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And for some reason, that made the temptation even stronger.
Knowing it was something neither of us should be doing made it that much more enticing. I was bored and Mac was just the thing to occupy my time.
I didn’t want him to ruin his career, so perhaps there was a way we could make it work without getting caught. Then again, the thought of him leaving Orchid City was also appealing. If he were gone, I wouldn’t have to worry about him. I could continue on with my life the way it was before he infiltrated my every thought.
Closing the book, I set it down on the coffee table and finally rose from the couch. There was no sense in locking myself away in my apartment. I needed to confront him head-on.
I walked across the hall, leaving my own door hanging open as I reached his. It was going to be a quick conversation and I wasn't sure what the hell I was even going to say to him. As my fist connected with his door, regret flooded me. This was a terrible mistake. Just because he was being flirty and forward didn’t mean I needed to reciprocate that energy. I needed to turn around and walk back into my own condo and pretend he didn’t even exist.
Thor started barking on the other side of the door and I shifted my weight nervously on my feet as I waited. Anxiety raced through my body. There was nothing I could do now. I made my decision, so I had to go with it.
A few minutes felt like an eternity, but Mac never came to the door. Judging by the way Thor was barking and whining, it was safe to say Mac wasn’t home. A sigh of relief passed through my lips and my heart rate dropped back to a normal rhythm in my chest. I looked back and forth, unsure of what to do now. He would surely be home later, so I could always try again then. I didn’t have his phone number, so this was the only way I could actually speak with him.
Turning on my heel, I walked across the hall and back into my apartment. I found a stack of sticky notes inside one of the drawers in my kitchen and I grabbed a pen. The ink marring the paper as I wrote my phone number and nothing else. Mac Sullivan may have appeared to be an idiot, but I had an inkling that he actually wasn’t.
He would either use my number or he wouldn’t. It was up to him now, and I was perfectly fine with that. I may have wanted him, but I didn’t need him. If I didn’t hear from him, that was the verification I needed that he was simply fucking with me. All of his flirty actions were about to be challenged. I walked back across the hall and left the note on his door before going back home.
If he wanted to play, I would show him what it looked like to lose.
My stomach growled and I looked down at it in betrayal as I slowly climbed out of the bath. There was a part of me that hated my days off. I needed something to occupy my time or else I would end up leaving notes on my hot neighbor’s door.
I sighed to myself. Boredom was never a good thing for me.
My legs were itching to burn from skating, but the kids didn’t have practice until tomorrow evening. There was an open hockey session earlier in the day, but I ended up reading through the time. Now, there was just a public skate later tonight that I could go to. It wasn’t really ideal because skating in circles could be boring, but I just needed something to block out the noise of the world around me.
And something to distract my mind from my damn neighbor.
I dressed in warm clothing for skating and headed into my kitchen. The cupboards and fridge were practically bare, considering I was inept when it came to cooking. I never swore that I had any qualities that implied I would be a homemaker in my lifetime. After realizing I had nothing easy to make, I grabbed my purse and keys and headed out into the hall. Just as I was locking my door, I saw Mac standing by his, holding the Post-it note that I left.
He lifted his head, his eyes meeting mine as a slow smile formed on his lips. “We really need to stop meeting like this. It’s always in the middle of the hall in passing.”
I couldn’t help myself as I smiled back at him. “It’s quite unfortunate, isn’t it?”
Mac looked at the note and back at me, chewing on the inside of his cheek. “Wherever you’re going, do you have to be there at a certain time?”
I shook my head, not following where he was going with this.
“Good,” he said, sliding his key into the lock. “Go back inside.”
My forehead creased. “Why? I need to go get food, Mac. I’m starving.”
His nostrils flared and his jaw ticked. “Just go back inside, Juliette. You will see.”
I narrowed my eyes, irritation sliding through my veins as I huffed and spun around before walking back into my condo. Shutting the door behind me, I stood just on the other side of it. Mac Sullivan was fucking annoying, but I was curious to see what he was actually planning here.
My phone vibrated in the pocket of my pants and I pulled it out, seeing a message from an unfamiliar number on the screen.
Unknown
Thank you for actually listening to me.
I stared at my phone for a moment, unable to fight the grin that pulled on my lips. I knew it was Mac before I even opened the message. Who else would it be, considering he had just found the note that I left with my number for him?
Juliette
I never once claimed to be a compliant person.
Mac
