“You’re old money, aren’t you?” I said almost accusingly. For Mr. Fields himself to handle his father’s financial affairs means Max’s family must be in the super wealthy category.

He frowned. “So?”

I looked out of the window. “So nothing.”

“So you make it sound like that’s a bad thing.”

“It’s not. I’m just saying, I should have known. The apartment, the limo, all that.”

He shrugged it off. “Anyway, that’s how Alex knows me. I had to call him Uncle Alex when I was a kid.”

I tried to keep my face stoic, but despite my best efforts, it was cracking up. “So he could tell me all sorts of embarrassing stories about you?”

“You already know my most embarrassing story. Or were you too hammered to remember?” he teased.

“Oh, I could never forget something like that even if you pickled my brain in industrial strength alcohol.”

“Thanks,” he said dryly.

We pulled up in front of our building, and I waited while Max walked around the car to let me out. There we were again, face to face. It was impossible to stay annoyed with him when he smiled the way he did or looked like he did, or oh, jeez, he smelled so damn good. It wasn’t fair.

After a breathless moment, when I didn’t know whether to swoon or kiss him, he murmured, “You know what?”

“No. What?”

“I think we should go out for dinner tomorrow night at seven.” He walked up the steps, leaving me standing alone. I followed him, clomping up behind him like a horse.

“You do? Why?”

He smiled as he held the door for me. “Because we need to get to know one another and I usually get hungry around seven o’clock.”

“But I get hungry at six.”

“See. That’s one more thing we know about each other.”

I grinned. “Maybe I could eat a later lunch than usual.”

“That’s so generous. Maybe I’ll pay for dinner, then.” We waited for the elevator, and I wished it would never come. I could have stood there in that moment forever. My entire body pulsed in time with my heart.

“Oh, you know you’re paying for dinner, buddy. If you can afford a limo, you can afford my dinner.”

He looked at me funny. “I should warn you of one thing.”

“What?” I asked cautiously.

“Guys expect a little something after they pay for dinner. That’s just how the world works.” He winked.

I crossed my arms over my chest. “I said friends, not friends with benefits. So you can forget any ideas of finishing the night off with a bang.”

“It was worth a try,” he mumbled glumly.

I ignored the downtrodden face and kept my voice bright. “I know let’s go somewhere I don’t have to dress up.”

“I’ll take you to the worst dive bar for the greasiest food imaginable. How’s that sound?”

“Now you’re talking.”

We laughed as we walked down the hall. I liked how he walked me to my door. I was pretty sure the night couldn’t have gone better. We made the perfect couple, even if we were a complete fake. I would never forget the looks on the faces of the other girls at the party. Envy. Straight-up ‘I want to claw your eyes out’ envy. They all wanted him.

“It’s sort of creepy up here sometimes, isn’t it?” I said.

“What do you mean?” he asked as we reached my door.

“Just the two of us, on opposites sides of the floor the way we are. The silence is spooky, almost.”

I fished in my purse for my keys. “Do you wanna come in for a minute? This conversation is fascinating, but there are Megan’s shoes and if I don’t get out of these shoes in ten seconds…”

He nodded and followed me inside. I took off the shoes before I even removed my coat, sighing in satisfaction once my bare soles hit the floor. “I swear to God, how Megan manages those medieval torture devices is beyond me.”

“You were wearing pretty dangerous shoes the night we met,” he reminded me.

“They weren’t as uncomfortable as them.” I glared at the shoes, lying on the floor. I took off my coat and invited him to take his off, too. He sat on the couch and watched as I removed my earrings and bracelet. I liked the rapport between us. It felt natural.

“Like I was saying, it’s sorta spooky sometimes. So quiet.”

He grinned. “Until I bring a girl home, that is.”

That hurt somehow. I pretended to smile carelessly. “I haven’t heard any activity for the past few days. Have you moved your bed?”

“Nope.”

My heart damn near soared out of my chest and burst into a million shining pieces of pure joy. I turned my face away so he won’t see how happy I was.