He clucks his tongue. “No, I’m no hero. I’m a wicked monster with a heart of gold and a tongue made of platinum. I’ll kill for you and give you the treasure, and in the end, you’ll fall in love with me. But be careful, Siena. I will break your heart.”
“Maybe I’m looking for a broken heart.”
“Now I’m sure you’re flirting.”
“Good. I’m not being subtle.” I cross my legs and lean toward him. I sip my drink. “Can I guess what you’re doing here? Since you figured out my story so easily, it’s only fair.”
He gestured. “Please, go ahead.”
“I think you’re an escaped convict. Those tattoos suggest you have a criminal background. You did ten long years for forging, theft, and murder, and now you’re back to the bar where your life of crime began. You’re searching for the one thing that can save you from a future of misery and loneliness, but I’m telling you, Maxim, you’ll never find it here.”
“And what exactly am I looking for?” he asks, licking his lips. I stare at his tongue and suck in a sharp breath.
“You’re looking for love. But you’re only going to find lust tonight.”
He shifts closer. I think I’ve lost my mind. What in the world am I doing? This story thing is driving me crazy and my heart’s racing. The way he looks at me makes my knees tremble, and every time I move, I get slightly closer, like I can’t help but be drawn near.
His eyes bury into mine. His lips are full and delicious, and I wonder if they’re as soft as they look, in contrast to the rest of him, which is all hardness and danger.
My pulse races and I think my heart might jump into my throat, but this is the moment.
I’ll never get another. There is no tomorrow. There’s only tonight and what little bit of pleasure I can find in this miserable and broken world.
There’s only this man and whatever we can give each other. Even if our stories are a lie, I wrap them around myself like a protective blanket and fall deeper into the mystery.
I reach out and put my hand on his knee.
He stiffens. He doesn’t move and doesn’t draw back, but his eyes narrow. He looks at me for three sharp beats of my heart before he covers my hand with his own—and slides it further up is leg, midway up his thigh.
“Are you sure you want to play this game?” he says and the bar disappears. There’s only Maxim and those terrifying eyes staring into mine.
“This is the only game I’ve got left.” I’m not sure if he’ll understand what I mean. I can’t imagine he would.
But he seems to accept that. “I’m not the kind of man pretty girls like you normally get involved with.”
“And what kind of girls do you normally go for?”
“Ones that are already broken.”
My fingers dig into the muscle beneath his finely tailored suit. “Then I’m perfect for you.”
He holds my eyes with his and we don’t move. I can feel my pulse between my legs and my breath catches in my throat. He picks up his vodka and throws it back in one smooth motion, drinking the rest of it down. When he’s finished, he places the glass back, and shifts my hand into his.
He squeezes gently and moves closer. Our legs touch and I feel a sharp electric shock run down the length of my body like a shiver.
“Tell me something. When I get your treasure for you and defeat your evil grandmother, what will you do?”
“I’ll buy a castle with a big, protective moat. I’ll fill it with books.”
“Books? That’s all?”
“I’ll hire knights to keep me safe forever.”
“Sounds inconvenient.” He purses his lips. “You’ll trade one kind of captivity for another.”
I shrug and look down at my hand in his. “Maybe that wouldn’t be so bad.”
He reaches out and lifts my chin up to meet his gaze. “Think bigger, little princess.” He turns and gestures for the bartender. He tells the guy to close out our tabs and put my drink on his bill. The bartender hurries off to get us settled. Maxim releases my hand and I quickly take another sip of my martini. It’s nearly empty and the alcohol creates a pleasant fog in my brain.
Or maybe that’s the intoxicating smell of Maxim and the feeling he gives me when our bodies touch.
The bartender returns. Maxim signs and leaves a tip in cash. He stands and reaches out a hand.
“Come,” he says. “Let’s go find your treasure.”
I look into his eyes. They’re hard and tortured, not at all the look of a man about to take me home to give me pleasure. I wonder if this is a big mistake. I could return to my father’s house and await my punishment. Maybe he’ll be lenient. Or maybe I can try to run and live somewhere far from all this.