Page 40 of No Mercy In Red

She laughed loudly, the sound music to my ears as she pulled me closer by my shirt. “Connor, you absolute idiot. This is ridiculous, you’re ridiculous.”

“Clearly,” I said, smiling down at her. “Help me out. Favourite snack, go.”

She grinned, shaking her head as she peered into the bags. “Chocolate-covered pretzels. But honestly, you did pretty good for panic-buying. I’m impressed.” She pulled out the squishmallow, giggling as the looked over it, “Awwww, a squirrel squishmallow, cuteeeee.”

Squirrel? For fuck sake. Close enough.

“Your turn,” she said, grabbing the plain stupid fucking pretzels, placing one into her mouth.

“Sour gummy worms. Favourite movie genre?” I responded, stealing the pretzels away from her.

“HEY!” She yelled, grabbing for the bag.

We ended up laying together on her couch, our legs tangled together as we played this ridiculous game back and forth, guessing each others favourite everything—from movies to colours, TV shows to embarrassing celebrity crushes. Every answer she gave me felt like uncovering a new treasure, another piece of her puzzle clicking into place.

She cocked her head to the side suddenly, narrowing her eyes. “Alright, Mr. Perfect Stalker, favourite guilty pleasure. You know, other than creeping on me.” She winked.

I scoffed playfully, leaning in closer, whispering conspiratorially. “Reality TV dating shows. Love Island to be specific.”

Her laugher echoed through the apartment, “You have got to be fucking kidding me. You, the brooding stalker with dark secrets, loves watching a bunch of twenty-somethings trying to find their true love on TV?”

“Hey,” I said defensively, my cheeks flaming red, “There’s something about the drama. Sue me.”

She leaned forward, pressing a soft kiss to my lips, smiling gently. “Well, Connor, that’s officially the cutest fucking thing you’ve ever said. Please, continue embarrassing yourself.”

Hours passed in an easy haze of laughter and teasing, eating snacks and swapping embarrassingly honest truths about ourselves. Eventually, Max’s exhaustion started catching up with her, her eyelids growing heavy.

“Alright, princess,” I murmured gently, sweeping her up into my arms and carrying her toward the bathroom. “Time for you to relax.”

Her protests were soft, half-hearted, melting away as I lowered her into the warm bubble bath. I climbed in behind her, settling her between my legs. Her head rested against my chest, eyes shutting in contentment as I washed her hair, slowly running my fingers through the silky strands.

“I’m utterly fucked, Max,” I admitted quietly, pressing a gentle kiss to her head. “You’ve completely ruined me for anything else.”

She smiled sleepily, leaning into me. “Good, because I don’t plan on letting you go.”

After the bath, I wrapped her in a towel and guided her to the bedroom, handing her my favourite shirt that I had brought over, just for her to be comfy in. She slipped it over her head, smiling sleepily at me as the soft fabric fell around her thighs. Seeing her wearing my shirt, her hair wet, her face makeup free, had a feeling stirring deep in my chest. This beautiful woman, even in her most natural state, was all mine. I settled onto the bed, pulling her against my chest, breathing in her scent, feeling utterly at peace despite everything that was falling apart around me.

“Connor?” Her voice was barely a whisper, heavy with exhaustion.

“Yes, sweetheart?”

“Thank you for today. For everything.”

I pressed a kiss to her forehead, tightening my hold around her protectively. “Always, Max. You’re my entire fucking world. Anything you need, I’ll give it to you. No matter what.”

She smiled softly, eyes drifting closed, her voice a tender whisper as she slipped into sleep. “I just need you.”

I closed my eyes, chest tightening as my heart swelled. She had me, completely and wholly had me. I would break apart this world and re-build it brick by fucking brick if she asked me to.

Chapter 30

Max

The next week passed by in a blur — a surreal whirlwind of Connor dominating my thoughts, my bed, and now my life.

The way he had come and collected me from work, over buying a shit load of snacks to make me feel better. My heart swooned at the sight of him looking so disheveled and worried. Every morning at Melinda’s was no longer me quietly sipping my coffee; it had becomeourritual, and at the end of each workday, Connor would be waiting for me outside Mel’s, coffee in hand ready to go, his eyes always glinting with hunger every time he saw me, sending shivers down my spine. We’d share heated glances over steaming coffee cups every morning, our quiet flirtation so intense it felt almost scandalous in the bright light of day, and every night, we’d fall into bed, consuming each other until we couldn’t breathe, then slipping into a comfortable sleep. But something was off. As incredible as he was, as attentive, sometimes possessive, which I had come to adore about him, he had started acting different, almost distant. At first, I brushed it off. Everyone had bad days, stressful weeks — but his tension grew with each passing day. There were shadows beneath those deep brown eyes, and his hands were often clenched, his jaw twitching every so often when his thoughts clearly slipped somewhere else. He started leaving before the sun fully lit my bedroom, which left me questioning what this was, where it was going. For the first time in years, I cared enough to worry. Was he losing interest and struggling to find a way out? Or hadhe discovered more about me, more than I ever wanted him, or anybody else to know. A chill ran up my spine at the thought of him discovering what I did, who I truly was. Would he hate me, think of me a monster? My heart sank at the thought.

I’d had no choice but to introduce him to Lara. The fact me and Connor were basically inseparable except for work, meant I had no other option, especially when the meeting was accidental when she barged into my apartment. I had completely forgotten it was our monthly takeaway night. Me and Connor had been in my bedroom, sweat slicked with exhaustion and tangled up in my sheets when Lara burst through my bedroom door.

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