Page 59 of Yours, Forever

Max didn't say anythingwhen I took my heels off in the elevator, and walked into his condo on bare feet.

"What a night," I said. "How often do you do this kind of thing, again?"

"Two or three times a year. Unfortunately, events like these are part of the politics involved in doing business in these circles."

He took off his jacket, folded it in half, and left it over the back of the wonderful sectional. I imagined it would have been leather, all luxurious, but it wasn't. The condo itself was cozier than modern, despite the amount of glass everywhere, with a corner view that managed to include Central Park and a sea ofcity lights at night. Open concept except for the rooms and their bathrooms, I left my heels by the island, on the way to my room.

I nodded. "It's exhausting."

"Do you want to go to bed right away? We could have a nightcap on the balcony and decompress."

I agreed and soon we leaned on the high rail, overlooking the park.

He undid his bowtie, and left both sides hanging from his neck. His suspenders, also in black, plus the tie, contrasted against the stark white of his shirt. Everything bespoke, of course, fit him like a glove. It was maybe that or the suspenders or both, that made him look the most attractive he'd ever looked. His ass, for example. The round line of it asked to be grabbed playfully. Or seriously— butclutched. With two hands.

He sipped from the brandy in his hand. "What do you think of the view?"

I forced my eyes onto the dark patch of the park, with its few lights fighting the power of the city around it. That's what he must have been referring to, right?

"It's beautiful. Seems like a waste, though. You're never here, are you?"

"You're absolutely right. I'm never here, and it is a waste. In fact, most high-rise condos in this part of Manhattan are owned by people like me. Big money, little presence. People who live in New York don't actually live here."

I cocked my head. "Then why own it? For the prestige of it?"

"I wish I could tell you there's none of that for me, but I can't deny I like impressing you with it." He smirked. "Truth is, it's tied up in the funds my dad and I are fighting over. I can't sell it yet."

"I see." I sipped from my drink. "I guess it's nice to have a home to come back to."

He frowned, eyes fixed on me rather than the view. "I don't know that I would call this place home. I don't know that I have a place to call home."

My heart beat faster, ready to offer Laguna Island as a haven to him. The fantasy of the night had blown hot air into the poor, confused muscle in my chest, to the point it threatened to become a balloon that could take flight. For once, I wasn't sure how hard to fight it.

I couldn't allow a full lift yet; doubts staked me to the ground.

I pursed my lips. "I don't know that my house is my home. Maybe it is. I know Laguna Island is, as a whole. The place where I sleep these days is cozy, and the right place for me for the time being. Still…"

I hesitated.

His eyes softened on me. "Come on, darling. Go ahead. Talk to me about the Venturelli house."

"You remember the name?"

"Of course. I made it a point to remember."

"Did you look into it?"

He shook his head. "You asked me not to. Have thought about the house, though."

I sighed and rested on the rail, my elbows on the cold metal of it. If I opened my hand, the brandy glass would fall a thousand stories to the ground. My stomach flipped, and I held the glass a little tighter.

"Remember the rocky hill at the end of the beach? The house sits there, higher than the rest. Can you imagine the view? Having breakfast on the patio, the ocean and the town around me. The roaring sound of waves on a stormy night." I gazed at the cars below us. A passing police car broke the air with a siren. "Better than this, in my opinion."

He mirrored me, elbows on the railing as well. "Under which conditions would you let me buy the house for us?"

"I don't know." I sipped brandy and smiled at him. "The guiltier I feel about how uncomfortable you must be, the higher the chance I'll give in. Maybe not the Venturelli house, though."

"But it's your dream home. It only makes sense—"