by Elle James
“I thought it was perfect.” Her voice lowered. “Just the two of us. No one butting in or bothering us.” She couldn’t remember the last time she’d felt so free and easy. And it was all because Max had taken her on a picnic out in the middle of nowhere.
To her, it had been perfect.
“Still,” he said. “I want to show you that I can take a lady on a real date and treat her like she’s special.”
“Have you ever considered that someone might like to be treated like a normal person?” Being placed on a pedestal wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. She could never be herself. As a model, she’d always been pretending to be someone she wasn’t.
She wouldn’t trade her life up to that moment for anything but, going forward, she was ready to move on to the next phase.
“I’ll be at Riomaggiore at seven o’clock, tomorrow night,” she said.
“I’ll see you there,” Max said. “And Jane?”
“Yes?”
“Thank you for a beautiful day.”
“I should thank you. It’s been a long time since I took a day off and just did something strictly for me.”
“I have a confession to make,” Max added.
Jane’s belly clenched. She knew she should give him her own confession, but time had gone by without opening up about her real profession and the fact she had a load of money.
“Look, Max, you don’t have to confess to anything. We all have our skeletons in our closets. I don’t have to hear about yours.” And I don’t want to tell you mine.
“I wanted to kiss you this morning,” Max said softly.
Jane’s breath caught in her throat. “You did?”
“I did,” he said.
“Then why didn’t you?” she asked.
“I didn’t want to scare you off.”
“You wouldn’t have scared me off.” She’d wanted him to kiss her again—in the coffee shop, on their walk, when they stood in the parking lot before she’d driven off. She’d wanted to kiss him so very much.
He sighed into her ear. “I’m trying very hard to be a gentleman. I don’t want to rush you like I did on our first date.”
“Well, I have a confession, too,” she said, her heart racing and her body on fire.
He chuckled. “Oh, yeah?”
“Uh-huh.” She paused. “I wanted to kiss you, too.” Her foot slipped off the accelerator. Jane had half a mind to turn around and drive back to that coffee shop and show him just how much she wanted to kiss him.
The red light in front of her turned green. A car behind her honked. She pressed her foot on the gas pedal, sending her Lexus shooting forward.
No, she couldn’t rush back to the coffee shop just for a kiss, though her body and lips ached to do so. She and Max had a date for the next night. She’d claim that kiss then. Good Lord, she’d have to wait through the entire meal, choking down food she could care less about when all she could focus on was his mouth and the burning desire to kiss him.
“I’ll see you tomorrow night,” she said, her voice husky with lust.
“Until then,” he said and ended the call.
Jane gripped the steering wheel so hard, her knuckles turned white. A wave of desire rushed over her, making her so hot and bothered, she wondered if she’d make it back to her house without coming apart.
She did make it through the gate and into her garage. When she got out of her car, she went straight for her swimming pool, stripping off her clothing until all she wore was her bra and panties. Then she dove in, letting the cool, clear water tamp down the raging hunger building inside.
Holy hell. How would she control herself at dinner the following night, knowing he wanted to kiss her? During the drive from the coffee shop to her house, Jane’s cravings had gone from a simple kiss to a full-on, drag-him-to-the-bedroom-and-throw-him-on-the-bed desire.
After several laps back and forth across the pool, she’d worked her muscles and burned off some of the adrenaline raging through her system. When she emerged, she grabbed a towel, wrapped it around her body, collected her discarded clothing and hurried into the house.
A quick glance at the clock on the wall made her groan. Barely past one o’clock and she wouldn’t see Max for another thirty hours.
Was this what it was like to fall in love? Wanting to be with that person twenty-four-seven? She moaned again and headed for the shower. Angel Gentry was a high-powered, former model with global business interests. Surely, she could keep Jane Gentry occupied for the next thirty hours with real work and beauty rest.
Only twenty-nine hours, fifty-five minutes and thirty seconds to go.
Chapter 11
Max arrived at Riomaggiore a whopping thirty minutes early and sat in his truck with the AC cranked up to full blast to keep from sweating in his tailored suit.
For the past thirty hours, he’d thrown himself into ranch work, wearing himself out the day before in order to sleep that night.
Earlier on this day, he’d mucked the horses’ stalls, fixed a hinge on one of the gates and called it a day just after noon. He didn’t want to be worn out when he arrived at the restaurant.
Despite working so hard, he’d dreamed about Jane. The dreams had been so vivid and erotic, he worried it would show on his face when they met that night.
He’d blown right past wanting to kiss her to wanting to make love to her. Holding back would be difficult. He hoped that being in a fancy restaurant, surrounded by fancy people, he would be uncomfortable enough to keep it cool.
Max glanced at the pale pink corsage lying on the seat beside him. It matched the bud on his lapel. Maybe it was overkill, but he wanted to prove to her that he could be that gentleman who would treat her like the princess she deserved to be.
He hoped Tag was correct in assuming all women wanted to be treated like a princess. Jane hadn’t come off like that, but what did Max know?
Jane pulled up in her white Lexus, fifteen minutes early and parked beside his truck.
Max grabbed the corsage and leaped out of his truck. He stood for a full second, straightening his coat and tie, getting his pulse under control, before he rounded the hood of her car and opened her door.
He held out his hand. She placed hers in his and he pulled her to her feet.
She wore a spaghetti-strap, white dress that hugged her torso like a second skin and flared at her hips, falling softly around her thighs to her knees. On her feet, she wore a pair of strappy white sandals that showed off her pale pink, painted toenails. She smiled up at him. “Hey.”
“Hey,” he said.
Her gaze raked him from head to toe. “You clean up well for a cowboy.”
He smiled. “You, too, for a woman who likes to go mudding.”
She laughed and nodded toward the corsage in his hand. “Is that for me?”
He glanced at his hand. “It is. Do you want me to do the honors?”
She gave a brief nod. “I trust you.”
Her words kicked him in the gut. He was glad she trusted him not to poke her with the pin. At the same time, a wash of guilt rippled through him. Would she trust him once she found out he’d been holding out on her about who he really was?
He moved closer, slipped his fingers beneath the fabric of her dress, his knuckles brushing against the swell of her breast. For a moment, he felt lightheaded, all his blood rushing south into his groin. If they were further along in their relationship, he’d suggest they skip dinner and go straight to his house where they could make love into the night.
But they were still new to each other. Max didn’t know just how committed Jane was to their budding romance. He could be leaps and bounds ahead of her and scare her off by moving too fast.
Carefully, he pushed the pin through the stem and fabric, securing the corsage. Again, his knuckles skimmed across her breast as he removed his hand from behind the fabric and dropped it to his side.
He glanced into her pretty, violet eyes, noticing for the first time that she’d worn a light la
yer of makeup on her cheeks and eyelids. It accentuated without covering her natural beauty. Her hair lay in soft curls to her shoulders, with tendrils cupping her cheeks.
“You’re beautiful,” he said softly and bent to kiss her lightly on her lips. With his lips still hovering over hers, he sighed. “I’ve wanted to do that since the last time we were together, thirty hours ago.”
“I’ve wanted you to do that for the past thirty hours.” She leaned up on her toes and pressed her lips to his, opening her mouth to let him in. Her tongue met his in a light dance that held the promise of more to come.
Someone honked in the street behind them, shaking Max from the trance he’d fallen into while kissing Jane.
“We’d better go inside before the Texas heat melts me in this suit.” He held out his arm.
Jane hooked her hand through his elbow and let him lead her into the restaurant. “Who knew a rancher would have a suit like that in his closet,” she commented. “It fits you to perfection.”
“I’m a big guy. I couldn’t buy one off the rack. I had to have it tailored.”
“Your tailor did good.” She squeezed his arm.
“Have you been here before?” he asked.
Jane nodded. “I have, but it’s been a few months.”
“Good, then you can tell me what’s good on the menu. It’s all in Italian.”
She smiled. “I can do that.”
“Do you speak Italian?” he asked.
“No, but I’ve spent enough time in Europe to learn how to order food in a few different languages.”
“Europe?” He glanced down at her, aware of how much he still didn’t know about her. “Well, I guess that makes sense, since you were in the fashion merchandising industry.”
She nodded, her gaze on the maître d’.
The man was dressed in a black tuxedo, with a white cummerbund. He dipped his head and rolled his hand. “Welcome to Riomaggiore, Mr. Smithson.”
Max cringed. He’d had to make the reservation in his real name, not in the short version of his last name he’d used on his BODS application. He hoped Jane hadn’t noticed the difference. If she had, she didn’t mention it.
They were led to their table in a quiet corner of the restaurant.
The maître d’ draped their napkins across their laps, placed their menus in their hands and left them with, “Your waiter will be with you momentarily.”
No sooner had he left their table, than their waiter appeared. Dressed in a black suit with a red tie, their waiter gave a slight bow. “Mr. Smithson.” He nodded toward Jane. “Ms. Gentry, pleasure to see you again.”
Jane’s cheeks filled with color. “Thank you,” she said and ducked her head behind her menu.
Max ordered a bottle of wine and the waiter left to get it.
“You must have made an impression on the waiter and the maître d’ for them to remember you after a couple of months,” Max commented.
Jane gave him a little smile. “I must have left a large tip.”
A moment later, a dark-haired man approached the table, smiling effusively. “Welcome to Riomaggiore,” he said with an Italian accent. “It is our pleasure to serve two such distinguished guests. Your patronage is greatly appreciated. I’m Signor Mateo, the owner. Please let me or my staff know of anything we can do to make your visit bellissimo.”
Max wished he’d made it clear to the person taking his reservation that he wanted them to be discreet about their visit.
Heads turned in their direction.
Max nodded and smiled at the owner. “Thank you.”
Once the owner left, Max shot a glance toward Jane. She lowered her menu and smiled at the waiter approaching with the bottle of wine.
He poured a little in one glass.
Max tasted and nodded.
The waiter poured more wine into his glass then in Jane’s and left.
Jane held up her glass, her cheeks a little flushed. “To us getting to know each other better.”
“To us.” Max said, muttering beneath his breath, “A little sooner than expected.” He tipped his glass and downed a hefty swallow.
Jane lowered her glass. “Did you say something?”
He smiled. “Is the wine to your taste?”
“It’s perfect.” She sipped again.
The rest of the meal went well. The wait staff didn’t bother them or ask for autographs, much to Max’s relief.
Jane ordered for them. The chicken marsala was cooked to perfection.
Max ate what he could, his gut twisting as he worried someone else might recognize him and make a big deal. So far, it didn’t appear as though Jane had noticed the fuss the staff made over them.
Near the end of their meal, Jane excused herself to the ladies’ room.
Max took that opportunity to thank the staff and sign autographs for those who asked for them. All the while he signed and thanked, he watched for Jane to return. When he’d settled back in his seat, he breathed a sigh.
He had to tell her about his connection to the NFL before they went much further in this discovery phase. It wouldn’t be long before some photographer jumped out and snapped a picture and asked for a statement from him. He prayed she’d understand why he hadn’t told her about his celebrity status and cut him some slack.
Hell, she trusted him. Telling her would let her down. Damn. He was going to regret not telling her sooner.
He’d planned to after their next date. The date where she met his group of friends. He had to admit, their dates had been a kind of proving ground. And she’d more than measured up to his expectations. The big question now was, would he measure up to hers?
Jane nearly died a thousand deaths of regret and remorse when the wait staff and the restaurant owner had addressed her as Ms. Gentry. Thankfully, they hadn’t called her Angel, her stage name for her modeling career.
She’d struggled through dinner, barely tasting anything she ate and drinking a little too much wine. By the time the staff had taken away their plates, she had a headache and wished they could just leave. But she couldn’t be rude to the staff after they’d been so kind.
A trip to the ladies’ room was just what she needed to give her a chance to duck out and thank the owner, the maître d’ and waiter for taking care of them that evening and remembering her from her last visit.
She’d stepped into the kitchen to thank the chef as well and signed a few autographs for the men and women who worked so hard at Riomaggiore.
She’d hurried through her thanks and autographs to get back to the table with Max, praying he hadn’t seen her talking with the staff or signing autographs. As they left the restaurant, Jane returned smiles with the staff but didn’t say any more than she had to. She got outside as quickly as possible.
By that time, the sun had set, and a single streetlight lit the parking lot.
Max walked her to her car and made sure no one was in the back seat.
They were alone, for the moment. But how long that would last was in question. Other guests could come out at any time, possibly recognize her and ask for her autograph.
Jane couldn’t completely relax until they were somewhere less public, and she didn’t want to take him to her house in case he asked her how she’d come to own such an expensive place in one of the ritziest subdivisions in Austin.
She had to tell him who she was soon, why not now?
Jane turned her back to her car and took Max’s hands in hers. “I enjoyed dinner with you.”
“I did, too.” He lifted her hands to his lips and brushed them with a feather-soft kiss. “I don’t want the night to end, but my place is too far, and we drove separate vehicles. As much as I don’t want our time together to end tonight, it’s going to anyway.” He kissed her fingers again. “Could you stand to see me again this weekend?” Max stared down into her eyes, his own brown ones shining in the glow from the streetlamp.
“And I don’t want the night to end either,” she said. “But, like you said, it must. An
d yes, please, I’d like to see you again.” She frowned. “Wait. Seems like there’s something on my calendar this weekend.” Her eyes closed tightly, and her eyebrows drew together. Then she opened her eyes. “I have something Saturday night, but I’m free Friday.”
“Good, because I was hoping for Friday night. Now that I think about it, I have a prior commitment scheduled for Saturday as well. One I can’t get out of.”
“Perfect. Friday it is.”
“Oh, and wear something country,” he said. “I’m taking you to a place my friends recommended that’s close to my ranch, a place called the Ugly Stick Saloon. We’re putting those dance lessons into practice.”
Jane’s eyes widened. She’d been to a lot of different places in her career but never a saloon. “We’re going to a saloon?”
He nodded. “And I want you to meet a group of my friends.”
Her cheeks heated. “You sure I’ll fit in with them? I’ve never been to a saloon.”
“You’ll fit in perfectly. And if you don’t, which I know you will, I won’t care, because you fit in with me.” He pulled her into his arms, tilted her chin up and covered her mouth with his.
She melted against his body and opened to him.
He swept his tongue past her teeth to claim hers in a long, sensuous caress.
Her body was soft against his hard planes. She was taller in her heels, but not too tall, and she liked that he didn’t have to bend so far down to kiss her. They were more like partners in that respect than a man dominating a woman, and she liked that.
He leaned his forehead against hers. “I don’t know if I can wait all the way until Friday,” he said. “Tell me I can pick you up. It’s a long drive out to the saloon, and you might want to stay at the ranch instead of driving all the back to Austin. It’s up to you.”
She tilted her head with a smile. “Are you sure?”
He nodded. “There are extra bedrooms in the house to choose from. No obligation, just making it convenient. We can stay longer at the saloon and not worry about driving all the way back.”
She nodded. “I’ll think about it. And yes, you can pick me up at my house. I live in a gated community, but I’ll let the gate guard know you’re coming.”
