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We would be heading back to the office soon, and I didn’t know what that meant. We’d just go back to being boss and employee?
That was the plan, and I wasn’t going to fight it because this fling had done worlds of good for my confidence. I now knew what I wanted out of a relationship, and I would no longer settle for selfish assholes who chased their own pleasure or stole my car. So, I wouldn’t regret this, even if it was short-lived.
Even if it hurt, which I knew it would.
But I’d keep that all to myself. I’d made this deal, and I was going to enjoy it while it lasted and deal with repercussions later.
Maddox hadn’t had another nightmare since our first night together, and it was the first thing he asked me every morning.
We came to a stop at the bottom of the mountain, and he moved in front of me, pulling off his goggles.
“You did better that time, aside from endlessly complaining about the speed.” His dark eyes searched my goggle-covered gaze.
I popped them up slightly so he could see me. “Good. We need to get going.”
I let my goggles fall back against my face, and he chuckled. He’d laughed more over the last few days than he had in all the weeks I’d known him. And that made me happy.
At the very least, we were friends.
I was just the one who’d fallen in love with my friend.
My unattainable, broody, grumpy, gorgeous friend.
“Remember, if my brother hits on you, you have to be firm with him.” We unsnapped our skis and dropped them off in the lodge, trading out our ski boots for our shoes before we made our way to the parking lot. He pulled the passenger door open for me and helped me inside before reaching for my seat belt and pulling it across my body and snapping it into place. I didn’t try to stop him. I’d learned that these were the ways that Maddox showed me he cared. By worrying about my car or buckling my seat belt, giving me more orgasms than any one woman deserved, or encouraging me to try things like downhill skiing, even though I didn’t enjoy it. My hands were freezing, and he got into the driver’s seat and cranked up the heat. I used my teeth to tug off my gloves when I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket.
“Isn’t your brother bringing a date?”
“I don’t know. The dude is very secretive.”
“Hmmm… it must run in the family.” I found my phone and then squealed when I read the email from the property manager. “I got the house. I can move in over the weekend. I’ll be in my own place before we go back to work.”
Maddox stared straight ahead as he turned down the final street and then into his long driveway. Once he pulled into the garage, he turned off the car but didn’t say anything.
“Hello? Did you hear me?”
He turned to face me. He looked… agitated.
Upset.
Disappointed, maybe?
Was I reading into things?
“Congratulations. I’m happy for you.”
“You can’t muster up a little more enthusiasm?”
“I thought you were staying with me until we went back to work. What if I have someone move you in so you don’t have to leave?”
My jaw fell open. For a guy who only had flings, he’d surprised me more times than I could count. He’d been attentive and thoughtful, and we talked about things I’d never talked about with any man before.
He wanted to know what I liked in the bedroom—which was all things Maddox Lancaster. What my dreams were. What my favorite subject in school was. Favorite movie.
I mean, I wasn’t a pro at this whole thing, but I’d been in yearlong relationships that didn’t go this deep.
“I don’t even really have any furniture, if I’m being honest. So there won’t be a lot to move in. I’ve got my dishes and my kitchen stuff, some cute decorations, and things to hang on the wall. It won’t take long.”
“What will you sleep on?”
