Page 94 of One Little Mistake

By the time night falls and the thunderstorm still reigns outside, I give Max my old bedroom. I lay out fresh sheets and hand him a clean towel.

“There’s nothing for you to change into, sorry,” I say with a nervous smile as we stand alone in the bathroom. “We haven’t had a man in this house for over twenty years, so… no extra clothes, either.”

“Give me a raincoat or an umbrella,” he says. “I’ll run out to the car. I think I’ve got some gym stuff in there—sweats or something. I’ll change into that.”

“Sure.” I take a step forward, but Max suddenly blocks my path.

He’s close. Too close.

His warm breath hits my skin. His scent—cologne mixed with something purely masculine—wraps around me like a net. He leans in, brushes his nose along my neck. And just like that, the world disappears. Silence crushes the room. There’s only him. Only us.

I suck in a breath, sharp and shallow. Goosebumps ripple across my entire body.

And then—he abruptly pulls back. If his hands weren’t gripping my waist, I swear I would’ve collapsed right onto the tile.

What the hell was that?

“Go get me that umbrella,” he says hoarsely, his voice low and rough, his eyes dark and locked on mine—like nothing just happened.

I practically bolt out of the bathroom, silently swearing to never, ever be alone with him in a confined space again.

CHAPTER 34

Erin

I lie in the dark, listening to the rain drumming against the window. My heart is still fluttering after what happened in the bathroom. For a moment, I thought Max was going to kiss me—to erase the distance between us, to show me that he felt the same pull I did when we were near each other—but he stopped. And then he shut himself in his room, wishing everyone goodnight like nothing happened.

Sleep won’t come. It’s nearly impossible to drift off knowing that the man is right there—just beyond the wall. So close, yet so far. I press my palm to the wall, drag it across the surface, close my eyes, and imagine him here. With me. Like before, when I lived at his place and we shared a bed. Back then, it didn’t feel like a big deal. But now, I would give anything to feel his warm breath on my neck again, his heavy arm draped over my waist, that scent of his that makes my skin flush and my pulse race.

I roll onto my back and let out a long breath. That’s when I hear it—the creak of my bedroom door opening. At first, I think it’s my grandmother checking in, but the steps are too deliberate. Calm. Confident. Like a predator moving through the night. I freeze, eyes scanning the darkness, trying to make out his silhouette. But I don’t really need to see him. I can picture every sharp feature of Max’s face from memory.

I forget how to breathe.

What is he doing here? Why did he come?

My whole body trembles with anticipation. My throat is dry, my chest tight, my heart pounding like it’s trying to break free from my ribs. The mattress dips under his weight.

He sits beside me for a long moment. Then he leans down and brushes his fingertips across my cheek.

“Are you awake?” he breathes, so softly the words disappear into the night.

“Yes,” I whisper, voice shaking. My eyes lock onto the shadow of his face, my head spinning from how close he is.

I wait.

At first, I think he’s going to get up and leave, and the idea crushes me. But then—his lips are on mine. Out of nowhere. No warning.

I tense. Just for a second. Then I move.

I kiss him back like I’ve been waiting my whole life for this moment. My arms loop around his neck, pulling him closer. The weight of his body over mine feels like coming home. I burn under his touch, filled with a kind of energy that makes me forget everything except him.

“Just say the word, and I’ll stop,” Max whispers hoarsely, pulling back slightly.

“No… I don’t want you to stop. Please,” I breathe out.

That’s all he needs.

He crashes into me with a force I wasn’t prepared for. The dam breaks. I melt beneath him, losing all sense of self, lost in the whirlwind of what’s happening between us. It feels insane. Like something out of a dream. Max is careful—so careful—and I know it’s taking everything in him to hold back. Inhale, exhale, moan—his hands, his mouth, my burning skin. He kisses me, swallowing my gasps, and I don’t even notice when our clothes disappear and we’re tangled beneath the sheets.

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