The fluorescent lights of the hospital’s underground parking lot buzzed, casting an eerie glow on the rows of parked cars. Isabelle’s heart pounded a frantic rhythm against her ribs as she pulled her car into a vacant spot. She hadn’t even switched off the engine before a hand, strong and familiar, snaked around her waist.
She yelped, startled, and whipped around, her hand instinctively flying up to slap the intruder. The blow landed with a resounding thud, a sharp crack splitting the silence of the parking lot. Her hand stung from the impact, and she stared, wide-eyed, at the face before her.
A chuckle, deep and rich, rumbled from the man. “Easy tiger,” he said, his dark eyes crinkling at the corners. Max. It was Max, the one man she had tried desperately to avoid.
“Max?” she breathed, her surprise momentarily outweighing the anger simmering within her. “What are you doing here?”
“Liam..” she said, her face flushing with heat. “I, uh, I got a call. They said Liam was hurt, that I needed to come here.”
He leaned against her car, his body radiating an energy that made her stomach twist with a mix of fascination and anxiety. “Liam’s fine,” he said, his voice dropping to a husky whisper. “Perfectly fine. He’s at the office.”
Isabelle’s jaw dropped open, her anger igniting like a spark in a tinderbox. “You did this? You called me here, knowing Liam was fine?”
His smile faded, replaced by a look of playful amusement. “I wanted you out of the house. The house you share with your fiance. You know, where I can’t get a word in edgewise without Liam’s hawk-eyed gaze upon me.” He raised a brow, his eyes sparkling with a mischievous glint.
Isabelle felt her cheeks burn. This was too much. “I need to go home,
” she said, pushing past Max and heading towards the exit. “Liam doesn’t even know I’m here.”
“Don’t be so hasty, darling,” Max said, his hand catching hers. “We have so much to talk about.”
His touch sent shivers down her spine, a dangerous tickle of desire mingling with the irritation rising in her chest. She tried to pull away, but Max tightened his grip.
“Let go of me, Max,” she said, her voice tight. “I don’t have time for this.”
Max, instead of releasing her, took a step closer, his body pressing against hers. The heat radiating from him was almost tangible, a physical presence that made her breath catch. He leaned in, his voice a low purr in her ear.
“I’ve been waiting for this,” he whispered.
His words sent a jolt through her, a wave of confusion washing over her. What was he talking about? She tried to push him back, but his hold on her wrist was like a vice, holding her against him.
“Max, we can’t,” she said, her voice barely a whisper. “This isn’t right. Liam-”
He cut her off with a kiss, his lips brushing against hers with a feather-light touch. It was a simple touch, but it ignited a firestorm within her, a spark that threatened to consume her whole. It was impossible to resist him.
His lips moved against hers, demanding, yet somehow gentle, and she found herself responding, her body tilting into his as she surrendered to the intoxicating rush of desire.
“Isabelle.” Max breathed against her lips, his voice rough with longing. “I want you.”
The words, spoken with a tenderness that belied the intensity of his gaze, melted her resistance, leaving her breathless and vulnerable.
He pulled back slightly, his eyes searching hers with an intensity that made her heart race. “Let me take you home,” he whispered, his voice laced with a subtle urgency.
She felt a tremor run through her, a sudden wave of panic at the thought of Liam’s reaction if he ever found out. But Max was right, there was a wall between them, an invisible barrier erected by Liam’s presence.
“I can’t,” she said, her voice a barely audible tremor.
He smiled, his eyes glinting with a dangerous mixture of amusement and determination. “Don’t worry,” he said, his voice smooth as he leaned in to whisper in her ear. “No one will know.”
He snatched her car keys from the dashboard and with a fluid movement, opened the driver’s side door, his gaze never leaving hers. The air crackled with unspoken tension, the weight of their desires pressing down on them.
“Max, we can’t,” she said, her voice trembling, a desperate plea for reason. But she was already moving, her body responding to his silent beckoning.
She slumped into the driver’s seat, her heart pounding against her ribs, her mind racing with conflicting emotions. She watched as Max slid in beside her, his body close enough to touch, his scent filling her senses with an intoxicating allure.
“I love you, Isabelle,” he said, his voice a low rumble against her ear. “I have for a long while. The way you look at him, the way you talk about him, it makes me sick with jealousy, with longing.”
He reached for her hand, his touch a searing brand on her skin. “Let me show you what you’re missing,” he whispered, his voice hot and urgent.
His words were like a siren song, weaving a seductive spell around her, eroding her defenses, weakening her resolve. She tried to pull away, but his hand, now on her thigh, a possessive claim, sent shivers down her spine.
“Max, please.” she pleaded, her voice ragged with desire, with fear.
He leaned in, his lips grazing her ear. “You want this,” he murmured, his voice laced with a dangerous certainty. “You know you do.”
His tongue traced a path along her jawline, a hot, insistent trail that left her breathless, her senses reeling. She tried to push him away, to resist the pull of his magnetism, but her body, traitorously, responded.
His lips found hers, and the world around them dissolved, leaving only the intoxicating sensation of his touch, the heady scent of his cologne, and the urgent rhythm of his heart beating against hers.
He pulled her closer, his body molding against hers, and in that moment, she surrendered to the intoxicating whirlwind of passion.
The car was small and cramped, the scent of leather and Max’s cologne filling the air, a potent mix that made her head spin. His fingers traced a path down her arm, his touch igniting a firestorm within her, leaving her breathless and wanting more.
The air crackled with forbidden desire, the heat of their bodies pressing together, a symphony of touch and sound. She wrapped her arms around him, her fingers buried in the soft curls of his hair, pulling him closer.
His lips moved against her neck, a hot trail of kisses that sent shivers down her spine. She gasped, her body arching into his, her heart pounding a frantic rhythm against her ribs…