She laughed. “Marriage is a crazy thing and it’s scary as all get out. When I married John, I didn’t know what I was in for. I thought it would be peachy keen, but it wasn’t. It’s a lot of work and a lot of compromisin.’ That’s a fact with my hand up.”
I smiled, watching her work her way through her kitchen.
“There are a lot of men that look real nice on the outside. They’re a dime a dozen. But,” she said, turning to look at me, “finding one that’s just as nice on the inside is the real trick. And I might be partial and all, but Max is probably better on the inside than he is on the outside. I say that knowin’ just how handsome he is.”
I couldn’t help but return her smile. “I know. Max is the best man I’ve ever met.”
“He better be or I’ll kick his behind,” she said, narrowing her eyes for effect. She shook her head and turned back to the stove. “Look at me tryin’ to sell my son to you. I’ve turned into the old woman mettlin’ in my son’s business.”
“What are ya mettlin’ in?”
I turned to see Max walking in the room, John right behind him, chairs in hand.
John Quinn was gorgeous for an older man. He had an olive complexion like Max and dark, shiny hair. His eyes were a whiskey color, his face lined in the way a man’s face would be from years of work, laughs, and maybe a cigar or two. His voice was deep, his southern twang the most pronounced out of all the Quinn’s. He was easygoing and kind and we got along from the start.
“Where do you want these?” John asked, holding the chairs out to his side.
“Over there,” Fern pointed towards the fireplace with a wooden spoon.
I unrolled the strips like I’d seen Fern do before. Max came up behind me and kissed the top of my head. “I like seein’ you in the kitchen making noodles,” he whispered in my ear. “It turns me on.”
I swatted at his leg, leaving a floured handprint on his jeans.
“Maxwell Jacob, where’s my kiss?” Fern asked, pointing at her cheek. Max let go of me and walked to his mother. He kissed her on the cheek and she pulled him into a hug. “Good to see you, son. You okay?”
“Yeah,” he said, pulling back and smiling at his mother. “Things are good.”
“Good. Get yourself a glass of tea and sit over there with your lady while we finish up.”
Max opened the refrigerator and poured two glasses of tea. He placed one beside me, in a puddle of flour, and sat at an empty seat. Laughter echoed off the walls of the house, followed by the sound of the front door shutting.
“Sounds like trouble,” John muttered, sitting at the table and winking at me. I tried to smile, but it was probably more of a grimace.
I broke a few more eggs in the bowl and began to beat them. As I recognized the voices, I whisked harder.
“Hey, Ma!” Brielle bounced in the kitchen.
“Hi, Mama Fern!”
I didn’t even look up. I halfway expected Samantha to show up; she attended the Quinn family dinners regularly. But there was a part of me that hoped she wouldn’t. I didn’t really know why, but I just wanted some space from her. Now that Max was working with her, I just felt territorial in a way.
I tossed a handful of flour in the bowl and stirred.
“Hi, Maxie,” Brielle said cheerfully, her long black hair curled into beautiful waves.
“Hey, Bri,” he said, pulling out a chair next to me. “Hi, Sam.”
“Hey, Max.” Her voice was softer than I cared to acknowledge. I looked up to Max and his eyes were on me. He gave me a wink reminiscent of the one his father had just given me.
“Hi, Kari. Good to see you,” Sam said sweetly.
“You, too, Samantha.” I gave myself a pat on the back for not sounding as bitchy as I felt. I knew feeling that way wasn’t warranted, but I couldn’t help it. Down deep, I knew I should feel sorry for her after all the things she’d gone through. I should understand and appreciate Max’s compassion for her.
But I’m only human.
“Girls, wash your hands and start peeling the potatoes, please,” Fern ordered from across the room.
I tossed the dough on the counter and began rolling it out. I turned the ball into a flat sheet and added some flour to the top and started rolling it into a log. Brielle and Sam both walked past and kissed John on the cheek.
“You girls better get to peelin’ the potatoes. I’m starving,” he joked, opening a newspaper.
Sam swatted his shoulder and made her way into the kitchen. “Need a glass of tea, John?”
“No, I’m good, thanks.”
“Max?” she asked, that tone back in her voice. “Need some tea?”
“Nah, I just got a glass for me and one for Kari,” he said.
I looked up and Max was watching me, amused. I knew he was thinking I was acting jealous and I was. I also knew he was thinking it was ridiculous for me to act that way and it was.
The fact that he knew what I was thinking embarrassed me, causing my cheeks to flush. I looked away and heard him chuckle.
“You really want Sam peeling potatoes?” Brielle asked. “You know she takes half the potato with the peel. That’s why you usually have her make the noodles.”
“I’m teaching Kari how to make them. She’s gonna be a Quinn, so she has to learn sometime,” Fern said, stirring the big pot on the stove.
“What?” Brielle shrieked, causing me to look up at her. She looked from me, to Max, and back to me again. Her eyes narrowed. “You’re engaged?”
“Not yet,” Max said, his voice rough as he peered across the room at his sister.
Brielle clutched a hand across her chest. “Thank God,” she muttered.
“Brielle Amanda, where are your manners?” Fern said, sitting the spoon down and putting a hand on her hip. She glared at her daughter. “Don’t you come into this house and act like you’ve been raised in a barn!”
My cheeks flushed a brighter shade of red and I looked down at the table, not sure what was going on.
“Oh, Mama. I’m sorry. It’s just . . .”
“Don’t apologize to me, young lady. Apologize to—” Fern began, but Max cut her off.
“Pardon the interruption.” He turned his gaze slowly to his sister. “If you have something you wanna say to me, we can have that conversation privately. But you won’t disrespect Kari in front of me. Do ya understand?”
The room went quiet and I wanted to disappear. If there was some button to hit to make a big hole open in the floor and let me drop through, I would’ve pushed it. Hard.
“You should apologize, Bri,” Sam said smoothly.
“You’re kidding me,” Bri uttered, sending a stern look at her friend. Sam just watched her. Bri seemed to get the message loud and clear. With a long sigh, she sat down the potato she was holding. “Max, I’m sorry. Kari,” she paused, taking a deep breath, “please forgive me. I didn’t mean that to come out the way it did. I didn’t mean to cause you any disrespect. Max has just never been that serious about anyone before. I was caught off guard.”
I looked up at Max. His jaw was working overtime, his eyes blazing. I knew he wasn’t happy and that he would probably be calling Brielle over this later. I knew she didn’t love me, that wasn’t a surprise. Yes, I was caught a little off-guard at her outburst, but at the end of the day, she was right. Max shouldn’t be marrying me.
“No worries, Brielle,” I said, my eyes never leaving Max’s. He didn’t respond to his sister. The room stayed quiet for a minute until John cleared his throat.
“Now that is over, how close are we to eatin’?”
“We’ll get the potatoes boiling as soon as the girls get them peeled and diced. Then we’ll put the noodles in the broth.” Fern walked towards me. “How ya doing on them, Kari?”
“Good, I think.”
She rested her hand on my shoulder. “Those look perfect, hon. You’re a natural.” She squeezed my shoulder before letting it go. “You picked a good one, Maxwell. She’s got all the trademarks for a
good wife. She’s beautiful, has a natural cooking ability, and she’s loyal. I can see it in her eyes.”
Max grinned at me, trying not to laugh. I rolled my eyes.
“She’ll be a good mama to my grandbabies.”
My breath hitched in my throat and I could feel my eyes go wide.
“Don’t be rushing things now,” Max said, his eyes still on me. I knew the look he was giving me was his way of trying to calm me down, but it wasn’t really working. “You’re gonna scare her off.”
“It’s a natural way for a woman of my age to think. My arms need a grandbaby in them and you’re my oldest and clearly in love with that young lady. What do you want me to think?”
I looked up to see Brielle shooting daggers at me. She turned her attention back to the potatoes. “Is your date tonight, Sam?”
“Yeah,” she said.
“Where are you meeting him?”
“He’s taking me to Bobe’s. It should be fun. I’m excited.”
“A new man?” Fern asked, putting the cubed potatoes into a colander and rinsing them off. “Where did you meet him?”
Sam laughed. “I met him at a bar, actually.”
Fern blanched, causing Sam to laugh even harder. “Don’t worry, Mama Fern. He’s really nice and really cute.”
“Make sure you tell someone where you’re going and when you leave.” She dumped the potatoes into the boiling water on the stove. “It’s not like the old days when you met someone at a reputable place.”
“It’s a bar, not an AA meeting!” Sam exclaimed.
“Just be careful,” Fern said, shaking her head. “I hope you know what you’re doing.”
Sam looked over her shoulder at Max and then back to Brielle. “I know exactly what I’m doing.”
KARI
Max was lying on the bed, the sheets bunched around his waist. Titus was lying at the foot of the bed, chewing on a red knotted rope that we had picked up for him at PetSmart. Max held the Kindle Jada had given to me for Christmas.
There’s nothing sexier than a guy reading.
Dinner at his parent’s had been interesting, to say the least. Fern made a couple of comments about grandbabies, especially when Pierce and Isa arrived with Joselyn. I had a nice conversation with Isa and we had made plans to go hiking the following week. I dodged glares from Brielle throughout dinner. Before leaving, John had pulled me in for a hug and whispered, “Don’t let Brielle bother you. I’ll have a talk with her when y’all leave. You just keep doing what you’re doing, darlin.’”
Our ride home had been quiet, Max talking to Cane most of the way about something work-related. Once we arrived, I had taken a quick shower and slipped on a green gown.
I watched Max swipe the screen of the Kindle and I giggled out loud. He turned his head and looked me over from head to toe. He grinned sexily, making me melt on the spot. “You read this stuff?” he asked, nodding subtly towards the e-reader.
“I do.” I walked slowly to the bed. “Got a problem with it?”
“Not if you are going to let me try some of this.” He popped the Kindle back up again. “I mean, this is some good shit.”
I laughed and stretched out beside him. I rolled over to face him and stroked his abs with my fingers, feeling each ripple beneath them. “It is.”
He sat the Kindle down and rolled onto his side, facing me. “You’re so damn beautiful, sweetheart.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He watched me for a long time. “I’m sorry about my mom tonight. She can be a little overbearing.”
“It’s fine. She’s just proud of you and wants the world for you.”
“I already have the world.” He tipped my chin so I was looking at him. “You’re all that matters to me in this whole world.”
My lips betrayed the cool confidence my brain told my body to portray. My face broke out into a huge smile. “You don’t play fair.”
“I’m not playin’ at all, sweetheart.” His voice was heavy, his accent thick in the late hour. “I know I ask you to marry me all the time and it sounds like a joke at this point. I guess it kinda is because I know you’re gonna say no. But know this . . .” He bent down until our eyes were even. His greens pierced mine, cutting through all the crap that I tried to hide. “I’d marry you in a heartbeat. I’d be so damn honored to call you my wife. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered, trying to fight the swell in my chest.
“I mean it. I know there’s a bunch of garbage in your head, but I’m tellin’ you right now it’s a bunch of shit. All that matters is me and you.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m not sure what’s going on in there,” he said, tapping my temple gently, “but I’m gonna figure it out and fix it.”
He rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling. “I don’t want you thinkin’ I’m pressuring you or anything. I just want you to know where I stand.”
“I love you,” I said softly, not sure what else to say. The simple truth seemed like the best response. They were words I usually had a hard time saying, words I didn’t want to toss out there. But Max just made it so easy.
“I know ya do. And I love you, too.”
I pulled the blankets up, feeling a sudden chill. I was getting deeper and deeper intot his relationship when I should’ve been putting some distance between us.
I was making a huge mistake and I knew it. I just couldn’t do anything about it.
“I feel like I’m wasting your time,” I whispered.
“How’s that?” he asked, his voice sounding bored.
“Because you want to get married and do all that. And your family wants it for you, as they should.”
“I don’t give a damn what they want. I want you.”
“But—”
“No buts.” He pressed a finger to my lips, quieting me. “Did you see Joselyn?”
I nodded.
“If you don’t want kids, we’ll just turn Isa’s kids into little tyrants. We’ll spoil them rotten and they’ll love us. We’ll sugar them all up and then send them home to her. Or to my mom’s,” he laughed, making me laugh, too.
I scooted over and nestled my head into the crook of his neck. “Sam said that any woman would be lucky to have your kid. She’s right, you know.”
“Well, my mom said you were a part of our family. She’s right, too, you know.” He let his fingers trail down my back, his touch leaving a wake of goose bumps in their path. “I told Sam that our relationship was strictly professional yesterday.”
“You did?”
“I did. I know you don’t like her, but you honestly have nothin’ to worry about when it comes to her.”
“She asked me to have lunch with her tomorrow.”
Max laughed. “She did?”
“Yup.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I’d call her in the morning.”
Max let his fingers stroke the skin beneath the silky fabric of my nightgown. “I think you should go. It might do her some good to have a friend.”
“She has Brielle,” I countered.
“And Brielle isn’t doing you any favors. Maybe you should go just to calm your nerves about her.”
I relaxed into him, spreading my legs apart in hopes that his fingers would find their way there. “Why does Bri not like me?”
Max shrugged beneath me. “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. Because I like you.”
“Well, I’d like you a little more if you put this,” I said, grabbing his hand and placing it on the apex of my thighs, “here.”
His chest moved with a suppressed chuckle. “Well, sweetheart, I’d like it a little more if I put this,” he said, picking up my hand and touching it to his face, “here.” He took my hand and joined it with his on my sex.
I placed my hand on top of his and pushed it towards my opening. I picked up his middle finger and pressed it against my clit, letting out a small breath. “I won’t say no to your face between my legs. You’re like a damn wizard.”
“A wizard?” He laughed, tucking one arm under my waist and tossing me across the bed. He spread my legs and positioned himself between them.
“Yeah, a wizard,” I said, distracted with the anticipation of what was coming. “Now work your fucking magic.”
“Language, Kari,” he warned, narrowing his gaze and making me giggle.
“Magic Max. Get on it.” I lifted my hips towards his face and he chuckled.
“Impatient?”
“Now.”
He picked up my left leg and left a trail of kisses from my calf, up to the inside of my thigh. Every touch of his lips on my skin sent a direct burst of heat to my core. Once he reached the top of my thigh, he grazed his tongue mercilessly over to the center of my thighs. I rolled my hips, needing relief from the ache that was throbbing.
With his hands pressing roughly into my thighs, he opened me with his thumbs. His tongue was hot against me as he licked up my slit and landed on my clit. The contact sent my nerves on high-alert, a burst of energy shooting through my body.
He dipped his tongue into my opening, swirling it around and driving me crazy. I grabbed the back of his head and tugged on his hair, needing a way to release some of the energy that was overflowing inside me. He swirled his tongue again, causing a soft moan to escape my lips.
Once again, he licked up my wetness, landing on my swollen bud. Working circles against the heated flesh, he increased the pressure and intensity slowly, making me lose my fucking mind.
I pushed on the back of his head, trying for more contact. I needed a release, the build-up beginning to exceed the limits of what I could take. He dug his fingers into my skin, warning me to let him do his thing. I squeezed my eyes closed, my mind buzzing with way too many sensations to think straight.
He stroked his tongue down again and licked inside me, removing it quickly and replacing it with a finger. I pressed my head against the pillows, moving my hips around without thought. I tried to make sense of what he was doing, but all I could see was the proverbial light ahead. My orgasm was imminent and I needed it to happen. Quickly.
He massaged my clit with his mouth, his tongue stroking it with more force this time. He added another finger inside me, moving them in and out slowly. My legs began to shake, my core heating.
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