“Dad—”
A dark eyebrow cocked. “Baby, you don’t want your boyfriend helping me?” he asked innocently.
She cut me a wry look, mouthedsorry. “Fine, but let Max have breakfast at least.”
What? Like the last meal before death or something? But I liked that she hadn’t denied the boyfriend part. I lowered my gaze to my sneakers so her father wouldn’t see my smile.
“Half an hour, Maximus, then we leave.”
The smile died.Goddammit! “I’m going to wring Ray’s neck,” I muttered.
Logan’s laughter flowed around me, soft and warm as an embrace. Yup, I was a goner for this girl. I followed her to the kitchen rich with the smells of bacon, eggs, and coffee. And for the first time in my life, at least since that fateful day of the accident, the endless pain, the feeling of worthlessness had eased.
Ila
As the morning sun beat down on us, I reached into the back of Max’s SUV and stacked the boxes together. I barely paid attention to the crowd around me in the congested parking lot, my mind on him. He’d given me the keys to his Jeep and told me to use it since he planned to go with my father.
With Dad’s passion for Tae Kwon Do, he’d been known to intimidate the few dates I’d had when I was younger before I got involved with Devyn—the only one who’d braved my dad’s menacing stare. Though Max was the type of guy to stand up to anyone, I really hoped my father hadn’t said anything to him. After Devyn, Dad was overprotective, and I couldn’t blame him, considering the mess I’d become.
“Ray,” I called out to my sister still seated in the Jeep with her door open, talking to Denise and two of her old school friends. “Help me with these.”
“Cominnnnng,” she yelled back. As if stretching out the word would make it happen any faster. Ray would help, but in her own sweet time.
Shaking my head, I gathered some of the packages and dumped them in the open box.
“Whoa,” one of the girls said. “Who is that?Aaandhe’s coming our way.”
Denise laughed. Curious, I glanced over my shoulder. My heart did a little flip. Max walked toward us. Ray snorted. “Don’t wet your panties. That’s Max, my friend. He doesn’t do girlfriends. He’s a love ‘em and leave ‘em kinda guy.”
My stomach dipped at Ray’s words. Now, I felt like an idiot with my little stipulation.
Max had that ‘bad-boy—do me’ appearance from the top of his tousled hair to the tips of his scuffed biker boots. Wearing faded Levi’s with a ripped back pocket, a gray tee that revealed his inked arms and neck, he looked as tempting as sin.
The sun glinted off his pale hair, but those eyes, greener than a forest lake, drifted over my cut-off jeans shorts and fitted, pale yellow tank. And when his warm gaze met mine, I forgot my qualms and Ray’s comments. I only knew that I wanted to be in his arms again. Last night, when he’d danced with me, I’d experienced a sense of peace for the first time in forever, felt as if I belonged.
A brunette wearing white skinny jeans and a skimpy, black halter-top stepped in his path. My stomach twisted warily. I couldn’t hear what was said, then Max sidestepped her and continued toward us.
“Hey, Max,” Ray called out. “Glad to see Dad didn’t work you to the bone.”
“We’re good. Just finished setting up Logan’s stall.”
“So what didshewant?” Ray asked the question that was burning a hole in my mind.
He shrugged, and I knew. Green eyes found mine. “Doesn’t matter. Told her I was seeing someone.”
My breath caught. He stopped beside me and nodded to the boxes and packages. “Are those for your stand?”
The Jeep door slammed shut as I nodded, struggling to get the words out of a dry throat. “Yes, all these here.” I pulled the boxes forward. He ran his fingers over mine. “I have it.”
Ray appeared beside us, eyes wide in astonishment. “Spill. Who is she, this girl you’re seeing?”
“Forget it,” he muttered, picking up the boxes up.
Ray opened her mouth then shut it. She studied him contemplatively. “You’re shielding her! Wow, that’s new. And you haven’t mentioned her name, not that you remember half the floozies you hook up with. She must be pretty special. Wait, where did you meet her when you’ve been staying with us since you got back?” she demanded.
Max smirked, didn’t say a word.
Oh, crap. Before Ray took a calculated guess and figured out the truth, I hastily asked, “Don’t you have a tank to get to?”
