Lovers at Heart (13 page)

“Well, we’ll have a good time at the bonfire tomorrow night.”

Treat couldn’t imagine anything short of seeing Max picking up his spirits, but he was too polite to dash a friend’s efforts. “I’m sure we will, Bonnie.”

“Treat.” Chuck leaned forward as if he were going to share a secret. “You never know when the right woman will come along,” he said with a nod.

“You never know.”
She already has
.

THE BUNGALOW WAS cold when Treat returned later that evening. He closed the windows, made a fire, and sat with his laptop open on his lap, his feet up on the coffee table. His e-mail runneth over. He scanned for messages marked “urgent” and tackled each one. Why the staff in Jamaica thought choosing colors for the new lobby furniture was urgent was beyond his comprehension, but he scanned the photos and made quick selections. He clicked on a message from Bill Hayden, the owner of the Thailand resort. He’d been negotiating on a resort in Thailand when he first met Max, and he’d put it on hold after that weekend. These last six months Treat had been anything but on top of his game.

Honoring our verbal agreement
of first right of refusal, I’ve got a solid offer with a closing date in eight weeks. You’ve got one week to decide. Clock is ticking. Best, Bill.

Never before had he let his personal life interfere with his career, and he was beginning to wonder if his career might be the only thing that would pull him out of the loneliness that had settled heavily inside him. He replied to the e-mail;
Bill, I’ll have an offer on your desk in the next seven days. Treat.

The next e-mail he sent was to his attorney advising him to prepare the offer. Bill was a tough negotiator. Treat expected a few days of back-and-forth before settling on a final figure. Posturing was part of the game. He closed his laptop and clasped his hands behind his head, letting the rush of adrenaline push his mind in a direction other than Max. Focusing on work was just what he needed. He was best when he had a challenge, and Thailand would be just that. Taking over the Thailand resort would consume all of his time and energy for at least three solid months, which was one of the reasons he hadn’t pursued it when he’d first met Max six months earlier. When he’d allowed his mind to play with the idea of spending sunny afternoons and sexy nights in Max’s arms or rushing around from meeting to meeting to develop relationships with foreign distributors, builders, and the large crew that would be necessary to revamp the Thailand resort, there was no question in his mind which he’d rather do. But now that Max had made her wishes crystal clear, and with his fantasy shot to hell, he forced himself to think, plan, and strategize.

He opened his laptop and pulled up the Thailand reports. Ten minutes later, he was completely immersed in, and distracted by, logistics and finances.

SCARLET’S CALL came in the next afternoon. “Max, how is my favorite wedding planner?”

“Hi, Scarlet. I hate to bother you, but I was wondering if you might know where I can reach Treat.”

“We don’t expect him back in Nassau for a few weeks.” Scarlet went on to explain that Treat’s underlings handled any issues that arose when he wasn't on site.

“I need to speak with him. Would you mind giving me his cell phone number?”

Scarlet was silent for a beat too long.

“Scarlet, he was here in Colorado. I just saw him last night and he asked me to call him. I can’t seem to find his number, though.” She hated to lie, but she wanted that damned number. Scarlet finally relented after a friendly little plea from Max. Max thanked her profusely before saying goodbye.

Now that Max had it in her hot little hands, she was too scared to use it.

When the phone rang two minutes later, Max’s heart nearly leapt from her chest.

“Hi, Kaylie.” She heard the disappointment in her own voice.

“Hey, you okay? You sound down.”

“Yeah, fine. What’s up?”

“I thought you might want to catch up over lunch today.”

Max clenched the paper with Treat’s number on it in her fist. She felt paralyzed by his disappearance and weak for being one of
those
girls who pined after men. Was she falling right back into the situation she’d sworn she’d never get into again? Was she overlooking red flags that were practically slapping her in the face? Meeting Kaylie for lunch would surely be better than sitting around dissecting her own thoughts.

“Max?”

“Yes, sure.”
I’ve gotta get out of my own head
.

“Great! See you at Felby’s at noon.”

KAYLIE WAVED from a table near the bar, looking gorgeous as ever in her skinny jeans and off-the-shoulder sweater.

“How come you always look like you’ve just stepped out of a fashion shoot?” Max asked as she slid into the booth.

Kaylie feigned primping her hair. “Comes naturally, I guess.”

They laughed. Max watched the people at the neighboring tables smiling and talking, a little laughter sifting into the air. She let out a sigh, glad to be out of her apartment, where the memory of Treat followed her like a ghost. It was easy to wallow in sadness and confusion when she had no one but her broken heart as a sounding board.

“I ordered us drinks and salads. I hope that’s okay,” Kaylie said.

“Sure, whatever. You know I don’t care. How’re Trevor and Lexi? Chaz said they loved the cake.”

“Who wouldn’t love cake for breakfast? I’m such a bad mom.” Kaylie was one of the best moms that Max knew. She spoiled her kids with love and attention rather than gifts, even though they were wealthy enough to buy anything on the planet.

Max listened to Kaylie, but her mind was on the chocolate cake, which brought her back to Treat. She stared at their little booth, and dinner with Treat the evening before came rushing back. Max suddenly, desperately, longed for him.

“What’s going on with you? You look like you just lost your best friend, which is really silly because I’m sitting right here with you.”

Kaylie had a way of making Max smile. “Ha-ha,” Max said with a smirk.

The waitress brought their lunch. Max took a sip and relished the sweetness on her tongue.
Treat’s kisses
.
Don’t think about tongues
.

“This” —Kaylie used her fork to draw a big circle in the air across from Max’s face— “is because of Treat, isn’t it? You’ve got it bad. So, catch me up.”

Max covered her face with her hand and groaned. “Oh God, it’s…it’s complicated.”

“Listen, I’ve seen it all and if I haven’t seen it, then I’ve helped someone else through it.” Kaylie took a bite of salad.

“It’s pretty embarrassing.”

“Any good relationship is. I swear, between you and my sister, I worry that I’m the freak when it comes to this stuff, because I don’t find anything about sex or relationships embarrassing. It’s all just…part of it.”

Max looked at her friend’s expectant eyes. She wasn’t used to talking about dating and men. She didn’t have other close female friends, and she’d always drawn a thick line between work and pleasure and was careful to keep the two separate. Max was used to solving things on her own, but this time she felt like she couldn’t see the trees beyond the shore. She needed to talk things through with her best friend, even if Kaylie was her boss’s wife.

“Okay, start with the basics. The man sent you a cake, and then waited for you in the dark for hours. You don’t have to go into details. I mean, it’s obvious that something happened and something went very wrong.”

“You could say that again.” Max leaned across the table and whispered, “We were…you know…and I freaked out and kicked him out.” She slid back into her seat, mortified that she’d just admitted it out loud.

“Wait!” Kaylie waved her hands frantically. “You were in middle of having sex and you told him to leave? Why?”

The people at the neighboring tables looked over. Max shrank down low in the booth and shielded her eyes from them.

Kaylie noticed the stares aimed at Max. She put on a serious face and said to the gawkers, “What? Like you’ve never done that? Pfft!” She waved a dismissive hand at them and they turned away. She reached across the table and touched Max’s hand. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to embarrass you. Move over.” She scooted out of her side of the booth and plopped herself next to Max.

“Okay,” she said quietly. “So, what was it? Was his manhood small? Like your pinky? Or was he rude? Did he smell? Was he mean? God, I hate mean guys.”

Max cringed. “No, none of those things. He’s big.”

Kaylie arched a brow.

“Okay, really big.” Max smiled. “And he’s so romantic. The things he says to me make me swoon like a teenage groupie. Oh, and the way he smells is like…heaven…only better. The way he smells makes me want to climb right into his arms and never leave.” Max put her hand over her heart. “He’s just…Oh, Kaylie. I sound like an idiot, but when I look into his eyes, there’s so much there. It’s like, you know how in the movies the guy looks at the girl and her knees go weak and you can just see that she’s melting and holding herself back from ripping his clothes off at the same time? That’s it. That’s me.”

Kaylie shook her head. “Wow, Max. I mean, wow. Then why did you kick him out? Is he all that and a terrible lover? What a shame that would be.” Kaylie narrowed her eyes and twisted the end of her hair around her finger. Her blue eyes focused on her glass, and her lips turned down, as if she were mulling over a tragedy.

“No,” Max said in a breathy voice.
Since when do I have diarrhea of the mouth—about men?
She couldn’t stop herself from talking about Treat. It felt so good to release the feelings that were only getting hotter by the second. “His kisses are sizzling hot, and when he touches me, my whole body wants him to touch me more. And as far as…you know…a-mazing. Really, not that I’ve been with many men—”

“Yeah, well, I used to wonder if you were gay, because you never even talked about men.”

Max made a face.

“Sorry!” Kaylie laughed. “You never even alluded to having a date, so what was I supposed to think?”

“That I was a private person,” Max answered.

“Whatever. So, he’s hot, well hung, and talented where it counts. So what’s the issue? I swear, Max, if you’re one of those women with some strange hang-up about feet or something, I’m gonna slap you right upside your head.”

Max laughed. “If the rest of him is any indication, his feet could be in footwear modeling ads.” Max relaxed back into the corner of the booth and let out a breath. She had to be honest with Kaylie. No—she
wanted
to be honest. How could she figure this out if she wasn’t honest with Kaylie and herself?

“Remember when we were in Nassau and you guys saw me in the same clothes I’d worn the night before?” Max closed her eyes against the pain of her impending admission.

“Your walk-of-shame outfit? Of course.” Kaylie’s eyes opened wide. “Oh my God. You were with Treat?”

“No. That’s just it. I wasn’t. I was with Justin, just as I told you guys. But we didn’t do anything more than kiss good night.”

“Max, you’re killing me. I still don’t get it.”

“Well, I never said anything, but when Treat and I first met, there was a connection, or something. I don’t know what you would call it, but the second our eyes locked, it was like…”

“We all saw it. Love at first sight. Of course, I said lust at first sight at the time, but you know my sister. She swears by love at first sight ever since she fell in love with Blake.”

“I don’t know if it was love, but it was something strong.”
Love? Do I love him? I can’t love him. You don’t fall in love overnight. That’s a fantasy
. “Something that made me pull away every time I saw him after that first time. And he kept looking at me. It was like everywhere I went, he was there, looking at me like he wanted to devour me, but he never said anything. He didn’t ask me out, didn’t do anything but stare.”

“You are so blind, Max.” Kaylie took a sip of her tea. “The man kissed your hand and stared into your eyes. Doesn’t that sound like a romance novel to you? He didn’t do that to any of us. How could you miss that?”

“I was too busy picking my jaw up from the floor and trying to tamp down the desire to jump him to notice much of anything else.” She thought of when they’d first met, and Kaylie was right. He looked right through her with those seductive eyes. “I remember feeling naked. Like he was seeing so much more of me than anyone else could see.”