I heard the gasp of surprise and smiled. “Mommy, it’s pizza!”
Seconds later, the door opened slowly, revealing Maxine in bare feet topped with shiny purple toenails, jeans sculpted over shapely legs that flared into womanly hips before dipping in to the narrow waist I knew was behind the flowing pink shirt that hid her curves. Except the mounds of her breasts. Without a bra, I noticed when she fisted her hands on her hips. “What are you doing here?”
“Dinner, remember?” She remembered, but the way she rolled her eyes told me she was determined to keep up the charade. And I was just as determined to enjoy the show.
“I told you I couldn’t go,” she began, probably already working up a full head of steam to get rid of me.
“Yeah, I know, Maxine.” I smiled at her when she glared at me. “I put the cast on Callie’s arm,” I told her and stepped closer so we were face to face, breathing each other in unless she let me inside.
She did. “So, what is this?”
“It’s dinner. As promised.” I step inside the front hall, noting half a dozen pair of girly shoes for both little and big girls. The same for the coats hanging on the wall. The place was filled with Callie and Maxine. No men in sight. “You do eat dinner, don’t you?”
She nodded, getting ready to lob a scathing comment my way if not for the sudden appearance of her daughter. “Dr. Derek! Hi! Do you think I’d like to be a human doctor or an animal doctor?”
I blinked, unsure how to answer. “Which sounds more interesting, operating on a human brain or a horse?”
Callie tilted her head to the side, deep in thought for several long minutes. Then she grinned. “Both, I think. Why did you bring us dinner, are you Mommy’s boyfriend now?” Her brown gaze swung from me to her mother and back again, waiting. Expectant.
“No, I’m her friend. At least, I’m trying to be.” I swung a look at Maxine, raising my eyebrows out of view of her daughter. When she looked away, a swell of satisfaction shot through me.
“You’re nice. I don’t mind if you are her boyfriend.” I opened my mouth to repeat my words but Callie wasn’t done yet. “Does that mean you kiss him, Mommy? On the mouth?” she added with wide eyes and a grossed-out twist of her mouth.
Maxine stared at her little girl. “How do you already know all this stuff? You’re seven.”
Callie shrugged. “Google, Mom.” She climbed onto a chair in front of the pizza box I’d just sat down in the kitchen and lifted the lid with one hand, reaching inside with the other until Maxine pushed it down again. “Mommy,” she whined.
Maxine arched one fiery brow at her daughter. “What does Google say happens if you don’t wash your hands before you eat?”
Her nose scrunched up and she slid from the chair. “Gross stuff.” Then, without another word, she ran down the hall. A door closed and soon after, the rush of water sounded.
I looked to Maxine and laughed, impressed at how she handled the precocious little girl. “You’re good at that. Need any help setting the table?”
“Nope. You brought dinner, so sit and relax.” She leaned in the fridge, giving me a long look at the fullness of her ass. It was mouthwatering. It was tempting as hell. “We have water, juice, pop, and beer.”
I blinked at the words, my gaze unable to leave her ass. Maxine cleared her throat and I let my eyes climbed her body reluctantly until they found her blue ones. Not frowning, but definitely aware of what my own eyes had been doing. “A beer would be good,” I choked out. “Thanks.”
“Sure,” she replied, amusement clear in her voice, which I took as a good sign. She could have chosen to be offended but she wasn’t. If anything, she might have been flattered. I watched her move around the kitchen, graceful as she gathered plates and forks, cups, and napkins for three.
“Callie is something else. She’s smart as hell, you know.” I cringed at how condescending that sounded but Maxine only laughed.
“Tell me about it. Some days, I worry she’ll start parenting me. Then what’ll I do?” Her laugh was sweet, melodic with a hint of huskiness that made a man’s mind wander to sex. “Too damn smart, most days.” Her words were filled with affection.
“You’ll have your hands full. I know my mom did.”
“I can’t wait,” she deadpanned and handed me the beer when I stood to help her with the plates, which resulted in us standing too close and staring too long at one another.
Luckily, the sound of Callie’s energetic footsteps returning to the kitchen reminded us both that we weren’t alone.
Max
Dinner wasn’t a complete disaster; in fact, some people might call all the laughing and talking and general smiles all around some kind of success. Derek was as charming and friendly as he was rumored to be, and the way he and Callie fell easily into talk of science and medicine and technology was kind of alarming. Callie hadn’t been around many men, other than my friends in town, but she had taken to Derek quickly.
I shouldn’t find that so appealing, so damn sexy, but I did. I really, really did. The question I should be asking, aside from have I lost my damn mind, is why. Why was he so appealing? It couldn’t just be his looks, I stopped being that shallow when my ex started sleeping with anyone with a pulse.
“Mommy, can I go read now?” It was part of her ritual, reading before bed because she was sure it helped her “soak up information,” as she put it.
“Sure. Brush your teeth and wash your face first.”
“Okay. Thank you, Mommy.” She slid from her chair and ran to me, wrapping her little arms around my waist. “Love you.”
“I love you, too, sweetheart.” This moment of peace, of love, was what made every day, every hardship and sleepless night, worth it.
She pulled away and turned to Derek with a smile. “I had fun tonight, Dr. Derek. Come for dinner again soon,” she told him and threw her arms around his neck. “Next time, bring egg rolls,” she whispered loud enough for everyone to hear.
He laughed and hugged her back, tentatively, like he was worried he’d break her. “I’ll see what I can do, kiddo.”
“Good night.”
“Happy reading,” he told her, still laughing as she ran from the kitchen to her room. “You must have the most peaceful household in Tulip.”
“With kids, maybe.” Silence fell between us, but it wasn’t awkward. It was easy. Almost companionable. The heated look that passed between us, however, was less companionable—it was darker and more promising. “So.”
“So, Maxine. Why catering?”
His question caught me off-guard. It wasn’t the kind of questions guys usually asked on dates, at least not in real life. “Why not?” I shrugged, but Derek looked too interested and too eager for me to lie to him. “I used to be a chef but, along with my dignity, my ex took my career by sleeping with my boss’s wife.”
“What an asshole.” He shook his head, genuinely confused. “At least Callie takes after you.”
His compliment warmed me down to the bones, but I only let a small smile touch my lips. “Thanks. Why medicine?”
His grin brightened. “I was just like Callie as a kid, interested in all things science and medicine. Rescuing everything from birds with broken wings to kittens, snakes, and once, my sister.”
I laughed, trying to picture the kid I knew bandaging up every animal he came across. It was a pretty damn adorable image. “You must have been quite a handful.”
“I was even worse, taking apart every electronic item in our house. Phones, computers, and even car engines. Mom drew the line at dissecting animals on the back porch.”
“Thank goodness she did. I would ground Callie for a month.” And I’d be proud of her every second of that month, too.
“More like two months,” he added, smiling wistfully at the memory. Derek stood and went to the sink, running water like he lived here to start washing dishes. “I spent the time reading more. Learning more.”
“And what did you learn?”
“To do chores
for money to buy my own secondhand electronics to tear apart and put them back together.”
“But your family is loaded.”
He shrugged. “And my dad used to remind me that he didn’t get rich by buying equipment just to destroy it. Does that make me more likable?”
“Yes, dammit,” I admitted with a sigh.
He turned from the sink with a laugh, shooting me a wink that made my nipples harden. “Good.”
“Don’t get excited, it could just be the sight of a man doing dishes that’s making me like you.”
“Even better. I like being liked or disliked based on who I am. Not what I have or who you think I am.”
Oh, he was good. Damn good. Too good, if I was being honest. “You’re growing on me, let’s just leave it at that.”
He finished the last of the dishes and turned around, drying his hands and corded forearms. Hypnotizing me with his slow, seductive moves. “I can’t leave it at that, Maxine, because you’re growing on me, too.”
“Derek, you don’t have to say that.”
“I know, but it’s true. At first, I just wanted to make you like me, but it turns out I like you more than I realized.”
I rolled my eyes and stood, searching for an exit before he got too close. “You just like me because I’m not falling at your feet.”
“Maybe, but I also like that you’re honest. Hard working. Sassy.” He shook his head and ran two hands through his hair, shaking his head in disbelief. “You’re an interesting woman, Maxine.”
I shook my head and backed up even as Derek closed the distance between us, his blue gaze laser-focused on me like I was prey. But I didn’t feel any fear, not with the heat in his gaze or the intent burning deep in those blue depths. “I’m not,” I insisted.
“Oh, but you are,” he said and took one final step that brought us toe to toe. Eye to eye. His hands slid up each side of my jaw, cupping me gently. Like I was precious. Then Derek’s mouth was on mine and, dammit, his lips were as soft and sweet as they looked. Even more, I realized, when my tongue swept across his bottom lip and I moaned.
Derek groaned into my mouth and used the weight of his body to press against mine, sandwiching me between himself and the wall. His tongue brushed against my lips, licking the seam until I opened and then he swept inside, licking me. Tasting me.
Making me squirm.
It was the right kind of kiss for a woman who hadn’t been kissed in far too long. Or maybe it was the wrong kind of kiss, because I leaned into it, into Derek, and wrapped my hands around his shoulders, letting my hands roam all over the hard planes of his body. My hands traveled his back and his chest, the back of his neck and those fine black hairs that brushed against his collar, all while he kissed me senseless.
Derek kissed me until I was breathless. Until I was dizzy with the scent and taste of him. Until I leaned so far forward, he gripped my hips, then my ass, and hoisted me in the air until my legs wrapped around his waist and the feel of him, of his arousal, pressed right up against my most neglected area. Another moan escaped as I sucked on his tongue, enjoying the feel of his erection pressing into me.
A noise sounded in the distance and we broke apart. Well, not apart, but our mouths were no longer fused, just the rest of our bodies. “What was that?” Derek’s voice was thick with desire, breathless.
So. Hot. “Don’t know. House noise.”
He grinned and dipped in for another kiss, this one hot and intense with his body smashed against mine and both hands squeezing my ass like he couldn’t get enough of me. “Damn, Maxine, you taste incredible. But I have to go.”
My shoulders sank in disappointment and I chastised myself internally. Of course, this was just a proximity thing. He wasn’t interested. Good, because neither was I. “Right.” I tried to slide down his body, but his hands gripped me tighter and his hips flexed against mine.
“Maxine, as much as I want to rip these clothes off your body and taste every inch of you before I make you scream my name on that kitchen table, your daughter is here.” His lips brushed mine one final time and then he let me go, smiling as my body slid down the length of his until my feet hit the floor.
“You’re right. Thanks for that.”
“Let’s do this again. Dinner, not the kissing.” He looked stricken by his words and frowned. “Well, the kissing, too, but not just the kissing.” This time when he leaned in, Derek brushed a kiss to my collarbone and then behind my ear. “Next time, I won’t be the one to stop things.” His words held a promise I desperately wanted to be true and when my lips were still tingling five minutes after he left, I knew I needed reinforcements.
“I saw a certain crossover vehicle parked in your driveway girl, so spill the beans.” Nina didn’t do formal greetings. Every time I called her, she answered the phone with some kind of demand.
I laughed and gave her a quick rundown of my day with Derek. “So, tell me, oh wise one, what the hell is going on?”
Nina’s own laugh came louder and far more amused than mine. “It’s about damn time, that’s what’s going on.”
“Are you still stuck on this? Fine, there’s a spark there, but I’d be crazy to get involved with a commitment-phobe like him. A man his age, with his looks and accomplishments, has to work very hard at staying single.”
“Oh, that’s bull and you know it,” she insisted. “Maybe he was burned by love, like someone else I know, and has sworn off women altogether. Except, you know, he’s probably not denying his basic sexual needs because he’s a doctor and knows that a lack of sex can make you crazy.”
I hadn’t thought of that, actually. It was a possibility but not one I was willing to entertain. “If that helps you somehow, Nina. Sure. I think differently.”
Nina was silent for so long I had to glance at the screen to make sure the call was still active. “How about this? I dare you to just enjoy this thing with Derek, whatever it is.”
Enjoy it? It was a novel idea, but could I really do that? Nope. “I can’t. Not with someone I know has commitment issues. I’m not a casual sex kind of girl, and I can’t guarantee that I won’t want more—which means I can’t let myself risk wanting more with someone who will never want more of anything but women.” It was a theme among a certain type. One woman was never enough, not when there were so many willing ones waiting in the wings. “I can’t set that example for Callie.” And I couldn’t bring another man into her life who had no desire to stick around.
“You don’t have to marry him, Max. Just exchange a few orgasms.”
I laughed at her blunt assessment. “I can’t. How do you think I ended up married to Shawn in the first place?” I’d foolishly thought I was in love with him after a few weeks of a friends-with-benefits arrangement. “I’m not cut out for it.”
“Not every date has to end in forever, Max.”
“I know that, but I’m fine, Nina. Really.” Why was it so hard to believe that woman could be happy without a man in her life?
“There’s that word again. Fine. It’s a shit word, don’t you think? You deserve more than ‘fine,’ Max, and Callie deserves to see you reaching for something better, too. Reach for great or awesome or close to perfect. How about that?”
Nina was right and long after our call ended, her words haunted me. Callie did deserve to see me living a full life. Was that what I wanted to teach her, that being miserable and lonely was your only option without a man? Hell no—I wanted her to see me being strong and living my life without fear.
I wanted her to see me doing all that as much as I wanted to be out there, doing all that. I just wasn’t sure Derek Cahill was the guy to test the choppy waters of dating with.
Derek
Dinner with Maxine and Callie had been a mistake. It was also fun as hell, entertaining from start to finish, and eye opening. Especially Maxine. Despite her tough exterior, she was a big ol’ softy—especially where her daughter was concerned. She still had that sharp tongue and her sarcasm was as strong as ever, but t
hose soft edges, they were intriguing as hell.
And that kiss. Hell, not more than sixty seconds went by where I didn’t think of that kiss. Of the way Maxine tasted, her lips on mine, or the way she felt as she leaned against me, trusting me to take care of her. It was intoxicating. It was addictive as hell, and I’d spent the past twenty-four hours trying to come up with a reasonable enough excuse to get close enough to do it again. So far, they all sounded lame to my ears, which meant Maxine would see through my excuses.
It wouldn’t do me any good to get wrapped up in a woman like Maxine Nash, but I was so damn intrigued I felt like I was losing my mind. She had mile-high warning signs that were just as wide, screaming at me to stay the hell away. But I didn’t want to. I wasn’t even sure if I could.
Thankfully, I had an endless list of tasks that needed to be done in order to ensure the Fall Ball would go off without any real problems. That was why I was walking towards the flower shop instead of going in the other direction, towards Maxine’s shop.
I needed to stop thinking about the fiery redhead. She was a mother. A single mother who made it perfectly clear she had no room in her life for anyone else—me in particular. Which was fine, I wasn’t sure if I was ready to be a stepfather. I honestly didn’t know if I was ready to be a father period. “Why the hell am I thinking of any of this, anyway?” It was one kiss. One really hot, completely unforgettable—
“You! There you are!” It was Maxine’s voice, but it was loud. And shrill. And angry, I realized, when I looked up and found her stomping towards me with a scowl on her face.
“Maxine. Good morning.”
Somehow, her scowl deepened, her green gaze narrowed to slits. “Is it, Derek? Is it?”
“I thought it was. Now, I’m not so sure.” Which pretty summed up my interactions with this woman lately. “What have I done now?”
She shook her head, thick red hair falling in a curtain around her shoulders. The thick luxurious locks were out of place with her flour-covered black t-shirt under her chef’s coat. “Why don’t you tell me why you told the florist that I was the lead on flowers for the Fall Ball?”
Misters of Love: A Small Town Romance Boxset Page 19