Maximus nodded slowly, the wheels turning in his mind. The Corps and their allies had plenty of experience manipulating governments and institutions. Reduced resources might have led them to become sloppier.
“Where exactly is this place?” Maximus asked.
Selena shook her finger and grinned. “Not so fast, Hot Mobster.”
“I’m not a mobster.”
“I noticed you didn’t say you weren’t hot.”
Maximus shrugged.
“Assuming you’re not a mobster, if I tell you where it is,” Selena continued, “maybe you run over there and confirm it’s good for your client, and then you head back to the office and get us locked out of filming.” She gave him a triumphant smile. “Okay, Hot Mobster, you can wait a few days until we’re done with the shoot to help out your asshole client. But, if you want, you can come along with me tomorrow. It might help to have a professional security contractor slash mobster with me in case there’s a hidden drug lab or something out there when I check out the waterfall. Maybe we’ll peek at some of those blank areas first to be sure.”
“I wouldn’t mind a follow-up date to satisfy our mutual curiosity and professional interests,” Maximus said.
“Sounds good.” Selena nodded at her mostly finished fish. “I’m pretty full, and I don’t think I should drink anymore. If you’re done with your steak, maybe we could…” Her lips parted, and she took a shuddering breath with a heavy-lidded stare. She licked her lips. “Maybe we could go back to my hotel for some coffee and chatting. Or Netflix and chilling. Whatever.”
Maximus needed to say no. He should have said no. He’d gotten what he needed for the mission and ensured Selena wouldn’t wander anywhere dangerous by herself. There was no reason to go back to her room. No reason except his desire to push her down and kiss her.
Screw it. He’d never felt this way about a woman before, and he’d lost his ability to scent Vestals. In this way, he was more like a human than a hybrid, but being with a woman was about more than having children.
“I’d like that,” Maximus said. “I’ll get the check the next time the waiter comes.”
Chapter Ten
By the time Selena was inside the room with Max some of the fuzziness from her drink had worn off allowing the occasional rational thought through her mind. Reason should have reasserted itself, but that didn’t convince her inviting Max back to her room was a mistake. If anything, she started adding to the list of reasons why it was a great idea.
Max closed the door behind him wearing a lazy smile that called to her. She wanted him. It was pointless to deny that, and it wasn’t illogical. Any sane woman would want the mountain of muscle standing in front of her door. He’d even had to duck to not knock his head.
But not only was he gorgeous to look at. He was intelligent and a good listener. He was almost too good to be true.
Selena licked her lips. She had never felt so viscerally drawn to a man. The idea of sleeping with a guy after knowing him for one day was completely foreign to her, but every minute she spent around the man it became harder to resist him.
She kept telling herself it was insurance. She’d clumsily admitted she was suspicious of him, but if they did something together, he’d be far less likely to kill her if he were a mobster. Killing his new squeeze would make him sad. That made sense. Or at least it did when she still had the alcohol clouding her mind.
“I-I’ll get the coffee going,” Selena said with a nervous smile. All her planning and low-level flirting seemed like ancient history now that Max was in her room.
She tried to think through their dinner discussion. Going out to the woods with him alone when she barely knew him was ridiculous. When she thought it through, she kept coming to that conclusion, but she couldn’t bring herself to fully distrust the man. Every time she tried, that went away when she looked at him, but it didn’t feel only like lust.
Selena shook her head. It was like they’d known each other months, or years, not hours. She’d never, ever felt this way about someone. If he asked her to cosign a mortgage right then and there, she would have, let alone sleep with him.
“Something wrong?” Max asked with a concerned look.
Selena let out a nervous laugh and sat down on the edge of the bed. She set her hands in her lap. “I want you to know something.”
“What?”
“I’m not normally this forward.”
Max grinned. “I’ll take that as a compliment.”
“Good. Good.” Selena bobbed her head, her mind snatching at other excuses. “And it sounds like we’re both only in Hawaii for not a lot of time, and we don’t…” She laughed. “I don’t even know where you live normally.”
“Maine, thereabouts,” Max said. “Or it’d be more accurate to say I’m moving there soon.”
“That’s a long way from California.” Selena rubbed her hands together. “Maine?”
Max blinked, discomfort filtering onto his face, like he’d said something he shouldn’t. “Yes, Maine. I don’t normally tell people that kind of thing unless I know them a lot better.”
“I’m trustworthy.” Selena managed a slight grin. “It seems like we’re both doing things we don’t normally do.”
“We are.” Max took a step forward, almost stalking forward, his nostrils flaring. “I can’t hold it back.”
“Hold what back?”
“You’re beautiful.”
Selena’s cheeks burned. “Uh, thanks.”
Max stopped. “There’s something else you should know.”
“W-what?” Selena’s heart thundered in her chest. Here
