Kate Hoffmann - The Sexy Devil

They walked out to the parking lot, chatting about the game and laughing together like they’d known each other for years. Angela was amazed at how easily Max fit in. She’d always felt like a third wheel when she spent time with Will and Ceci, but now the wagon was perfectly balanced.

They dropped Will and Ceci at their flat and after saying their goodbyes, they got back in the car. “Dinner,” Max said. “What are you thinking?”

She drew a deep breath. After everything she’d eaten that afternoon, she wasn’t really hungry. And it was so hot and sticky outside, she really didn’t want to get dressed up. “We could send out for a pizza,” she suggested.

“I could eat pizza,” Max said with a grin. “Besides, it’s too hot to get dressed up and go out. Why don’t we swing by your place, grab your suit and we’ll take a swim?”

“The lake is really cold,” Angela said.

“I’ve got a pool on the roof of my building. They don’t allow kids, so no one ever uses it. Especially at night.”

Max continued to amaze her. He knew exactly what she wanted and he’d offered it to her. She couldn’t think of anything more refreshing than a swim on a summer evening like this. And pizza would be the perfect meal. “How do you do that?”

“Do what?” he asked.

“Know exactly the right thing to say. Did you take a class when you were younger? Or is there some secret handbook that they pass out to you guys?”

“I like pizza,” he said. “And swimming seemed like a good idea. Would you rather do something else? Just tell me what.”

“See, there you go again,” Angela said. “You make it so easy for me to like you.”

“Isn’t that the point?” Max asked. “If I did stuff you didn’t like, then you wouldn’t want to go out with me.”

“No, no,” Angela said, shaking her head. “It’s the way you do it. You make it sound like eating pizza with me is the only thing in the world you want to do.”

“It is,” Max said. “But if you don’t want pizza, we can order Thai or Chinese. There’s a really good-”

“No!” Angela cried. “It’s not about what we eat.”

“What is it about then?”

“If one of your buddies called you right now and told you there were some hot Swedish swimsuit models waiting for you at some bar and they were a sure thing, you’d go, right? You blow me off to hang out with them, right?”

“No,” Max said, frowning.

“You’re lying,” Angela accused. “You would so go.”

He twisted around in his seat to face her. “I would not. I’m spending time with you, because I choose to, Angie. I don’t want to be with anyone else. Besides, I don’t think there are many Swedish swimsuit models out there. They’re too pale to tan.” He turned the car on. “Now, let’s go get your swimsuit and then we’ll decide about dinner. What do you like on your pizza?”

This was exactly what she expected of him. With absolute ease, he could make her believe she was the most important woman in his life. That his entire world revolved around her. And that eating pizza next to a pool with her was better than dining at a gourmet restaurant with a movie star.

She knew the sexy devil was charming. But she’d never realized just how insidious that charm could be. With every moment they spent together, she was more convinced Max wasn’t the man with the profile on her site.

She wanted to throw her arms around his neck and kiss him until her lips were sore. She wanted to run her fingers through his hair and smooth her palms over his chest and discover the body beneath the clothes.

Was it so wrong to want him? Why not admit she’d been taken in, just like all those other girls? Why not enjoy it while it lasted? Angela knew the risks of surrender, but right now, looking into his gorgeous eyes, the rewards far outweighed any risk to her heart.

THE UNDERWATER LIGHTS cast wavering shadows on the pool deck. Max sank below the surface then swam underwater to the opposite end, popping up in front of Angela. Bracing his hands on either side of her legs, he boosted himself up and kissed her before dropping back down into the water. “Are you going to come in?” he asked. “It’s really nice.”

“I’m having more fun watching you,” Angela re plied with a wicked grin. She swirled her feet around in the water in front of him and he grabbed her foot, kissing the arch. “It would be much more fun if you didn’t have those shorts on.”

Max glanced up at her, his lips pressed against her ankle. “What would be the point if you won’t get in the water. I won’t let you drown. I promise.”

“I’m not worried about that,” she said.

“What are you worried about then? I’ve already seen you wet and you look beautiful with your hair all stringy. Unless you don’t want to get that suit wet.”

She wore a pretty flowered two-piece that left just enough to the imagination. It was the first chance he’d had to really appreciate the beauty of Angie’s body. She was fit, not thin, with curves in all the right places. Unlike a lot of the girls he’d dated, she boasted no surgical enhancements. Her breasts, her nose and her lips were all completely natural.

Angie leaned back and stared up at the sky, kicking her feet in the water. “This is so nice. It’s like we’re not even in the city anymore. I can’t believe people don’t use this pool. I’d be up here every night.”

“It would be more fun if it belonged exclusively to us,” he said. “I have a pool at my place in Florida.

Bigger than this one.” He kicked off the side and swam toward her. “With a hot tub. And a big, tall fence around it.”

“I have bathtub,” Angela teased. “I do laps every morning.”

“All right,” Max said. “That might have sounded a bit egotistical. Maybe I was hoping to impress you.” In truth, he was thinking about how much fun it would be to take off his shorts and her suit and enjoy the feel of her body against his in the water. If they were in Florida, he wouldn’t have to worry about anyone barging in on them. After swimming for a while, they could lie down on one of the comfortable chaises on the deck and continue what they’d started in the pool.

Max pulled himself out of the water and sat down next to her, pushing aside the fantasy. “You’re very hard to impress.”

“That’s not true,” she said.

“What do you like about me, Angela?”

She regarded him with a cool stare, her eyebrow arched. Max had never met a woman like her before. She certainly kept him on his toes. He wasn’t sure from one moment to the next what she was thinking. But then, when she turned that smile on him, he could almost believe she was as captivated by him as he was by her. “I like your…hair,” she said, lowering her gaze in mock innocence. “And you have a very nice body. And your voice. That’s nice, too.”

“Nice?” He jumped back down into the pool, then pulled her along with him. She cried out in surprise, but he held tight, cradling her body against his. “I told you the water was nice.”

“It’s warm. Like bathwater,” she said. Angela wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him, deliberately taking her time before drawing away. Her body rubbed against his provocatively and Max wondered if she knew what she was doing to him. “I like your mouth,” she said. “And the way you kiss me.”

Max growled softly as he pulled her into another kiss. Beneath the water, her skin felt like silk. He ran his palms from her shoulders to the small of her back, then drew her hips against his. “What about the way I touch you?” he asked.

“I like that, too,” she whispered. “See, there’s a lot about you that I appreciate.”

Something had changed. The moment she’d kissed him, he felt her grow pliant in his arms. A silent surrender. He slipped his hand between them to cup her breast, softly teasing at her nipple through the fabric of her suit. Angela watched him, and then to his surprise, she reached back and untied the top, letting it fall in front of her.