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Momentary jealousy niggled its way in. It looked like the dream house she had pictured in her head since she was a child. She couldn’t wait to see inside. She continued on the gravel driveway as it curved behind the house and parked in the small lot beside Max.
He stood at the bottom of the steps, hands stuffed in his front pockets, waiting. He appeared almost shy the way he looked everywhere except at her. He led her inside after unlocking the heavy wood door, his hand warm on the small of her back. Simplistic and homey, the kitchen was uncluttered, but definitely lived in.
Lemon chiffon curtains brightened up the room. White hand towels with little yellow flowers had Sloane wondering who decorated. What if Max didn’t live alone? Would a suspicious girlfriend make more out of this than there was? Maybe this wasn’t such a good idea.
“Will your girlfriend be upset that I’m here? I don’t want to cause any problems.”
“Is that your way of asking if I’m available?”
The grin he flashed over his shoulder was panty melting. Holy smokes, Max was sexy.No.Sloane needed to stay focused. Not salivating over the perfection that was his ass. Still she followed him around his house like a puppy.
“Um…No. I just didn’t want her to be upset that I’m here.”
Max stopped suddenly. Whirling around, he crowded her personal space. His cologne was subtle—spicy and tempting like the man wearing it. His eyes were blazing. She could feel the heat between her thighs. She swallowed hard.
“If I was living with another woman, do you really think I would have kissed you after dinner the other night?”
She stepped back. “I don’t know. I don’t really know you, now do I?”
She certainly wasn’t living with Brody, but he sure as hell had done more than just kiss other girls since they had been together. Something resembling hurt flashed over Max’s face, but it flitted away quickly before fortitude and anger took its place. Max could go from sexy to scary in a heartbeat. She refused to admit both turned her on.
“When I’m involved with a woman, Sloane, I’m with her and only her. I know you don’t have much experience with men who respect monogamy, butIdo.”
Standing up straighter, she glared at him. “Hey! My relationship is none of your damn business. Who the hell do you think you are?”
“I’m the man you can count on tonight.”
His words hurt as they were meant to. Sloane held back the tears that were threatening to spill. No way would she give him the satisfaction of seeing he got to her.
“Follow me, I’ll show you to your room.”
His tone was clipped, cold even. She didn’t respond; there was nothing to say.
She followed him up the stairs to the second floor. The wall going up was covered in photographs. Some were decades old, others just a few years. They looked like they spanned generations. One of Max in his police blues struck such a strong emotion in her, she almost tripped up the steps. That would’ve been smooth. Shaking her head, she continued the climb.
The room Max stopped in front of was immaculate. The bed was covered in floral bedspread that matched the sheer curtains. The dresser and bed frame looked like expensive cherry wood, not that cheap pressed wood that was so popular these days. Like the other rooms she had seen, this one also sported hardwood floors with plush carpet runners protecting the varnish in high-traffic areas. It was stunning.
“You can stay in here.”
“It’s beautiful.”
He kept talking like she hadn’t said anything at all. “The bathroom is the next room on the right. On the left is my room should you need anything. I’ll get you something to sleep in. We can get some of your things tomorrow.”
He left her still standing in the doorway as he stalked off to his room. He came back a few moments later with a pair of sweatpants, a large t-shirt, and an unopened toothbrush. They were barely in her hands before he was walking away, back down the steps.
She called out to him. “Thank you, Max.”
“Couldn’t let you go home alone. It wouldn’t be right.”
Sloane watched until Max disappeared from sight before closing herself in the unfamiliar room. Sadness and loneliness closed in around her. Curling up on the soft mattress, she felt the dam open inside of her. Tears flowed freely. Soft sobs wracked her body. It could have been minutes or hours before sleep finally rescued her from her melancholy.
***
Max
Twenty minutes had passed and still no Sloane. Max had thought she would’ve been right behind him once she put the clothes he gave her into her room. Maybe he’d been too hard on her.
Thinking he should check on her, he hiked back upstairs and stopped just outside the closed door. Leaning in to listen, he could faintly make out the weeping inside.Shit.Why did he have to be such an ass earlier? Sure, she had insulted him, insinuating that he was just another cheating bastard. Did she think so little of him? Or did she think so little of all men? Foster certainly didn’t seem to bear the brunt of any ill will.
