Chapter 5

"I'm fine, really," I insist, not wanting to be a bother. Pulling from his grip, a void of cold air rushes along my back where his hand was a moment before.

I sway on my feet, before grabbing his bicep. Oh wow, that's hard. I squeeze unintentionally, and his lips pull into a sexy smirk. He wraps an arm around my waist, and my thighs clench together on their own accord. The reaction puzzling. I haven't been attracted to a man in a long time. I thought Jacob broke my heart so badly I went lesbian.

"Rae!" I freeze, not sure if the hit to the head was causing me to hear voices. "Rae!"

I turn, finding my mother rushing toward me. "I wanted to give you that information on that guy in case you wanted to set up a date," she tells me as she walks toward me.

I close my eyes, praying this is all a dream. I was hit in the head and knocked out.

"Well who is this?" I can hear the smile in her voice, so I open my eyes. She stops, smoothing her dress down. Her eyes fall to his hand around my waist, and I instantly tense.

She smiles, handing the phone to me but I don't take it. I refuse any more dates!

"I'm Max," he replies, his southern charm thick and my mother eats it up. Her eyes flash with a look I haven't seen in a long time.

"Rae, you never told me about a Max." She pops her hip out, assessing us both. Her eyes widen, and her mouth pops open. "Wait, are you seeing each other? Is that why you don't want to see this guy?" she asks, trying to hand me the phone again.

The pride in her eyes, and the look of something other than disappointment causes my mind to take a different route.

"You are, aren't you? You're seeing each other and didn't want me to butt in," Mother continues, her eyes wide and lips between a smile and shock.

I panic, my heart beating a mile a minute. What do I say?

"Well you know..." I panic, not sure what to say. "We just wanted to make sure we liked each other enough before blabbing around town," I blurt out before I can really think about what the hell I just said. My cheeks flush, and my heart skips a beat. What. Did. I. Just. Say? I look down feeling flustered and crazy. Max tenses beside me, and I scorn myself internally for saying we're together. Nervous he'll call me out and Mom will be even more disappointed at me for lying. What is wrong with me?! Why can't I shut up?

"I see." Mom eyes him up and down. "Well, I'll just tell my guy you're seeing someone then." She smiles, and I feel myself die a little more inside from embarrassment.

"Thanks. Bye!" I state firmly, wanting her to leave before the game is up.

"We'll have to have dinner sometime, get to know each other." Mother eyes Max, he looks at me with a dark look and a heat rushes over my face.

"Sure, okay. Bye Mom!" I pull from Max's grip and usher my mother away.

Looking over her shoulder she struts away, and I let out a breath I hadn't realized I was holding.

"Didn't want to blab it to the whole town, huh?" Max questions, his voice deep and unfriendly.

Closing my eyes, I pray that if this is a dream I would wake up.

"I'm sorry." I cringe mortified I just did that. Maybe I'm still drunk.

I open my eyes. His blue eyes bright, being this close I notice the gray flecks. They're like a storm in the middle of the ocean. Beautiful but capable of chaos. There is so much life I could stare at them all day wondering what secrets dwell in the depths of them.

"Come inside, let's get that cut cleaned up, and you can tell me why you just told your mother we were together," he gestures toward the building behind us.

The sound of saws and drills can be heard, along with the faint smell of cut wood. The loud racket doing a number on my hangover. I step in front of him and lead the way through the open glass door. There is a half built bar sitting to the left and stairs right in the middle of the foyer with a concierge desk to the right.

There's men in paint covered overalls and hard hats walking about. One tipping his yellow construction hat my way as he heads up the steps.

"So are you a construction worker, or is this your business?" I ask, looking around curiously. I know nothing about this man, yet trust him more than I do most people.

He strides toward the bar. The way he walks, and the pensive look on his face you can tell he's one to draw attention when walking into a crowded room. His stance is powerful, and his face is handsome but laced with a distant unattached look.

"Well, I'm technically an architect but I'm here making sure everything is built to the buyer's standards," he informs, his strong hands sliding along the smooth oak wooden top that makes up the bar. "I like to get my hands dirty in the process." He smirks, and I raise my brows in appreciation.

"They have soap for that," I retort with a scrunched nose.

"Are you joining me in this cleaning session?" He raises a brow, and with that I lose my train of thought.

The only thing in my head is him naked in a shower with bubbles.