by Jo Leigh
“Sounds ideal, as long as you didn’t bring the whole bankroll.”
“I know better.”
She surprised him by taking his hand and moved them over to a milk-bottle toss, where the line was very long. The kid playing at the moment kept throwing the beanbag straight down in front of him. He got a stuffed mouse for his troubles.
“You might get lucky in this one,” Natalie said.
“I wouldn’t count on it. Now, if we were talking poker...”
She grinned at him, and he squeezed her hand. The surprise on her face made him sorry he’d reminded her of the innocent move, but she didn’t pull away. “This is a very fine adventure,” she said.
“I’m glad you like it. Silly as it is.”
“Not silly. A side of you I didn’t suspect.”
He brushed a lock of hair that was teasingly close to her lips. “I told you I had a normal, boring family.”
“Is your twin going to be here?”
“Nope,” he said, unwilling to stop touching her. He traced the line of her cheekbone with his thumb.
Her eyes closed, and the cheek beneath him turned pink. This friendship thing was going to be harder than he’d thought. It confused him, this pull he felt. There was so much that appealed to him, but not in the way he was used to. Even if Gabbie and he had hit it off last night, he would never have brought her to meet Paula and the kids. He couldn’t think of anyone else that he would have.
When her lips pressed together, he took the hint and they moved up the line. But when he was finished winning her a vibrant green plastic fish, he took her hand as he led her to the next booth and the next. Some were games, some sold kids’ stuff. They explored, never moving too far apart, and in between the tents and booths, they would find each other’s hands and as they walked, they bumped into each other way too many times.
She turned out to be really good at throwing darts. Just as she finished letting a little blonde girl pick a prize, Max heard a familiar voice.
“Max!”
Clay shouted once more before nearly toppling Max over, the seven-year-old barreling into his side.
“Whoa, cowboy, how much sugar have you had today?”
“Lots,” Clay said, looking up from his stranglehold. “Mom says she’s never taking us anywhere again. Ever.”
“Max! Max! Look at what I won!”
There was Cory, running too fast for the crowd, a medium-size stuffed monkey waving wildly in his hand, hitting people every other step. Paula was running behind him, one hand gripping a big box of popcorn, the other a bobbing pair of helium balloons. Cory looked like he was having a ball. Paula, like she could use a drink.
Cory had to do some maneuvering, but he plowed into Max’s other side without dislodging his brother. “See? It’s a monkey.”
“The best-looking blue monkey ever.” He caught Natalie’s eye, and she was laughing at him with real pleasure. Why the hell hadn’t he called her sooner? At the very least, between all the work phone calls and meetings, they could have seen a movie or something.
“Oh, my God,” Paula said, panting as she slowed. “You two monsters are grounded. Forever. I’m not kidding.”
“Hey, Paula,” Max said. “Looks like you guys are having a lot of fun.”
“I’ll show you fun, Max Dorset. You’re babysitting. Tonight.”
He laughed. “Dream on, kiddo. You’ve probably met Natalie Gellar from your dating group, right?”
Paula clearly hadn’t seen Natalie standing just outside the very tight circle of boys. “We haven’t met, actually,” she said. “But I recognize you. I didn’t realize Max was bringing a guest.”
“It was a spur-of-the-moment thing. I was in a crabby mood. He figured this would cheer me up.”
“Was he right?”
“Absolutely.”
Paula grinned, still breathing a little hard. “I’m glad you’re here. I’ll warn you, though—I was going to sic these devils on him for a half hour or so.”
“That’s fine with me,” she said. “Just give me a basic primer and I’m all yours.”
Paula gave Max a look that said he could back out, if he did it quick. “We’re old hands at this,” he said, ignoring her offer. “We’ll meet you at the corn dogs in thirty.”
The other woman’s look of gratitude was so great, Natalie laughed.
“You rock.” Paula started backing up. “Don’t give them any more food, no matter what they say.” And then she disappeared behind a toy vendor’s booth.
“Clay, Cory, I’d like you to meet my friend Natalie.”
Clay let go of Max’s leg and held out his hand. “Hi.”
“Hi,” she said, taking his hand. “It’s nice to meet you.”
“Are you good at winning things?”
“Not particularly,” she said, stealing a glance at Max.
“Oh.” Clay took his hand back. “That’s okay. Max is good.”
“So I’ve heard.”
“I want to be a lion,” Cory said. Then he roared. And roared, and kept on roaring all the way to the face-painting tent.
* * *
THE HALF HOUR with the boys was both hilarious and exhausting. Natalie was on prize-holding duty at the big-mouth clown while Max helped the boys try to get the bag in the hole.
She was in so much trouble.
It was her own fault, of course. Although she couldn’t have known where this adventure would lead. Not that she’d have guessed that a school carnival could be such an incredibly romantic setting. Kids’ games. Snow cones. Cheesy toys.
And Max. Touching her. Smiling. The desire in his eyes not fooling anyone. Of course she’d given up after five minutes at the carnival. After one last thought of walking away.
Now, as she watched him with the boys, who clearly adored him, she dug the hole she was in even deeper. All she could think of was what an amazing father he’d be. It was like watching her wildest dream come to life—and knowing she could get this close and no closer.
This wasn’t so much a potential friendship as a guaranteed tragedy, but she couldn’t gather the wherewithal to stop it. The feel of his touch had been so visceral, she’d found herself rubbing her own skin more than a few times.
Shuffling the monkey, mouse, plastic Coke-bottle glasses, striped fish and stuffed red owl in her arms, Natalie glanced at the corn-dog booth for the fourth time in the last ten minutes. There was still no sign of Paula. Today wasn’t the day, but she’d sure like to hear what Paula had to say about her Trading Card experience.
Natalie had seen her at the meetings. Looks must run in the extended family, because Paula was very pretty, with layered dark hair, blue eyes and the same kind of tall, lean body that Max had.
The other Max, Max Zimm, was probably on a date right this second. With Natalie’s luck, it was no doubt love at first sight. Maybe if she waited for five years or so, her Max would decide that having a family was more important than being a rich attorney and they could...
She rolled her eyes at her wishful thinking. She knew better than to believe that Max would be anything other than what he claimed to be. He’d spelled it out for her, and she wasn’t deluded enough to think she could change him. A rich attorney with his looks? He could have anyone, and he was living in the land of plenty.
“What’s wrong? You look like someone stole your lollipop.”
She hadn’t heard Max and the boys come up behind her, with Cory brandishing his brand-new rubber snake. “Nope. The lollipops are still in my back pocket.”
“Well, something was wrong.” He held each boy by the wrist, which was a good thing, because they tried to make a break for it every few seconds.
“Not at all. This has been the best afternoon. Really. I’m so glad we came.”
The smile
he gave her was equal parts proud of himself and not quite believing. “We’ll send these two hooligans home soon, and then I’m taking you out for real food. No relatives allowed.”
“That sounds nice.”
He moved in a little closer, still wrangling the hyperactive kids. “Or maybe we could get some takeout and rent a movie. Another classic from the thirties? Go back to my place and you can do the live commentary. I’ll give you total control over the remote so you can pause to your heart’s content.”
“The devil you say,” she said, thinking that sounded like heaven and hell wrapped with a bow.
“I’m glad I finally got my act together to come see you. I’m only sorry it took so long.”
“I was thinking the same thing earlier.”
“The only problem is—”
“Mom! Look at what I won!” Cory waved his snake as Paula joined them, looking refreshed. The boys were released and like wild condor chicks, they flew to their mother, who crouched down to hug them and listen avidly to their detailed reports.
Max started relieving Natalie of the toys in her arms. Paula handed him a big plastic bag she’d had in her purse and goodbyes and hugs were doled out generously. Natalie came away stickier, but happy to have gotten a peek into what a noncrazy family was like—and a bittersweet reminder of what could never be hers.
Max put his arm around her shoulders and pulled her in close. His warm gaze rested on her face and his cocky grin faded. “I have a proposal for you.”
Her eyes widened.
“Wait.” Max flushed and leaned back. “No, I said that wrong.”
“Oh. I didn’t think...” She started laughing; she couldn’t help it. Even as his face reddened more, she couldn’t seem to get control of herself. If she was clear on one thing, it was that Max wasn’t asking her to marry him, and he never would.
Suddenly it seemed easier to sober up.
“I’m sorry. It’s just—you should’ve seen your face.” She drew in a quick breath. “Finish what you were about to say.”
“Oh, shit.” He still looked as if he might run after the boys. “This might be the wrong time.”
“Please don’t make me start laughing again.”
He tightened his arm around her. “Would it be too much to ask that we maybe put off the friendship-only part of this friendship until...another time?”
She sighed. Then she rose up on her tiptoes and kissed him.
11
MAX GLANCED BACK toward the stairs. “You’re sure he’s gone for the night?”
Natalie nodded as she put the smaller of two bags of Chinese food on her dining table. After debating the merits of restaurants on the Lower East Side, they’d decided to splurge on dumplings and other assorted dim sum from Chinatown. “Fred isn’t coming back until Monday evening, so you can tap-dance to your heart’s content.”
“Uh, that would mean taking lessons, and I’m too excited about show-and-tell to do that.”
“You’ve really never seen The Lady Vanishes?”
“Nope. But I have seen a bunch of other Hitchcock films.”
“Did you know François Truffaut, who wrote an extraordinary book on the man, claimed this movie was his favorite and the best representation of Alfred Hitchcock’s work?”
Max walked right up into her personal space and put his hands on her waist. “No, I didn’t know that. Which is a perfect example of why I’m excited.” The kiss that followed was slow and deep, and tasted like soy sauce from the dumplings they’d shared before they’d caught a cab home.
“I’m excited, too,” she said, moving her nose to the other side of his before she continued what he’d begun.
The sounds they made gave her a thrill. Little moans and breaths and lip smacks and slick gasps. When his hands moved down to cup her butt, she wiggled against him and was immediately rewarded by the feeling of his erection pressing against her hip.
“We can reheat the dumplings later, if you want,” she whispered, running her own hands down his back.
He groaned. “Once I get started, I’m not going to stop. So we should eat. Watch the lady vanish.”
She leaned back. “That’s probably a good idea. Tell you what—I’ll point you to the trays and you can put the cartons on them. I’ll be back in a flash.”
“I’ll miss you,” he called out as she walked down the hallway.
Her grin was altogether too wide when she saw it in the bathroom mirror. There was absolutely no air of mystery about her.
The whole time she was washing up, she debated taking off her clothes. There were pros and cons, the worst of it being that she only had her schleppy robe in the bathroom. Her silky kimono was in her closet. He was busy with the food, so she could probably sneak in and grab it, then casually walk back into the kitchen all glamorous and stuff.
But then he’d be in his jeans and T-shirt, and she’d feel really, really naked. Not necessarily a bad thing, but how much actual movie would they watch? Did she even care?
In the end, she was too chicken to dare and she headed back to the kitchen wearing everything but her shoes. It didn’t take them long to relocate to the bedroom, where they settled in to eat and watch the video.
“You really do have an impressive DVD collection,” he said.
“Considering what I do for a living, I wouldn’t be able to hold my head up if I didn’t.”
“Anyone who talked to you for five minutes wouldn’t need proof of your expertise.”
She started the movie. It had been simple enough to ignore the fact that the two of them were sitting so close that they kept bumping arms and elbows, and that the bed tray legs were poking into their thighs, but then she saw him purse his lips to suck up a long noodle. À la Lady and the Tramp. “This might just be my favorite thing,” she said.
“The dumplings?”
She shook her head. “You and Hitchcock in bed, with sexy times for dessert.”
The way he looked at her sent a frisson skittering down her back and she had to squeeze her legs tightly together. She thought she’d better turn her attention back to the movie before she completely lost it.
“There’s very little music in this film,” she told him. “See if you notice.” He nodded, his gaze serious. But that was due to the spot of soy sauce he licked off the corner of her lips.
The dialogue began, and they were still kissing. Awkwardly. Not that she minded. Pulling back from his tasty mouth, she said, “The set the movie was shot on was only ninety feet long.”
“Really?” He prepared a wonderful-looking veggie dumpling, but instead of eating it himself, he fed it to her. She tried to picture Oliver feeding her, and the image was so absurd, she choked.
“You okay?”
It took a minute until she could say yes. And now her mascara was probably all over her lower lids. Wonderful. On the other hand, he was perfect.
The rest of the movie went by quickly, but by the end all of her attention was squarely on Max, and he’d pretty much stopped watching at all.
Natalie put down her chopsticks. He moved his tray and hers to the dresser. “Bathroom is down the hall, right?” he asked.
She nodded. “I’ll meet you back here in a couple of minutes.”
He kissed her as if they wouldn’t see each other for a month.
She was weak-kneed and half in love.
* * *
BY THE TIME Max returned to the bedroom, Natalie had taken off her shirt. A red kimono painted with flowers lay across the comforter. He leaned against the door frame and took a minute. This day just kept getting better.
It’d started at the flower kiosk, where he had picked up the nice flowers. He still wanted to kick himself for not calling Natalie sooner.
She hadn’t noticed him yet, and he watched her r
each back to undo her bra. He thought about stepping in to help, but he was enjoying the show too much. He had an excellent side view of Natalie, and when the bra came off, the curve of her breast was enough to make his cock press against his zipper. Jesus, she was...lush. He doubted he’d ever used the word before, but then, he’d never seen Natalie exactly like this.
He’d better not get used to it. To her smile, her laugh, her shape. She was the type to see romance and sex as the same thing, and he had no desire to complicate her life. Or his.
He’d been up front with Natalie, though. She knew he wasn’t ready to settle down. He just hoped when he went back to work, she wouldn’t get too upset about his hours and his lack of attention. He’d make time for her, even if it was just a phone call. Now that they’d come this far, he didn’t want to lose her.
“Are you just going to stand there, or are you going to take off your clothes?”
He jerked back. Her hands on her hips, she turned to face him, dressed in her jeans and not a lick more.
“I can be naked before you get those jeans halfway off.”
Her left eyebrow rose while her eyes narrowed. “Deal.” Then she was stripping down so fast he ripped his T-shirt and nearly fell flat on his face pushing off his jeans.
They tied.
But she was flushed and beautiful and that kimono stayed right on the bed when he pulled her into his arms for a very naked kiss.
For a long time, he just let his hands do what they wanted, which was everything. He cupped her breast so the hard nipple would rub against his palm, then he lifted it a little, frustrated that he couldn’t kiss her lips and suck that nub at the same time. The nipple won out, and he bent to take it between his teeth. The sound of her sharp inhale only encouraged him more and he flicked the tip of his tongue fast, closing his eyes so he could hear every gasp she made. He didn’t let up until her grip on his hair got a little too enthusiastic.
Of course, he couldn’t just let her other nipple be ignored. It wouldn’t be right, and he wasn’t that kind of man.
This time, he used suction as his weapon, and somehow managed to get her all the way back until she had nowhere to go but the bed. He did let go as she fell back, but he recaptured his target in seconds.