Handsome Hero

by Lori Wilde

  “Or she will,” Alma said. “Not all bad guys are men.”

  Hal and the others agreed that equality meant women could be as terrible as men if they wanted, and Max bit back a sigh. “Fine, yes, women also can be bad. But with any luck, he or she will leave the area if you make it clear you’re prepared.”

  Once the group seemed happy again, Max walked them through several more pointers about being aware and prepared. They ran through several tests, where he asked the group to notice their surroundings.

  Then they went out to the parking lot and discussed possible trouble spots—areas that were especially dark and isolated at night, areas where someone could easily hide. Hal and Alma promised to enhance the lighting to eliminate the dark areas. By the time he finished, he felt like he'd given everyone a good overview of how to be safe in parking lots, especially the Honey Café parking lot.

  “This is so helpful,” Krystal told him. “I really appreciate it, and I'll always know where my car is from now on.”

  “Good,” Max said, glad he could help. “And make certain you always have your keys or key remote ready.”

  She nodded. “Got it.”

  Paige wandered over, her smile so bright Max couldn't help smiling back. “I appreciate you doing this. I thought everyone could use the information. I only know a few things, but you know much more.”

  “No problem, and I agree. It's good for them to know.”

  She kept smiling at him, and he knew she was curious as to why he'd sprinted away from her house last night like he'd caught on fire. Truth be told, in a way he had. The desire he'd felt for her last night had burned him.

  Just like it was doing now.

  “It's very nice of you,” she said, tipping her head a little. Her smile seemed even brighter than before.

  She was flirting with him, Max realized with a start. Ah, man. How was he supposed to resist her if she started flirting with him?

  “Glad I can help,” he said, then at a loss for what else to do, he turned and headed across the room to the bar. He could feel Paige watching him, wondering about him, but there wasn't a thing he could say to her. Wasn't a thing he could do. He certainly couldn't act on what he was feeling. Only a jerk would do that. And he didn't want to encourage her because, well, that would make him a jerk, too.

  So what he needed was to think of a way to cool what was happening between them. There had to be some technique he could use that would let him still be friends with Paige without either one of them having an almost overwhelming desire to get the other naked.

  He glanced at Paige, who was talking to Krystal. She looked so amazingly beautiful; Max realized he was kidding himself. No way was he going to be able to be around that woman and not desire her. He was too aware of her, too attuned to her.

  Of all the rotten luck.

  “Don’t you think Max is great?” Krystal asked. “I'm so glad he works here. I mean, I should have realized it was stupid of me not to have my keys in my hand when I walked to my car. And that thing he said about looking inside your car makes a lot of sense. Don't want to discover while you're driving that someone is hiding in your back seat.”

  Paige had to admit, Max had given them some great advice today. And she hadn't been kidding when she'd thanked him for doing this. She did appreciate it. She’d been the one to suggest it, but now he’d been roped into it too.

  The only thing that bothered her was the way he was acting around her. Last night, he'd taken off from her house like a man with the devil after him. And today, just when she thought they were hitting it off, he'd walked away.

  “You like Max, don't you?” Krystal asked. “He seems like the perfect guy.”

  Paige looked at Krystal and tried to decide if the other woman was fishing for information. She knew some of the employees had noticed the look that had passed between her and Max last night. Plus, everyone knew he'd given her a lift home after work. One look at the grin on Krystal's face convinced Paige her friend was definitely trying to matchmake.

  “Max is nice,” she said, hoping Krystal would take the hint and drop it. “But everyone who works here is nice.”

  The older woman just continued to grin. “The two of you should have a lot of fun working on the Midsummer's Night thing. Personally, I think you should come up with something sexy and funky. Maybe hula skirts and coconut bras.” She let out a little squeal. “Oh, and body painting booths. Those are always fun.”

  Paige frowned. She didn't like the sound of this a bit. “Body painting booths?”

  Krystal nodded. “Yep. For the guys. And the gals. Oh, and maybe the guys can wear the coconut bras, too.” She giggled. “I think that would be a hoot.”

  Up until now, Paige hadn't given a lot of thought to this festival thing. Sure, she knew it was something she and Max needed to do, but she'd figured it involved setting up a few tables, maybe booking a local band. A carnival under the stars kind of thing.

  Nothing involving coconut bras and body painting.

  “That doesn't sound too . . . um . . . classy,” she said. “I think we’ll go with something more family friendly that reflects the city of Honey.”

  Krystal laughed so loudly that half the café turned to look at her. “It's not about class, Paige. It's about fun. I get what you’re saying about being family friendly, but this is held at night.”

  “Nine times out of ten, the police have to come,” Hal said, walking over to join them. “Every year we try to keep it from turning into a mess—”

  “But thankfully, you never succeeded,” Krystal added.

  This now sounded like the last thing on earth Paige would ever be capable of doing.

  “Hal, you've definitely got the wrong person. I can't, and I don't want to, plan something like...” She waved one hand. “That.”

  Hal gave her a quick smile. “Paige, Paige, Paige. No one is saying you have to get everyone arrested. I know that's not your style. Like I said before, you and Max will make this Midsummer's Night Festival different from the others. You can make it family friendly, hold it early in the evening, and make it classy, if you want. Heck, classy will be—”

  “Boring?” Krystal shook her head. “It's not going to be the same if it's boring.”

  Sure, one of the things that had made Honey the perfect place to hide was its relaxed atmosphere. People hadn't bothered her. Her fellow employees hadn't pried or snooped. People had accepted her for who she said she was.

  But that casual atmosphere of the town looked like it was going to bite her big time with this festival. There was no way she was doing this.

  “I can't,” she told Hal.

  Again, he laughed. “Yes, you can, and you will, and it will be great. I already told you, you're not required to make it something the police will need to raid. You're also not required to have body painting booths or whipped cream clothing contests—”

  “Oooh,” Krystal said. “Now that sounds interesting. Max, definitely talk Paige into doing that.”

  Max had been drying the bar, but now he looked up. “Into doing what?”

  Hal laughed. “You're going to hate this even more than Paige hates this.”

  “Whipped cream clothing contests,” Krystal told Max, using her hands to draw what Paige assumed was a picture in the air. “I think you and Paige should look into things like that for the festival. Something that’s a hoot.”

  “You're kidding, right?” Max scowled. “I'm not doing something like that.”

  Paige nodded. “That makes two of us.”

  This time, Krystal sighed so loudly she sounded like a balloon deflating. “This is going to be the most boring festival in the history of the Honey Café, Hal. You really should reconsider having these two plan it. No offense, Paige and Max, but you're like a couple of old coots. You need to loosen up if you're going to live in Honey. We like to howl at the moon at times.”

  With that pronouncement, she walked away, muttering about boring people who had no sense of adventure. Paige loo
ked at Max, who only shrugged.

  “Now before you both start agreeing with Krystal, I want to reiterate that I have complete faith in you,” Hal said, grinning broadly. “Food or food-like substances of any sort are not required to make this festival a hit. I want you to bring your own sprit to the occasion. You're both new to Honey. If you want to build a life here, you need to find your own rhythm. Everyone who wants to find a place to belong can find that place here.” He leaned forward and patted Paige on the shoulder. “Everyone, Paige. Regardless of what brings them here.”

  Hal walked away, leaving her staring after him. Although he didn't say anything specific, Paige knew what he was trying to tell her. Hal and Alma felt she belonged in Honey, but Paige wasn’t too sure. She didn’t know where she would end up once this whole mess was over.

  All she knew was this festival was the last thing she needed. So much for keeping a low profile.

  “Things keep getting stranger and stranger,” Max said, leaning against the bar.

  Paige looked at him and couldn't help wondering why he'd agreed to do this. Why didn't he just tell Hal to take a flying leap?

  Paige continued to look at Max, who cocked an eyebrow at her. “What?” he finally asked.

  “Why don't you tell Hal no?” she asked.

  “Why don't you?” he countered.

  “Because I'm a pushover,” she said, grasping at the first excuse she could think of.

  “Yeah, me, too,” he said. Then he made a goofy face.

  Laughter burst out of Paige. She'd laughed more in the last few days than she had in the last few months. Because of Max.

  She'd found herself calming down since he'd arrived. In fact, she'd been thinking of a better way to deal with her problem. Running hadn't bought her anything but time. Sooner or later, she was going to have to face her father and possibly Adam. She needed to take control over her life. She just needed to develop a plan.

  She only hoped that the people in Honey didn’t hate her once they found out.

  For the rest of the night, she thought of what she could do about her father and Adam—that was when she wasn't thinking about Max. No matter how many times she told herself to end this preoccupation she had with the sexy bartender, she couldn't seem to stop herself from listening for his voice, smiling when he laughed.

  She knew he wasn't trying to flirt with her. In fact, he seemed determined not to, but no matter how rational she tried to be, every time he grinned, she felt her heart beat faster. And when he looked directly at her, she felt her breath catch.

  By the end of the night, she was so incredibly aware of the attraction she felt to Max that she could hardly carry her tray without dropping it. Glancing at the clock, she realized it was almost closing time and getting slow. She welcomed the chance to head into the storeroom to get some supplies.

  Once inside, she leaned back against the shelves, closed her eyes, and willed her pulse to slow.

  “You're being an idiot,” she muttered.

  “About what?”

  Paige yelped and spun around. Max stood in the doorway. Figured. “What are you doing here?”

  “I need napkins.” He moved forward. “Why do you think you're an idiot?”

  “Pick any of a million reasons,” she said, trying to shift around him. The last thing she wanted was to be in such a tiny room with Max. She was having a terrible time controlling her emotions as it was.

  “I need to get back to work,” she murmured, trying to move past him.

  Max blocked her way. “Hold on. Are you okay?”

  The kindness in his voice really got to her. “Um, I'm fine.” Insane, of course. But fine. She went to move past him again, but he stopped her once more.

  “Paige, if something's bothering you, maybe I can help,” he said, his deep voice washing over her.

  “I'm fine,” she repeated, hating how breathless her voice sounded.

  “If you'd like to talk, just let me know,” he offered, his voice sounding a little gruff.

  “Thanks.”

  Feeling like the total idiot she'd already called herself, she spun around and headed toward the door.

  Unfortunately, she bumped straight into a tower of boxes instead.

  After that, she wasn't sure exactly what happened in what order. She did know that at some point, the boxes tumbled, and then she started to fall. For the second time in the space of a few weeks, Max grabbed her to keep her from ending up on the floor.

  But none of that surprised her.

  What did surprise her was that somehow, she ended up kissing Max.

  5

  The second Paige’s lips touched his, Max knew he was in deep trouble. He had no idea how they'd ended up kissing, but man, was he glad they were. Without hesitation, he gathered her close and deepened the kiss. If he were honest, he'd wanted to kiss Paige ever since he'd met her.

  Who was he kidding? He wanted to do a lot more than simply kiss her. Just the thought of being with her made need coil deep within him. He was a man who prided himself on his control, but control of any sort was out of the question at the moment.

  Instead he backed Paige against one of the stacks of boxes and took over the kiss, slowing it. He wanted to take his time, to really savor this.

  Not that she wasn't participating one hundred percent. She wrapped herself around him and tipped her head. He'd give her this, the lady sure knew how to kiss. Max pulled her closer, molding her against him. He liked the way she felt, liked the way she smelled.

  And man, oh man, he liked the way she kissed. Paige put her whole body into kissing. Her lips were soft and seductive, and Max was positive if he died at this moment, he'd have absolutely no regrets.

  Max had no idea how long he stood there kissing Paige. One long, languid kiss followed another. First he'd take the lead, then she would. They both kept coming back for more, endlessly hungry for the taste of each other.

  Periodically, common sense tried to scream at him to stop, but he ignored the voice and kept kissing Paige. As the minutes ticked by, though, that annoying voice kept getting louder and louder until finally it almost deafened him.

  Finally, reluctantly, he pulled his lips free from Paige's. She looked up at him, her eyes filled with desire, her lips puffy and pink from his kisses.

  “Wow,” she said, her voice little more than a whisper. “Thanks.”

  Thanks? She was thanking him for the kiss? He dropped his hands from her oh-so-tempting body and took a step back.

  “We shouldn't have done that,” he found himself saying even though he really didn't mean it. He'd enjoyed the kiss—a lot.

  Rather than being upset, she smiled. “Well, I liked it.”

  “Yeah, well, I liked it, too. But we work together, Paige. We shouldn't get involved. Things could get complicated.”

  “Complicated how?”

  Max scanned his brain, struggling to find the best way to get her to understand. He wanted to tell her the truth. And he would.

  Once he figured out how to do it. He was still floundering for an answer when the door to the storage area opened. Hal stood in the doorway, one hand over his eyes. Max shook his head when he noticed the man's fingers were spread so he could see what was going on.

  “I don't want to know what you two have been doing in here for so long, although I hope it was something amazing.” He held out his other hand. “Just give me those napkins, okay? We're completely out, and I can't wait any longer.”

  Max turned slightly so he blocked Paige from Hal’s view. Then he grabbed a package of napkins and handed them to the other man. “I'll be right out,” he muttered.

  Hal laughed. “Oh, don't rush. Take your time. Do what you need to do.” Then he hollered over his shoulder, “Alma, you should see what I'm not seeing. Whoa doggie!”

  When Max made an almost growling noise, Hal laughed again and then shut the door. “Have fun,” he hollered through the thick wood.

  Paige looked at Max. “I take it this is what you meant by co
mplicated?”

  No, it hadn't been, but he grabbed on to the excuse with both hands. “Yeah, we shouldn't do this. We work together. Complicated, like I said.”

  Paige nodded, but she still looked much too happy for Max's peace of mind. “I completely understand. We'll avoid complications.”

  She opened the door and flashed him another smile. “Oh, and thanks, again. Once more, you were a hero coming to my rescue. I appreciate you catching me when I fell.”

  Then she walked out. Max stared after her, trying to figure out what had just happened. The last thing he felt like was a hero. In fact, he was trying to figure out how a man who prided himself on his self-control had completely lost it.

  He also was trying to decide why Paige kept thanking him for making what could end up being the worst mistake of his life.

  Paige couldn’t help smiling. Nothing could destroy the happiness she felt. Not even Hal’s lectures when he insisted it was his turn to drive her home that night since she hadn’t gotten the flat fixed yet. Hal driving robbed her of a chance to be alone with Max. Not even finding Diane sitting in front of her house looking sad and depressed could burst Paige's happiness bubble. She was too happy to be sad.

  “Kyle negotiated a price on the house,” Diane said glumly. “I’m about to own three bedrooms and two baths. Plus a yard. And a garage.”

  Paige unlocked her door and shut off the alarm. “Come on in, and you can tell me all about it.”

  Diane finally dragged herself inside and flopped on the couch. Paige wanted to feel bad for her, but it was hard to sympathize. Kyle was a nice guy who adored Diane. Paige knew he wanted to build a life with her friend.

  She'd love to have someone adore her the way Kyle did Diane.

  That thought immediately conjured up an image of Max, and Paige ended up smiling again. The kiss had been amazing. No, better than amazing; it had been spectacular. She'd never been kissed like that before, and boy, she could hardly wait to kiss him again.

  Complications or no complications, she knew one thing for certain, she and Max were far from done talking about this.