Chapter 19 #2
“If you mean, do I still think about it and like what we did, then yeah, I do.” I’d do it all over again if I had the chance.
The fact that it was Max somehow makes it feel even more special.
I like a man who really knows how to please a woman.
But it was more than that; I felt safe with him.
It will never not be weird, though. “And you?” I ask, needing to hear what’s on his mind.
I’m nosy as hell and desperate to find out if he actually enjoyed it. He sure wasn’t complaining at the time.
There’s not even a hint of hesitation when he replies, “It’s all I’ve thought about.”
Warmth spreads within me at his confession.
“I’m glad it was you, Paige,” he adds.
My cheeks pinken to a deeper shade than they already are from the heat of the bath water. “This is crazy.” I’ve spent hours trying to make sense of how it was him in the room that night. Everything tilted once I figured it out. It wasn’t a faceless stranger. It was him.
“It was the best fucking blow job I’ve ever had.”
His directness makes me forget my left from my right, every skin cell tingling with amazement.
“That can’t be true.” Max has apparently been with more women than I’ve had hot dinners which, to be fair, there haven’t been many of since Alfie came along.
Every meal and cup of coffee ends up cold anyway.
Okay, bad example, but you get my point. I know his type.
“I’m not lying.” He flexes his muscles subtly down the camera. “It felt like there was more going on. Something real passed between us. I just need to know if you felt it too.”
He studies me as I consider his raw honesty, which I hadn’t expected. “I don’t know. Maybe.” There was. “Something did feel different, but I’ve been trying not to read too much into it. And it’s not like anything can happen between us, so we move on, right?”
“Do… you… want anything to… happen between us?” I’ve never known Max Hart to be tongue-tied.
“Do you?”
“I asked you first.” His penetrating blue-gray gaze studies my face.
The intensity in it makes me reconsider what I’m about to say next, because that look, those muscles, his confidence has me wanting to jump through the phone and tell him to do whatever he wants to me.
Lick me, spank me, chase me, fuck me into next year, and kiss me again like he did at The Velvet Rooms.
As confidently as I can, I say, “In another life, maybe. But here, now? You’re a lawyer on the other side of this active case, and not just this one but many cases.
We’re not just two people from rival firms; we’re bound by ethics and rules we both signed up for and agreed to live by.
” It’s what I swore to and have always upheld.
“We’re not just complicated, Max, it’s forbidden, messy.
Impossible. No matter how much you want to ignore that, we both know we can’t.
” And it’s not just bad timing; the truth is, we can never go there.
Not ever. “For you, I think I would be just another plaything. A fling. Nothing more.” Another name in his little black book.
“And I value my career more than anything. I know you do too.”
“And yet, I still want you.”
He wants me.
It’s not that simple. “You can’t have me.”
“We’ll see.” He licks his lips and grins, as if mentally running through a scenario only he’s privy to.
“There is no we’ll see, Max. We are never.
Going. To. Happen.” What part of that is he not getting?
“Also”—I point to myself—“single mom, with a baby, over here. Settling down isn’t your thing.
” The last time I checked, Max doesn’t do commitment.
Or babies. I raise a finger to clarify the point I’m making.
“Not that I’m saying I want that. I don’t.
I just know you. Know how you operate. And honestly, Max, you and I, it’s never going to be anything more than two people who happen to work together sometimes.
What happened was a random hiccup, a fluke, nothing more.
It was an accident. A chance encounter. Never to be repeated. ”
I meet his gaze, steady and sure, almost predatory, as if he’s imagining what I look like beneath the bubbles in the tub. “You know,” he starts, “pushing me away only makes me want you more.”
“You’re unbelievable.” And exhausting. But something stirs inside me, something reckless that wants him to chase me down, to hunt me through the trees. It makes me feel feral. Untamed. Alive. And it’s everything I shouldn’t want. “Bye, Max.” I reluctantly reach up to end the call.
“It’s not goodbye, Bunny. It’s only the beginning. Call me when you’re in bed. I want to show you something.” On a wink, he hangs up before I get the chance to do it.
I let out an infuriating sigh.
He’s impossible to deal with. And annoying.
“Unbelievable,” I ramble to myself.
Tonight, he looked so sexy. Handsome. Too handsome for his own good, but he’s the most exciting thing to happen to me in such a long time.
From day to day, my life is hectic, full of love, purpose, and helping people. But somehow, it’s still painfully mundane.
A smile shapes my lips.
Let him chase. Let him pursue me until the stars burn out. I’ll just keep telling him exactly where to go.
But first… it’s not a bath I need, it’s a cold shower I need to cool off.
And I’m not calling him when I’m in bed so I drop him a text to tell him so.
He can think again.
Max
I’ll call you instead. I know how you love the chase. *fox emoji*
Me
Oh, I do love the chase… especially when I’m the one setting the traps. *bunny emoji*
Max
Traps? For me?
Me
Only for foxes who think they’re clever enough.
Max
And if I catch you?
Me
Catch me? Careful what you wish for… I bite.
Max
Good, I like a little danger.
Me
Then keep chasing.