Free The Date (Single Wide Female in Love #1) by Lillianna Blake

me.
    The truth was that he stirred a strong want in me. I was never the type of girl to move fast in a relationship, but Spence sure made me question whether it was time for a change.
    Despite the fact that I had a week full of dates planned, meeting Max for drinks was the highlight of my day. I couldn’t wait to see him. I enjoyed drinking with Max. He was just about the only person that I would let go and have fun with. I trusted that he wouldn’t tease me about anything embarrassing that I did, and that he would make sure I got home okay on the rare occasion that I’d had one too many drinks.
    When I arrived at the little bar down the street from my apartment, Max was already there waiting for me.  
    “Hi.” He smiled brightly at me as he stood up from his bar stool. “I took the liberty of ordering us our first round.”  
    “Thanks.” I gave him a quick hug, then sat down on the bar stool beside his. “I’ve been looking forward to this all day.”
    “Really?” He glanced over at me. “Even with your date today?”  
    “Oh yes! Definitely.” I laughed.  
    “Uh-oh, what happened?” He raised an eyebrow.  
    “It’s more like what would have happened if I let it.” I giggled and sipped my drink.  
    “Wait, what?” He leaned in a little closer. “Wasn’t this your first date with this guy?”  
    I fixed him with an amused look. “You’re judging me?”  
    “No, I’m just waiting for the details.”  
    “His name is Spence. He’s pretty hot.” I took another sip of my drink.  
    “Hot?” Max sneered. “Probably one of those guys with more hair gel than hair.”  
    “Hm.” I winked at him. “No hair gel needed. In fact, he’s got this natural allure to him. I can’t explain it. With Ben, I couldn’t really think about kissing him, but Spence—” I cleared my throat and finished my drink.  
    “Spence what?” Max scooted a little closer.
    I noticed that he was dangerously close to tipping over his bar stool. I gestured to the bar tender for another drink. Then I put my foot on Max’s bar stool to keep him from tipping over.  
    “I don’t know. He’s just one of those macho guys that bleeds sexy.”  
    “Huh.” Max narrowed his eyes. “Just how sexy?”  
    “Trust me, if I’d given him the green light, things would have gotten hot and heavy pretty fast. I had to put him in his place a few times.”  
    “Doesn’t sound very respectful.” Max downed the rest of his drink.  
    “Maybe not, but I have to admit, I enjoyed it. It’s ridiculous, right?”  
    “Yeah.” He met my eyes. “It is.”  
    I stared at him for a second. I expected him to smile to break the harshness of his words. He didn’t.  
    “Here you go.” The bartender set my drink down in front of me.
    As the awkward silence grew between Max and me, I took a sip. I thought over my words and wondered if I’d said anything to upset him.  
    “I was being safe. We were in a public place with lots of people around.” I shrugged. “If he had been any more aggressive I would have left.”  
    “So a little disrespect is okay with you?” Max shook his head. “You should have higher standards than that.”  
    “I think there’s a gray area between disrespect and seduction. I mean, if you were with a woman and you really wanted to kiss her—but she wasn’t showing interest—would you just ignore the desire?” I looked over at him.  
    Max only stared at his drink, so I continued. “You would probably touch her cheek, compliment her, find ways to get closer to her—you know—try to coax her into it, right? That’s not really disrespectful.”  
    “I don’t know.” Max swirled the liquid in his glass. “I guess I think a woman has a right to decide when she wants to be touched—when she wants to be approached in a romantic way.”  
    “Max, you can’t be serious.”  
    “Why not?” He raised an eyebrow.  
    “Pamela Grant.”  
    “Huh?” He looked away. “Wow,