The Wallflower Read online

  After a few minutes of silence, Emma felt like she once again had the power of speech. “So, what’s your idea?” When he looked at her like he wanted to devour her, Emma quickly clarified, “For the masquerade!”

  “Becky goes as a female Zorro. If Becky’s uncomfortable with that, we can have Simon change his costume so the two of them match.”

  Emma sat back in her chair, frowning in thought. “Becky’s been talking about doing a lady pirate—”

  “No.”

  Emma blinked slowly, unsure whether or not to be pissed or amused at the firm order. “Okay,” she drawled, “and your suggestion would be?”

  “How about a saloon girl?”

  Emma choked on her wine. “Um, saloon girl?”

  “Yes. Simon can dress as a cowboy. Is there a problem with that?”

  Emma bit her lip. “Maybe.” She latched onto the first thing she could think off to change his mind; Becky would never wear the saloon girl outfit in public! She kept the picture of herself in that outfit all the way in the back on the mantelpiece. “Becky’s self-conscious about her lack of…attributes.”

  Max looked confused. “Attributes?”

  Emma could feel herself turning red. “Boobies,” she hissed, looking around to see if anyone heard her.

  Max choked. “She’s worried about her breast size?”

  Emma nodded, shushing him with her hand.

  Max sighed. “Okay, how about a flapper? Simon can pull off a gangster look, I think.”

  Emma thought about dark, dangerous looking Simon and nodded. Suddenly she flapped her hands at him in excitement as she remembered a costume she’d seen on-line. “Oh! What about a fallen angel? I saw this really sexy number that would look incredible on Becky!”

  “Have you ever looked at men’s devil costumes? They’re cheesy.” Max frowned in thought. “No, we need something they’ll both be comfortable in.”

  Emma grinned. “I saw bat wings he could wear over his shoulders. Put him in a trench coat with the wings, leather pants, bare-chested…” Emma waved a hand in front of her face, making Max scowl. “Believe me, women will pass out from the heat.”

  Max picked up her hand and stared into her eyes. “Really?” he asked softly. With careless elegance, he took her hand to his mouth, gently nibbling the back of her knuckles.

  Once again Emma felt her cheeks heat. “Stop that!” She snatched her hand back and put it in her lap for safe-keeping. She cleared her throat and willed herself back into the costume conversation. “Becky has a romantic streak a mile wide. Maybe we can work with that.”

  “Hmm. How about Robin Hood and Maid Marian?”

  “Done to death.”

  “Which leaves out paired vampires?”

  “Yup. You know, maybe Lady Zorro isn’t such a bad idea, after all. And even better, Becky knows a bit about fencing, so she’ll be comfortable wearing a sword.”

  “She can use the sword on Simon if he doesn’t get the message?”

  “Something like that.” Emma sat back with a sigh as the waiter appeared. Both decided on dessert, Emma going for the French silk pie and Max picking raspberry cheesecake. Max had coffee; Emma took another glass of wine.

  “The only other thing Becky’s interested in is Trinity from the Matrix. Think Simon wants to be Neo?”

  Max shook his head. “As alluring as Becky would be in a leather cat suit, I think Simon would prefer Zorro.”

  “Okay. Then it’s settled. I’ll see about getting Becky’s costume.”

  “Don’t worry about it. I’ll pick up Becky’s costume when I pick up your costume.”

  Once again she was ready to throttle him. “And what costume will I be wearing?”

  Max grinned. “It’s a surprise.”

  “A surprise?”

  Max picked up her hand and nibbled on her knuckles again, effectively shutting down her brain in the process. “Mm-hmm.”

  “Oh.”

  With a look of satisfaction, Max put her hand back down on the table. “Are you going to finish your dessert?”

  Emma looked down at her pie, suddenly no longer hungry. She took a deep breath and asked the question she knew she was going to have to ask before they ever entered the restaurant. “How will I find you at the masquerade?” At his raised brow she added hastily, “If we’re supposed to make sure Simon and Becky find each other, we need to make sure we can find each other too.”

  “Don’t worry, it won’t be a problem.”

  Max’s purr sent a shiver through her. “Okay.” Emma bit her lip, wondering if she should ask her next question. “Will your date mind you helping me out? I mean, I wouldn’t want to make things awkward between you and your current girlfriend, whoever she is.”

  “Do you think I would ask you out to dinner if I was seeing someone, Emma?”

  Emma raised her eyebrows, clearly amused. “Well, if you’d asked me…”

  “Emma.”

  “I mean, the food part of the kidnapping was kinda nice.”

  “Very well. Would I be trying to seduce you if I was seeing someone?”

  Emma opened her mouth to make the comment that first sprang to her lips, but seeing the serious expression on his face she bit it back. Instead, she went with her second thought. “I don’t know. You’ve been gone a long time. For all I know, you’re gay.”

  It was Max’s turn to open his mouth and have nothing come out.

  Emma lifted her hand to the waiter. “Check, please.”

  “I’m not gay.” Max stalked to the Durango, trying to decide if he was insulted or not.

  Emma shrugged carelessly. “Bi then.”

  “Emma!”

  He was forced to stop when she collapsed against the side of the car, giggling like a schoolgirl. The only thing she managed to gasp in between bouts of giggling was, “Oh, God, the look on your face!”

  Max shook his head, wondering, knowing she had no idea how few people dared tease him. How the hell had he missed this woman all those years ago? He could have dated Emma back then instead of Livia. He’d have had Emma all these years, laughing at him, teasing him, driving him insane. The thought of his own blindness where she was concerned made him grit his teeth in frustration.

  No more. Never again would he allow himself to do without Emma.

  Crossing his arms, he leaned against the car door and waited for her to stop laughing. “You finished?” he asked indulgently, his heart beating a strange tattoo at the sound of her laughter.

  She wiped the tears away with a final giggle. “Yeah, I think so.”

  “Good.” With a swiftness only another Puma could match, Max snatched her close, bent down and kissed her. She barely had time to gasp.

  That small gasp of surprise gave him immediate access to her mouth. He stroked inside her, slow and deep, just like he wanted to take her. He savored her taste, wine, chocolate and woman, and his head reeled. When her lips finally began to move against his, he moaned, his cock twitching like she was stroking him there with her wet heat. Her tongue dueled with his with a shyness that once again brought out his protective instincts. Without thought, he turned her so that her back rested against the Durango, his broad shoulders and back hiding her from the view of those in the restaurant.

  No one but him would ever get to see her passion again.

  He wanted to open the door, lay her down on the seat, and strip her naked. He wanted to be sheathed so far in her body she’d be able to taste him in the back of her throat. He wanted to mark her with his scent, his seed, and his teeth so badly he shook with it.

  But they were on a public road, outside a very public restaurant; he couldn’t do any of the things he wanted to do so badly, except…

  With a snarl he lifted his mouth from hers and buried it against her throat.

  “Max,” she whispered in that soft, husky voice.

  He suckled at the sensitive juncture of her throat and shoulder until she lay quiet and panting in his arms, her face buried in his shoulder. Gently he
scraped the area with his teeth to prepare her. One hand slid down to cup her ass, reveling in the feel of her full curves; the other held her to him with a grip of iron, hard around her back. He had to concentrate not to dig his claws in and knead. He pushed between her legs with his knee until she was practically riding his thigh. With a rumbling purr he bit down, drawing blood and injecting her with the enzyme that would change her, marking her for all time as his. Her cry was muffled by his shirt; feeling her shivers he realized she was climaxing from the effect of the bite, riding his thigh as his essence and hers mingled.

  He lapped at the small wound, not surprised to see it was already closing. With his mark on her and her orgasm, some of his own urgency left him. She was his.

  Chapter Three

  Emma was still reeling from whatever the hell it was Max had done to her with his bite when he gently helped her into the Durango. Her hands were shaking so badly she couldn’t even put her seat belt on without help.

  She’d never come so hard in all her life. And he hadn’t even gotten her naked. She desperately tried to ignore the little voice that asked, if it was that good upright and clothed, how would it feel with him naked and inside me? She shivered.

  “Are you okay?”

  Emma tried to ignore the way her cheeks were heating, instead focusing on the purring amusement she could hear in his voice. “I’m fine,” she squeaked. Clearing her throat, she tried again. “I, um…” Her voice trailed off as Max took her hand in his, placing it on his hard thigh. She had to clear her throat again, shaking her head violently to see if she could get her brain cells to start working again. “Ah, Saturday…when will you be picking up the costumes?”

  Max smiled lazily. “I’ll head to the costume shop tomorrow and get them, don’t worry about it.”

  “When will you drop them off?”

  Max was silent for a moment, obviously thinking. “Would Becky wear a costume from a secret admirer, or would it be better coming from you?”

  Emma bit her lip, her attention once again focused on Becky’s problem rather than the tall blond problem at her side. “I’m not sure. If I told her I’d gotten the costume, she might feel more comfortable about wearing it.”

  Max smiled. “We’ll do that, then.” His shoulders went back and his head tilted as he looked down at her briefly, the determination in his eyes completely wiping out the earlier humor. They seemed to gleam gold under a passing street lamp before he turned back to the road. “Now you’re going to explain to me why you carry mace in your pocket.” That odd note of command was back in his voice as he drove away from Noah’s, demanding a reply.

  Emma shrugged and ignored the urge to put her head down. “No reason, I just think a woman alone should carry protection and I don’t like the thought of guns.”

  “Don’t lie to me, Emma.”

  Emma’s chin tilted up. “I’m not lying.” She sniffed. “I don’t like guns.”

  “Emma,” he growled.

  “Oh, pooh, you don’t scare me, so stop growling,” she yawned. She turned to look at him. “Anyway, should Becky carry her own rapier or would it be better to have her carry a toy?”

  Max’s jaw was moving, like he was grinding his teeth. “I can find out. Would you rather tell me, or let me go looking?”

  “Wow,” Emma breathed. “I’ve heard of that, but never actually seen it.”

  He looked at her quizzically out of the corner of his eye. “Seen what?”

  “You actually talked through clenched teeth. I didn’t think anyone really did that, you know?”

  He pulled over and put the car out of gear. “Emma, why don’t you want to tell me what happened?”

  “Oh, gee, maybe because it’s none of your business?”

  His utter stillness surprised her; she wasn’t even certain he breathed for a moment. When he turned his head with exaggerated slowness, she realized she’d finally succeeded in pissing him off. “Everything about you is my business, Emma.”

  She was shocked at his dangerous tone of voice. “Max?”

  “You’re mine, Emma, and I protect what’s mine.”

  Her jaw dropped in disbelief. “What?”

  He put the car back in gear, taking off with a squeal of tires. “You heard me.”

  “Uh, excuse me, but one kidnapping with food does not make Emma your property!”

  “You bear my mark.”

  She blinked, totally confused. The feral light in his eyes hadn’t lessened. The Durango was roaring as Mad Max drove like a bat out of hell for the outskirts of town. “What the hell are you talking about?”

  “I bit you.”

  “And? You think you’re the first guy to give me a hickey? Shit!” Emma made a grab for the door as Max took a turn at high speed.

  “I don’t think I need to hear about you and other men right now, Emma.”

  “Okay, okay! Could you slow down, please?”

  Max took looked away from the road long enough to see her glaring at him. With a rough sigh he slowed down. “Look, I know you’re confused.”

  “No, I think you’re the one who’s confused. Have you forgotten to take your medication today? Is that it? You turn into psycho-boy while in college?”

  Max ran an impatient hand through his hair. “This isn’t the way I wanted to do this,” he muttered gruffly.

  “Look, I promise I’m not jealous that the voices only speak to you, okay?”

  Max pulled off the main road and onto a side road, shaking his head. “Emma, we need to talk.”

  The tone of his voice made her sit back. He sounded…odd, like he knew whatever he had to tell her was something she wouldn’t want to hear. “We talked. We talked all through dinner. Why are we out in the middle of nowhere to talk, by the way?”

  He sighed. “Because there are certain things you may want to see that I can’t show you in the middle of town.”

  “Uh-huh. I think your thing can go without being seen tonight.”

  The Durango jerked to a stop. There was a stunned silence for a moment. “I can’t believe you just said that.”

  “I can’t believe you can’t believe it.” Emma folded her arms under her breasts and scowled. “What’s the matter, Max, never been turned down before?”

  “Why are you being such a pain in the ass?” Max turned to her, frustration written all over his face. “I offer to help you, buy you dinner, kiss you senseless and bring you to orgasm, oh, no, don’t bother lying about that either,” he yelled as she opened her mouth, “and all you do is give me grief!”

  “You felt me up without permission, kidnapped me, practically attacked me on the street, bit me, then act like a crazy man, drive like a bat out of hell out of town, and you want to know why I’m giving you grief? You’re lucky I haven’t broken out the mace, pal!”

  “All I want to know is who hurt you!” he yelled at the top of his lungs.

  “It happened two years ago, Max! What are you gonna do, hunt the guy down in jail and beat him up?”

  “Ah-hah!” Max’s finger waved in her face. “Someone did hurt you!”

  “Argh!” Emma’s hands flew into the air in frustration. “All right! I was mugged, okay? It was a college student, he’s in jail, I had a broken wrist but he got a broken nose, end of story!”

  Emma glared at him, her arms crossed over her chest. If he made one wrong move, hell, one wrong sound, she would mace him!

  He grinned as the temper visibly drained out of him. “Did you give him as much grief as you’ve given me?”

  “More.”

  “God, you are so beautiful when you’re pissed.” He grabbed the back of her head and gave her a quick, hard kiss. “Okay, warrior princess, now that you’ve told me what I wanted to know I’ll tell you what you want to know. Okay?”

  Emma took a deep breath and debated whether or not to kiss him back or clobber him. “It better be good.”

  Max leaned in until her lips were once more beneath his. “And then I’m going to take you home and fuck yo
u raw.” As her eyes widened, he added, “And, baby, that will be better than good.”

  She was completely speechless as he got out of the SUV in a slow glide that had her thinking of silk sheets and heated skin. She gulped as he prowled around the hood of the Durango, moving like sex in jeans. His heated gaze never left her face.

  “Oh, boy,” she whispered as he opened her car door. He smiled when he saw her seat belt was still on.

  He reached in slowly to unhook her seat belt, brushing his arm deliberately against her breasts. Her nipples hardened, rasping against his sleeve as he removed his arm just as slowly. His smile, sexy and satisfied, showed he’d felt it.

  Suddenly, she had to know. “Max?”

  “Hmm?”

  She ignored the hand he held out to help her down. “Why me?” He looked confused. “I mean, you just came home three months ago and can still have any woman in Halle. Why are you trying to seduce me?”

  “The real question in my mind is why I didn’t try it sooner.”

  Emma stared into his eyes, reading regrets past and a determination that almost alarmed her. When he cocked his brow questioningly, she took his hand and let him help her out of the Durango. She took a deep breath to steady herself. “Okay, what’s the big deal?”

  Max’s lips twitched.

  Emma crossed her arms and tapped her foot. Her chin lifted as she waited for an answer.

  Max reached out and gently stroked the bite mark on her neck. “Do you remember how you felt when I bit you there?”

  Remember? My legs still feel like rubber. She nodded, doing her best not to let any of that show in her face while secretly locking her knees. She must not have succeeded because Max’s smile heated. “That was me marking you as mine.”

  Emma rolled her eyes. “Didn’t we have this discussion, Captain Caveman? A hickey does not make me yours.”

  “But in this case, it does.” When Emma shook her head, he nodded. “There’s a special enzyme that’s only released when I bite someone. I released it into you, Emma. You’re my mate.”

  “Doesn’t it take three bites to turn me, Dracula?” She didn’t even bother trying to keep the disbelief out of either her face or her voice.