Crazy For Love

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Elliott started to stand up, but Max waved him down. “Everything’s fine.”

Right. Fine. “Okay… I was just going to take a swim, so if you could—”

“Care for company?”

Despite her plan, Chloe couldn’t keep the doubt from her voice. “You want to go swimming? Right now?”

Dish towel still in hand, Max leaned against the doorjamb, pretending casualness. “Sure,” he said, the straight line of his shoulders giving away his tension. “If you’re going to be there.” Enough light filtered from the living room that she could see his flirtatious smile. He aimed it right at her, oozing charm.

Oh, my God, Max Sullivan was a total faker.

Chloe smiled up at him, letting her expression melt a little. “Sure, Max. That’d be great.”

His shoulders dropped half an inch on his next breath. He tossed the towel aside and jogged down the stairs to join her. Some of her analytical detachment faded as he drew closer. She remembered the way his thighs had flexed in those Speedos, as if the muscles were barely contained by his skin. Man.

“It’s a little cool to swim, isn’t it?” he asked, pausing to wait for her to turn and start their walk. It had taken him all of one second to try to change her mind.

“I like it. It feels…thrilling. Tossed around by the waves in the pitch-black.”

“Mmm. Well, sure, I like to swim at night, but I have a special connection with the sharks who swim after dark, too. It comes with the profession, you know.”

“Sharks?” she asked, just as he’d wanted her to.

“Yeah. They like to hunt at night.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine.”

He nodded. “As long as you’re a strong swimmer. The riptides can be a real bitch this time of night.”

“Oh, sure. I’m pretty strong.”

Her feet finally touched damp, packed sand. She turned and followed the waterline, watching Max’s large feet make hollows in the sand next to her.

Max audibly sighed. “So tell me more about your job,” he said.

She tossed him a smile. “I’m an accountant at a big accounting firm. What do you want me to talk about? Spreadsheets?”

“Okay, then. Tell me about your family.”

“I have a mom and a dad and a big sister. I grew up in Richmond in a house with an honest-to-God white picket fence.”

“No way.”

“Yep. It was perfectly boring. No scandals. No drama. My sister and I aren’t close, but we get along fine.”

“Boring is nice.”

“Hmm. I detect a not-pleasantly-boring childhood.”

“Nah, it was fine. There was no white picket fence, but I was hardly Oliver Twist. So why did you decide to become an accountant?”

So he didn’t want to talk about himself? Well, she didn’t particularly feel like talking, either. “I like numbers. And puzzles. I like figuring things out.” Turning to face him, she smiled and began to walk backward toward the water, wondering what he’d do. She pushed down her shorts and tossed them up to the dry sand.

“Are you coming?” she called as she backed into the breaking waves and slipped her shirt off, as well. The wind touched her belly, warm air rubbing against her like a cat, and she hoped he was checking out her red bikini, since the blue one hadn’t thrilled him.

“Of course.” Max’s voice oozed cheer.

Chloe threw her shirt onto the sand and walked in deeper, smiling at the sound of Max’s splashing footsteps behind her. The water was up to her knees. She wasn’t the least bit surprised when he started talking.

“In Greek mythology, Amphitrite was the wife of Poseidon and the queen of the sea.” He was beside her within two seconds. She kept walking. “But in the beginning, she wasn’t simply Poseidon’s wife. Amphitrite was the sea. The ruler and the goddess and the sea itself. One day Poseidon saw her playing in the water, and he was overwhelmed by her beauty and power.”

“Oh?” The water lapped against her upper thighs. She stopped to gaze out at the beautiful moon reflecting off the water.

“Chloe.” His fingertips touched the flat of her shoulder blade, tentative at first, then his touch grew heavier, fingers spreading, palm touching her skin. His hand curved around her shoulder, holding her and pressing his heat inside.

She froze, afraid if she shivered, he’d move his hand.

“You’re beautiful. You look like part of the sea itself tonight.” His hand kept her still as he circled around to stand in front of her. A wave pushed him closer. “Natural. Peaceful.”

She knew he was going to kiss her, and she knew he was only kissing her to keep her from swimming, but she didn’t stop him. She wanted to be kissed. Only Thomas had kissed her in the past three years. She wanted those memories erased by someone new.

Max’s mouth curved in a charming, crooked smile. His eyes fell to her lips and lingered as if he were savoring the moment. But…something was off. His gaze wasn’t heavy-lidded. It wasn’t soft. Sharp thoughts turned behind his eyes.

Chloe wanted to be kissed, but more than that, she wanted to be wanted. For real. With no lies to dilute that wanting.

He lowered his head, edging his mouth close to her ear. “I can think of better things for a sea goddess to do on a dark beach than go swimming.”

She put effort into keeping her voice light and coy. “Oh, yeah?”

“Yeah.” He stepped forward, and the press of his leg moved her back a step. She knew she was being manipulated, but when his lips brushed her temple, the warmth still sent sparks racing down her neck. Not fair.

When his hips nudged her, Chloe took a step back in frantic defense. Totally not fair. His mouth curved in triumph, as if he were thrilled he made her nervous, but Chloe was convinced his thrill had more to do with her migration toward the sand. When she planted her feet, sure enough, his eyes narrowed.

“Come up to the beach,” he murmured. “I want to show you something.”

“Really? Is it in your pocket? Because that sounds a little creepy.”

“Oh,” he said. Then, “No!” as he started to laugh. “No, not that. Jesus. I was talking about the moon.” But even past his laughter, he was moving her backward. The waves only reached her knees now.

“I just thought…” His hands slipped down her shoulders to her upper arms. “We’re finally alone….”

God, this would be so lovely if he wasn’t faking it. She could just close her eyes and pretend…

Max dipped his head, easing a centimeter closer to her mouth. “So I thought maybe…”

“Oh, God, you’re really going to do this, aren’t you?”

His chin jerked back a little before he eased back into his role. “I sure am,” he said with a slow drawl.

“It’s not fair, Max.”

“Hmm?”

“You’re going to make out with me just to keep me from swimming!”

This time his whole body jerked back when his chin drew in. Chloe gave him a disappointed push to help him along.

“What?” he huffed.

“You don’t want me to swim at night, so you’re pretending you want to make out!”

Panic flashed in his eyes, but Max assumed an incredulous expression. “That’s ridiculous. What are you talking about?”

“I’m talking about you being a freak, Max.”

“Hey!”

Shaking her head in disgust, Chloe spun away from him and waded toward the sand. “I thought you liked me.”

“Wait…” His splashing tossed water high, making her shiver when the drops struck the small of her back. She’d felt confident and playful a moment before, but now she was left vulnerable in her swimsuit, exposed to a man who didn’t find her attractive.

She made it to the waterline and looked around for her shirt.

“Chloe,” Max said behind her. She jerked away when his fingers curled around her elbow. “Chloe, I do like you. So why are you calling me a freak?”

“Give it up, already. I’m on to you, okay? I see what you’re doing.”

“What?” He threw his hands up. “What am I doing?”

Though he tried to hold her gaze, Chloe turned away to search the beach for her shirt. Humiliation was a familiar enough feeling that it only stung a little when she realized how close she’d come to letting him distract her with his fake kisses. Even now she wished she’d kept her mouth shut. Or just opened it for him, actually. She could be rolling around on the sand with her hands wrapped around those big biceps right now.

“Last night, you weren’t interested in me or in Jenn, were you? You were checking on the fire. That’s why you came over.”

“Chloe,” he said, his voice warm with indulgent laughter. “Come on.”