“I’ll talk to you later, Chase.” Chase escorted the girls out, leaving me alone with Max. Max didn’t say a word as he led me up the stairs, but he didn’t let go of my hand, either. When we reached his floor, Max directed us to the conference room that I had locked myself into the last few days. This time when we entered, the air felt different. I turned around when I heard the latch click. Max was scrolling through the touchscreen to the left of the door that housed the control panel for the room. He turned on the privacy setting for thewindows.
I didn’t get a word out before his lips were on mine. I didn’t push him away. My body was responding to his as if it had missed him. My arms went around his neck and pulled him closer to me. He moved us to the table and perched me on top of it. He tried to move his lips to my neck, but I kept them glued to mine. I could feel his smile against mine. He pulled himself slowly fromme.
“I see you’ve missed me.” The words were whispered, but the second I heard them, I knew he was right. I had missed him, even more than I knew. It wasn’t an unconscious wanting anymore. My body knew exactly what it wanted, and right now it wanted Max. But I knew deep down we shouldn’t, at least not right now. Not in theoffice.
“We can’t do this, Max.” Even though I should have pushed him away, I pulled him closer tome.
“I know we can’t, but I couldn’t resist any longer. I’ve waited so long for you that I just couldn’t wait anymore. It took all of my strength not to do anything the other day.” I touched his face and rubbed my thumbs against the stubble there. “Please tell me you’ve thought about what I said last time wetalked.”
Of course he wanted to know about that. After him giving me space this week to think, I knew I couldn’t lie about my feelings any longer, but that didn’t mean that I was ready to jump back onto the relationshipbandwagon.
“I may have.” He waited for me to say more. “I realized these last few weeks that I don’t need you to make me happy, but you do make mehappy.”
I took a deep breath and looked away from him. I didn’t want to see the hunger in his eyes, the want, the need, because I knew mine would match. If he saw just how much more I cared for him than I let on, he would try formore.
“I guess what I’m trying to say is that I want you to make me happy, but I’m not ready for a commitment, Max. I don’t know if I can trust anyone with my heart again justyet.”
He didn’t say anything at first. He kissed his way down my jaw to my neck. I let out a low moan, which caused him to shiver against me. I could feel myself getting to him, and I knew his self-restraint was waning as much as minewas.
“Thank you for giving me a chance.” Max said the words against my neck as he attacked it with his lips. I would probably have marks there later. I pulled Max closer to me so that our bodies were flush. He slid his hands up my shirt and I stilled. His hands froze against my ribs. “I guess I should go before someone realizes we’re both inhere.”
I faltered at his words. I forgot we were in the conference room. Anyone could come up here and find us, even if the door was locked. There was only one way in and one wayout.
“Don’t worry. I’ll keep you safe.” Max pulled away from me, kissing the palm of my hand before walking towards the door. He put the windows back to frost and the room filled with light. I jumped off the table immediately. Before leaving, he stopped at the door and turnedaround.
“Would you like to come over for dinner tonight? You eat too much takeout and deserve a home-cooked meal.” All I could do was nod. Max wanted to cook me dinner. Adam never cooked me dinner, and never offered to. I really needed to stop comparing them. They were nothing alike, and that was for the better. Max had been so forthcoming with his feelings, and I didn’t have a reason not to trust him yet. Once Max was gone, I texted Lilly to see if she and Erica wanted to do lunch today. I needed to talk thisout.
We walked into Baker’s at half past noon. Most of the people there were from our offices; we were taking our order to go so that prying ears wouldn’thear.
“Hey, why don’t you guys wait outside and I’ll get the food?” Erica was pushing me towards the door, away from the smell of the food. My stomach grumbled inobjection.
“Yeah, why don’t we go back outside?” Lilly grabbed my hand and was trying to lead me out the door. I was at the threshold before I was able to get a wordout.
“We can all wait together, and plus, it’s hot outside and I want to make sure they got my order right.” I turned back around to get in line and that’s when I saw it. Erica must have seen it first and made it known to Lilly, which was why they wanted meout.
Max was sitting at a corner table in the back. A black-haired woman sat next to him. His arm was around her shoulders and their heads were close together. The blood drained from my face as I stared at them. Max picked that moment to look up in my direction. I could see it in his eyes. He was confused, but the smile that spread across his face was one I couldn’t read. He leaned back down to say something to the woman, and I decided then I didn’t want to wait and watchthis.
Clearly, he didn’t think I would find out, which was why he came somewhere so close to work. I turned quickly on my heel and ran back towards The Ink Well building. I heard someone yelling my name as I dodged traffic and quickly made my way to the elevator in the lobby. If I could get back to the conference room, I could lock myself in there, but my heart broke a little. Max still had a key. He could still get tome.
A hand stopped the elevator right before it closed, and Max entered the car. I tried to exit, but he caught me by the waist and pulled me back in. My back was pressed to his front. He leaned around me to press the emergency button as the elevator ascended to the second floor. We were stuck there in limbo and I just wanted to break down and cry. To think that I was about to give him a chance. This was why I didn’t want to get my heart involved with anything so soon afterAdam.
“Why did you run away?” Max whispered against my ear as he pulled me closer against him. I tried to push away, but he held ontighter.
“I knew I shouldn’t have said yes to you. All of this was a mistake.” This time, he let me pull away. The farther away from him that I was, the more I couldthink.
“Why was this a mistakeexactly?”
“Oh, don’t act like I didn’t see you with that girl. Of course you couldn’t stay away from someone who would throw themselves at you. I should have knownbetter.”
He raked his fingers through his hair and punched the closest wall to him. He had been caught. “Why didn’t you let me explain instead of running away? What exactly ran through yourmind?”
I knew what was running through my mind when I saw him. Adam was the only word popping into my head. When I saw him lean back down next to that woman, all I could see were Natalie and Adam in front of their house, rubbing it in my face. Max continued his rant, but I remained with my back turned towards him. “That I would betray you? That I would be just like your ex-husband? I’m not that man, Alexa!” The words got louder as more came out of his mouth. I flinched farther away from him. Without even having to say it, he knew what I was thinking, but he didn’t know how I wasfeeling.
“What else am I supposed to think when you are all cuddled up in secret with a woman who looks ten times better than I do? Was I just some pity party for you?” I turned towards him with my hands in the air, tears streaming down my face. Max’s face twisted into concern as he stepped closer tome.
“Don’t ever think so low of yourself.” Max growled the words at me, then grabbed me and pinned me in the corner of the elevator. His body was so close to me now; I could feel the heat radiating off of him. “That was not the way I wanted you to meet my sister, but I guess now is better thanlater.”
“Your sister?” I looked to Max and my breath caught. Hissister.
