Landlord Wars(33)

Jack stopped abruptly, his face dark red. “Elise, I swear to God, if you do that one more time, I’m dropping you.”

Elise had said “giddy up” about five times, and Jack had threatened to drop her just as many. I wasn’t worried he’d follow through, but I was confident Elise would regret this night in the morning.

“Plop her on the couch,” I told him. “I need to get some water into her.” I shook my head and stared at my sister. “Why did you drink so much?”

She drunkenly pointed toward the door where Max stood. “I’m a poor graduate student who doesn’t get out much, and Max was buying. His card has no limit.”

Max appeared amused by the whole scenario.

“This is all your fault,” I said.

He shrugged unapologetically.

Jack squatted, his rear turned to the couch, but Elise was clinging to him like a barnacle.

I leaned down in her face. “Elise, let go of Jack.”

She released her arms and fell onto the couch, then curled into the fetal position. “Night, night.”

Jack raised his arms above his head and twisted at the waist, stretching his back. He’d carried Elise from the Uber and up the long flight of stairs to our apartment, and she’d been damned unruly. I seriously owed him.

“I should head out,” Max said, checking his phone.

“Not just yet.” I’d finally mustered the nerve to talk to a couple of men, and Max had come along and ruined it, along with my confidence.

I was not messy! Only my mugs were scattered, not the rest of me. I couldn’t help it that I had a lot on my plate.

I followed Max to the cement landing in front of our apartment and closed the door for privacy. “What was up with you tonight? I thought we cleared the air after my mom’s house. Why were you telling that man my worst habits? That’s just rude. I keep that stuff well hidden until months into dating.”

His lips twitched, but I was being serious!

“Is that what you were doing tonight? Hiding?” He moved closer, crowding me against the door, and pressed his hand to the wall beside my head. It was an extremely intimate pose, and my belly tightened.

I glanced at the hand and tried to not look at his mouth a few inches away. The clean scent of his aftershave wasn’t helping me focus. Damn Landlord Devil and his good looks. He was using the old lean-in-and-smolder technique to distract me, and it was working. “No, I wasn’t hiding, but you know how it is. It’s hard to let people in. You saw how awkward I am with someone new.”

He chuckled. “It was a sad showing.”

My mouth twisted. “You don’t have to agree with me.”

He leaned closer, which forced me to tip my head against the door or risk contact. “I could spare you all this awkward effort,” he said casually.

His blue eyes were crazy beautiful this close. “What do you mean?” I said dazedly.

“You don’t need to date other men.”

“I don’t?” I said absently, hypnotized by the blue Burrows orbs of seduction.

“Not if you’re dating me.”

Before I could process his words, Max’s lips pressed against mine…

I experienced a moment of vertigo, my first thought being that he’d accidentally bumped into me. Until his lips started moving, seducing me in a sensual glide.

Max Burrows tasted like cherry ChapStick—a hint of the sweetness hidden by the devil exterior.

My stomach dropped, and heat flared up my spine. There was no awkward knocking of teeth, just smooth, pillowy lips and a hint of tongue dragging me under.

Uptight, arrogant Landlord Devil was a good kisser.

Instinctively, I clung to his suit jacket and pulled him closer.

One of his hands gripped my hip, sending flutters south to vital pressure points…

I leaned back, breaking contact. “Uhhh,” I said, a flash of panic taking over. As good as it felt to kiss Max, my brain wasn’t prepared.

“Yes?” His gaze slid back to my mouth, and for a moment there, I wondered why I’d pulled away.

Until I gave myself a swift mental knock upside the head. “What’s going on? You don’t want to date me.”

Did I really need to point out the obvious?

He tucked a lock of my hair behind my ear. “I don’t?”

If only my body would sync with my mind, because right now my body was all, Yes, yes, he’s the one I’ve wanted, while my brain was like, Max Burrows is a cocky asshole!

“Wait, you do?” I said. “I mean, you don’t. You can’t.”

“Can’t I?” I swear he leaned in to kiss me again.

But the old brainbox finally kicked in, and I darted out from under his arm. “See you later,” I said and ran inside the apartment like a coward.

As I pressed my back to the door, my chest rose and fell as though I’d done a dozen laps up the stairs. I muttered, “Oh, no.”

“Why ‘Oh, no’?” When I looked up, Jack was surfing his phone from the living room couch, and Elise was nowhere in sight. She must have gone to bed.

“Nothing!” I said a little too loudly.

In some strange turn of events, I’d made out with Jack’s best friend—the man I’d spent the last few weeks hating.

And I’d liked it far too much.