He frowned further, before following her into the living room. He sat down next to her in his usual spot and watched her flick through the channels. She was upset. It was obvious, but he didn’t know what to do. He couldn’t just give up his dream, could he?
Thinking things over, his eyelids got heavy, his head drooping onto his chest. Soon he was fast asleep and snoring, leaning over on his arm. Tammi looked at him, before getting up and draping a blanket over his body. She may be hard on him, but Max was still her best friend.
As she sat there, looking at him, she sighed. She wondered how he would react if he knew the truth about how she really felt. Would he reject her or worse yet, friend-zone her? Her heart skipped a beat at the thought and she looked away, focusing on the TV. But the sitcom could do little to ease her mind. Frustrated she got up, moving back into the kitchen. She might as well make dinner.
She moved around the kitchen with ease, humming softly as she put ingredients together. Soon the whole house filled with the aroma of fresh herbs and spices. She smiled as the timer went off and she pulled out an extra cheesy lasagna out of the oven.
Pleased with the result, she carried it into the dining room and placed the dish in the middle of the table. She then returned into the kitchen, grabbing plates and utensils, setting the table for two.
Meanwhile, Max continued to sleep, but his mind took him somewhere sweet. In his dream, there was a girl sitting by the beach, with chestnut hair that flowed elegantly in the wind. As he approached her, she turned around, looking at him, giving him a warm smile with rosy lips. It was Tammi.
With a wide smile, he sat by her side. To his surprise, she leaned over and kissed his cheek with a giggle. He blushed and looked away, a little embarrassed. Did she know he liked her? She looked at him with an adoring look in her eyes.
She started to lean into him, her eyes closed and her lips slightly puckered. Was this the moment he had been waiting for since junior high? Was his childhood crush finally going to kiss him? He waited with eager anticipation for her lips to press into his, but nothing happened.
“Max.” He began to shake, scrunching his face in confusion. What was going on? He opened his eyes and saw the real Tammi looking at him. “Dinner’s ready.”
“Huh?” He asked, looking at her lips. Had he been dreaming?
“I made food,” Tammi explained. “You okay? You’re looking at me weird.” Max shook his head slightly, trying to clear his mind before he got up.
“Yeah. Yeah. I’m okay.” He said, brushing off the whole situation as he followed his nose into the dining room.
As they ate dinner, he remained quiet, occasionally looking at her. His dream and her words from earlier were swarming around his mind as he barely touched his food. He knew he would lose her if he didn’t tell her how he felt, but he didn’t know how. What if she didn’t like him back?
“Max… you sure you are okay?” She asked, concerned. Her hair fell over her face gently, covering up her eye. Max instinctively reached forward and pinned it behind her ear, his hand lingering on her cheek.
“Actually…” He paused, taking a deep breath, steadying his nerves. “There’s something I need to tell you.”
Tammi tilted her head to the side, her cheek nuzzling into his palm by accident. She blushed and pulled away slightly. “Oh?”
“Tammi…I…” Max paused again.
“Just spit it out!”
“I love you.” Tammi dropped her fork just as she was about to take a bite. What? She stared at him in disbelief.
“You what..?” She blurted out, in shock. Max’s face fell as he heard her, thinking she was mad.
“I’m sorry to just dump this on you… but there is never a right time… and I’ve liked you since like the seventh grade…” He started to ramble on and on, trying to defend himself. Her face was red, but she managed to lean forward and kiss him on the lips for the first time.
Max was frozen in place as he felt her soft lips on his. His heart started to race and he closed his eyes in pleasant surprise as she continued to kiss him. To his disappointment, she pulled away.
“Hey… I was enjoying that…” He whined, giving her puppy dog eyes.
“Then come get some more.” She winked and got up, running into the living room playfully. He chuckled and chased her. Soon enough he cornered her. Picking her up with ease, before carrying her to the sofa. Slowly, he leaned down, kissing her gently. Kissing her was even better than he had imagined. He smiled into the kiss as she kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck.
“Hey… do you want to stay the night?” She asked when she finally pulled away. He grinned and nodded, carrying her into the bedroom.
Chapter 3
In the morning, Max woke up on the couch. His legs hung off the side and his body was barely covered with the small blanket. Groaning, he got up, feeling the pain radiating through his sore muscles. He touched his head, feeling it pound. Limping slightly, he made his way into Tammi’s bedroom.
She was fast asleep, cuddling into her blanket. He smiled and walked over to her, before sitting down on the edge of her bed. He reached out and touched her hair, gently caressing it. Slowly, she started to wake up, looking up at him.
“Mmm… Max… what time it is?” She asked.
“Around ten,” he answered, leaning down and kissing the top of her head. “You can go to sleep after I leave, but I wanted to say goodbye first.” Tammi sat up quickly.
“Wait… where are you going?” She asked, holding the blankets against her chest as she felt the chilly air of her bedroom settle around her.
“Mayhem.”
Tammi gave him an annoyed look. “You can’t go into the ring. You’re still hurt!” She tried reasoning with him, but he just shook his head stubbornly.
“I’ll be okay. The guy I’m fighting is a small fry.” Tammi kept frowning as she looked at him. He would never learn. She sighed softly, her eyes imploring him to stay. “I’m sorry… but I have to go… this could be the chance I have been looking for. The opportunity to prove myself.”
“To whom?” She demanded, her eyes fierce as her hand rested on his, squeezing it slightly. “You don’t have to prove anything to anyone. You can stay… stay here with me.” She gave him puppy dog eyes, but it only made him look away, standing up.
“I can’t. I have to do this. I can’t give you a logical reason why. I just know that I have to.” He answered, standing his ground as he leaned down and kissed her head. “I’ll be careful. Promise.”
Tammi sighed, watching him leave. He would never learn. She plopped back into bed, looking at the ceiling. As she heard him get ready in the other room she got up, walking into the living room.
“No work today?” He asked, seeing her still in pajamas. Usually, Tammi would always be ready in the morning if she had work. She shook her head and wrapped arms around herself, rubbing her sides. She had to buy warmer pajamas. “Well in that case… why don’t you come with me?” He asked, hopefully.
“To Mayhem? No way.” She said, crossing arms over her chest, giving him a stern look.
“C’mon, it’ll be good for me. You can be my number one fan.” He chuckled, before winking at her. She rolled her eyes in derision, moving into the kitchen. “Tammi! I’m being serious.”
“I don’t want to go,” she called out, popping some waffles into the toaster.
“And why not?” He asked, leaning against the doorway.
“You know I don’t like the idea of you fighting. There’s no way I am going to sit there and watch you get hit!”
“C’mon if you go I’ll be extra careful! Plus you get to see me in my fighting shorts!” He added in as if it would change her mind. She stared at him for a moment before sighing, giving in.
“Fine. I’ll go, but not because of your shorts. Just to keep an eye on you.” She said quickly. Max laughed, walking over to her, playfully tossing an arm around her shoulder, messing up her hair like when they were kids.
“Whatever you
say, Tammi. I saw how you looked at me last night!” Tammi’s face colored as she turned her back to him, busying herself with the dishes. Max pulled her away, grabbing the dirty mug from her hand. “I’ll wash those, you go get dressed.”
Tammi huffed, but walked off, disappearing into her bedroom. Soon enough, she came back dressed in some casual clothes. Max’s eyes swept over her with a grin.
“Stop looking at me like that you perv!” She teased playfully. He smiled and walked over to her, grabbing her hand. Together they walked out the house, a pile of dirty dishes still in the sink.
Soon enough they pulled up to Mayhem. As they entered the arena, Tammi began to look around. She was impressed but didn’t want Max to find out. She had never been there before and all the sights and sounds were new to her.
“You can sit anywhere. This isn’t an official fight so it’s no big deal.” He said, leaving her in the front row. She sat down, waiting patiently. Before long an unknown man entered the ring. He looked big, much bigger than Max.
“So much for his opponent being small fry…” She muttered under her breath. As she said this, Max entered the ring, disappearing into his corner. The unknown man did the same and Tammi waited with an unwilling anticipation for the fight to begin.
The fight was going relatively well for Max at first. He was dodging punches and was keeping light on his feet as he made his way around the ring, but everything went downhill when the man landed a kick on his bruised ribs.
Max gasped in pain before falling down. His opponent capitalized on the opportunity and pounced. He rained down punches on Max, using him as a human punching bag. The man was overwhelmed with an unaccountable rage, destroying Max in the process.
Tammi looked on in horror as her best friend was mauled in the ring. The referee tried to pry the opponent off Max, but the large man lashed out, throwing the referee to the ground. In the end, it took three men to pry the insane fighter off Max.
Tammi rushed into the ring, looking at her friend. It was obvious he had a series of broken ribs and was bleeding hard. “Someone, please, we need help!” She called out. Quickly, a pair of standby paramedics stepped in, pushing away Tammi. They started to perform first aid as someone called an ambulance. It was clear Max would need more help than the paramedics could provide.
“You idiot. I said you weren’t ready to fight. Why don’t you ever listen to me?” She whimpered, her eyes filling with tears.
Wincing, Max nonetheless reached out his hand and caressed the side of her face, trying to comfort her. “Hey… I’ll be okay.”
Chapter 4
“Thanks again for taking care of me Tammi,” Max said as he followed her down the entranceway, holding onto some crutches.
“Careful. It’s icy.”
“I know. I know.” He said, hopping along. Soon, they were inside her house and he slowly eased himself onto the couch.
“This time, you’ll listen. The doctor said it will be about three month’s recovery for that broken leg. I’m not letting you go anywhere near the ring until then. Got it.” She said sternly, putting down her bag.
“Yes, ma’am,” he answered back quickly.
“Good, what do you want for dinner?”
Max thought about it for a moment, before answering, “Can you make mac and cheese?” She smiled and nodded, disappearing into the kitchen.
He waited patiently for her, but eventually ended up falling asleep as the painkillers took full effect. Tammi reentered the room seeing him asleep and chuckled, covering him with a blanket, before sitting down beside him.
From that moment forward, Tammi did everything she could to nurse Max back to health. She reminded him to take his medicine and kept him out of trouble. Max hated staying inside the house, but he had no other choice under Tammi’s iron fist.
But soon enough, he was nearing the end of his recovery and was doing better day by day. His leg cast was already off and all he had to do now was give his body the full time it needed to heal.
As his recovery took its time, his relationship with Tammi grew. They started treating each other more as lovers and less like innocent best friends. They kissed regularly and snuggled on a daily basis, but Max had yet to make a move. He wanted to be with her, but at the same time, he was apprehensive about an intimate engagement.
However, the day before his last doctor’s appointment, the one that would clear him of all his injuries, he finally made his move. Tammi was on the couch, going through her phone. He sneaked up behind her and covered her eyes, making her jump.
“Guess who,” he whispered into her ear.
She giggled and bit her lip in an ironic answer. “Hmm… Jose?”
“Who the hell is Jose?” Max asked, sounding a little bit hurt. She chuckled, before leaning back, looking at him upside down. As she did, he pulled out some flowers, giving them to her with a blush on his face. She sat up quickly and looked at him properly, before taking the flowers a little surprised.
“For me?” She asked.
“No, for Monica.”
“Who the hell is Monica?” They both burst out into laughter before Max leaned forward and kissed her. Tammi smiled and kissed him back, wrapping her arms around his neck. The kiss soon intensified. They started to make out and Tammi pulled Max into the couch. He grinned, pinning her down.
“Hey! I was supposed to make the first move tonight!” He chuckled, before kissing her cheek.
“Huh?”
“This,” he said before standing and picking her up, carrying her bridal style into the bedroom. He tossed her onto the bed playfully, before getting onto the bed with her. He pinned her down once more, kissing her neck, making her moan. “I want to make you feel good.” Tammi’s face reddened, but she didn’t try to stop him as his hand slithered up her shirt, finding its way to her bra strap.
He fumbled with it for a moment, before finally unclasping it. Smirking with pride he removed her shirt, pulling her bra with it. He paused for a moment, admiring her bare breasts for the first time. His cheeks burned crimson and he could feel his member come to life between his legs.
Tammi’s heart started to race as she looked at him, wondering what he would do next. She had dreamed about this moment countless times and found it hard to believe it was actually happening.
Max steadied himself, before leaning down, kissing her neck again. As he did, his hands ran over her body, making her shiver with goosebumps as he began to unbutton her pants. Soon he was sliding them down her hips as his kisses trailed down to her collar bone. She bit her lip, muffling her moan.
With her pants now across the room, he worked on her panties, getting them off her long legs as he moved over her. His body hovered over hers for a moment, before he leaned down and caressed her breasts, leaving a small trail of kisses all over them, until his tongue found her nipple, flicking it slightly. They hardened in reaction and he grinned, gaining confidence.
To Tammi’s dismay, his mouth soon left her sensitive spots, making its way down to her navel. She shivered again, feeling his hands on her thighs, slowly spreading them apart. His nimble fingers slowly crept their way toward her now wet pussy as she started to breathe harder in anticipation.
Soon enough, Max was between her legs, looking up at her with his dark brown eyes. There was a naughty glint playing around in them as he slowly leaned down, his tongue darting out, making contact with her delicate flesh.
She moaned out softly, feeling his tongue touch her intimately for the first time. The moan drove Max wild, and before Tammi could react he was quickly lapping at her clit, making her moan even louder as his fingers helped out, slowly rubbing her clit, teasing her. Eventually, one of his fingers made its way into her eager crevice, making her clutch the sheets in pleasure as her body quivered in excitement.
Tammi had never felt like this before. She never wanted him to stop, so her fingers wrapped around his hair and pulled him closer until his face was covered in her juices. Max, however, continued to lap at her pussy
, eager to please her. She kept moaning out his name, driving him insane, until the tightness in his pants was too much to bear.
His fingers left her, making her whimper as his tongue tried to compensate by exploring further inside her. He quickly pulled off his pants and boxers, freeing his member. He sighed in relief, before pulling his mouth away from her. She whimpered loudly, looking at him with pleading eyes.
He grinned, his fingers reaching down and teasing her, making her buck her hips, her body calling out for more. He continued to tease her, bringing her to the edge and back, until she was begging for release.
Finally, he gave her exactly what she asked for, as he shoved two of his fingers inside of her, pumping them in and out, hooking them slightly, making her quiver. He leaned down as his tongue went wild exploring her wet folds once more.
ROMANCE: BILLIONAIRE ROMANCE: Completely Obsessed (Bad boy Alpha Male Pregnancy Romance) (New Adult and College Contemporary Romance) Page 127