The Sexy Devil

9

“WHAT IS THIS?” Ceci stared at the manila envelope Angela was holding out to her across the table.

They’d had a leisurely lunch, sitting at an outdoor café, but Angela had been anxious to get back to business. “It’s an early wedding present,” she said with a smile.

Ceci laughed, then rolled her eyes. “Will and I are not getting married tomorrow. We haven’t even set a date yet. Or agreed on a concept. Will wants to elope to Vegas. And I’m beginning to think I look really fat in white, so I’m pushing for the beach in September. Kind of a hippie-retro wedding.”

“Open it,” Angela said.

Ceci pulled the legal papers out and frowned. “Are we being sued?”

“I’m turning the Web site over to you,” Angela said. “It’s all yours.”

“What?”

“You can have it all, Ceci. I can’t do this anymore. I want to believe I can fall in love. I did fall in love for a little while. But this Web site is just a reminder of how wrong I was.”

“That doesn’t mean you have to give up every thing we’ve worked for.” Ceci stared at the papers in disbelief.

“I need to move on,” Angela said. “I have a couple of job prospects. The neighborhood business association is looking for a director and I applied for the job.

I’ve also got a freelance offer to write a relationship column for a women’s magazine.”

“But you could do those things and still work here.

I can’t do this on my own, Angie. I don’t want to. I love coming to work with you. It’s fun. Who am I going to walk with in the morning? Who am I going to have coffee with? And all our lunches and late dinners.”

“Whom,” Angela said.

“Stop! I’m serious.”

“None of that will change,” Angela said. “I’m not going anywhere. If I work for the neighborhood association, their office is in our building, just up the stairs.”

“You’re thinking about him, aren’t you,” Ceci said.

“You’re thinking you might leave Chicago and move to Florida. That’s it, isn’t it? We can’t have coffee if you’re in Florida!”

Angela took a quick sip of her lemonade. “I’m not going to Florida. Max and I aren’t going to work this out. He’ll soon forget all about me. I’m here to stay and I’ll always be your best friend.”

“What about the book?”

“It was a bad idea. I was completely wrong about my thesis, but my editor says it will still sell. So, I’m putting your name on the cover.”

“Mine?”

“You were my coauthor and you’ve helped me with a lot of the research. You can do all the press for it and promote the site. It’ll be fun. Besides, you like doing that stuff much more than I do.”

“This is about Max, isn’t it,” Ceci said. “Are you doing this because you still love him?”

“No, I’m doing this because he might still love me,” Angela said. “If he does and he comes back, then I don’t want anything to get between us.”

“Are you sure about this?” Ceci asked.

“I am. It’s time to be more optimistic, Ceci. You’ve always been optimistic about love and look where you are. You’re about to marry Will and start a wonderful new life.”

Ceci stared down at the papers, a dejected look on her face. “I wasn’t going to mention this, but we had a call last month from someone who wanted to buy the site. He wasn’t offering much and I figured you wouldn’t want to sell, but it would be enough to start up a new business for both of us. We work so well together. Between the two of us, we could come up with a really great idea.”

“We’ll talk about it,” Angela said. “For now, I’m going to keep my options open.”

Ceci jumped up and leaned over the table, throwing her arms around Angela and giving her a fierce hug. “I hope things turn out with Max. I really like him.”

“And if they don’t turn out, then there will be another guy,” Angela said. “Optimism. I’m thinking positively. There will be another guy. I’m sure of it. Because for every woman, there is the perfect man waiting for her…somewhere. I just have to find him.”

They were still hugging each other when Will walked up to the table. He grinned. “This is the second time I’ve caught you two in a passionate embrace. Should I be worried?”

Angela laughed. “You caught us. If you’re going to marry Ceci, you get me in the deal. We’re best friends and I’m not going anywhere. Isn’t that every man’s fantasy?”

“I can live with that,” Will teased. “Although we’re going to need a bigger bed.”

“Stop,” Ceci said. “I’m not sharing my husband with anyone, not even my best friend. How did you know we were here?”

“It’s a nice day, you love the chicken salad at the place, and I saw you when I drove by,” Will said.

“Sit,” Angela said.

“I don’t have time. I have to get back to work, but I came here to tell Angela something. Something big. Really big.” He lowered his voice. “This is a secret.

Well, not really a secret, since I heard it on the radio, but more like a rumor. Max Morgan may be coming back to Chicago to play for the Sox.”

Angela’s jaw dropped and she stared at Will, not certain she heard him right. “He can just leave his team and come here?”

“No, there are all sorts of restrictions. He’s a free agent at the end of this season. And because of his value to the team, they might not want to let him go.

But, if the Rays release him or trade him because of his injury, he could end up back here in Chicago.”

Ceci clapped her hands. “He needs to come here.

It would be perfect. Like destiny.”

“Karma,” Angela said. She wasn’t sure what to do with the news. In her heart, she wanted to believe she was the reason for his move back to Chicago. But they hadn’t really talked about a future together and Max wouldn’t make a move like that unless he was sure, would he?

Maybe Max had mastered what Angela still struggled with-optimism. Maybe he was certain they’d be able to work things out once he was back in Chicago. “I should call him,” Angela murmured. “I’m going to go home and think about this. It’s a lot to take in.” She smiled. “Are you sure you heard right, Will?”

Will nodded. “Oh, and you might want to try him on his cell phone because the guy on the radio mentioned that Max is in town and was seen having dinner with a couple Sox players last night.”

Angela’s heart fell. He was in town and he hadn’t bothered to call. If he was doing this for her, wouldn’t he have contacted her the moment his plane landed? Wouldn’t he have rushed over and dragged her off to the bedroom before doing anything else?

“I’ll see you two later.” She rubbed her forehead. “Too many things to think about.”

Angela walked outside and started in the direction of her flat. But at the last minute, she stepped out to the curb and hailed a passing cab. She gave the cabbie Max’s address, then sat back and stared out the window as they made their way east toward the lake.

If he really was thinking about moving back, then Angela needed to know why. He couldn’t expect her to start things up again simply because he was living in the same city. There was more than just location keeping them apart.

Or was there? She closed her eyes and drew a deep breath, wrinkling her nose at the smell of air freshener in the cab. She still loved him. Even though she’d tried to convince herself otherwise, the feelings were still there, as strong as ever. Only now, that love was based on an actual relationship and not just a silly fantasy. The Max Morgan she’d dreamed about for years had turned into a man who just might want to spend the rest of his life with her.

Her hands clutched the edge of her seat and she wiggled her foot nervously. She ought to think about what she was going to say to him. But the only plan she could come up with was to throw herself into his arms and kiss him. After that, it didn’t really matter what they said. Kissing always seemed to do the trick with Max.

When she reached his building, Angela paid the cabbie and hurried inside. The doorman was standing behind his desk. He recognized her immediately. “Hello, Miss Weatherby. Is Mr. Morgan with you?”

“No,” Angela said. “Actually, I’m supposed to meet him. Do you think I might go upstairs and wait? I’m dying of thirst and I need something cool to drink.”

He nodded. “Mr. Morgan left a key with me. He said if you ever needed to get in, I should just give it to you.”

“He did? When did he do that?”

“Right after the first time you were here,” the doorman said. He handed her a fob with the key dangling from it. “Here you go. You can leave it with me when you go back out.”

Angela rode the elevator up and when she got to Max’s door, she knocked. Though the doorman implied that Max was out, he could have missed him. After a minute, she put the key in the lock and stepped inside.

It had been over a month since she’d been in his apartment. Angela drew another deep breath and smiled. The place smelled like Max-a wonderful mix of his favorite cologne, leather furniture and the vanilla candles he had scattered on the dining room table.

She dropped her bag on the chair nearest the door and wandered inside. When she got to the bedroom, Angela flopped face down into the rumpled sheets, pulling a pillow under her nose. Strangely enough, the pillow smelled like her shampoo and not Max’s cologne.

She stretched out, kicking her sandals off. It felt so good to be back in his bed again. Her eyes fluttered shut. Though she didn’t think she’d fallen asleep, Angela had a sense that time had passed when she opened her eyes again. She rolled over and found Max sitting in the chair at the end of the bed, his legs stretched out in front of him, his gaze fixed on her.

“Was I asleep?” she asked, sitting up and smoothing her hand through her mussed hair. He nodded.

“How long?”

Max smiled. “I’ve been here for about fifteen minutes. You were asleep when I got here.” He stood up and walked across the room, then sat down beside her and smoothed his hand over her bare arm. “What are you doing here, Angela?”

“I came to talk to you.”

“How did you know I’d be here?”

“Will said you were in town. I figured you’d have to come home sooner or later. He said you were here to talk about playing in Chicago. Is that true?”

“Unnamed sources,” Max said. “Boy, it didn’t take the press long. Although, eating lunch with a couple of the players probably wasn’t such a great idea.”

Angela reached out and rubbed his chest through the crisp fabric of his shirt. It seemed so natural to touch him. She didn’t even have to consider how he’d react. “How’s the shoulder?”

He shrugged. “It’s all right. I’ve been practicing with the team. I might be able to start playing next month. Then we’ll see how it goes.”

“Good,” she said. “I’m glad everything is turning out all right.”

“Almost everything,” he said. Max leaned forward and dropped a gentle kiss on her lips. “I think about you all the time, Angela. I think about how good we are together. And how I just want to go back to where things got messed up and figure out how to fix it all. I want you in my life and I’m willing to do whatever it takes to make that happen. If Chicago doesn’t make an offer, then I’m going to retire. I’ll come back here when my contract runs out and we’ll start all over again. Only this time, we won’t make any mistakes.”

Angela stared into his eyes. The truth was there, so brilliant and clear. “I’m the one who made the mistakes. I didn’t believe in what I felt. I couldn’t trust my feelings.” She reached out and smoothed her hand against his cheek. How many times had she touched him like this and taken it for granted. She’d never do that again. “I’m giving up the Web site. And the book. I don’t believe in my thesis anymore.”

“What was your thesis?”

“That most men are creeps and they’ll take advantage of women if given the opportunity. I believe that men never change and women who think they can change them are just deluded fools. That, for some people, there is no happily ever after.”

“So, what do you think about us?” he asked. “Is there reason to be hopeful?”

“Maybe,” Angela said. “It would help if you’d kiss me again.”

He leaned forward and touched his lips to hers. But what started as a simple contact dissolved into a whirlwind of passion. All the feelings Angela had kept pent up over the past few weeks came pouring out and she wrapped her arms around his neck, surrendering to the feel of his mouth on hers.

They tumbled back onto the bed, pushing aside clothes so that they could touch bare flesh. When they both finally came up for air, Angela sighed. “Oh, that was nice. I’ve missed you.”

Max kissed her bare shoulder. “I’m a nice guy. And I’m sorry I acted like such a jerk. I guess I do deserve to be on your Web site.”

“I took you off,” she said.

“You did?”

She nodded. “I don’t want anyone saying anything bad about my boyfriend.”

“I’m your boyfriend?”

Angela nodded. “Yes, you are officially my boyfriend.”

“And since I’m your boyfriend, can I take all your clothes off now?”

She nodded again. “Yes, you may. But only if you take your clothes off, too.”

“We operate so much better when we’re naked, don’t we.”

Angela laughed, then pulled him on top of her. She wrapped her arms around his neck and kissed him hard. Fourteen years ago, she touched him for the first time and her life had changed. Maybe they were meant to be together. And maybe the fates had just been waiting for the right time.

Now that she had him, Angela didn’t intend to let him go.