Liz used to enjoy the time she spent with Kyle, but the lunch they'd had together earlier seemed to drag by. All she could think about was seeing Max on Wednesday and if she had been as distracted and quiet as she suspected during lunch, she owed Kyle an apology.
She had caught him looking at her strangely a couple of times but he hadn't said anything. He was friendly and entertaining as he usually was, and she started to think that his strange moods lately had more to do with problems in his work than her.
When the workday finally ended, Liz was glad to be going home. At least at home there was no one to give her strange looks if she was distracted. She puttered around her house for a while, straightening things that didn't need to be straightened, wiping counters that didn't need to be wiped. Finally she sat down to read a book, but it couldn't hold her interest.
After half an hour she gave up on the book and went into the kitchen to make a salad. She chopped, cut and tossed everything into a bowl and then sat down to eat. But after she pushed the contents around for several minutes, she finally admitted she wasn't really hungry. She quickly cleaned up and glanced at the clock with a sigh. It was only nine-thirty and she decided to have an early night.
She had just climbed into bed when the phone rang. Liz grabbed the cordless by her bed and said a cheery hello, expecting it to be Maria. But she was surprised by the deep, warm voice that greeted her.
"Hello Liz," Max rumbled.
"Max," she gasped with pleasure. "How are you?"
"Great now,” Max rumbled. “I just got out of my last meeting for the day."
Liz glanced at the clock noting it was almost ten p.m. "You sound exhausted. How did the meeting go?"
"It went well,” he said. “We got a lot accomplished, more than I expected really. These things can drag on forever."
"Yeah, I know what you mean,” she said. “Was it the same meeting all day?"
"Yes, and the next couple of days too. I'm attempting to cut out a step in our development that we out-source by creating a new division. There's a lot to consider though."
Liz dreaded the question that was on her lips but she took the initiative and asked, trying not to sound disappointed. "So you don't have time for lunch tomorrow?"
"No Liz,” Max said, “I have time for a long lunch with you tomorrow. The contractor canceled and had to be rescheduled for the next day, so I have a couple of hours free." He paused, "You still want to go to lunch don't you?"
"Of course," she rushed to assure him. "I just thought maybe you called to cancel."
"No," he said briefly. He paused and asked softly, "Liz, how was your day?"
"Well I had a working lunch too,” she said. “We needed to come up with some new ideas for the campaign for one of our clients."
"So how was the brain-storming?" Max asked.
"We came up with a couple of things that Ky--," she stumbled over Kyle's name, "um, that we’ll show the client." She hoped Max hadn't heard her slip and she breathlessly awaited his angry reaction.
But when his voice came it was calm and casual. "It sounds like you and Kyle work well together."
Liz released the breath she was holding with a sigh of relief. "He's good at his job."
"And you are good at yours."
"Um yeah." She rushed to change the subject before it could lead further into dangerous territory. "I'm really glad I hired the part-timers. I don't feel like I'm doing everything myself."
If Max noticed the quickly changed subject he didn't mention it. "Well there are definitely other things in life besides work," he said softly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
They had talked for another half-hour before Liz realized from one of his comments that Max was still at his office. She gently told him to go home and get some sleep so he didn't tire himself out too much. But after she hung up she wondered why he had called. He never did say.
She had been so worried he was going to cancel lunch, and then so relieved he hadn't, that she had forgotten to ask why he had called. Oh well, she thought to herself as she had drifted to sleep, I'm sure he will just tell me at lunch tomorrow.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Liz awoke early and dressed carefully, choosing dark wool slacks and a soft jewel-tone red sweater, taking extra time with her make-up and hair. Briefly she had considered wearing the necklace Max had purchased for her but decided to wait until Friday.
Luckily her workday was busy and she didn't have a chance to watch the clock. Tackling one problem after another, she was clearing up the latest emergency when Kyle wandered into her office.
"Hey Liz," he greeted cheerfully.
"Kyle, how are you?"
"Great." He bent over her desk, absent-mindedly stroking the petals on one of the flowers. "I was hoping you’d go to dinner with me this Friday."
"Kyle," she said softly, groaning inwardly. "I thought we agreed to just be friends."
"We are friends," he said. An innocent smile, that Liz had always considered his little boy smile, lit his face. "Isn't it okay for two friends to go to dinner occasionally?"
"Yeah," Liz agreed, "friends can go to dinner together. I just didn't want there to be a misunderstanding."
Kyle nodded. "I know how you feel Liz, I just thought we could have a casual dinner. You know, two friends eating together, that's all."
She laughed in spite of herself. "Thanks Kyle. It’s nice of you to ask but I already have plans for Friday."
"Oh, well," he sighed, "maybe we could do something another time."
Liz wasn't sure what to say but her attention was pulled from Kyle by a movement in the doorway. Max stood just within the door, leaning a casual shoulder against the wall and all thoughts of Kyle were instantly wiped from her mind. Max was dressed impeccably in a casual dark shirt and slacks and she allowed her eyes to drink in the sight of him.
Her breath caught as he smiled.
Kyle spun around to see what had captured her attention. "Evans,” he said coolly, “what are you doing here?"
"Valenti," Max greeted him with a nod and a thin smile. "I'm taking Liz to lunch."
Liz's glance darted between the two men. She noted Max's too calm demeanor and Kyle's angry expression and decided it was time to stop the testosterone-fest before it got out of hand.
"Thanks for dropping by Kyle," Liz said with a smile. "I'll talk to you later."
Apparently he was caught off-guard by her comment. "Um, sure Liz. I'll see you later."
Max stepped into the room allowing Kyle to pass. "Nice to see you again Valenti," he said blandly, the tone in his voice contradicting his words.
Kyle nodded. "Always a pleasure, Evans."
Liz stepped around the desk and walked toward Max as Kyle left. She expected to feel the familiar knot of fear in her stomach, but it refused to come. Silently she waited for Max's reaction to Kyle's presence in her office, not knowing what to expect.
Max waited until Kyle was clear of the door, then closed it behind him. He stood in front of the door, effectively blocking their exit.
"Max?" Liz asked with a nervous smile. "What are you doing?"
"This is what I'm doing." he said gruffly. Closing the last couple of feet between them, he quickly captured her in his arms and took possession of her mouth.
Liz was surprised and stood stiff in his arms for a moment, but he quickly filled her senses and she relaxed against him. She kissed him back and opened her mouth to allow him inside without his urging. His hand slid up her back and through her hair to cup her head, his kisses hard, leaving her breathless. He pulled her closer and she wrapped her arms around his shoulders for support.
A fleeting thought echoed through her that he was branding her, marking her as his, and then all thoughts were of Max.
Eventually he pulled back but kept her confined within his arms. "Hi Liz," he purred, greeting her with one of his knee-melting smiles.
She felt a blush rising with her smile. "Hi yourself," she said breathlessly.
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
Max took her to a restaurant he said was a favorite. The food was excellent and they lingered over their meals, just enjoying being together. After finishing lunch they stayed to talk for over an hour. Max spoke softly and Liz was forced to scoot her chair nearer to him to catch all of his words.
He told her about some repairs he was having done on his house and she suddenly wondered why he had never taken her there. "I haven't seen your house."
"I know," he said with a smile. "I thought if I took you there you might feel uncomfortable or pressured. I'll be glad to show you the house whenever you want to see it." He paused searching her face. "With no strings attached of course."
She nodded. "Is that why you don't come into my house after we've been out?" she asked breathlessly.
"Yes Liz," he confirmed. "You are so incredibly beautiful, and I want you so much that every detail about you is already burned into my soul." His eyes held hers with a glowing intensity that sent a shiver of feminine awareness through her. "But I care about you, and I want you to be sure before we go any farther."
His words were like sunshine on her soul and she allowed them to warm her. She didn’t think she ever wanted to hear those kind of words from a man again, but with Max it was different.
Until he had spoken she hadn't realized she had been waiting for him to tell her of his feelings. He was being patient with her, letting her set the pace but she'd had no idea he was controlling his actions to such an extent. And she admired his strength of character in keeping his word to her.
When she didn't respond to him, he casually changed the subject. Briefly he outlined the plans for the expansion in his company, and then asked her about her work.
Some time during their discussion Max took possession of her hand, and held it the rest of the time they sat together. It seemed so natural, so right for him to be touching her that Liz hadn't noticed at first. But as they continued to talk his thumb began to trace circles over the back of her fingers and hand to her wrist. At first it was a pleasant sensation, but soon his touch became distracting.
She was always aware of him, but it was as if his caress focused and sharpened her attention. His light cologne invaded her senses, and his soft voice worked its magic on her. She desperately wanted him to kiss her, wanted to feel his warmth. Her eyes kept focusing on his lips and Liz found she was having difficulty concentrating on what he was saying.
After the second time Max had to repeat a question to her, he lifted her hand to his mouth and brushed his lips across her knuckles. He met her eyes and leaned in closer. "Liz, you're driving me crazy."
His lips pressed into her neck close to her ear. "Let's get out of here so I can kiss you properly."
Liz nodded mutely, already anticipating the feeling of his lips on hers. He released her long enough to toss some bills on the table and then took her hand as they went to the car. They drove in silence, but the long looks that simmered between them made her want to grab Max by the back of the head and crush his lips to hers.
Max drove the car into the covered parking structure in her company's lot. He maneuvered to one of the upper levels that was scarcely populated with cars and chose a dark parking space away from the others. Then he unfastened his seatbelt and turned toward her smiling.
"Why are we up here?" Liz asked.
Max’s smile widened. "What would your co-workers say if they saw you making-out in a car in the parking lot?" he asked. He reached for her hand, again bringing it to his lips, drawing a gasp from her as he kissed her palm. Holding her eyes he placed her hand against his chest, over his heart.
Liz smiled. "I don't think there is any danger of anyone seeing us up here."
He cupped her cheek and his thumb stroked her skin. "You are so beautiful Liz," his said, his head descending toward hers. "I've been waiting for this for days," he growled.
She felt a shiver go through her in anticipation and lifted her head to meet his. The first touch of his lips was so light and sweet that she wanted to cry.
He kissed his way across her cheeks and up to her forehead and then back down to her eyes. His touch was so gentle it made her feel cherished and loved, and she wrapped her arms around his neck to bring him closer.
As his lips returned to hers, his arms encircled her spreading his warmth into her. His fingers twined into her hair, cradling her head, holding her to him as his kisses continued.
Slowly she noticed his kisses were changing. They were still sweet and giving, but now they also asked for a response. Eagerly she opened to him putting all of herself into her kisses. She parted her lips and invited him inside with a flick of her tongue.
Max groaned into her mouth as his tongue slid inside. Shivers racked her body, excitement flowing through her that she could have such an effect on him.
He kissed a trail down her chin and onto the column of her throat and she let her head fall back into his hand as his mouth devoured the sensitive skin there. His lips and tongue were the only things in her world and she abandoned herself to the sensations they were causing. Vaguely she was aware that his other hand had slipped beneath her sweater and she gasped as the skin on skin contact burned a line up her back.
Gradually Liz became aware that Max was speaking her name in between kisses. "Liz?"
"Yes Max," she said breathlessly.
"We have to stop," he whispered, pressing his cheek to hers.
"I know," she agreed. Her fingers smoothed up his neck and into his hair. It was so unexpectedly soft and she lingered, stroking the tendrils against his neck.
A shudder went through him at her touch. "Please Liz, stop," he groaned. "You are making it difficult for me to let you out of this car."
She was aware he had gone very still and she brought her hands to rest on his shoulders. Every fiber of her being screamed that she didn't want to go but she started to pull away. "Sorry."
But Max’s arms were still locked around her, refusing to let her leave. "Just let me hold you for a few minutes," he said softly.
Liz relaxed into him and he exhaled a deep breath. His warmth spread into her as she breathed his familiar scent, and the thought crossed her mind that she could happily stay in his arms forever. Nothing else would matter as long as he held her.
Gradually he loosened his hold on her and sat back enough to press his forehead to hers. "I'd better go now," he whispered.
Liz felt a stab of disappointment but she nodded slightly. "Yeah."
She pulled away from him and turned toward the door, but Max's voice stopped her.
"Liz."
As she turned back, he took her head in both hands and kissed her one last time. It was a soft lingering kiss and Liz wanted it to go on forever, but he drew away from her. She sat with her eyes closed and pressed her lips together, savoring the sweetness of his kiss.
After a moment she opened her eyes and met his golden gaze. He was studying her intently and she smiled shyly.
Max returned her smile. "I'll drive you to the door."
She nodded and he took her hand in his as they drove to the main entrance. When the car stopped, Liz turned toward him. "Thanks for lunch Max," she said, her voice sounding husky even to her ears.
"Thanks for coming with me," he said with mock seriousness, his mouth turning up at the corners.
Liz turned toward the door attempting to slide her hand from his, but Max held her firmly. She turned back to him with a questioning look on her face.
He released her hand to reach out and smooth down her hair. "I'll call you tomorrow after I get out of my meeting." All teasing had disappeared from his voice and a frank possessiveness had taken its place.
Liz was stunned. He sounded so sure of himself and she knew it should scare her, but for the first time she wondered what it would be like to belong to him.
She let her eyes roam over his face. Max’s eyes sparked with his sense of humor and intelligence. The angular planes of his face radiated strength, but it was tempered with a kindness she had never known before. His lips were full and masculine and capable of such tenderness and such passion. She knew that the woman who did finally capture his heart would be lucky.
When her eyes met his again, she realized she had sat too long in silence. He was watching her, obviously waiting for her response and she simply nodded. “Okay.”
Suddenly a thought occurred to her. "Max, why did you call last night? You never did say."
"No reason," he said softly. "We couldn't be together and I just wanted to hear your voice."
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~
The next evening as Liz was making dinner, the phone rang and she raced to answer it. "Hello," she said, breathlessly.
"Hey Liz, it's Alex."
She tried not to let her disappointment come through in her tone. "Alex, how are you?"
"I would be better if I didn't have to go out of town this weekend,” he sighed. “But one of the remote sites is having major computer problems, and it means I'll miss our lunch on Saturday."
"Oh Alex, that's too bad,” Liz said disappointedly. “Maria and I will miss you, but I guess work comes first."
"Yeah, well usually I would say family comes first," Alex countered, "but this is an emergency."
"I guess Maria and I can fend for ourselves without our big, strong man for one Saturday," Liz teased.
"Who me?" he asked laughing. "Hey that actually gives me a great idea. I'll tell Max you two are at loose ends without me and I'm sure he'll jump at the chance to take my place."
"No Alex, don't do that,” Liz said. “I'm sure he has better things to do with his time. He's been working so hard on this expansion project, he would probably just like to relax this weekend."
Alex chuckled. "You two have been seeing a lot of each other lately, haven't you?" he asked changing the subject abruptly.
Liz grimaced. "I don't know if I would say a lot," she hedged, "but yeah, we get together occasionally."
"I'm glad you’re getting along,” he said cheerfully. “I thought you two would be good together."
"Alex, we aren't exactly together," she protested. "We've just been dating. I don't know where this is going or even if I want it to go somewhere."
"I know Liz. I just want you to be happy, have some fun.” His tone lost the teasing note. “I've been worried about you Liz. You've been so serious, so determined to keep people at arm’s length. You haven't just relaxed and had fun for a long time," he finished softly.
"I always have fun with you," she said.
"Well it's not the same,” Alex argued. “I'm related to you, you’re practically my sister."
"Yeah," she sighed, her thoughts automatically returning to Max's kisses yesterday. She definitely did not feel sisterly toward him.
"You're right,” she agreed. “It's different with Max and I do like being with him."
"I knew you would like him once you gave him a chance," Alex declared triumphantly.
Liz smiled. "You're never going to let me live this down are you?"
"Maybe after your fourth or fifth kid together," he teased.
"You know,” Liz said teasingly, “I feel sorry for the woman who marries you. You'll drive her crazy."
"And on that note," he said with a laugh, "I'd better go and pack. I have an early flight tomorrow. I'll call you when I get back and well have a make-up lunch then."
"Okay Alex. Have a safe trip and try not to work too hard."
Liz replaced the phone and continued with her dinner. Alex had been pushing her and Max together the whole time and it didn't look as if he was letting up. She was sure he meant to invite Max to their make-up lunch when he returned and the thought didn't bother her as it would have a week or even a couple of days ago. Actually, she thought it would be fun.
She finished dinner, washed the dishes, and took a seat on the sofa. Curling her legs under her she flipped through the channels, looking for a program to watch when the phone rang again.
Eagerly she turned the television off and took a deep breath before reaching for the phone. "Hello?” she answered.
"Liz."
Her name was almost a sigh on Max’s lips and she felt shivers race through her body as if he had touched her. "Max," she said huskily.
Just hearing his voice instantly made her feel more relaxed. She glanced at the clock noting it was only eight. "I didn't expect you to call so early. Is your meeting over?"
"No,” he said softly. “We're on a dinner break. I thought the meeting might not finish until it was pretty late so I decided to call now."
"Max I wish you wouldn't work so late,” she said concerned. “It can't be good for you."
"Are you worried about me?" he asked with a touch of amusement in his voice.
"Of course,” she assured him. “I don't want you to make yourself sick."
"Well don't worry. This will be the last late night for a while,” he promised. “We should get everything finished on Saturday morning."
Liz was relieved. "That's good. I don't like to think of you working all hours."
"Neither do I,” Max said softly. “It takes away from the time I have to spend with you."
Liz paused not sure how to respond. "I... I like to spend time with you too," she admitted.
"Good,” he rumbled, “because in the future I plan to spend much more time with you."
A warmth spread through her body and Liz realized it was the same feeling as when Max held her. "You do?" she asked breathlessly. "But we are already planning on seeing each other Friday and Sunday."
"Well then we've left out Saturday,” he said simply. “I know Alex is leaving you and Maria alone for lunch on Saturday because of this trip I had to send him on. So I thought since it was my fault, I would see if you both wanted to spend the day with me. I'll even spring for lunch."
She liked the idea of seeing him on Saturday too, but she didn’t want him to feel obligated. "Max that's really nice but you don't have to," she said softly.
"Nice hell," he growled. "I want to see you."
Liz laughed. "Okay, since you have asked so charmingly I'll accept for the both of us."
Max laughed in return. "I do have a meeting scheduled for Saturday morning but I will make sure it’s finished by noon. I'd like to take you and Maria to a new antiques mall that's opened a couple of blocks from my building. We can have lunch there and then go shopping. How about if you two meet me at my office and we'll go from there?"
"Okay, that sounds like a great idea,” Liz said enthusiastically. “I'll tell Maria, she'll be thrilled."
His voice lowered to almost a whisper, warm and soft. "Will you be thrilled too Liz?"
The answer was out of her mouth before she could think about it. "I'm always thrilled to be with you Max."
She could hear him releasing a breath like he was sighing. "Liz I... I want to tell you something," he paused. "I want to tell you... Damn." She could hear someone in the background calling his name. "Liz just a minute."
Max placed his hand over the phone and Liz could only hear muffled sounds on the other end. Finally Max came back on the line. "I'm sorry Liz they want to get back at it. We'll talk tomorrow, okay? I'll be at your place at seven."
"Seven,” she agreed. “I'll be ready for our mysterious evening." She paused. "Um Max, what did you want to tell me?"
"Liz, I...” he trailed off. “I'll tell you tomorrow."
