Mr. August (7 page)

Comfort food. ASAP. It was doubtful they had mac and cheese or tea. “I’ll have a cheeseburger with pickles and a chocolate shake.” After the conversation with Steph, she’d paced some more and battled a range of emotions until she found herself in the Jeep with her suitcases loaded in the back.

For a good twenty minutes, she’d sat with the motor running, staring at Max’s door, hoping he and Rory would magically appear and talk her out of leaving. If she’d been on her game she would have noticed right away that his car was gone.

When she found herself at the stop sign that would lead to the highway, she sat another twenty minutes, drumming her thumbs on the steering wheel, watching for Max’s station wagon. Finally, she turned right instead of left. And here she was, in a bar, on the brink of tears.

One of the locals held up his mug. The barmaid acknowledged him with a nod. “How would you like your burger cooked?”

“Well done, please.”

The barmaid winked. “I’m on it.”

Libby removed her jacket and slung it on the back of the chair. At the end of the bar a couple of coffee drinkers were loudly rehashing the results of last week’s football game. The man wanting a refill on his draft beer was seated by himself at the center of the bar. Two tables away an older couple was oblivious to anything except their baskets of deep-fried shrimp. To her left, a good-looking, dark-haired thirty-something guy sat reading the sports page of the newspaper and taking an occasional swig from a long-neck bottle of beer. He looked up from his paper and gave her a grin. Wow! Deep blue eyes. Million-dollar smile. Biceps that said “look at me”. He was exactly the type of guy that could make her heart burst into a gymnastic routine. Oddly, no cartwheels. No back flips. Not even the hint of a somersault.

Max watched Libby come into the bar and felt his gloom slip away. She was the most stunning creature with her holey jeans, leather choker and pink hair. He sucked in a breath. Every day since they’d met he’d fantasized about gently tugging on that choker to bring their mouths together. If he had any kahoonies, he’d do it…right here, right now. He’d kissed her the day he begged for a ride into town, but he hadn’t given it his all. He was afraid to show her how much she excited him. Man did she excite him—in ways no other woman ever had. Libby made him want to do crazy stuff, like kiss her in a bar…or fall in the lake again to get her to remove the wall that stood between them. And if her clothes came off in the process, he wouldn’t mind that either. Libby Griffin turned him on and drove him nuts at the same time. Everything about her threatened his man-badge, but truthfully, he’d give up the damned thing to be with her.

Libby sat at a table by the window so it was doubtful she could see him. He was thankful to have a few minutes to gauge her mood. She drummed her fingers on the table, folded the napkin into an accordion and fringed the edges of the paper placement. She was clearly on edge. He had a pretty good idea why.

Maybe he should just join her and get it over with. If she told him to get lost, he’d know where he stood and she could settle down. He wouldn’t, but that was his problem.

He was about to make his move when he noticed the guy at the table next to Libby sizing her up behind his newspaper. An unexpected surge of jealousy spiked through him. Max flexed his fists and appraised his competition. The guy must’ve won some sort of gene-pool lottery. Great hair. Freaking good looks. Women tripped over themselves to get a guy like him to notice them. He considered his own looks. He was in dire need of a haircut and the growth of his beard was getting out of hand. All Libby had to do was compare him to pretty boy and her choice would be easy.

****

While Libby waited for her food, she blasted herself for not following Steph’s suggestion and checking on Max. Maybe he was at the hospital at that very minute. She let out a heavy sigh. She’d allowed embarrassment to keep her away, which now seemed silly. They were both adults. She’d seen naked bodies. He’d seen naked bodies. It was no big deal. But she’d made it one.

A feeling of being watched made her shift in the chair. She turned to find the guy next to her checking her out. He’d laid his newspaper aside and was giving her strict attention while nursing his bottle of beer. Caught looking, Libby offered a half-smile.

In a flash, he was at her table. He’d obviously taken the smile as an invitation. “Mind if I join you?”

Libby put a hand up to keep him from sitting down. “Actually, I won’t be very good company. I have to inhale my food when it comes and then rush off. I want to get home before it gets dark.” That was a bit of a stretch since it was one o’clock in the afternoon and wouldn’t get dark until five.

The guy slid into the seat anyway. “So you’re not from around here?”

Sweet
, she thought sarcastically. Handsome but clueless. “I’m from Columbus.”

“I love Columbus.” That million-dollar smile notched to a billion and the fool scooted his chair closer.

Oh for the love of…

“I’m Nick Stockton.” He thrust his hand at Libby. She so wanted to grab her coat instead of his hand. “Libby Griffin.” The overconfident table-invader held onto her hand. Before Libby could make a scene by yanking it away, her food arrived. Nick was forced to let go.

“What do you do in Columbus, Libby Griffin?”

“Design clothes.”

A look of confusion raced across his expression. Libby pulled her lips in to keep from smirking. She had a style all her own, but in no way was she a fashionista, and it was hard for folks to imagine that she made a living designing clothes.

Nick didn’t seem to dwell on the contradiction of her appearance. “Awesome.” He moved even closer, his blue eyes shimmering with interest that she was sure had nothing to do with her occupation.

Libby didn’t want him in her space, or at her table, or within a five-block radius. She took a huge bite of burger and chomped it like she had no table manners whatsoever, hoping to disgust him into backing up.

Rats. He stayed put. Since there was no excuse for bad manners, she would have to put up with him…and make conversation. Besides, all Nick Stockton was guilty of was being interested. She should be flattered. “What do you do, Nick?”

“I own a fitness center.” Nick went into salesman mode with a spiel about the importance of exercise and diet, how many times a week to work out for maximum effect, blah, blah, blah. Libby tried to look as though she was listening, but she wasn’t—not even a little. Her thoughts were on a different dark-haired guy, one with a beard and an adorable dog.

“Do you agree?” Nick asked.

Libby nodded, but had no idea what she agreed with. She took another bite of burger followed by a sip of milkshake.

Nick forced her to tune back in. “You should see my equipment.”

His salacious grin made her drop her sandwich. She was fairly certain the buffoon wasn’t referring to an elliptical machine or treadmill. She frowned and was set to tell him to get lost.

****

Max wanted to flatten the guy’s nose but he wouldn’t do himself any favors by turning into a bully. He had to let things play out. If Libby went for the gene-pool lottery winner then he wouldn’t reveal his presence and he’d let her alone once and for all.

The guy moved into Libby’s personal space and she didn’t look pleased. Her brows knit together and her lips thinned with noticeable disdain. Max was overjoyed. He chuckled when Libby took an oversized bite of sandwich.

Max couldn’t stay in the booth one more second.

Right before he got to Libby’s table, the bonehead made a suggestive comment. Max’s jealousy was replaced with anger. He clenched his fists again and his voice boomed off the walls. “She doesn’t want to see your equipment or anything else.”

Libby’s head snapped around and her heart burst into a series of cartwheels. “Max.” She almost melted when he smiled.

Max looked as though he wanted to pummel Nick into the next county.

When he looked at Libby, he softened. “Sorry, I’m late, sweetheart.” Max put his hands at the nape of her neck and massaged her tight muscles.

The unspoken rescue filled Libby with warmth, but Max’s touch filled her with heat.

Nick’s gaze volleyed between her and Max, his brows bumped together with doubt and suspicion. “I thought you were in a hurry.”

Libby set eyes on Max while answering Nick. “I am.”

“She is, and so am I.” Max took Libby’s hand, planted a kiss on the palm and pulled her from the chair and into his chest. Their gazes held and Libby trembled.

Max fished a twenty-dollar bill from his pocket, held it up for the barmaid to see and laid it on the table. “We need to go.” His eyes searched Libby’s. Whatever he found in them made him smile and he hugged her tight.

The second they were outside, Max backed Libby against the side of the building, grinned liked he’d pulled a fast one and kissed her like there was no tomorrow.

A powerful surge of passion coursed through Libby, weakening her knees, catching the air in her lungs. “Max,” she gasped against his mouth, “I’ve missed you.”

“I missed you too, sweetheart,” Max whispered into her hair, dropped his hands to the small of her back, and pulled her tightly against him. He laid claim to her mouth again and kissed her long and hard until they had no choice but to come up for air.

Libby blinked up at Max, barely able to speak. “Where did you learn to kiss like that?”

Max’s eyes shimmered like blue diamonds. “Best compliment ever.” His smile made hers bigger. He ran his thumb across the fullness of her lips, making her tremble again. He laid his forehead on hers. “I wanted to march over to your cabin so many times in the past couple of days and kiss you until we were breathless.” He shook his head. “I should have.” Max lifted her chin. “Libby, there’s so much I need to say. Is there any chance…?” Before he could finish the question a mound of snow fell from the roof. The frozen powder went everywhere—in their hair, down the front of their jackets, in their boots.

“Brr! That’s so cold.” Libby pulled her jacket open to let the snow-fall out.

Max brushed the white stuff from her hair and shoulders. She did the same to him.

“Like I started to say, would you like to go back to my cabin?”

Libby was overwhelmed at the thought, but she didn’t hesitate even a second. “I’d love to.”

In some ways, hooking up with Max made no sense, yet it was flawless logic. They were two misfits who seemed to inspire one another. Plus when they kissed, they generated enough heat to bring the snow off rooftops.

Libby’s subconscious warned what it meant to go to Max’s cabin. They were going to make love, but they weren’t in love and the potential for regret was huge. She should probably listen to the inner-voice that had been her mainstay these last few weeks, but the passion pumping through her was stealing her ability to hear anything except the rapid thud of her heart.

Max folded her hand in his and carefully guided them to the passenger side of his car. He kissed her again, and any lingering doubt about accompanying him back to the cabin vanished. Right or wrong, she wanted Max.

Max ran his thumb down her bottom lip, across her chin, and tenderly down to the hollow of her throat, Libby thanked him with a moan that she couldn’t hold back if she tried.

“We’ll come back for your car later.”

Libby nodded with a grin.

“They won’t tow it if we don’t come back for a few days, will they?”

Max’s eyes went wide but he also smiled. “If they do, I’ll buy you a new one.”

Libby giggled against his chest to keep from saying the things firing through her brain—that with just a look he took her breath away and when he kissed her, he removed her inhibitions, and how she was sure that when they made love he would get the rest of her: heart, soul and body. Although, she was fairly certain she gave him her heart on…day one? No way. Her subconscious tapped her with the truth—yes way!

****

At the corner of Duck Drive and Mallard Lane, Libby nudged Max with her elbow. “Stop the car!”

Max hit the brakes. “What’s wrong?”

Libby pulled her lips in to ward off a grin.

Max cocked an eyebrow.

“Put it in Park,” Libby urged, easing out of her jacket and tossing it in the back seat. She tugged at Max’s jacket until it was off too. She looked in every direction and slid into his lap. “Since we’re the only ones in the campground…”

Max laid his head back and Libby moved in with a kiss. She devoured his mouth and ran her hands through his hair. He moaned, prompting her to move from his mouth to the soft flesh under his chin. She suckled lightly and nipped her way to his ear where she grazed his lobe with her tongue.

“Libby, honey,” Max whispered, the rasp of passion cracking his voice, “I…” Instead of finishing his thought, he moaned again and worked his hands under her shirt. He cupped her breasts over her bra. Something so simple blasted Libby with so much heat it felt like he’d taken a blowtorch to her body. She writhed in his embrace and felt the pressure of his arousal push against her.

“Max, we should probably…” Libby put her mouth against Max’s ear. “…we should…” She fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, managing to get enough unbuttoned so she could run her fingers through the hair on his chest. “Max, we…I…need you so much.”

“I need you too, Libby,” he replied quietly. “We should take this to cabin.” Urgency wrapped each word.

Libby nodded, pecked Max’s mouth, and moved off his lap. “Look what you did to the windows,” she giggled nervously.

“What I did?” They laughed, but the moment their gazes connected the mirth vanished. “You’re an amazing woman, Libby Griffin!” Max used the back of his hand to wipe the fog that gathered on the inside of the windshield.

It took less than a minute for the cabins to come into view. As soon as the car came to a rest, Max made a mad dash to the passenger side to open Libby’s door. He pulled her into his chest and held her for a few long seconds. Libby felt his rapid heartbeat keep time with hers. Finally, he tipped her chin so they were eye to eye. “Are you sure about this?”