“I know,” he says. “Just shower in my room.” His grin is horribly charming and just a tiny bit mischievous. Before I can protest, he takes my hand and leads me out of the room down a dark hallway. “I hope you like pasta, because I made some for you.”
“Thanks,” I mumble, wondering where the catch is. Can you lace pasta?
When we reach the second floor, I stop in my tracks.
“Everyone’s asleep, don’t worry,” he says, pushing me out of the stairwell and further into the building until we arrive in front of a wooden door. “My room’s a bit messy. Sorry, it’s not often that I have a lady over.”
He invites me in, and I have a hard time hiding my surprise because his room is anything but messy.Messyawaited me back home whenever I was gone for a few days, not the little stuff lying around in Max’s quarters.
Worn clothes are thrown over a gaming chair that matches the backlit mouseandkeyboard. Small light sources are scattered everywhere, and while they make the room look incredibly cozy, I still have to look up at the ceiling to check if this man even has a big light.
Max shoves a pair of muddy combat boots into a corner, pushing over a lava lamp. The walls are plastered with pictures and movie posters, and it feels less like a barracks room and more like a real home.
It smells of vanilla, sandalwood, and a hint of spice, the same as the hoodie he gave me yesterday. I used the hoodie as apillow because the scent was so comforting, and I pray Max didn’t notice it when he woke me up.
Who am I kidding? He definitely noticed.
“I’ve got body wash, shampoo, and conditioner in my shower. Feel free to use whatever you need. We’ll write a list later once we’ve cleared a few things up.”
“A list of what?” I ask, ignoring the other part.
“Of the things Charlie has to get for you,” Max says, laughing like this was obvious. “What scent you like and all that stuff. You do seem like a vanilla girl, though.” He winks at me, and I wonder if we’re still talking about scents. “Apricot or peach, if you’re feeling adventurous.”
Spot on, in every aspect.
Max turns the bathroom light on and dims it, but before he leaves, he opens the door of the cabinet under his sink.
“Toothbrushes and toothpaste are down here. No, I’m not couponing; I just won a lifetime supply a few years ago. Crossword Puzzle King 2019.”
The grin on his face is contagious.
“A man of many talents,” I say, feeling the tension in my body dissipating slightly.
“Just wait until you see what other talents I have.”
I act as if I don’t know how to turn the shower on because I’d rather have him think I’m a dumbass than let him see the bright red hue on my cheeks. He explains the temperature setting to me, but I’m a little too focused on how his bicep flexes, and when he finally leaves the bathroom, I lock the door with a deep exhale.
Undressing in an almost stranger’s bathroom feels weird. Still, my stuff lies folded on the bathroom floor, and my wedding band sits on the sink. Hidden behind the faucet because, for whatever reason, I can’t stand to look at it.
I step into the shower, and as warm water washes over me, every bruise on my body comes to life, making it feel like onebig ache. So I take my time, carefully spreading suds over my body until the stream of water feels soothing instead of painful.
I also hope Max forgets about the pending conversation if I stay here long enough.
Steam fills the small bathroom, the shower curtain sticking to my skin as I lean over and reach for the towel Max hung on the door for me.
“Here.”
My scream turns into an embarrassing croak as I remember where I am and that alerting the other inhabitants of the building is something I do not want. Hastily, I take the towel from Max and wrap it around myself before I step out of the shower.
“How long have you been here?” I ask, struggling to keep my composure.
“A minute or two,” he says, looking at me with such an innocent expression it’s physically impossible to be mad at him. “Thought I’d bring you some clean clothes.”
“What about mine?” I look for my stuff that is coincidentally nowhere to be found.
“Gonna wash them for you.”
I step toward him to grab the clothes he’s holding, and his brows furrow, his gaze fixed on my shoulder.
