Noise from the hallway calls for my attention. Max walks over to me, smiling a totally fake smile. I’m immediately wary. He starts, “Hey, cupcake, you got a sec?”
My eyes search his face. He looks drawn and tired. I respond, “Sure, what’s up?”
He quickly looks around before leaning down to ask quietly, “Can we talk in private?”
Nodding once, I follow him down the hall. He talks as we walk. “Let’s go to my place.” Nat told me Max recently moved across the street. He opens the door for me, and we walk down the driveway. Sounding strained, he apologizes, “Sorry for making you walk like this.” He stops suddenly, turns to me, and in all seriousness, he asks, “You want a piggyback ride?” I’m not sure if he’s serious or not. He adds, “I can carry you. You weigh what? One hundred and twenty-five pounds?”
One hundred and forty-nine-point-seven, actually.
Bless his heart.
I’m still blinking at him when he turns his back to me. He pats his lower back. “Jump on.”
That snaps me out of it. “Max, I’m not jumping on your back.”
“Why not?” He actually sounds perplexed.
I snort a little. “Because I’m a grown-ass woman and I can walk.”
He turns to face me, and replies, “I know. But why would you, when you can ride me?”
Oh dear Lord. The images. Make them stop. Sweet Jesus, make them stop!
I look up into his bright amber eyes and swallow hard. I whisper, “I’m not going to ride you, Max.”
He nods. “Okay. Suit yourself.”
Not a second passes before I’m swooped up bridal-style and being walked down the driveway. I yelp and wrap my arms around his neck. He smiles down at me with his gleaming, straight teeth. “There. See? You weigh about as much as
a pillow.”
I glare at him. “Put me down. You know as well as I do that I do not weigh as much as a pillow.”
He concedes with a tilt of his head. “Okay, four pillows, then. Happy?”
With his strong arms around my back and under my knees, wetness seeps from where wetness should not be seeping right now. His rock-hard chest and abs feel warm against me. He smells amazing too. All it would take for me to kiss him is to lean up a little. “Please put me down.”
He purses his lips. “Nah.” He looks down at me and grins. “I like you in my arms.”
Those words both annoy and excite me. “Why don’t you ever listen?”
He pauses a moment to throw me up in his arms a little, then shrugs. “Because I like getting my way.” The honesty of that answer makes me pause before I laugh. He utters, “Good answer, right?”
Realizing I won’t be getting my way, I settle in his arms and allow him to carry me. “Yeah, it was.”
At the end of the driveway, he settles me on my feet, but reaches down to entwine our fingers. “We’re just across the street here.”
The house is amazing. It’s just as big as Nik and Tina’s. I had no idea Max had this kind of dough. I hate to say it, but it’s kind of a turnoff. He unlocks the front door and ushers me in. Everything is perfect. Paintings hang on almost every wall, and the smell of fresh paint assaults me. The deep apricot color of the walls is intimate and inviting. Picture frames are scattered everywhere, but mostly things are still in boxes. “Max, this place is amazing.”
His reaction earns him serious points with me, even if he didn’t know I was scoring him. With a shrug, he walks deeper into the house. “It’s just a house.” My heart smiles that he’s not all about money. It’s a relief. He turns on a light and I follow him into the kitchen. He pulls out a stool for me to sit on, then walks to stand on the opposite side of the counter. He paces, looking unsure of himself. “Okay. So, you know I’ve been having issues with getting Ceecee to work out. Well, today she’s stepped up the rebellion.” He looks me in the eye and reveals, “She skipped class today. Not one. All of them.”
Damn. That’s a shame. I slowly drawl, “Okay? I’m not sure where I come into this.”
He holds up a palm. “Getting to that.” He paces some more. “I know you didn’t see me, but I saw you with Ceecee today. I saw you help her.”
Oh. I see. Here it comes.
“I was hoping you’d be able to do a session or two a week with Ceecee. I know you’re not her PT. I mean, I still want her to have Whit, but she needs more than him. I want to do this privately, away from the center.”