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her. In a slick
maneuver, he slid his arm across the back of her seat. “I’ll tell you the
truth.”
    His fingers tom- tommed against the leather headrest, sending a thundering drumbeat through her
temples. Realizing he wasn’t going to tell her the truth or anything else until
she responded, she turned toward him. “About what?”
    “Going into it, I expected this
date to be a complete waste, but I had a good time.” He begrudged every word,
she could tell.
    She licked her dry lips. “Even the
symphony?”
    “ Especially the symphony.”
His voice was laced with humor and something deeper. Darker. Desire, maybe? No,
probably not.
    Mortified all over again, she
covered her blushing cheeks with her palms and peeked at him through her
fingers. “I’m so sorry about that. It was bad enough to fall asleep, but
to—to—” She could hardly bring herself to think about it, let alone say it. “To
practically grope you in public was totally inappropriate.”
    She groaned at the recollection of waking
up from a highly erotic dream in the middle of Music Hall draped across his
hard, muscular body with about as much class and subtlety as a cheap one-night
stand. She could imagine her late oh-so-proper college professor husband’s
outrage if she’d let her hand drift across his crotch in public. Carl
would have flat out stiffened—and not in a sexual way—and pushed her away.
    “Aw, don’t worry about it.
Appropriate behavior is highly overrated.” He leaned closer and rubbed his
fingertips along the edge of her collar. “You need to lighten up, Morgan. Have
some fun.”
    His touch only grazed her skin
occasionally, too infrequently for her to object, just often enough for her to
notice... and anticipate. A little too much anticipation for comfort. She
batted his hand away like a mosquito.
    “Besides, Music Hall was a real
educational experience for me. I didn’t know you classy, high-brow types went
in for public displays of affection.” His deep chuckle was rich with infectious
amusement.
    After maintaining a stiff upper lip
for all of two seconds, a chuckle burst free, and she laughed along with him.
She had to. Her parents had raised her to conduct herself with the utmost
propriety at all times. Her husband expected the same. Most of the people she
knew would have been appalled by her behavior tonight. But if Max didn’t take
her faux pas seriously, how could she?
    As the laughter died between them,
a large form loomed outside the car. Roger! She’d forgotten all about him.
    He tapped on the window. “You two
heading to the door anytime soon, or should I go get a snack and come back?”
    “We’re going in now.” Max turned
and gave Annabel a crooked smile. “The watchful eye of Let’s Talk awaits. Let’s get this over with.” He opened his car door. “Wait right there. I
want Roger to document an example of my best manners.”
    Under normal circumstances, she
probably wouldn’t have obeyed an order from him, but her cellphone dinged. She
checked the text message in case of a Carly emergency. But no, just an update
on the girl’s evening. Just left movies with Jenna. Home by 12. C U
then.
    As she dropped the phone back in
her purse, Max opened the door. After years of enjoying similar courtesies from
her husband, it seemed only fair to accept this small, but sweet gesture from
Max.
    When he helped her out of the car,
his hand felt warm and strong. Carl’s hands had been so frail before he died,
so cold. With a stab of betrayal over the comparison, she could barely remember
a time when Carl’s touch had felt this vital, this supportive. The essential
feelings of safety and belonging she’d treasured from him during their
courtship had faded after their marriage. They’d evaporated completely with the
onset of his illness.
    Max kept her hand as they walked to
the door, turning to clasp both of hers after they stepped onto the small
porch.
    “You purposely picked a date you
didn’t think I’d