Page 58 of About That One Night
“Well, you see me. I’m fine.”
He glances over. “You’re fine.” Max raises an eyebrow, a hint of a smirk playing on his lips. “Really fine. I wouldn’t mind looking more in detail to see that nothing has changed since the last time we . . . saw each other.”
I feel my cheeks heat up at his innuendo and the memory of that night. It was a moment of weakness, a lapse in judgment. One that can’t happen again.
“That was then, in Fiji,” I say, my voice wavering slightly. “We had fun, and we both know it should stay in the past—for our friends and families’ sake.”
Max moves even closer, his hand brushing against mine. “Do we now? Because I seem to remember we were great together. More than great. Plus, you owe me an encore.”
I swallow hard, my resolve crumbling under the intensity of his gaze. “Max, please. We can’t do this here.”
He leans in, his lips grazing my ear as he whispers, “Then let’s go somewhere we can.”
For a moment, I’m tempted to say yes, to let myself get swept away again. My breath hitches, andI find myself leaning in closer, the tension between us almost unbearable.
But before I can respond, Lily appears out of nowhere, and her timing is impeccable as always. “Hey, Zo, Ethan, and I are ready to head out. We can drive you home since you took an Uber to the bar.”
I blink, the spell broken. “Oh, uh, thanks, Lily. That sounds great.”
Max straightens, his expression shifting back to the guarded mask he wore earlier. “Guess I’ll see you around, Zoe,” he says, his voice cool but his eyes still smoldering with unspoken words.
“Yeah, see you around,” I reply, trying to sound casual as I turn to follow Lily.
As we make our way to the exit, I glance back at Max one last time. He’s still standing there, watching me with that infuriatingly unreadable expression.
And then, he mouths, “You still owe me.”
Well, he can keep waiting for that because I’m not falling for that again. At least, that’s what I tell myself as I step into the cool night air, my heart still racing from our encounter.
Chapter Thirty-Five
MaxMc: I’ll pick you up in twenty so we can go to my place.
Zoe: What?
MaxMc: I’m heading to pick you up. Your studio is cozy, but I would rather spend the night with you in my bed.
Zoe: No.
MaxMc: What?
Zoe: I know it’s a foreign concept for you, but I won’t be heading out withyou tonight.
MaxMc: Fine, we’ll stay at your place.
Zoe: You’re not invited.
MaxMc: What’s going on, Zo?
Zoe: We have to stop . . . stop whatever it is that we had going.
MaxMc: Why?
Zoe: I told you that sex would screw things up and it did. Repeating the same mistake over and over again is stupid. The best thing to do is cut this now before one of us gets hurt—probably me.
MaxMc: Again, what are you talking about? We had an agreement.
Zoe: Which I stupidly broke. If you care a little about me, you’ll respect my decision.
