Page 8 of Blowing His Circuit
"Holy shit." I gasp.
"Everything okay?" Max steps toward me.
I turn to meet his eyes again. "Yeah, uh. Just having a geeky chef moment." I swallow hard, trying desperately not to let my eyes rove over his muscles. "Um, their refrigerator is inspirational. Like, major life goals." I laugh awkwardly and gesture to the neatly stacked and clear, labeled bins of fruits, vegetables, and prepped meals.
"Oh, yeah," Max says with a grin. "That's all Hayes, I'd guess. We lived together in our hometown for a few years after we got out of high school. I used to swap the labels just to mess with him."
God, this man is sexy. I stare at him like he's a celebrity, but this is the first time in a year he's talked to me without growling.
When he looks down at the counter and lightly taps his hand against it, I realize he's probably waiting on me to finish up.
I shake my head awkwardly and return my attention to the amazing fridge. I rearrange a few of the meal-prep containers, pulling them out so I can fit the cake in. Testing the door for a second to make sure it clears the box, I re-stack the containers neatly on a different shelf.
Max's eyes are on me the entire time.
When I finish and turn back to him, his gaze snaps to my face. If I didn't know better, I'd suspect he was checking out my ass.
Eat your heart out, Grumpy.
I blink and swallow hard, my eyes straining from the effort to stay glued to his face. Even though he's being pleasant right now, I refuse to give him the satisfaction of letting him catch me checking him out.
Butdear God, I want to look!
"Did they get a dog?" I blurt out, trying to fill the charged silence. I motion at the gate, which I realize now is askew.
Max glances at it too, doing a double-take.
My cheeks heat. "I tripped over it. After I walked right into the water bowl," I say with a short laugh.
Max stalks toward me. "Was that the noise I heard? Are you okay?"
His eyes dart up and down my body like he's looking for an injury, making me weak in the knees.
"I'm fine," I breathe, tucking a strand of wayward hair behind my ear.
Max nods. His eyes dart to my mouth, then back to my eyes. "Hayes is getting Sara a puppy, and I'm getting the house ready."
He's standing close to me now. I should back up to give him space, but I'm already pressed against the counter and frankly enjoying the proximity.
"Oh, she's going to be so excited," I manage to get out. Why isn't he glaring at me? What the hell is happening? "So, you're doing all the hard, sweaty work?"
Oh, my god. Shut up.
Max grins.
I swallow hard.He's so pretty.
"Yeah, I’m supposed to be refitting the area under the stairs as a dog pen of sorts. I cut myself on a nail I screwed up." He gestures toward a bandage on his stomach, and my mouth drops open as I get a good look at his hard abs.
Holy mother of God.
I manage to cover my gasp as if I'm concerned. "Are you okay?"
"Yeah, it's not deep. There's a reason they only let me do the electrical on the job sites," he jokes.
I smile. This is the Max everyone else gets.
He steps closer. "I was cleaning out my shirt in the sink when I heard the noise."
