Max smiled at Alex and glanced back at her. “How are you feeling?” The way he voiced the question indicated he didn’t believe for a second she was sick. He made it sound like she’d been hiding from him.
“Much better, thank you.”
Alex’s eyes widened in alarm. “What’s wrong, Nina?”
Nina glared at Max. The last thing she’d wanted was to worry Alex over a stupid headache. “Nothing, just a pesky migraine.” She continued to stare at Max. “It seems some headaches just don’t know when to go away.”
He clenched his jaw, and his blue eyes took on a dangerous glint. Her body flared to life at the heated look he gave her.
“Please.” She motioned toward the woman waiting for Max. “Don’t let us keep you from your companion.”
He dipped his head in a sharp nod. “Enjoy your lunch, ladies.”
“OK.” Alex smirked while watching Max walk back to his table. “What just happened?”
Nina gulped. It would be a miracle if she could calm her body from the usual annoying desire that flooded her whenever Max was around. “Nothing. You know he loves getting on my last nerve.”
“What could he have done that would upset you so much?” Alex waggled her brows. “Don’t think I forgot you let it slip he sent you flowers at home a few times in the past couple of weeks. What was that about?”
Nina sighed, resigned to give Alex what she wanted. “I called in sick, and he was being nice.” She grinned when Alex made a kissy face. “Yes, he did send me flowers a few times at home, and from what my assistant said, I have some at the office as well. She said they didn’t have a name on them, but when she described them they were the same type from the same florist.”
“So he sent you flowers? That can’t be so bad.”
“He also sent me a get-well basket.”
“Aw. He’s so sweet. What is wrong with you?” She glared at Nina. “He obviously likes you. Give him a chance.”
Nina winced. Those had been the same words she’d said to Alex when Alex had doubts about Andrew. “Alex, you know he’s my boss. Eve is my manager, and he’s the owner of the business. It wouldn’t be right. Plus, Eve is so uptight she’d have kittens if she knew Max and I had something going.” She shook her head. “I don’t want to bring any kind of scandal into his business. And that’s not what’s bothering me anyway.”
“If he’s not the problem, then what is?” Alex sipped her water.
Nina sighed. “I’ve been getting these calls.”
Alex straightened in her seat. “What kind of calls?”
“Threatening type. Not the I’m-going-to-kill-you kind,” she rushed to add when Alex’s eyes widened. “You can’t really make out if the voice is male or female, but they keep telling me that I’ve messed with the wrong person.”
“Is it Darryl?” Alex asked, naming Nina’s last boyfriend.
“I don’t know.” She ran restless fingers through her hair, unsure what to do. “You know Darryl is the first man I broke up with that can’t seem to get the fact that I don’t want to see him again. But I never…” She frowned. “I never took him for a stalker.”
Alex scrunched her nose while the waiter served their meal. “No, he really didn’t give me that kind of vibe either. But you know some men go completely loco when they can’t have their way.”
That was true enough. They’d learned that lesson with Alex’s previous boyfriend before she’d met Andrew. He’d gone from nice guy to complete bastard in the blink of an eye.
Max’s gaze strayed past Kelly’s shoulder to Sabrina and Alex.
“Max!” Kelly rolled her eyes “You’re not even paying me any attention. Even after I got you what you wanted.” She sipped her glass of red wine. “I swear if you weren’t my brother I’d have Peter kick your ass for being so rude to me.” She tisked.
He frowned, knowing she was being more dramatic than she was insulted. Besides, Peter, Kelly’s husband, would probably take Max’s side anyway. “Just tell me if she’s going.” He glanced over at Sabrina, or Nina as her cousin referred to her, and stared. She was eating the seafood pasta and enjoying every bite. He wanted to get up and ask what was wrong. He couldn’t figure her out. They’d had an amazing night two weeks ago, and ever since she’d acted as though it had been no big deal. It was as if that night, which he couldn’t think of without getting hard, had not happened.
“Did you hear what I said?” Kelly snapped.
“Sorry, Kel. What was that?”
She took a bite of her dessert and ate it slowly, just to annoy him. It was classic Kelly. For an older sister, she acted pretty childish at times.
“You remember that nice house you like that I said I’d do whatever I could to get you news on it?” He watched her lift her brows in interest. “I have news.”
“Fine. You big jerk.” She pouted. “Yes, she’s going.” Dropping the tiny fork with a clatter on the chocolate smeared plate, she grinned. “So, are you going to tell me what this woman has that’s so special? I mean, the Wicked Valentine’s Day Ball is not for the faint of heart. And you made us send her an invite through one of her clients.” She shook her head, still smiling. “You’re really lucky Peter knows so many people. Especially people that have dealt with your real estate company.” She turned to glance over her shoulder. “Which one is she?”
“Beige suit, hair up in a twist.”
“Oh, Max. She’s gorgeous. She’s got such a beautiful complexion, and look at the color of her eyes. Are they hazel? Or just light brown? She reminds me of an actress Peter represented during a divorce case. And check out those pouty lips.” She turned back to Max. “I’m jealous. Now I see why you wanted that invite.”
Max nodded absently. Peter was a well-known lawyer who had a lot of clients in common with Max. “Don’t worry. I know this event is your baby.” He looked over her shoulder again. “I’ll make sure nothing goes wrong.”
When Kelly placed a hand over his, he glanced back at her. A worried frown marred her brow.
“It’s not so much the event I’m concerned with. You know Peter and I organize and run this, but we never attend. A lot of Peter’s clients are on the list of invitees and so it made it easier to ask one of the ones you had in common to invite her. But some big names will be there, Maxwell. Do you think your friend will be able to handle what goes on in those rooms?”
He thought about their night back at the campsite, the way she’d shoved her hand into his jeans and ordered him to fuck her. “Yeah, she’ll be fine. I’ll make sure of it. Besides, we’re not going to be using all the rooms, just a few.”
Kelly bit her lip. “But why don’t you just ask her out the old-fashioned way. I mean, this is pretty extreme, even for you.”
“Because,” he growled, “she’s been acting like I don’t exist. And I want to remind her that what we shared didn’t just go away.”
“You sound a little insecure there. And you shouldn’t be.” She squeezed his hand. “You’re not the geeky teen those kids made fun of.”
“Kelly—”
“Listen to me, Max.” Her voice had an authoritative tone. “You’re a very handsome man. And I’m not just saying that because you’re my brother,” she rushed to add. “You are successful. Owner of a top one thousand company, and you are still so young. Don’t let this make you doubt yourself.” She groaned. “Just because you like nerdy stuff doesn’t make you a bad match.”
He shushed her and glanced around to make sure nobody heard.
“Oh, honey.” She smiled softly. “I bet it won’t make a difference to her—if she truly likes you—that you go to ComiCon and used to play Star Trek games on the computer like they were real life.”
If she didn’t shut up soon he was going to kill her. He could only hope her voice hadn’t traveled to Sabrina’s table. “I want her, Kelly. I’ve wanted her for almost a year, but she’s always kept me at a distance. The whole ‘I’m the owner, and she works for me’ thing is frowned upon at the office. Not by me, but by Eve and other managers.”
“Max, you enforced the policy, so that makes it yours,” Kelly reminded him.
“I know that. Don’t you think I know that?” He took a drink from his wine glass. “She’s never done anything to call attention to herself. Until two weeks ago. When she let her body control her actions.” And he really wanted her to do it again. “But she is keeping me at such a distance I can’t even be in the same building with her, much less the same room. I want her to see how compatible we are in the bedroom. Maybe then she’ll be open to more.”
Kelly smiled sympathetically. “I know, Max. But if she’s not open-minded, you might end up in a worse position than you are now.”
“You don’t seem to understand. I feel like a lovesick fool. All I can think about is her. I’m willing to try anything at this point. Besides, if she agreed to the invite, she knows someone is going to be her partner for the night. So it shouldn’t matter that it’s me.”