Chapter 33
Chapter Thirty-Three
“Ineed to know what’s going on up there.”
Aurora’s eyes had been glued to the elevator for a while now. At one point, she saw the digital numbers go up to Max’s apartment, and she’d held her breath. But then whoever it was went down to the lower level—the parking garage. She didn’t know what that meant. The uncertainty was killing her.
Aurora started toward the elevator, but Lana held her back.
“They have to sort out their issues themselves. Max is his boss. You’ll just have to wait.”
“But waiting is the worst.”
Aurora didn’t even care so much about getting caught.
But she was sick over the thought of Devon being in trouble.
She had to defend him somehow. I told him I would take care of him, she thought.
Maybe she couldn’t protect him physically, not the way that a trained bodyguard could, but she’d still meant it.
Around them, Max’s employees continued to work, though they’d been sending some curious glances in Aurora’s direction.
“It’s going to be okay,” Lana said. “Max never stays angry for long.”
“Are we talking about the same Max Bennett? Because my older brother is totally unreasonable.”
“Then I’ll talk to him.”
“That won’t help. You should have seen him, L. He was practically spitting. He’s going to do something awful, I just know it.”
Like the time he’d been in West Oaks on leave from the army, and Max caught a guy from her high school in Aurora’s room with a hand in her pants. Her poor classmate had been so frightened he’d never spoken to Aurora again.
She knew Devon wouldn’t get scared away like that. At least, she hoped he wouldn’t. But Max could fire him. He could make Devon’s life miserable.
And if he loses his job and can’t take care of his family, it’ll be my fault. How could I be so reckless?
That stupid, stupid lock. She should’ve checked it instead of just assuming. She should’ve been more careful now that they were in Max’s domain. I’m such an idiot. And Devon was paying for it.
Finally, the elevator doors slid open. Max strode out, his face unreadable.
Aurora ran to meet him halfway. “What happened?”
“I’m busy right now.”
“I’m not going anywhere until I know what you did to him.”
“I didn’t do a thing.”
“Then where is Devon?”
Max’s expression faltered, the mask of confidence slipping. “He’s gone. He left.”
“What?”
Aurora had yelled the word so loud that the entire room quieted, staring.
Sylvie started walking over. “Did you say Devon left? Is he all right?”
“He’s fine.” Max gritted his teeth. “Aurora, we shouldn’t discuss this here. Let’s go to my office.”
“But he wouldn’t just leave,” Aurora protested. “What did you do?”
Max grabbed her wrist and pulled her toward the stairs. “Sylvie, everyone, back to work. You have plenty to do. Lana? Check that the courthouse has made the security changes I requested for tomorrow.”
Lana arched an eyebrow at his order. The others watched them go.
Up in Max’s office, he punched a switch, and the glass walls frosted over. “Okay, say what you need. But we only have ten minutes for this.”
“You don’t get to decide that. You don’t rule my life, Max. You’re not some dictator. And you’re not my father.”
He sat against the edge of his desk. “Maybe if our father cared half as much about you as I do, I wouldn’t have had to step up. But I did. I always have. And I’m not going to sit by and watch you get hurt.”
“Devon wouldn’t hurt me.”
“Yes, he would. Not on purpose, perhaps. He’s a stand-up guy, I’ll give him that. And a damned good bodyguard. But he messed with you, and that is not okay with me.”
“You’re not listening. Who I sleep with is my choice, not yours. And it was my choice. Completely. You had no right to interfere!”
Max stood up. “I’m not rehashing this same conversation again. It’s a waste of my time.” He started toward the exit.
“Wait a minute. Why did Devon leave? Did you fire him?”
He paused, hands on his hips, not facing her. “No, I did not. In fact, I offered him a promotion.”
His answer stopped her in her tracks. “Then why did he go?”
“He resigned. He thought that was better.”
So he’d left. Without stopping to say goodbye or explain. He hadn’t said a single word to her.
This was Max’s doing. It had to be.
“What did you say to him?”
Slowly, Max turned around. “Nothing that wasn’t true. Aurora, I’ve seen this happen so many times. A bodyguard is protecting someone, and they fall into each other’s arms. It’s chemistry. His testosterone plus your adrenaline. That’s exactly what I wanted to avoid.”
“You made him promise not to touch me. Like I’m some weak little flower that needs her big brother to guard her chastity.”
“No, I wanted to protect your heart. So you didn’t do something you’d regret.”
“I don’t regret a single minute I spent with Devon. He doesn’t either. I know it.” Devon wanted to keep seeing her. It hadn’t just been made up, or some physical reaction. She knew her own heart better than that.
Max crossed his arms, regarding her sadly. Like he didn’t want to tell her the rest.
“Wait. Do you think he does regret it?”
Max shrugged. “At first, he didn’t want to admit it. But then he really thought about the situation. He knew that I was right. He lost control of himself. I don’t think he liked saying it. But that doesn’t change the facts. He agreed with me that what happened was a mistake.”
She stepped back, as if Max had delivered a physical blow. “He said there’s nothing real between us?” Everything within her refused to accept it. She’d felt his sincerity in the way he held her and kissed her.
“He didn’t say those words. But he agreed to stay away from you. Not to keep his job, but because he knew it was the honorable thing to do. Doesn’t that answer your question?”
Aurora couldn’t keep standing. Her knees weakened, and she sank onto the couch. Tears sprang from the corners of her eyes. This couldn’t be right.
“I want to talk to Devon. I want to hear this from him.”
Max knelt beside her. “He chose to leave. Let him go.”
Hot tears slid down her face. Devon was gone. He had chosen to go. He’d left her. She still didn’t understand exactly what had happened. How so much had changed so suddenly when Max got involved. But if Devon cared about her, he’d have fought for her, right? But he didn’t.
So, I’m on my own, she thought. That’s what I wanted from the beginning, wasn’t it? I wanted to deal with my problems by myself.
But the truth was, she’d never been on her own. As a kid, her brother found her a place to live, took care of her. Not long after she left California for school, Justin took Max’s place. All her life, she’d been leaning on men. Devon was just the latest.
Max sat on the couch and put an arm around her. “I’m sorry, Aurora. I hate to see you hurting, and I hate that I had anything to do with it. Trust me, I don’t want to be the bad guy with you.”
“You must be sick of doing it.”
“Being the bad guy? I know that it seems like—”
“No. Sick of helping me.”
“Of course, I’m not.”
“You should be. When I was growing up, I relied on you. I’m grateful that you stepped up when mom and dad couldn’t.
But ever since, it’s like you still treat me like a kid.
You didn’t want me to leave California for college.
When I came back, you stuck me in your penthouse apartment so you could keep tabs on my life. But I finally understand why.”
“Aurora—”
She jumped up from the couch. “No, let me say this. I accepted a free place to live when you offered because I couldn’t do it on my own. I took your help with finding clients in West Oaks, too. I keep insisting that I’m strong and independent, but every time I try, I fail. I fail.”
Everything was becoming clear to her. She couldn’t blame Max for stifling her, not completely. She’d done it to herself.
“I’m going to pay you back for the rent. And for the cost of having…” She couldn’t say Devon’s name. She swallowed the sob that rose in her throat. “The cost of having a bodyguard protect me. Send me a bill, like I’m any other client.”
Max was rolling his eyes. “I’m not going to do that. For one, there’s no way you could afford it.”
“So make it a loan! Charge me interest, I don’t care. I’ve been taking your help when it suits me, and then getting pissed when you expect to have a say in my life. I can’t have it both ways, can I?”
“You’re not a client. I’d do anything for you because you’re my sister.
” He got up and held her by the shoulders.
“I love you. That’s not conditional. I’m sorry if I ever made you think otherwise, or made you feel like you aren’t strong.
You clearly are. Look at what you’ve been handling these past few days. ”
She could barely see for all the tears pooling in her eyes. She rubbed them away, but they kept coming. “I don’t want to be angry at you anymore, Max. I can’t… I can’t take this feeling…”
She didn’t want to need her brother’s help. She didn’t want to need Devon. And I don’t. She pressed her hands into her stomach. I don’t need Devon, she repeated in her mind.
So why did she feel like she was being ripped open?
“I care about him. I think I could even love him someday. That’s crazy, right?
I barely know him.” In fact, she barely knew what she was saying.
She was babbling, spilling her guts in front of her brother.
“But I also know that he’s the best man I’ve ever met.
It’s no wonder he left. I’m this big mess who can’t take care of herself, and someone is trying to kill me, and I’m so scared—”
Max wrapped her in a hug. “Hush, you’re okay. You’re okay.”
The stress of everything that had happened the last days crashed down on her. The dam had finally broken. But Devon wasn’t here to hold her up.
She did care for him—maybe even loved him already—as absurd as that seemed.
She’d never fallen so hard or so fast for someone like this.
The feeling was all-consuming and extraordinary and real.
The pain of losing him was so intense that she might drown in it.
But she had to make it back to the surface on her own.
No matter how much it hurt.