Chapter 8 #3
"No. He's twenty-nine, and a newly minted doctor of orthopedics.
My mom said it was a great specialty for him because he broke a lot of bones when he was younger.
Hayden loved skateboarding, and he was great at it.
But he liked to do tricks, and he took a lot of falls," she said with a smile.
"My Uncle Danny and his wife, Beth, have four kids ranging from their early thirties to their early twenties.
And my Aunt Nancy and Uncle Tim have three kids ranging from twenty-five down to fifteen.
And my Uncle Joe and Aunt Linda have five kids ranging from twenty to eight. "
He shook his head. "That's a lot of family."
"And a lot of fun," she said. "I miss my dad terribly, but it has been great to have so much support from everyone else.
My mother has been a single mom for much of my life, but it hasn't ever really felt that way.
What about you? What's your family situation beyond your dad and you? I haven't heard about any siblings."
"No siblings. A couple of cousins, but I haven't seen them since I was probably twelve. Our extended family fizzled out years ago. The traveling put too much distance between us, and now my dad doesn't seem to even care about trying to keep up with any of them."
"That's a little sad."
He shrugged. "It is what it is."
She sat back as the server put a fancy cheese plate in front of her. "Cheese, really?" she whispered.
He laughed. "It goes with dessert."
"I've never understood that."
"You don't have to eat it."
"Oh, I'm eating it," she said. "When in Rome, right?"
He laughed and picked up his fork. "When in Rome."
As they finished their cheese plates, Olive engaged Max in conversation once more, and she found herself studying his profile: the firm jaw, dark brows, the slight crook in his nose that suggested it had been broken at least once.
He really was handsome, in that dangerous, unpolished way that made her pulse quicken.
He was a sexy chameleon who could probably blend into any environment, become whoever he needed to be.
Max suddenly turned and caught her eye, raising his brow in a silent question. "Everything okay?"
"Yes." She picked up her water glass and took a long drink, feeling a little too warm, but it had nothing to do with the heat in the room and everything to do with him.
"You're supposed to be observing the room, not me," he added quietly.
"I wasn't looking at you."
"Yes, you were. What did you see?"
His challenging gaze held hers. "It looks like you broke your nose at some point," she said
"Bar fight in Dublin."
"What were you doing in Dublin?"
"Drinking. Which led to the fight." His smile was crooked. "I was younger and stupider."
"And now?"
"I'm older and marginally less stupid."
"I think that's still to be determined."
As he gave her a sexy smile, she felt a catch in her throat, and a shiver ran down her spine. She needed some space, some air. Putting down her napkin, she said, "I'll be back."
She headed into the nearby restroom and found Caroline reapplying her lipstick. She caught her gaze in the mirror. "Are you enjoying yourself?"
"I am. The food is incredible," she said, moving to the sink to wash her hands.
"Ceylon never disappoints." She capped her lipstick with a click. "How long have you known Max?"
"Not long," she said vaguely.
"Mm." Caroline studied her reflection in the mirror and turned to face her. "He never brings dates to business events."
"Is that what this is? It seems very social."
"With Dominic, everything is business." Caroline paused. "I know who you are."
"Who I am?" she echoed.
"You're an FBI agent. I looked you up online, and then I confirmed it with Dominic. He said Max told him he was bringing you, but I don't understand why."
"I'm trying to find out who planted the bomb that injured Ms. Barkley."
"And you're going to find that person at this dinner party?" she challenged.
She didn't flinch at Caroline's accusatory tone. "I wanted to get some insight into Dominic's world. There's a possibility one of his enemies went after Samantha."
"He mentioned that, but it seems unlikely to me. And it's not like Samantha and Dominic are really that close. They've been dating a few months. It's not like Dominic is in love with her."
She wondered if Caroline was trying to convince her or herself.
"Have you worked with Dominic for a long time?"
"I've known him for almost ten years and worked for him for the past two. He's brilliant, one of the smartest men I've ever worked with."
"What do you think about Richard Greco?" she asked. "He caused quite a scene, and his dislike of Dominic was palpable."
"Richard is a wild card who has a short temper and drinks too much; that's one reason Dominic has been leaning away from working with Richard. He enjoyed a good relationship with Joseph, but the son is an entirely different matter."
"Richard told Dominic he'd be sorry for cutting him out. Do you think he's capable of hiring someone to plant a bomb in a café and hurt someone close to Dominic?"
Caroline didn't act surprised by the suggestion. Instead, she seemed to consider the idea. Finally, she said, "Maybe. I guess that is possible. It seems extreme, but Richard is going to lose a lot of money. Still, I would think he would go after Dominic before Samantha."
"Samantha was a lot easier to get to. Dominic has a ton of security."
"Well, they didn't stop Richard from bringing drama here," she said sharply.
"Something Dominic needs to address with his team and with Max.
I know this party wasn't his responsibility, but with everything going on, he needs to be on top of his game.
" As the door opened and two women walked in, she said, "It was nice chatting with you. Have a good night."
She smiled, reapplied her own lipstick, and then left the restroom.
When she got back, she found a beautiful chocolate dessert waiting for her.
"That took a while," Max said. "I was about to eat yours."
"That would have been fine. I'm stuffed. I ran into Caroline and had a little talk with her. She knows I'm an FBI agent."
"I'm not surprised Dominic told her. They're close."
"I definitely think she has a thing for him. But we can talk more later."
"Let's get out of here," Max said. "I think we've seen all we need to see."
She grabbed her coat and slipped it on as they made their way down the stairs. Max handed the ticket to the valet, and she shivered as they waited for his Jeep.
"You're cold," he said, shrugging out of his coat to drape it over her shoulders.
She started with surprise at the gesture. "Now you'll be cold."
He shrugged. "I'll survive."
As she met his gaze, she felt another sizzle between them, and she found herself unexpectedly wishing this was a date, that they'd met under different circumstances, that this wasn't about a case, because she'd really like it to be about something else.
"Kara," he murmured. "You shouldn't look at me like that."
"Like what?" she whispered, knowing she was playing with fire.
His gaze darkened, but before he could reply, the valet pulled up with Max's car, breaking the spell between them.
The valet opened the door for her, and she slid inside as Max moved behind the wheel.
Neither of them spoke as he pulled away from the curb, and the silence continued, growing tenser with each passing block.
She'd started something…something she couldn't finish. And she didn't know what to do about that. Max didn't seem to know either.
When he finally stopped in front of her building, she let out a sigh of relief and jumped out of the car so he wouldn't have to park. Unfortunately, she realized she still had his jacket on her shoulders when she reached the sidewalk. She turned around, and Max was right there.
"Your coat," she murmured, putting up her hands to slide it off her shoulders. But she wasn't fast enough.
His hands covered hers, stopping the movement. Then he lowered his head and kissed her. It wasn't gentle or sweet; it was hot, deliberate, a little possessive, and she loved every second. But she had to end it soon…now. Finally, she forced herself to pull away.
She gave him a breathless look, fighting the urge to go right back into another kiss. "We can't do this. You know we can't."
"I know."
She stepped back, slipped off his coat, and handed it to him. "Thanks."
"Kara—"
"Goodnight, Max," she said, cutting him off. She ran up the steps to her building without looking back. But she could feel his gaze on her the entire way. And when she finally reached her door and glanced back, he was still there, still watching.
She went inside before she could do something stupid, like go back down those steps.