TAMING MAX (Completed)

CHAPTER 35 - Ninety Five Miles An Hour

I tried to carry on our conversation like nothing was wrong but it was becoming harder and harder to concentrate on what Piper was saying.

When our breakfast finally came, I devoured it as quickly as possible while keeping an eye on the creepy man across the street.

"What are you in such a hurry for?" Piper asked.

"It's nothing really, Max it taking over his father's business and I know today will be a tough one for him. I am just anxious to check on him I guess." That was the second lie I had told Piper that day and even though I hated it, I knew it would be an unwelcome part of my new life.

"Oh, okay," she said with a bit of suspicion in her voice.

As soon as we were done, we gathered our things and headed back to drop her off. The driver didn't pull off until we were sure she was safely inside of her building. As soon as she was out of sight, I began questioning him.

"Did you see that guy at the cafe across the street?"

"Yes, I had my eye on him the entire time. I also alerted Mr. Livingston."

My heart began to race a thousand beats a minute.

"Why would you do that?" I shouted.

"Because he instructed me to let him know if anything out of the ordinary occurred."

"You shouldn't have done that," I insisted.

"It's my job mam. You were never in danger, I was in control of the situation the entire time."

I remained quiet for the remainder of the ride home. As soon as I walked inside, Max anxiously greeted me.

"Are you okay?" He questioned as he took my face in his hands.

I knew he was scared out of his mind, especially after what had happened to his mother. I let him know that I was but I knew he didn't believe me. He was worried and there was no hiding it.

Chase was worried too but he was also curious as to how Piper was doing. I told him she was doing great and had asked about him. The smile on his face when I said that let me know that he was falling for her too.

It was becoming more and more clear that I would have to accept the fact that Chase would never be mine. As much as I had struggled with it, I knew it was inevitable. At least Piper's intentions were true. She would never date him for his money, that meant nothing to her.

Max's pull on me was getting stronger and that was making it easier to accept as well. I would always have a special place in my heart for Chase but it was Max who was stealing mine.

That evening, Max insisted that I get dressed up in something nice. He wouldn't tell me where we were going but it didn't really matter, as long as I was with him.

I decided on a classic black dress with black strapped heels and red lipstick. When I came down the stairs, my eyes met his. He was waiting at the bottom with his mouth gaping open.

"You look stunning," he said as he took my arm and escorted me to the car. I couldn't wipe the smile off of my face, I loved how he looked at me.

He took me to dinner at a swanky restaurant that looked like it was frozen in time during the 1920s. It was stunning and I felt like I should have been wearing a flapper dress. It was my first time there, one of many firsts with Max. Once we had ordered and the waiter left our table Max looked at me in a way that could only be described as longing.

"I love that it's just you and me tonight. No gala, no "fake" events, just us," he said.

"I love it too, it feels like an official date."

He gave me a curious look.

"Isn't it?"

That moment felt like a pivotal one, we were defining what we meant to each other and that made me nervous. I looked down at the table unable to meet his eyes.

"I was hoping so," I finally admitted.

He put his hand over mine to reassure me.

"Lillie, it's real, you don't have to doubt that."

With those words, I was able to let out the breath I was holding. He felt the same way that I did and I couldn't hide how happy that made me.

After dinner, we went to the top of a huge skyscraper. As soon as the door opened to the rooftop, I saw it. A helicopter was waiting for us. I looked at Max with a huge smile as he motioned for me to go ahead of him.

I climbed in feeling so overwhelmed. It was too much, far more than I deserved. How could the man who had been so indifferent to me suddenly make me feel like the most special girl in the world?

We put our headsets on as the helicopter took off and my heart raced. It was exhilarating and my stomach felt like it was in my feet. Max must have sensed my nervousness because he reached over and grabbed my hand.

Soaring over the city everything looked so small and massive at the same time. I was mesmerized by how the lights sparkled across the night sky.

Every once in awhile, I would look over at Max to see if he was enjoying it as much as I was. Every single time, he was staring right at me. It was the sweetest thing. He could have cared less about what we were doing, as long as I was happy.

"Thank you," I said as we returned to the rooftop. He just grabbed my hand and kissed it, melting my heart.

When we got back in the car I was exhausted. It had been a long day and a perfect night but it had worn me out. As we pulled off into the darkness, I laid my head on Max's shoulder. I found comfort there, our bodies being connected brought me an overwhelming sense of peace.

He reached over and grabbed my hand and began rubbing it. As he leaned his head against mine, I wished that we could stay that way forever, it was perfect.

About ten minutes into the ride home, I had almost drifted off to sleep. I felt the car suddenly accelerate and it startled me. Max and I jolted up at the same time, completely confused. He must have been asleep himself by the way he reacted.

"What's going on?" Max asked the driver as we both looked around. It was a long, dark stretch of road and the only thing we could see were headlights shining through the back window.

"I didn't notice they were following us until a few minutes ago. It's like they came out of nowhere." Paul replied.

Max squeezed my hand and I could tell that every cell in his body had tensed, mine had too. We sped up but the car was relentless. I kept staring back and forth between the car behind us and the speedometer. When it reached ninety-five miles an hour, I began to panic.

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A/N

Well, it looks like they may be in a little bit of trouble. I would love to hear your thoughts on this chapter and thanks for continuing to follow their journey.