You could almost taste the pleasure Cane got from telling her that. He leaned back in his chair, enjoying the show.
Sam looked at me, her jaw dropping. “You what?”
“Kari and I are gettin’ married, Sam.” I gauged her reaction. Her lips had a smile that didn’t quite touch her eyes. Her eyes twinkled, but not with anything that appeared to be good. Her eyes met mine and she studied me for a minute before standing straight and letting loose.
“You’ve got to be kidding me!” she exclaimed, anger seeping through her words.
Cane let out a laugh and I shot him a look that he pretended not to see.
“No, not joking,” he said, his attention focused squarely on Sam. “Kari is so fucking excited and Max,” he winked at me before looking back at what appeared to be his opponent, “well, Max here has been waiting on this for a long time.”
Sam appeared to be in shock, still taking in the little bit of news she apparently wasn’t expecting. “I can’t believe this,” she muttered, turning to face me. “Is that why you ignored all of my calls this weekend? Is that why you sent me to voicemail every time I called you?” She narrowed her eyes, the shock wearing off.
“After the first four voicemails, yeah—I got tired of listening to your bullshit,” I said, taking a deep breath. “What’s gotten into you?”
“What’s gotten into me?” she all but shouted. “After everything I told you the other night and you walked away, like you always do, Blaine broke up with me.” Her voice quieted, tension simmering in the air at his name. “He broke up with me because he’s in love with Kari. Said he’d go to all lengths to get her back. Nothing would stop him.”
“You’re so full of shit,” Cane laughed.
She whirled around. “Me?”
“Yes, you, little Samantha West. Full. Of. Shit.”
She gasped in offense.
“Sam,” I started, trying to wrap my brain around her actions, “I’m not worried about Blaine trying to take Kari away. We’re getting married soon. Relax.”
“I’m not going to relax! What if he does something to me?”
Cane stood quickly, taking us all by surprise. “Even if this vomit running from that mouth of yours is true, which I highly doubt, it isn’t about you. Blaine doesn’t want you—he’s not going to do anything to you. Stop being the fucking victim and stop trying to manipulate everyone.”
“I’m not,” she breathed out, her bottom lip quivering. “I’m scared for all of us.”
Cane and I exchanged a look and I stood, too. “Then you should get some distance between you and me and this whole situation.”
Her eyebrows arched at my suggestion, definitely not what she was looking for.
“I really can’t justify having you work here anymore, anyway. We were gonna talk about that this afternoon. I’ll have Hilah get your checks together and we can mail them or I’ll have them couriered to you.”
“You’re firing me? Max, please. You need me . . .”
“You’ve done a great job and I’ll give you a reference. But you’re gonna need to find another job, okay?”
Running her hands down her dress and looking from Cane to me and back to Cane again, she looked like a little lost girl. It made me remember the moments of our childhood, a set of memories that would always include her.
“No, it’s not okay! You are being ridiculous, thinking you can just run off with that bitch.”
I took a step towards her, feeling more violent towards a lady than I cared to feel. I clenched my hands at my side, feeling Cane watch me, ready to step in.
“Listen, Sam. I’ve tried to be nice and if I’m bein’ honest, that’s probably part of your problem. But enough’s enough. Get out. Now.”
“Max—”
“Out, Sam. I’ve let this go on long enough. I don’t know what’s goin’ on in that head of yours, but it isn’t my problem. Get out of my office and get Kari’s name out of your mouth. Hear me?”
“I can’t believe this. I can’t believe you.” Her gaze was heavy on my chest as her breathing got more harsh, her lips thinning out in a firm line. “You think you can walk all over me, ignore me, pretend like I’m no one to you—you’re wrong. Dead wrong.”
KARI
The kitchen smelled of spices as the pasta sauce simmered away on the stovetop. Garlic bread was heating in the oven, wine poured into wine glasses, and a green salad in a new bowl I’d picked up at Target on the table. Titus was asleep on the couch, something Max wouldn’t be very happy about, but he’d get over it.
The wind was whistling outside, the sky unusually bleak for Phoenix. The smell of the air, the feel of the cold air on the horizon always reminded me of my mother. I was young when she passed away, but I had a few clear memories, one of them being her at the stove, making the very same pasta sauce I had made.
Her life was cut short, way too short. She loved Jada and me, always baking things and buying us pretty dresses and dolls. She was my class mom in Kindergarten and my friends loved her. She was so pretty, always in heels and with perfect hair, just like June Cleaver.
One day it’d been raining. I remember sitting on a grey couch we had that overlooked the backyard. The water had gathered in the dips of the yard and I wanted to go jump in the puddles so bad, but I didn’t want to get all wet before dinner. I remembered my mom asking me, “Kare Bear, what’s wrong?” and I told her sadly what I had been thinking. She said to me, “You’re only going to have today once. Go play.”
And I did. I jumped and splashed and danced and carried on . . . and it was probably the last day of pure joy I had.
She died a few days after.
“Kari?”
I jumped at the sound of Max’s voice. I whirled around to see him standing at the doorway, his arms overhead and grabbing the doorframe. His shirt inched up, the bottom of his abs peeking out of his shirt.
It was divine.
“Hey, babe.” I smiled widely as the dimple in his cheek sank in. “How was work?”
The dimple disappeared as quickly as it had arrived. “Ugh,” he growled, bending down and grabbing a box. With a scowl, he walked through the kitchen and tossed a box on the counter. “I fired Sam today.”
“You did what?” I gasped.
“She’s losing her damn mind or something. I don’t know.” He ran his hands through his hair and looked like he didn’t want to continue, but knew he had to. “When I went by to check on her before we went to Payson . . . there was nothin’ wrong with her, Kar. She just blabbered on and on so I left. Then when we were up there, she kept calling and saying Blaine left her because he wanted you back.”
A lump sprang up in my throat. I tried to process that as quickly as possible, but it was like getting hit over the head with a two-by-four. Not that I had any inclination to run to Blaine, but just those words were something I’d dreamed of hearing for so long.
As the realization hit that I truly didn’t give one iota about those words now, a surge of happiness ran through me. I didn’t care what he wanted. I only cared about this dark-haired man in front of me.
“So today she walks into my office. Cane and I were talking about us gettin’ engaged . . .”
“Bet she loved that,” I muttered, turning my back to him so I could stir the sauce.
He laughed. “Yeah, so much so that I fired her. I hate to admit this and I never would to him because God knows Cane’s ego doesn’t need boosted, but he might have been right about her all these years.”
I sat the spoon down on a little pad and turned around in surprise. “You think?”
“I do. Cane always said she played everyone; that’s why he hated her. I never really saw that, but I’m starting to see it now. She lets you see what she wants you to see, what she thinks will benefit her. And with me, she’s always played the damsel in distress because of, you know, what happened.” He looked down at the floor. “But you’re my number one now. She’s a big girl. She can take care of herself or stop putting hers
elf into dumb situations.”
“I love when you say that.”
“What?”
“I’m your number one.”
He grinned. “And you’re my two. And three. And four . . .”
I smiled as I went towards the fridge to get the cheese. I glanced in the box Max had sat on the counter and stopped. “What’s this?” I asked, lifting a bracelet out of the box. A chill tore through me.
“Stuff Lucy found in Sam’s cubicle after she left. I’m gonna give it to Bri to give back to her.”
I furrowed my brow, turning the bracelet over in my hand, the blue bead catching the light. “Max, this is mine.”
“Are you sure?” he asked, his voice low and controlled.
“Yeah. I’ve had this forever. Remember? I told you it was gone awhile back.”
He tilted his head to the side, his jaw pulsing. “How would she have gotten it?”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
“Maybe you took it off at Mom’s and she thought it was Bri’s or something?
I let out a breath, trying to shake the bad feeling I had. “Maybe. I hope.” I forced a swallow. “I know this was in my jewelry box. I know the last time I wore it.”
He came around the counter and rubbed my shoulders. “I’ll ask Bri about it. Let’s hope to God you both had one and this one is hers.” He circled his fingers, working the knots out of my neck. “Really, that has to be it. You lost it while you still lived there, so how could she have gotten it otherwise?”
“I have no idea.” The only way that would’ve been possible was beyond creepy and I didn’t want to go there.
Max is probably right—it’s probably Bri’s. Mine is probably somewhere else.
“I was thinking today,” I said, trying to change the subject before my brain ran too far with possibilities. Between the sunglasses, the red lipstick, and now the bracelet, I felt sick.
“Really? That’s good to know,” he joked, smacking my butt as he walked away.
“Funny. I was going to say something I thought you’d like to hear, but I’ll just keep it to myself . . .” I opened the oven door and with a silicone mitt, I grabbed the pan and pulled the garlic bread out. I put it on top of the counter.
As soon as I released the pan, Max’s hands were on my waist, causing me to jump. I hadn’t heard him come up behind me. His breath was hot against my ear. “What were you gonna say, sweetheart?”
I shrugged like it was no big deal and he growled, causing goose bumps to spread across my skin like wildfire.
“I listened to your mix tape today,” I said softly, enjoying the feeling of his hands digging into my hips. The nips and licks against my neck were making me lose track of my thoughts.
“Did ya like it?”
“Yeah,” I practically moaned, bending my head to the side to afford him more access.
“What were your favorites?” he said, licking my neck and then blowing across my skin. The juxtaposition of hot and cold causing me to nearly combust.
“I Just Want You by Cole Swindell. Your Body Is A Wonderland by John Mayer—that was nice,” I giggled as he laid kisses around my neck and to my jawline. “It made me think.”
“About what?”
“About marrying you.”
His mouth stopped, his fingers digging in deeper on my hips. He stilled for a moment before saying, “You aren’t getting out of it.”
I giggled and he flipped me around to face him. His face was stern, his eyes narrow, his jaw tensing.
“I’m not laughing,” he warned, but it only made me giggle harder. “Kar . . .”
“Relax,” I said, swatting at his chest, getting myself under control. “I was thinking that maybe we could just go get married. At the Justice of the Peace. I even called today and we just go down there and get our license and get it done.”
Slowly, like he didn’t believe what he was hearing, a smile crept its way across his gorgeous face. “Are ya serious?”
I nodded tentatively. “Why wait? I don’t want a big wedding and I have no desire to plan one, although Isa called again today and has a color scheme picked out!” I laughed. “I just wanna be Mrs. Maxwell Quinn.”
“Say that again,” he demanded, his eyes burning.
“Mrs. Maxwell. Quinn.”
He leaned his head back, closing his eyes. I reached up on my tip-toes and kissed his throat, the skin begging me to lick it.
He bent his head down to face me again, his eyes soft, loving. “I’d marry you today but my mama isn’t gonna have that. She’s gonna demand it be in a church.”
“Really?” I said, twisting my face in disgust.
“Look,” he said, the wheels in his head turning a mile a minute. “I wanna do what you want, but it is important to me in a lot of ways to do right by my parents when it comes to this. If the church they attend will let us use their sanctuary comin’ up, will you be alright with doing it there?”
My heart melted, not just because he looked more handsome that I’d ever seen him, but because he was a good man. The best man I’d ever known.
“That works for me,” I whispered, resting my forehead against his. “I love you so much.”
“Ah, sweetheart,” he said, “you have no damn idea.” He kissed me gently on the lips.
I grabbed his hand and led him to the couch. He stood and faced me, an amused grin on his face.
“Sit,” I commanded, pushing his shoulders until he fell back onto the couch. I reached down and took off his hat and tossed it next to him. “Shirt off.”
He raised his eyebrows and hemline at the same time, baring his solid chest inch by delicious inch. “Now yours, darlin.’”
I lifted my shirt over my head and tossed it at Max’s face. He swiped it off to the side.
“Now your pants.”
“Hey, I’m in control here,” I said, shooting him a stern look. “Your pants. Off.”
He shrugged and undid his belt, lifting his hips. He popped the button and undid the zipper, kicking his jeans off onto the floor. Looking at me expectantly, he leaned back against the cushions and smiled at my realization that he was commando.
“Nice,” I smiled as I pushed my pants and panties passed my hips and to the floor.
Max’s gaze was hot, searing into my skin. He looked at my bra and then back up to my eyes, telling me without speaking to remove it. I obliged.
“So damn beautiful,” he said, a hint of roughness to his tone.
I stood before him, surprised at my lack of embarrassment. I was completely naked, my hair spilling across my shoulders, completely exposed, physically and emotionally, to the man sitting in front of me.
“Come here, sweetheart.” He reached for me, his eyes soft.
A shuddered breath racked through my chest as I contemplated what to do. For the first time, I didn’t feel the need to make the impending situation a mere sexual transaction. Even though with Max it had always been more, I still always felt such a need to keep a distance. To distance myself from the emotional connection that Max tried to parlay into the actions. But this time, his gaze heavy on me, his eyes full of love, I was okay with it. I liked it.
I needed it.
I took his hand in mine and took a step towards him, climbing up on the couch and straddling him. I took his face in my hands, my fingertips running across the coarse stubble, and just appreciated what I had.
“I love you,” he whispered.
I kissed him softly, letting my lips and tongue tell him my reply. I reached beneath me and grabbed his cock, stroking it once, its thickness increasing in my hand. I positioned myself over it and slid smoothly down.
Max growled into my mouth, nipping at my bottom lip. “Shit, Kar,” he moaned, gripping my ass with both hands. He rocked himself forcefully as I pressed down, his length buried deep inside me. I felt his body quiver, his eyes squeeze shut, as the same sensations I felt racked through him as well.
His gaze locked onto mine as our bodies found a rhythm and h
e captured every part of me—mind, body, and soul. I was his in every way.
“I love you,” I said, the words falling out of my mouth with such ease it surprised me.
His eyes widened, a smirk dancing across his lips. “Say it again.”
“I love you,” I whispered, my eyes batting closed as the impending explosion built.
He leaned forward, his fingertips pressing hotly into my waist, and pressed kisses into my neck. Our bodies moved together in perfect harmony, nothing between us. Not a damn thing.
My legs began to shake as I moved up and down against his cock, a shiver tearing through me. My core was boiling, my body craving the orgasm that was on the cusp of rocking my world.
He groaned into my ear, a low, raw, sexy-as-hell sound that went straight to the apex of my thighs. I rocked hard against his length and watched as a million colors at once burst through my vision, nothing short of a fireworks display breaking across my eyes.
The orgasm tore through me, knocking every sensory organ from my head to my toes off kilter. I tossed my head back and moaned his name, the only name I’d ever call out again.
Max pressed my body down roughly onto him and I could feel him pulse inside me. He groaned as he found his release, the Adam’s apple in his neck bobbing. I watched him react to me, to him taking pleasure from my body, and it was almost orgasmic in itself.
I pressed a kiss against his throat. His eyes flashed open and he grabbed my face, looking directly into my eyes.
“I love you.”
“I love you, too.”
MAX
Could this day get any longer?
I sat in traffic on the Loop the next day. A meeting went later than expected and then I had to deal with a few mistakes in Chandler. By the time I started home, rush hour hit and I spent the last hour literally inching along.
I turned the music up, turned it down, surfed the net, and tried to zone out, but my mind kept coming back to Kari. I hadn’t had time to call my mom, so I picked up the phone and dialed her number as I sat on the freeway.
“Hello?”
“Hey, Mama,” I said, turning the air conditioner down.
“How are you? I haven’t talked to you all week.”
The Perception Page 25