Page 57 of Maximus

“Why are we switching cars?” I asked when a member of the hotel staff interrupted our breakfast to give Max a set of keys.

Max’s gaze went from me to the man dressed in a suit still standing next to our table, and instead of answering my question, he made his own inquiry. “Is the car parked in front of the valet?”

“Yes, sir.”

“Good. I’d like it left there until we’re ready to check out.”

“But—”

Max reached out and I saw a folded bill in his hand before the men clasped hands.

“No problem,” the man in the suit said. He tipped his head then walked away.

“Did you give him money?”

“Yep.”

“Why?”

“Because I want the car left in front of the building where no one will think to get near it or they’ll get caught on camera. To get my way, I paid him.”

“Why did—”

“We’re not taking any chances,” Max cut me off and looked over at the boys.

Both of them were coloring on the restaurant’s paper kids’ menus, neither paying attention.

“Chances?”

Max shook his head and asked, “Are you done with your breakfast?”

I knew he wasn’t going to like my answer, because he didn’t like the one I’d given him five minutes ago when he asked the first time and that answer was, I didn’t have a big appetite in the morning. I suspected we’d sat there for those five extra minutes after I’d told him I was done with my half-eaten meal in the hopes that I’d change my mind and dig in. But I hadn’t—to which I’d been on the receiving end of one of Max’s glacial stares.

“I really can’t eat much in the morning,” I told him.

“You need to eat.”

“You need to stop trying to force-feed me. Last night, the steak you had me order was too much. Now this morning I knew I couldn’t finish all of this.” I motioned to the leftover eggs, pancakes, and toast. I had laid waste to the four slices of bacon—because, hello, it was bacon. “I don’t like wasting food, and with us travelling, I can’t pack it up and take it with us.”

“I don’t care if—”

“I do, Max. I appreciate what you’re trying to do. I was stuffed full last night…” A sly, sexy smirk tipped his lips up and my cheeks heated.

“Stuffed full?”

“You just couldn’t pass up the chance, could you?”

Do all men have the minds of teenage boys?

Max tilted his head, smirk firmly in place, yet he remained quiet.

The silence gave me a moment to reflect on last night.

I’d gone to him.

After lying awake for hours after my boys had fallen asleep, I’d gone into his room with the sole purpose of having sex with Max. It was not smart—as a matter of fact, it was probably the stupidest thing I’d ever done and that was saying something considering I’d hooked up with Jay, then married him.

The sex had been phenomenal—better than the first time.