Free Cursed by Nicole Camden Page A

Lille, her tone disapproving. “I’ve never seen him that happy.”
    â€œWhy is that a bad thing?” Lille demanded, but she knew, and the worry had her chewing on her lower lip.
    Mary’s eyes narrowed. “Because you’re not going to give this a chance, and you’re a damn fool, Lillehammer Marceau.” She sniffed, tucked her canvas and the foldable easel under one arm, then picked up her tackle box with paint supplies.
    â€œI’ll see you over at our house,” Mary called over her shoulder as she left the room.
    Lille shook her head and began hunting for her clothes. Her friend had certainly turned into a bossy pain in the ass. And worst of all, Lille worried that she was right.
    â€œWell, lass. Good morning.”
    â€œGood morning, Max,” she said against his chest. He rocked her, just a little, as if they were dancing.
    â€œI’m hoping you’ve changed your mind.”
    Lille swallowed the lump in her throat. “About what?”
    His fingers tightened on her back. “Come on, Lille. What’re you afraid of?”
    Lille pulled away enough to look up at him, her green eyes bright in the morning light, her mouth red and swollen from his kisses and other things.
    â€œMax, I—” She stopped, unable to put into words just what made her unwilling to jump into a relationship with him, no matter how much she liked him, no matter how much she was tempted. She had worked so hard to make herself Lille, so hard to be invincible and untouchable—she wasn’t able to give that up, not even for the temptation of him. “I just can’t,” she finished.
    He looked stony-faced, as if he was doing all he could not to react, but the gleam of fury she saw was unmistakable.
    She braced herself for name-calling, for ugliness, but after a moment he stepped away, releasing her.
    â€œAll right then, lass,” he murmured. “I’m to the shower.”
    Lille watched him leave, admiring the broad, painted surface of his back; the tight buttocks; the long, muscled legs. She’d never been so sorry to see someone leave.

CHAPTER Twenty-five

    When Lille finally found her clothes, she realized they were still sandy and damp, so Max gave her a pair of boxers and a blue T-shirt when he got out of the shower. He was polite but distant when he told her she could keep them since he never wore them. She located her flip-flops after a brief search, and they went out through the French doors in the kitchen to the backyard he shared with Mary. The dogs were out, and Bambi immediately bulleted toward Max and Lille, Atticus a white fluffy streak on her heels.
    â€œBambi.” Max threw his arms wide, and the dog leaped into them like a baby. He carried her into Mary’s house while Lille picked up the white dog, who licked her frantically, as if he’d been worried about her. She scratched his ears and followed behind Max into a cacophony of chatter and clinking dishes and the smell of coffee, French toast, and bacon.
    Lille felt her spirits lift—how could she not?—and set Atticus down to scamper into the kitchen. Max was already there when she stepped through the entryway, as were Jordan and Kim, sitting fairly close together at the breakfast table; Carl, who was expertly wielding a spatula at the stove and wearing a leopard-print apron; and John and Mary, of course, who were pouring coffee into various mugs. Lille felt her heart clutch again—she’d become part of this oddball family since coming to Florida.
    â€œWhat’s the party for?” Lille called out, wanting to be heard over the noise, and Carl turned around from his position at the stove.
    â€œLille, my love, are you okay?” He set his spatula down on the stove and hurried over to her, hugging her tightly.
    Lille hugged him back, meeting Mary’s eyes over his shoulder. “I’m fine, Carl. I promise.”
    He gave her another squeeze and pulled