New Year Kisses: His Cinderella Mistress

It was that tenderness that finally won through, Max groaning low in his throat, his hands cradling each side of her face as he now sipped from the softness of her lips.

Finally he raised his head, his forehead damp against hers as he looked down at her. ‘You are the most extraordinary woman I have ever met,’ he murmured dazedly.

January moistened her lips before answering, ‘I am?’

‘Hmm.’ He nodded, grimacing slightly, obviously not at all happy with the fact. ‘One moment you’re thinking I’m some sort of crazed attacker, and the next you’re kissing me—’

‘Max, you didn’t let me finish what I was going to say earlier,’ she said huskily, one hand reaching up to briefly touch the hardness of his suddenly clenched jaw. ‘I was merely going to ask whether, in the circumstances of your connection to the Marshall Corporation, it was wise for you to come with me to visit Josh. Whether you should become any more involved with my family,’ she explained softly as he still frowned.

‘I think your warning is probably a little late,’ he acknowledged self-derisively. ‘And I have every intention of going to see Josh. Maybe he got a look at the person who attacked him. Maybe—’

‘Max, I’m sure the police are perfectly capable of dealing with that,’ January cut in pointedly. ‘After all, you’re a lawyer, not a policeman,’ she reasoned lightly.

He shook his head. ‘There’s something wrong with this attack on Josh. Something other than the fact that it was a man this time rather than a woman,’ he added wryly at January’s knowing look.

‘Max—’ She broke off as a knock sounded on the bedroom door.

Obviously one of her sisters. Probably wondering why it was taking her so long to make up the bed!

She gave Max a rueful grimace as she moved out of his arms. ‘Come in,’ she invited dryly, giving her eldest sister a knowing look as she opened the door. ‘I was just making sure Max has everything he needs for the night,’ she told May teasingly.

May’s green gaze flickered reprovingly over Max before moving back to January. ‘And does he?’

‘As much as an unexpected guest can expect.’ Max was the one to answer derisively.

May returned his gaze unblinkingly. ‘If you want them, you will find some laundered pyjamas in the top drawer of the dresser.’

‘I always sleep in the nude, but thanks anyway,’ Max returned tauntingly.

May gave a tight smile. ‘You might find the farmhouse a little cooler than you’re used to.’

‘Not so far,’ he came back, dark brows raised challengingly.

‘May, I think we’ll leave Max to get settled for the night,’ January cut in determinedly, having decided this verbal battle of wills had gone on long enough.

‘We’re usually all up by about six o’clock,’ May told Max pointedly.

He nodded, blue eyes dancing with merriment. ‘A cup of tea in bed about then will be very welcome!’

May gave a snort of dismissal. ‘Guest or not, if we don’t have that luxury, then neither do you!’

He shrugged. ‘I would be quite happy to bring you all a cup of tea in bed.’

May’s gaze narrowed. ‘I’ll just bet you would—’

‘He’s winding you up, May,’ January cut in once again, shaking her head reprovingly at Max even as she chuckled softly. ‘But if you should get the urge to make an early cup of tea, Max, we all take ours without sugar!’ she added even as she pushed her sister towards the door. ‘You were the one who invited him here in the first place,’ she reminded May lightly once they were outside the bedroom, the door safely closed behind them.

‘I may have done,’ May snapped. ‘But I told you why that was. I certainly didn’t think he had the nerve to try to seduce my little sister right under my nose!’ she added indignantly.

‘Your little sister is twenty-five years old,’ January reminded her dryly. ‘And I’m more than capable of taking care of myself.’

May shook her head. ‘Not where Max Golding is concerned, I’ve just realized,’ she said slowly. ‘January, are you serious—?’

‘Could we leave this for tonight, May?’ she cut in firmly, her earlier humour having completely disappeared. ‘I’m really not in the mood to discuss Max any more tonight,’ she added heavily.

May looked at her searchingly for several long minutes, before slowly nodding her head. ‘Okay,’ she agreed huskily. ‘But just—never mind.’ She shook her head, smiling. ‘Everything will look different in the morning,’ she added brightly.

January was glad her sister had said different, and not better. Because somehow January doubted it would be that. In the morning she would still be in love with Max. And that couldn’t be good. For any of them.

Considering he had doubted that he would sleep at all, with January so close and yet so unattainable, Max found he had slept for almost eight hours, a glance at his wrist-watch telling him it was almost seven o’clock.

Way past time for taking January—or anyone else!—a cup of tea in bed!

He smiled as he imagined May’s indignation if he had arrived in the sisters’ bedrooms with the suggested morning tea. Whatever had prompted the eldest Calendar sister to invite him to dinner last night, May had definitely changed her mind about the wisdom of that invitation by the time she’d come looking for January in this bedroom later in the evening.

Wisely so, Max acknowledged with a self-derisive grimace.

No matter what he did, how hard he tried to keep a distance between himself and January, to concentrate on the business side of their relationship rather than the personal, he invariably ended up kissing her instead!

Maybe—

He heard a door slam downstairs, followed by muffled noises outside, evidence that the sisters were indeed up and about. And May, at least, was no doubt frowning disapprovingly about his own tardiness in getting up!

She was also right about the coldness of the farmhouse, he discovered a few minutes later as he hurriedly dressed before going to the bathroom across the hall, the tiles in there ultra cold on his sock-covered feet.

And the most he had to compare this cold discomfort with was the times he went skiing, when he spent his evenings and nights in a wonderfully warm ski lodge, his days wrapped up warmly as he skied the slopes. Hardly any comparison at all!

You’re getting soft, Golding, he told himself disgustedly, at the same time acknowledging that he was ill-equipped to survive in conditions like these. Which also made him wonder why on earth the Calendar sisters would want to…!

Only May and March were in evidence when he entered the kitchen a few minutes later, this room much warmer than the rest of the house, Max realized thankfully.

‘Coffee?’ March offered abruptly as she held up the steaming pot invitingly.

‘Thanks.’ He nodded distractedly, aware of May’s brooding silence as she sat at the kitchen table drinking her own warm brew, studiously ignoring him, it seemed.

‘Help yourself to milk and sugar,’ March told him dismissively as she placed a mug of coffee on the table for him. ‘In case you’re wondering, January is over in the shed dealing with early milking,’ she added dryly.

Was he really that obvious? Max wondered with a scowl. Probably, he conceded heavily. To January’s sisters, at least…

‘Now that we’ve cleared the drifts away from the doors and a path over to the shed,’ May put in pointedly.

While he lingered in his bed trying to build up the courage to get out of the warmth of the bedclothes into the cold of the room, May implied, but didn’t actually say.

‘Is there anything I can do to help?’ he offered—and as quickly realized how ridiculous he sounded; what on earth did he know about any of the workings of a farm?

March obviously found the offer just as ridiculous, giving a wry smile. ‘Stay out of everyone’s way?’ she suggested scathingly.

Feeling inadequate did not sit easily on Max’s shoulders; having it pointed out to him by the more outspoken of the Calendar sisters only made it worse!