Unravel(9)

I finally found my voice. “Likewise,” I said.

This is where he asked me for my last name. And I gave it to him. He asked more questions and I answered. A moment later I left with Lana.

Mission accomplished.

Game over.

We all go on with our lives.

Except that never happened.

“Naomi,” he said and I knew I could get used to my name coming out of his mouth. “Naomi, are you having fun tonight?”

“Am I having fun?” I mused and looked down at my empty glass. My hands were shaking. “Well, I was.” The waiter came by. I swapped my empty glass for a new drink and smiled at Max. “Never mind. Everything is better now.”

He crossed his arms and gave me a devastating smile.

Everyone’s always told me that my smart mouth gets me into trouble and they’re probably right. But Max didn’t seem to mind. In fact, it seemed to be the one thing that kept his eyes riveted on my face.

He took another step forward and tilted his head. “What do you think of the party?”

I took a step closer. “I don’t think you should be asking me that.”

“No?”

I shook my head and smiled. “Look over there,” I pointed toward an overweight, balding man in the corner. Max turned and his shoulder grazed mine. We both watched the man lift his glass, toasting to his friends. They drank and their laughter rang out around the tent. “I think he’s having enough fun for the entire crowd.”

Max smirked.

I looked over my shoulder and found my next target. Lana’s mom. “Take that beautiful lady.” She was directly in front of him, but he leaned in and peered closely at her. His jaw brushed against my hair. I sucked in a sharp breath and continued to talk, like I wasn’t feeling a thing. “She lives for these parties where she can be the center of attention. And she’ll stand there, complaining to her friends that the maid didn’t pick up her dry cleaning on time and the gardener didn’t prune her rosebushes.” On cue, the ladies around Lana’s mom leaned in and patted her arm. “And now her friends are giving their condolences because there’s nothing more tragic than unhealthy roses.”

He looked down and smiled at me. There was a pull between us. Talking to him came naturally. It was just so easy.

“You think that’s what they’re talking about?”

“I know so,” I said confidently.

“But you’re not like them?”

Max moved in just a bit closer. He smelled amazing. I couldn’t tell if it was cologne, body wash or his own personal scent, Eau de Max. Either way, I wanted to bury my face in his neck.

I blinked away the image and processed his question, but I couldn’t form a coherent answer. Standing this close to me I could see everything. His thick black lashes, the flecks of brown in his eyes, and the tiny scar below his right eye.

I wanted to keep looking at him, finding things that most people would never notice. But he stood there, eyebrows lifted, waiting for me to answer.

I raised the glass to my lips and took a drink. I needed all the liquid courage I could get. He followed the line of my jaw, curve of my throat, like he was transfixed. There was no champagne left. I stared down at the empty glass. “Other than my questionable drinking habits, no, I’m not like the people here.”

I lifted my eyes and prayed like hell that he found my comment funny. But he was staring at me with a thoughtful look on his face. A mixture of lust and fear. I couldn’t really blame him. How many times in your life do you experience this level of attraction?

I blinked and the white lights strung above us blurred yellow. Conversations around us died down. A curtain closed around the two of us. We were in our own world.

His eyes traveled slowly across my body. I took care to make sure I was dressed conservatively for tonight’s party, but Max was quickly stripping me, making me feel like my pale pink, cap-sleeved dress was non-existent. My blood went straight to my head.

I reached out and grabbed onto the nearest chair.

And then someone cleared his throat and we both realized that Patrick was still standing next to us.

All the noises that were drowned out before were now playing on the highest volume. A wave of voices drifted around me. Music played. Waiters moved in and out of the crowd. A person bumped into me.

Our moment was over.

“I should get back to my guests,” he said slowly.

“You should.”

He stayed rooted in place. And so did I.

He finally took a step back. “I’ll see you soon.”

There he went.

I found Lana a few minutes later. She was standing close to the bar with an anxious look on her face. When she saw me, her face lit up.

“There you are,” she said with relief.

“I saw him.”

Lana frowned. “Who?”

“The host. Max.”

“Oh yeah?”

I nodded. My heart was still pounding. My head still spinning. “So what do you think of him?” she asked.

“He’s something,” I muttered.

Max was standing close enough for me to point out. He was talking to a guest. Completely unaware that I was staring at him. I took advantage of the situation and nudged Lana.

“There he is,” I said.

Lana looked in his direction. She blinked and then looked back at me. Maybe my feelings showed in my eyes. Maybe that’s what made Lana’s smile fade. “What about Lachlan?” she said.