On Top of the World [Max Verstappen - Book 3]

23

I push the door open, eyes trained firmly on the shower and see to my shock a naked Max Verstappen in the shower.

"Max! What the fuck?" I scream and he whips around to me, the room not quite steamy enough to hide his body through the panes of glass as he looks at me surprised. I can't help but let my eyes travel down his body and when I get to his private parts I realise what I'm doing and spin around, turning away from him embarrassed. "What are you doing here?" I say stressed as I hear the shower get switched off.

"Er, can you hand me a towel?" Max asks gently from behind me and I nod wordlessly, reaching out to grab a towel from the towel rail in front of me before holding it behind me for him to grab, never turning around to look until I get a sort of clearing of his throat in confirmation that he's 'dressed'. But when I turn around I just find him standing right behind me and my eyes are now level with his bare chest that is still glistening with water. I fight hard with myself to not get distracted as I lift my eyes to meet his and take a step back warily.

"What are you doing here Max?" I ask him confused as I look around my bathroom. "Like in my flat to be very clear, not just why are you taking a shower in my bathroom which is a weird layer to add onto the first part of that sentence."

"I came around last night to see you, you weren't here. Your parents told me they were leaving at 4 am and that you would be back around 8. They suggested I stay so that I could watch Senna while they were gone and so I'm showering because I've just come back from a run with him." Max explains, one hand gripped firmly on where the towel is tied around his waist and causing my eyes to wander down his toned abs, more so than they had ever been while he was a driver...retirement was treating him well. "Ellie?" Max says my name and it brings me back from whatever r-rated daydream I was having.

"I-I told you I was headed to the US," I mumble turning around and walking away from him back into my bedroom, resting the tennis racket back down as I run a tired hand over my face and tense as I feel Max slowly take steps to follow me out of the bathroom.

"Yeah but then you don't answer any of my messages for a week so I thought I'd take a shot and see if you were around. Only to get here and see your parents watching your interview on Fallon. You're a great friend for replying," Max says bitterly referencing the interview and I let out a Shaky sigh, still not turning to him, instead going to open the balcony doors and let a breeze in through the room, pausing outside to look at the city that was slowly waking up. "Ellie for fucks sake! What the hell is going on?" He yells clearly the frustration is getting the better of him but I'm exhausted and I can't think straight from all the work and travelling and so I can barely focus on him let alone the content of his words as I shrug, my eyes focusing on the sparkling reflection of the sun on the water. I hear him curse a few more times in Dutch before suddenly a hand grips my hand, interlacing his fingers with me and the electricity that I'm so used to when I touch him serves to wake me up as I look up at him, my mouth open in confusion at the motion.

"I-I don't know. I was busy with work," I mumble, it's a bad excuse and I know it is and I know he knows it is.

"No. No, if you're busy you tell Liv to text me back. Or you text me back. It only takes three seconds Ellie. No, you were ignoring me because of what happened in Australia!" He says harshly and I cringe at his words.

"As far as I'm aware nothing happened in Australia..." I mutter quietly and he sighs.

"So that's it. You wanted sex, I said no and so you decide I'm not worth talking to. All the flirting and catching up, being friends, that all just disappears into a void because I wouldn't fuck you." He says harshly, eyes angry. "I'm not flirting with you for a fuck Ellie. If I wanted that, quite frankly, I could go walk up to any woman at a race track. I wanted to spend time with you, why is that so bad?"