Uniformly Hot! Volume 1 from Harlequin: Letters from HomeBreaking the RulesComing Up for Air

by Rhonda Nelson

  “I’m sorry. I really am,” he offered, trying a different tack. “It sucked seeing your showroom vandalized. You’ve got a nice, warm place here. Classy and upscale. You’ve obviously put a lot of time and energy into creating it. I hated seeing how hurt you were when someone screwed it up like that.”

  Her eyes softened for a second, the blue warming. Max relaxed, wondering if he should push his luck and reach out, brush his fingers over the smooth curve of her cheek. Rub a lock of her silky black hair, trail his palm over her shoulder. God, he really, really needed to touch her.

  But first, he’d ask her out. On a real date, not some bullshit obligatory drink.

  She wet her mouth, her teeth vividly white against the dusky rose of her lip color. She didn’t drop her arms, but he saw some of the stiffness leave her shoulders.

  Home free, he thought. He wondered if she’d like to have drinks before dinner, or after.

  She leaned closer, her eyes locked on his. Max’s pulse jumped, his heart rate spiking.

  “I appreciate that you wanted to help,” she said. Her words were soft, so soft that he barely caught the underlying fury in her tone. “But I can handle my business myself. I don’t need you, or my brother, fixing things for me.”

  “It’s not like I did an end run around you and hired someone. I saw you had a problem. Trying to be a nice guy, I asked around, got a few references and called in a couple favors to get you appointments ASAP.”

  “I appreciate that you’re trying to be a nice guy.”

  There, maybe she was through with her tantrum and ready to show a little reasonable gratitude.

  His smile had barely formed when she stepped forward, closing those last inches between them and poking her finger into his chest.

  “But I’d be grateful if instead you’d work on being a nice guy who doesn’t try to take over things that are none of his business.”

  That finger was the last straw. He wrapped his hand around it. She trembled. It was that tiny suggestion of vulnerability that made him look deeper. Past the stubborn set of her shoulders, the pride in her eyes. To the hints of hesitant fear. The way her teeth nibbled on her bottom lip. The slight frown between her brows. And there, in the blue depths of her eyes, the insecurity.

  Max didn’t understand how a woman this glorious could have an ounce of insecurity. He did know that the sight of it made him crazy.

  Unable to resist, he lifted her hand to his lips. His eyes holding hers captive, he nibbled little kisses over the delicate bones of her knuckles.

  Her skin was like silk. Her eyes narrowed. He breathed in her scent, letting it wash over him like a caress. His blood heated.

  He turned her hand over in his, pressing his mouth to her open palm. Her lips trembled as she sucked in a breath. He scraped his teeth along the soft inside flesh of the finger she’d poked into his chest.

  She made the softest, sexiest mewling sound in the back of her throat. His body hardened.

  Still holding her eyes, he traced his tongue from the tip of her French manicure, down the slender length of her finger to the crux where her fingers met. Smiling a little, he flicked his tongue there, in the juncture.

  Her eyes blurred. She gave a delicate shudder. His dick pressed painfully against the zipper of his jeans, throbbing in a plea to be set free.

  He sucked her finger into his mouth. He slid his tongue along the top, then the sides. Her tiny little moan was all he needed to hear.

  Through playing, he lowered her hand from his mouth and pressed it against his racing heart. Before he could shove his own fingers into that thick fall of hair, though, there was a cough in the doorway.

  They both froze. Sophia winced then tried to pull her hand away but he held tight.

  He wasn’t finished, dammit.

  “Soph?” Gina broke in uncertainly. “There’s a dude in a suit here for you. Said he’s a P.I. here about a security consultation.”

  “Son of a—”

  “A suit?” Sophia said dazedly, interrupting Max’s oath. She frowned, then puffed out a breath and gave him an arch look. “Interesting timing.”

  “Isn’t it just,” he agreed with a rueful laugh. He waited for her to tell the Goth pixie to send the guy away.

  Sophia’s gaze shifted to his mouth for just a second, then she pressed her lips together and took a deep breath. He almost cried when the move made the silky black fabric of her blouse accentuate her lush curves.

  “Tell him I’ll be right there,” Sophia instructed.

  “What?” he yelped.

  She slowly pulled her hand away, as if the wrong move could cause an explosion. Her eyes met his. He saw confusion and fear beneath the still flaming passion in her pale gaze.

  Before he could assure her that they’d pick up after she was finished with the security contractor, she blinked. When those lush lashes lifted again, her eyes were veiled. Chilly.

  He hated how she did that.

  “Reschedule,” he said softly, unable to stop the words even though he knew it was one short step beneath begging. If she walked out, there was a damned good chance he’d have to work twice as hard to get back to this point.

  “No.” She nodded for Gina to go, then gave Max an indecipherable look. “You’re the one who insisted I see him, after all. You might consider this a reward for your good deed.”

  Passion still raging through his system, Max rocked back on his heels and watched her sweep out of the room. He waited until she got to the door and murmured, “But I haven’t done the deed with you, yet, sweetheart.”

  The hitch in her step was barely noticeable. But he grinned when he saw it.

  THREE HOURS AFTER HER confrontation with Max, Sophia could still remember the feel of his mouth on her finger. Hot. Wet. Intense. She’d almost melted at his feet. Hell, she was ready to melt at just remembering how it’d felt. Who needed a pulsing shower massage when just the thought of Max’s mouth on her finger got her juices flowing?

  She’d barely heard the first investigator’s questions, with all that passion still swimming through her head. She’d wanted to shove him out the door, flip the locks and rush back to her office to finish what Max had started.

  By the second guy’s pitch, she’d gone from meltingly horny to irritatedly frustrated. She’d been so busy inventing creative ways to emasculate Max, she hadn’t listened to a word this P.I. had said, either.

  By the third she’d found Zen. That peaceful place of acceptance, where she could release the anger and lust. It had been a mistake, but it was only a problem if she let it be. As long as she let all thoughts of Max and sex go, she’d be fine. So she’d spent that investigator’s pitch time focusing on meditative breathing and images of ice water.

  Pretty much all she remembered from the three meetings was that the men all thought her problems were personal, that they probably tied into her upcoming show and that it’d cost her a lot of money she didn’t have for them to stake out her gallery, poke through her files and interview potential suspects.

  Reaching her office, Sophia wanted nothing more than to kick off her shoes and relax. Before she’d stepped past the threshold, she knew those were impossible dreams.

  Well, there went her freaking Zen.

  “What’re you still doing here?” she blurted out.

  “Waiting for you.” Max shifted on her couch, angling one arm along the long tapestry back and patting it in invitation. His smile was all charming welcome.

  She wanted to throw something again.

  And she was deathly afraid that something was herself, right into his arms.

  “This entire time?” No man had ever waited for her.

  “Most of it. I did run across the street and order some lunch,” he said, pointing at the takeout cartons on the little table by the sofa. “I made some phone calls. I took a nap.”

  “A nap?” Her eyes drifted to the tasseled pillow leaning against the arm of the sofa, its blue silk invitingly indented. The same pillow she often laid her
head on while daydreaming. Schoolgirl giddiness made her want to grab it up and hold it to her chest while she giggled.

  He’d slept on her pillow.

  Crazy. This situation was crazy, and so was she for not telling him to get off her couch, to leave her office and get the hell out of her life.

  He was bossy and domineering. He didn’t know how to take no for an answer. He was a man for whom the term chain of command was ingrained, with himself at the top of the chain.

  He was the sexiest, most incredible man she’d ever met. He brought her to the edge of an orgasm by nibbling on her finger. Her finger, for crying out loud. And she wanted him like she’d never, ever wanted anyone, anything, in her life.

  “So?” he asked expectantly, leaning back on the sofa and propping the ankle of one leg on the knee of the other.

  Could he read her thoughts? Were they that obvious?

  “So…?”

  “So are you going to eat with me?” he clarified with a charming smile. “Gina said you were wrapping up, so I picked the food up about five minutes ago. It’s still hot.”

  Sophia stood in the doorway, her eyes huge as she nibbled at her bottom lip.

  He had no idea how difficult this choice was for her.

  If she agreed, it would be to more than just lunch and they both knew it. How much more wasn’t clear. But for her, if she opened the door, she wouldn’t be able to resist going through it. Max had so many strikes against him. He was rich and bossy, like her late husband. He was handpicked by her brother, and she tried not to encourage her family’s interference. He was sexy as hell, gorgeous and charm personified. And he was a danger to her heart. Where she’d thought Joseph was her Prince Charming, Max was easily a warrior knight.

  It was like choosing between the temptation of the frying pan or the fire.

  And maybe, just maybe, that’s all she needed. After all, if she was the only one who realized they were about to have an incendiary, wildly passionate affair, that put her on top. That, and she could use his guaranteed expiration date—he’d be leaving in a month—to keep herself from doing anything too crazy. Like fall for the guy.

  She let her gaze roam Max’s gorgeous body as he sat, patiently waiting for her answer. From his tidy, military short hair and his laughing brown eyes to the rock-hard breadth of his shoulders. His long, long legs wrapped so lovingly in worn denim. And—call her silly for buying into all the myths, but oh, yeah, baby—his promisingly large feet.

  She had a feeling being on top of Max was going to be one helluva ride.

  6

  SOPHIA PRESSED HER HAND to her stomach, trying to keep the wildly dancing nerves at bay. She couldn’t believe she was actually going on a date. Oh, my God, a date.

  She was crazy. She was in no position to date right now. She should be focusing on the gallery and the upcoming show, not wondering if she’d get laid.

  Despite that, she hadn’t been able to say no when Max had invited her to dinner.

  “Yowza, hot stuff.”

  Halfway down the rickety staircase that led from her tiny apartment to the storage room of the gallery, Sophia grinned at Gina.

  “You like?”

  She reached the bottom step. Then, a little giddy over the evening ahead, she gave a sweeping turn to show off her dress.

  It was black. It was shimmery. It was tiny.

  It was perfect. From the barely there rhinestone straps to the subtle sheen of the fabric criss-crossing her breasts, to the cut-to-there handkerchief hem that offered teasing glimpses of her thighs when she moved.

  It was a dress that said confident sex.

  Sophia wanted to giggle. It felt so good to dress up and feel this good.

  Her wardrobe over the past half year had consisted of business casual, exercise gear and jeans. None of which screamed sexy date. With no room in her tiny apartment for most of her belongings, she’d left the bulk of her wardrobe at the estate until Joseph’s will was settled. Lynn’s lawyers had insisted that Sophia vacate the house while the will was in probate. So she’d cleared it with Olivia and gone to the estate to raid her old closet.

  “You look fab,” Gina exclaimed. “I’ve seen you dressed up plenty of times for shows, but never so…”

  “Sexy?”

  Please.

  Sophia held her breath.

  “Oh, yeah, definitely sexy. Soldier boy isn’t going to know what hit him.”

  “Perfect.” The more shell-shocked Max was, the easier it would be for Sophia to hold the upper hand. Since her agreement the previous day to have dinner with him, all she’d been able to think about was him. His smile. His tight butt. His broad shoulders. His laugh. And most of all, his bossy nature.

  Her buzzword of the night: control.

  “Are you going to sleep with him?”

  “Gina!” she gasped.

  Her assistant just arched a brow, then dug into the bib pocket of her overalls. With a smirk, she held out a condom.

  “Just in case.”

  Sophia’s mouth worked but no words came out. She didn’t even know if she was going to sleep with Max. Yes, she wanted to, but that didn’t mean she would. Heat warmed her cheeks, caused, no doubt by her suddenly overworked heart. She couldn’t take a condom. It was like holding up a sign that said Horny Woman, Let’s Rock. She’d never been that blatant. She’d always been more the please-sweep-me-off-my-feet type.

  “C’mon, Soph.”

  “But… I don’t know if I’m going to sleep with him,” she admitted, nibbling the gloss off her lower lip.

  “It’s not like carrying a condom says, ‘Let’s screw,’” Gina patiently instructed. “No more than having auto insurance says you’re going to drive like an idiot. It’s, you know, just in case.”

  Sophia shook her head. No. This was their first date, so no matter how smart insurance might be, nobody was driving tonight. Before she could say anything, though, there was a knock on the side door.

  “That’s Max,” she said, pressing a hand to her stomach. Then she tasted the sweetness of her lipstick on her teeth, worn off from nibbling on her lip. “I have to fix my face. Can you let him in?”

  “Sure.” Gina offered an encouraging smile and turned to leave.

  “Wait!”

  She was the one who wanted to take control of her life. Which meant carrying insurance, dammit. Sophia hurried to catch up with the other woman. Not slowing her pace or looking back, Gina held the condom over her shoulder.

  Just because she had no plans to drive didn’t mean she might not kick a few tires.

  And this way, she was making the decision. Any sweeping would be done by her, thank you very much.

  Five minutes later, she joined Max and Gina in the showroom. She almost tripped in her Jimmy Choos at the sight of him.

  Madre de Dios, the man was gorgeous. As he was half turned away from her, she took a moment to appreciate how well his black slacks cupped his butt, just visible beneath the sport jacket. At her sigh of appreciation, he turned and offered a welcoming smile. His dress shirt was open at the collar, the deep red almost as dark as his slacks. Her heart stuttered a few times as she tried to regain her composure.

  “Hello, Max,” she said. “You look wonderful.”

  “I think that’s my line,” he said with a laugh, stepping forward to take her hand. She wet her lips, glad that her fingers didn’t tremble in his, despite the delicious warmth swirling up her arm. Then he lifted her hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss against her knuckles. Her insides melted into a gooey puddle of lust. “Sophia, you take my breath away.”

  She stared into his eyes, the chocolate depths assuring her that he was, indeed, as hooked as she was.

  Oh, yeah, she realized, watching that lecture in her brain explode in a puff of smoke. This was definitely about right now. And right now was going to feel damned good.

  A half hour later, she and Max were surrounded by more romantic lighting, this time from candlelit tables. Sophia followed their host, painful
ly aware of Max just a couple of steps behind. Watching her butt, she’d noticed.

  Should she walk a little stiffer so he didn’t think she was enticing him?

  Or should she put a little swing in her hips, and hope that made him a little stiffer?

  She noticed women left and right were eyeing him, casting warm looks, and one even tried a little finger wiggle. As if Sophia was blind? Risking a quick glance over her shoulder, Sophia noted the appreciation on his face. Not for the women, whom he clearly didn’t notice. Nope, his eyes were firmly fixed on her butt.

  Yeah. Swing it was.

  “What a lovely restaurant,” she said, offering her thanks to the waiter as he seated her. “I’ve seen reviews in the Chronicle, but haven’t eaten here before. From what I’ve heard, though, getting a last-minute reservation is harder than getting elected governor.”

  Max grinned, taking the wine list from the host, then immediately ordering without looking at it. As soon as the host thanked him and left, Max reached across the burgundy tablecloth to take her hand.

  “One of my cousins works here,” he admitted, playing with her fingers. “I used the family card.”

  “Nice,” she said, laughing a little breathlessly. His touch reminded her of how he’d made her feel the previous day. Pretending her body wasn’t melting in his presence, she glanced around. Eying the staff, she wondered which one was his cousin. Guy or gal? “Isn’t it nice when family actually comes in handy?”

  “Nice, and rare.” She glanced back just in time to see an exhausted sort of resignation flash in his eyes. Since she often felt the same when it came to her relatives, she turned her hand to curl her fingers companionably into his. For the first time since he’d walked in on her and the giant penis, she saw him as more than a sexy pain in her ass.

  Was his family as much a stressfest for him as hers was for her? Sophia had spent most of her life on a teeter-totter of love versus resentment with her family. Maybe they had something other than lust in common.

  She looked at him, all sexy and strong, with that charming grin and glint in his dark eyes. She sighed, glad she’d been brave enough to come tonight.