Read Online Blue Twilight by MAGGIE SHAYNE - Free Book Online Page B

lowered himself onto the stool. “The truth is, kid, I want to go with you to Endover. I like working with you, and I’m scared shitless to think what kind of trouble you might get yourself into without me.”
    She rolled her eyes. “Your faith in me is overwhelming.”
    He lowered his head, searching for the right words. “The thing is, while I like working with you and I want to watch out for you, I don’t like some of the things you do.”
    She lifted her eyebrows. “You don’t?”
    â€œNo. Now, don’t go getting all hurt and wounded on me, hon, but—”
    â€œOoooh,” she said, drawing the sound out into a sexy purr. “I just love when you call me ‘hon.’” As she said it, she leaned closer, so her breath warmed his neck.
    Lou shot to his feet, slammed his palms on the marble. “Goddammit, Max, that’s exactly the kind of thing I’m talking about.”
    She jumped and stared at him, wide-eyed.
    â€œLook, this isn’t easy for me. It’s goddamn embarrassing, as a matter of fact, but I don’t know how to do this except to just come right out with it. I’m not a gelding, Maxie. I’m not a monk. When you play those games with me, I react, okay? My body—reacts. I’m a healthy, red-blooded man. I’m not too old to feel…” He let his words trail off, unable to finish the sentence.
    â€œLou?”
    â€œI need you to stop, Max.”
    She blinked at him.
    He was sure he’d just fallen off whatever pedestal she’d placed him on. God, to confess to having sexual thoughts about her—sexual desire for her—it was mortifying. He wouldn’t blame her if she threw him out of here once she had time to digest his words, to understand what they implied. “I’m going to bed,” he told her. “I just…had to get that said.” He turned and walked away. “If you still want me to come with you in the morning, I will.”
    â€œLou?”
    He stopped, but he didn’t turn to face her.
    â€œYou’ve got it all wrong, you know.”
    â€œNo, I don’t. Good night, Max.”
    Â 
    Maxie paced her bedroom most of the night. Hell, she’d been nuts about Lou since her first year of college,when she’d taken a self-defense class he’d taught. But she’d kept her flirting minimal back then. Since he’d come back into her life, she’d turned it up several notches.
    But she hadn’t realized until now how her efforts were being received.
    There was a tap on her door. She hurried to yank it open, half expecting to find Lou there, ready to admit defeat and sweep her into his arms for a passionate kiss.
    Instead Stormy was standing on the other side, framed by an elaborately tooled, walnut-stained casing.
    She took one long look at Max’s face and said, “Lou talked to you, didn’t he?”
    â€œHow did you know?”
    â€œTold me he was going to. Then I heard you pacing. Slamming doors or drawers or whatever. Figured I’d better come in before you broke something.” She smiled, a teasing sort of almost-grin. “So what did he say?”
    Max pursed her lips. “He claims to think I’ve just been teasing him, that I see him as harmless. A gelding. He actually used that word.”
    Stormy sighed, crossing the room and hopping onto the foot of the giant four-poster bed, where she folded her legs underneath her and sank into the softness of high-piled mattresses and bedding. “So, did you set him straight?”
    â€œI was just so stunned. I mean, he caught me off guard. I didn’t know what to say. Hell, I still don’t.” Max padded across the thick carpet to stand at the French doors, where she stared outside at the stars, twinkling from a velvet canopy of midnight-blue sky.
    â€œWell, clearly you have to tell him you’ve never thought of him as a gelding. I mean, if he really