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***
Max picks me up from the clinic Thursday evening. He’s wearing jeans and a simple black shirt.
“Such a gentleman,” I tell him as he opens the door to the passenger seat for me.
“Nah, was just looking for an opportunity.”
“To do what?” I’m momentarily distracted by the patch of chest showing through the unbuttoned top of his shirt. A naughty impulse to lick that spot shoots through me. Hot damn. No man has ever had this effect on me.
“This.”
Before I realize what is going on, Max tips his head to mine, parting my lips and kissing me thoroughly. There is nothing tentative about it. He’s claiming every inch of my mouth with ferocity, his passion dizzying me.
“Max,” I admonish as we both come up for breath. “We’re in front of the clinic. What if someone sees?”
“What if they do? All they see is me kissing my woman.”
My woman. I like the sound of that. A lot. Still, that doesn’t mean I’ll let him get away with it.
“It’s not professional. They won’t take me seriously if they see me kissing a man as though I’m about to climb him. I worked hard at building my reputation.”
His lips curl up into a half smile. “You want to climb me?”
“That’s the only piece of information you caught from all I said?”
Max doesn’t answer, instead holding my gaze in a silent challenge. It takes every ounce of my restraint not to burst out laughing, but I hold my ground. A few heated seconds later, he places a chaste kiss on my forehead.
“By the way, I forgot to congratulate you on scaring the crap out of John. I was at a seminar yesterday, and he avoided me the entire evening.”
He steps back, and I notice his features have hardened. “You went to a seminar where John was?”
“Yeah. He’s attending a lot of the same seminars I do.”
“Why didn’t you tell me?”
“I wasn’t aware I’m supposed to ask for permission,” I say dryly, now working to put distance between us.
“That’s not what I meant. But I don’t want you to be around him.”
Instantly, I boil on the inside. “You can’t dictate—”
“Damn it, that’s not what I’m doing. I’m concerned for you, and that moron—”
“He insulted me. That’s all. I agree he’s an idiot, but he’s not a danger. And as I said, he was avoiding me.”
“Emilia—”
“No.” Pulling myself to my full height, I look him straight in the eyes. I can go toe to toe with him. “I’m sorry, Max, this isn’t how things are going to be. I have a career I worked hard for, and I will continue to do that. You need to keep that caveman in you in check. I won’t have any of this.”
Seconds of loaded silence pass before Max lets out an audible breath.
“I’m sorry, you’re right. That was out of line.” He runs an agitated hand through his hair. “When you said his name that image of you on the garage floor popped in my mind, and I lost it.”
“So we’re on the same page?”
“We are, but let’s get one thing straight. You are mine to protect.”
I try hard not to melt at his words. “From real threats, Max, not imagined ones.”
