Page 74 of Party Favors

And I held that belief until the moment when he lifted my hand to his lips, pressing a soft kiss there. “You were really brave tonight.”

I certainly didn’t feel brave now, his gentle lips causing tremors that traveled along my nerves. “I don’t know about that.”

He put our hands back on his knee. “You were. Sometimes the only way to get over something you’re afraid of is to just do it.”

Everything Max said felt like it was loaded with some double meaning that I couldn’t figure out. Like we really were speaking two different languages.

“And sometimes things aren’t as scary as you thought they would be,” he added.

“Uh, that was every bit as terrifying as I would have imagined,” I said.

He smiled. “But you did it anyway.”

“Because you were with me.”

There was something in his eyes I couldn’t read. Not only because it was dark, but because it was unfamiliar.

We arrived at my building and he got out, offering me his hand to help me onto the sidewalk. I took it and we walked over to the door. I expected to say our goodbyes, but he asked, “Is it okay if I walk you up to your apartment? I can assure you that it’s motivated purely by selfishness.”

His words had me feeling lightheaded. “Oh?”

“I won’t be able to sleep well tonight if I’m not a hundred percent sure you got into your apartment safely.”

That made me grin. “I wouldn’t want you to suffer, Mr. Lincoln.” Casimir opened the door for us and we went into the lobby, over to the elevators.

While we waited he asked, “What are your plans tomorrow?”

“Working mostly. Coordinating, calling people, following up, getting things arranged. All the fun organizational stuff. I’m also going to watch that royal wedding at like, four thirty on Sunday morning. What about you?”

“I was going to go for a run in Central Park tomorrow with Basta, if you wanted to join us.”

“I only run if something is chasing me,” I told him as the elevator doors opened. We stepped inside.

“I could chase you,” he offered.

Ha. I would lie down and let him catch me. “I’ll pass.”

“You don’t do the whole jogging-in–Central Park thing?”

“Alone? Given that I’m female? No. I choose life.”

We arrived on my floor and started walking toward my apartment. Every step ratcheted up my heartbeat another notch until I felt like I actually had gone for a run.

But was Max chasing me?

Or was it all in my head?

“This is it,” I told him, reaching out to touch my door. I wasn’t sure why I’d done it; I’d never done it before. Maybe I just needed to feel grounded by something that I knew was real.

“Thank you for walking me up, even if it was selfish,” I added.

Max moved closer to me, his icy blue eyes glittering in the low light of the hallway.

My breath caught at his expression.

“Thank you for letting me dance with the prettiest girl at the bar tonight.”

I could feel my face fall. “You don’t have to say that kind of stuff to me, Max.”

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