Tease Me Thursday #12: To The Max

The nice thing about a three day weekend is that it makes the following week go by that much faster! Thursday already! Hooray! One more day until Friday and the weekend!

Which of course means it's time for me to tease you!

Today I'm giving you an excerpt from my first published novel, To the Max. It's currently out of print, but don't worry, I'll be subbing it one of these days, along with the sequel, For Love of Max. And I'm also writing the third book in the series, called A Time For Max. In this scene, Max and Richard have just met for the first time, at a disco (it is the 70's after all lol)  and have left together. Enjoy! Then don't forget to check out the other members of the blog hop!

To The Max

It wasn’t until he had started the car, pulling out onto the otherwise empty road, that I realized that we had not even exchanged names. This was not typical of me, believe me, to place my life in the hands of a stranger, even a gorgeous one like him, not knowing something as elementary as his praenomen. I was usually more cautious than that.

Turning my head toward him, I watched as he took another drag of his cigarette, eyeing intently the sexy way he put it to his lips, inhaling lightly and expelling the smoke from his well-sculpted nostrils, the other hand palming the steering wheel, guiding it easily along the deserted road. I sensed he was observing me as well from the corner of his eye. “Richard,” he said, almost as if he could read my thoughts, “Richard Burke.”

“Max,” I replied in turn, “Max Montague.”

“Which side of the river you live on?” he asked.

“Other side. Webster Groves. You?”

“Kirkwood. We’re practically neighbors.” He grinned. If I hadn’t already been in love with him at that point, that smile was the nail in my coffin. It reached from ear to ear and lit up his whole face, mirrored in the starlight reflected in his beautiful blue eyes until he fairly radiated an inner beauty. I felt such a tightness in my chest as I looked at him that, for a moment, I simply could not breathe. “At least for now,” he continued, “staying with some friends.”

“You’re not from around here?” I asked, note of disappointment creeping into my voice at the idea that I might soon lose this angel from my life, when he had only just appeared.

Now for the link to the others, and thanks for stopping by!