Alina
SITTING NEXT TO Max in the back of the cab was causing me a great deal of anxiety. Every time the vehicle turned a corner, our thighs would brush together, his mere presence overwhelming. Tanya sat in the front seat, so it wasn’t as if I could use her as a barrier between the two of us.
Tanya had shown up unexpectedly at my office, sobbing because she was scared out of her mind. Her estranged husband had turned up at her place of work and threatened her. Yet when I suggested she go to the police, she acted as if that wasn’t even an option. Thankfully, we were en route to the nearest police station, Max having something to do with pushing her to make the decision.
My eyes remained focused straight ahead while I struggled not to turn my head to stare at him. He was dressed to the hilt, looking sexier than ever, but his face revealed the difficult time he must’ve had after he left my place the prior evening. Was it guilt? Shame? Remorse? Or just plain disappointment he couldn’t forge a deeper relationship with me, a foolish woman who’d been so enthralled with him I barely got to know the man before I almost went to bed with him.
There weren’t any warning bells, though.
To know I was sitting next to a man who had essentially had some sort of physical altercation with his ex was unnerving. At least I thought it would be, that I would feel as if I was in some sort of danger with him being near, but it wasn’t how I felt at all.
Instinctually, I knew Maxton Colter would never physically harm me.
My mind was all over the place, so much so I hadn’t realized we’d reached our destination until Max tapped me on the shoulder from outside the cab, having come around to my side to open my door.
An hour later and we were all standing outside the station, my worry for Tanya easing when she told me she’d made arrangements to take her two children and stay with her sister who lived in Detroit. Far away from New York, and from her crazy ex.
I hailed a cab once I’d seen her off, hoping Max would simply walk away and leave me to my wayward thoughts. Part of me wanted him to explain those papers my father had shoved at me, and part of me wanted him to leave in silence, to allow me time to dissect not only my feelings toward him, but to try and conjure up any latent warning feelings I’d had toward him since the day I met him. I realized given the new information, there was a possibility I could be falsely latching on to former gut feelings, making them out to be something they weren’t, but I needed the time necessary to work through all of that.
Once I’d opened the door to the cab and slid onto the back seat, Max entered the vehicle as well.
“What are you doing?’ I asked, secretly satisfied part of what I wanted to happen was indeed taking place. While I needed some time to myself, I wasn’t ready to part with him.
“We need to talk, and I’m not going to let you leave until I explain myself, and what happened.” Slamming the door, he rapped on the partition, directing the cab to move forward. We sat in silence for several moments before either of us spoke.
“Were you abusive toward your ex-wife, in any way?” I kept my eyes pinned to the outside world, fearful Max would see my hurt if he confirmed what I suspected may be true, based on those papers.
“Of course not.” His response was curt.
My next question was poised on my lips, but for some reason, my lungs wouldn’t release the air necessary to give them sound. Not yet. So I kept quiet and watched the world pass us by while we made our way back toward the office. I would’ve thought he’d ramble his explanation for the domestic violence arrest, but instead, he took his cue from me and remained silent. At least until we’d exited the cab and stood together on the sidewalk.
Endless moments passed between us as people scurried past, the sights and sounds of everyday life distracting me from the awkwardness that existed between Max and me.
As I was about to take my leave, brushing past him to enter the building, he grabbed my wrist. Just enough to stop me and make me pay attention.
“Can we please go somewhere private to speak?”
I wanted to shout at him to release me, but I was more curious about what he would tell me, and whether or not I’d be able to tell if he was lying or not. In the end, my curiosity won out over self-preservation.
Turning to face him was a mistake, even though I knew at some point I’d have to look at him. There was an undercurrent of worry and pain behind his eyes, so much so I instantly softened toward him.
“We can’t go to my office, and now that you don’t work here anymore, we can’t go to yours either.”
“Then come with me back to my place,” he suggested, stepping closer as if the decreased space between us would convince me.
“I don’t think that’s a good idea.” It dawned on me I’d never been to his place, but then again, why would I have? I’d just recently broken things off with Chris, giving validation to my feelings for Max. The opportunity to visit him at his home just hadn’t happened thus far.
“It’s the only place we have. We can’t go to your house because your father, or Chris,” he said, a look of anger crossing his face as he uttered my ex-fiancé’s name, “could show up.”
Max was right. His place was the only option available. I only hoped I didn’t end up regretting it.