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Bending his head, he brushed his lips against hers.
“I just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to catch a movie tonight.”
That sounded suspiciously like a date, and Anna didn’t date. Not really. She needed an alternative or he would get suspicious. But she couldn’t come up with anything. Thinking had become difficult since he showed up in her doorway and it was getting harder by the minute as his talented fingers slid over her ass.
Clearing her throat, and hopefully her thoughts, she asked, “How about we watch the new Jakob Wulf movie on Netflix?”
Max didn’t say no, but Anna could feel his disappointment. She almost gave in. She didn’t like the feeling of disappointing him. Something in her wanted to make him happy, to bring out that sexy smile. She fought the need, the urge to please him because she hadn’t done that for a man since she was in high school. Before her heart could talk her mind into it, he gave her rear end one more soft caress then pulled away.
“Okay, but if we order pizza, just plain, nothing freaky like pineapple.”
She sighed. “You are such a simpleton when it comes to pizza.”
“Damn straight. Meat, cheese, what the hell else does a guy need? Seven o’clock?”
She nodded, and a moment later, he was out the door. The scent of his aftershave and her hard nipples were the only indication that he had been there.
Rolling her shoulders, she tried to ease away the uneasiness that had settled beneath her skin. She was playing a dangerous game being involved with Max. Anna would have to remember that despite the fact that Max tended to have long, serious relationships, she knew just what to expect out of men. Because she enjoyed sex, most men thought she was easy, but Anna didn’t sleep with every man she met. And when she did, she knew where to draw the line. No commitments. Men, especially a man like Max who liked to be in charge of most situations, didn’t like to keep an assertive woman around.
Now each time he smiled at her like that, she needed to remind herself that it was sexual attraction, passion, lust. If Anna could prevent her heart from being involved, she would be able to survive this affair. Somewhere in the back of her mind, Anna worried she’d already passed that point. Her heart had been involved for over ten years.
Anna didn’t like it, not one freaking bit. But she thought as she collapsed back in the chair, she didn’t know what to do about it.
seven
With a sense of satisfaction,Max lit the last few candles he’d placed around the dining room. Tim McGraw, one of Anna’s favorites, crooned softly in the background. Max had everything ready, everything set to a ‘T’ for her tonight. She wouldn’t know what hit her. The woman actually thought she could keep him at a distance. He shook his head.
Max knew she thought going out constituted a date. She never dated any of herlittleboys. He’d see them around, but rarely did she go to a restaurant or a movie with them. Max, unless he was dating someone, was her go-to guy for functions. Business affairs mainly where both of them had contacts to keep up with. But, until today, they’d usually hit the newest comedies that were out because their sense of humor was so similar, and Max tended to date women who didn’t get the movies he wanted to see. The thought of taking someone like Cynthia toThe Big Lebowskiwas mind-boggling.
So, he was sure in Anna’s mind she’d decided to avoid anything like a movie with him now that they were involved. That would be a date, and that would mean they were serious. Theywere. Anna just didn’t know it yet. It was an aggravating and damn near embarrassing situation.
He sighed as he wondered why he had to love such a contrary woman. He wandered back into his kitchen to make the final preparations. Anna had had a lot of boyfriends—no, strike that—lovers. She’d never really had a steady boyfriend. Well, there was Freddy what’s-his-name in high school, but since then she’d never stayed with one guy long enough to consider him her boyfriend. That relationship must have ended badly. He couldn’t really remember her ever saying anything or hearing anything. He’d been in college, but in small towns gossip always made the rounds two or three times. Especially with a woman as visible as Anna.
He chose a nice Merlot, setting it on the counter while he looked for the corkscrew. Max knew what the problem was with Anna and all her lovers, her boy toys. He’d bet his left nut that not one of them had ever tried to romance her. Hell, when he’d been in his early twenties, he couldn’t think past his dick either. If a woman, a little older, more experienced like Anna, had paid attention to him, Max was sure he would’ve been consumed with sex. Hell, he was in his thirties, and it was taking over most of his thoughts. At least he was old enough now to be able to function, even with the lack of blood in his brain. Back then, though, if a woman didn’t push, he didn’t bother with any sort of courtship.
This was different though. This was Anna and she was for keeps. He knew men took her attitude for granted and thought she didn’t want, or worse, deserve to be romanced. Anna’s sexuality was out there for everyone to see. She didn’t flaunt it, but it was unmistakable in her every move. She oozed sensuality. There were times he watched her walk across the room to him and every other person disappeared. The familiar shot of heat spread throughout his body. His dick twitched just at the thought of being with her, touching her, tasting her.
The doorbell rang, crashing into his thoughts. Max shook his head and took a deep breath, trying to control his libido. His plan was simple. He would force Anna to deal with him as a lover—boyfriend—not some sexual toy. She kept men dancing to her tune. Max knew she did that to protect herself. To win her heart, he had to take it to the next level. They knew each other better than Anna knew most of her lovers. Intimacy, not sex, was what she shied away from.
With that resolved, he opened his front door and promptly lost every rational thought in his mind. There stood Anna, her hair pulled into a loose bun of curls atop her head, her lips painted cherry red, dressed in a loose, white cotton dress. With the fading sun behind her, every inch of her—her nipples, her bellybutton, her sex—was visible through the thin fabric. Anna wasn’t wearing a stitch beneath the dress.
All remaining moisture in his mouth dried up, his balls tightened, and his heart skipped a beat.
“Max?” Sensuality laced her voice and helped drain a bit more blood from his brain.
“What?”
He couldn’t take his eyes off her nipples. A slight breeze tightened the fabric against her skin. He licked his lips.
“Max, you gonna let me in?”
He could hear the smile in her voice. He looked up and saw the amused satisfaction dancing in her eyes.
Heat slid through him, sending his pulse racing. When her words finally registered, he realized he was standing there staring at her like some horny sixteen-year-old. Swallowing hard, Max stepped back. Anna brushed by him, her fingers sliding over his free hand. The scent of her—wildflowers and musky woman—surrounded him, enticed him. When he raised his hand to scrub his face, it shook. Every cell in his body screamed for relief, for him to grab her, strip her out of that damn dress and plunge his cock deep inside her wet, hot sex.
Max drew in a calming breath and shut the door, resting his head against the cool wood. Most of the blood had drained from his brain, but he fought those primitive urges. Even if there was a good chance he might end up rolling on the floor and howling like a dog. She’d done this to show him that lust was all their relationship was about. The action was telling. On one hand, he was furious with her because she was trying to maintain the kind of relationship Anna had with all her little boy toys.
But, at the same time, his heart warmed at her attempt to throw him off-kilter. Going to such extremes might mean she felt threatened in some way. And the only thing that bothered Anna was showing the soft underbelly of her personality. Hard as a rock on the outside, but she had a tender heart. That meant she wanted more with him but was afraid to deal with it. He would work with that.
