Handsome Hero

by Lori Wilde

  “Sweet is almost as bad as awww,” he told her, stopping at a light. “But I'll let it slide. Which way now?”

  “Left.”

  After he made the turn, she asked, “So if your father was Army, how'd you end up Marines?”

  He laughed. “Connect the dots on that one, Paige. Trav and I weren't thrilled with the Army, but we did like the service. So we chose Marines.”

  She knew there was so very much more to this story than he was telling her, but he'd already shared so much. More than she felt he wanted to share. And she appreciated his confidence. It made her feel very close to a man who up until tonight she'd hardly known.

  Unable to resist, she said, “I get the feeling my dad is a lot like your dad.”

  “In what way?”

  “Unreasonable expectations,” she admitted, not only to him, but in a way, to herself. She'd always thought of her father as pushy and domineering, but now that she voiced her thoughts, she realized they were true. His expectations for her were unreasonable.

  “If he is, then I’m glad to hear you realize that,” he said. “And at the risk of you calling me sweet again, I'll add that you need to remember, it's your game, Paige. You control the ball.”

  “Um, Max, that's good advice, but it won't make me call you sweet. It will, however, make me point out that that's a real macho kind of guy thing to say.”

  He chuckled. “What can I say? I admit it. It's who I am. Now quick, tell me the rest of the directions to your place before I become even more of a Neanderthal and am unable to communicate with anything other than grunts and groans and burps.”

  4

  Max hadn't a clue why he'd told Paige that stuff about Travis, but he wasn't sorry he had. He liked the way she kept laughing, kept talking to him. He knew she trusted him, which of course, was good for the case. But that wasn't why he'd told her those things.

  He'd told her those things because he'd wanted to tell her. He liked talking to Paige, liked being around her.

  Man, he was one dumb jerk.

  When they pulled up in front of her house, he parked and looked around.

  “Nice place,” he said, studying it, pretending he hadn't spent the last several nights watching this very house from down the street. “You like living here?”

  “It's quiet.” She unbuckled her seat belt and pushed open the door. “Thanks for the ride. I appreciate it.”

  “No problem.” Right before she shut the door, he asked, “Want me to walk you home?”

  When she hesitated, he added, “Oh, come on. Give me a chance to do one noble thing tonight. I seriously can't leave with you thinking of me as a caveman.”

  His silliness did what he'd hoped it would do. It made her smile. In the light from the interior of the truck, he saw the tension she felt seep from her.

  “You’ve done lots of noble things tonight,” she pointed out. “And I'm already home.”

  “I meant, do you want me to walk you to your door?”

  “It's just a dozen steps,” she said, not really answering his question. “Besides, I didn't think Neanderthals went in for that type of thing.”

  He chuckled. “Like I said, I'm trying to reform. So I'm walking you.”

  “Thank you. I know you’re as tired as I am,” she said.

  “Yep, but after this, I need to go to the grocery store tonight, or I'm going to be eating dust bunnies for breakfast.”

  Max undid his own seat belt and climbed out of the truck. As he joined Paige, she asked, “You're going to the grocery store at two in the morning?”

  “Sure. It's open twenty-four seven. Two in the morning is a great time to shop. I have the whole store to myself. Makes it a lot easier to find all the bargains.”

  Even though it was too dark for him to see her face clearly, he could sense her smiling. “You're a bargain shopper?” she asked. “I had no idea.”

  “Always watching my pennies.” He waited for her to precede him onto the front porch. As she walked by, the faint scent of citrus surrounded him. It was too light to be perfume. More than likely it was the shampoo or soap she used.

  He liked the smell. It was clean and fresh and suited her, but he sure wished he'd stop noticing these things. It wasn't making this assignment any easier. Why couldn't she be some mean hag with bad breath? Then he'd be able to concentrate.

  But no, he had to get someone nice and cute. Life wasn't fair.

  “I really appreciate the ride home,” Paige said as she pulled her keys out of her purse.

  Max would have answered but watching the sexy way she moved temporarily distracted him. Man, he needed to get himself under control. He willed his libido to stop running wild. He was just walking her to the door. So what if the gentle sway of her hips as she’d walked was driving him crazy? What difference did it make if the sexy scent of the soap she used made him want to howl with desire?

  He was on a case. He was only here because he wanted to make certain Paige was safe. This was a job. Nothing more.

  Get a grip.

  “Ta da,” Paige said, waving at the open door. “I'm home safe and sound.”

  “Maybe I should check inside. Just to make sure,” Max said, grateful for something else to focus on other than Paige's sexy walk.

  “I don’t think anyone is inside,” she said, leading the way. She quickly turned off an alarm system by the door. The overhead light was on, probably because of a timer, and he

  could hear a dog barking somewhere inside the house. Must be that little furball she took walking every night. Normally he thought it was great when clients had dogs to help protect them, but he wasn't sure the little fluff of a dog Paige had could scare off a squirrel, let alone a determined person.

  Paige nodded at the room. “See? Everything's fine.”

  Max looked down at her to tell her he wanted to check the other rooms, but the words evaporated when lust slammed into him. He told himself to walk away, to get out of here before he did something stupid, but his brain seemed to have shut down. She was looking at him with so much emotion in her eyes, so much...belief that it made it hard to look away. He could easily tell she trusted him and that she liked him.

  And he could easily tell that she wanted him every bit as much as he wanted her. When her gaze fastened on his lips, he groaned.

  “I gotta go,” he said, scrambling for some semblance of professionalism. Without waiting for her comment, he headed toward the driveway. He knew she was watching him, but he didn't turn around. Instead, he climbed back in his truck like his life depended on it.

  No matter how much he might want her, he was going to keep his mind on this case and his fly zipped.

  Even if it drove him crazy in the process.

  Paige was filling the saltshakers when the sound of Alma's laughter caught her attention. She leaned slightly to the right so she could see out onto the patio. Max was talking to Alma, and based on the frown on Max's face, they were talking about the festival.

  Poor guy. Paige really did feel for him. She knew Max hated the idea of working on it. Maybe if she talked to Hal, he'd reconsider.

  Another burst of laughter came from Alma, and Paige admitted Max was doomed. They'd just have to make the best of this situation.

  Not that she minded. She liked the idea of spending time with him. She liked it a lot.

  Probably too much. She had other things to think about now, other things to focus on. She couldn't allow herself to be distracted by a man, couldn't allow herself to pretend her life was normal. Sure, nothing had happened since she’d arrived in Honey, but that didn't mean she could let her guard down.

  Did it?

  Or maybe she could. Maybe it was time to come clean, tell everyone who she was and stop hiding. The fiasco had been weeks ago. How interested could the world still be in her? Weren’t there more important things to obsess over?

  Picking up another saltshaker, she started filling it. She could hear the deep tone of Max's voice as he talked to Alma, and she had to admit
, Max had an amazing voice. It was one of the first things she'd noticed about him. That and his blue eyes. And his hair. Max had great hair.

  And a really, really great smile.

  “Interesting technique,” Hal said with a laugh. “Not my style, but interesting.”

  Paige jumped. She'd been so wrapped up in her inventory of things she liked about Max, she hadn't even heard Hal walk up.

  She turned and looked at him, at a total loss as to what he meant. “What?”

  He scratched his chin and nodded at the table. “Personally, I pour the salt into the shaker. But you may be onto something here. Let's toss out those antiquated shakers. People can simply scoop salt off the table.”

  Paige blinked, then with a sinking feeling looked down. Oh, for crying out loud. She'd been so busy thinking about Max that she'd completely missed the shaker and gotten salt all over the table.

  “Sorry,” she muttered, setting the shaker and salt container down. Quickly she brushed the spilled salt into her palm. “I'll clean this up right now.”

  “Don't forget to toss some over your left shoulder for good luck,” Alma said.

  At the sound of the older woman’s voice, Paige looked up. At some point, she and Max had walked inside. Max was watching her, and when she looked at him, he grinned his trademark sexy grin that always managed to turn her insides to mush.

  He definitely had an amazing smile.

  “Toss some salt over your left shoulder,” Alma repeated, coming to stand next to Paige. “That's how you get good luck.” She nudged Paige. “Don't you want some good luck?”

  Sure, she wanted good luck. A truckload of good luck would come in handy right now. She found her gaze drifting back to Max, who was leaning against the bar, watching her. He raised one brow in question, and she felt her pulse rate pick up.

  “It really works,” Krystal said. “I spilled salt last Tuesday, tossed some over my shoulder, and when I got home, my husband had found a new job. Much better pay and benefits.”

  Annie, another one of the waitresses, came over to join them. “I won twenty dollars in the lottery one time the day after I spilled some salt.” She grinned at Paige. “You're so lucky to have spilled that. You're bound to have something great happen to you soon.”

  Hal laughed. “Paige, with these testimonials, how can you resist? Toss the salt, honey, but toss it quickly because we open in ten minutes, and I want to get these tables done. So grab some salt, make a wish—”

  “You don't make a wish,” Alma interjected, shaking his head. “Not when you toss salt. That's not how it works. When you toss the salt, it gets rid of bad luck and brings you good luck in general.”

  “That's true,” Annie added. “You don't make a wish.”

  Krystal bobbed her head. “Hal, you've got this all wrong. That's not how salt works.”

  Hal sighed and waved his hands in dismissal. “Then what good is it? A specific wish is much better than general good luck. What kind of superstition is this?”

  “The kind of superstition that comes true,” Alma said, leaning toward Paige. “It worked for me. I spilled some salt last week, and I tossed it over my left shoulder. When I was doing laundry that night, I found a twenty in my jeans I didn't even know I had.”

  “Of course you knew you had that twenty,” Hal said. “You borrowed it from me that afternoon.”

  “And because I found it, I was able to pay you back,” Alma said, rolling her eyes. “Stay with me here, Hal. I'm trying to make a point.”

  Hal laughed. “You're nowhere near making a point.”

  Alma turned to Paige. “Trust me. Seize the day. Toss the salt.”

  Okay, now this was getting downright silly. Paige laughed. “Fine, fine. I'll toss the salt if it will make everyone happy.”

  Although she could certainly use the luck, she figured she was more likely to win the lottery without a ticket than get good luck out of this. Still, they were all looking at her, so trying to keep a straight face, she grabbed a pinch of salt and tossed it over her left shoulder. Looking at Alma, she said, “All set.”

  The woman grinned. “Now just sit back and wait for good luck to find you. And trust me, it will.”

  She could only hope so.

  “Hey, Max, you want in on this salt thing?” Hal asked. “Paige spilled enough for the entire bar to get good luck.”

  “Hal, it doesn't work that way,” Alma said. “You can't throw another person's salt. That would bring you bad luck. You don't mess with luck. Something bad could happen.”

  Muttering and shaking her head, Alma headed across the bar. “You don't mess with luck,” she repeated before disappearing into the kitchen.

  For a second, no one said a word. Then Hal said dryly, “Anyone besides me pick up on the vibe that you don't mess with luck?”

  Everyone laughed, and Paige couldn't help wishing this were real. That she was just one of the employees, laughing over a joke, and hanging with friends. A pang ran through her at the need for a normal life again. But would it be normal? Once these people learned who she was, would any of them treat her as just one of the group?

  Her gaze drifted to Max. She couldn't help wishing that he could simply be a man she liked. Someone she'd like to get to know a lot better without worrying about Adam and her father and the press. Would he still like her if he knew who she was?

  She glanced at the salt still in her hand. Unable to resist, she took another pinch and subtly tossed it over her shoulder. A little extra luck never hurt anyone.

  And it certainly wouldn't hurt her.

  Max looked around the restaurant and wondered what he'd gotten himself into. Sure, when Paige had mentioned that the two of them should teach the other employees a few self-defense techniques, he’d said yes. He really hadn’t expected it to come about, but Hal and Alma wouldn’t drop it, so he and Paige had finally agreed.

  He glanced at Paige, who was standing between Annie and Krystal. She looked exceptionally sexy today in her café uniform of black shorts and a yellow T-shirt. She kept smiling at him, and each time she did, Max felt desire shoot through him. He had to admit, maybe teaching this class to all the employees would work in his favor. The last thing he needed at the moment was to be alone with Paige, so being in a group with her was the best approach.

  Plus, he really did want to make sure she knew how to protect herself. Trav had told him last night that Paige's old apartment had been broken into by two paparazzi after her father and Adam had asked for help in finding her. The more he worked this case, the more he realized that Paige’s father and ex-fiancé were part of the problem, not part of the solution.

  “I think we all agree this is nice of Paige and Max to teach us these techniques,” Hal said to the assembled group. “We want to avoid being victims. Since Max had a lot of training in the Marines, he’ll give us an overview of the basics. I've asked him to teach these short classes for the next few weeks, and if you're smart, you'll show up for all the classes. Paige, too, has been kind enough to agree to show some of the moves she’s learned over the years.”

  Hal moved over to join the others, and then everyone looked at Max.

  “Thanks,” Max said. “First, let me say I'm going to cover some basics that may help you, but if you get a chance to take a course through the local police department, I would encourage you to do that. The more you know, the safer you are.”

  Paige nodded. “That’s how I learned several great moves.”

  He glanced around the room. Everyone was listening intently. Good. He wanted them to retain this information. “Let's start with awareness. Your number one way to protect yourself is to always be aware of your surroundings . Who is near you? Where could someone hide? What is going on around you?”

  He glanced around the room. “Everyone close your eyes.”

  With a few giggles, the group did as he said. “Someone tell me what's sitting on the bar.”

  The group groaned and moaned and offered several excuses as to why they had
no idea what was on the bar.

  Then Paige said, “Two glasses, a cloth, a bowl, and Hal’s water bottle.”

  Max grinned. Smart lady. Looked like she'd already mastered this awareness of her surroundings thing.

  “Everyone open your eyes and tell me if Paige is right,” he said, already knowing she'd nailed it exactly.

  “Paige, were you cheating?” Hal teased. “Because how did you know that?”

  Paige shrugged. “I learned about awareness in the first course I took. I try to pay attention to my surroundings, and I have a good memory.”

  “I'll say,” Krystal said with a laugh. “I can barely remember where I parked, let alone notice things like that.”

  Max moved forward. “That's the point. You need to be more aware. Let's talk about parking lots since they're a very dangerous area. Awareness is vital when you're in a parking lot. For starters, always know where your car is. And always approach your car with your keys in your hand, ready to get in, your head up, and your stride confident. Don't wander in the parking lot with your head down while you dig around in your purse for your keys.”

  “What about us guys?” Hal asked.

  “Same goes for you. Always look confident. You know where you're going; you know who is around you, and you aren't an easy victim.”

  “So what you're trying to do is to be the least attractive potential victim, right?” Alma said. “That makes them go find someone else, doesn't it?”

  “Oh, now I don't like that,” Hal said, shaking his head. “I don't want them going off to hurt someone else.”

  “It doesn't work that way,” Annie said. “Right, Max? You can only take care of yourself. You can't worry about what happens to other people.”

  “This is Honey. The people here are my friends. I don't want anything to happen to anyone.” Hal looked at Max. “So what can I do to keep everyone safe?”

  “Nothing,” Max admitted. “But you'll find that if you are confident and make it clear you're aware of what's going on around you, then you've created an environment that isn't comfortable for the bad guy. With any luck, he'll leave the area.”