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I let out a sign and stretched my body before sitting up to take a shower, and that’s when I saw it. There was someone outside my window. At least I thought it was someone. A shadow moved in the night behind my blinds and I cursed myself for never fixing the corner that had broken when it fell shortly after I moved in. It was a small hole, but certainly enough for someone to look through. Honestly, I never even thought about it anymore, but now I had to wonder what the person who was standing out there saw. I ran for the bathroom and covered myself in my robe before pulling the blinds open and looking outside to look for a clue. Something that told me I wasn’t crazy, but there was nothing. The street was quiet because it was so late. There was no one in sight and I stood there for longer than I should have been trying to figure out if I lost my mind or if the man I had been fantasizing about for years was closer than I imagined.
I pulled the blinds shut and got in the shower. My mind was a wreck. I had to know if it was Max. But now I didn’t know if I wanted it to be the stranger of my dreams or him. The longer I stood under the hot water, the more and more I realized it was Max I was hoping for, and I was about to do one of the dumbest things I’ve ever done in my life. I got out and got dressed. What should have been a relaxing shower before bed turned into a race to get out of the house. I had to see him. I needed to know if he was the one that left so many words of affirmation for me at the times when I needed it most and more than anything, I needed to know if he was the one who promised I was his.
I raced to the shop and used the key he gave me years ago to get inside. I never had a need for it until now, but he said he wanted me to have it in case I ever needed him so I kept it in the glove box of my car. When I got inside, I went straight to the stairs that lead to his apartment upstairs. His bike and truck were both parked out front, but that didn’t say much. He could easily have made his way back here while I was in the shower. I stood in front of his door with the key in my hand and made the first smart decision of the night as I knocked rather than barged in on his personal space.
There wasn’t a sound behind the door. I knocked again, harder this time.
“Max, I know you are here. Open up.”
“I’m coming Elfie, hang tight.”
His voice sounded like he was getting closer and when he opened the door, I nearly fell over. Standing in front of me was the most beautiful man I had ever seen. His dark hair was damp and dripping down his bare chest. Tattoos covered his body with the most intricate designs that wrapped over his shoulders, down his chest and eventually trailed below the waistband of the black sweatpants he was wearing.
“I… I’m sorry. It’s late… I...”
Fuck, I sounded like a complete idiot, and it was clear he was in the shower. Could he have made it back and showered, too? Maybe I was as crazy as I thought I was, maybe it wasn’t Max after all. A chill ran through my body at the thought that it wasn’t him, but a stranger who didn’t really know me at all. Suddenly, the secret admirer that I had grown to love weirded me out instead of giving me the comfort I adored. I took a step back and nearly tripped, but he reached for me.
“Noelle, what’s wrong?”
He held my arms with his large hands, and my skin burned where we touched. Something had shifted between us and I didn’t know what to think about it.
“I’m fine. I shouldn’t be here,” I said as I shook my head.
“Yes, you should. Something happened. Tell me what’s going on.”
“You’ll just think I’m crazy. Maybe I am. I need to go home, Max. I have an early morning.”
His hands ran down my arms, and he pulled me into his apartment. “No, you’ll stay here. Something is upsetting you, and until you tell me what’s going on, I’m not letting you leave.”
He reached for the door and closed it behind me. I took in his space and smiled. “I forgot how big it was up here.”
“It’s been a while since you’ve been by.”
“I know.”
He tilted his head to the side, taking me in before leading me to the couch that sat in the middle of the oversized studio apartment.
“Here, sit down. I’ll get you some water, or do you want something stronger?”
I looked up at his muscular frame and fuck if I didn’t want to lick the drips of water from every muscle that shown as he moved.
“Something stronger.”
He nodded, and I watched him go to the kitchen. He grabbed a bottle of whiskey and two glasses. To his credit, he also reached for a bottle of water and handed it to me first.
“Drink up.”
I couldn’t help but do as he told me. My need to please him and make him happy ran deep within me. It was a desire that took root when we were kids, and I learned I was one of the few things that brought a smile to his face. I had become addicted to it then, and I never looked back. Once I put back some water, he handed me a shot of whiskey. I looked at it, knowing what a huge mistake it was, but clinked my glass against his and relished the burn as it traveled down my throat and warmed my belly.
“Better?”
“A bit.” I said as I held my glass out and he poured me another. I wasn’t much of a drinker, but anytime I drank, he was almost always with me. Either he and Rocco would come out with me and my friends, or he’d run into us while he was already out. Another coincidence I never realized until now. Leaning back on the couch, I stared at him, trying to figure out what it meant that I hoped beyond hope that he really was who I thought he was. But my fucked up mind kept telling me there was no way that was the case. First, he was fucking hot as hell and could snag just about any woman in Whitewood, and second, he was my foster brother. He didn’t like me like that, did he?
“Noelle?”
“Yeah?”
“Do you want to talk about it?”
