Sean frowned and sat up. “What—Are you okay?”
Max swallowed repeatedly. Dragged a hand down his face. He could feel his heartbeat pounding in his ears. “Sean, I….” The doorknob in his mind jostled wildly. His stomach pitched. It felt like his sanity was fraying. “I’m sorry, but you really need to go.”
“What?” Sean balked. “Are you—Are you serious? You still have my load all fucking over you and you’re seriously fucking telling me to leave?”
Max nodded a couple times, barely hearing Sean’s words. His heart felt like it was seizing. “I...” Pain speared through his chest. He grimaced and rubbed his sternum. Shit. Sean’s cum, all over his hand. He grabbed his shirt and briskly wiped off, restlessly glancing anywhere but at Sean. He couldn’t. Just couldn’t.
Oh, God. He couldn’t breathe.
“Max. What’s wrong?” Sean slid off the desk.
Max back-stepped quickly. “I… gotta go.”
“But we still need to talk. About what just happened—”
“No!” Max cut him off. His pulse hit critical. He must be having a goddamn anxiety attack. He sucked in a breath. “What just happened wasn’t real.” It wasn’t. It wasn’t real. Max’s stomach pitched harder. His eyes darted for the door.
“Bullshit.” Sean’s voice wavered. “That’s bullshit, Max.”
Max didn’t argue, just headed for the exit. He needed to get out of there. He was this close to losing it. “See yourself out, Sean. I gotta—I gotta go.”
“Max,” Sean called after him.
But Max was already gone, well down the hallway, getting ready to scale the stairs. Stairs Scott had just reached the bottom of.
“Whoa. You okay, man?” Scott’s expression looked alarmed.
“Yeah,” Max croaked. “Just gotta go lie down.”
Which was a total fucking lie, but he didn’t have time to explain. Taking stairs up three at a time, Max made it to his bathroom in seconds flat. His bathroom, where he promptly dropped to his knees and unloaded all of dinner into the toilet.
FOURTEEN
What the fuck?
Scott frowned as his best friend raced up the stairs, looking like he’d seen a fucking ghost. Seen it, and now was running from the thing. Must have been one scary fucker.
Scott shook his head, at a loss for what to think, an effect Max had on him a lot. Best to ask him what was up later, when he wasn’t in such a hurry.
Something sounded down the hall, coming from Max’s office. Scott’s frown deepened. Was Sean still there? That’d certainly be a first if he was. Max always made sure visitors made it to the door. Didn’t like people wandering freely around the house. Only one way to find out. Maybe it was that ghost.
Scott strode down the hallway and stopped in the doorway. Nope. No apparitions. Just Sean… getting dressed. Scott eyed him oddly, watching him zip up his fly. Seriously? Max left Sean like that to go lie down? Things were getting weirder and weirder.
“Hey, Sean.”
Sean stiffened, then turned around. “Oh. Hey.”
Wow. He didn’t look happy. Scott’s gaze dipped to Sean’s torso. Not happy, and covered in… oil? What in the hell had the two of them been doing? Max never played with subs in his studio.
He regarded Sean curiously. “Is everything okay?”
Sean slid on his shirt, frown firmly in place. “Yeah.” He shrugged. “I guess.”
“I saw Max in the hallway. He didn’t look okay.”
Sean paused with socks in hand and exhaled, shoulders drooping. “Yeah. I know. But I have no idea what happened. One minute everything is friggin’ amazing, then out of nowhere…” He dragged a hand through his hair and looked down. “Max just freaked out. I dunno.”
Scott studied him closer. Something Sean said sounded off. Specifically, the part where “everything was friggin’ amazing.” Nothing was amazing where Max was concerned. The best things got when he was around others was “somewhat pleasantly civil.” Although, in fairness, things in the dungeon probably got pretty sweet. But this wasn’t the dungeon. This was Max’s office, where again, Max never ever played. Didn’t take a rocket scientist to see that wasn’t the case tonight, making the reason Max freaked out a no-brainer.
Scott crossed his arms and sighed. “You like him. A lot.”
Sean dropped down into a chair. “Yeah. I do.” He pulled on his socks. Right foot. Left foot. “He’s incredible... When he lets down his guard and has fun.” He looked up as Scott. “He likes me, too. I know he does. But for some fucked up reason he just keeps fighting it.”
“Mm. So that’s why you came here tonight, outside of your appointment. To try and get past his steel-clad bubble.”
Sean’s expression tightened. “I did get past it. He was holding me. Kissing me.” He shoved on his shoes. “Calling me hot Irish names.”
Scott stilled in surprise. Max had done that? Damn. He couldn’t believe it. “Hot ones, huh?” he murmured, gaze drifting in thought. He looked at Sean. “You’re the only one he uses those on.”