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“Hey.” She smiled back, knowing full well it didn’t reach her eyes. Max retrieved another mug. He filled it before handing it off to her. “Thank you.”
“So…” He crossed his ankles as he leaned back against the counter. His sexy smile never faltered. “What do you wanna do today?”
“Oh, I’m sorry. I already made plans for today. Bella should be here any minute.”
“Sure, no problem. I just thought we would spend the day together.”
“That’s nice of you, but I know you’re probably sick of being cooped up here with me. I’m going to go to the apartment today. I have to get it cleaned up. I’m not sure if I’m going to stay there anymore, but regardless I can’t let the mess go any longer.”
“You’re leaving?” He sounded surprised.
Perhaps most women didn’t want to walk away from him the next morning. Then again, they probably knew it was just sex and nothing more before they put their heart into it. If she meant half as much to him as he meant to her, she wouldn’t want to leave either.
“I think it’s time. We both knew this was temporary. I appreciate everything you did for me, Max.”
“Sloane, it still isn’t safe.”
“We don’t know how long it will take to find this guy. I can’t hide out here forever.”
Against her better judgment, Sloane walked toward him. She took his face in her hands. Looking into those beautiful eyes, she almost chickened out. She knew that if she fell into his arms again it would only hurt even more when he was the one to end things. She could feel the tears trying to pool in her eyes. She pressed her lips to his gently once, twice, before withdrawing to meet his gaze again.
“Thank you for everything, Max. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.”
They could hear Bella honk the horn outside. Sloane placed her hand on Max’s cheek one last time before grabbing the handle to her suitcase. The wheels clicked on the tiles as she pulled it behind her. A tear escaped, rolling down her face as she descended the deck stairs. She could feel Max’s eyes on her. She refused to look back. She had to get to Bella before he could see her fall apart. She threw the suitcase in the back seat. Taking her first deep breath since coming face to face with Max this morning, she sat in the passenger seat next to Bella.
“Drive.”
With the house—and Max—in the rear view, she slumped in the seat, burying her face in her hands. She stopped trying to be brave. She didn’t need to hold it together any longer. Bella was here with her. She would help Sloane through this. She knew she wasn’t dying no matter what her shattered heart believed.
The car ride to her apartment was made in sweet silence. Her cousin would want to give Sloane her uninterrupted attention when she told her sad story—Bella wouldn’t want the distraction of driving. That was just fine by Sloane.
Entering the apartment was surreal. Glass still littered the floor in various areas and there were black smudges all over where the police had dusted for fingerprints. She had a big cleanup job ahead of her. She welcomed the distraction. First things first, though.
“Sloane, honey, what happened?” Bella asked once they were safely locked away from the world.
“I thought he was different. I thought we had a connection. Oh Bella, I fell in love with him. I don’t know what I was thinking.”
“Everything seemed fine last night. Better even. Tell me what happened,” she urged.
“We made love. Multiple times. Until we were both too exhausted to move. It was amazing. Earth shattering, mind blowing, like nothing I’ve ever experienced kind of amazing, Bella. I gave him everything. I held nothing back for the first time in…I can’t even remember.”
Sloane’s tears continued streaming down her face. She couldn’t stop them if she tried. She dropped to the floor in front of her couch. Bella lowered herself to sit next to her.
“That sounds incredible, Sloane. I knew you two would be perfect together. So what’s with the water works?”
“This morning I woke up alone. Even so, I was so happy. I put on his shirt and went to find him. He was outside on his phone, Bella. He was whispering like he didn’t want to be overheard, but I heard him.” Sloane hugged her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. She was gasping for air trying to get the rest of the story out. Bella rubbed her back, waiting patiently. She knew Sloane would get there; she just needed a minute.
“I heard him say ‘Charlie.’”
“Oh no!” Bella pulled Sloane into her arms. “Maybe he was—”
“No, Bella, don’t make excuses. He told her I was a mistake. He told her I was nothing more than a willing participant for his release. I gave him my heart and I was nothing more than a warm body to him. I feel like a goddamn fool,” she yelled. Her heart was breaking all over again as she recounted the story out loud.
“That can’t be right, Sloane. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”
“I had to get out of there.” Sloane ignored her comment. “I need to focus on putting my life back together. A new job, a new apartment, a new life, Bella. That’s what I need, starting right now.”
“Well then, let’s start getting this place packed up and make some calls.”
