Falling for Max by Shannon Stacey Read Free Book Online

logical reason for needing the information.
    “It’s hard to explain.”
    “What’s your job title?”
    “It’s complicated.”
    She crossed her arms and gave him a stern look, which probably lost some of its effect because she was nestled into the corner of the couch. “Not really. I’m a book cover designer-slash-waitress.”
    “I guess it would be easier if I just show you.”
    There was no holding back the victory grin as she, somewhat reluctantly, got off the couch. That corner seat was too comfortable for her own good. “I agree.”
    She followed him down the hallway to the basement door. When he just looked at her expectantly, she rolled her eyes and then turned her back so she couldn’t see the number he punched into the security panel. “Way to show trust, Max.”
    “There’s not much sense in having a security code if everybody knows it.”
    “I’m not really everybody.” When she heard the door open, she turned back to him. “Should I call somebody and let them know you’re taking me into your basement?”
    “If I say no, will you think it’s because you don’t need to or because, as a serial killer, I wouldn’t want you to do that?”
    She laughed. “Good point.”
    “Also, you’ll need to sign a waiver to be on camera. Standard porn-studio rules.”
    Her mouth dropped open and there wasn’t a damn thing she could do about it. “You heard about that?”
    “People have a tendency to forget I’m around. For example, if I’m wandering the aisles of the store and Fran gets talking to somebody.”
    She was going to wring Hailey’s neck. Slowly. “That was a joke. You know it was a joke, right? I was trying to illustrate how ridiculous the serial-killer thing is by throwing out another equally stupid story.”
    “I’ve heard a lot of theories, but porn studio’s a new one.”
    “I know the gossip’s probably a pain, but I promise I can keep a secret. I won’t tell anybody—even Hailey— what you do.”
    “Even if it
is
a porn studio?”
    The idea of Max Crawford having a sex room in his basement should have made her laugh, but she felt a flush of heat over her neck. He was a good-looking guy, even if he was totally wrong for her, and it wasn’t hard to imagine him naked.
    “It would kill me,” she said, trying not to sound like a woman who was picturing him naked, “but even if you’re making porn, I won’t tell Hailey.”
    He flipped a light switch and she followed him down the stairs. When she got to the bottom, she looked around, shaking her head. Trains. The man seriously had a thing for trains.
    “I paint model trains, mostly HO scale brass,” he said, as if that would mean something to her.
    He went to a shelving unit and pulled out a long, thin green box. After pulling off the lid and peeling back the packaging, he showed her an old steam train engine. It was all brass and, as she leaned closer, she could see it was so detailed, it looked real.
    “They usually come to me like this,” he said. “This is a 2-8-0, which means the wheel configuration is...never mind. Anyway, it’s a Consolidation and I’m going to paint it in the B&M livery. In, uh...the colors the Boston and Maine Railroad used. Sorry. That probably makes no sense to you.”
    “So you paint toy trains?”
    He frowned, carefully replacing the packaging and closing the box. “They’re not toys. Model railroading is actually an expensive hobby, especially if you model brass, which most of my clients do. It’s my job to take this shiny engine and make it look real, and I’m not cheap, either.”
    “Do you have one done I can see?”
    He looked pleased that she asked and, after replacing the green box, walked over to a corner and turned on a section of overhead lighting. She saw a platform, done up to look like...land. There was a meadow with train tracks running across it, with woods in the background made of tiny trees. The wall was painted to look like a sky and it was all so well done it