Max stayed with me and I stood.
“Bitsy wants you,” I reminded him.
“Somethin’s up,” he said straight out, watching me closely.
“You better go,” I encouraged him, evading his subject. “Do you want me to bring you a coffee when I come back?”
He got close, tilting his head down to look at me but he didn’t touch me.
“What’s up?” he asked.
“I’ll get Bitsy a coffee too. Do you know what she likes?”
His finger went into my side belt loop again.
Then he said in a low tone, “Not gonna ask twice, Duchess.”
God. Seriously. He was so annoying.
“I’m fine.”
“You’re lyin’.”
My eyes narrowed, I yanked my h*ps away but his finger held fast and instead of tearing my loop, I settled and repeated, “I said, I’m fine.”
“Bullshit.”
I leaned in and hissed my lie, “All right, Max, I’m going out for coffee and my Dad’s in town. I don’t want to run into him and have another scene, this time in public.”
His finger in my loop drew me closer as his face relaxed.
“Just stay at the Station,” he suggested. “I’ll ask Mick to get someone to bring you coffee.”
“Police coffee?” I asked, sounding horrified.
“Yeah, Duchess,” he returned, grinning. “You think your system could stomach that?”
“No,” I lied again.
His grin got bigger and he muttered, “Christ, you’re cute.”
I sucked in breath, feeling those three words pummel me like blows to the gut.
Then I reminded him, “Max, they’re waiting for you.”
“Stay here, you want coffee, we’ll get coffee with Bitsy after. She’d like that.”
“Max, as I said, twice, I’ll be fine.”
He shook his head and his finger in my loop brought me even closer, inappropriately closer for a public place, a closer that was almost, but not quite, as close as making-out-in-the-kitchen close.
“Now you explained it,” he said, “I don’t like the idea of you runnin’ into your Dad in town without me havin’ your back. So I want you to stay here. Yeah?”
I decided it was probably better to give in because Max wouldn’t let it go and I needed distance immediately. What I did not need were more indications of all the reasons he could easily be the love of any woman’s life.
I decided this but I also decided not to give in gracefully.
So I did it on the release of a heavy, annoyed breath. “Oh, all right.”