07

« Who knew a woman didn’t have to say sexually inviting words to sound so damn sexy, » Max muttered and as soon as his words registered, my eyes snapped back to him. Only he wasn’t looking at me. He was looking at my mouth and the soft heat in his half-hooded eyes made me warm all over.

Then I narrowed my gaze at him, swatting him on the arm with the napkin. « The rest of mankind who’s not a misogynistic pig like you, that’s who. »

His quick grin was guiltless. « Hey. You’re the one who propositioned me. »

« And you’re doing everything you can to showcase yourself in the poorest light possible, » I shot back, unconcerned. « Don’t be too transparent, Max. »

He arched a brow at that. « Am I actually transparent or are you just seeing what you want to see ? »

I smiled. « Time will tell, Max. Time will tell. »

Max didn’t say anything until I finally pulled back and crumpled the damp napkin into a ball. « That looks better. Still looks a little rough but at least you don’t have to explain it to anybody at work on Monday. »

He snorted. « Speaking of jobs, don’t you have one to get up for tomorrow ? Or Monday ? It’s three in the morning. You don’t want to show up half-dead to the office. »

I rolled my eyes. « I’m lucky enough to be the boss of my own time—usually. I’m currently between projects so I have some time to relax. »

« You’re a writer, I remember, » he said as he watched me rise from his side of the booth and move back to my original seat. « What’s not relaxing about typing away on a computer whenever the mood strikes you ? »

Max definitely got playing obtuse down to a science but I willed myself to play along. « Writing isn’t a slacker’s job that everyone thinks it to be. It takes a lot of mental and emotional energy to create a world, a cast of characters, put words on a page and make it sound good, make the deadline and fight your way through revisions and editing. When I’m in the middle of a book, I only go out when I absolutely have to. »

« What kind of books do you write ? »

« Mystery, adventure, » I said. « I started out with young adult books. I started writing and publishing at sixteen. I wrote what I knew then. My characters aged with me as I wrote out the series. It’s a delicate balance to have my readers grow with me but also still offer them the same kind of thing they liked about my work to begin with. »

« And how old are you exactly ? »

« Twenty-three. Twenty-four in a few months, » I replied just as the waitress arrived with most of our order on a large tray. Suddenly starving, I picked up a deep-fried wonton and popped it into my mouth, sucking the grease off my fingers. I glanced at his arrested expression and figured he probably found me too young. « It’s only a little over a decade. And I approached you so you can’t be accused of being a cradle robber. I, on the other hand, can be called a grave robber because with your fast life, you’ve already got a foot in that dirt hole. »

Max made a face. « Thanks for doing the opposite of your intention and making that age gap sound worse than it really is. »

I grinned. « You make it so easy to aggravate you. But really, it’s fine. I’m old for my age so I need someone intellectually mature at the very least. Besides, a man of broader experience such as yourself is most likely a better teacher. I don’t expect you to teach me about relationships considering your lack of experience in them beyond the mere one-night stand but I assume there’s much you can show me in the intimacy department. If I’m going to have to sex, I’d like to become good at it. »

Max stared hard at me, almost like he was waiting for a punchline or a gotcha moment. I had to disappoint him.

« Why would you like to be good at sex ? » he asked and his expression warred between suspicion and annoyance.

My brows furrowed in confusion. « Because I like to be good at things I do. Doesn’t everyone ? You clearly do, especially in sex. Why, you’ve practiced on half the female population in North America. »

« Practice ? Why would I wear myself out with so much practice when I’m already a genius at it ? » he scoffed. « Did you ever think that maybe I was just doing good deed and pleasing as many women as I could in this lifetime ? »

I actually grinned at that.

« Ah, trust you to see it as your civic duty, » I said with a little snort. « Of course, you’d see nothing wrong with going from one woman to another. The devil can hardly wonder whether he’s doing evil things when he knows of nothing else. »

Max laughed and shook his head before slurping down a big spoonful of noodle soup. « Good point. Makes me wonder how angels know what’s bad when they’ve never done it. They have no idea just how good it can be. »

I could feel my cheeks grow warm but I didn’t look away.

« So, tell me, » he said with a teasing smile, sitting back and watching me. « Am I going to be source material for any of your future books ? Is that why you want me to play your boyfriend for a month ? »

« Modest of you to think you’re interesting enough to inspire a character but no, I’m not using you for a book I’m writing, » I reassured him. « At least not specifically. If I ever need some reference for the exasperating-unrepentant-arrogant-skirt-chaser type, I might pull out your file. »

He exaggerated a show of shock and disappointment, pressing a hand to his heart. « You’re not making me a lead character ? Don’t you think I’d make a good romantic hero ? The guy who doesn’t believe in love and all that sappy crap only to meet the woman of his dreams who will tame him and turn him into the perfect prince charming who will whisk her away on his white horse so they can live in his castle happily ever after ? »

I couldn’t help but smirk before reaching out to pat his arm gently. « It’s alright, Max. You can come clean and admit you secretly hoard romance books because you can’t get enough of them. This is a safe environment. I won’t judge you. »

He just gave me a droll look. « It’s alright, Aiko. You can come clean and admit you secretly covet my collection. Don’t worry, I might be persuaded to share—with the right incentive, of course. »

I laughed and lightly shoved at his arm. « You don’t have an off switch, do you ? »

Max’s eyes were bright with humor, the hard edges of his mouth softening. « I’m having trouble locating it right now but I don’t think you mind. »

I realized my fingertips were still touching his arm and we both gazed down at the contact. Neither of us made the move to break it.

« No. I don’t mind it at all, » I said softly just as Max’s own hand rested over mine.

We both locked gazes and there was the most fleeting moment of certainty about something inexplicable.

And I was the least superstitious person I knew.

But the contact broke when the waitress came to check in on us.

Seemingly thrown off by that odd shift in the air, we ate the rest of our meal in silence—not the awkward or ominous kind. More like we knew we couldn’t articulate exactly what was going on so we weren’t even going to try.

When the bill came, Max snatched it before I could and handed his card to the waitress.

« No, you’re not arguing with me, » he said after he finished paying. « Just as you’re not going to argue that I’m going to see you home first. You’re way past your bedtime. »

« I don’t have a bedtime, » I grumbled as I followed him out to the street where he hailed a cab. « I try to stick to a regular schedule but there are times when I’m writing something too important that I can’t just drop it. »

« Maybe you just need different priorities to tempt you away from your story, » he said as he held the door open for me. « The pleasurable kind, if you know what I mean. »

I grinned at him as he slid in next to me. « I know what you mean in theory but I wouldn’t mind a practical demonstration—the kind that lasts a month. What do you say ? »

Max groaned. « Stop it. You said I have a day to think about it. »

I decided to take pity on him and press no further. The man had had a long night.

This time around, I let him drop me off first at Paige’s apartment. I was halfway out when I stopped and turned around. I heard Max suck in a breath as I leaned close but he held his body still especially when my hands grasped at his sides so I could push myself up until we were face to face . A shaft of light coming in from the rear window played on his face and I could see his eyes on my lips. I smiled.

« Goodnight, Max, » I said before pressing a kiss on his unbruised cheek and drawing back to slip out of the cab.

I was all kinds of trouble tonight but as I let myself into the building with one last glance over my shoulder at Max who still waited inside the cab, I decided that this was the most fun I’ve had in a long time and I couldn’t wait for more.