by Kay Harris
When they got to the house, Maya ran to the door, used her key to open it, and flashed inside well ahead of him. Everett took his time. His mind wandered over the evening’s events as he moseyed slowly up the walkway to his front door. People he cared deeply about were finding their paths. He’d found his as well, but it wasn’t complete.
If Carlos could battle his evil ex-wife to keep Amy, and Roger could come out as a major sports star for Mica, where did that leave him and Maya? Maya wasn’t even willing to tell their coworkers about them. Did Everett see their relationship as something more than it was? When compared to the epic stories of those around them, it seemed so much smaller than what he felt in his heart.
“It’s about time.” Maya’s voice echoed from some unseen location in the house as he walked through the front door and closed it gently behind him.
“Where are you?”
“In the bedroom.”
Everett did not pick up his speed as he made his way up the stairs. Somehow sex seemed wrong right now. He needed something else from Maya, something that would keep his heart from teetering off the edge it was perched on.
When he finally rounded the door and stepped into the bedroom, he was met with an unexpected sight. The bed was stripped down to the mattress, all the bedding tossed to the far side of the room. A plastic sheet was draped over it, and beside it, Maya sat in her art chair with a paintbrush in her hand.
“Ummm?”
“Take off your clothes.”
Everett began unbuttoning his shirt, but he continued to stare at her with a deep sense of confusion. “What’s this all about?”
“Do you trust me?”
“You know I do.”
“Then get naked and lie on the bed.”
Everett didn’t question her. He wanted to talk, not have sex. But he also wanted to give her whatever she wanted. When the two things warred, her desires would always win.
She didn’t watch him as he undressed. Instead, she played with something on the bedside table. With her hunched over it, he couldn’t see what was happening. So he stayed focused on his task. Once he was completely stripped down, he lay on the bed as she asked and turned his head to face her.
Maya smiled at him and brandished the paintbrush, now rich with color. “Don’t worry. This is body paint. It’ll come off in the shower.”
“You’re going to paint me?”
She nodded. Her eyes sparkled with mischief. He couldn’t resist her.
“Don’t look.”
He didn’t close his eyes, but he didn’t follow the brush with his gaze either. Instead, he stayed focused on her face as she worked. He’d watched her before when she was painting. Her eyes were sharp and focused. Her brow furrowed in concentration. She usually bit her bottom lip as she did now. She was the most beautiful thing he’d ever seen.
The wet sensation on his chest was not unpleasant. Maya must have warmed up the paints or the water she mixed them with. Either way, the soft brush, the careful stroke, it was lulling his body into a deep relaxation. He felt himself melting into the mattress. Even the strange sensation of the plastic at his back became part of the experience.
His eyes drifted closed. He was on the edge of sleep when she called him back. “Look.”
His eyes popped open. His view of Maya’s beautiful face was obscured by a mirror being held over him. The reflection showed his painted chest. Like all of Maya’s paintings, it was a riot of bright colors. The right side of his chest held a rainbow and a star. His sternum was lined with an intricate candle, elegantly twisted. And right over his heart she’d written the words he’d really needed from her. I love you.
She pulled the mirror away and set it on the table beside her. She’d taken off her own clothes at some point and she crawled over him naked, straddling his waist, her hands planted on the mattress on either side of his head.
“The greatest work of art inside me is what I feel for you.” Her words were soft and sincere. Her lips hovered over his.
“I love you.” He reached up and cradled the back of her head in his big palm then pulled her to him for a deep kiss.
Maya met his enthusiasm, dropping down on his chest and smearing the paint all over them both as she pressed them together. They rolled around on the plastic, spreading colors in their need to touch each other everywhere. The end result was a handful of orgasms, a massive mess, and two deeply happy people.
SEPTEMBER
Epilogue
It was September thirteenth again, meaning Maya, Amy, Alice, and Julia were gathered for their birthday celebration. They sat around a table not far from the bar, the center of it was littered with margarita glasses and dessert plates.
Maya wasn’t nearly as tipsy as she’d gotten last year because this year she had to be awake and alert for her second celebration later that night. She knew Everett would have some surprise for her when she got home. He’d been acting incredibly sneaky lately.
He wasn’t the only one with a secret. Maya, Alice, and Julia were all well aware of why Carlos Diaz was peeking out at them from behind a booth across the room. Amy was seated so she couldn’t see him. And soon, she’d get the shock of her life.
Maya tried to keep her expression neutral as she watched Carlos stand and move toward them. But she lost all facial control when she saw the man on his heels.
Logic would dictate that Everett was there as Carlos’ wingman. But the look on his face told another story altogether. The nervousness there wasn’t because he and Maya were a secret. They weren’t. Not anymore. The Monday after her gallery show, Maya had walked into Tranquility Candles hand in hand with Everett and begun the process of telling everyone they knew, one by one, that they were together.
Something else was going on tonight, though. And clueless about what it was, Maya couldn’t do anything more than gape at Everett as the two men came to stop in front of the table.
Everyone else’s attention was focused on Carlos and Amy as the man lowered himself to one knee in front of his girlfriend and asked her to marry him. But up until the moment she hugged her friend in joy, Maya’s gaze remained glued to Everett.
After Amy had agreed to be Carlos’ wife, Carlos turned to look at his friend. “Your turn, Everett.”
Until they’d reunited, Maya wouldn’t have believed Everett had a shy bone in his body. But she seemed to bring that out in him. And it made her melt. She moved around Amy so she was standing in front of her adorable man.
Everett shoved his right hand into the pocket of his jeans and took her hand with his left. He removed a square box, not small enough to hold a ring, thankfully. He snapped it open to reveal a sapphire necklace.
Maya ran her hand over the necklace. “It’s beautiful.”
“You like it?”
She raised her head to gaze into those chocolate eyes. “I love it. Put it on me.”
Their friends around them seemed to be holding their breath as Maya turned and pulled her hair up. Everett looped the chain around her neck and clasped it. Then he placed a quick kiss on the back of her neck.
Maya released her hair and whirled back around, placing her hands on his waist. “Thank you.”
“There’s one problem, though.”
Maya frowned. “Problem?”
Everett fingered the necklace. “You can’t wear this to work.”
She looked down at it. “No, I suppose not.” It could get caught in the equipment and seriously injure her. That’s why jewelry wasn’t allowed on the factory floor.
Everett pulled her chin up with his fingers. “I have a solution. So you don’t ever have to take the necklace off.”
She cocked her head, confusion the dominant feature on her face, she was sure.
“I put you on my insurance. Partner coverage. And Melissa has some serious money coming to you. It’s enough to pay the electric bill for the next year, at least, and buy painting supplies.”
Maya’s head spun. “What…I don’t understand…What are you saying?”
“You’re fired, Maya.”
Slowly, her lips curled up. “Really?”
“Oh yeah, Baby. Consider yourself an ex-candle maker and current artist slash my amazing girlfriend.”
Maya wrapped her arms around Everett and kissed him. She was almost completely lost in the sensation of his lips on hers. But there was enough awareness left to hear Alice in the background.
“As soon as you’re done, we need to get going. All of us. We have something important to do.”
Maya swiveled in Everett’s arms, keeping herself pressed firmly to him. “What?” she asked her friend.
“I’m getting married tonight.”
THE END
Want to know more about Mica’s story? The sweet MM Romance “Mica’s Wish” will be available on my website http://www.kayharrisauthor.com
If you haven’t read book 1 in the WISH series, read Amy’s Wish today! There will be two more books in this series. Keep your eyes open for “Alice’s Wish” next.
Thank you for reading “Maya’s Wish.” If you liked it, please consider leaving a review. Authors depend on reviews to help others find our books.
A word about the author…
Kay Harris has had a diverse career with jobs ranging from college professor to park ranger. Now she adds author to her repertoire. Kay writes romance novels that contain a little bit of sweet, a dash of sexy, a touch of heartbreak, and a whole lot of fun!
Kay grew up in the Midwest and has since lived all over the western United States including Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Nevada, and California. She loves to hike, is obsessed with museums, and enjoys taking her extremely tall and very handsome husband on adventures.
Other Titles by Kay Harris:
Wish series:
Amy’s Wish (book 1)
Love on Tour series:
Love on the Rocks (book 1)
Play Me (book 2)
You Got to Me (book 3)
The Man You Need (book 4)
Delirious Love (book 5)
I Want Morrison series:
Don’t Let Him Go (book 1)
Lost on the Road to Love (book 2)
Just for You (book 3)
Take it on the Run (book 4)
Information about Kay Harris’ books as well as links to her social media can be found at http://www.kayharrisauthor.com