by Sarah Spade
Zack opens the door.
I first met Dani’s boyfriend—no, fiancé—at a Halloween party. He was her neighbor, then the relationship turned serious, and now they’re engaged. He’s a good-looking, rugged type of guy, with shaggy brown hair and laughing brown eyes. I thought he was a little bit weird when we met, since he came to the party dressed up as a human, but he’s pretty cool.
“Allison, hi. Come on in. Dani’s in the kitchen, finishing up with the dishes. She’ll be right out.”
“Thanks.”
A gentleman, he takes my coat and purse from me, then looks at them like he doesn’t know where to put them and plops them down on one of the couch cushions. As much as he’s made himself at home in Dani’s place, Zack often gets this puzzled expression as if he’s confused.
Dani says it’s cute. To be honest, I still think Zack is a little bit weird.
He obviously adores Dani. Following the best friend code, that means I have to like him. Weird and all.
Dani joins us in the living room a few minutes later. She wipes her hands on her yoga pants, then waves over at me. “Hi! You’re right on time. Give me a second and I’ll get Max.”
I don’t know why I expect her to go and knock on the room he’s using. Maybe because I’m an only child. But Zack doesn’t even look a little bit surprised when Dani takes a deep breath before yelling out loud, “Max!”
“Yeah?”
“Company!”
“I’ll be right out.”
Dani beams at me. “He’ll be right out.”
I blink. “Okay.”
Dani strikes up a conversation about holiday travel, telling me about her drive home from Logan this morning. That’s most of what Mom and Dad talked about over dinner—whenever I got them off the topic of my new boyfriend—so I’m in the middle of talking about their trip when I hear the door to the closed room open.
Glancing in that direction, I get my first look at Dani’s older brother.
Tousled black hair. Crazy pale blue eyes. A dip in his chin, covered by a dark stubble. That sharp jaw.
Mine is on the darn floor.
I can actually feel myself go pale.
No. No, no, no, no, no.
This has got to be a joke.
Please tell me that Nick—my one night stand from Last Christmas, the man I’ve lusted over for twelve months, my big mistake and even bigger regret… tell me that Nick isn’t standing in Dani’s apartment when I’ve come over her to finally meet her brother, Max.
If Dani notices that I’m about to have a total breakdown in her living room, she’s kind enough not to say anything. In fact, as she edges closer to Nick, she looks more worried than anything else. As if she’s going to say something that I might not like.
I know that look of hers. It’s the Just let me explain, Allison look.
You would’ve thought I put two and two together. That look, coupled with Nick’s sudden appearance. Nope. I think I was still way too stunned by finding him in Dani’s place that it takes her carefully worded explanation for the truth to slap me upside my head.
“So, yeah. This is my brother. Max. Um, Max Dennis.”
Max Dennis.
Okay. So his name isn’t Nick—but, wait. Max Dennis.
I know for sure why I know that face. There’s no way I can forget when I stared into those same ice blue eyes as he entered me, or felt that thick black hair as I guided his face between my legs.
But that name… why do I know that name?
And then it hits me and I actually feel myself losing the rest of my color.
Oh. No.
No, no, no.
I didn’t have a one night stand with—
To find out that he’s Dani’s brother is enough of a shock. But this? I don’t know what has got me more twisted up: that he gave me a phony name just like I had given him, or that I actually know his real name. And it’s not what I would’ve expected it to be. Dani has spent the last year telling me all about her brother. I always assumed that his name would be the same as hers: Max Williams.
But it’s not.
Max Dennis.
Like the Max Dennis who is one of the partners of the marketing firm where I work.
And I slept with him.
I immediately start gathering up my purse and my coat. “I’m sorry, Dani, but I have to go.”
“Allison, wait. I don’t understand—”
“Ask your brother.”
Dani marches over to Nick—no, Max—and slugs him in the arm. “What did you do to her?”
He’s still staring at me in open shock. I guess he never expected to see me again. Well, he wasn’t wrong. After he ran out on me last year, I sure as hell never thought I’d see him again.
And I really, really don’t want to do this right now.
I grab the front door and jerk it open, every thought in my head telling me to flee, when his voice—that gravely, gruff voice—stops me.
“Your name is Allison?”
Dani sounds totally confused. “Yeah. Allison Shaw. She’s the girl I told you was coming over tonight.”
“Allison,” he echoes. “Not Mary?”
I wince.
“Mary? Who the hell is Mary? Allison, what is going on here?”
I can ignore Max. But Dani?
Turning around, I meet the confusion written on Dani’s adorable face. Her nose is wrinkled, her head cocked to the side.
I open my mouth, realize I have no idea what I’m about to say, and shut it. A second later, I blurt out, “Dani, you said there would be drinks. Where are they? I need a darn drink right about now.”
Though she jerks her thumb behind her toward the kitchen, I hear her say in amazement, “I thought you don’t drink, Allison.”
“That’s what I thought,” chimes in Max. “Virgin margaritas, right?”
Keeping my gaze straight ahead, my stomach twisting and my heart racing, I push past the other three with my purse and my coat in my arms. I sling my bag up on my shoulder, then tuck my coat underneath so that I have a free hand to pour some of the wine in a glass.
I take a sip, already knowing that I’ll hate the taste. I always do.
Blech. It’s awful, but no more awful than standing in that room a minute longer.
That’s when Dani bursts into the kitchen, Zack on her heels. Of course, when I dare a peek over, all I see is Max Dennis, his hands in the front pockets of his jeans, the look on his face telling me it’s like he’s seen a ghost.
I know the feeling.
My best friend comes over to me, gently yet purposely taking the wine glass out of my shaking hand. She sets it on the counter, before gesturing at me, then her brother.
“Okay. Someone needs to tell me. Do you guys know each other?”
“We’ve met,” Max answers dryly.
Zack looks from me to Max and back. And he laughs. “Oh, shit. I know that look. You. And him? Already?”
That’s it. I can’t do this. If Zack’s figured it out, Dani won’t be too far behind, and if she is? Zack can fill her in.
“I’m sorry. This was a bad idea. I’ve got to go. Now.”
Zack is still laughing as he follows me to the entrance. “You’ve got to be kidding me! This is priceless.”
“Not now, Zack,” I plead as I turn around. “Please.”
Dani she storms in behind Zack. She starts to scold her fiancé, but before she can even say one word, her head swivels and she stares in horror at the front door.
The front door I left open when I tried to escape to the kitchen.
“Salem,” she whispers.
I gasp.
Oh, no! Her cat!
Chapter 6
Max
I’m torn between who I should go comfort first.
There’s Dani, who looks like she’s either about to cry or scream, and Mary—no, Allison, it’s Allison—who looks like she’s about to throw up.
Zack zooms over to Dani’s side so quickly, I barely see the guy move
. He folds his big body around her, holding her close, murmuring his certainties that the cat has to be somewhere in the apartment. The door was only open for a few minutes, and Salem is probably hiding under the bed or something.
He gives her a quick squeeze, kisses the top of her head, then goes off to search while Dani starts snapping her fingers, calling the damn cat’s name.
Allison hesitates where she is, telling Dani how sorry she is, how it’s all her fault. I can tell she wants someone to hug her, too, and I’m more than happy to oblige.
I’m dreaming. I only take one step closer to her before her head shoots up and she’s glaring at me like I’m the one who forgot to close the door behind me.
Okay then. Since neither of them wants me to move their way, I stay in the center of the room.
Because, to tell the truth, I’m still rattled.
I… fuck. I’ve spent the last year thinking about this woman, dreaming about her, wishing I could go back and do it all over again. And here she is.
When Dani told me after my nap that she was inviting a friend over for drinks, I resigned myself to the fact that she was trying to hook me up with one of the pals she made in Salem. Now that she’s engaged, she’s got to be thinking that it’s about time I find someone.
I sure as hell never told Dani that I did, only to let her slip out of my hand.
The blonde hair, the stunning green eyes, those legs… she’s my Christmas gift, all wrapped up in a festive red sweater and jeans that seem to be painted on. She looks horrified to see me again. I can’t help but stare.
She’s more beautiful than I remember.
And when she drops to her hands and knees, peeking behind the couch, looking for Salem, my eyes are glued to her ass.
My cock is at instant attention.
Down boy. I palm it, giving it some relief, before following everyone else’s lead. Now Dani has joined in on the search, checking the bathroom, hoping the cat just got himself stuck in one of the cabinets.
Nope.
The four of us spend close to twenty minutes searching Dani’s small apartment. Allison makes sure to stay on the opposite side of any room we’re in together, though I’m a little encouraged by the looks she keeps shooting at me whenever she thinks I’m not paying attention to her.
Doesn’t she know that, with her here, I’m never not focusing on her?
Zack comes out of the bedroom after his third search, flashlight in hand. “I’m sorry, baby. We’ve looked everywhere. I think Salem really is gone.”
Dani’s chin trembles, blue eyes filled with tears.
My sister’s pain guts me.
“Maybe he ran out into the hall,” I suggest. “He could be curled up in a corner, not knowing how to get back into your apartment.”
“Or he could’ve gone down the stairs and ran out the front door,” Dani retorts.
I didn’t want to point that out. I know Dani, so I know where her head’s at. When we were kids, we had this orange cat who was supposed to be an indoor pet. Garfield. Good cat, friendly as hell, but he didn’t want to stay indoors. No matter what, he found a way outside. He always came home a couple of days after his most recent escape—until the day he didn’t.
Dani was the one who found him. It messed her up some, and explains why I was kind of surprised when she said she got a new cat. Of course, at the time, I was way more concerned with the new fiancé.
I walk over to her, give her shoulder a comforting squeeze. “Don’t worry about it. If he got out, we’ll find him. He’s probably scared. Food might lure him out, or treats. Worse comes to worst, he’s got a collar with his name and your number on it. If someone else finds him first, they’ll call you.”
Dani brightens a little. “You think so, Max?”
“Yeah.”
Zack’s a smart guy. He knows he’s got to get on my good side—and he’s even more determined to keep Dani’s spirits up.
“Your brother’s right, baby. We’ll check the halls, the elevator, and the stairwells. And if we can’t find Salem there? We’ll start searching the complex.”
Allison steps forward. “I won’t leave until we’ve got your cat back, Dani.”
Dani sniffs. “Thanks.”
I would’ve done anything I can to keep from my sister from being upset. But now that I know Allison is joining the search?
“I’d love to help, but I’m not from around here,” I say pointedly. “I wouldn’t really know where to look.”
Zack peeks up from where he’s still consoling Dani. His arm is slung around her shoulder, tucking her into his side as she presses her face to his chest. Glancing over his head, his gaze meets mine and, I swear, I see a twinkle in his eyes.
“Allison, why don’t you take Max with you?
I decide, in that moment, that maybe I won’t have to kill Zack for defiling my little sister.
Like I said. He seems like a real smart guy.
Allison
Zack set me up. I know he did.
Bum.
I can’t prove it, though. And if I tried to argue the many reasons why I shouldn’t be left alone with Max Dennis, I’d eat up time that could be spent looking for Dani’s cat.
My head is still spinning at his sudden appearance. The only thing worse? His identity!
I’ve known Dani for close to a year, ever since she moved to Salem in the beginning of January. How many times did she joke around and tell me that she wanted to set me up with her workaholic brother? Dani never said anything more than that he was an overprotective older brother type who worked around the clock. Oh, and his name was Max.
Considering the professional name she used was Danielle Williams, she might’ve mentioned that his name was Max Dennis. As in one of the partners who ran our firm.
Wonderful. Not only did I have the best sex of my life with Dani’s older brother, but he turned out to be my boss’s boss’s boss. I can’t believe it.
Just my luck.
Even worse? Because of the way I left Dani’s front door open, I’m responsible for her cat running away. So Zack might’ve thought he was being cute when he suggested that Max and me pair off together, but I would do it if it made Dani happy. It was my fault, and the faster I track the cat down, the faster I can drive back home.
Where my parents are resting and most likely waiting to continue to interrogate me on every detail about my life this past year.
Ugh.
Cat first. Parents later.
I can do this.
I click my tongue against my teeth, rubbing my fingers together. “Here, kitty, kitty.”
“His name is Salem,” Max offers helpfully.
As if I don’t know the cat’s name. “Uh-huh.”
“Just saying, if you call him by his name, he might answer.”
How can he stand right next to me, smiling and looking so goddamn handsome, and not act like he feels how awkward it is to be so close together?
Part of me wants to grab him and touch him and make sure that he’s really here and that I’m not imagining him. The other part wants to slap him and shake him and demand to know what the hell happened last year.
He made me tell him that I was his. Last Christmas, I believed him.
This is too much for me.
Gritting my teeth, I ignore both my urges—the horny ones, and the angry one.
Instead, I tell him, “If I shout out the name of the town, Dani’s neighbors are going to think something’s wrong with me.”
“Only trying to help.”
“You can help by leaving me alone,” I snap back. I’ve been trying not to let his presence get to me. It’s darn near impossible.
I start to walk away when he calls after me:
“That’s not what you said last year.”
I keep walking, swinging my flashlight to and fro, looking for it to bounce off of Salem’s reflective collar. “Yeah? Well, we both said a lot of things last year, didn’t we.”
Like you’re mine, right?
/> “Allison—”
Just the way he says my name—my real name—all low and sexy in that voice of his… it has me clenching my legs together. I go motionless, trying to fight how bad I still want this man.
No. No. I refuse to let him get to me after the way he left almost immediately following the last time he emptied himself inside of me.
So I say the one refrain that’s gotten me through the last twelve months.
“Don’t. Okay? Just stop. I know it didn’t mean anything. It was just sex.”
Behind me, I hear the heavy tread of his steps suddenly die. He’s gone as still as I am.
“Is that what you think?”
No. “It’s the truth.”
“I missed you,” Max says in a soft voice. “I didn’t want to leave.”
I start trembling in place.
Last year, on Christmas, I might’ve wanted this explanation. To wake up and see that he was gone… to him, it might’ve been a one night stand. Not for me. I gave him a little piece of my heart that night, knowing that there was enough of a spark there—a spark of attraction, a spark of hope—that we could’ve been something more. It was the only reason I brought him home with me. Because I absolutely expected to spend Christmas Day with my dark-haired, blue-eyed stranger.
But he left. No note. No apologies. With nothing but a first name—a bogus name, it turns out—to go on, there was nothing for me to do but put on my big girl panties, realize I’d been a fool, and forget about him.
I thought I managed to. Yeah, I’ve been dreading the holiday, and not just because of my parents’ annual visit. The deeper into December it got, the grouchier I’ve become. When Dani was upset about Zack leaving town for a while after that Halloween party, the two of us were able to be miserable in peace.
I didn’t ask questions about what happened to Zack, and she was so wrapped up in her heartbreak that she never wondered why I was loathing the approaching holiday.
It worked well for us. At least we still had work to bond over.
Of course, Zack came back to Salem two weeks ago and they got engaged almost immediately. Now Dani is a walking bundle of Christmas cheer and while I can’t blame her—I want my best friend to be happy—all I want to do is get through the rest of December without snapping.
