The night was going brilliantly as far as Maxwell was concerned. Everyone was having fun, especially Chloe. Her cheeks were pink, and her eyes were bright. She seemed to be looking at him an awful lot, and Sean gave him a knowing look when their eyes met. He hoped it wasn’t just the budget sparkling wine.
The only thing that wasn’t going brilliantly was Tobias’ poker performance. He had bought back in three times after rashly betting his chips on hands that more than one player had bested.
Now, Tobias had managed to amass almost enough chips to cover his losses and he was muttering to himself excitedly behind his cards.
Everyone else at the table had folded, but Maxwell knew there was little chance that Tobias would beat his hand.
“All in!” Tobias declared. Once again, he pushed all his chips to the middle of the table.
“You sure?” Maxwell asked, looking at him levelly.
“I’m feeling lucky,” Tobias insisted, his big hands fisted on the table.
Maxwell chewed his lip for a moment. “Fold,” he declared finally.
Tobias let out a grunt of disappointment. “Seriously?”
“Fold,” Maxwell said again. “And I think we’ll call it a night.”
“Just when I was on a hot streak,” Tobias complained. “This is no fun.”
“It’s late,” Chloe chimed in.
“I think it best we end the game here,” Tamara added, looking around at the players with her violet eyes. She threw back one of her liqueur shots (you couldn’t have paid Maxwell to touch them) and stood up. “I thank you for your hospitality.”
“Just cash me out,” Tobias let out a sigh.
“You need to learn to quit when you’re ahead,” Sean advised him.
“Where’s the fun in that?” Tobias protested as his chips were exchanged for cash once more.
One by one, the players said their goodbyes and left. All except Chloe. When they were alone, she turned to him.
“You had something good on that last hand, didn’t you?”
“I did,” Maxwell admitted.
“And you didn’t call his bet,” Chloe went on, looking at him with those blue eyes strangely luminous.
“No,” Maxwell said. “I…I didn’t want to see him lose all his money again. He’s not the friendliest guy, but I don’t want him going home broke.”
“That was very kind of you,” Chloe said, and she was sitting so close to him. Her scent was so strong, the sweet smell of her unbound hair, of her warm skin, the smell of alcohol on her breath.
“Does that surprise you?” Maxwell asked, feeling a little hurt that it might.
“No,” Chloe’s voice was a whisper. “I know you’re a kind man. A good man.”
“No one’s called me that in a long time,” Maxwell tried for a rueful grin.
“Well, I said it before. Your friends sound like shitty friends,” Chloe said. “If they couldn’t see that in you.”
“Maybe I didn’t show it with them.”
“Then it sounds like Crowley Lake is a good place for you to be,” Chloe said, still looking at him intently. She was so close to him, and her lips were pursed, warm and inviting. She leaned in a little closer, her eyes still fixed on him.
But Maxwell turned away. “I should drive you home,” he said, forcing a chuckle. If he was ever going to kiss Chloe, he didn’t want it to be after a bottle of sparkling wine. He’d like to know she really meant it.
“Drive?” Chloe’s eyebrows shot up. “How can you be in any fit state to drive? I’m not!”
“I can tell,” Maxwell chuckled. “But when I’m hosting, I like to stay in control.” That was half true; he did try not to overdo it when hosting a game. But he was especially aware of not drinking too much when Chloe was with him. She was becoming something very close to irresistible, and he knew he had to keep resisting. Didn’t he?
“Very responsible,” Chloe said, nodding, her words a little slurred. “Very responsible, good man. Vampire. Vampire man. Which do you prefer?”
Maxwell laughed. “You can call me whatever you like,” he said, getting to his feet. “As long as you don’t ever call me Mr Davidson again.”
“Oh, I think we’re way past that,” Chloe said, getting to her feet a little unsteadily. “We’re old friends now, aren’t we?” She looked up into his face as though searching for something.
“We are,” Maxwell said and took her arm to gently steer her towards the door. Chloe leaned against him gratefully.
“You’re so firm,” she said, patting his bicep appreciatively. “Are all vampires this firm?”
Maxwell huffed out a laugh. “I haven’t taken a poll.”
Chloe giggled, her face muffled by his shirt sleeve. “I had fun tonight,” she said, looking up at him, her eyes wide and earnest. “You were right; I did need to let my hair down.”
“Well, I’m very wise, you see. You should trust me.”
“I do,” Chloe said, squeezing his bicep again. “And you should trust me, too.”
“I do,” Maxwell said quietly. He guided her out the door and towards the car.
“It’s freezing!” Chloe shivered. “Why didn’t I bring a coat?”
“I have no idea,” Maxwell said. “I’ll put the heated seats on.”
“You’re amazing,” Chloe said, sighing happily as she got into the car. “You know that, right?”
Maxwell turned his head away as he shut the door for her. He couldn’t let himself believe she really meant that. After all, she had quaffed a lot of that sparkling wine. And would she have even wanted to get to know him if it hadn’t been for the curse?
Chloe was too busy for a boyfriend, she said. Was he the man who could change her mind? He didn’t even know how to be a boyfriend.
But as he got into the driver’s seat and saw Chloe snuggled into the heated seat, her head resting against the window with a peaceful smile on her face, he wished he did.