Jane Myerson pours her soul into her romance novels by night, during the day she's a lonely woman hiding behind her plump ass.
Max Reynolds is a fitness YouTube star plagued by a string of unhappy relationships, the last ending in divorce. Tired...
Max cursed, calling himself all kinds of a fool. How low had he fallen to accost a plump woman at the park? Her huffing and grunting as she tried to find a comfortable spot had drawn his attention, along with the mass of hair swaying around her. When her soda bottle had struck his foot, he succumbed to the temptation and approached her.
Solidifying his strange need to talk to her was J.J. Cox's new book now resting on his passenger seat. Excitement at an evening spent reading warred with the hope that Jane would show up tomorrow. If she didn't, he could see himself loitering in the park, waiting for her.
Why his interest? Her expressions had said as much, as if she distrusted his motives. Max scowled, gripping, and releasing his steering wheel. She needed him, her unhealthy choice of meals clear with the sting of mustard still on his tongue. Helping her would heal him, the broken, unloved part of his soul. That was his angle, his last-ditch attempt to maintain his sanity.
Jane. Her name suited her—mousy hair and big brown eyes in a pale face scattered with freckles. Nothing remarkable, yet that didn't explain the connection between them. Static, she'd said but he knew better. Energy charged through his veins and he had to admit, it had been years since he felt this alive.
Max parked the car in his garage, snatching the book before taking the steps to the front door two at a time. He smiled, liking that he'd flustered her. Then again, what had made him run his thumb along her cleavage? Madness, although, the mustard had tasted good. He didn't eat processed meats anymore nor did he drench his food in colorants.
She did, along with the soda and the candy wrapper stuck to her dress. Her diet would have to change first. He chuckled, closing the door behind him. Despite being a self-proclaimed recluse, she'd argue with him, gathering her courage around her. He'd be lying if he didn't admit he looked forward to it.
Something about her said eccentric, and he needed that, a change from his usual clientele. Bored housewives hoping to bone their trainer? Jane was far from it.
Max's cock twitched and he frowned. Would he do her if he could? He nodded. Draped across her blanket, she'd looked like an exotic Titian, soft, enticing with a natural sensuality in her movements. He wouldn't though, it was why he dated fitness fanatics. Max Reynolds, YouTube fitness guru, couldn't date a plump woman, no matter how much he wanted her.
He undressed and stepped into the shower, rinsing off the sweat and dust from his jog. His bathroom door opened and he twisted his body, hiding his privates.
"Abby, not in here."
His sister harrumphed then the toilet seat lowered as she sat down. "I had a shitty day at school."
"Language," he said but washing his face drowned out his admonishment. "Fine, we can order in. Just do it instead of harassing me."
"Nope, I need more than a chicken wrap. I want chocolate smeared across my face and my fingertips drenched in colorants."
Max sighed. At fourteen, his sister and ward, inspired and exhausted him. Fifteen years her senior, he shouldn't have connected with her but when a freak boating accident took their parents, he became her guardian and surrogate father.
"If you leave me alone for five minutes, I'll unlock the freezer."
A whoop and the slamming of the door had him resting his forehead on the cold tiles. He loved her, he did. Emily hadn't been able to deal with Abby as part of the package. From single to married and a mother to a teenager? Max shook his head. Which was why he was a divorcee at thirty. Singlehood loomed until Abby went off to college.
Which was why fitness mattered. He couldn't control life or death, he couldn't remove the sadness that had consumed Abby for two years after the accident. He could control his body, what he fed it and when posting his fitness tips on YouTube turned into a career, Max pursued the necessary qualifications.
Which brought his thoughts back to Janey. She challenged him, gave him something to focus on other than his broken heart and empty bed. Toweling himself dry, he pulled on yoga pants and a vest.
Abby waited in the kitchen, spoon in hand, and leaning her hip against the padlocked freezer. He bought tubs of homemade ice cream filled with fruit and double-cream dairy. The good kind.
"You'll eat dinner without complaint?" He arched a brow then chuckled, sliding the numbers into the lock. It clicked and she gasped, bouncing on her toes.
Max stepped back, granting her access and she dived into the freezer, pulling out the last dark-chocolate tub. He made a note on the fridge to order more. She could have whatever she wanted for lunch at school, he couldn't control her choices. At home, she ate well.
"Planning on sharing?" He pulled a spoon out of the drawer but she darted around the island, laughing around mouthfuls of ice cream. Max chose a tub at random, locked the freezer and grabbed Janey's J.J. Cox. He sunk into his couch and popped the lid off the tub.
"This looks new." Abby tapped the end of the spoon on the book before pointing at his bookshelf. He had seven J.J. Cox books, their spines scarred from too many rereads and the pages gaping from the dog-eared corners. He meant to replace them but he'd underlined his favorite passages.
"From my client, Janey." Max pinched his lips. He'd bulldozed the poor woman and it wouldn't surprise him if she stood him up tomorrow. Free of charge? He didn't need her money but now that he replayed their conversation, he'd implied he wanted to date her.
He closed his eyes as he slipped a spoonful of strawberries and cream into his mouth. Her heaving bosom, her nibbling on her plump bottom lip, the way her breath hitched and her gaze had lingered on parts of his anatomy? Any reader of J.J. Cox would recognize the symptoms.
Max grinned. He'd used her attraction to him to make an impact in her life. When he was done with her, she wouldn't hide behind voluminous, unflattering dresses. She'd show off those divine curves and her skin would glow with vitality.
He hoped she showed up tomorrow since he was basing his happiness and future on her. A desperation gripped him and he tightened his fingers around the spoon. If she didn't show, what would he do? Who would help him find himself again, the man he had been in his early twenties? The younger-Max who hadn't feared to love or to pursue what he wanted?
That man was missing and for some strange reason, Max had chosen Janey to save him.
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