“Mia, there are things I can’t tell you,” he said. “But I would, if I could. You have to believe me. And even if I could tell you, this is certainly not the place for it.”
She sat down again and looked at him for a long moment, her gaze narrowed. “So, let’s get out of here then.”
Max shrugged. “Sure, where do you want to go?”
“We can’t go to my house,” she said. “Your place?”
He nodded. “Okay.”
Before they got to their feet, a thought occurred to Mia. If they took her car back to Max’s house, then her driver,bodyguards, and by extension, her father would know where Max lived. Mia didn’t trust any of them with the information.
She leaned in close to Max’s ear and whispered. “I have to ditch my bodyguards and driver. I don’t want them to know where you live. Did you drive here tonight?”
Max shook his head. “No, but if we get away from the bar, we can call a cab.”
Mia grinned at him. “Don’t most people today call an Uber or a Lyft?”
“You sound as if you have as much experience of doing that as I do.”
“Cab it is,” Mia said with a grin. “I’ll meet you outside in five. I’ll pretend I have to use the restroom then slip past them.”
“Doesn’t look as if it will be too difficult,” Max said, nodding to the two guards.
When Mia followed his gaze, she saw that they were both deep in conversation with two attractive young women. She rolled her eyes. Her father would have them gutted if he could see them now.
“See you in five,” Max whispered, then got up and went over to his friend’s table before heading for the door.
Mia waited until he was outside before getting to her feet too. She went over to her guards and said, “I need the restroom, boys. I’ll be right back.”
To Mia’s relief, they nodded, barely sparing her a second glance as she strode away from them. She considered heading to the restroom first, but a quick glance over her shoulder informed her the guards weren’t watching her anyway, so she headedstraight for the door. Tom would be waiting for them in the car which was parked in the lot next to the building, out of sight of the front entrance.
As soon as she walked out the door, Max was there to greet her.
“Come on, this way,” he said, leading her away from the building and out of sight. “I’ve already called a cab. It’s going to pick us up just down the street.”
They hurried along the sidewalk, neither speaking. Mia kept checking behind them to ensure they weren’t being followed by either her bodyguards, or Tom, but it wasn’t lost on her that this was her first time out in the open since her experience with the shifters earlier and she was nervous that they might show up again. The bar was popular with shifters, after all. More than she’d realized. It wasn’t too far out of the realm of possibilities to imagine that the Mexicans might learn about it.
“They’re going to realize I’m not in the washroom soon and come looking for me,” Mia said.
Max nodded. “Don’t worry, we’ll be long gone by then.”
Sure enough, he had barely finished his sentence before a cab pulled up beside them. Mia breathed a sigh of relief as they got in and the vehicle started to move away from the curb. Max gave the driver his address then they were on their way. Mia was surprised to learn that he lived in an area not too far from her house—which meant he’d been telling her the truth earlier.
The cab ride from the bar was a silent one, the energy between them a potent mixture of tension and longing. Mia found herself hyper-aware of Max’s proximity, and the tiniest shifts and sounds were magnified in the confines of the vehicle. The glow of the streetlights filtered through the cab window,casting a warm glow on Max’s profile. Mia’s heart pounded in her chest, and she tried to focus on the thrum of the cab tires on the asphalt to distract her and prevent her from reaching out to touch Max the way she wanted to.
When they arrived at Max’s house, Mia’s curiosity was piqued, and she took in the well-maintained exterior.
“How long have you lived here?” she asked as they stepped onto the porch.
“Only a few months,” Max admitted, unlocking the door and guiding her inside.
His home was tastefully furnished, possessing a certain warmth and character that instantly put her at ease. Max gave her a brief tour, ending in the living room. The space was cozy and inviting, the scent of Max’s cologne lingering in the air.
“Must be a downgrade from what you’re used to,” he said, his voice laced with self-deprecating humor.
Mia shook her head, looking around with a soft smile, “Not at all. It’s smaller, sure, but I prefer this… It’s more homely. My house is more like a museum than a home.”
The smile that stretched across Max’s lips made her heart leap, and then it started beating faster for an entirely different reason. This close, he was intoxicating.
