Unravel(12)

I shrugged and gripped the envelopes tightly in my hand. “I’m all right.”

He tucked his hands into his pockets and leaned against Sophie’s desk. “Having a good summer?”

I stared down at the counter as I answered, trying to appear unaffected. “I am. Just been really busy. You know how it is.”

“Ah, of course. Busy,” he repeated back.

My eyes lifted and were caught by this gaze.

“Yeah, just visiting friends and running errands. I figured I’d make the most of my time while I’m here.”

That was a lie. If Lana hadn’t woken me up this morning I would’ve slept until noon and sat around watching re-runs of reality shows with a plate of brownies on my lap.

“How long are you home?” he asked.

“Until September.”

Maybe it was my eyes, or my mind playing tricks on me, but I swear he was slowly inching closer to me. Or maybe I was. Either way, the space between us was slowly starting to disappear.

I looked down at my hands. I was gripping the papers so tightly that in a few minutes they would be wadded up in a ball. My mind kicked back into gear. I shoved the envelopes at him.

“I’m just dropping these off.” Max looked at the envelopes and back at me. “For Michael,” I said dumbly.

He said nothing. Just smirked and reached out his hand.

If this were a movie, I would press pause at this part. And I would point to my hand on the screen. I would show you how I made sure to grip the very edge of the papers. How I went out of my way to make sure we didn’t touch. Then I would press play and when I did, you would see his fingers grazing the back of my hand and me standing there frozen solid. And if you listened very carefully, you would hear the sound of a faint tear. That was just the sound of my heart unraveling like a torn ribbon.

All from one touch.

“Thank you,” he said.

I took a step back. “I’m gonna go. Sorry for interrupting.”

“You’re not interrupting.” He held up a finger. “Just wait.”

He looked back at Sophie and told her she could take lunch early. She grabbed her stuff. When she passed me she looked me up and down curiously. I wanted to tell her to stay. I was even willing to go as far as to tell her I was sorry for being a smart ass earlier. I was that desperate.

But she left. The door clicked shut.

There were no noises. Phones had stopped ringing. Printers and fax machines were silent. No voices or laughter. Not even footsteps. Nothing. Just the two of us.

This time it wasn’t really in my mind. This time, we really were in our own world.

“What was that?” Max said.

“What was what?”

“The look my secretary gave you.” He opened up the paperwork as he talked to me. I watched his hands. Long, tapered fingers. Bluish veins traveled up his arms. A vision of those hands wrapped around my waist, pressing into my skin, guiding me closer to his hard body flashed through my head. It was gone in an instant. But my gut twisted and that greed I had for him intensified by a million.

“Did I miss something?” he asked.

“Oh, it was nothing,” I said evasively.

He lifted a brow. I changed the subject.

“So,” I drew out slowly, trying to think of a new topic.

Max leaned on the counter. “No, no, don’t try to change the subject. What happened between you and my secretary?”

He was persistent. Why was I so surprised?

“I might have introduced myself in a not so professional way,” I said.

He turned his body toward me. It was a simple shift but it made all the difference in the world. One step forward and I would be able to smell him. One step forward and I could actually make my vision a reality. One step forward—

“Which way did you introduce yourself?”

My body jerked back.

This time I didn’t dodge his question. “I may or may not have told your secretary my name was Starlight and that I was from a local strip club, here to drop off your running tab at the club.”

I expected him to be pissed off. But his eyes merely widened and he laughed. A deep laugh that came from his belly. For a reason I’d never figure out, I smiled at him. I smiled and stayed in place when I should have been waving at him over my shoulder as I walked to the elevators.

Max slid closer. My smile faded. Here he was. Nothing stood in between us. I could yank him by the tie. I could kiss him. I could make my dreams a reality and have his body pressed against mine within seconds.

I did none of that.

Sunlight gleamed across the counter. It warmed my skin. Max’s gaze remained steadfast. He made my skin burn like fire.

I backed away slowly. “I gotta go.” I took another step before I pulled my eyes away from him. “It was nice seeing you.” I was only a few steps away when I called out over my shoulder, “Tell your secretary I’m sorry about the whole Starlight thing.”

“When you come back tomorrow and have lunch with me you can tell her.”

I stopped. My blood roared in my ears.

He wasn’t done.

“Better yet, let me take you to dinner Saturday.”

My hand was inches away from the doorknob. I stared down at the metal before I squeezed my eyes shut.

I didn’t want to like what he said. I wanted to feel nothing. But I felt everything. That terrified me. And rightly so. Anyone that has the power to open up your heart without you even knowing, should terrify you.