It's in His Kiss Holiday Romance Collection by Mary Leo Read Free Book Online Page A

fabulous martini bar. The best in all of San Diego.”
    “You don’t say.”
    She nodded. “Yep and the guy who works here is a master mixologist.”
    “Anyone I know?”
    “His name is Maximilian Rosso, but he likes to travel a lot.”
    “Not anymore. They say he’s found exactly what he’s been looking for and she makes one hell of a martini.”
    “So tell me, just what has he been looking for?”
    “You,” he said in a deep rumbling voice that ticked her entire body.
    “But I’ve been here the whole time.”
    “I wasn’t ready to learn about love then, but I am now. Can you teach me everything you know about true love?”
    “I could tell you, but then I’d have to kill you.”
    “Rosie … “
    They kissed again, and when he pulled away he whispered in her ear. “Heavy cream and sweet butter.”
    She looked at him. “You do love me.”
    He tilted his head. “Was there ever any doubt?”
    Rose spotted the crystal up on the shelf, swirling with color so bright it hurt her eyes to look at it. “Never.”
    “Wow,” he said, following her gaze and looking up at the crystal. “That’s incredible.”
    “It sure is,” Rose said, and as she kissed him they were both encircled in a red shimmering glow.

Epilogue
    Rose sat in the back of the limo in the only evening dress that would fit over her ever-expanding belly. Her mind should have been on Max who was sitting next to her dressed in a perfectly tailored black tuxedo, looking absolutely heavenly, but she couldn’t help wondering if everything was going well in her kitchen at With a Twist. There had been several reservations for parties over seven and she liked to be there to make sure everything went smoothly, but her new Sous-Chef had assured her several times that he could handle it. Which she knew he could, but still …
    So there she was, stuffed in a sky blue strapless gown, seven months pregnant, a white rose corsage strapped to her wrist, headed for a formal attire required lecture given by that same French winemaker Max had been so hot on last February.
    “This is it,” Max said as the limo came to a stop.
    Rose hadn’t really paid much attention to where they were going, so when the driver came around and opened their door, she expected to see a theater in front of her. Instead, it was a group of buildings that looked a lot like their old high school.
    Max got out first and extended his hand to her. “He’s giving his lecture here?” she asked, completely dumbfounded by the location.
    Max chuckled. “Not exactly.”
    “Then why are we here?”
    “Something I needed to take care of before our baby comes.”
    Rose took her time exiting the limo. Getting out of the backseat of any vehicle was difficult enough, let alone a stretch limo.
    When she was upright and looked around, she realized they were standing in front of the school gym.
    “What’s this all about?” She knew her reasoning had gotten a little slow since her pregnancy, but for the life of her, she couldn’t understand why a French winemaker would want to give a lecture in a high school gym.
    Max chucked again. “You have no idea what’s going on, do you?”
    “Of course I do,” she said, trying to sound convincing.
    But she was totally clueless.
    Funny thing was, there was no one else around. No kids. No parents. No one else but the two of them.
    It hit her like a wet towel in the face: the dress, the limo, the tuxedo, and the corny sweet wrist corsage. “Max … what is this?”
    They were walking up to the double doors as the hard driving beat of a drum, and the steady deep vibration of a base guitar echoed from the other side.
    “You didn’t.”
    As he swung open the door and the music blasted her ears, he said, “But I did.”
    Rose walked under a banner that read, Senior Prom, 2002, then she stepped inside a massive room that was decorated entirely in gold and white, the same colors from the original prom that she’d never attended. Lights hung from the