“Listen, Anna, I was only trying to help.” He shoved his hands in his pockets and she could have sworn he was pouting. And Anna would have laughed if it wasn’t hurting so much. Pain coiled in her chest as she looked at him. Never had a man’s opinion of her ability to run her business mattered so much.
She swallowed. “Do you not think much of my business sense?”
His shoulders slumped and a warmth darkened his eyes. “No, I really don’t think you need my help. It’s just…I don’t know. It was stupid, but, well…I just thought I could help you. Be a part of your decision making process.”
The last part was said with such longing it struck a chord within her. “You just wanted to help me.”
As if he couldn’t stand the space between then, he stepped forward and pulled her against him.
“I’m sorry. I know I was being a pig. I really don’t know what came over me.”
Anna snuggled closer, resting her nose against his neck. God, he felt so good. The warmth of his body surrounded her. She slipped her arms around his waist.
“Anna?”
His voice had a hint of worry in it so she pulled back just a bit and looked at him.
“It’s okay, Max. I just thought you thought I was an idiot.”
He cupped her face and bent down to kiss her but before he reached her lips, he said, “I’m sorry, honey. I’m an ass.”
Before she could respond, he touched his lips to hers and she forgot her anger. His kisses were tender but underlined with a hint of passion so intense she felt tears brimming in her eyes. How did this man do this to her? The sweetness of the kiss conveyed deeper feelings. Feelings of want, of need, of more than just a good time. She knew he didn’t mean those for her; she wasn’t the type of woman who inspired that in a man, but as he continued his gentle assault, nipping at her bottom lip, he kept his eyes open. Heat curled in the pit of her stomach. And even though it was not as demanding as most of Max’s kisses, Anna knew that this one could be her undoing. Because while her body responded, so did her heart. She wanted to shrink away from the feelings bombarding her. Arousal and fear twisted together, pulling her further under his spell. What she saw in his eyes scared the hell out of her, but what he was doing to her mind and heart was by far worse.
Before she was satisfied, before the fires he had been stoking had the opportunity to flame higher, he pulled back.
“Anna, I --”
The realtor cleared her throat, and whatever he wanted to say was lost.
She looked around Max and met the woman’s disapproving stare. “Sorry, but Max is right. This place sucks.”
Max chuckled as she grabbed his hand and pulled him behind her. “Don’t worry, we’ll show ourselves out.”
* * * * *
Three weeks after the start of their affair, Max sat as his desk looking over some reports, and tried to ignore the worry clawing at his stomach. There was something definitely wrong with Anna lately. Oh, she’d been as loving as usual, as playful as he’d come to expect, but…there was something missing. She no longer had that little sparkle in her eye she used to have when she teased him.
They’d practically been living at each other’s houses for the past few weeks. The nights they’d spent together had come to mean more to him than getting to work on time. And he didn’t need anyone to tell him how out of character that was for him. It had never happened before. On top of that, he’d canceled two business trips, and a much needed board meeting. To others it may seem tame, but to Max, rescheduling trips and meetings was just not done.
He leaned back in his chair and propped his feet on the desk. Max hadn’t told Anna he loved her. Not yet. She’d flip out if he told her, and he didn’t want anything disturbing her. His plan was working, except for one small thing. Anna was already pulling away from him. Little by little over the past few weeks, she’d erected a wall. Not in the bedroom, never there. Anna gave herself willingly when it came to sex. But the intimacy he wanted -- hell, he craved -- wasn’t there. The knot in his gut tightened. She kept trying to find ways to keep from being seen together in public. Like she didn’t want anyone to know they were involved.
Without knocking, Jeanine walked in. “Well, must be nice to be the boss. Taken to long afternoon breaks, have we?”
He dropped his feet on the floor and straightened. “What did you need?”
She eyed him, her soft blue eyes showing her concern, but didn’t say anything else about it “I need your signature on these forms and then I’m out of here. I’m going to Orlando for the weekend.”
He signed the forms and handed them back to her. “Don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.”
“And lately, that means just about anything. See ya Monday, Max.”
Once alone, his mind turned back to his problem. There had to be some way, some plan he could come up with, to get Anna to admit that she loved him.
* * * * *
Anna sat at a table in the back of her shop, filling ketchup bottles. They’d had some heavy traffic the past few days, and she hadn’t had time to do the little things that needed to be done. The stress of the job was getting to her. Just today, she’d snapped at Myra for getting someone’s order wrong. And that just wasn’t like Anna at all.
Anna sighed. She knew what the problem was -- her relationship with Max. Keeping it at the level it was, not giving herself completely to him, was taking its toll on her nerves. Each day, she woke with the determination to keep herself aloof, to hold back. By that night, every fiber of her being wanted to shout out her love for him. His gentle passion, his aggressive play, all of it was driving her over the edge, pushing her further.
“Anna, I was wondering if I could take off early.”
She glanced up from her task to find Myra eyeing her with trepidation. “No problem, Myra. And I am really sorry for losing my temper with you today.”
“Oh, no, I understand.” But even as she said it, Anna watched the tension drain from her posture. “With work and your relationship with Mr. Chandler -- ”
“What do you mean, my relationship with Max?” she asked sharply.
Myra tensed again, and Anna regretted her outburst.
Myra cleared her throat. “Well, I guess I assumed, like everyone else, that you two were an item.”
Oh, Lord. She’d tried her best to keep it under wraps because she was sure she wouldn’t be able to handle the pitying looks when Max and she broke up. She could take name calling and dirty looks but pity…that would be hard to take. Anna looked down, staring blindly at the ketchup bottle in her hand. Everyone in town knew what a catch he was, and if they split, she knew they would assume she’d done something.
“It’s just…”
When Myra didn’t finish, Anna looked up. “It’s just what?”
“Y’all aren’t seen out anywhere, but he’s been here more than usual. And well, Anna, you all park in front of each other’s houses. You know how this town is.”
She nodded, not sure if she could find her voice. It wasn’t that bad. So everyone knew they were having an affair. Big deal. So, there might be a few bumps in the road when they split, but really, why was that so bad. Anna never cared about fitting in with people in her hometown. She loved it here, but that was it. From her teens on, she’d known she wasn’t a conformist.
And when they split up, she would move on, push ahead, find someone else. So what if they pitied her? She knew that when it came down to it, both of them would decide that splitting was for the best.
“It’s okay, Myra. I completely understand. Go study for your finals.”
Relief filled Myra’s face and she nodded. Once alone, Anna decided that maybe things with Max weren’t so bad. So what if everyone in town knew what was going on? She could face them -- she could face anyone.
Anna stood and started to gather the empty ketchup bottles when the bell on the door jingled. Without looking up, she said, “We’re closed for the day.”
When the person said nothing and didn’t l
eave, she looked up to find Cynthia shooting daggers at her.
“Oh, I think you may want to have a chat with me. It seems you’ve been fucking my fiancé.”
Chapter Eleven
For a moment, Anna couldn’t think. Who the hell was Cynthia talking about? Then, like a fifty-pound bag of coffee beans, it hit her. Max. She was claiming that he was still her fiancé.
“What do you mean?” Anna asked.
Cynthia walked down the aisle, avoiding the chairs that had been left out by customers. She was dressed in a pale green linen suit, not a hair out of place, her makeup perfectly applied. Damn, Anna hated cheerleaders. And Cynthia had been head cheerleader their senior year in high school.
“I think you know what I mean, Anna.”
“No, I really don’t.”
Cynthia smiled, but with no real humor. “The whole town knows you two have been screwing around for weeks, while I was gone on that trip Max sent me on.”
Anna laughed. “Max sent you on a trip after you dumped him? I don’t believe that for a minute.”
“Yes, I dumped Max, but we got back together the next day. Didn’t he tell you about my visit to the office?”
Anna shook her head, hoping that her shock didn’t show on her face. Letting a cheerleader like Cynthia think she had the upper hand could be deadly.
“He showed up late, but you know about that, don’t you?” Her smile turned positively evil. “I told him that for the benefit of the families and the business, the marriage should go on. And you know Max -- the family business is more important to him than anything else.”
Anna swallowed. Her mind raced from one possibility to the next. Why hadn’t Max told her that Cynthia came by to talk to him, if he had nothing to hide? No, there was no way Max would use her like that.
“I went on the vacation he’d booked for the two of us, because Max said he couldn’t get away.” Her eyes traveled down Anna’s body and then back up, distaste darkening her blue eyes. “Now I see what was keeping him busy.”
A knot formed in Anna’s stomach as she tried to ignore the seed of doubt Cynthia had planted. To hide her reaction, she turned and walked to the counter to set the empty bottles down.
Cynthia, apparently sensing her faltering thoughts, went on the attack.
“You didn’t think he actually cared for you? Really, Anna. Max is a businessman. What use would he have for you? He needs someone who could be his partner at home and in public. Could you actually see yourself dressed for a cocktail party, rubbing elbows with some of the biggest names in Atlanta? You know he goes to those kinds of things often, and he needs a wife by his side.”
With each comment, she chipped away at Anna’s resolve. What had she been thinking? She’d told herself it was another fling, but deep down, she wanted Max to want her forever.
The knot in her stomach tightened, and a wave of nausea swept through her. She swallowed her anger and pain, and turned to face Cynthia.
“Do you have anything else you want to say to me, Cynthia? I have work to do.” She’d deliberately kept her voice smooth, hoping to throw her off the hunt.
The other woman’s eyes narrowed. “No. I just wanted you to know I talked to Max’s parents, and they agree with me. This wedding will happen. Nothing will stand in the way. Especially not some little slut like you.”
The pain she’d been hiding swiftly twisted into anger. Anna could take a lot of things, and thought she could handle people saying things about her. Had done so in the past with no problem, but this time was different, especially from the woman Max had wanted to marry at one time.
“Let me tell you something, Cynthia. Whatever you think is going on with Max and me, you are dead wrong.” Her words lashed out. Satisfaction warmed Anna when Cynthia lost her smile and took a step back. “And if you ever show your face in here again, you won’t leave here looking so pretty. I take offense at people calling me names on my own property.”
Without taking her eyes off Anna, Cynthia walked to the door. If Anna hadn’t been so angry, she would have laughed when Cynthia bumped into the door. She slipped through the door, leaving Anna alone with her thoughts.
She’d been fooling herself with Max. After all these years, Anna wanted forever. She wanted the white picket fence, but with a man she couldn’t have. She didn’t fit into Max’s lifestyle any more than he fit into hers.
Anger heated her blood. She was mad at Max for letting it go this far and even angrier with herself for falling in love with him. She drew in a deep breath, but it hurt. The anger twisted in her stomach, in her heart. The pain, the regret, the betrayal, sent a wave of icy chills through her body.
Why hadn’t he ever told her about Cynthia changing her mind? They usually talked about everything, but he’d never mentioned Cynthia showing up, or that he’d sent her on the trip he’d planned for the two of them. She remembered when he booked the trip as a “pre-engagement” party thing. Max thought it would be good for Cynthia and him to get away.
He’d lied. By omission maybe, but he’d still lied. Oh, Anna was sure Cynthia had dumped him, just like he’d said, but then come to regret her choice. Why hadn’t he told her then, before they’d slept together again, before she had a chance to fall in love with him?
She collapsed on one of the stools at the counter, tears now flowing freely. The truth was, she’d always been in love with him. Dammit, she’d walked into this thing with her eyes wide open, knowing that, just like the others, he would leave in the end. So why did her heart feel as if it had been torn to shreds?
Because somewhere deep inside her, she’d hoped Max would be different. He would be the one to stay. But he’d lied. Even as he’d seduced her, he’d lied. And she’d bought it, fool that she was. Anna stood and wiped away the tears. Well, she wouldn’t be made a fool of, even by the man she loved. She’d end it her way, the only way, and then somehow pick up the pieces of her life and go on.
Chapter Twelve
As Max drove to Anna’s house later that night, he couldn’t fight the feeling that something was really wrong. Anna had said she would meet him at his house for dinner, but when he arrived, she hadn’t been around. He called the shop, her house, her cell, and she hadn’t answered any of them. Worry knotted his stomach. This just wasn’t like Anna at all.
He pulled into her driveway and parked behind her car. Every light in her house blazed, and when he stepped out of his car, the sound of southern rock reached him. A foreboding sense of déjà vu swept through him.
Eager to dispel the worry, he strode up the steps and, without knocking, walked through her front door. She wasn’t in her kitchen. Max found her sitting on the couch. The same one they’d made love on the first time, and many times since.
Anna was staring out the back window at the fading sun. She’d tucked her feet up under her, her broomstick skirt spread out around her, a can of soda in her hand.
“I’ve been trying to reach you, Anna. Why haven’t you answered your phone?”
She took a sip of her drink. “You called?” Her voice was distant and cold. His worry increased, and his stomach turned.
“Yes. You were supposed to meet me at my house for dinner. Where the hell have you been?”
She finally looked at him, one eyebrow raised. He couldn’t help the anger in his voice. Desperate panic was racing through him, and it was his only weapon.
“I’ve been here.”
“Cut the bullshit, Anna. What the hell is going on?”
“Nothing. Especially not between us. Not anymore.”
Even knowing what she’d planned, Max still couldn’t fight the shock of the words when she finally said them.
“So that’s it. You’re just going to dump me like the others.”
Something flickered in her eyes, something he just couldn’t define.
Regret? Pain?
No, Anna had always said there was no regret when she dumped a guy. No pain. It was just over.
“I’m sorry, Max, but you know
I don’t like having a relationship grow stale.” She shrugged as if to say What else could she do?
Anger and pain swirled in his chest. “‘Grow stale’? Really, is that what you call it, when last night you were moaning my name when you came?”
She opened her mouth to argue, but he held up his hand.
“Never mind. Don’t worry about it. Just another of your “boys,” am I? Fine. If that’s the way you want it. Just know that in the morning, you have to look at yourself in the mirror. How you do it, Anna?”
“How do I look at myself in the mirror?”
“No. How do you stand being the cold bitch everyone thinks you are?”
She didn’t say a word. Her refusal to fight pushed him over the edge. Max leaned down and pulled her up by her arms. Ignoring her gasp, he crushed his mouth against hers in a bruising, almost painful kiss. When she didn’t return the kiss, anger had him shoving her away. Her eyes rounded in shock, but she still didn’t say a word.
“I hope that keeps you warm tonight, but I have a feeling a woman like you would be cold no matter what.”
Without another word, he turned and strode from the room.
Within minutes, he was speeding through the residential section of his neighborhood, trying to ignore the bone-wrenching pain coursing through him. His fingers tightened on the steering wheel as he thought about her aloof reaction to his anger. Dammit, how could she do something like this to him? He was different than all the other men before. He loved her. Didn’t she understand the difference?
He parked his car in his garage, then walked through the mud room and into the kitchen. Max stopped cold when he realized all the lights were on even though he’d turned them off earlier. It was then that the smooth sound of soft pop reached him, and he walked to his living room. There on his couch sat Cynthia. A fat, satisfied smile stretched across her face when she saw him.
“It’s about time you got home, Max. Where have you been?”
A Little Harmless Sex Page 6
