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  “What was your favorite place?”

  He was thoughtful for a moment. “Russia, I think. I was on Kamchatka, a peninsula in the far northeast of the country. It’s the most amazing place I’ve ever seen. The land of fire and ice, they call it. Active volcanoes everywhere, salmon the size of pigs and some of the largest brown bears on the planet.”

  His comment reminded her of her dream. She laughed nervously, trying to shake off an irrational jolt of fear. “I’m surprised you don’t have a bear skin rug on the floor.”

  Max’s silence drew her gaze. A muscle in his jaw was twitching and his nostrils were flaring. A vein was bulging on his forehead. His entire body was tensed like a spring.

  “Are you okay, Max? Did I say something?”

  He cleared his throat and shook his head. “No, it’s just that I get a little worked up over bear hunting. The Russian government sells permits to the highest bidder to murder 500 of those majestic creatures every year. It’s disgusting!”

  He spat out the last words and turned from her.

  “Oh, hey, I’m really sorry, Max. I was just making a stupid joke. I didn’t realize…” Great. She’d opened her big mouth and embarrassed herself yet again. So much for feeling like an attractive, confident woman.

  The silence between them dragged on until Bethany cracked. “Some party last night, huh? Ursula seems, um, nice.”

  Max’s shoulders relaxed and he seemed to shake off whatever had gripped him. “Yeah, she’s alright, I guess. I only met her yesterday.”

  The statement hit Bethany like a Mack truck. “I thought…wait…you came to that party together…I’m confused. Ursula’s not your girlfriend?”

  He barked out a laugh. “Girlfriend?! No way!”

  He moved to the fridge and grabbed another beer as he explained. “Uncle Chet set up a few meetings for me with some locals before I got here because I didn’t know anyone. I thought I was meeting Ursula for a cup of coffee but it somehow turned into going to her coworker’s party. Then you were there. And then you were gone.”

  Bethany didn’t quite know what to make of that comment and bristled a little. “So?”

  Max set his beer on the counter and moved into her personal space. She backed up until she was pressed against the wall, the hideous African mask next to her head laughing at her. He planted his hands on either side of her and leaned in as close as he could without touching her.

  His breath was a whisper in her ear, shivers of delight and desire standing the hairs on the nape of her neck on end. The tips of her breasts could almost feel the warmth of his chest — longed to feel it — and his musk confused her senses.

  “Don’t you know?” he breathed into her ear. His cheek brushed her hair, and a lump rose in her throat. This can’t be happening, she thought. Why the hell not? screamed Paul’s voice in her head. He was right. Why the hell not?

  Her breath coming in shallow bursts and her heart thumping against her ribcage, Bethany lifted her face to his, meeting his hypnotic gaze. “Tell me,” she whispered.

  His luscious full lips curved upward. “Because from the moment I saw you, I knew it was you I wanted.”

  Bethany groaned at his words and pressed her body into his, drawing a matching groan from him. All thought left her brain as their lips touched.

  Max pushed her back against the wall, as his fingers buried themselves in her hair. His mouth consumed hers, leaving her breathless and quivering with lust. A well of emotion bubbled inside of her, making her head spin and her heart pound uncontrollably. Never before had she felt this way about someone, especially someone she barely knew. She clutched at his shoulders and biceps, reveling in their bulk and reassuring herself that she wasn’t dreaming. She was having a hard time believing those arms were wrapped around her.

  And then they weren’t.

  Bethany was left swaying against the wall when Max pulled himself away from her. It was clearly by sheer force of will because his desire for her was quite evident at the front of his jeans. She blinked in confusion.

  She parted her lips to ask what had happened when he leaned in, gave her a peck and smiled. “Ready to eat?”

  No! she wanted to scream. Screw the food, let’s get busy!

  Max grabbed her damp hand and led her outside to the grill. She was still dazed at the sudden stop to the festivities and could do nothing but follow him. He handed her a plate and served up a chunk of salmon and some grilled veggies he pulled from a foil packet. The salad on the table completed the meal.

  “So tell me more about yourself,” he said as he chomped on his salad, as if he hadn’t just planted the most mind-bending kiss on her lips. Bethany was still flabbergasted at the change of plans and was having a hard time composing herself. Max seemed to understand this and simply smirked at her, obviously taking pleasure in her discomfort, the brat.

  “I, um, uh…”

  Words escaped her. She took a long drink from her beer, glared at Max — who chuckled in response — and tried again.

  “Well, my life certainly isn’t as interesting as yours. After college, I needed a job to start paying back my student loans, so I took a ‘temporary’ gig working as a receptionist at an ad agency. Five years later and I’ve made it as far as marketing assistant, surfing a desk while my ass grows bigger every day.”

  “Mmm, lucky for me,” Max said, waggling his eyebrows at her. She blushed. It was weird to have a guy compliment her on her big butt, which is what she’d just been wishing for. This guy was a dream come true. Don’t screw this up, Bethany!

  “What did you study in school?”

  Bethany rolled her eyes, embarrassed that she was one of those people whose degrees didn’t match her career, such as it was. “What every clueless college student studies — psychology.”

  Max laughed but quickly grew serious. “You know, that’s not as useless as you might imagine. You have a deeper insight into how people tick than the average Joe…or Jane,” he conceded as she got visibly ruffled at the male-centric remark. “That can work to your advantage in lots of areas of your life.”

  She smiled weakly, thinking that maybe she should have analyzed herself somewhere along the line. But she was here now, enjoying a nice dinner with a sexy man who was apparently into her. Her pulse picked up and she suddenly warmed up at the knowledge.

  “And your family, what about them?”

  Bethany rolled her eyes again, but this time comically. “I grew up with three brothers, all of them older. My poor mom wanted me to be a girly girl so much, but I idolized by big brothers and became a tomboy. I flatly refused to wear the frilly pink dresses she bought me, and I think it broke her heart a little. I didn’t mean to, of course, but I feel bad about that now.”

  “So your brothers treated you well?”

  She warmed at the memory of growing up in a house full of protective boys. “They were total pains in the ass sometimes,” she laughed. “But they loved me and always protected me. I hated it when I got interested in boys, but I guess it’s kinda cool they cared so much.”

  Giggles gripped her at a memory.

  “What’s so funny?”

  Tears streamed down her face as she explained. “Danny Cannon asked me to the prom and when he was dropping me off, my brothers scared the shit out of him. We’re standing there on the porch at that awkward moment when the boy’s supposed to kiss the girl, and just as he’s leaning in — so awkward!” She broke into laughter again.

  “I’m dying here! What did they do?”

  Taking a deep breath, she continued. “One by one, they stepped out from behind something — the corner of the house, a tree, a rhododendron, whatever — and just stood there staring.”

  “That was it? I can tell you, a few staring brothers wouldn’t stop me from kissing you at the door.” A flush of pleasure heated Bethany’s skin at the compliment.

  “Oh, did I forget to mention they were all holding baseball bats?”

  Max burst out laughing. “Oh, shit! I bet
poor Danny had to change his shorts after that.”

  Bethany looked down to pick her fingernails, her humor fading a little. “I wouldn’t know. That was the last time he ever spoke to me. I never did get asked out much in high school because of them…well, I hope it was because of them.”

  Max slipped a finger under her chin and lifted her face until their eyes locked. “It most definitely was.”

  Bethany thought her heart would melt, if it didn’t burst first, from the heat his index finger transmitted into her body. Jumping into the sack right now sounded brilliant but she was really enjoying getting to know him better. It took a herculean effort but she was able to pull back a bit and take a deep breath.

  “What about you, Max? What’s your story?

  He blinked and looked off into the woods, thinking. Bethany was struck by his handsome profile but, more than that, the profound sense of calm that oozed from him. Calm and something else…sadness, maybe?

  “It’s not a fairy tale, that’s for sure. Well, it was until my parents were murdered when I was teenager.”

  Bethany gasped. “Oh my God, Max. I’m so sorry.” She laid a hand on his forearm resting on the little redwood picnic table. Pinpricks of electricity tickled her palm. He glanced down and covered it with his own, his thumb mindlessly stroking her skin as he continued his story.

  “The murderer escaped and hasn’t been found. That was a pretty rough patch, but Uncle Chet and the rest of our community stood up and took me in.”

  He shrugged, keeping his eyes trained on the woods. Bethany’s heart broke for him and tears started welling. She couldn’t imagine losing her family, much less when she was so young and in need of their guidance. They may not have been perfect parents but they loved and supported her, and they helped her be the person she was today. Her brothers would have raised her well, but it wouldn’t have been the same.

  At her sniffle, Max turned and smiled sadly, stroking her hand to comfort her. I should be comforting him, not the other way around, she thought, shaking away the melancholy and smiling back.

  “Well, isn’t this some happy shit?!” The sound of Chet’s angry voice made them both jump and look around to the back gate as he stormed in. “Can I ask just what the fuck is going on here?”

  Max blinked in surprise and reddened at Chet’s words. “Um, Chet, I was just…”

  “Yeah, I know what you were doing, Maxy-boy. And you shouldn’t be doing it with this…” He looked Bethany up and down, and snorted with disgust, “…girl.”

  Bethany’s blood boiled. Who was this asshole?! He’d never been anything but hostile toward her since he bought the duplex, and she could think of no good reason for it. She was finally feeling good about herself and she wasn’t going to let this fat slob ruin it all. On top of all that, she knew exactly how it felt to have have your older protector berate you unjustly, and she wasn’t about to let Chet treat Max like that.

  “What shouldn’t he be doing, Chet? Huh? What exactly do you see going on here? Neighbors barbecuing? Shocking!” She gasped in mock outrage, slapping her hands to her cheeks. Chet was stunned, no doubt because she’d never said boo to him. Well, by golly, now was that time.

  “You sneak back here and interrupt a perfectly wonderful evening because you think Max has some nefarious plan for me? Well, would it surprise you to discover that maybe it was me who has the nefarious plan? And please do tell me why it’s any of your business in the first place, Chet. Huh?”

  He just stared at her, a look of horror on his face. Knowing she had the advantage for the moment, she shot up out of her seat, startling Chet into taking a step back. “Well, Chet? What do you have to say for yourself?”

  She advanced slowly toward him, her hands planted on her hips in defiance. He edged back toward the gate, nervously glancing between her and Max, who’d sat back in his chair, his arms crossed against his chest. Bethany could see out of the corner of her eye that he was grinning.

  “Why are you looking at him, Chet? Look at me! I didn’t invite you here and it’s none of your concern who I have dinner with. And this may come as a surprise to you, but Max is a grown man who can also have dinner with whomever he chooses, regardless of whether you approve.”

  She’d advanced on him as he did his best to stand his ground. She was thiiiis close to poking him in the chest hard, but she sensed that would be a bad idea. His eyes were shifting around, looking for escape, and a low rumbling was coming from him. She could smell his anxiety, which was probably just the sheen of sweat that had broken out on his face.

  “Chet, I appreciate that you’re Max’s uncle and my landlord, but if you enter my private living space uninvited again, I’ll call the cops so fast you won’t know what hit you…besides the frying pan. Now go!”

  Her arm shot out pointing in the direction Chet could go to take his flying leap. He blinked at her a couple of times before sniffing and sulking off around the corner of the house.

  Her body started shaking as she lowered her arm. She was exhilarated and relieved at the same time. It had been a long time since she’d stood up for herself, and after months of taking truckloads of crap from Chet, she felt like a new woman. But there was an undercurrent of something else she was having trouble identifying. Like she’d just faced down a great foe, or something.

  Off to her left, Max started clapping. She blushed and glanced over at him. He was giving her a standing ovation. “Brava, maestra!”

  Waving off his silliness, she returned to the picnic table. Before she could sit, Max collected her in his arms. A thrill went through her, his scent making her head spin and her core heat up. Sliding her hands up his biceps and around his neck was like skimming rock — warm, smooth, silken rock.

  “You were brilliant, Bethany. Just brilliant.” His voice was as husky as she knew hers would be right now. “You’re trembling. Are you cold?”

  “Uh uh,” she said, shaking her head. “Quite the opposite actually.”

  He nuzzled her ear, her nipples responding in a most obvious way. She wanted him more now than ever before. They’d somehow developed a connection that was more than just physical. Her reaction to Chet had been visceral, instinctual. She was certain that making love to Max would only strengthen that bond.

  But it seemed Max had other plans. He pulled back slightly. “Time for dessert?”

  Dessert? How can he be thinking of dessert right now? She’d never been particularly bold with men before, but still being high on her altercation with Chet, she threw caution to the wind. “Only if by dessert you mean the kind that doesn’t involve food.”

  A slow smile spread across Max’s face, then stopped. His expression turned serious. “We need to have a conversation first, Bethany.”

  A cold hand clamped around her heart. Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good. “Um, okay…”

  He pushed her down onto her seat and moved away from her. He raked his hand through his thick, dark hair and seemed nervous suddenly. Was he married? A fugitive? What?!

  “Listen. This is going to be a difficult conversation, but the only reason we’re having it is because I like you. I mean, I like like you, you know? I really want you in my life but it wouldn’t be fair to go any farther without telling you everything. Just know that going in, okay?”

  The cold hand relaxed a little, letting in some warmth from his words, but clamped back down when she saw the look on his face. He’s worried I’ll reject him, she thought. This was a strange turn of events: a hot guy worried she’d reject him.

  Quit that! yelled imaginary Paul.

  “Okay,” she said to both Max and her brain.

  He held her gaze a moment longer before turning away. He started pacing, apparently searching for the right words. He stopped and his cinnamon brown eyes pierced her soul. “Had any strange dreams the past couple days?”

  Bethany jerked with surprise. How did he know? She nodded slowly, not sure where he was going.

  “Well, what would you say if I told you that you were
n’t dreaming?”

  “Of course I was dreaming. And you don’t even know what my dream was about!” Fear gripped her heart for some unfathomable reason. There’s no way he could know what her dream was, yet she was terrified that he would.

  “I think I do,” he replied quietly. He crossed back to her, kneeling down in front of her. He picked up her hands, his thumbs gently stroking her knuckles. “Did you see a large animal walking toward the duplex the other night?”

  The blood drained from her face and her stomach dropped. “How…?”

  Ignoring her half question, he continued. “And was that animal a bear?”

  Bethany focused her gaze on his thumbs brushing across her skin. If she looked into his eyes she might lose her mind.

  “And did the bear morph into something that looked suspiciously like me?”

  This made no sense. That was a dream! But then how did he know? She hadn’t told a soul about it. Just what the fuck was going on here?!

  Anger took the place of fear and Bethany yanked her hands from his grasp. “What kind of game are you playing?” she yelled at him, whipping her head around. “Where’s the camera? Is this some kind of sick Punk’d thing?”

  Frantic, she stood, intent on getting away from this insanity. Too fast, as it turned out, because the moment she was upright, her world tilted on its axis and everything went black.

  Chapter Six

  “Hey, gorgeous, feeling better?” A cool, damp rag mopped at her forehead as her brain unscrambled the words into some structure she understood. Oh! Max was asking if she was feeling better. Max. Why was Max leaning over her? She saw concern in his eyes but couldn’t remember what happened or how she’d ended up lying on his couch.

  Her eyes found the laughing African mask and everything came rushing back to her. “Hey! What the…” She struggled to sit up but he gently pressed her back into the cushions.

  “Hold on, Bethany, you just had quite a shock. You should chill here for a sec.”

  “Shock?! Yeah, I’m shocked that you would go to such elaborate measures to prank me. That is pretty shocking. I thought you were a good guy, Max.”