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“This looks incredible.”

“It does.” He rubs his hands together like a small child about to dive in to an ice cream sundae. “Thanks for sharing it with me.” He winks.

My stomach flips. Jeez. Calm down and eat your food, you harlot.

Max holds out a chair for me, and I graciously take a seat. He makes quick work of plating food before depositing my dinner before me with a flourish. This feels odd, him waiting on me this way.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.” He flashes another sexy grin at me before setting about making a plate of food for himself. Yet once he has placed it in front of his chair, he heads in the direction of the wet bar. He pours a couple of drinks and returns. “Hope cranberry and vodka is okay. Or would you rather have water?”

“No, this is perfect.”

He lifts his glass. “To the bright, beautiful woman who’s helping me find a needle in a haystack,” he says. “And to being the only person in this world who can make me put my work down and eat a decent meal. I’m glad you’re here.”

I blush, telling myself not to let anything he’s saying go to my head. “Well, the data will still be a mess in twenty minutes.” I shrug, glad he didn’t pay any attention when I said I wasn’t really hungry. The food is phenomenal. And the company isn’t bad either.

We spend the rest of our meal quietly tucking into our food, occasionally smiling at one another. He’s simply grateful for the help. Don’t go letting your mind get away from you.

After having more than my fill, I slump back against the seat, rubbing my belly. “Oh, my gosh. That was so good.”

“It was.”

I push to stand, trying to consider whether I should help clear the table before returning to work when Max moves to my side.

“Let’s clear our heads.” He reaches for my hand, leading me to the living area where he’d assembled a hand-carved marble chess set in the corner of the room by a large picture window that overlooks the city lights.

“Wow, this set is gorgeous.”

“Please don’t let me down. Tell me you know how to play.”

The corner of my mouth curls, and I nod.

“Yes.” He fist pumps the air, the motion instantly reminding me of his friend, Frank. “One game. No tech. Just strategy. If you win, we can knock off for the night and spend it doing whatever you like.”

“Like what exactly?” Calm down, you saucy little slut. He probably means a sci-fi marathon.

“I don’t know. I can run you a bath, and you can enjoy a soak in that Olympic-size pool in there.” He laughs.

I can only imagine he’s describing the bathtub. But as big as this suite is, there could be a mini pool in there for all I know. Boy, a soak in a tub is actually pretty tempting. I can’t remember the last time I was able to indulge in a bath. And I bet they have really nice toiletries in a place like this. “And if you win?”

“If I win... you agree to keep helping me with this project. Even if I annoy the heck out of you.” He winks again.

Jeez. Is he doing that on purpose to get the upper hand? How am I supposed to contemplate my next move with wet panties?

I lose, of course. Max is a grandmaster of strategy. I could tell his mind was always three moves ahead. But maybe if I work hard enough, he’ll feel sorry for me and let me have that dip in the tub one day after all.

Max

I’ve gotten nothing accomplished here. Not one damn thing. I can’t stop staring at her. She’s focused on my laptop like she’s trying to find the answer to world peace. This sweet girl has no reason to keep helping me beyond her excitement about a future in digital forensics. And I’m using it to my advantage. Because being near her calms the chaos inside me.

I retrieve my phone from my pocket and realize I’ve missed several messages from the office and decide to step out of earshot in case I need to return a private call. “Hey, just going to call my secretary,” I say, pointing to the bedroom.

Cassidy looks up, her eyes looking heavy. “Okay.”

“You need anything?”

She yawns. “No. I’m good. That chess game really helped.”