She flushed and glanced away, Her brow furrowing, she met my gaze again. “Is this yours?”
“Live a little, Logan. Stop worrying. Enjoy the”—I dropped my voice to a suggestive purr—“ride.” I didn’t miss the flare of her pupils at my carnal comment, and she bit her lip.
You can run, dancing girl, but I have no intention of letting you hide.
Ila
In spite of the smell of oils and turpentine crowding my nose, I was only aware of the scent of cedar and warm male surrounding me as I walked the rows of art store shelves selecting the paints and things I needed.
I paused, trying to recall what else I wanted. Darn, I should have made a list. With Max at my side, I couldn’t even remember my own name. And that kiss last night had left me shaken to my core. With his mouth alone, Max had made love to me. Sleep had been a forlorn hope.
I hated that he’d gotten hurt in some fight last night because I had a feeling my pushing him away had caused it. But I hadn’t expected him to barge into my studio.
A soft caress along my jaw startled me, and I jerked back.
Amusement lit Max’s gaze. He held a soft, rabbit’s fur paintbrush in his hand, and under his other arm, he carried the A1 sketchpads I’d selected. “You done?”
“Almost.”
With a nod, he tossed the brush down.
Several minutes later, with everything I wanted stacked in his SUV—he’d finally admitted on the journey here that it was his—I headed for the passenger side.
He grasped my hand. “Not yet.”
Casually, he laced our fingers, shocking me silent, and pulled me along with him. He was making it very hard to stay detached with every touch, caress of a paintbrush…his mouth. “Where are we going?”
“I’m taking you for coffee.”
I arched an eyebrow at his edict. “Did you think to ask?”
“Why? You’d have said no. My way is better, less argument and time wasted.”
Max, I was starting to realize, moved to his own beat. I tried to ease my fingers from his, but he simply tightened his hold and pulled me even closer.
Sighing, I cut him a furtive look. But his gaze was focused ahead, a determined set to his jaw. Tatts peeked out from the crewneck of his tee. His dark blond hair was hidden beneath the beanie he wore. Heck, he was utterly gorgeous.
As if feeling my stare, he glanced at me. His bisected eyebrow quirked in question. Heat rushed to my face, and I blurted the first thing that came to mind. “You have so many tattoos, but just two piercings?”
His smile was sexy…sinful. “Then you didn’t look closely enough that first night.”
I frowned. He had just the two on his nipples—crap! He had a pierced… My face burned, his chuckle adding to my embarrassment. Ugh, he was probably teasing me. Wasn’t he?
“Ila?” I turned at the familiar voice, as did Max.
Darn, I’d forgotten the art store was close to Kate’s boutique. She locked her silver Audi and sashayed over in mile high heels, wearing a figure-hugging black coat-dress that stopped mid-thigh. In reflex, I pulled my hand free from Max’s and shifted a little away, painfully aware of my own grungy appearance and haphazard ponytail.
“Great job on the window, sugar.” Yesterday, she’d merely nodded her approval, no words of praise had left her mouth. Until now.
My stomach knotting, I realized why. Kate’s cool gaze settled on Max. She was tall, attractive, and sexy, and left me feeling like a gauche schoolgirl, which, come to think of it, I probably looked like with my wardrobe choice and much smaller stature. More, Kate had a sharp business mind, and when it came to the opposite sex, she dazzled them blind. I’d seen it happen many times. Now that she’d dumped Pierre, she was probably on the hunt for a replacement. And Max would be fair game.
Kate stared at me, and her eyebrows rose slightly, expectantly. My throat drying out, I introduced them in a croak. “Max, this is my boss, Kate Anders. Kate, Max Sinclair.”
“Hello.” Low. Sultry. Lines puckered her smooth brow for a second. “MaxwellMeade-Sinclair?” Kate sounded like she knew him.
His expression unreadable, he didn’t deny or confirm it. “Nice meeting you. Excuse us, Ila and I have a coffee date,” he said, taking my hand again.
Elation swept away my sinking feeling, but reality set in equally fast. From Kate’s speculative gaze, I knew the questions would fly when I saw her again. Damn.
