A bet is a bet.

I’ve never once backed out of one and I never will but that’s not what’s got me a little on-edge about this whole thing.

It’s Max.

What’s he seeing that I don’t?

Max sticks his key in the lock and opens the door to his condo. He pauses and turns to Phoebe with a wide gesture of his arm. “After you,” he tells her.

I stand back, watching that smile she’s had stuck on her face since the moment we left Belle as it digs a little bit deeper into her cheeks. Not gonna lie, it’s cute — really cute — but a cute smile has never been enough to turn Max into a damn gentleman.

“Wow…” Phoebe gasps as she walks in. “You have a really nice place.”

Max follows her in, leaving me in the hallway. At least he left the door open.

“Thanks,” he says.

“How long have you been here?”

“A few years…”

I step in and close the door behind me, listening to their voices as Phoebe walks around the living room. Max’s condo is my home away from the cockpit so it’s old news to me but as she wanders around, I get the feeling she’s way out of her element.

She ends up by the windows with the same wide-eyed expression. “This is an amazing view,” she says, eyes flicking from one skyscraper to the next. “I’ve lived in this city my entire life but I’ve never seen it from this angle before…”

“Yeah,” Max says, his gaze never leaving her face. “I know what you mean.”

Phoebe blushes. She looks down to try and hide it but it’s already too late.

Damn. That was smooth.

I rest my hands in my pockets and look at Phoebe Pink a little closer. Fiery hair, deep dimples, and a bright complexion. A far cry from the girl I barely remember, sure, but…

What am I missing here?

Max lays a hand on her shoulder. “Would you like something to drink?” he asks. “Beer? Wine?”

“Wine is… fine,” she says, cringing at her own rhyme.

“Be right back.”

His hand slips off her skin as he passes. For one second, I see a shiver shoot down her spine. She presses her lips together, exhaling softly, and then we both realize that I’ve been staring at her for a little too long.

“Yo,” she says, giving me a wave.

“Howdy,” I say.

I shift and follow Max into the kitchen.

“Hey,” I say, dropping to a whisper. “So, what’s going on?”

He pulls a bottle of wine from his refrigerator door. “What do you mean?” he asks.

I blink. “One second she’s storming out of the gym and the next, you two are locked, loaded, and ready to go. What did you say to her?”

Max nods as he yanks the cork from the bottleneck. “Not much.”

“Then, how did you get her back here?”

“I kissed her.”

I stare at him while he fills two wineglasses. “You kissed her?”

“Did you want some of this?” he asks me. “If not, there’s beer.”

“You kissed her?” I repeat.

“Yes, I kissed her.”

I crane back to glance at Phoebe still gazing out the window. “What was it like?” I ask, trying and failing to picture it.

Max rolls his eyes. “It was a kiss, Thad.”

“Was it nice, though?”

“Yeah, it was nice. Adorable, actually. She…” He pauses, looking over at her with interest. “It’s been a while since I’ve gotten that kind of reaction.”

“What kind of reaction?”

“Like…” He picks up their wineglasses and turns. “Like it actually mattered to her.”

I stand still, letting it all sink in.

“Look, man,” he says, pausing in the doorway. “A bet’s a bet. If you’re out, then you’re out. Just don’t get in the way of what I’m doing.”

“Hey…” I hold up my hands. “I’m in — you know I am — but whatever happened to we’re just gonna talk to her?”

“Well, things change.” He smirks. “And Phoebe Pink… changed.”

I take another look across the condo at her. He’s not wrong about that. Again, the word cute comes to mind. Cute is good. I like cute. I can work with cute.

And I’d be lying if I weren’t mildly curious about everything else.

“Okay.” I nod. “She seems to like you, so what do you think? You make the first move, get things warmed up, and I walk in like I’m fixing the printer and ask if you need an extra hand?”

He holds back a laugh. “I think we can be smoother than that…”

“Me, too.” I snatch the wineglasses from his hands and pass by him into the living room. “Oh, Phoebe!”

She turns from the windows, flinching slightly at the sound of her name. “Yeah?”

I stop in front of her and offer her a glass. “So, tell me about this kiss.”

Her face turns white. “What?”

“Thad.” Max follows me in. “What are you doing?”

“Oh, come on. Let’s not act embarrassed here.” I hold her glass out a little further. “We’re adults! We can talk about a little peck on the cheek, right?”

Phoebe takes her glass as color slowly returns to her face. “Yeah,” she says. “I guess we can…”

“Did he do the tongue thing?”

“Tongue thing?”

I laugh. “I guess not.”

Max glares at me. “Thad…”

“Quite frankly, I’m shocked,” I say. “It’s his signature move.”

Her eyes shift. “I don’t think it lasted long enough for a signature move. Unless you count me flailing like an idiot…”

Max shakes his head. “You didn’t flail like an idiot.”

She chuckles and gulps down a healthy sip of wine. “If you say so.”

I grin. “Well, if you ask me, this kiss deserves a do-over.” I nudge Max’s arm. “Go ahead.”

They look at each other and Phoebe twitches.

“Oh, no…” She takes a quick step back and bumps the window. “No. That’s—”

“Why not?” I ask. “Max was just telling me how nice it was.”

She blushes. “You were?” she asks him.

He hesitates but follows my lead. “Yeah,” he says. “But that—”

“All the more reason to repeat the experience,” I say over him. “You want to, right, Pheebs?”

She doesn’t answer but her face says everything.

“Okay…” Max takes a step forward. “He’s not going to leave us alone until we do this, so…”

I nod. “He’s right. I’m a total dick.”

She laughs lightly and bites her lip. “It’s all right. I’ll do it.”

“That’s the spirit!” I set down my glass and point a finger. “I like you, Phoebe. You’re a good sport.”

Max flashes me a quick stare down and I shift a step backward to give them space. He can scold me all he wants but he can’t argue with my methods. She’s ready for him.

He clears his throat and looks at Phoebe’s quivering eyes. Her chin drops to her chest but Max nudges it back up with a smile that seems to calm her. “How about…” he leans closer, “this time we do this?”

She stiffens as he wraps an arm around her and rests his palm on the small of her back.

“Keep you from flailing through my window,” he jokes.

“Good idea.” She chuckles, cheeks burning bright as they linger mere inches away from each other.

Max goes for it. His head tilts to the side and he leans in to kiss Phoebe Pink.

I pause with my stunned, eager eyes locked on them. She lays one hand on his shoulder, the other hand floating up with that wineglass pinched between her fingers. I reach for it and she lets it slip free, seemingly unaware of my interference at all. She grabs his arm, fingers digging into his suit jacket.

Her mouth barely moves, held fast in shock and awe before finally pursing to kiss him back. He gives her another hard, closed-mouth peck before opening his mouth and tapping the tip of his tongue against her upper lip.

I watch the shiver take over her body and goosebumps gently twist up her spine. I’ve seen it before. The effect Max has on women is practically legendary but tonight this feels… different.

My cock pulses with need.

Her lips finally part and she takes Max’s tongue into her mouth. A jealous urge tickles at the back of my neck but I keep my shit together. Jealousy over Phoebe Pink.

Who fucking knew?

I set her glass down next to mine and shake my head. “That’s not the move,” I say.

Max pulls away, breaking their kiss. He gawks at me as her bewildered eyes flick between us. “What are you talking about? That was the move,” he argues.

“No, it wasn’t.”

“Yes, it was.”

“I don’t know what that was but it wasn’t the move. Here, let me show you.”

I cup Phoebe’s cheek with one hand, drawing her in fast, and Max releases his hold on her.

She begins a gasp, opening her mouth, and I fit my lips together with hers. In an instant, she falters and the tension in her jaw unravels. I lean into it, easing my tongue between her lips to get my own taste of her. She tastes like wine and vodka, but sweet and addictive as sugar.

It’s hard to pull away. I stay latched to her, inhaling deep as blood rushes toward my groin. She lays a hand on my wrist, fingers pressed into my skin, but she doesn’t try to push me away. She kisses me back instead, tongue twisting up with mine. A moan escapes the back of her throat and I feel it deep in my loins.

We break apart and open our eyes to each other. Phoebe Pink and her bright, gray irises.

I want more.

Before she can fill her lungs, Max guides her chin back in his direction. I lean away while they kiss and reach for a wineglass, not remembering or caring whose is whose. I take a drink, coating my entire tongue with it before shifting behind her back. He slides to his right, dropping his kiss from her left cheek down to her throat, giving her a moment to breathe.

I touch her face with my fingertips, drawing a line beneath her right ear and she turns her head back to look at me. I kiss her again, sticking my wine-soaked tongue in her mouth and she sucks the flavor off while I pinch the zipper of her dress. It buzzes softly as I pull it down until it ends at the small of her back. I reach inside, placing my hand on her warm skin above the hump of her ass. I kiss her harder and faster as Max guides the dress downward over her wide hips, leaving nothing but flesh-colored panties and bra.

Her chest heaves up and down. I stare down into her deep cleavage as Max cups her with both hands.

We work together, easing her slowly into lust but she doesn’t fight it either. Every touch draws another sharp breath. Every stroke of our tongues strikes another match on her already burning skin. It’s almost easy. It’s definitely fun.

It’s undeniably sexy.

And we’re just getting started.