Almost Forever by Linda Howard Page A

was a man with cool, almost ruthless eyes. “Do you really think I’d care about being polite if I didn’t want to attend? I can be a bloody bastard on occasion.”
    Claire felt mesmerized, staring into his turquoise eyes and suddenly seeing someone else, but abruptly the ruthlessness was gone, and in its place was the familiar calm control, making her feel as if her mind and eyes were playing tricks on her.
    â€œWhy don’t you want to go?” he probed.
    â€œI don’t belong to that social set any longer.”
    â€œAre you afraid you’ll see your ex-husband again?”
    â€œI’m certainly not interested in socializing with him and his wife!”
    â€œYou don’t have to socialize with them,” Max persisted, and Claire felt the steely purpose in him. “If they’re there, simply ignore them. Divorce is too rampant nowadays for it to be practical to split friends and acquaintances into warring factions.”
    â€œI’m not at war with Jeff,” Claire denied. “That isn’t the issue at all.”
    â€œThen what is the issue? I’d like to take you to the dinner party and dance with you afterward. I think we’d have fun, don’t you?”
    â€œI’m monopolizing your time—”
    â€œNo, dear,” he interrupted gently. “I’m monopolizing yours. I like being with you. You don’t have emotional fits allover my jacket. I freely admit to being selfish, but I’m comfortable with you, and I like being comfortable.”
    Claire gave in, knowing that for her own emotional safety she should stay as far away from him as possible, but she simply couldn’t. She wanted to be with him, see him, talk to him, even if only as a friend, and the need was too strong to be controlled.
    After lunch he walked her across the street. While they had been eating, the sky had rapidly filled with dark clouds, promising a spring shower. Max glanced up at the sky. “I’ll have to run to beat the rain,” he said. “What time are we having dinner tonight?”
    Claire turned to stare at him in disbelief. “Dinner tonight? ” Three nights in a row?
    â€œUnless you have other plans. I’ll be the chef. After all, it’ll be the first meal in my new apartment. You don’t have other plans, do you?”
    â€œNo, no other plans.”
    â€œGood. Strictly casual tonight, too, so you can relax. I’ll collect you at six-thirty.”
    â€œI’ll drive,” she said hastily. “That way you won’t have to leave in the middle of cooking.”
    He gave her a cool, deliberate look. “I said I’ll collect you. You’re not driving home alone at night. My mother would disinherit me if I allowed such a thing.”
    Claire hesitated. She was beginning to learn how determined Max was to have things his way. He was unyielding once he’d made up his mind. Behind the pose of sophisticated indolence was pure steel, cold and unbreakable. She had glimpsed it a few times, so briefly that she had never been quite certain of what she’d seen, but she was too intuitive not to sense the strength of the man behind the image.
    Max tilted her chin up with his finger, bringing his charm into play as his eyes twinkled at her. “Six-thirty?”
    She glanced at her wristwatch. She was already late and didn’t have time to argue over such an unimportant detail. “All right. I’ll be ready.”
    He was an expert at getting his way, she realized some ten minutes later. If charm didn’t work, he used that cold authority that appeared without warning, and vice versa, but usually the charm would be enough. How often had anyone refused him, especially a woman? Probably not in this decade, Claire thought ruefully. Even as wary as she was of handsome charmers, she hadn’t been immune to him.
    She rushed home after work, alive with anticipation. Quickly she showered and