“Alexa.” The word came out as awhisper.
“Max.” Unlike Max, I was firm with my voice, unwavering. I couldn’t let him know that his hand at my side was affectingme.
“How are youdoing?”
“As good as I can be.” He moved in closer to me. Luckily, the window was frosted, shielding us from the view of the other officeworkers.
“Alexa.” The way he said my name again, I had to forcibly stop the shiver that start to consumeme.
“Max, not right now.” I knew the way he said my name meant so many things. Things that I wasn’t ready for, but things that hewanted.
“Then when?” He tilted his head and moved it down to me, almost leaning in for a kiss but stopping just before his mark. I froze, not sure what to do. I hadn’t had a first kiss in years, and I knew it definitely shouldn’t be in the conference room at work. “I meant every word I said thatnight.”
“I can’t rightnow.”
“Then I’llwait.”
“Max…” I pleaded, and I didn’t know if it was for him to continue or to stop. His grip on me tightened, and I could see the fear cross his face at the thought of losing me. It was the same one I had seen on Adam’s face a month ago. No matter how hard I tried, I kept comparing Max to Adam, but then again Adam was the only person I had ever been with. And because of that, I couldn’t fathom why Max seemed to like me as much as he did. “Why me,Max?”
The question seemed to throw him off. I thought he would retreat, not pull me tighter to him. His lips whispered against my neck as he leaned down to me. I took in a quickbreath.
“That smile.” My grin grew so wide, that my cheeks started to hurt. Max pulled back to look me in the eyes. “It’s what caught me first, and then youspoke.”
My eyebrows furrowedtogether.
“Your passion for books, your love for your friends, and even your love for your husband.” My heart skipped a beat. “You put your whole self into everything, and I knew that you were the kind of woman that I could see myselfwith.”
“Max.” My eyes closed. I couldn’t look at himanymore.
“Don’t. Don’t say anything.” He tucked my hair behind my ear. “I meant it when I told your husband you weremine.”
I didn’t know how to answer hiscomment.
“Hard and fast, baby.” Max’s words filled the conference room, just like they had filled my head for the lastmonth.
“Give me just a little more time, Max.” Even though my heart was racing, I couldn’t just give it over to Max rightnow.
“I’ll give you all the time that you need.” He placed a hand on my cheek, his thumb brushing just under my eye. I leaned in to his touch, craving more, but in an instant his hand dropped, and where I was once warm, all I felt was ice. Max was pulling away, but something inside me wanted to pull him back. I knew if I did, though, he would want an answer, and that was an answer I couldn’t givehim.
But I didn’tcare.
“Max.” I grabbed for his hand, my fingers lacing through his on instinct. I didn’t know what to do from there, but it was like he knew what I meant by this. He enveloped me in his arms, and I wrapped mine around him. We stood there in the middle of the conference room, holding tight to each other, knowing that when I left this room we still wouldn’t be together. I thought I felt Max squeeze tighter when the thought went through mymind.
“Sorry that took so long.” Max sprang away from me as Chase entered the room, our moment ending just as fast as it had started. I looked up to the wall to see that it was past the time that I normally left theoffice.
“No worries.” Max sounded different than when it was just him and me in the room. I didn’t like that he could go from the scorching hot tension that was building in this room to stone cold in just a few seconds. “I was just about to let Alexaleave.”
This was news to my ears, but I took the opportunity and ran withit.
“I’ll make sure to be in early tomorrow so I can pick right back up.” I moved to grab my workmaterials.
“Don’t worry about cleaning anything up, I’ll have the room locked.” I took Chase’s word to heart and left the room immediately. I made it down to the lobby and out the front doors before I realized that I had left my bag upstairs, too. Lilly would be home by now, but I wanted my books that were in it. I needed to escapeagain.
I looked up at the building in front of me, contemplating if I wanted to go back in there. I had just escaped Max, but then again, there was something pulling me back to him. Everything I had told him was true. I couldn’t do this right now, but there was still something inside of me that longed for him. I had spent countless nights this past month thinking of Max, thinking about that night when he had told me I would fall forhim.
“Alexa!” I was thrown out of the trance of my memories to find Max jogging towards me from the building. I didn’t move as he stopped only inches from me, invading all personal space once again. “You forgotthis.”
There it was again. That voice. The one that sent shivers down my spine. The one he only used for me. I grabbed for my bag, but he pulled it away fromme.
