Colorado 01 The Gamble (9 page)

I looked up at Max and saw just his mouth
had grown tight but his face had grown that scary dark I’d seen the
first night I met him. Nevertheless, without a word he slid in
beside me.

“So, Nina, you come back with Max?” Harry
asked me.

“Back?” I asked him.

“Yeah,” Harry said, grinning a somewhat
goofy grin.

“Um…” I replied, answering his confusing
question the only way I could, “no.”

“Nina rented the house,” Max told Harry and
Harry nodded.

“Yeah, fuckin’ great house,” Harry remarked
then took a drink of his beer.

“It is,” I agreed, not knowing what to do in
this situation and hoping the icicles Shauna was so obviously
willing to shoot out her eyes and pierce my flesh wouldn’t actually
form.

“Pretty unbelievable, Max built it himself,”
Harry said.

I stopped trying not to look at Shauna
without looking like I was trying not to look at Shauna and my eyes
shot to Harry.

“I’m sorry?”

“The A-Frame, Max built it himself from the
ground up,” Harry informed me and my eyes moved to Max.

“
You did?” I breathed, actually
breathed
. Then
again, I was surprised. And impressed.

“Designed it too,” Harry went on before Max,
who’d turned his head to me, could reply.

“He did not,” Shauna put in coldly and I
looked back at them.

“Well, Rudy helped,” Harry grinned,
seemingly impervious to her frosty demeanor. “He looked over the
plans.”

“
Rudy’s an
architect,
” Shauna told me with great emphasis on her last
word. “He
more
than
helped.”

I decided Shauna seemed kind of like a
bitch.

“Still,” I said, “building it, that’s –”

Shauna cut me off. “He didn’t
totally
build it.”

“Yeah, those windows would be hard to get in
all by himself, but the rest of it –” Harry said.

Shauna looked at Harry. “He didn’t do the
wiring.”

Harry looked at Max. “I thought you
did.”

Again before Max could reply, Shauna put in,
“Not all of it.”

Before anything more could be said, my eyes
on Shauna, I swiftly and firmly declared, “Doesn’t matter, laying a
single stone to create that beautiful house would be impressive.
The whole place is perfect.”

Shauna’s eyes locked with mine and we went
into stare down. The stare down was interrupted by Max sliding his
arm around my shoulders and pulling me into his side. Both Shauna
and I broke contact, me because I was shocked at his familiar hold,
Shauna because she was clearly infuriated by it.

I tipped my head back to look at Max to see
his head was tilted down to look at me.

“You think my house is beautiful?” he asked
softly.

I was struck by something in his eyes,
something intense and mesmerizing, and the restaurant faded
away.

“Well… yes, because it is,” I replied just
as softly.

“Hey, you’re English,” Harry butted in and I
watched up close as Max’s jaw hardened and his eyes sliced to
Harry.

I looked at Harry too and unlike Max I was
glad, for my sanity mostly, that Harry had butted into our little
moment. It was a nice little moment and it made me feel warm all
over, something I knew I shouldn’t feel.

“Not exactly,” I said to Harry, “I just have
a hint of an accent because I live there.”

“Whoa!” Harry burst out and such was his
surprise at this news his body slammed back into the booth.
“Really?”

“Yes.”

Harry’s eyes darted between Max and I and he
asked, “You live in England, how did you two hook up?”

“Long story,” Max’s gravelly voice replied
in a way that said that particular long story was not going to be
told now or ever to Harry but more than likely especially to
Shauna.

Harry belatedly took the hint and asked me
instead, “What do you do in England?”

“I’m a solicitor.”

“A what?” Harry asked.

“It’s what the English call an attorney,” I
explained and I felt Max’s hand tighten on my shoulder.

“Cool!” Harry exclaimed. “Like, ‘Order in
the court!’ and ‘I object!’”

“Not exactly, I’m not a barrister, I’m a
solicitor. I don’t often see court.”

“Come again?” Harry asked, looking somewhat
adorably confused.

It was then I decided that Harry was a bit
of a goof but I liked him.

“It’s different there,” I explained. “I’m
not a litigator. I don’t try cases in court very frequently and
when I do they’re usually minor ones, like small claims. Mostly, I
write letters and such.”

“Bummer,” Harry muttered, looking
crestfallen.

I grinned at him and said, “They’re good
letters and some of them are
really
long.”

Max chuckled, Harry grinned and Shauna was
still trying to get her eyes to form icicle daggers.

Suddenly Shauna’s gaze shifted to Max and
she asked, “You talk to Dodd?”

For some reason this made Harry’s
good-natured demeanor slip a notch and he muttered, “Shauna.”

But at the same time Max answered,
“Nope.”

“You should talk to him,” Shauna
advised.

“Yeah, you’ve told me that a fuckin’ hundred
times,” Max said, his voice kind of scary, not overtly so but the
threat was definitely there.

Shauna ignored it, looked at me and
announced, apropos of nothing, “Max’s Dad gave him that land.”

“Really?” I asked, puzzled at the turn of
conversation.

“It’s great land. Beautiful,” Harry tried to
lighten the mood again. “Thirty whole acres of God’s country.”

“Yeah,” Shauna answered me, foiling Harry’s
attempt to lighten the mood. “He didn’t buy it or anything.”

Max’s arm tightened around me, bringing me
closer as I murmured the only response I could come up with,
“Oh.”

“No way, considering it’s worth millions and
he doesn’t have that,” Shauna went on.

I blinked at her in surprise, not only that
Max owned millions of dollars worth of land but the nasty way she
shared that fact as Harry whispered, “Shauna.”

“Can’t afford the taxes on it, that’s why he
rents the house,” Shauna went on and I stared.

Max’s entire body tightened, I sat up
straighter in the curve of his arm and Harry hissed, “Shauna!”

She shrugged, her gaze skittered over Max as
if afraid of catching his eye and she muttered, “Just sayin’, she’s
with him, she likes that house, she should know.”

“Maybe we –” I started to change the subject
but Shauna plucked up her courage and looked at Max.

“Saw you with Becca today.”

This was an accusation. I knew it because
her gaze slid to me to catch my reaction.

And, frankly, I’d had enough. Shauna
wasn’t kind of a bitch, she
was
a
bitch. I didn’t think I’d ever met a bigger one.

“Yes, Becca’s lovely,” I announced, curling
into Max’s body but not taking my eyes from Shauna. “I met her this
morning, she came by when Max was making me breakfast.”

When I mentioned Max making me breakfast,
the cold snap emanating from Shauna reduced the temperature of the
entire restaurant by a whole ten degrees. It was a wonder I didn’t
shiver.

I ignored it and the frosty look on her face
and looked up at Max. He was scowling at Shauna so, to get his
attention, I placed my hand on his chest. I was interrupted from
feeling the fact that his chest was as hard as his bicep and
fortunately also interrupted from the instant impulse to explore
that feeling further when his chin dipped down to look at me.

Yes, his face was dark
and
scary. He was angry, maybe even
furious.

I ignored that too and said quietly, “I
don’t want to seem ungrateful but my oatmeal was kind of… too
sweet.”

He wasn’t following, likely because he was
too angry. “Too sweet?”

I pressed my hand against his chest, cuddled
closer and whispered, “Too sweet. Four sugars? Um…” I trailed off
as his face cleared and he grinned.

“I’ll make it with three tomorrow, Duchess,”
he whispered back.

“More like, one.”

His brows went up. “One?” I nodded and his
arm tightened again but he also pulled me up his body as he leaned
down so my face was closer to his and still whispering, he said,
“That’s the way you like it, that’s the way you’ll get it.”

I was so busy watching his mouth form the
words and experiencing feeling my front pressed to his hard body at
the same time I was wrapped tight in his arm, I almost missed
Shauna making a weird noise in the back of her throat.

But I didn’t miss it. Neither did Max.

My eyes went to his, I smiled at him and he
smiled back. His smile and his eyes in that proximity weren’t
phenomenal, they were sensational.

The loud thump of a bottle hitting the table
made me jump and I turned.

“Ale,” Trudy announced, a smile firm on her
face, her eyes on me. She dipped her head to the new beer on the
table then she looked at Harry. “Table’s ready, Harry.” And without
sparing Shauna a glance, she turned and walked away again, without
leaving menus.

“We’ll leave you alone,” Harry said and I
noticed he didn’t look happy-go-lucky anymore. He looked pale and
maybe a little frightened.

Because of that, I probably shouldn’t have
said what I said next. But for some reason I couldn’t help
myself.

No, I knew the reason. Because Shauna was
far more of a bitch than Harry was a good guy and she deserved it,
not only for saying what she said and for obviously, and in an ugly
way, pining for Max, but for being with Harry at all. I didn’t know
him but I knew he deserved better.

Therefore I snuggled my head into Max’s
shoulder, wrapped my arm around his belly and invited, “Why don’t
you two eat with us? It’d be great, getting to know some people
from town.”

Harry grew paler, Max grunted in a way that
made me think he was struggling with laughter and Shauna’s eyes
narrowed.

“We’re good with our table,” Harry muttered.
“You two look like you’d like some private time.”

“You sure?” I asked graciously.

“Yeah,” Harry answered.

“Well, maybe we can get together some other
time,” I offered and looked at Shauna. “Does Max have your number?
I’ll call you.”

Before Shauna could say anything, Max’s
voice rumbled from behind me but he sounded funny, like he was now
choking back laughter. “I’ve got her number.”

I lurched up a bit and doing my best
imitation of Becca I cheerfully cried, “Great!”

“See you around,” Harry said as he and
Shauna slid out of the booth.

Shauna didn’t say anything.

Harry gave us a half-wave as he walked away,
I waved back and Shauna didn’t even glance in our direction.

They were five feet away when Max got my
attention by curling me into his body front to front, so close I
was almost in his lap.

“Enjoyed the show, Duchess,” he muttered,
his other arm sliding around me and he still looked amused.

I pushed against his chest and muttered
back, “Show’s over, Max.”

He ignored me and held firm. “Though, it was
unnecessary.”

I quit pushing against his chest and looked
in his eyes. “I’m sorry, I know your computer password is her name
but she’s just… not very nice.”

“She’s a bitch,” Max declared bluntly.

“Well…” I drew the word out and then let it
hang, allowing the way I said it to speak for itself.

“
And her name is my computer password
because she set up the computer
and
the password.”

I tipped my head to the side. “So, she and
you –?”

Max cut me off by informing me, “Yeah, I
used to fuck her,” my body jolted at his frankness but he kept
talking, “but it’s been over awhile.”

“You should change your password.”

“Not exactly a priority so I haven’t got
‘round to it.”

“I’ll do it for you,” I offered.

His arms gave me a squeeze and he grinned.
“What’ll you chose?”

Before I could stop my mouth from forming
the words, I said, “Shebitchfromhell666.”

He burst out laughing, giving me another
squeeze while he did it.

When he controlled his laughter, he looked
back at me. “That’s kinda long, honey.”

“Maybe so, but you won’t forget it.”

His face got closer when he murmured, “Don’t
figure I will.”

I realized where I was and what I was about
and I pressed against his chest again.

“Let go,” I whispered.

“Like you here,” he whispered back,
something tingled someplace private, it felt altogether too good
and I pulled in breath.

“I have to use the restroom,” I kind of
lied. I didn’t have to use the facilities. I needed to blow my
nose.

“Run away and remind yourself to be
uptight?” he asked, again bluntly, and I felt my brows draw
together.

“No. I need to blow my nose.”

He looked at me a second, seeming at a loss
then said, “Do it here.”

I wasn’t going to blow my nose at the
table
in
front of him.

“I forgot tissues,” I lied outright this
time.

He grinned again and declared, “You’re so
full of shit.”

What? Did he have x-ray eyes and could see
in my purse?

“I’m not full of shit,” I returned and his
face dipped close again.

His arms got tight before he whispered, “You
like where you are just as much as I like you here.”

Before I could say a word, his hold loosened
and he slid out of the booth, taking me with him and setting me on
my feet.

“Hurry up, the food’ll be here in a minute,”
he said when he let me go.

I looked at the table then at him. “We
haven’t ordered yet.”