by Scott, Kadie
She hitched a shoulder. “That was the only thing one of my stepdads drank. I was in high school at the time, so when my friends and I snuck booze, that’s what we got. I developed a taste for it.”
“What’s a Rusty Nail?”
“Scotch, Drambuie, and lemon peel.”
Max made a face. “Not my type of drink, but I’ll have to remember to mention that at my parents’ house.”
She tossed him a questioning look.
“You know, to show how well we know each other.”
Gina shook her head. “Scotch doesn’t impress mamas. At your parents’ place, I’m a white wine girl.”
“Who says scotch doesn’t impress mamas?”
“I do. I’ve met plenty.”
“Lots of boyfriends?” Touching that silky skin? Kissing those lips?
Why did he suddenly want to hit something?
Another shake of her head. “Lots of grandmothers, even after I turned twenty-one.”
The stepdads again. Had Gina been forced to be someone other than herself with each change in her life?
Gina smiled at the waitress as she set their drinks down. Then held out her glass to him. “Would you like a sip before I start drinking it?”
Max narrowed his eyes. Had she figured out he didn’t share food? Oddly, the idea of sharing her drink didn’t bother him as much as usual. Maybe because he’d love to kiss her and taste the scotch that way instead.
“Thanks.” He shook away the urge to do just that, and instead took her glass and had a sip. Then raised his eyebrows. “I like it.”
“Don’t sound so shocked.” She winked, loosening up a bit from the tension she’d been carrying around earlier. “Mom is a bartender, so I know my drinks.”
He could just picture Virginia behind a bar, happily chatting with the customers. “Is that how she met her husbands?”
“A few of them, yes.” She considered him over the rim of her glass as she took a sip, and Max had to battle the urge to squirm. What was she thinking?
“How’d your parents meet?”
He gave in. While he’d rather keep shared personal details to a minimum, this was a topic he could handle. “They were high school sweethearts. Mom was dating another guy when Dad moved to town, but he took care of that. They ended up being crowned Prom King and Queen.”
“That’s adorable. Did they marry right away?”
“After college. He proposed on a carriage ride in Central Park.”
“Sweet.”
“They’ve had their share of squabbles, but in the end, they’re devoted to each other.” Max idly arranged the drink menus so they were stacked neatly and sat at a right angle to the edge of the table, perfectly centered.
“Sounds like you’re a closet romantic.”
His fingers stilled. “Yeah. A closet romantic who had to hire a fake girlfriend. I’m not under any illusions. I’m too…” He was going to say rigid, but changed his mind last second. “…selfish to make one woman happy for long. I like my life the way it is.”
Except, just lately, he’d been bored with the women he met. That was, until Gina crashed into his life. He definitely hadn’t been bored since meeting her.
“Cynic,” she teased.
“Realist.” Max sat back and took a hefty swig of his drink, letting the burn of the alcohol distract him. Time for redirection of this conversation. “So, with all those dads, you must be quite the cynic about love yourself.”
She tilted her head, considering that statement as she swirled the liquid in her glass. The twinkle in her gaze said she hadn’t missed his bringing the conversation back around to her. “Actually, I’d classify myself as a realist as well. Just one who believes in romance.”
Max’s lips twitched. “I’d classify that as wishful thinking.”
She frowned. “I believe I can find a life-long love with someone, but unlike my naive mother, I won’t be hopping from relationship to relationship, hoping each one will prove better than the last. I know relationships mean commitment and work, and yes, even conflict, but that’s something I’ve never been afraid of.”
Max considered her serious expression. “That seems…”
Surprisingly grounded, was his first thought. His parents, who were his personal example of a relationship done right, had said much the same over the years. Only Max knew for sure no woman existed who could commit to putting up with his brand of controlling. Not even the woman in front of him, though now he wondered if maybe…
Gina grimaced when he didn’t fill in what that seemed. “Too serious a topic for a Christmas party? Why don’t you tell me more about your job?”
Refusing to slide down the slippery slope to topics he’d been dancing around all night, Max offered his most charming grin. “I told you. My job is boring.”
Instead of smiling back, she narrowed her eyes. “You could just say you’d be happy to change topics,” she suggested. “No need to brush me off.”
Guess that could’ve been smoother.
As if she read his mind, she pointed to her eyes. “Your smile is missing something here when you don’t mean it. When you’re trying to charm me.”
“Me?” he pointed at himself. “Try to charm you?” He pretended to think about that. “Nah. That doesn’t sound right.”
Gina shook her head and laughed, and he laughed back. Back to easy. Like they were friends. Like they were lovers.
Max mentally hit the pause button. When had he started to think of her like that? And wasn’t he running for the door without a backward glance?
The realization struck that he genuinely liked this woman. That he wanted spend time with her, and not in a fake relationship way. What would she say if he asked to put an end to their ruse?
Max resisted the urge to run a hand over his face. What the hell was wrong with him tonight? Maybe all that touching and whispering had been a bad idea. Good for the show, good as a distraction method, bad for them. When you put a tack in your shoe, your foot ended up a bloody mess.
And right now, the only thing keeping him from more of that touching was the table between them.
“Tell me more about your family?” she asked.
Max blinked, trying to get out of his own head. She wanted him to talk about himself again?
His thoughts must’ve shown on his face, because she lifted her eyebrows. “I’m going to meet them at Christmas,” she pointed out. “I should probably know a little more about them. You told me about your parents, what about your siblings?”
Right. She had a point. “I’m one of five. Two brothers, two sisters.”
“I noticed the picture at your house. Are you the oldest?’
He shook his head. “Second. Letty is older by two years. We grew up in the same house where my parents still live. I had a normal childhood, nothing crazy. Graduated, got my degree, got a job. End of story.”
“A degree from where?”
Max couldn’t think of a way to avoid answering. “Harvard.”
Gina snorted delicately. “Yeah. Just a normal, everyday degree.” She shook her head, still chuckling. “Where’s your parents’ house?”
“Larchmont.”
Her eyebrows arched at that. “You’re not a city native?”
He tipped his glass in her direction with a smile. “Not like you.”
Drew and Cassie chose that moment to make an appearance. From his vantage point in the booth, he caught a flash of Cassie’s pale blond hair before Drew appeared behind her, escorting her through the throng with his hand at the small of her back.
A strong urge swept through Max. He could just grab Gina and slip out the backdoor, so he could end the night and do something much more fun with her. He’d been enjoying talking with her, even as he tried to avoid talking about himself. He’d enjoyed looking at her even more. Touching would be even better.
Before he could act on that impulse, Drew spotted him and, taking Cassie by the hand, wound through the crowd, headed in their direction.
Gina smiled and shook their hands. Meanwhile, Max debated his own sanity. He’d planned to introduce her as his girlfriend, but officially speaking the lie didn’t feel right, so he left the title out. Drew already knew anyway.
They shuffled into the booth, Max swinging around to sit beside Gina rather than across from her. Just for show, and not because he’d been wanting an excuse to touch her more, he slid his arm around behind her. Gina tensed a tiny bit then relaxed into him. She felt right there.
The hell with holding back. He ran a finger lightly over the skin left bare by her dress, tracing the indent of her waist, only now he meant it, and not just as a distraction. She sucked in a breath, her ribs moving under his hand. Max smiled to himself but kept his eyes on Drew and Cassie.
For a long, uncomfortable minute, Drew and Cassie both stared across the table at Max and Gina. Max usually didn’t mind Drew’s habit of silently assessing situations, but he didn’t want to field the inevitable ton of questions.
“So, how’d you two meet?” Cassie asked.
“Gina recently moved into my apartment building,” Max said. But mostly his mind was focused on the soft skin under his fingertips.
In retaliation, she placed her hand on his knee and squeezed, adding an extra jolt of physical awareness to the mix. If he stood up now, everyone would know the effect she was having on him.
“So, you bumped into each other in the lobby or something?” Drew asked.
Max knew Drew’s habit of interrogating people in casual conversation, so he didn’t bother to answer, waiting for the barrage of questions he knew was coming. Besides, Cassie’s analytical brain was the bigger concern.
Before Gina could even open her mouth, Drew continued, “Or maybe in the hallway? Are you on the same floor?”
“Yes, we are—” Gina tried, only to be cut off.
“I’m surprised Max approached you given his rules. He did tell you about those I assume?” Drew pinned her with a searching gaze.
Max deliberately slid his finger under the edge of Gina’s dress, teasing her ribs. She jumped as he hit a ticklish spot, and he had to hide a grin. The rules were never this fun.
“Babe, you’re not letting the poor woman get in a word,” Cassie gently teased. “Give her a second to draw breath between questions.”
Drew gave Gina a sheepish grin. “Sorry. I tend to cross-examine. It’s a bad habit I’m working on breaking.”
Gina chuckled, and her hand slid up Max’s thigh. Was she torturing him on purpose? Please let her be as into this as I am.
“I have several bad habits that I’ve been working on for years,” she said. “Tell me if you figure out a permanent cure.”
And she said she wasn’t a good actress. Max silently cheered her answer even as he gritted his teeth against her light touch. Not many people got Drew. Any girlfriend of Max’s would need to like his best friend.
Whoa. Pump the breaks, Carter. She’s not your real girlfriend.
“How do you like the building so far?” Cassie asked.
In answer, Gina shrugged, the movement jostling her hand. She was getting dangerously close to a part of is anatomy that was sitting up and begging for personal attention.
With monumental effort, Max dragged his focus back to what Gina was saying in response to Cassie’s question. “The location is convenient for my jobs, but I won’t be there long. I took over the lease for a friend of mine who’s in Europe until January.”
“So, you’re only there temporarily?” Cassie asked, glancing between them, her turquoise eyes bright with…something. Hopefully not suspicion. Thanks to spending every day analyzing data, she could be scary intuitive about people. What was going through her head?
Time to throw them off the scent. “I’m hoping to convince her to stick around after her friend comes home.”
Gina rubbed his thigh, and Max bit back a groan as she brushed his dick. In retaliation, he moved his finger higher under her top, brushing the underside of her breast.
“Yes.” The word came out strangled, and Gina shot him a look filled with an appealing cocktail of humor and need.
The waitress stopped by to check on the new arrivals, and Cassie and Drew picked up menus.
“What are we doing?” he muttered out of the side of his mouth while his friends were distracted.
She picked up her drink and used it as cover as she answered. “I’m trying to act like a couple? What are you doing?”
“Liar. They can’t see your hand under the table.”
She turned her head to give him a sassy wink. “Yours, either. But they can see your response. When you sat down you were as stiff as a poker, now you’re…”
A critical part of him was still stiff as a fucking poker, and she knew it. She couldn’t have missed it when her hand brushed his erection.
The waitress left with Cassie and Drew’s orders. Max removed Gina’s hand from his lap and kissed her knuckles. A charming blush stained her cheeks with pink. The woman had been a hair’s breadth from fondling him in public, and now she blushed? He found he couldn’t pull his gaze away from her big brown eyes full of a want that matched the slow burn going on inside him.
“How long have you guys been dating?” Cassie pulled them back to the conversation.
“Not long enough,” Max murmured, dragging his gaze from Gina with effort.
Drew glanced from Cassie, who blinked at him, then back to them. “Okay,” he said. “What’s really going on here?”
Dammit, Max silently swore. He should’ve known Cassie, who never turned off her brain, would see through their ruse within the first two minutes. Which of course outed him to Drew, since the couple was apparently now connected at the prefrontal cortex.
“I need to pee and you guys need to talk,” Cassie blurted, then winced. She had a habit of saying whatever was in her head, even if inappropriate. “Would you like to join me, Gina?”
Gina tossed a worried glance his way, but Max gave her hand a squeeze and nodded. “Go ahead.”
Again, Cassie flicked him an assessing glance, but she said nothing as the two women scooted out of the booth. Max watched the sexy sway of Gina’s hips as she walked away, still struggling with the urges she’d stirred in him, now suddenly fighting the impulse to follow her and drag her home, or drag her into a vacant room and…
Fuck.
He shook his head to clear it then faced Drew, who regarded him with blatant curiosity. “You haven’t answered me,” Drew started in on him.
Max raised a single eyebrow, determined to tough this out. “Which of the ten questions you asked would you like an answer to?”
Drew stared at him expectantly. Max got the message. He knew which question.
In a desperate bid to keep his lie alive, he searched his brain for any red herrings he could toss out there. For once, Max’s bullshit capabilities failed.
He held up both hands in surrender. “You got me.”
Relief followed closely on the heels of his frustration that they hadn’t fooled his friends.
“I know. So what is going on?” Drew asked.
“Gina is a neighbor, but she’s helping me out by posing as my girlfriend for the holidays.”
Drew frowned. “Why?”
He gave Drew a flat-lipped stare. “You know my family. I think you can guess why, if you haven’t already.”
Drew shook his head. “While I get that they drive you nuts, I think it’s a dumb-ass idea.”
“Gee, thanks.” Max picked up his glass and tipped it back, downing the rest of the contents, welcoming the burn of the liquid.
“Not because of your family, but because of you.”
“Me?” He eyed his friend. That wasn’t an angle he’d expect
ed.
“I assume you took this tack because you figured you’d keep your no relationships rule?”
“Obviously. She’s conveniently the girl down the hall, and she’s temporary, moving out at New Year’s, like she said.”
“Right.”
Drew clearly held a differing opinion. “Spit it out, Kerrigan.”
“Just…be careful. You may think this is all surface level, but it’s impossible to miss the way you look at Gina, and vice versa.”
Max did not appreciate the way his gut clenched, not in anxiety, but anticipation. “And what way is that?”
“Like she’s yours.” Drew held up both hands to stall Max’s protest. “Not that getting attached is a bad thing. Hell, I’m all for it. Cassie’s the best thing that ever happened to me. But if it’s not what you want, you need to get out now, before one of you gets hurt.”
But all Max heard was, “…she’s yours.”
Chapter Ten
As soon as they entered the bathroom, Gina bee-lined to the mirror to see if her panic was reflected in her eyes. To her shock, she looked pretty normal.
Okay, she could handle this.
Cassie was a petite woman with pale blond hair and startlingly lovely eyes the shade of the Caribbean ocean, hidden behind Coke-bottle glasses that did nothing to detract from her beauty. She wore a vintage-looking cocktail dress, black with a black lace overlay, that had a wide skirt flaring out from her tiny waist. Drew had barely been able to look away, even to grill Gina and Max.
Secretly wondering what it might feel like if Max looked at her that way, Gina checked her lipstick in the mirror. Reds were always tough. If you didn’t apply often, the inner part wore off, leaving her resembling a five-year-old in clown makeup. Plus she’d been kissing and drinking. Sure enough, time to reapply. She was mid-application when Cassie joined her at the mirror to wash her hands.
“So, how’d Max con you into being his fake girlfriend?” she asked, as though she were asking the time of day or where Gina got her dress.
Gina’s throat closed up tight and she coughed. Thankfully, she didn’t smear bright red lipstick across her cheek in her shock. That would’ve been hard to wash off and even harder to explain to Max.