CHAPTER 19
At first, Maddox thought Mila was probably dead set against dating him. But then she told him she wasn’t.
As they hung up, he felt lighter even though it wasn’t a yes. But it wasn’t an adamant no either. If Mila didn’t want to date him, she would have said so.
Juliet calling to mediate for Mila was convenient. It gave him a chance to alter their agreement. Somehow, this seemed easier than acting like nothing happened and asking her out. Plus, he thought she might like this better anyway. It was a way to ease into it for them both.
The bigger problem was knowing he might have to wait until he got home to get her answer.
But a few days later, Parker came down with something and Maddox had an opening to bring Mila to Europe. It was the excuse he wanted and didn’t have when they left San Francisco.
He made arrangements to have Mila flown over on the private jet. Then, he felt almost giddy as he called to give Mila the news. That was strange enough. But when he told her, Mila sounded almost…happy? Unless it was his imagination.
The amazing thing was she didn’t argue or tell him off for any reason. She said she would be ready to go.
Europe could have been a draw, but Maddox hoped she was going along with it for other reasons.
The day Mila arrived, he was glad to have plenty of work as a distraction, but she still came to mind frequently and he kept checking the time.
Finally, he got a message that Mila had been collected at the airport and was on the way to the hotel.
Maddox relaxed–a little. Though knowing she was no longer an ocean away from him made him want to abandon his obligations to go see her.
That couldn’t be a good sign. But he couldn’t seem to help himself either.
Mila was there and she hadn’t said no to dating him yet. He smiled to himself. So far, it was the best business trip ever.
Hours after taking to the air, Mila stepped onto the tarmac in Munich, Germany, and into the back of a black car. Technically, she’d done this before but not alone.
Once at the hotel, a staff member met her at the door and escorted her to her room. Maddox wasn’t at the hotel yet but she found Parker in bed in the room next to hers.
He explained what she needed to do, turning over Maddox’s schedule and other important information.
“Are you okay?” Mila asked.
He smiled weakly. “I’m better off here than at home.”
Mila nodded. He was in a huge bed and didn’t have to do anything for himself.
“Check your phone often,” Parker said. “Things can change on a dime.”
Mila was nervous. She’d never been on her own in this, but she didn’t want to admit it.
“You’ll do fine,” Parker told her as if reading her mind.
After they talked, Mila went to her room for a while. After resting a little, she got a text that Maddox was back to regroup before dinner. Mila changed and went to his suite on another floor.
She found him standing by the sitting area in the main room, his dress shirt half unbuttoned, staring at his phone.
When Maddox noticed her hovering nearby, his eyes lit up.
“Parker told me you were back,” she said. Maybe she should’ve waited until he contacted her? She didn’t know and couldn’t think with her heart beating this fast.
He smiled and angled toward her like he might come closer, but then he didn’t. “I’m glad you’re here. I know it wasn’t part of the plan.”
Mila shrugged nonchalantly though she felt on edge, and she worried she might start twitching. “Do you need anything?”
“No.” He met her eyes and took a breath. “And you don’t need to worry about tonight. Just rest up.”
“All right.” She felt disappointed but she couldn’t talk to Maddox while he worked anyway.
So, Mila took his suggestion after going over the itinerary and other details. Parker had told her she could contact him if she needed help. That was reassuring but she still needed to be prepared.
Her real work began the next day. Though feeling the jetlag, Mila forced herself out of bed to have enough time to make herself up. She met Maddox in the hallway, and he came to a halt when he saw her.
Their eyes met, and he finally said, “Tired?”
“A little.” She lifted a shoulder nonchalantly though it was much worse than that.
“Ignore it.” Maddox breezed past her, adjusting his tie. “Come on. We have a packed schedule.”
Mila blinked as he marched on without glancing back. Had she imagined everything in San Francisco?
She caught up and hopped into the elevator with Maddox in case he decided to go without her.
Mila gripped her bag handle and peeked over at him. Maddox stared straight ahead as if she wasn’t there. Maybe her excitement about seeing him was premature.
As the elevator doors opened to the lobby, Mila’s heart froze in her chest when she saw her mother and Danny waltzing through the glass front doors arm in arm.
Mila knew they were on a trip but she never in her worst nightmares thought they’d be in the same place. She figured they’d be in Paris or something.
Mila cut in front of Maddox and furiously pressed the “Close Door” button.