by Kally Ash
He felt the weight he’d been bearing since he’d heard his father was sick lift from his shoulders. “That’s great.”
“Yeah, it is. Anyway, I just wanted you to know how he was progressing.”
“Have you told the triplets yet?”
“I’ll call them now. I’ll talk to you later.”
“Bye, Mom.”
Max noticed the time on his phone. He had a few more hours before he had to be at work, and he wanted to spend it with Erin. Poking his head into her room, he found her smiling face beaming back at him; she always woke up happy from her naps.
“How are you, baby girl? Did you have a good sleep?” he asked. Erin simply reached up her little hand and grabbed his nose. Gently prying her loose, he checked her diaper then took her out into the living room. “Do you want to go for a run, baby?” he asked her, getting a coo back in response. “I’ll take that as a yes,” he laughed.
He glanced at Gigi’s room briefly. Should he ask her to go? Would she agree to even if he did? In the end, he decided to simply tell her where he was going. She probably had to study anyway. With Erin in his arms, he knocked on her door. A few seconds later it opened slowly.
“I’m taking Erin out to the park…” he said, leaving the rest of the statement open for her to either say she was coming or not.
She looked at Erin and smiled. “Have fun, you two.”
“Gigi, you didn’t want to—”
“Come with you?” she finished. He nodded. “I’d love to but I have a ton of studying to do.”
“Yeah. Of course you do. We’ll be back soon.” He knew she’d just lied to avoid the inevitable awkwardness. Max had to get over it, too, and the only way he could think to do that was to pretend it had never happened. And to run until his body nearly gave out.
Chapter 18
Gigi shut the door on Max and walked over to her bed, throwing herself back down onto it. She should have been studying, but her mind kept replaying the kiss she and Max had shared. It was going to be hard pretending it had never even happened.
Her phone chirped then and she picked it up, expecting to see Jen’s face pop up onto the screen. It wasn’t. It was a text from an unknown number. Her stomach flipped. Maybe it was the AMNH texting her to tell her she’d made it, even though she knew it was too early for that—it was also highly unlikely that successful candidates would be alerted via text message.
Opening up the text, she read then re-read the message.
Hi, Gigi. It’s Alex … from class. Was just wondering whether you’d like to get together to study sometime? Hit me back on this number to pick a time and a place :)
“Oh, no,” she said to herself. She remembered giving Alex her number for a group project back in their second year. She’d been reluctant to, of course, but in order to work together, they’d needed a way to contact each other. She’d been naively hoping that he’d deleted her details as soon as the assignment had been over.
Clearly, she’d been wrong.
She deliberated about texting back for the better half of thirty minutes, eventually deciding that it would be rude if she didn’t respond.
Hi, Alex. Sure. Why not? How about tomorrow? Around midday?
Gigi bit her lip and put the phone down on the comforter. She didn’t have to wait long for his reply.
Sounds great. Meet you at the library and we can go from there.
It sounded like a date to Gigi, so she’d have to make sure Alex was on the same page as her when it came to their non-existent relationship status. They were just friends. Rolling over onto her back, she picked up a textbook and flipped it open, holding it above her. Time disappeared like it always did when she had her nose buried in a book and when she looked at her phone again, it was almost four o’clock. Venturing out of her room, she saw that the apartment was still empty.
She turned her head at the sound of a key chattering along the lock, the front door opening a moment later. Max pushed the stroller inside. He was breathing heavily and dripping with sweat. Gigi felt as if she was having a divine moment seeing him as he was. He was in his jogging shirt and shorts, sweat beading off his brow. Their eyes met and she could feel the lust that had built between them before crackle into life once more.
“Hi,” she managed to choke out.
He closed the door behind him. “Hi. How was studying?”
“Boring,” she replied. “I thought you went to the park.”
“I did. For a run,” he corrected. Unstrapping Erin, he approached Gigi. “I have to be at work in an hour. Can you feed and bathe Erin then put her to bed?”
Holding out her hands, she settled the little girl on her hip. “Sure I can.”
He gave her a brief smile before making his way down the hallway. She watched him—she couldn’t help herself—until he closed the door behind him. Looking back at Erin, she said, “Let’s get you some dinner.”
*
The next day at half past eleven, Gigi left the apartment and started the twenty minute walk to the university library. She would be a few minutes early, but she preferred to be early rather than late. As she approached the red stone building, she saw Alex leaning up against one of the pillars out the front, his fingers idly playing with the leaves of one of the trees in the planter boxes there. His expression was serious until he saw her—that was when his whole face lit up.
“Gigi, hi,” he said, a face-splitting grin on his face. It made him look even younger than twenty- two. Slung over his shoulder was his overloaded book bag. “So, I thought we could get some lunch before we actually start serious study.”
“Yeah, that’d be great. Lead the way.”
She fell into step with Alex as he prattled on about something vaguely related to anthropology. Gigi was completely unfocused on the conversation. Her mind was still very firmly on the conversation she’d had with Max that morning when he’d surfaced briefly for breakfast. He’d come out of his room dressed in just a pair of baggy sweats. Seeing him dressed like that made a column of heat shoot through her body before it pooled between her legs. Did he really have no idea what the sight of him partially naked did to her?
“Gigi, I just want to apologize again for yesterday.”
His words had startled her, as well as confused her. She couldn’t keep up with his vacillating moods. He was either rude or repentant. “It’s okay, Max,” she said, pouring herself a glass of juice before asking him if he wanted some by raising the carton.
He shook his head. “No, it’s really not. When I went out for my run, I thought about it. The way I reacted was…extreme.”
“I get it. You regret kissing me, and I understand why. You’re my boss. Doing something to jeopardize our professional relationship is like putting a gun to the side of my head and pulling the trigger.” He frowned at her analogy. “What I mean is, it was a mistake—and one that can’t happen again.” She took a sip of her juice, looking at his face over the lip of the glass. “Let’s just put it behind us and pretend that it never happened.”
He gave her a slow nod. “Yes, I think that’s for the best.”
She smiled. “Great. Are you working again tonight?” He nodded, looking a little miffed. “What time do you start?”
“Five.”
“All right. I’ll make sure I’m home no later than four today.”
“Going somewhere?” he asked, his scowl deepening.
“I’m meeting a friend at midday to study.”
His jaw bulged for a moment. “A guy- friend or a girl- friend?”
She blinked at him, confused by the question. “Does it matter?” she replied, placing her juice down onto the counter.
For a moment, he didn’t say a thing. He seemed to be thinking about something pretty damn hard before saying, “No. It doesn’t. Have fun. I’ll see you at four.”
“—don’t you think?” Alex said.
Gigi shook her head. “Sorry, what?”
“I said this place looks as good as any to get a bite to
eat.” He gestured to the huge window they were standing in front of. It was a busy deli, their meat cabinets filled with a dozen different kinds of cold-cuts and cheeses.
“Ah, sure. This works for me.”
He opened the door for her, stepping into the deli behind her. It was heaving with people, but Alex saw a couple vacating a table. He rushed to grab it for them, piling the dirty plates on one end. Seeing all the cured meats hanging from the bars above the refrigerated cabinets reminded Gigi of her family get-togethers. Being half-Italian, family affairs were the three Ls—long, large and loud. Her uncles all cured their own meats, and brought enough along with them to feed everyone comfortably for a week.
“What do you feel like?” Alex asked, interrupting her thoughts. Her eyes drifted to the chalkboard above the counter.
“The roast beef sounds good.”
He smiled. “Coming right up.” He stood up and joined the line, glancing back at Gigi every now and again and smiling. She had the distinct feeling that he thought this was some kind of date. The more she thought about it, though, she couldn’t see why this couldn’t be a date. He liked her—that was clear—and she did like him. He was sweet and nice and safe. He was everything any girl would want to have in a boyfriend. His crush on her had been a long-running joke between her and Jen. Wouldn’t Jen get a kick out of it if Gigi announced she and Alex were dating?
She could tell the wait was going to be a long one, so instead of wasting time doing nothing, she pulled one of her textbooks out of her messenger bag. She opened it up on the table, flipping to the last chapter she’d been reading. She glanced up every now and then to check on Alex’s progress, and after ten minutes, he was finally at the front of the line. He returned to the table, triumphantly holding a plastic number in a metal stand.
“I didn’t know what you wanted to drink so I got you a chocolate shake,” he announced.
“I haven’t had one of those since I was a kid,” she said with a grin. “Thanks, Alex.”
He sat back down, looking at her study notes upside down. “History of Anthropology is the best, don’t you think?” he said.
She liked how enthusiastic he was about his studies. That was one thing she found lacking in other guys. “Yeah. It’s my favorite, although I also like linguistic anthropology.”
They chatted about classes and their assignments while waiting for their food. She hadn’t realized how easy it was to talk to him. He was a very carefree, cheerful person, and she felt better just being around him. When their food finally arrived, it didn’t dampen the conversation. They talked with their mouths full, trading stories of encounters with different professors over the last four years.
Alex eventually sat back in his chair, grinning at her.
“What?” she asked, her smile a reflection of his.
“We should have done this years ago.”
“Studied together?” she asked, wiping the corners of her mouth with a napkin.
“Gone on a date.”
She paused. “Is that what this is?”
Alex leaned his elbows on the table and looked at her seriously. “It’s taken me four years to get the courage up to ask you to spend time with me outside of the classroom, Gigi. I’m definitely counting this as a date.”
She could sense he was waiting for her to shoot him down, to reject him and his careful advances. “We should do it again soon then.” Her answer surprised him, but he soon recovered, his mouth turning up in a shy grin.
“Yeah, we should.”
“We should—” Gigi paused, listening carefully. Yep, her phone was ringing. She dug it out of her bag and looked at who was calling her. It was Max. Seeing his name on the screen made her heart flutter a little. She looked back at Alex, giving him an apologetic smile. “Sorry. It’s my boss. I have to take this.”
“Oh? Sure thing.”
She slid her finger across the screen. “Max?”
“Gigi, hi.”
“Hi,” she replied, confused. “Is something wrong with Erin?”
“No, nothing like that. I just have to go into work a little earlier than I thought. Are you able to cut your study date thing short?”
Her eyes went to Alex. “Yeah, I guess I can. I’ll see you soon.”
“I didn’t realize you had a job,” Alex said as soon as she disconnected the call.
“It’s a very recent thing.”
He idly played with the corner of her textbook. “What about the internship, if you get it? Will you still do it?”
“Yes. I’ve already told Max that I’ll be working for him for only two weeks.”
That seemed to lighten his mood because his grin was back. “So, since you’re cutting our date short, it’s only fair that you reimburse me and agree to go on another one.”
There was a little flutter in Gigi’s stomach at the thought, but it wasn’t like the one she felt when Max was around her. She pushed any thoughts of Max and his effect on her out of her head. That was a lost cause; Alex was a tangible reality. “Tomorrow is Sunday. I don’t believe Max is working tomorrow night so how about we go out then? Maybe a movie and some dinner?”
“Great. Give me your address. I’ll pick you up.”
Chapter 19
Max’s hand plowed through his hair once more. When he’d called Gigi, he hadn’t meant to tell her to come home. He didn’t even know why he’d called her in the first place. It may have been because the idea of her potentially being with another guy was driving him insane. He didn’t even know if she was, but just the thought of it was making him crazy.
He acknowledged his thought processes were pretty fucking skewed though.
She didn’t belong to him.
She wasn’t his woman, but the desire to make her his was too strong to ignore. Now he had to kill some time before he actually had to go to work. He supposed he could just make up another excuse and spend his free time with Gigi instead.
Down the hall, Erin started grumbling, demanding his attention. He got his little girl up and changed her diaper then went back into the kitchen to get her lunch organized. Twenty minutes later, Gigi stepped through the door.
He glanced at her, seeing her cheeks were a little flushed. “Sorry for calling you back so soon,” he told her, his attention on guiding a spoon into Erin’s mouth.
Dropping her messenger bag on the couch, she said, “It’s fine. I’ve got the rest of the evening to study when little Miss has gone to bed.” She stepped into the kitchen, grabbing a bottle of water from the fridge. “What time do you have to be at work?”
This was it. Either he could go through with his lie, or he could create another one. “Jeremy was able to cover it in the end. He called me back after I got off the phone with you. I feel bad for making you come home now.”
She twisted off the cap of her bottle and put it to her lips, taking a shallow sip. “It’s all right. We have another date set for tomorrow night anyway…” Her words trailed off and he realized it was because she’d seen the look on his face. She hurried on, “Only if that’s okay. I assumed you weren’t working tomorrow since it was Sunday.”
He worked hard to make his expression blank. “Yeah, of course.” He cleared his throat. “So who is your study partner?”
“A guy from my course.”
He blinked, his jaw aching from being held too tightly. “Where are you meeting?”
Please, fucking god, let it not be here.
“He said he’d pick me up, but I can call him and tell him not to if you’d prefer?”
Forcing a smile on his lips, he said, “No, that’s fine. I look forward to meeting the guy.”
Gigi gave him an unsteady smile and replaced the cap on her bottle. “I’m just going to get changed into something a little more comfortable.”
Now, why the fuck did she have to say something like that? Max’s mind didn’t just land in the gutter; it was swimming through every delicious dirty thought. He watched her walk away, the slight sway in her hips making his
dick twitch. Fuck, women were torture. He’d learned that a long time ago under the steady tuition of Chelsea. He’d resisted being changed by her, but Max knew Gigi was the one woman he would willingly give it all up for.
He finished feeding Erin, placing her down in the living room to play while he tidied up the kitchen. He was so damn frustrated since the kiss that he had to find an outlet for the frustration; otherwise he’d be in real danger of barging into Gigi’s room and claiming her mind, body and soul. He stalked around the kitchen, banging doors and slamming cupboards until Gigi emerged once more dressed in those goddamn yoga pants and a tight tee. Blood flooded south, making his erection painful as it pushed against his pants.
She looked at him warily for a moment, and he had an awful thought that maybe she’d seen what he was sporting. He glanced down, breathing a sigh of relief when he saw the island bench was providing the appropriate cover.
“I thought I’d take Erin for a walk in the park,” she said. “If that’s okay with you? It’ll give you a chance to get ready for work in peace.”
Not trusting his voice, Max nodded. He watched her load his daughter into her stroller and leave. He started running the hot water, filling up the sink to wash up a few plates and glasses. While he scrubbed, he willed his cock to deflate. Now that Gigi wasn’t in the room, it seemed to be a pretty easy thing to achieve. He groaned when just thinking her name made his erection surge back to life. Angrily, he finished the washing up, spending more time than usual wiping down the benches.
And loading the dryer.
And rearranging the fridge.
But it was no good.
He couldn’t get his mind off Gigi.
“Fuck.” He walked down the hall to the bathroom, pulling his shirt over his head and losing his pants. He kicked them into the corner and started up the shower. His erection was standing out in front of his body, unashamedly demanding that it was taken care of. It didn’t care whether it was Max’s hand or Gigi’s—all it was concerned with was getting some relief.