Chapter Eighteen
CHAPTER EIGHTEEN
MAX
The first thing that registers when I blink my eyes open is that my face is smooshed into the sharp corner of a pillow. Grunting at the uncomfortable angle, I slowly stretch my body, twisting away from the object.
I’m used to waking up in hotel rooms, so I don’t have a moment of disorientation. What does take me a moment to comprehend is the soft, warm body that is pressed close to mine. A feeling of pure joy washes over me. I have to bite my lips to keep from cheering in triumph.
Sabrina Sutton is a cuddler. I never would have guessed it.
Her love language is not physical affection—I know that much—but I’m overjoyed that she clung to me during the night.
As carefully as I can, I turn to my side so that I can continue to sneak a peek at her. I wouldn’t say I’m becoming obsessed with her, but this is a side of Sabrina I’ve never seen before. One I’m hoping, in the near future, I get to experience often.
“Stop staring. It’s so creepy,” she mumbles from her pillow. Her eyes aren’t open, but she must feel me looking at her.
“I wasn’t,” I try to defend myself. “I was getting comfortable.”
“Liar,” she says with a smile, her lashes fluttering open.
When her moss-green eyes hit mine, I’m captivated. In the bright morning light, they’re even more brilliant, pulling me closer to her.
I know what’s building between us. It’s something that I’ve been wanting for a very long time but never thought would happen. Having Sabrina in my life again, getting to know her as she is now, has been a remarkable experience.
But it’s time for more.
I’ve been holding my tongue, trying not to flirt with her or do anything that might give my crush away, and it’s been working. I don’t think she has any idea about how deep my feelings go for her.
I’m done with hiding. With filming wrapping up at the end of this week, I’m ready to put it all on the line.
Slowly, so slowly, I dip my head closer to hers. Sabrina’s eyes widen slightly as I get closer, but she doesn’t stop me. When I’m an inch away, I pause just for a second, giving her the opportunity to turn if this isn’t something she wants.
No protest comes. Instead, she pushes up to me. Our lips are seconds away from touching. I can feel her hot breath on my face and my heart pounding in my chest.
My lips brush against hers. Once. Twice. Then I dip lower, ready to seal the deal.
I’m so hypnotized by her that I don’t hear the deep “Maxie Boy, you have got to try these donuts. I swear on all—the fuck?”
Sabrina screams, jolting away from me and falling off the other side of the bed. Springing from my prone position, I sit up and glare at Mason.
“Ever heard of knocking?” I yell at him, holding the sheet up to my chest like a scandalized virgin.
“When have I ever knocked?”
I curse, throwing the sheets off me and crawling to the other side of the bed to make sure Sabrina is alright.
“It’s just Mason,” I tell her when I notice she’s trying to squeeze under the bed.
“Yeah, I know that. Now ,” she hisses back to me in a quiet whisper.
“Why are you whispering? He saw you.”
I hear her frustrated sigh as she just lies on the floor, unmoving. Is she playing dead now? I’m honestly confused.
“You could have at least tried to gaslight him. Make him think he was seeing things.”
“I’m too smart for that,” Mason interjects, biting into a donut.
“Unfortunately, he’s right.”
Pushing up onto her elbows, Sabrina presses her fingers into her temples. “You are both hopeless idiots.”
Laughing at the disappointment in her voice, I get off the bed and circle around to help her. Extending my hand, I lift her to standing. Sabrina is covered from her neck down to her ankles, with her hair in wild disarray…and she’s the most stunning woman I have ever seen.
“Wicked PJs, Sabrina.” Mason’s voice is like nails on a chalkboard. The moment is once again ruined.
“Fuck off,” Sabrina snaps at Mason, not in a harsh voice, but in a pissed-off, sisterly way before she stomps to the bathroom and slams the door.
Mason turns to me wide-eyed.
“What the hell did I interrupt?”
“Nothing,” I tell him. “Well, something. But nothing happened.” I run a hand slowly through my tangled hair, frustrated at being so close, yet so far away from finally kissing Sabrina. “How the hell did you get in here anyway?”
“I kindly asked a housekeeping professional, who was pushing her cart down the hall to let me in with her floor key. Told her it was my room.”
“And she didn’t question it?”
Mason blinks at me. Right, like his charm has never been denied.
“Are you two finally a thing now?”
His words catch me off guard. “What do you mean finally?”
“Max, dude. I love you, man, but you are not good at hiding your feelings. Sidney and I have a bet on when you’ll get together. He has you manning up around Christmas, but I know it’s going to be sooner. You’re such a goner. What I walked into just proved it.”
I don’t know whether to be insulted or flattered. Mason is right. I’m shit at hiding my true feelings, but I thought I was doing a good job. Sabrina, at least, is still in the dark. Yet, at the same time, I want to hit him over the head at how inappropriate it is to bet on something like my love life.
I want to probe deeper into what he’s saying to me, but the squeak of the bathroom faucet snaps me out of my head.
“Get the hell out of here, man. We’ll chat more about your betting betrayal later on the plane.” I make a beeline to him and shove him in the direction of the door.
“Betrayal? Man, I’m rooting for you. Why am I in trouble?” he calls over his shoulder a second before I slam the door in his face.
Running a hand through my hair again, I try to think of a way to divert disaster. Sabrina is probably freaking out right now and thinking of ways to run for the hills. I’m still pacing and trying to come up with what to say when Sabrina peeks out the bathroom door.
“Is he gone?”
“Yes,” I say as I spin toward her so quickly I surprise her. “Yes, sorry.”
Opening the door fully and coming out, she looks around the room. I’m not sure why.
“Damn it. I was hoping he was so distracted when you kicked him out that he left the box of donuts.”
“I…I didn’t expect that to come out of your mouth.”
“I’m sure,” she replies with a bounce in her step. I watch, a little stunned, as she goes about grabbing an outfit for the day and walking back into the bathroom.
Okay, I guess we’re just going to pretend like our almost kiss didn’t happen. As I make my way to where my suitcase is, I accept the fact that today is not the day I confess it all to Sabrina.
Mason’s words circle in my head as I get dressed. If my friends can see just how far gone I am for this girl, it’s not going to take long for others to notice too. Especially the film crew. Maybe they’ve already sensed something but are waiting to see what happens next.
Either way, I am done holding back with her. I am going to start making it known to her that my heart is in the game, and I am determined to score her heart.
So cheesy. But so true.