“Her name is a month,” Troy says, and my jaw tightens. Apparently, he’s still a dick—not surprising.
“Oh, a month, that’s fun! There are only a couple of months that people name their kids after,” the interviewer singsongs.
“Not in her family,” Brock inserts, laughing, and so do the rest of the guys.
“Mom, please, turn it off,” I order, unwilling to listen to more, and the background noise dies down, but I can tell she’s listening to it. “Do I need to remind you that you didn’t even like Cohen when he and I were seeing each other?”
“It’s not that I didn’t like him. I just… well, I thought you could do better.”
“And you don’t think I can do better than him now?” I turn around, then scream when I come face-to-face with Maxim.
“Are you okay? What’s going on?” Mom asks, worry clear in her tone.
“I’m fine.” I hold my hand to my chest. “Just got startled.”
“Sorry about that,” Maxim rumbles, and my mom gasps.
“Who’s that? Is someone there with you?”
“Mom—”
“It’s a guy. That was a guy!”
“Mom.” I laugh. “I need to get off the phone. I have to get ready for work.”
“You’re not going to tell me who that was?”
“No,” I say simply.
“You never tell me anything,” she pouts, and I laugh. “Fine, love you. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Love you too, and no more listening to the radio.”
“Whatever,” she grumbles and hangs up.
I set down my phone and look at Maxim. “I’m going to go up and get dressed. Our first appointment is in an hour.”
“Something going on with your ex?” he asks, crossing his arms over his chest while leaning his hips against the edge of the counter, his eyes studying mine intently.
“Not on my end.” I pick up my still half full coffee and head toward the stairs.
“Is he the same one who left his number on your windshield?” he asks, and I stop at the bottom step and meet his gaze over the banister.
“One and the same.”
“How long has it been since things between you two ended?” The question seems casual enough, but his body language is screaming that it’s not.
“Years.” I frown. “Are you going to let me get dressed so we can leave, or are we going to play a hundred and one questions?”
“Go on. I gotta make a phone call real quick.” He pushes away from the counter and takes his phone with him out the back door.
I watch him through the glass for a long moment, trying to figure out what the hell that was about. Then, with a sigh, I head upstairs to get ready, because even if I had all the time in the world, I would never be able to understand men.
Chapter 4
April
JUGGLING MY BAG, my coffee, and my shoes, I frown at Maxim when he steps in front of me. “We have to go,” I remind him as he takes my bag and coffee mug. “Really, we should have left twenty minutes ago.”
“I’m not the one who jumped me in the closet.” He heads for the stairs, and my mouth drops open.
“I did not jump you in the closet.” I quickly follow after him. “You’re the one who came in there and attacked me,” I say, and he looks at me over his shoulder, his eyes darkening the way they had when he found me standing in my bra and panties amongst my shoes, bags, and clothes.
“Right, I forgot.” He turns away from me, but I catch his smile, and my own lips tip up, but I quickly wipe my grin away when we get to the front door where I stop to put on my shoes. After we get outside, I lock up, then blink when he takes my keys from my hand.
“What are you doing?”
“I’m driving.”
“Yeah, you’re driving your car.” I try to get my keys from him, but he holds them up above his head. I don’t even attempt to jump up and get them, because even in my heels, I’m short as hell, so jumping around like an idiot would be pointless.
“Come on, or we’re going to be late.” His doors slide up, and I let out a breath and stomp over to his car. I fall into the seat without grace, snap my seatbelt into place, then cross my arms over my chest, his chuckle only serving to annoy me more.
“Where are we going?” I turn my glare on him, and he relaxes back in his seat like he has all day. With a growl, I reach into my bag he placed at my feet, grab the file folder I put together, and pull out the listing for the first one, plugging the address into my phone. Once the directions pop up, I hand him my cell, then shove everything back in my bag and turn to look out the window once more. Without another word, he backs out of my driveway, then shoots off down my street and heads for the highway. Not seeming bothered at all that I’m bothered which is also annoying.
Thankfully the car ride is short and when we arrive at the house, I notice a blue BMW convertible parked in the driveway and shake my head. “I wonder if another realtor is doing a showing right now,”
“Maybe the owners are still here,” he says, and I shake my head.
“No, no one lives here. The owners recently moved to Iowa.” I check the time. “We’re not that late, so if there was a showing before us, the clients must really like the house if they’re still here.”
“It looks like a great house.”
“It is a great house,” I agree, handing him over a copy of the information sheet and going into realtor mode in an instant. “It’s four thousand square feet, all one level, sits on two acres, with a pool, pool house, and a private lot in one of the most desirable neighborhoods in Brentwood. Plus, it was all recently remodeled and doesn’t kill your budget.”
“Maybe we should go in before they have a chance to put in an offer.”
“You really like it?” I look at the white house with its stone walkway and red door. It’s cute—maybe too cute for a guy like him.
“Do you like it?”
“Yeah, but it wouldn’t be my house,” I point out while grabbing my bag, then shift around to try to figure out how to open the door but stop when his hand wraps around the back of my neck.
“Didn’t take you very long to get over being pissed at me.” His gaze roams over my face.
“Right now, you’re my client, not the guy I slept with who annoyed me this morning.” I attempt to pull away from him, and his fingers give my neck a squeeze.
“Your attitude runs as hot as your pussy, babe.” He uses his hold on me to drag me closer, and my belly dips as his mouth gets close to mine. “And you have a really fucking smart mouth.” He nips my bottom lip, then soothes the sting with his tongue before he kisses me wet and deep. When he pulls away, my lashes flutter open, and I meet his dark gaze, my mind a whirlwind of emotions—lust, excitement, confusion, and anxiousness being the four most recognizable.
I haven’t had a moment to really think since I walked up to him at the bar last night, and I’m not sure if that’s a good thing or a bad thing. “We should go in.” I lick my lips.
“I need you to let go of me in order for us to do that.” I release him quickly, and he presses a button, and both doors slide up. I get out and meet him at the hood, then we head up to the walkway. I see the lockbox for the key on the mat, so I open the door and walk inside. The lights are off, and the house is quiet, which seems odd, but every realtor has their own set of rules for a showing. Or maybe the clients took off and whoever is here is in the process of locking everything down.