Page 40 of Until Bax

“Yeah, and it was fun catching up.” And that’s the truth, which makes this whole situation suck even more because I did like just chatting with him. It didn’t feel like a date; it just felt like hanging with a friend. And I need friends after leaving all of mine behind in Chicago. I mean, I know I have Kourtney here, but she’s gone all the time. I grab my purse and my coffee, and he stands, picking up his drink. When he opens the door to the café, I step out before him and stop on the sidewalk to look up at him. “I’ll see you around.”

“See ya, Olivia.”

I force a smile and turn in the direction of where I parked down the block.

“Olivia?”

“Yeah?” I meet his gaze over my shoulder and find him standing in the middle of the sidewalk with one hand tucked into the pocket of his coat and the other wrapped around his coffee.

“When I asked him if you two were seeing each other, he refused to answer me,” he informs me.

“Who, Bax?” I frown, and he nods.

“What does that mean?” I didn’t mean to ask that question out loud, but he still answers.

“I don’t know, but I have a feeling you’ll figure it out.” With a smile, he turns and starts to walk away, calling out over his shoulder, “Later, Olivia.”

I watch him go, feeling even more confused than I did a few minutes ago.

CHAPTER11

Olivia

Cutting across Bax’s front yard while carrying a tray of Halloween-themed frosted cupcakes, I wonder what the hell it is I'm doing. In fact, it’s the hundredth time I’ve asked myself that exact question since I got home from work and started getting ready to still show up at his house this evening.

I know he invited me to spend Halloween with him and his family, but that was before what happened this afternoon. Before, I had time to overthink and overanalyze every single encounter he and I have shared since the moment I saw him again. And before I realized what I’m feeling isn’t one-sided and that undercurrent of tension I’ve felt swirling between us whenever we’ve been alone was sexual in nature.

And if he tells me that I’m wrong after I confront him… well, I guess I’ll sign up with NASA to become one of the first humans to inhabit Mars.

The closer I get to his front door, the more nervous I become, and when I step onto his porch and hear Gemma begin to bark, my hands physically shake. Pressing the bell, I wait, forcing my feet to stay put. When the door finally opens after what feels like forever and blue eyes meet mine, I have a half a second of doubt but push past it and into Bax with my tray of cupcakes, leaving him no choice but to let me inside.

“We need to talk.” I leave him there and walk to his kitchen, hearing the door shut before the heavy fall of his boots on the floor follows me. Placing the cupcakes on the counter already covered with premade trays of crackers and cheese, along with fruits and veggies, I wish I had taken a shot of tequila—or maybe even two—before I came over. A little liquid courage would go a long way in this situation.

“We do need to talk, baby, but people are going to start showing up any minute, and the conversation we need to have is going to take longer than that.”

Baby? That’s new

“Is there enough time for you to explain to me what happened this afternoon?” I hold up my hand before he can speak. “And don’t even bother making up some lame excuse to cover the fact that you were jealous that I was having coffee with Lincoln.” I hold his gaze. I don’t know where my bravado is coming from, but I’m thankful for it.

His soft eyes roam over my face for a long time before he starts to shake his head. “Your brother has been my best friend since I was five.”

“I know.”

“This—” He waves a finger between us. “—has the potential to ruin that friendship.”

I open my mouth to tell him he’s wrong but snap it shut because that would be a lie. If Liam found out that Bax and I were seeing each other, his reaction would likely be unpleasant, to say the least. He would be angry—not just with me but with Bax—and that could affect his job since Bax is not only his best friend but is also his boss.

How did I not think about this? How had I not considered all the consequences that he’s so obviously thought about, which is why he probably hasn’t acted on the sexual tension I can feel in the air around us even now?

God, I’m such an idiot.

“You’re right.” I clear my throat, which is tight with disappointment. “I should…” I shake my head. “I should go.” I start to step around him to get to the kitchen doorway, but before I can make it two steps, he captures my wrist in his grasp, and my eyes fly up to his.

“You’re not leaving, Oli.”

“I am. You’re right about Liam. He would be mad, and I would never want to jeopardize my brother’s relationship with you.” And for what? Some gut feeling I have about him and me? Especially when my gut has led me wrong numerous times in the past when it comes to men.

“So what does it say about me that I would, in order to see what this is?”

---