Page 23 of Out Of Time

You have to actually start letting me into your world.

Max:

It’s messy in there.

Remi:

Good thing I clean things up for a living.

Max didn't want her to have to clean up his messy life, but he also knew there was no way he could keep her from seeing it. He had somehow convinced her to come into his space. After a half-naked introduction, a broken lamp, an impromptu beach picnic, and trick-or-treating, shestillwanted more of him.

Another text came through.

Remi:

You up for an adventure?

He looked at his watch, it was 10:45 p.m. His flight left for the East Coast at 7 a.m. tomorrow,andhe wasn't packed. Not to mention he might still be slightly hungover from last night.

Max:

Yes.

He hit send before he could convince himself otherwise.

Remi:

Excuse me? Did you just respond quickly with a yes? Who is this and what have you done with Max Miller?

Max:

Max Miller is a carefree cat now.

Remi:

Having nine lives looks good on you.

Max:

Let me unload my stuff and then I’ll be on my way.

Remi waited for Max at the corner of 14th Street and Pacific Coast Highway. She stood outside her favorite pasta place; the lingering scent of the night's dinner rush still surrounded the small restaurant, and she realized she hadn’t eaten anything since her hangover cheeseburger around noon.

Max pulled up to the curb and the locks clicked open for her to get in. Climbing into his Jeep, she instantly felt flushed at the sight of him. Max was still wearing most of his game-day suit, and something about him dressed like this made the depths of her stomach flutter. His white button-up shirt was tight around his biceps, and somewhere between the game ending and now, he had lost his tie. Where the top buttons of his dress shirt were undone, Remi found a dusting of red chest hair that she thought was extremely sexy. She buckled up and immediately crossed her legs, trying to dull the ache between them. It was this man and his goalie thighs, massive hands, chest hair, and his perfectly groomed facial hair and…

“Should I put the address in the GPS?” he asked, pulling her from her spiral.

She laughed. “Sorry, yeah, that might be the easiest option.”

He pushed the screen on his dash. “You can just type it here.”

She punched inDonut Palaceand hit enter.

Max pulled off onto PCH, making an illegal U-turn to get them heading in the right direction.

“Seal Beach?” he asked.

“Yeah,” she affirmed and watched as his posture stiffened. “Is that okay?”

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