Chapter 9
Max
I never thought the first full night I’d get to have Lexi in my bed would be because she was sick.
Since the first time my eyes landed on her, I’ve been fantasising about spending the night with her, ravishing her body slowly, exploring her likes and dislikes, pushing her boundaries, and falling asleep with her in my arms. I’ve never had those thoughts about any other woman before, but for whatever reason, she is different, and I’m struggling to ignore that.
I didn’t get much sleep last night because she was like a furnace.
I kept dabbing her head with a cold face cloth, making her drink water every so often, and popped pills in her mouth every four hours to help with the fever she had.
The fever didn’t break until gone seven a.m. this morning.
It’s no wonder it’s nearly lunchtime and she’s still sound asleep.
I climbed out of bed this morning and took care of last-minute jobs around the hotel.
Unlike Lexi, I trust my staff to do the jobs I pay them to do, and I left them to get on with it.
I don’t care if Lexi has any work to do today, she needs the rest. I’ll take her anger and frustration when she wakes up.
I returned to my suite with my laptop to do admin and sat at the desk in my room just staring at Lexi’s sleeping form.
I couldn’t keep away from the room knowing that Lexi was here alone.
I was walking around the hotel doing the jobs I had to do, but my heart wasn’t out there.
It was back here with Lexi, and that’s a scary thought.
It’s a thought I don’t know what to do with.
I might have money and status, I might know my way around the woman’s body, but I know nothing about relationships and settling down. The thought alone terrifies me.
A groan comes from my bed at just the right time to stop me from overthinking things. Lexi turns over in the bed and the sweetest brown eyes are staring right at me as I sit at the desk, working. She looks much more relaxed than she did in the middle of the night.
“Good morning,” she croaks.
Her voice is hoarse and she sounds terrible.
“Good afternoon.” I get up and join her on the bed, my back leaning against the headboard, and I put my feet up on the mattress.
She tries to sit up, but she holds her hand over her head and lies back down. “It can’t be. It’s Friday. I’ve got work to do.”
“I’m sure whatever it is can wait for one day, Lex. You were really sick in the night. I was close to calling the doctor.”
She lowers her hand from her head and her eyes dance across me. “Thank you for being my knight in shining armour.”
“Anyone would have done the same.” I brush off her compliment. I know it’s a dick move; I should have just taken the fucking compliment.
“Well, thank you. Now I’m awake, let me get out of your hair.”
I grab her arm and stop her from moving out of bed. “Let me run you a bath first. It might make you feel better.”
I can feel her body relax back into the mattress. Her fight has gone. “I don’t want to put you out, Max. You have a hotel to get ready for tomorrow night.”
I nod. “Everything is taken care of.”
“On one condition.”
“What?”
“You join me in the bath. You’ve been working hard lately.”
Do I want to submerge into the hot, bubbly water with Lexi?
Abso-fucking-lutely. But I can’t give her more than sex.
I know she will want more than that; she’s a sweet girl with emotions.
She deserves more than what I can give. I should have listened to her about blurred lines, but I followed my heart instead of my head.
“Okay.” I lean in, kiss her temple, and get off the bed.
I have never felt as mixed up as I do right now. I can either tell Lexi that all I can give her is sex, or I act like a dick and push her away. Either way, I’m going to come across as a prick. I can’t win.
I walk into the ensuite bathroom and make a start on the bath.
I pour some bubble bath into the running water and just watch the bubbles rise and quadruple.
The lavender aroma fills the room. It’s not a scent I’m overly keen on, but it’s all I have here.
I didn’t expect to have a gorgeous woman in my bathroom today.
I turn off the water and pluck up the courage to get Lexi when she appears behind me in the doorway. She doesn’t look any better than she did last night, but she seems a bit stronger on her feet.
“Let me help you.”
“You don’t need to. I’m okay. Thank you.”
I hold my hands up in surrender and remove my clothes. I’m quicker than Lexi, so I step into the hot water first. I’m not a bath kind of guy. I’d usually favour a shower over a bath, but the hot water will do Lex good, and I’m learning that I can’t deny this woman anything.
I look up at Lexi stepping into the bath on wobbly legs and lowering herself into the water.
The water rises to near the top of the rim.
She watches it closely, careful not to spill it over the side.
I reach out and take her hand, entwining our fingers.
Little and large springs to mind; I dwarf her.
She leans back in the bath and rests her head on the ledge. She looks even more beautiful when she’s relaxed. It’s not a sight I get to see much of. Well, not unless she’s mid-orgasm and everything else in her mind fades to nothing.
“It’s good to see you kick back for once.” I break the silence because I can’t stand it.
She peeks one eye open and lifts our joined hands out of the bath water, dripping in bubbles. “I told you, I’m a workaholic.”
“Not very smart building a nest egg for yourself if you kill yourself working too much.” I tilt my head to the side to watch her response.
She sits back up and we’re practically nose to nose now. “Are you trying to say that I’m being stupid? Reckless?”
I kiss the tip of her nose. “Maybe. Tell me something that makes you work so hard? That you’ve not already told me.”
She bites the side of her lip and smiles. “I want to be able to retire comfortably one day. When the time comes and I have kids, I want them to have more than I had growing up. I want to leave behind a legacy for them.”
I sit up straighter. I don’t know what I was expecting Lexi to say, but that wasn’t it. That answer just shows me that she does want to find Mr. Right one day. She wants the husband, the kids, maybe even a dog or two. I can’t give her any of that.
“Did I say something wrong?”
I shake my head and smile to try to brush off my sudden mood change. “No, not at all. I don’t think I expected you to say you wanted kids.”
“One day. Not right now. I have too much work on.”
“Of course you do.” I tuck a strand of hair behind her ear, place my hand on her cheek, and hold her in place. “You’re an amazing woman, Lexi. Never let anyone tell you differently.”
Lexi leans forward and kisses me tenderly. I really wish she wasn’t sick because I would have taken her in this bath, but she doesn’t have the strength for me today.
“Now, I need to get out of this bath, go home, and crawl into my own bed.” She breaks apart from me.
“You don’t have to rush off.”
“I need to. We’re muddying the waters between us even more, Max. Max and Lex have spiralled from a one-night stand to a business deal, to whatever this is.”
I take in a deep breath because I can’t tell her she’s wrong. She’s a smart woman. Perceptive. It’s like she’s living in my head rent-free.
“Thank you for looking after me. I really do appreciate it. Now you’re free from nursing duties, what are your plans?”
I shrug, lean back in the bath, and try to position the bubbles over my raging hard-on. “Work.” I laugh, and Lexi splashes water over my face.
“You’re a hypocrite, Mr Loudon.”
Isn’t that the truth. She just doesn’t realise how accurate that word fits me because when I’m around Lex, I feel like a phony. I’m leading her astray every time we’re together, but instead of stepping back and putting distance between us, I keep taking more from her.