Part of me instinctively rebelled at abandoning this warm, sheltered bubble so soon. But I was drained to my core, with barely enough energy to nod and pry myself away from Max's chest with extreme reluctance. Although, maybe I could just stay glued to those pecs forever - not the worst idea I've had.

His gaze was hooded yet inscrutable as I met it, suggesting the same haunting brew of solemnity and undefined tension still flickered behind those emerald depths. Clearing his throat, Max ducked his head toward the exit.

"Shall we? I'll fill you in on all the arrangements for our little staycation on the way." There was the barest ghost of a smirk playing around his lips, as though we'd just shared an X-rated inside joke.

I felt my own mouth working, no doubt to deliver an acerbic comeback about not presuming too much or dictating my schedule without my approval. Staycation? More like domestication attempt. But the dam seemed to have burst on all pretenses between us for once, issuing a temporary cease-of-fire.

So instead of taking Max's lofty bait as I'd done a thousand, no, a million times before, I simply tucked my hand into the crook of his elbow and allowed him to escort me toward the idling town car with unspoken docility. For now, at least. This obedient act won't last long.

We walked in silence, the occasional shared glance passing between us with loaded resonance. Yet neither dared give voice to the undercurrent of self-awareness now simmering in the space between our bodies.

Maintaining that unspeakable tension was maddening - a snarling, taunting knot of unfulfilled yearning and unearthed hungers I couldn't yet put a name to. But there was also a tinge of electric promise woven through the strain, like a tantalizing glimpse of something forbidden and infinitely more complex taking root despite all logic and reason.

As the driver opened the rear door in a crisp flourish, Max cast me one final lingering look rife with unspoken promissory. An invisible cosmic lasso lashed around my midsection, tugging me forward toward the fathomless promise of that inscrutable gaze.

Then the moment passed, splintering with Max's murmured instruction for me to get in. I complied without a second thought, without artifice or deflection for perhaps the first time between us.

The plush leather interior closed around my rumpled, emotionally flensed form as Max slid in beside me with that trademark, leonine grace. Still, neither of us spoke or shattered the delirious tension now humming like a live wire.

As the car eased back into the stream of late Saturday night Manhattan traffic. The gentle thrum of the engine and Max's subtle cologne lulling me into a drowsy, almost trance-like state. I barely registered laying my head against the cool glass until it eventually lolled onto Max's solid shoulder with a contented sigh.

Part of me tensed, worried I was crossing the line into inappropriate behavior. But Max didn't pull away. In fact, his arm slowly curved around my slumped body, pulling me snug against the reassuring strength of his side.

I felt Max's penetrating stare scorch a path along the curve of my cheek, down the slope of my throat. I froze, scarcely breathing, as his calloused fingertips grazed the naked skin of my forearm with maddening delicacy

"Comfortable?" His gravelly murmur caressed my skin as I instinctively nuzzled deeper into the haven of his warmth and masculine scent, inhibitions utterly dissolved.

"Mmm..." was all I could muster in response, eyelids already drooping closed with bone-deep contentment.

The tender moment was very short lived. A jarring cacophony split the peaceful air between us jolting me back in place - the throbbing bass line of Max's ringtone reverberating through the confines of the car like a bucket of ice water over the moment.

He flinched, shooting me an indecipherable look before fishing out his phone with a sharp exhale. The tips of his ears had flushed to match the crimson flare consuming his chiseled features as he squinted at the display.

"Henshaw," he barked into the receiver, the brusque gruffness of his voicing sanding away every last trace of that exquisite bedroom timbre from moments before. "This had better be damned important or I'll have your unconscious body hanging from a streetlamp in Midtown by morning."

Max's jaw tightened as he listened to the voice on the other end, body going rigid with barely contained irritation. I watched, mesmerized, as his free hand fisted in the lush fabric of the seat - tendons standing out in harsh relief along the impressive column of his forearm.

"You're telling me Wainwright pulled out last minute from the Beijing strategy meeting?" he bit out in a tone of disbelieving outrage. "After I explicitly restructured my entire week to accommodate that arrogant prick's schedule?"

There was a pause as the tinny voice rattled on in placating tones. Max's nostrils flared, emerald eyes flashing dangerously.

"Do not insult me further by making excuses, Henshaw. That decrepit fossil is doing this specifically to undermine me with the International Stakeholders Board because he knows I'm being groomed to replace him as CEO within the next cycle."

My brows shot up. So that was the source of Max's legendary disdain for the current CEO - outright fear of being outmaneuvered. How very...canine of them both to circle each other with bared teeth over future standing.

"This isn't finished," Max snarled, fingers flexing against the buttery leather like he wished he could wrap them around Henshaw's throat instead. "Get me the security monitors for Wainwright's home residence and prepare a full diagnostic on the financial viability of replacing him early. I want every potential weakness cata--"

His volcanic tirade cut off abruptly as I issued a pointedly loud throat-clearing cough from across the car's interior. Max's blazing gaze swung my way, momentarily derailed from his single-minded fury.

I arched one challenging brow, allowing my eyes to sear a path down to where his fist was turning white-knuckled from gripping the seat. A fleeting look of chagrin washed over his features before that infuriatingly opaque mask slammed back into place.

"We'll continue this discussion in the morning, Henshaw. I have a..." his stare drifted over me in a way that could only be termed a lingering caress,"...personal matter to attend to presently."

He didn't wait for a response before jabbing a finger against the screen to sever the call. A ripe, charged silence ballooned between us in its wake. I could feel the rapid rise and fall of his chest, seething frustration still simmering beneath that immaculate veneer.

Part of me should have felt chastened or embarrassed at intruding on such an undeniably important professional matter. But another, more reckless part simply purred with feminine satisfaction at having diverted this unstoppable force's focus back to me, even for a fleeting interlude.

When Max finally broke the taut quiet, his tone was carefully measured - though that molten undercurrent still eddied beneath the words.

"I didn't mean for you to be subjected to such an unseemly display just now. Sometimes the demands of business can be...relentless in their own way."

My lips twisted in a wry smile, holding his heavy-lidded gaze without flinching. "Nothing I haven't experienced myself on numerous occasions, Max. Although I must say, the thought of you dangling that poor Henshaw character from a streetlamp was...very entertaining."

His own mouth curved in a sinuous slash, throwing those piercing angles into stark relief that made my breath hitch traitorously.

"Is that so? And just what sort of other entertaining scenarios is that devious mind of yours concocting now, Ms. Bennett? Do tell."