“You’ve got fifteen minutes for a shower and I’ll take you for breakfast.” He winks at me and is out the door before I can argue.
All through my quick shower, I call him every name under the sun and then some. But much to my disgust I am dressed fifteen minutes later and walk down the stairs. Max sits in one of the armchairs, long legs stretched out in front of him as he types out a text message.
“Your date from last night?” I hate myself for asking and for sounding so jealous.
“You know there’s only one girl I want, and she’s playing hard to get.”
“Whatever.” I roll my eyes at the back of his head. “Are we going or what?”
“After you.” He pushes up off the chair and crosses to the door, holding it open for me.
“It was Aaron,” he says, and I give him a blank look as I lock the door. “Texting me. He wanted to make sure you were okay.”
“You didn’t tell him that you stayed over?” I panic because that would not be a good thing. The fun Aaron would have if he knew. Max knows this, and a sly smile spreads across his face as he gives a slow nod.
“And I told him exactly where I found your hands this morning.”
“You didn’t!” I gasp and hit him on the arm.
“I might have.” His smug tone makes me want to hit him again.
“You’re an ass,” I mutter and stand with my arms over my chest at the side of the GTO. Max laughs louder and opens the passenger door before walking around the other side.
It doesn’t matter. Either way, people will have noticed his car in the drive, and Aaron will find out. I just hope word doesn’t get back to Dad. To him, I’ll always be his little girl, and he wouldn’t be too happy at the thought of Max Morgan having his wicked way with me.
• • •
The diner is pretty busy for a Sunday morning, but Max spots a table away from the door and grabs my hand. Warm fingers grip mine and sparks of electricity skitter up my arm as he weaves between the tables. I have no choice but to stumble along behind him.
We sit at the table for two, and Max hands me a menu. “You going to see Hank today?”
“Yeah, I’ve not been all weekend. He had other people going to visit him, so he gave me the weekend off.”
“Well, if you ever need someone to visit or go with you, let me know.”
Surprised at his kind offer, I nod and mumble, “Sure.”
We scan the menu in silence, only speaking when the waitress arrives to take our order. And then mumble thanks when she sets our coffees down. The appetite I normally have first thing has mysteriously disappeared. Max doesn’t appear to be hungry either because we only ordered milky coffees.
“So…” Max leans over the table and reaches for the sugar, rolling the dispenser between his hands.
“So…” Making small talk with Max feels weird. Normally, we stay out of each other’s way, and I realize that in all the time that we’ve lived in the same town, I don’t know anything about him.
“Why’d you move here?” I ask out of the blue, and his face clouds, a dark expression flitting over it.
“It was just me and my sister-”
“You have a sister?”
His eyes widen, and I fall into the dark orbs, leaning forward trying to distinguish, yet again, whether they are black or just really dark brown. This is something that I’ve always wondered. Now, in the daylight, I can confirm that they are dark brown, so dark that they appear black.
“How did you not know that?”
“I dunno.”
“But it’s such a small town. Everyone knows everything.”
“Yeah, but you forget that while all the girls at school were lusting after you, I wasn’t interested.”
“Ah, is that what it was?” His eyes crinkle at the corners slightly, and his face softens as he smiles. Fuck, why am I noticing these small details, like I’m just seeing him for the first time?
“Is that what-” But I’m cut off by the arrival of a very pissed off blonde.
“There you are.” She sounds a little out of breath, and I doubt it’s from running; I’m betting that’s the way Max makes every female sound. I have nothing to be smug about; he makes me sound like that, too.
“Oh.” She looks even more put out when she looks from me to Max and back again, before her eyes narrow at Max. “You blew me off for this?” She plants her hands on her hips and continues to glare at him. If she hadn’t just insulted me, it might have been amusing, but my temper kicks in and I turn in my seat to face her.
“Excuse me?” I grind out through clenched teeth.