“I mean, I know you know that. And I’m not askin’ you to have anythin’ to do with that. Of course I’m not. But you have to understand, that’s what I want most. More than good sex. And that’s not goin’ to change.”
“Okay,” he said, not knowing where she was going with this.
“You might think I’m makin’ a mistake, but it really is none of your business. Aside from what you’re offerin’ me, I’m not your business. So I don’t want to hear any more about my baby plan bein’ idiotic, okay?”
Fuck, what could he say to that? He still had every intention of convincing her to rethink her plan, if only because he owed that to Melina. But she didn’t wait for his response.
“I’d made up my mind that I was focused on the wrong thing. Because sex has been good for me, even without… all that.” She waved her hand in a small circle, obviously referring to her ever-elusive orgasm. “But I’ve nevah believed sex is the be-all, end-all.”
Did she seriously think he was going to agree with her? He remained silent.
She rubbed her arms together, appearing frustrated that he wasn’t responding the way she obviously wanted.
“Maybe it’s not the be-all, end-all,” he finally said. “But it sure makes life worth living.”
Her mouth twisted and she looked away. “Spoken like a man,” she said.
“No,” he said. “Spoken like someone who’s actually had sex.”
Her head whipped up. “I’ve had sex. Good sex.”
“You haven’t come with a man, Grace. In the end, how good could the sex have been?”
She licked her lips and shuffled her feet, looking as uncertain and tentative as he’d ever seen her. “And you really think you could change my mind about the benefits of sex?”
What was going on here? Was she testing him? Did she expect him to say, “Hell, yes. No problem”? He wasn’t that naïve. He couldn’t just touch Grace and make her come, but he would keep going until they found the magic ticket. Hell, he imagined he’d die trying, and it wouldn’t be such a bad way to go. Only he couldn’t do it by himself. “Depends,” he said.
“On what?”
“On whether you’ll actually give up control.”
“I give up control.”
“No. You don’t. Because if you did, you’d have had an orgasm long before now.”
She seemed stumped for an answer. “Have you evah… been with a woman who’s had trouble with all that?” Again, the hand wave.
He dragged his hands over his face, trying not to smile. Somehow he didn’t think she’d appreciate it. “Sure,” he said. “It’s not that uncommon for women, Dixie. But those women trusted me. They embraced the idea that that—” He waved his hand. “—was possible and let me run the show. And we always worked it out.”
Her face transformed. She practically pointed her finger at him and shouted, “Ah ha.” Of course she did neither, but he read her all the same. “How do you know? They could have faked like a possum.”
His brows furrowed at the suggestion he’d allow a woman to leave his bed without being completely satisfied. “Did you fake it?” he asked.
She immediately sobered, giving him his answer even as she took several steps back. He sighed. Not exactly what he was going for. He’d have to push her to talk, of course, but he’d have to do it when she was closer so she couldn’t run away and hide.
“Most men have fragile egos,” she said.
“Well, I don’t, so you don’t have to worry about playing possum. But let’s focus on one thing at a time here. It seems you’re accepting the offer I made inside. If that’s the case, stop using delay tactics to cover up your nerves and come here.” He said it gently, but with the obvious intention that she obey. He wondered if she’d balk. He liked to dominate in bed, and instinctively he knew that was exactly what Grace needed from him.
Only she wasn’t through fighting whatever was keeping her ten feet away.
“Wait. Before… it’s only fair... You have to know I enjoy sex. I like pleasin’ a man. I like bein’ pleased. And despite what you said, I do give up control. But the chances of it happenin’ for me are zero. Below zero.”
He immediately wanted to deny her claim. Hell, he immediately wanted to take her in his arms and kiss away the nonsense she was spouting. Instead, knowing she was all jazzed up and needed to say what was on her mind, he leaned back against his car and crossed his arms over his chest. “In this context, I’m not sure a below zero chance is even possible.”
His relaxed posture seemed to calm her and she stepped closer. That’s right, baby girl. Come to me. A strange sense of lightness overcame him, as if a burden he was carrying and didn’t notice until now was lifted. It confused him, but he was too focused on Grace and her next words to analyze it.
“See, that’s where you’re wrong. I mean, you’re right. I did come to see you last night to ask for… that. But part of the reason I chickened out, well, I can’t let this go any further until you know exactly what a burden it’s goin’ to be for you, Shugah.”
Max felt a fierce frown overtake his face. “Burden?” he said, straightening. Suddenly he remembered her telling Melina and Lucy she was a sorry excuse for a woman. “That’s how you think of yourself? Damn it, Grace—”
“Please,” she said. “Just listen to me. Let me say what I need to say or this can’t go any further.”
Seeing she was serious, Max forced himself to lean back against the car again. “Fine. But don’t refer to yourself as a fucking burden. You’re a beautiful woman and it would be my honor to be with you. It would be any man’s honor.”
“That’s what several men before you thought. Before they tried to give me what I wanted and couldn’t. And before you say what I know you’re goin’ to say, it wasn’t them, it was me.”
“Dixie—”
“My first boyfriend was an all-star quarterback in college. He was handsome, popular, smart. And he was a good lovah. He took his time. He liked sex. He liked me. But we went out for two years. Two years, Max, and nothin’.”
She was speaking fast now. As if she had to in order to get it all out. Max straightened and took two steps toward her. “That doesn’t mean—”
She took exactly two steps back, causing him to narrow his eyes and stop. He’d stayed away from her for more than a year, but already he was damn tired of her backing away from him.
“After that, I tried a couple of times… with guys I just met and…” She was clearly embarrassed to be admitting she’d had casual sex. He wanted to shake her. As if she had anything to be embarrassed about, considering he was a veritable master at casual sex. “Those times, it wasn’t even good. Not any part of it. I could barely relax and I learned it wasn’t worth it, tryin’ with someone who didn’t care about me and whom I didn’t give a hoot about either. I just ended up feelin’ worse about myself.”
“That’s not what’s happening here. I care about you. And I’ve—”
She interrupted him again, and it started to piss him off even as part of him was finding her more and more adorable. “I didn’t have a serious boyfriend again until a few years later. I met a guy when I was out celebratin’ my twenty-fourth birthday. He was a college professor, but far from a nerd. Again, handsome. Again, sexy. Again, he cared about me and I cared about him. He had—he had straight, white teeth. Great hair. He was funny. He was kind. He came from good people. I tried to fake it but eventually he caught on. And after three years together, three years of him tryin’ and tryin’ and tryin’, and me failin’ and failin’ and failin’…” Her breath hitched and Max had had enough.
He moved quickly toward her, not letting the fact she backed away from him deter him this time. “Grace,” he whispered as he gathered her in his arms and hugged her. She was shaking, he realized. Totally eating up that shit about her being a failure. Or maybe she was just reliving the sheer frustration she’d felt time after time, caring about a man but not being able to totally let herself go sexually. Reliving the heartache of those men walking away from her because of it.
Only she wasn’t seeing things clearly. With the amount of pressure she was putting on herself, of course it had been impossible to let go. And that’s what this was about, he was sure of it. She hadn’t been fully able to let herself go with those men. He was going to find out why and help her past those barriers.
“It happened again and again, just like that,” she said. “Good men. Men I was attracted to. Men I let tie me down or blindfold me. Men with hard abs and big biceps and some with big—”
She abruptly stopped talking and he found himself no longer able to hide his amusement. Laughing, he hugged her tighter. “White teeth. Good hair. Hot bods and big dicks. I got it. Message received, Grace.” She shook her head and started to pull away, but he held her tighter. “You were with quality men. They were with a quality woman. You don’t have to worry that I don’t know what I’m getting into. You’ve warned me this isn’t going to be easy. What I need now is for you to get that shit out of your head.” He pulled back and held her gaze. “This isn’t just about me doing you a favor. I want you. I’ve wanted you for a long time.”
When she started to look away, he cupped her chin and refused to let her. “I think you’re beautiful. You turn me on more than any woman has in a long, long time. I need this, Dixie, just as much as you need it. Something’s been missing from my life. I don’t know what it is, but what I do know is the idea of being with you, and yes, the idea of proving to you there’s not one damn thing wrong with you, has me jazzed up in a big way. Has me excited. Very excited,” he whispered. “You with me?”
“Max—”
“Are you with me, Grace?”
She hesitated, her anxiety and doubt apparent. Then, tentatively, she nodded.
“Good,” he said, feeling like he’d crossed over some kind of finish line when in reality the race had barely begun. “Now, I’m assuming Lucy knows you’re with me and is heading back to your hotel on her own?”
She nodded again, seeming to have gone mute. He smiled and kissed her forehead. “Have you ever parked?” he asked.
“Parked?” she asked with a crinkle between her brows. She looked over at his car, a sleek black Audi.
“Yeah, as in, made out in a car. Until the windows got all steamy. Until you were ready to rip off your clothes and do it regardless of who might come along and find you.”
She swallowed hard, and Max couldn’t help himself. He reached out and lightly caressed her throat with the pads of his fingers. She shivered.
He clenched his teeth to contain his own moan.
She was as responsive as hell. He couldn’t wait to see what else made her shiver. And shake. And scream.
“In college,” she whispered, her eyes getting drowsy with memory.
“Then let’s get in the car, Grace. Because I want to hear more about what you were like in college. Including what you liked then, what you like now, and what you think you might like but have been too embarrassed to admit.”