The Millionaire Tempted Fate (A Novella) (Sweet and Savory Romances) (9 page)

She pulled open the door and he thought she’d never looked sexier, with her hair tumbling around her shoulders, an old T-shirt of his knotted at her waist, and a pair of baggy pale pink sweats that dipped to expose her bellybutton. Her mouth opened in a little O of surprise and something flipped deep inside him. "Max."

He started to speak, to try to explain why he was here in the middle of the night, and why he thought they shouldn’t kiss again. But all those reasons disappeared when he opened his mouth. "I, uh, wanted to—"

She raised her hand, and leaned forward, no, swayed really, which told him she’d been drinking. She placed a finger on his lips and her eyes met his with a devilish gleam. A gleam he knew well. Rum. Probably mixed with Coke. "Shhh. Don’t say anything. I promised myself that I would say this to you. As soon, as soon as…as possible."

All her s sounds came out with a
sh
. Okay, drinking
a lot
. "Angie—"

She pressed harder on his lips, then her gaze sharpened, and she drew in a deep breath. "Max Blackwell, I am in love with you."

3/4 cup all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup butter

3/4 cup sugar

2 tablespoons water

1 (12 ounce) package semi-sweet chocolate chips, divided

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

2 eggs

1/2 cup nuts, chopped, optional

You need some serious chocolate fortitude right now, especially after just spilling your heart to the man you love. Preheat the oven to 325 degrees. In a medium sized bowl, mix the flour, baking soda and salt. In a saucepan, melt the butter, add the sugar and water and half of the package of chocolate chips. Stir until melted and combined. Remove from stove, and beat in the eggs, one at a time, then gradually add the flour mixture and remaining chocolate chips. If you like nuts in your brownies, add those. If not, hey, don’t.

Pour into a greased 9-inch square pan and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted in the center comes out clean. Put on a really sad and sappy romantic comedy and eat the whole pan of brownies, or as many as it takes to stop feeling like you just made the hugest mistake in the world.

C
HAPTER
E
IGHT

The wall clock chimed midnight, and somewhere in the back of Angie’s head, a little warning bell sounded, but the message had been muted by the alcohol and the overwhelming need that had been brimming inside her ever since that kiss. She’d needed to tell him this, needed to tell him quick, before her fear got in the way again and he married the pretty little dental hygienist who was all wrong for him.

"You’re drunk," he said, laughing, taking her arm, and leading her into the room.

"Tipsy," she corrected, waving her finger.

"Whatever you say, Ang. Here, let’s get you on the couch. And I’ll make some coffee." He lowered her to the puffy loveseat in the corner of her living room and started to turn away. She grabbed at his arm. He wasn’t getting this, wasn’t believing her.

"Max, I’m not kidding. It’s not the Bacardi’s talking, well, it is, but only as liquid courage." She met his gaze, held it. "I’m in love with you. I have been for…well, forever."

"Angie—"

"And I think if you marry Becky, you’re making a major mistake. She’s…she’s all wrong for you."

"Let me get you some coffee." He broke away from her, and headed into the kitchen. Damn it.

She heard the water running, then a few minutes later, the quiet gurgling of the coffeepot. Max returned to the room, and grabbed an afghan off the armchair. "Here, why don’t you lay down and I’ll—"

"Max, stop." She sprang to her feet, her head clearing a bit with the movement. "Will you quit ignoring me?"

Max sighed, and dropped the blanket onto the arm of the loveseat. Chewie watched the entire exchange from the soft comfort of his doggy bed in the corner. "You aren’t in love with me, Angie. You’re—"

"If you say drunk one more time, I’ll punch you."

"Okay. You’re…not thinking straight. We’ve been friends a long time and—"

"Shut up, Max."

He sputtered to a stop. "Oh…okay."

"Shut up, before I lose my nerve." Then she took two steps forward, grabbed the lapels of his jacket, raised onto her tiptoes, and kissed him.

Electricity jerked through Angie’s body when her lips met his. Hot, sizzling, demanding, twice as strong as when he’d kissed her the other day, because now she knew how amazing a kiss with Max could be. To hell with playing it safe. To hell with caution and waiting and worrying about losing him as a friend. She wanted Max, and if she didn’t hurry the hell up and show him, she was going to lose him forever to a flower wearing perky dental hygienist.

She reached for his head, pulled him closer, and then darted her tongue into his mouth. He resisted for a split second, then his arms went around her body and she was so close she wasn’t sure where he ended or where she began. She did, however, notice the hard, long erection he was sporting between them. That alone gave her the courage to reach between them and slide a hand over his length.

He groaned. "Angie, what are you doing?"

"If you have to ask, then maybe you should repeat Health class."

He laughed, then drew back and cupped her face with his hands. "If we do this—"

"
When
we do this." She swallowed hard, and forced back the fear that still hung on the edges of her thoughts. Take a risk, she told herself. Take a risk. "I think that’s always been a chapter we knew was coming someday, don’t you?"

Their eyes met, and in that way that came from knowing someone for two decades, the knowledge that she was right, that this was a moment that had been coming ever since that first fumbled kiss, curled a tight grip around them. Max nodded. "There’s no going back, you know that, right? It’ll forever change things between us."

"Good," she said, running her hand over his erection again. "Because it’s about damned time things changed."

He held her gaze for one more long second, then leaned in and kissed her again, this time, hard, hot, fast. His hands worked at her shirt and hers worked at his belt and fly. A few seconds of fumbling, and his jeans were on the floor, followed by her T-shirt. He slid her sweats down to the floor, and she pushed his jacket off, then tugged his sweater over his head. She stood there, wearing nothing more than a pair of lacy panties, and thinking that even though Max had seen her a hundred times in a bikini, she had never felt more naked or sexy in her life.

A slow smile curved across his face. "You are….amazing."

She flicked a glance toward the bulge in his boxers. "I could say the same about you."

He chuckled. "I definitely think you…" he raised his hand to her shoulder, then let it slide slowly, oh so slowly, down her chest, slipping over her breast, then along the hollow of her waist, and around to the curve of her hips, "are the more amazing one."

She cocked a grin at him. "Well, I might need a close up view to properly vote." She reached for his boxers, bolder than she had ever been in her life with any man, and pulled them down. His erection sprang forward, and her pelvis tightened. "Oh.
Yeah.
Uh, you win."

"Yeah, I did. The day I met you." Max bent down, scooped Angie into his arms, then crossed to her bedroom. He lowered her to the bed, then looked down at her with a look of such tenderness, Angie almost cried. "Last chance to back out."

The moonlight coming in the windows kissed his strong features, and glinted in his eyes. Angie’s heart clenched, and she thought she had never loved anyone the way she loved Max. And maybe never would. Even if he did marry someone else, she would have this night.

It would be enough.

She hoped.

"I’m not going anywhere," Angie said. She reached for him, and Max lowered his muscular frame onto the bed. Her double, which seemed so vast when she was alone, shrank in size, bringing her chest to chest with him.

He ran a hand down her waist, slipping a finger under the lace waistband of her panties. His eyes seemed to darken, and the humor dropped from his features. "Oh God, Angie. If you only knew how much I’ve wanted you."

"Then stop wanting and start doing."

He smiled, then moved into position over her. She lifted her hips, he slid off her panties, and instead of plunging into her, he took his sweet time, kissing her, stoking a fire that was already roaring. His fingers worked magic between her legs, and before he slid into her, she was panting and gasping. She clawed at his back, clutched his tight ass, and begged him with her legs, her hands, her mouth, to make this an unforgettable night.

Because it might be the only one she ever had with the only man she’d ever loved.

1/3 cup quick cooking oatmeal

2/3 cup water or skim milk

½ teaspoon vanilla extract

¼ cup peanut butter

¼ cup jelly

You need a fast, easy breakfast that offers nutrition and an apology for last night. Mix oatmeal and water or milk in a bowl, microwave for 90 seconds, then stir in remaining ingredients. Leave on her bedside table with a note. Yeah, it’s taking the easy way out, but you’ve just screwed up the best thing you had going in your life and the repercussions are going to be huge. Oatmeal is, at least, a start, at setting the world back to rights.

C
HAPTER
N
INE

Max woke up with Angie curled into a warm, naked ball beside him. Sunlight washed her body with gold, danced light in her hair, the dark tendrils spread across the pillow in a dark tangle, just as he’d pictured it in his fantasy a few days ago. His first thought was how could he get so lucky to have a woman like her in his life?