Of course, Max had crossed the line by kissing me, so I got to be angry with him for that. He knew exactly how to work me.
After two minutes, the knocking ceased and my phone beeped. So now they’re texting me? I walked into the living room, grabbed my phone, and shut it off. They could stew tonight. Both of them. And maybe, just maybe, in the morning, I might be coolheaded enough to talk to them. But not now. At this moment, my damned elbow hurt and I needed to process what had happened. After I completed my angry spinning, of course.
I went to my small kitchen, popped open the freezer, and grabbed the blue plastic ice block I used for my lunches. I wrapped it in a towel and held it to the back of my arm.
The loud knocking started again. “Seriously?” I scowled. “You two need to take a hint.” I marched over, unlocked the dead bolt, and jerked the door open. “Screw you! Okay! I don’t want…” my voice trailed off as a news crew shoved a microphone in my face.
“Miss Snow! What can you tell us about the fight between Maxwell Cole and Patricio Ferrari? Were they fighting over you? Is it true one hit you? Who threw the punch? Will you be pressing charges?”
What the hell? How had the news crew come so fast?
My mouth flapped for several moments before I slammed the door shut and pushed my back against the door. “No, no, no.” The chaos was starting all over again.
This is all Max’s fault. I had to get rid of him.
After a very restless night with a very sore arm, I threw in the towel on the whole sleep idea and decided to go for an early morning run on the beach, aka my therapy because it usually cleared my head. There was something energizing about seeing the wide-open ocean right before sunrise when the air felt crisp and crackled with the possibilities of a new day.
So after putting on my blue running shorts and white sports tank and placing my arm into a little sling made from a scarf, I ran north for an hour until the sun came up.
My body tired with sweat, I plunked down in the cool sand with my legs stretched out. I wanted to stay there all day, staring at the calming ocean, because when my thoughts returned to my shop, my life, Patricio and Max, everything felt so damned heavy.
“Whatcha looking at?” said a deep voice.
I swiveled my head to find Max—shirtless, broad chest heaving, tatt-covered upper arms flexing with muscles—wearing only running shoes and black shorts. His lightly tanned, sculpted abs and pecs glistened with sweat, making my heart beat a little faster.
Okay. A lot faster.
Interesting fact: Max’s magnificent body was also a byproduct of his dysfunctional brain, which drove him to relentlessly pursue perfection in all things. The bedroom was no exception. When we’d been together, he’d used that lean, chiseled body and large cock of his to work me over repeatedly. He knew exactly how to move inside me—the timing and pressure of his thrusts, the grinding against my c-spot, the pace of his hot kisses. I’d now been with one other man—Patricio—but he didn’t compare. And part of me believed no one ever would.
But there’s more to a relationship than mind-blowing sex. Friendship, for example. Friendship is—
My eyes stuck to Max’s chest. Damn, he’s ripped. Max had added some extra definition to those chiseled abs. He looked amazing.
Oh, stop.
“What are you doing here?” I asked.
“You love to run. I love to run. I guess we decided to do it at the same time.”
I lifted a brow. His home was in north Chicago, so my hunch told me he was staying at one of the five-star resorts in town. None of them were anywhere near this beach. “At the same location, too?”
Max didn’t answer. Instead, he sat next to me in the moist sand and stared out at the ocean. “I’m not sorry about last night,” he said flatly.
I shook my head. “You should be.” I pointed to my sling. My elbow was black and blue and swollen.
Max looked at my arm. “What happened?”
I huffed. “Of course, you don’t remember because you were too busy fighting Patricio.”
“He attacked me.”
“Yes, but you kissed me.”
“I won’t apologize for that.” Max looked forward, watching a breaking wave. “But I am sorry about your arm, even if it was Patricio’s fault.”
God. He was so damned…stubborn! Of course, it was what I loved about him, too. His iron will. That being said, “I have to go.” I hopped up and started walking back.
“Lily, wait.” Max got to his feet, grabbed my good arm, and stopped me. “Did you think about my offer?”
“What? No! I was too busy getting knocked over by you two and fending off the press at my front door. Thank you for that, by the way.”
“I texted you a warning when I left. Didn’t you see it?”
“No. I didn’t see it.”