“Gotta be back Wednesday,” Brody answered.
“Brody and I decided we’re all goin’ to The Rooster for steaks tonight,” Mindy announced, bouncing twice on her stool with happiness at this idea and Max’s eyes took her in before they cut back to me. This was both good and bad. Good because his eyes cut to me rather than him going to his gun, bad because he didn’t look happy.
“Made a reservation and Mindy got Bonnie to cover for her at The Dog tonight,” Brody added.
Mindy turned to me and explained, “The Rooster’s steaks are awesome and you get to dress up!”
“Um…” I muttered, feeling the heat of Max’s stare and feeling the pressure of his unhappiness.
“I’m wearin’ high heels and this absolutely fab… you… las top I found at the outlet store. It’s designer but they mismarked it and I got it for a song. You’ll love it.”
“That’s great, darling, can’t wait to see it,” I said to Mindy and then glanced at Max to see he, unlike Mindy, was not thrilled at the idea of The Rooster and he, unlike me, could indeed wait to see Mindy’s designer top.
“What’re you gonna wear?” Mindy asked.
“Oh,” I muttered, looking away from Max, “I’ll find something.”
“If you didn’t bring anything, you could come into town with me and go through my closet and Becca’s!” she finished, obviously excited about a girlie closet trawl.
“Um…” I muttered again.
“I’m sure she’s got somethin’,” Max put in.
“But, maybe she –” Mindy started.
“She’s got somethin’,” Max repeated.
“But a girl’s gotta –”
“Mins, babe, she’s got somethin’,” Brody said firmly and Mindy looked between the men then at me.
“Okay,” she whispered and grinned at me, bugging out her eyes.
I grinned back then turned and saw Max’s eyes go between Mindy and me to look out the window.
“Pete,” he said, pushing away from the sink and I twisted on my stool to see an SUV with lights on top and a star on the door rolling down the lane.
“We’ll let you deal with this. Reservation’s at six thirty,” Brody said. “You wanna meet us in town or you wanna meet us at The Rooster?”
“Rooster,” Max answered as Brody walked by his side, still holding his beer, to the front door.
“Gotcha,” Brody replied.
“Honey,” Max called to me when he had his hand on the door handle, “best get your rental papers.”
“Okay,” I replied, sliding off the stool and heading to the stairs.
“See ya later, Neens,” Mindy yelled as I wound my way up the stairs.
“Yes, darling, see you,” I yelled back.
“Nice to meet cha, Nina,” Brody called.
“You too,” I called back.
Then I hit the loft and went to my overnight bag.
One thing I could say for Damon and his antics, he’d provided the perfect tactic for avoiding Max’s afternoon plans.
Still, he was a dick.
***
I was sitting on my side of the bed finishing up my call to the rental car agency when Max hit the loft after sending Brody, Mindy and eventually Officer Pete on their way.
After I met Pete I decided if I were to stick around, if Jeff didn’t work out for Mindy I was going to try to fix her up with Pete. He wasn’t as cute as Jeff but he was still nice.
Unfortunately it was highly unlikely I’d find out what Mindy’s future held, since it was highly unlikely she’d keep in touch after I left Max and Gnaw Bone behind.
I tried not to think of how overwhelmingly upsetting this was, instead, I told myself I barely knew her. I didn’t believe myself, not even in the slightest, but that didn’t stop me from repeating it in my head with hopes it’d sink in.
“That’ll be fine,” I said into the phone as Max came to a stop, standing in front of me. “Great, see you then. Bye.”
It wasn’t great, I thought as I touched the button on the screen to end the call. Seeing as it was late Saturday, they weren’t sending anyone up until Monday. Which meant I’d have to come up the mountain to meet them there, unless Max would let them get to the car without me, seeing as I would, if it all worked out, be staying at the hotel probably holed up in my room in an effort to avoid my father and, undoubtedly, curled into a ball with seven boxes of Kleenex lamenting my hideous luck that Max could never be mine.
How, a week ago, I had a boring, predictable life where nothing happened and now everything was a complete and utter mess, I had no idea. I wasn’t rethinking my decision about Niles but I was rethinking my Colorado adventure and any future adventures I might be stupid, insane and irrational enough to consider taking.
Therefore on Monday afternoon, after the rental car person left, somehow, some way, I was heading to Denver and then I was changing my ticket and going straight home.
I could take no more of this.
I put the phone on the nightstand and looked up at Max. “They’re sending someone Monday.”
“Right,” he replied, standing weirdly close to me so I had to tip my head back really far to look at him then he asked, “How long’s it take you to get ready for somethin’ like The Rooster?”
It was a weird question to which I didn’t have enough information to provide a response. Furthermore, we had other things to talk about.
Still, for some reason instead of bringing up the other things we needed to talk about, I twisted on the bed, looked at Max’s bedside clock, seeing it was a four thirty. Then I looked back to him.
“When do we have to leave?”
“From here, in an hour.”
“It takes an hour to get there?”
“Yeah, how long’s it take you to get ready?”
“I don’t know. How fancy is this place?”
“For Colorado, fancy.”
Hmm.
“Guesstimate?” I told him. “Half an hour, forty-five minutes.”
His eyes went over my head to the clock then he muttered, “Not long, but it’s somethin’.”
Then he leaned down, put his hands under my armpits and suddenly I was lifted, Max’s knee was in the bed, I was hauled further onto it and then I was on my back, Max on me.
Drat. Just where I didn’t want to be.
Though with his heavy weight pressing me into the bed, I couldn’t help but think it felt like exactly where I wanted to be.
“Max –”
“Quiet, Duchess, we don’t got time to talk.”
“Max –” I said again as his lips hit mine.
“Quiet,” he repeated and then he kissed me.
I pressed against his shoulders and bucked my hips, both hopefully since he was big, heavy and, apparently, determined. My hopes were dashed, he stayed put and his tongue touched my lips. As much as I liked the feel, which was a lot, I twisted my head to the side. Undeterred, his tongue touched my neck.
That felt nice.
“Max.”
“What?”
“There’s something I need to say.”
“Yeah?”
I opened my mouth to say it but his tongue slid up my neck then traced the outside of my ear as his hand slid down my side then ducked under my sweater.
“Max,” I breathed since his tongue at my ear felt nicer than touching my neck, but I breathed it somewhat loudly.
“What, baby?” he murmured in my ear in his gravelly voice, my body shivered against my will, his hand slid up my belly then curled, warm and strong, around my breast.
Oh my God.
That felt beyond nice.
“Max –” I breathed again, a lot quieter this time, I was losing concentration since most of it was focusing on his hand and tongue.
“You keep sayin’ my name, Duchess, I’m right here.” Max was still talking in my ear but then his teeth nipped my earlobe as his thumb slid over my nipple.