Page 40 of Best Man For The Job

Max opened the door, and she wanted to crawl in a hole. He looked like it had been a while since his face saw a razor. She knew exactly what it felt like to have his stubble brush against her sensitive skin.

“How is she, Doc?”

“Flu,” she blurted. “Just the flu. I’ll be fine. Thank you, doctor. I’ll be sure to call your office later today to set up a follow-up appointment. Thank you for everything.” He gave Sloane a mischievous smile. Her guess was that he’d just realized Max was this baby’s father.

“Take care of yourself, Sloane. Get plenty of rest and double your fluid intake. You were severely dehydrated when you came in. It’s no wonder you fainted.” He pulled a small business card from the front pocket of his white coat. “Here’s my card.” Before handing it to her, he flipped it over on his clipboard and wrote something on the back. “My cell phone number is on the back. If you need anything, call me.”

“Thank you,” she replied while taking the offered card. “When can I leave?”

“I’ll start your discharge papers now.”

He stood up and made his way to the door. He gave a chin nod to Max before leaving them alone. Alone again with Max. That’s how she’d ended up in this mess. She looked over at him. He stood there with his hands in his front pockets, his gaze locked on hers. His stare was so intense that she wanted to pull the covers over her head and hide until he left. Why the hell did he have to look so good?

“Are you really okay?”

“Yes, Max, I’m fine.”

“I called Foster. He said he would get Bella and meet us at your place.”

“Thank you. You don’t have to take me home. I can get a ride.”

Max stalked over to her and planted both of his hands on the arm rail of the bed. Sloane could see his knuckles turning white with the force of his grip. He looked angry as hell and the fact that it was directed toward her was terrifying. She knew he wouldn’t hurt her physically, but it didn’t stop her from leaning back into her pillow further.

“Why the hell would I leave you on your own to get home when, one, I wanted to talk to you in the first place. Two, you’re obviously sick and need some help. Now let’s get you outta here.”

Once Sloane hopped up into Max’s truck, she gave him directions to her new apartment. So much for him not knowing where she lived anymore. Then again, if he’d found her at work, he could find her at home.

He parked his truck in the underground garage in one of her assigned parking spots since her car was still at Sully’s. Sloane’s guest spot was currently occupied by a silver Ford Focus belonging to Bella. Since she wasn’t inside of it, Sloane knew she must already be upstairs in her apartment. She was the only person Sloane trusted with her spare key.

The elevator ride was silent. She didn’t know what to say to Max. Surprisingly he hadn’t said anything to her either. Being this close to him again was wreaking havoc with her sensibilities. Part of her wanted to scream at him. The other part wanted to rub herself up against him and purr. She had to get him to leave so she could talk to Bella.

“You better not be sick for my wedding,” Bella yelled, getting up from the couch.

“I’ll be fine by then,” Sloane lied.

“Good thing.” She smiled. “Foster ran to pick up some essentials. You hardly have anything in your pantry. When’s the last time you went grocery shopping? Never mind, it’s not important. He should be back any minute, so let’s get you settled.”

“Thanks for the ride, Max,” Sloane called over her shoulder as she walked toward the bedroom.

“I’m not leaving, Sloane,” he replied firmly while he shook his head in amusement. “I need to talk to Foster, I might as well wait here for him.”

Sloane didn’t say anything else to him. She just continued on to her bedroom with Bella close behind. Once they were inside, she plopped down on the bed, falling backward. Bella shut the door quietly behind her.

“Maybe you should talk with him, Sloane.”

“I can’t. Please, Bella. You don’t understand what I’m going through right now.”

“I know you’re sick, honey. I just think he—”

“Damn it, Bella, I don’t want to talk about it.”

“All right. We won’t talk about it.” She took a step back. Sloane knew she’d hurt Bella’s feelings, but she was still processing her own right now.

“Get some sleep. I’ll bring you some soup in a little bit.”

“I’m sorry, Bella.”

“I understand. No worries.”

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