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I hesitated for a moment, tempted to test his resolve. I wanted this strong man to come undone beneath my tender hands. The idea made desire pulse deep inside me, and it took effort to force myself to back away.
I still wasn’t ready to let him inside, no matter how badly I wanted him. I couldn’t bear to taint our connection with echoes of the fear I’d experienced on the night he’d kidnapped me.
Instead of twining my arms around his neck and pulling him close, I turned to unlock my door. He waited in silence, his full focus intent on me as he watched me enter my apartment, guarding me from anyone who might threaten me.
Once I crossed the threshold, I offered Max one final, grateful smile. “I’ll see you soon.”
It was a firm promise. I wouldn’t allow him to retreat from me. I wouldn’t allow him to sever the intense, wild connection we shared. And judging by the feral hunger that gleamed in his dark eyes as I shut the door, he wouldn’t be able to resist my demands to see him again.
Max burned for me just as hotly as I burned for him.
Chapter 17
Allie
Your escort has arrived. Isabel’s text was accompanied by a photo of Davis and Charlie, who were grinning and waving for me to join them.
My heart squeezed. My friends really were the best. When I’d messaged them to blow off some steam about Gavin, they’d all rallied and rearranged their schedules to meet me after work.
My phone vibrated with another text as I stepped onto the elevator that would take me down to the ground floor to meet them.
Davis says to invite Captain Douchebag. We dare him to show his face.
I released a sigh when the elevator doors closed, locking a barrier between me and my tormentor. Gavin had been especially unnerving today. He’d shown up to work wearing a cast and a sling—it turned out he had broken his elbow when he’d hit the pavement. His face was bruised from Max’s brutal punches, and I’d overheard him telling a senior colleague that he’d been mugged.
As though the bastard hadn’t been the one to commit a crime against me.
I didn’t breathe a word about what’d really happened. I didn’t want to draw any attention to Max.
Gavin hadn’t spoken a single cruel word to me all day, but his eyes burned with a new level of loathing I’d never seen before. His hateful gaze seemed to follow me everywhere I went, singeing my skin. His terrible glower promised retribution, and I was worried he might try to accost me again if he followed me home from work.
My besties had come to my rescue. They didn’t know anything about Gavin’s assault or Max’s involvement. They didn’t know about Max at all.
But I’d told them Gavin was making me anxious and uncomfortable, and that’d been enough to trigger their protective instincts. They would walk with me to our favorite nearby restaurant, and we would all have a martini and a decadent meal to unwind.
I exited the building and stepped into the flurry of supportive hugs from my besties. Immediately, the warmth of their love enveloped me, and I squeezed them back. Isabel slung a slender arm over my shoulder and tugged me close as she led me the short distance to the restaurant. Davis practically bounced at our side like a boxer preparing for a fight, issuing dark threats about what he would do to Gavin if I’d let him. Charlie whooped her agreement, my usually mellow friend growing fierce in my defense.
We were just outside the restaurant when my phone rang. For a moment, my heart leapt. What if Max had decided to call me?
I checked the contact details, and my small bloom of joy wilted. I didn’t recognize the number.
I held up one finger to my friends, indicating that I needed a minute to answer, just in case it was important or work-related.
“This is Allie Fitzgerald,” I answered in my most professional tone.
“Allie.” A deep, masculine voice said my name with shocking intimacy. This wasn’t a work call. “It’s Niko.”
My brain stalled out. Niko? As in…
“Nikolai Ivanov,” he clarified when I said nothing in response. “We met at your dad’s fundraiser on Saturday.”
“Oh. Yeah. Hi.” I clapped a hand to my forehead. Could I have sounded more awkward?
The last time I’d seen Niko, the impossibly gorgeous man had draped his deliciously man-scented jacket over my shoulders and asked me on a date. Just before Max had stormed out of the darkness and shoved him away.
“I got your number from your dad. I hope you don’t mind.”
“Oh.” My mind scrambled to catch up. Nikolai Ivanov was the last person I’d expected to hear from. I’d barely even thought about him since Max had gotten between us and snarled at him to leave me alone. “I don’t mind,” I said, automatically polite.
