Page 23 of Tempting Max

“I have a few things I want to take care of,” I lie, “schedule and stuff. You go on home, I’ll be fine.”

She nods and pulls her purse strap over her shoulders, “Okay, but don’t stay here too late, sweetie.”

“I won’t, drive safe, Stel.”

“You too,” she says, before letting herself out the front door.

The moment she’s gone, I can finally take a breath. The entire night has been one shitshow after another because Max’s kiss completely rewired my brain.

I left the brewhouse tingling with desire, knowing the feel of Max’s lips on mine. Nothing else registered after that. I pulled the wrong draughts all night, spilled one on a customer, and had to count the register three times to get it right.

And I haven’t even had a moment to process the biggest thing that’s ever happened. I say the biggest because even though I’ve kissed a man I thought I loved, nothing felt like Max admitting he’s always wanted to kiss me, to be pressed against his body, to feel his strong lips taking control of my mouth. I felt it on a cellular level.

Call me greedy, but I want more. And if it means lying to a coworker to make sure I can be alone with Max, then I’m going to do it. I’ll feel bad later. But right now, all I can think ismore.

Righting myself, I check my hair and make-up in the reflection of the windows, catching a glimpse of the girl that used to be fearless and the woman that’s coming into her own. Smiling, I head back to the brewhouse where I imagine Max is waiting for me, just as eager to get a second taste as I am. But when I get back there, the lights are all off except for the monitors on the brew vats.

I check his office. Nothing.

“Gus?”

I whip around at the sound of Liam’s voice. “Oh hi, Liam.”

His forehead creases with concern. “You’re here late, everyone else has gone home.”

“Oh,” my stomach feels as if it fell through the floor and still hasn’t landed. “Everyone?”

“Everyone except you. I’m on my way out, did you need anything back here?”

“Nope, I was just checking to make sure all the lights were off.” I fake a smile and pray that my uninspired lie sounded better than it felt. It reminds me of the time I lied to my mom about going to Billy Greenwood’s house the summer I was twelve. It did not end well for me.

Luckily Liam doesn’t know me well enough, or care enough to question me. I get the feeling that his brain just runs on high gear constantly. Any information I give him has to duke it out with thousands of other facts and figures for his attention.

“I appreciate that, get some rest, it was a crazy night.”

He hasnoidea just how crazy. I nod. Too many times. “It really was. Well, see you tomorrow, Liam.”

“See you Gus, drive safe.”

I give him a little salute that I immediately wish I could take back and then slink out of the brewery like a criminal.

I don’t think I even breathe until I strap into my car. And even then, I don’t turn it on right away. Did Max leave to avoid me?Does he regret kissing me?

The idea hits me in the stomach like a bullet train and knocks the wind out of me. He said he wanted to do it again. He said it’s all he wanted to do.

I drop my head into my hands feeling hurt and angry and frustrated. I don’t know why I’m surprised, it’s not like he’s been predictable for even a second since I met him, but this feels like I got stood up.

You didn’t have a date or a plan, I remind myself. He never said, ‘come find me after work’, or ‘I’ll wait for you after close’. He just saidif you’re a good girl.

Despite my anger and hurt, the memory of the way he said ‘good girl’ sends shivers up my spine all over again.God, the way he kissed me… Like he wanted to own me, like he needed to possess me, like I was the only thing keeping him alive.

I want that. I want him to own me. I want him to take me in his stupidly ginormous arms and make a dirty woman out of me.

And yet, he’s nowhere to be seen.

Fighting tears that I don’t quite understand, I back out of my parking spot and make my way back home. Alone. To an empty twin size bed in my Great Aunt’s House.

This was not the way I pictured my night ending.

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