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Max chuckles. “I wouldn’t dream of it, spitfire.”
I can’t help but laugh at his nickname for me, but as he faces forward and reaches for the door handle, I clench my hand tighter around the racket, muscles taut.
While Max squats down to examine my front porch where the roses and note had been left, I scan the parking lot and surrounding area, raising the racket defensively. When I meet his gaze, his eyes twinkle as he assesses me.
I was so distracted trying to be his protector that I’m not sure how long he’s been staring at me.
“What?” I slowly lower the racket, taking in the amused expression on his face. My eyes are fixed on him, my voice low and firm. “I was ready to swing if William came bolting from the darkness.”
He stands, hand moving to my chin, his touch featherlight. “It’s just nice that you have my back.” His eyes are soft beneath my porch light.
Swallowing hard, I give him a small smile, not trusting myself to speak. I don’t know why he affects me the way he does, but I’m certain of one thing—I’ve never had anyone make me feel the way he does when he looks at me like that.
And I really want him to kiss me. Or me to kiss him. But that seems… inappropriate. Especially considering the circumstances.
God, Irelynn, get your shit together.
Tearing my gaze from his, I take a deep breath, trying to focus on the problem at hand. As he moves forward, I grip his shirt, sticking close behind him. We walk to the back of the building, and I scan my patio, turning to face Max.
His body is turned away from mine, facing the woods. I move beside him, staring up at his face. “What is it, Max?”
His face lowers, meeting my gaze in the darkness. “It’s too dark to see anything, but those woods give him a lot of opportunities to hide.” He glances back at them, then at me. “Promise me you won’t go in them alone?”
Nodding, goosebumps trail over my skin as I turn my head, staring at the woods, wondering if William is watching us from the darkened forest right now.
From the apartment beside me, someone slams a window shut, causing me jump, my hands clinging to Max.
“Irelynn, it’s just your neighbor closing their window. It’s okay.” His lips quirk up in a smile. I’m so close to him that I can see the moonlight glinting from his blue irises.
He chuckles, stroking my back lightly. Despite how good his touch feels, I need to calm my racing heart, which won’t happen as long as I’m standing this close to him. His warm breaths hit my skin as he stares at me.
Untangling myself from him, I try to lighten the mood. “At least I didn’t need to use my racket.” I scan the darkness. “Not yet, anyway.”
Max chuckles. “I’ve gotta confess. I’m grateful. I fear you are going to swing like crazy and accidentally hit me with it. I’m not saying it would do much damage to me, but it would probably sting. And you’d feel guilty for hitting me with it, and I’d feel bad that you feel bad.”
I can’t help the bubble of laughter that escapes me. Throwing my head back, I start howling at the images inside my head of the incident he just described.
As he stares at me, his lips quiver before he starts rolling with laughter, too. I laugh harder, holding my stomach.
When I finally get myself under control, I wipe my eyes. “I needed that.” All my stress has momentarily vanished.
“Me too.” Max’s grin is huge.
We walk around my apartment building, but the closer we get to my front door, the worse I feel. Butterflies flit around in my stomach, and I worry my lip between my teeth.There’s no sign of William and Max will probably leave. I swallow hard.I’ll be alone in my apartment. All night long.
Max stares at my profile, but I refuse to look at him. I’m pretending to be tougher than I feel right now and I’m too proud to ask him to stay. I’ve already involved him enough in my drama.
As if he senses my nervousness, he lightly bumps his arm into mine. “How about we go inside and watch a movie? If you aren’t too tired?”
All my tension eases and I release my lip from between my teeth, as a slow smile spreads across my face. “I would really like that. And no, I’m too nervous to be tired.”
Max grins. “Come on, Irelynn. Let’s go inside.” Gesturing for me to lead the way, I head to my front porch. Wrapping my hand around the knob, I turn and push against it, and we head inside my apartment. Once we are safely inside and the door is shut and locked, I breathe out a huge sigh of relief.
He watches me, studying me with concern. “Are you okay?”
Nodding, I remove my hand that is pressed over my heart and give him a smile. “Yeah, I’m good. It’s just… being outside, worried that he was lurking around, possibly in the woods… just has me feeling uneasy.” I push a strand of hair from my face. “I feel better being inside, especially with you here.” I bite my lip, wondering why I just said that.
An awkward silence falls between us, and I lower my eyes to the carpet, willing myself to say something to ease the tension. Finally, I shrug, meeting his gaze. “I just don’t trust William.” Goosebumps feather across my skin as I shiver, remembering our earlier confrontation.
