Page 55 of One Little Mistake

The man spends way too long in the shower, and then suddenly the apartment goes completely silent.

The silence is broken by the heavy footsteps approaching the bedroom. I hold my breath when the door creaks open and quickly squeeze my eyes shut, pretending to be asleep.

I’m sure Max just came in to check on me. Which is why I freeze in shock when he approaches the bed and the mattress dips under his weight.

Without warning, he flops down onto the bed, yanks the blanket up, and slides in—far too close to me. So close that his damp, bare skin brushes against mine, making me flinch and instinctively scoot to the very edge of the bed.

“What the hell?” he rasps, fumbling for the bedside lamp.

The sudden brightness makes me squint.

“Oh, right. Forgot you were here,” he mutters with a heavy sigh, then flops back against the pillow.

Silence.

I find myself staring in disbelief at his flushed face... and the broad, muscular chest on full display.

“You okay?” I ask, not sure how to act or what’s going through his mind.

“Yeah,” he mutters, covering his eyes with one hand before reaching over to turn off the light again.

Darkness swallows the room. But even without seeing him, I can feel him. Every cell in my body is aware of him—his heavy breathing, his overwhelming presence.

I’m lying in bed with a half-naked man. Does this count as cheating?

“You were gone for a long time,” I whisper into the darkness, desperate to break the tension between us.

“Had to ditch the car and walk the rest of the way,” he says after a short pause.

“You walked? In this weather?” I ask, horrified, suddenly understanding why his face was so red and raw.

“Yeah,” he says simply.

“But... it’s freezing out there. And a blizzard. You must have been frozen.”

“Already warmed up. Hot shower helped a lot.” Then, in a low, teasing voice, he adds, “But if you’re thinking of helping me warm up another way... I wouldn’t say no.”

His husky laugh makes my face burn so hot I’m sure it could melt all the snow outside.

“Of course, I’ll help you warm up,” I say in a serious voice, pushing myself up in bed.

“Whoa, I was kidding! Chill,” Max says quickly, clearly misunderstanding me, which makes me smile slyly.

“I was just going to make you some tea with honey. What were you thinking?” I tease him lightly.

“Something a lot stronger,” he mutters. “Stay put. Get some sleep.”

His hand finds mine in the darkness, his fingers wrapping gently around my wrist and tugging me back down.

My pulse jumps.

I freeze.

I can feel my heart hammering against my ribs, feel the heat of Max’s bare skin against my own.

He’s too close.

Too much.

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