Page 54 of Craving You

And without another word, she walked out the door, leaving Max wondering if maybe they were turning a corner. Maybe she just needed to be away from her overbearing family to think things through.

Whatever the reason, he’d take it.

Chapter Nine

Two weeks later, Max had insisted on coming down to Florida with Hailey to help her move.

Now they were standing in the middle of her townhome, and she had to keep herself from reminding him she didn’t really need the help. Not that she didn’t appreciate it, but her place was small, and she wasn’t going to bring most of it with her. All the furniture had been hand-me-downs, so she was planning to pass it on to someone who needed it. She was going to do the same with most of her kitchen items. She had given in and agreed to move in with Max—not as a wife or even a girlfriend right now—but as a roommate.

Which was probably the dumbest decision of her life.

They hadn’t made love or even kissed since their time at Summit Ridge, and she chalked it up to Max getting her out of his system. But then his words from the morning her parents left kept playing in her mind.

“I believe there’s more to us than just a pregnancy. I think there’s so much more to our story than this. If you’ll give us a chance, I promise you won’t regret it.”

So, which was it? If he truly believed there was more to them, why was he okay with them just being roommates? Why wasn’t he trying to convince her they could be more? Why wasn’t he even trying to touch her or get her into bed?

Which she seriously wished he would because…yeah…she was apparently reaching the horny part of pregnancy.

Or maybe just being around Max makes me that way…

Because that was definitely a thing.

Right now, he was out picking up moving boxes for her and she was supposed to be organizing things and posting what she was selling and getting rid of online.

Supposed to.

All she’d accomplished was looking around and feeling overwhelmed.

“So, a typical day for me,” she mumbled. And that was what finally made her stand up and start working. Walking around, she took pictures, posted them on the local buy, swap, and trade site before moving on to the pantry to start throwing things away.

“Hey!” Max called out a bit later. “I hope I got enough boxes. I suppose I can go back for more, but I wasn’t really sure what we were taking and what you were getting rid of.”

Walking over to him, she nodded. “I’m not either,” she said with a small laugh. “Hopefully, once we get started, we’ll figure it out.”

“Sounds like a plan.” He grinned. “Oh, and I picked up some lunch for us. The Mediterranean place next to the UPS store smelled so good that I couldn’t resist. I hope that’s okay.”

“Oh, they have the best food! Good choice!”

For the next few hours, they ate, talked, and packed. It was all pretty mundane, but that time helped Max learn even more about her—like how she loved the color pink, favored anything with a little bling, and that she had a weird obsession with an adorable pop culture pug.

“Oh, if I could get a puppy right now,” she explained when he asked about it, “it would definitely be a pug. Look at that squishy little face! How cute is that?”

The look on his face told her he didn’t find it that cute.

By ten o’clock, they were both beat. They had packed up most of her linens, all her personal décor, and the bulk of her clothes. On top of that, they’d cleaned out her pantry, sold all the pots and pans, her sofa, and bedroom set. They were all going to get picked up over the next two days, so they could still function. Overall, it was a productive day.

“Ugh, I am going to take a shower,” Hailey announced. “I’m all sweaty and I feel icky. Help yourself to anything you need, and I’ll be out in a bit.” The hot water felt amazing and she stayed in longer than was necessary, but she took the time to consider what was going to happen once it was time for bed.

There was only one.

Maybe tonight he’ll want to touch me again…

She was feeling a little seductive and made sure she shaved everything that needed to be shaved, and moisturized pretty much every inch of her body. Feeling sexy, she stepped out of the bathroom and…

“Ah, good. You’re done,” Max said distractedly. “I desperately need one too.” Then he stepped around her and went into the bathroom.

Dejected, Hailey quickly changed into a pair of pajamas and climbed into bed with her tablet. Maybe reading a good book would help her forget how undesirable she obviously was. Out of the corner of her eye, she spotted Max’s suitcase and wondered if he needed anything out of it. She didn’t see him take anything in there with him, so what was he planning on doing?

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