3. Max

CHAPTER 3

Max

M y heart hammers as the door to the bar opens and light pours in once again from outside. But then it slows painfully when another customer walks in the heavy door and waves at the person they’re meeting.

My shoulders slump and the permanent scowl I always have on my craggy face takes over again.

She’s late. Of course, we didn’t actually state a time so really, she’s not late.

I’m just going crazy here. It’s been too long since I’ve seen her and my heart is pounding, worried that she’s not gonna show.

She shouldn’t. She’s a young girl on her own and I told her to come to my bar. Immediately. I sound like a creeper. I’m not. But she doesn’t know that.

I said I saw her wish on the tree but I didn’t tell her that I’ve been watching her for days or that I was the one who bumped into her and growled.

Those eyes! I haven’t been able to forget those haunted lavender-blue eyes. They’re so clear, so pure. Like a child’s.

But that body is pure woman. Or it could be with a little meat on her bones.

I want to run when the door opens and my eyes lock on her again. She slinks inside and my heart catches at the wary look on her pale face.

I’ve seen that look before on my own face. Like she’s been kicked and ground down by life one too many times and she’s just waiting for the next blow.

I’ve had that same look myself. After the fire when I saw my scarred face for the first time. I never wore a beard and mustache as a firefighter but after the fire I grew a patchy one to hide the telltale scarring on my cheeks and lower jaw. There’s more than that on my face but the hair covers a lot of the worst of the pink. Except for where the hair wouldn’t grow. I look like some kind of freak and I’m afraid of what she’ll think when she sees me.

I hold my breath when she stops in front of the bar where I’m slowly wiping out a glass to keep my hands busy. My fingers itch to touch her, hold her, gently frame her cheek and feel her lean into my touch like an animal that’s hurting and needs touch to feel again.

I’ve been there. It took time but I’m better now. But this is where I start giving back.

She needs help and I need to give her everything she needs. Because she’s mine. I knew it as soon as I saw her skittering past me. But when her body touched mine?

It was like my whole world settled, the sky more blue, the air more pure.

She. Is. Mine.

And if it takes a hundred days, a hundred hours or a hundred seconds I will win her over.

I shouldn’t. Shouldn’t even look at such a pure soul. But the heart wants what it wants and my heart wants her.

“H-hi,” she stammers when I keep staring at her like a complete idiot. “I was called for an interview?”

I nod my head and clear my throat to keep from growling like a wild bear.

“Yeah,” I rumble, my voice rusty and strained. That fire hurt my vocal cords too. My voice is a harsh growl.

She jumps and I can see she wants to run and hide. “I-I’m sorry. Maybe it wasn’t here?”

She turns away but I sigh and put the glass down, throwing the bar towel over my shoulder. “It was me.” I clear some of the rusty out of my throat and she turns back warily.

“I’m sorry. My voice can only take a little bit of strain before it sounds bad.”

She nods her head, her blue eyes dim in the low light. But no less beautiful. “I’m sorry to hear that.”

I shrug my shoulders. Her blue eyes follow the movement and for the first time I feel a twinge of lust in my body, skating along my skin like a four-alarm fire starting to build.

She flushes and I hope to god she doesn’t know what my thoughts are right now because I’m a fucking sick, sick man to be thinking about pushing this waif against a door and fucking breaking her with my own big, hard body.

“You said you’ve got a job that you’d like to see if I’m right for?”

I groan under my breath. Why does she have to make it sound so dirty? I’m trying to be a good man here and help her out, slowly winning her over until she’s finally mine.

“Ummm. Yeah. I could use some help back in my office with getting files and stuff fixed up. You know, numbers and things.”

I sound like an imbecile and I’m waiting for her to realize that I’m some kind of demented creep and run for the hills which is what she should be doing.

I’m an old man staring down a young girl and scheming how to get her in my bed. I’m sick.

But that doesn’t mean I’m gonna stop! I’ll take good care of her. Forever.

She eyes me carefully and I can see the wheels turning in her head. “What about an interview?”

I shake my head, my dark hair flopping into my eyes. Her blue gaze follows the movement and then she freezes when I rumble, “Oh, I don’t need that. We’ll just do a trial run and see how you fit in.”

A smile brightens her pretty face, lighting it up like that Christmas tree in the square. “Are you sure? Technically I haven’t finished my degree.”

I could care less about that. Any of it. All I know is that she’s mine and I’d do anything for her.

“Doesn’t matter.” I shake my head again. “I’ll take you back and you can get a quick peek before I take you upstairs to the bedroom.”

Her whole body freezes and I realize what I said. Shit, shit, shit!

“I mean…the apartment. This job comes with an apartment upstairs. The rent is free while you’re working here.”

She nods her head and her dark curls slide over those slender shoulders of hers. Shoulders that look like they’ve been carrying the weight of the world.

But no more. My big shoulders are more than able to carry the load for two.

“Are you sure? That seems like I’m getting a really good deal. It sounds too good to be true.”

“Oh, it’s real. Let me finish up with this customer and my other bartender to get here and I’ll show you my office and the apartment and get you settled.”

Her brow furrows over her disbelieving, shocked eyes. “Are you sure you don’t need an interview? This seems very sudden to me!”

“Nope. Trust me. I know everything I need to know.”

Because the only thing I need to know is that she’s mine.

“Oh…wait! I do need to see your driver’s license. To make sure you’re old enough to work here.”

Doesn’t really matter that much anymore. But I need to see who she is.

“Here you go.” She hands over the worn piece of plastic and my eyes widen when I see she’s only twenty-one.

“Lexi Carter? Pretty name.” She nods when I hand her back the card. My fingers slip along her soft, satiny skin and she jumps, her eyes startled. An electric shock jolts along my fingers, tingling like they’re waking up from sleep.

I hold my big hand to my chest and clear my throat. “I’m Maximillian Gray but everyone just calls me Gray or Max.”

She nods her head. “Well, thank you for giving me this opportunity, I really need it.”

“Do you need to go cancel your hotel or anything?”

“Ummm. No.” Her eyes slide away from me and she whispers, “I’m not staying in town. I was looking around.”

“And you’re good to stay here for the job?” I hold my breath, my chest aching so much that I almost claw at it. I just barely control myself.

Her sudden smile makes me dizzy. “More than you can know.”

“Great! Go ahead and sit down at that table over there until I’m ready. I’ll buy you a drink. Non-alc0holic,” I warn.

She smirks slightly. “I’d love a Pepsi.”

“Then that’s what you shall have.” I would gladly give her anything she asks for.

Especially my heart. If only she wasn’t so damn young!