The Other Confession
Delaney
I didn't want to leave at all.
I wanted to stay right here with Maddox – to hear the rest of his story, to finish our game, and after that, who knew?
But a deal was a deal. I'd promised to deliver those restaurant goodies to Walt, and I had no intention of backing out. Unfortunately, the whole thing was starting to feel a little sketchy.
Not on Walt's part.
On mine.
As Maddox walked me to the penthouse door, I kept wondering about something he'd said regarding his ex.
She'd sold food.
Food that he'd purchased.
Okay, maybe the food comment had been a joke. Obviously, her biggest offense was selling information that should've stayed private.
And yet, I kept coming back to the food.
I knew why, too.
It was because I was doing pretty much the same thing.
All of those extras from dinner – I knew exactly why Maddox had ordered so much. He'd been worried about me going hungry. And now, instead of eating all that food myself, I was using some of it as a bribe.
I couldn't even back out, because I'd already received the information from Walt. And now, the bill was officially coming due.
Did I regret it?
I wasn't even sure. But I did regret being so sly about it, like I was picking Maddox's pocket to pay for a lunch I wasn't even sharing.
We had just reached the penthouse door when Maddox softly said, "Hey."
I stopped and turned to face him. "Hey, what?"
His gaze searched mine. "You okay?"
His concern warmed my heart, but the sensation was hard to enjoy with guilt nipping at my heels. "Yeah, totally."
Looking unconvinced, he asked, "You want me to come with you?"
Yeah, right. I'd be so busted. "No. Definitely not." I cleared my throat. "I mean…I'll be back before you know it."
He frowned. "Are you sure? If you need backup, just say the word."
Hah! I'd only need backup if I ran into Mrs. Stelter. But the odds of that were super-low, right? They had to be. Already, I'd run into her twice in one day.
I forced a laugh. "So you'd be my bodyguard, huh?"
"Gladly." But he didn't look glad. Mostly, he still looked concerned. "How about this? I'll at least walk you to the elevator."
He was being so nice, maybe nicer than I deserved, considering the shiftiness of my errand. My heart went gooey, the guilt resurfaced, and I let out a laugh that didn't come out quite right.
Maddox gave me an odd look. "And that's funny?"
Terrific. Now I sounded unhinged. "No. I'm just surprised. That's all. You're quite chivalrous, you know." I felt a slow blush creep up my cheeks. "The truth is, I kind of like it."
His lips twitched into a smile. "So that's a yes?"
"Definitely." And with that, I reached for the door handle and yanked open the door before I could embarrass myself further. "And you know what?"
"What?"
"I'm not sure that was a laugh."
Maddox grinned. "But you're still smiling."
He was right. Guilty or not, I was having a terrific time. As for giving away his food, I would definitely need to tell him what I'd done.
Maybe he'd understand. After all, it's not like I was selling the food for illicit drugs or designer shoes.
By the time we reached the elevators, I knew exactly what I had to do. I had to tell him now, before guilt made me even more crazy.
As I reached out and pressed the button to go down, I turned to Maddox and took a deep, steadying breath. "Can I confess something?"
His eyes locked on mine. "Anything."
As I stared up at him, the planned confession died on my lips. There he was – dark-haired, broad-shouldered, and distractingly male. Even worse, he was looking at me like there was nowhere else he'd rather be.
Wow. My heart didn't stand a chance.
But that didn't stop me from confessing.
I just made a different confession, that's all, because already, I was blurting out, "When I left earlier – you know, to change my clothes? – I almost felt like I should kiss you goodbye."
His gaze warmed, and the butterflies in my stomach went absolutely wild. For a moment, both of us stood utterly still. I still couldn't believe I'd said it, but I had no interest in taking it back.
His gaze lingered on my lips as he asked, "Almost?"
At something in his voice, my brain gave a stupid little stutter. "Well…yeah. I mean, I didn't actually do it…kiss you, I mean."
"You're right. And you wanna know how I know?"
"How?"
"Because I'm pretty sure I would've remembered."
I let out a breathless laugh. "Pretty sure?"
"Definitely sure."
My pulse was racing now. "Well, for what it's worth, I still kind of want to."
Again, his gaze dropped to my mouth.
I bit my lip. "Or…you know…you could kiss me."
To my infinite relief, his hand settled at my waist, and he drew me tight against him.
For one dizzying moment, I lost myself in the feel of his body against mine – the clean scent of him, the warmth of him, and the hard muscles of his chest.
But we weren't kissing.
Not yet.
He tilted his head lower. I tilted mine higher. But just before our lips touched, he softly teased, "You kind of want to?"
Oh, screw it. The other confession could wait. I pressed my lips to his, which of course, sent my pulse into immediate chaos.
I slid a hand into his dark hair and rose onto my toes, chasing the kiss before it could slip away. As his mouth moved against mine, every other thought in my head simply ceased to exist.
It was just me and Maddox, alone in the whole world, until the ding of the elevator had us pulling apart at the last possible moment.
The doors slid open, and I stifled a groan.
Good Lord.
There she was.
Mrs. Stelter.
Again.