“I am so glad to see I can make you forget everything but me.” He laughed, a husky, tender sound that sent ribbons of warmth curling through her. “I asked you to break dinner plans to go out with me. You said I should convince you, remember?”
He reached out and traced the outline of her moist lips with his fingertip, reminding her of the kiss and all that had passed between them. “So did I convince you?”
Her tongue darted out, coming into contact with his salty skin.
He sucked in a startled breath and he met her gaze. “I’m going to take that as yes,” he warned.
He could take her anywhere, anytime, but she wasn’t about to tell him that. Instead she cleared her throat and straightened her shoulders. “Dinner sounds great. But I can guarantee you that without a reservation there’s not a place around that doesn’t have at least an hour or more wait.”
Dinner, reservations, Toni hoped everyday conversation would center her somehow, but after this interlude, she doubted her feet would touch the floor again tonight.
“Then it’s a good thing I have an in at someplace special. You ready?”
“Dressed like this?” She glanced down at her green tights and fur-lined skirt and wished she hadn’t come to work dressed as an elf but had changed at the office instead.
He took in her outfit, one she hadn’t thought of as sexy until she saw herself in his glazed eyes. “The place I have in mind doesn’t have a dress code.”
“How about a people code?” She pulled at her hat until the pins gave way and she tossed it aside.
He slid his fingers over a long strand of her hair. “Everyone’s allowed, bar none, including elves.” His eyes twinkled with mischief. “Just leave the reindeer outside.”
“Cute.”
“No, I’m serious. The place is called Bar None and you’re more than welcome. My old college roommate owns the joint. So will you come with me?”
In his eyes, she saw the same hope and anticipation alive inside her and grabbed for her courage. “Okay, Max. Lead the way.”
Max had a hard time concentrating on driving with Toni beside him. She shifted in her seat and he felt the heat of her stare.
“While you were twirling me around my office . . .” she began.
“And kissing you senseless . . .” He couldn’t help but remind her of what he’d never forget.
Toni shot Max a wry glare. “You didn’t mention this place was in the boonies.”
“That’s because you didn’t ask.”
She held her hands out in front of the heater, but he doubted she needed the warmth. He pulled his truck past the train station, lit by traditional colored Christmas lights that gave the place a festive look, much like the rest of the smaller town. Another half-mile down, Max turned into a private street and pulled the car into a gravel parking lot. The Bar None, an old-fashioned pub and restaurant, was in the same upstate town where he lived and worked, a good forty-minute car ride from New York City.
“Forget me asking. I think you were more afraid I’d say no.”
He grinned. “That, too.” After their second kiss, the one where they’d connected on too many levels to count, Max hadn’t been about to lose her by mentioning a little detail like distance. “I gave you the chance to turn around, didn’t I?”
She laughed. “While you were doing fifty-five, yeah, you did.”
He’d then proceeded to find out as much about his elf as possible, discovering she was at a turning point in her life. Feeling overburdened and overworked, she had the new year pegged as a fresh start. She hadn’t elaborated and he’d given her the freedom to reveal as much or as little as she desired.
Though he didn’t want to spook her by getting too serious too fast, Max knew he had every intention of being part of her new beginning. He shifted to park.
“So your friend owns this place?” she asked, glancing around her.
He nodded.
“Gorgeous decorations.”
Max took in the icicle lights dripping from the shingles and overhang along with the colored lights circling the surrounding shrubbery, seeing the setting he viewed daily from her new, awed perspective. “They are incredible.” And so was she.
“How do you plan on explaining me? My outfit, I mean.” She laughed, a lilting but embarrassed sound that reminded him of her jingling bells. Those she’d removed somewhere during their ride up the West Side Highway and they lay in the center console.
“I’ll just tell him you’re Santa’s helper.” He turned in his seat and reached for her hand.
She tipped her head to one side, a wry smile curving her lips. “And you think he’ll buy that?”
He shook his head. “Doesn’t matter to me what Jake believes. But it matters to me what you believe.” He’d only known her a few hours but the connection he felt with her was real.
Her lashes fluttered upward as she met his gaze. Deep and compelling, her eyes settled on him. Did she know? Understand? Feel the same overwhelming attraction and need as he felt pulsing through his body at this very moment?
Max wondered. He’d never fallen hard and fast for a woman he barely knew, but he had now. Feeling vulnerable wasn’t something he was used to and he suddenly needed proof she felt the same. “Tell me something. Since you brought it up, what was behind the elf outfit?” He’d heard his brother’s version. He wanted to hear hers.
She glanced away. “I was just spreading some holiday cheer.”
“Maybe that’s part of the reason, but I doubt it covers everything. And before we go into that crowded bar, I want to know more about you.” Something that would show him she trusted him. Something to prove to him that this . . . thing . . . between them wasn’t all one-sided.
She bit down on her lower lip. “What did Stephan tell you about me? And don’t tell me you didn’t ask.”
He laughed, admiring both her intuition and nerve. “That you organized the children’s visit to Santa and the gifts. That’s all.”
She inclined her head. “And you want to know why.”
He shook his head. “I want to know you.”
Looking into his eyes, Toni believed him. Though nothing had been said aloud, somewhere between kissing him and . . . well . . . kissing him, a sense of caring had developed, too. They didn’t know nearly enough about one another but he was giving her the opportunity to change that.
She’d never admitted her past to a man before, never felt close enough—yet she felt that closeness now. The vulnerability she normally associated with opening up to a man was nowhere to be found. Considering she wasn’t planning anything more than the here and now, the notion rattled her. Badly.
His hand brushed her cheek and remained there. “You can trust me, sweetheart.”
As she turned her head so his palm cupped her face, a renewed sense of rightness swept through her. “I spent my childhood in and out of a women’s shelter,” she admitted. “Whenever my mother got up the courage to leave, we’d find one my father didn’t know about. Then when things got rough, she’d go back to him and it would start all over again.”
He let out a low growl. “That shouldn’t happen to any child.”
“Exactly.” She shrugged self-consciously. “Which explains the Christmas party and my elf outfit.”
“Which explains my attraction to you,” he murmured.
“You have a thing for little women dressed in green?”
“You make yourself sound like a Martian.” He burst out laughing but sobered fast. Nothing about what she’d revealed was funny. “Actually, I have a thing for a certain raven-haired beauty with a big heart.”
She shook her head, flushed. “Don’t give me that much credit. Really. It’s all very self-serving. When I got out of high school, I swore I’d finish my education somehow. No matter how many student loans I had to take, I promised myself I’d find a way to be self-supporting so I’d never run out of options like my mother had.”
“And you’ve accomplished that.”
; “With a little unexpected help,” she said, gratitude evident in her tone. “I found out when my mother passed away she’d taken out an insurance policy. Enough money to cover my education—after the fact. So my loans are paid off, but I spent years working like a demon for that sense of security.”
“But you’ve got that now.”
“Most definitely.” She turned away, reaching for the door handle. “I’m starving,” she said, changing the subject.
Obviously she didn’t want to take things too quickly, but Max made a mental note to find out more. “Toni, wait.”
She glanced over her shoulder.
“One more question.”
“Yes?”
“You thought you were kissing my brother.”
Even in the darkened car he could see the heat of a blush rise to her cheeks. “Mistaken impulse,” she said.
“Any feelings behind it?”
“Just one.”
He waited a beat before she finally finished.
“Regret.”
Max felt as if he’d been kicked in the gut. Until she turned completely and scooted over in the seat, so close he could smell her perfume. “I regret that you obviously think there was something going on between me and Stephan. Or that I have feelings for your brother other than friendship.”
“Don’t you? You initiated that kiss. I have a hard time believing it was born of feelings of friendship.” Despite the fact that she’d let him into her heart and the painful parts of her past, she’d yet to openly admit her interest in him.
“This is so humiliating and I’m going to sound so desperate.” She laughed and shook her head. “I thought I was interested in your brother and I acted on the opportunity.” She shrugged. “Turns out I was wrong.” Those velvet green eyes met his. “I thought I wanted Stephan—until the second I kissed you.”
Max had his answer and let out a ragged breath of air. She wanted him, too. So, he thought, let the night begin.
CHAPTER THREE
“Hey, Detective, how’s it going?”
“Just fine, Milt.”
Detective? Max had grabbed Toni’s hand and she followed him through the crowd at the bar to the back of the paneled pub, decorated with silver and green tinsel along the top of dark wood. There was no way he could hear her above the din so she waited until they’d reached their destination before yanking on his hand and capturing his attention. “You’re a detective?”
“Private investigator. Why?”
“No special reason. I just had no idea what you did for a living.”
“And now you do.” He turned toward the bar. “Hey, Jake, give me a round of . . .”
Max turned toward Toni and she shrugged. “Whatever you’re having is fine.”
“Two Coronas.”
The man he’d called Jake, a light-haired man about the same age and height as Max, nodded in return. “Hey, Brownie,” Jake called to someone across the room. “Get your ass up and give the detective his table.”
Max laughed. “I have a standing seat in the corner.” He gestured toward a high table with two barstools where an older man was clearing out.
“He doesn’t have to give up his seat for us,” Toni said.
“He damn well does. If we don’t boot him out of here, he drinks too much. He’s too lazy to stand on his feet all night. This way he’ll go home and sleep it off.” Max caressed her face with his knuckles. “Trust me. I’ve been through this routine before.”
“You’ve booted him out for his own good? Or booted him out to make room for you and another woman?” She bit the inside of her cheek, hating herself for asking but needing the answer just the same.
“There are no other women.”
Toni liked the answer, but couldn’t help wondering if he was telling her what he thought she wanted to hear. Seconds later, he dispelled her concerns by cupping her cheeks in his palms and lowering his lips for a seductive, heated kiss. One that left her gasping for air, unable to think, and the subject of intense speculation, she realized, as he lifted his head.
The stares of onlookers turned into a slow round of applause and more than one whistle of approval. “Way to go, Detective.”
Embarrassed, she lowered herself onto the nearest barstool with shaking knees, just as Jake arrived with their drinks.
“You sure do know how to make an entrance, Corbin. Now are you going to introduce me to your lady?”
“His lady?”
Jake laughed. “I’ve owned this place nearly ten years and he’s never brought a woman here before. If you can think of another label, just let me know.”
Max joined his friend’s amused chuckling. “See? Proof to back up my claim. Jake Bishop meet Toni . . .”
“Larson,” she said, extending her hand before his friend realized how little they knew about each other.
“Nice to meet you, Toni.” Jake swung a towel over his arm. “Can I get you two something to eat? My burgers are the best.” Without waiting for an answer, he disappeared into the kitchen.
“Modest guy.”
Max dragged the empty stool close to hers and swung himself into it. “He can afford to be full of himself. Look at this place. It’s a gold mine. Of course it is the only bar for miles.”
She nodded. “And one where you’ve got your own table and everyone seems to know you. Do you call this place home?” Toni liked the rustic, comfortable decor. The place emitted warmth and a down-home atmosphere that welcomed its customers and she could see Max spending his free time here.
“As a matter of fact I do.” He gestured upward. “I rent the place upstairs.”
“Really.” She leaned forward and rested her chin on her hands. “And here your friend said you don’t make it a habit of luring unsuspecting women to your lair.”
He shook his head, his gaze never leaving hers. “I haven’t lured you anywhere you didn’t want to go. And if you want me to drive you back to the city after dinner, I will.”
Her heart beat out a rapid crescendo in her chest. She didn’t want to go anywhere without him. They’d just met tonight but she’d never felt so much so fast. “And if I don’t?” she asked softly.
Max leaned closer. “If you don’t want to go back, then you stay with me.”
His warm breath tickled her cheek and she realized she could easily fall hard for this man. All six feet of him put her at a petite disadvantage, yet for a woman who prided herself on her independence, she had to admit she liked his overpowering air and the heady way he made her feel.
Enough to consider spending the night?
“Burgers, folks.” Jake arrived, interrupting the electric current of awareness running between them. After serving them their meals, Jake grabbed a chair and dragged it over.
Max eyed his friend warily. Jake never knew when to butt out. Max ought to resent Jake’s intrusion, but hell, the man was a bartender. Being nosy was his business, and besides, Max needed a break or else he’d grab Toni’s hand and drag her upstairs to his bed—the one thing he wanted and the last thing he ought to do. He needed to build on the tentative start they’d made, not rush into a one-night stand. Which wasn’t to say he wouldn’t follow her lead, Max thought.
“So where’d you two meet, a costume party?” Jake asked, then gestured to the food in front of them. “Go ’head and eat.”
Max rolled his eyes. “We met in the city.”
“I work with his brother,” Toni explained.
“She’s a lawyer?”
“Not a typical one,” Max said, knowing Jake was already questioning why he’d fall for one of what Max had always labeled a stuffy breed.
“This true?” Jake asked.
“I guess.” Toni shrugged. “At least no more than he’s a typical Corbin.”
“You two seem to have a handle on each other.”
Not nearly well enough, Max thought. Not yet.
Jake leaned forward in his seat, ready for more conversation. “Sounds like a match made in heaven to me.”
/> “You realize the place is emptying out while you’re hanging out here?” Max asked.
“Are you looking to get rid of me?”
“Could I if I tried?”
Toni laughed. “You two sound like brothers.”
Max shrugged. “Live with a guy for four years and you get the urge to kill him every once in a while.”
“The man speaks the truth.” Jake leaned back and took in the emptying bar. “Less money, more family time. I don’t know whether I love or hate the holidays.”
“He closes early during the week before Christmas,” Max explained.
“That’s nice.”
Max wondered if he mistook the wistful look in Toni’s eyes when Jake mentioned family time and holidays in the same breath. Recalling her childhood, he doubted he was off base and he wanted the opportunity to replace older, sadder memories with newer, happier ones.
“Well, you two be good.” Jake turned to Toni and winked. “I’m going to start wrapping things up for the night.”
For the next hour, while Jake cleared out the remaining customers and then locked the door behind Max and Toni, promising to return early for a real cleanup, Max ate and watched Toni do the same. He wasn’t a man prone to talking about himself but she had him explaining the types of cases he handled and describing the thrill of working in the field as opposed to behind a desk or in a courtroom. To his surprise, she didn’t turn her nose up or question his choices. If anything, she not only approved but seemed to envy his ability to walk away from the pressure and grind to do what he enjoyed.
Max studied her. Now that she’d paid off her student loans, she could afford to start making choices out of enjoyment and not necessity. He wondered if she even realized she had that option, but before he could delve deeper into her life, the conversation detoured yet again.
But no matter what they discussed Max found himself drawn to her. Not just because they shared a passion for take-out Mexican food and Rollerblading in fresh air, but because she was unique: She was a woman who made him want to open up, a woman who interested him so much he wanted to know more about her life, and a woman who accepted the choices he made. A woman he desired not just in his bed, though that was a given, but in his life, to see where things led.
Naughty or Nice? Page 18
