The Sexy Devil

by Kate Hoffmann

  Angela felt emotion clog her throat. How long had she waited to hear those words? Every dream she’d had about him had always ended in a sweet confession of his feelings for her. But now, she couldn’t quite bring herself to believe him.

  Ceci was right. The Web site had changed her. She couldn’t look at love without a healthy dose of cynicism. She wanted to believe it could exist, but Angela needed proof. If he went back to his life and then returned, she’d know for sure. “I think you should go,” she said.

  “We’ll both go.”

  She shook her head, but Max kissed her again. “I was about to leave anyway. I came to meet this girl and she didn’t show up. Besides, I only have a day left in Chicago. I don’t want to spend it with my parents and their friends. I want to spend it with you.”

  They walked to the door. “I should at least go in and say hello to my parents,” Angela said.

  He took her hand and led her to the stairs in the front of the house. “If we sneak out, no one will even know where we’ve gone.”

  “Where are we going?” Angela asked.

  “Somewhere we can be alone.”

  The girls were waiting at the front door. Max ruffled their hair. “Go tell Grammy that I really like the girl she found for me and I’m taking her home with me.”

  The two girls giggled and ran off as Max pulled Angela out the front door. Every shred of common sense had fled. Angela knew she shouldn’t jump into bed with him, but that’s all she really wanted-to feel his naked body next to hers. To lose herself in the delicious sensations of their lovemaking. She’d survived it all before. One last time couldn’t hurt her.

  “I’ll meet you at your place,” she said.

  MAX STARED OUT AT THE water of the Gulf, watching a trio of pelicans float lazily on the surface. He ran his hands through his hair, waiting for that sense of calm to settle in. That’s what he loved about his house in Florida. He could just open the door and listen to the waves on the shore, Everything was perfect.

  But since he’d returned, that calm had been disrupted by nearly constant thoughts of Angela. They’d spent one last day and night together and then she was gone, sneaking out of his bed in the predawn hours.

  In truth, Max had been glad there wouldn’t be any dramatic good-byes. It would be as if she’d just gone to work while he slept late. A day would pass, he’d call her and they’d pretend they weren’t miles apart. The months would pass and the season would end and they’d be together again.

  They’d talked on the phone a few times, but once again, they never seemed to have the same connection. She sounded distant and he fumbled for things to talk about. He needed to be able to reach out and touch her, to let his hands and his lips say the things he couldn’t put into words.

  The team had a three-game series in Chicago next month. Even though he was still on the disabled list, the series would give him a good excuse to fly back to Chicago for the weekend and see her.

  Max sighed. He shouldn’t need an excuse, but there was so much unsettled between them. It was clear that Angela was not hopeful about their future. Already, she’d begun preparing for the worst, assuming that everything would fall apart once they were apart. Somewhere along the line, the fantasy had disappeared and she’d begun to see the reality in front of her.

  Max’s doorbell buzzed and he glanced at the clock on the mantel. He walked to the front door, his footsteps silent on the cool tile. His agent, Bruce Carmichael, was standing on the other side, dressed in a ridiculous Hawaiian shirt and cargo shorts. “You look hot,” Max said, stepping aside to let him in. “And I don’t mean that in a sexual way.”

  “I love you, too, Max, but I hate where you live. You know, it’s exactly the same temperature here as it is in L.A. And yet this feels so much more like hell.”

  “It’s the humidity,” Max said walking back into the airy living room. “Sit. Do you want something to drink?”

  “Ice water. Lots of ice,” he said.

  In the kitchen, Max filled a huge glass at the sink and then grabbed a beer for himself before returning to the living room. He sat down and took a long swallow of his beer.

  “What’s up?” Bruce said. “Why did you make me fly all the way out here?”

  “I’ve got some plans and I need you to make them happen,” he said.

  “Plans? What kind of plans?”

  “I want to play in Chicago next season.”

  “What? No, I don’t think that’s going to happen. You’re a marquee player and the Rays-”

  “I’m a marquee player with a bad shoulder,” Max reminded him. “I might not come back.”

  “Still, if they trade you, they’re going to expect a draft pick and some major money. There isn’t a team out there who’ll bite unless you finish the season strong.”

  “But if I tell them I’m going to retire if they don’t trade me, they might think differently.”

  Bruce leaned forward, concern etched deeply into his expression. “You’re thinking about retiring?”

  “It’s an option. I might not have a choice if the shoulder doesn’t come back. This can work,” Max said. “We have the advantage. We just have to play it right.”

  “If you recover completely, you could play another five or six years. I thought you liked playing for the Rays.”

  “I do. They’re a great team. But I have other reasons for wanting to play for Chicago. You do what it takes to get me there, all right?”

  “You have to at least consider other offers,” Bruce said. “If the Rays give you the best offer, then you have to take it.”

  “No, I don’t. I’d retire. I’m looking at the end of my career, Bruce. And for once, I want to make a decision that doesn’t involve money. I want to make a decision because my heart tells me it’s right.”

  Bruce frowned. “Is this about a girl?”

  “No!” Max replied. “Well, yeah, I guess it is. But what’s wrong with that? I’ve made enough money to keep both of us comfortable for the rest of our lives. I’ve invested well. Now, I want to do something that would make me happy.”

  Bruce sighed. “I suppose I can put out some feelers and see what they’d be willing to do,” he said. “But you’re tying my hands. I’m supposed to get you the best deal and this won’t be it.”

  “Do your magic. If I’m playing next year, I want to play in Chicago.” Max got to his feet. “Now that we have the rest of my life settled, do you want to do some fishing? I haven’t had the boat out in months. And it’s much cooler on the water.”

  Bruce nodded. “Sure. What are we going to fish for?”

  “We’ll figure that out when we get there,” Max said with a shrug.

  His agent chuckled. “What is wrong with you? Where is the Max Morgan I know and love? I’m not used to seeing you so…relaxed.”

  “I’m getting ready to live the rest of my life,” Max said. “I’ve got new priorities.” He pulled the door open and Bruce walked through. “I’m thinking I might even get married. Maybe start a family.”

  “I don’t know,” Bruce said. “With this kind of attitude, how are you ever going to find someone to marry? You’re not going to have a job and you’ll be hanging around the house all day. Once you stop working out, you’re going to put on some weight. And if you stop with the women, you’re going to lose all your charm. Who would marry that?”

  “I have someone in mind,” Max said. “I just need some time to convince her. But I can’t do that if I’m living in Florida.”

  “What are you going to do with this house?”

  “I don’t know. Maybe keep it as a vacation home. I need to have somewhere to escape to during those Chicago winters. And this place has a pool with a very high privacy fence.”

  Bruce frowned. “What the hell does that have to do with anything?”

  “Nothing,” Max said with a chuckle. At least nothing he wanted to discuss with his agent. His mind wandered back to the night he and Angela had spent skinny-dipping in the lake. Really,
it didn’t matter where they lived.

  He could be happy in her little one-bedroom flat in Wicker Park. As long as she crawled into bed with him at night and woke up in his arms in the morning, Max would be content. “One more thing. I need you to keep this quiet,” Max said. “No press speculation, no interviews about why I’m thinking of moving. When it’s done, we can talk, but not until then.”

  “I don’t know. Everyone is already wondering what’s going to happen with you. It’ll be difficult to keep the press out of it.”

  Max chuckled, clapping Bruce on the shoulder. His life was falling into place. He was only missing one thing-the girl. “I know you can handle it. That’s why I pay you the big bucks, right?”

  9

  “WHAT IS THIS?” Ceci stared at the manila envelope Angela was holding out to her across the table.

  They’d had a leisurely lunch, sitting at an outdoor café, but Angela had been anxious to get back to business. “It’s an early wedding present,” she said with a smile.

  Ceci laughed, then rolled her eyes. “Will and I are not getting married tomorrow. We haven’t even set a date yet. Or agreed on a concept. Will wants to elope to Vegas. And I’m beginning to think I look really fat in white, so I’m pushing for the beach in September. Kind of a hippie-retro wedding.”

  “Open it,” Angela said.

  Ceci pulled the legal papers out and frowned. “Are we being sued?”

  “I’m turning the Web site over to you,” Angela said. “It’s all yours.”

  “What?”

  “You can have it all, Ceci. I can’t do this anymore. I want to believe I can fall in love. I did fall in love for a little while. But this Web site is just a reminder of how wrong I was.”

  “That doesn’t mean you have to give up every thing we’ve worked for.” Ceci stared at the papers in disbelief.

  “I need to move on,” Angela said. “I have a couple of job prospects. The neighborhood business association is looking for a director and I applied for the job.

  I’ve also got a freelance offer to write a relationship column for a women’s magazine.”

  “But you could do those things and still work here.

  I can’t do this on my own, Angie. I don’t want to. I love coming to work with you. It’s fun. Who am I going to walk with in the morning? Who am I going to have coffee with? And all our lunches and late dinners.”

  “Whom,” Angela said.

  “Stop! I’m serious.”

  “None of that will change,” Angela said. “I’m not going anywhere. If I work for the neighborhood association, their office is in our building, just up the stairs.”

  “You’re thinking about him, aren’t you,” Ceci said.

  “You’re thinking you might leave Chicago and move to Florida. That’s it, isn’t it? We can’t have coffee if you’re in Florida!”

  Angela took a quick sip of her lemonade. “I’m not going to Florida. Max and I aren’t going to work this out. He’ll soon forget all about me. I’m here to stay and I’ll always be your best friend.”

  “What about the book?”

  “It was a bad idea. I was completely wrong about my thesis, but my editor says it will still sell. So, I’m putting your name on the cover.”

  “Mine?”

  “You were my coauthor and you’ve helped me with a lot of the research. You can do all the press for it and promote the site. It’ll be fun. Besides, you like doing that stuff much more than I do.”

  “This is about Max, isn’t it,” Ceci said. “Are you doing this because you still love him?”

  “No, I’m doing this because he might still love me,” Angela said. “If he does and he comes back, then I don’t want anything to get between us.”

  “Are you sure about this?” Ceci asked.

  “I am. It’s time to be more optimistic, Ceci. You’ve always been optimistic about love and look where you are. You’re about to marry Will and start a wonderful new life.”

  Ceci stared down at the papers, a dejected look on her face. “I wasn’t going to mention this, but we had a call last month from someone who wanted to buy the site. He wasn’t offering much and I figured you wouldn’t want to sell, but it would be enough to start up a new business for both of us. We work so well together. Between the two of us, we could come up with a really great idea.”

  “We’ll talk about it,” Angela said. “For now, I’m going to keep my options open.”

  Ceci jumped up and leaned over the table, throwing her arms around Angela and giving her a fierce hug. “I hope things turn out with Max. I really like him.”

  “And if they don’t turn out, then there will be another guy,” Angela said. “Optimism. I’m thinking positively. There will be another guy. I’m sure of it. Because for every woman, there is the perfect man waiting for her…somewhere. I just have to find him.”

  They were still hugging each other when Will walked up to the table. He grinned. “This is the second time I’ve caught you two in a passionate embrace. Should I be worried?”

  Angela laughed. “You caught us. If you’re going to marry Ceci, you get me in the deal. We’re best friends and I’m not going anywhere. Isn’t that every man’s fantasy?”

  “I can live with that,” Will teased. “Although we’re going to need a bigger bed.”

  “Stop,” Ceci said. “I’m not sharing my husband with anyone, not even my best friend. How did you know we were here?”

  “It’s a nice day, you love the chicken salad at the place, and I saw you when I drove by,” Will said.

  “Sit,” Angela said.

  “I don’t have time. I have to get back to work, but I came here to tell Angela something. Something big. Really big.” He lowered his voice. “This is a secret.

  Well, not really a secret, since I heard it on the radio, but more like a rumor. Max Morgan may be coming back to Chicago to play for the Sox.”

  Angela’s jaw dropped and she stared at Will, not certain she heard him right. “He can just leave his team and come here?”

  “No, there are all sorts of restrictions. He’s a free agent at the end of this season. And because of his value to the team, they might not want to let him go.

  But, if the Rays release him or trade him because of his injury, he could end up back here in Chicago.”

  Ceci clapped her hands. “He needs to come here.

  It would be perfect. Like destiny.”

  “Karma,” Angela said. She wasn’t sure what to do with the news. In her heart, she wanted to believe she was the reason for his move back to Chicago. But they hadn’t really talked about a future together and Max wouldn’t make a move like that unless he was sure, would he?

  Maybe Max had mastered what Angela still struggled with-optimism. Maybe he was certain they’d be able to work things out once he was back in Chicago. “I should call him,” Angela murmured. “I’m going to go home and think about this. It’s a lot to take in.” She smiled. “Are you sure you heard right, Will?”

  Will nodded. “Oh, and you might want to try him on his cell phone because the guy on the radio mentioned that Max is in town and was seen having dinner with a couple Sox players last night.”

  Angela’s heart fell. He was in town and he hadn’t bothered to call. If he was doing this for her, wouldn’t he have contacted her the moment his plane landed? Wouldn’t he have rushed over and dragged her off to the bedroom before doing anything else?

  “I’ll see you two later.” She rubbed her forehead. “Too many things to think about.”

  Angela walked outside and started in the direction of her flat. But at the last minute, she stepped out to the curb and hailed a passing cab. She gave the cabbie Max’s address, then sat back and stared out the window as they made their way east toward the lake.

  If he really was thinking about moving back, then Angela needed to know why. He couldn’t expect her to start things up again simply because he was living in the same city. There was more than just location keeping them apar
t.

  Or was there? She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, wrinkling her nose at the smell of air freshener in the cab. She still loved him. Even though she’d tried to convince herself otherwise, the feelings were still there, as strong as ever. Only now, that love was based on an actual relationship and not just a silly fantasy. The Max Morgan she’d dreamed about for years had turned into a man who just might want to spend the rest of his life with her.

  Her hands clutched the edge of her seat and she wiggled her foot nervously. She ought to think about what she was going to say to him. But the only plan she could come up with was to throw herself into his arms and kiss him. After that, it didn’t really matter what they said. Kissing always seemed to do the trick with Max.

  When she reached his building, Angela paid the cabbie and hurried inside. The doorman was standing behind his desk. He recognized her immediately. “Hello, Miss Weatherby. Is Mr. Morgan with you?”

  “No,” Angela said. “Actually, I’m supposed to meet him. Do you think I might go upstairs and wait? I’m dying of thirst and I need something cool to drink.”

  He nodded. “Mr. Morgan left a key with me. He said if you ever needed to get in, I should just give it to you.”

  “He did? When did he do that?”

  “Right after the first time you were here,” the doorman said. He handed her a fob with the key dangling from it. “Here you go. You can leave it with me when you go back out.”

  Angela rode the elevator up and when she got to Max’s door, she knocked. Though the doorman implied that Max was out, he could have missed him. After a minute, she put the key in the lock and stepped inside.

  It had been over a month since she’d been in his apartment. Angela drew another deep breath and smiled. The place smelled like Max-a wonderful mix of his favorite cologne, leather furniture and the vanilla candles he had scattered on the dining room table.