Cheers erupted around the boardroom as everyone scrambles to place their bets on the large board on the giant conference table.
Max grins to himself.
Look at that. Creating a fantastic company climate, one bet at a time!
Chapter Six
Ivy
I’m terrified of what the morning is going to bring. After the trauma of paintball, I’ve developed insomnia. Whenever I close my eyes, I see Maxine turning and staring at me.
Just staring.
A creepy smile almost always emerges.
She doesn’t blink.
Somehow a lizard shows up, don’t ask me why, and that’s it, you know, other than thinking about the devil across the hall.
I want to get up and see if he wants to watch Netflix or something since we don’t have to actually report to our next game until noon, but I feel weird.
After today, when he showed how vulnerable he really could be during the game and then somehow confessed he wasn’t over whatever moment we had, I’ve been feeling strange.
My stomach is unsettled.
I feel like I can’t catch my breath.
And I think about him way too much while I’m lying there staring up at the ceiling.
I punch the pillow with my right hand and then scream into it. A sudden knock sounds on my door. I’m ashamed of how fast I jump out of bed and sprint toward the door in nothing but my white silk sleep shorts and nearly see-through white top. I quickly grab one of the puffy black coats I had lying on the chair and put it on.
I take a deep breath and open the door.
There he is.
The man of both dreams and nightmare, leaning against the doorframe like he has a right to look this sexy when yesterday he was hiding behind me and using me as a human shield.
“You,” I say, voice low.
“Me.” He walks right in without my permission and shuts the door behind him.
I back up a few steps, confused.
He stops short and narrows his eyes on me. “You cold?”
Actually, no, now I’m sweating bullets. But I lie. “Yeah, freezing.”
“So, you didn’t think to grab a blanket instead of a winter coat?” He smirks.
Damn him.
“It’s a personal preference thing.” I lift my chin.
“It’s huge.” He flicks my puffy arm and walks past me. “Couldn’t sleep, thought we could hang out. I’m bored out of my mind, and every time I close my eyes, I see Maxine.” He shudders.
I laugh. “Yeah, same here; it’s like he knew it would imprint on our souls.”
“Should have never taken that internship.” He winks.
Warmth spreads through my body. “Well, it was the only place that paid well.”
“And now we know why.” He grabs the remote and points it at me. “What do you feel like watching?”
“What makes you think I want to watch anything with you?”
He looks away, so confident I want to smack him in the head. “You do.”
I’m already walking toward him, my legs betraying me before my mind can tell them to run in the opposite direction and lock the door to the master bedroom.
I sit down on the couch, putting space between us while he clicks on Netflix and starts some creepy crime documentary about neighbors and squatters.
I’m sweating even harder.
I need to take off the jacket.
I’m so uncomfortable an hour in that I can’t stop moving on the couch.
Finally, Jack pauses the documentary, turns to me, and runs a hand through his hair, looking way too sexy. “Take it off.”
If anything, I hold the jacket tighter. “Excuse me?”
“Your jacket. You’re driving me crazy; you’re so stubborn! Just take it off and relax; it’s not like I’m going to suddenly hump you or the couch or anything because I see skin. Even I have self-control.”
I snort. “Sure you do.”
He puts the remote down and gets up, then walks over to me, pulls me to my feet, shoves my hands down, and unzips the jacket in one fluid movement that has it opening right up to him.
Revealing perky breasts, all the see-thoroughness, and my sweaty skin.
His eyes drink me in before he clears his throat and looks away, stumbling backward. “See? Totally fine.”
He looks anything but.
I do like his reaction, though.
I like that he seems off balance.
So, I drop the jacket to the floor and sit back down on the couch.
“Do you, uh…” He scratches the back of his head. “Need like a blanket? Or a pillow? Something to hug, you know, since it’s a scary… documentary?”
I shrug. “Nah, I’m good.”
“Ha-ha.” His laugh is so obviously fake. “Yeah, same, same, was just thinking that too. Maybe I’ll just get one, though, in case I get cold.”
He jerks a throw blanket out from under the coffee table and places it across his lap. I scoot closer to him. He has nowhere to go. And I’m pretty sure I know what he’s hiding under that blanket.
He scratches his head, runs his hands through his hair again, then folds his hands in his lap.