“And what’s your name?” he asked patiently, as though he was used to women losing their train of thought around him.
“Julia. Julia Bennett.”
“Nice to meet you.”
He extended a hand and they shook. It lasted a lot longer than a regular handshake and it felt a hell of a lot more intimate. Relief and tension gushed through Julia in waves. He seemed interested, which was good. He also seemed interested, which was terrifying.
“Nice boots.” Max pointed at Ash’s brown leather lace-ups. Ash usually wore heels with this dress but Julia wanted to remain under six feet tall, a comforting distinction for a lot of guys. Not that it would have mattered to Max; he had to be six foot three or four.
“Thanks. My toes are freezing off but it’s worth it. Do you ride a motorbike or do you work the bad boy look?”
Max smirked. “I do have a bike, but I also try and look tough. Thanks for noticing.”
“It would be kind of hard not to.”
Max’s gaze flicked down to her mouth and Julia’s whole body seemed to electrify from within. “Get you a drink?”
At that moment, Julia knew it was all but a done deal. “For sure. Drinks. Let’s do it.”
He got her another cider and they stood by the fire and chatted. Max asked her about uni, which lead to gaming talk. Usually, Julia refused to discuss the subject with potential dates; she’d ruined too many hook-ups with her opinions on RPG’s but Max seemed content to talk about her work without a) bringing up his own, far superior man-skills or b) claiming that PC was better than console. He really was a diamond in the rough. The only problem was despite the bone-liquefying looks he was giving her the guy wasn’t making any moves. Julia kept batting her eyelashes and biting her lip and he just stood there, being all polite andtalking. After an hour of discussing her internship with Sony, the new Mars rover, Max joining the police force, Star Wars and, weirdly, the Heimlich maneuver, Julia had to conclude she was wasting her time.
With a heavy heart, she finished the last of her cider and told him that if he wanted to talk to someone else that was totally fine with her. She got the shock of her life when he took her hand in his, leaned in close and asked, “You are real, aren’t you? You’re not just some beautiful, single, game-designing illusion brought on by inhaling all those tires that shouldn’t be on the fire?”
Julia face went as hot as the aforementioned tires. “I’m real.”
“Glad to hear it. Would you like to take a walk?”
Julia knew as well as anyone that was a code for “get out of sight and hook up.”
“I thought you’d never ask.”
Max’s smile was slow and wicked. “Follow me.”
He tugged on her hand and Julia followed, her pulse fluttering in her neck like a trapped moth.Oh passion, you’re even lovelier than I imagined.
Chapter 14
MAXcould hardly believe his luck. When he first spotted Julia, he thought she was a trick of the light. Surely no girl had legs that long and skin that smooth? Then he blinked and she was still standing there in her too-fancy green dress looking right back at him. His body’s reaction was swift and undeniable. He wanted her.
Gift of all gifts, she’d come up to him, chewing on her lip in a way that said the instant attraction was far from one-sided. Max prepared himself to make a move at the nearest opportunity, there were a lot of guys giving Julia a lot of interested looks, but then something strange happened. Theytalked. About work, about movies, about gaming. Instead of just exchanging basic information and getting down to the good stuff, he found himself wanting to hear more. She was just so fuckinginterestingwith her doe eyes and her rapid-fire way of talking, it felt like he’d known her forever.
Max wasn’t stupid, this kind of connection wasn’t something you ruined with a sloppy party hook-up, which was why he decided to keep things G-rated and ask her out. Problem was, Julia seemed to have other ideas. Or if she didn’t, she had the most provocative conversational manner of anyone he’d ever met. He’d practically earned himself a knighthood not thinking about the shapes he wanted to bend her into. And then she interpreted his chivalry for disinterest and prepared to leave. After that, all bets were off. If she wanted to hook up, there was no way in hell it would be with anyone but him. He could ask her out once he was done making her scream.
He led Julia down the small path that lay behind Brett’s house, branches snapping beneath their feet. There was a full moon overhead and it had rained earlier that day so everything was fresh and clean. Max didn’t think he could find a better place for a first kiss if he tried. When they’d walked far enough that the music was just nondescript bass, he pulled Julia into his chest. “I think this is a good place to stop in, what do you think?”
Her gaze instantly locked on his mouth and Max grinned. “You got something on your mind, Jules?”
Her freckled cheeks turned pink. “Maybe?”
Max gently backed her against the smooth trunk of a tree. “Maybe, huh?”
“Kind of. Probably.”
Max stepped closer, fitting his hands to her slender hips. “If it helps I could tell you what I’ve got on my mind.”
“Okay,” Julia whispered.
“I’m thinking you’re the prettiest girl I’ve ever seen and I’d really like to kiss you right now.”