by Kat Long
And I had my own way to show Max how much I loved him. A way for no one to question our relationship. A way for both of us to grow together.
I quit my job.
Not in a dramatic, spectacular, hair-flipping flourish. But with quiet discussion and a guilt-free conscience. Jake and Katie had visited again so the kids could see Baxter, and we had a long chat. I told him about the opportunity at B’s, and he agreed. This was the right decision, the right opportunity. And Uncle Bob was thrilled, hollering to Aunt Diane in the kitchen and pulling out a stack of travel brochures from under the register before I had finished accepting.
I was going to stay at JMS until Jake hired someone else, and I’d already started prescreening applicants. On top of that, I was looking for a Bar Manager so I could focus on the local bands, and I’d set up meetings with several non-profits. I couldn’t wait to share the news with Max, and I rubbed my hands on my thighs as we got closer to home. My body was filled with nervous anticipation, and my foot bounced in time with the song on the radio.
Addison pulled her Honda in a space by my house and turned around, “What time is he coming over again?” she said, tapping her red nails on the steering wheel.
Olivia and Jenna looked on, and I smiled ear to ear.
“He’ll be here before dinner. I’m making his favorite with plenty of leftovers. Y’all are coming in for a drink, right?”
“You know it,” Olivia said. “How do you think he’ll handle the news?”
“Oh, probably an overreaction at first. But he’ll understand,” I said, waving my hand and taking off my sunglasses.
“What makes you so sure he’ll understand?” Jenna asked, closing the car door and pocketing her phone with a groan.
I thought for a second, then shrugged my shoulders, “I just know.” I couldn’t tell her how I knew, but I did. Not seeing him every day was going to suck, but listening to office gossip and petty comments would be worse.
“Good, Anna. I’m glad. You deserve all the happiness,” Jenna said.
“We all do, Jenna. Come on, ladies. I have Moscato chilling. Let’s go get our drink on.”
I motioned for them to follow and unlocked the door, tossing my purse and phone on the couch. The house smelled like brown sugar and barbecue, and Jenna started talking a mile a minute again as I went to the kitchen to get glasses. When the last one was down, a throat cleared behind me, and I turned to see Max walking out from the downstairs spare bedroom.
His faded jeans were low-slung, and his blue t-shirt hugged his chest. The black ink of his tattoo snaked down one arm and moved when he flexed. His hair was a mess, and his jaw was scruffy. I stopped short and stared. From his tan skin to the blue sneakers that matched his shirt, I took in every detail, memorizing him. And those glasses. Those tortoise-shell glasses that fogged when he kissed me so hard I couldn’t breathe. It was all I could do to keep myself from flinging the cabinet door shut and jumping in his arms.
“Hey, Blue. Hope you don’t mind me gate-crashing. I couldn’t wait to see you.”
He ran a hand through his hair, messing it up more, and came closer, pressing a sweet kiss to my cheek. He smelled like spicy mint, and a low moan escaped my lips before I could stop it. I was speechless, just like the day we met on the beach. And Max rubbed the back of his neck, stepping to the side as Bird pushed through.
“Sweet, about time you got here,” Bird said, rubbing his hands together like he had some big secret. I looked between them, and Bird smirked, pulling Taylor to the living room with a wink.
He greeted the girls, and I heard them talking, but Baxter’s sharp barks drowned out the noise. Usually, he was waiting by the door, and I glanced around looking for him.
“Is Baxter barking? Where is he?”
“He’s up here, Blue. I think he wants to go on the terrace. Come on,” Max said, taking my hand and pulling me further in the house and up the stairs. I go along, feeling his hand, warm and strong, engulfing mine with a gentle squeeze.
I sighed, stopping and pulling back when we got to the second floor. “You know he has a hard time with the staircase.”
I was all for Max carrying Baxter to the terrace like the big baby he was. Especially if it meant showing off his massive guns and maybe even taking off his shirt, but I’d rather talk about us and share my news first.
“I know he does, baby.” Max turned and cupped my face, leaning down to run his nose down my cheek. “Fuck, I’ve missed you. I was kind of hoping we’d be alone, but I don’t want to wait to say this. I realized last night that my words are nothing but empty promises.”
“Um, what?”
He buried his face in my neck and chuckled, running his fingers up my back. I wrapped my arms around his waist and rested my head on his chest. One of his hands trailed higher, and he gripped my neck, turning my head to meet his eyes. I could hear laughter from downstairs and knew we had an audience, but I didn’t care. I was content standing here, in his arms. But he let go and rolled his eyes, glancing down the stairs and pulling me further down the hall. “No. Um, that’s not what I meant.”
“Max,” I said, “From the start, we tried fighting this, and it didn’t work.”
“No, it didn’t.”
“So, we tried keeping us a secret, and it didn’t work.”
“Right again, Blue.”
He blew out a breath and crowded my space, but I didn’t move. I tilted my head and looked up, releasing one hand to rest it on his scruffy cheek. His beard was rough, and he turned his head to kiss my palm.
“Then we tried being apart, and it didn’t work.”
“That was a fucking failure, Blue,” he said, nuzzling my hand and laying his over it.
“So really, there is only one thing left to do.”
“There is?”
“We go all in,” I said, wrapping my arms around him. Bourbon eyes met mine, and he smiled, leaning down, so our mouths were centimeters apart. “Max. I’m crazy about you. I can’t keep my hands off you, and even when we’re tangled up in each other, it’s not enough. I want more. I want to be closer. I love you. You healed my soul and brought music back. This week has shown me that I can live without you, but I don’t want to. You make me whole.”
“Oh, Blue. Thank fuck. I love you too. Come here.”
I pressed my body against him, wrapping my arms around his neck as he lifted me up and spun me around. The hole in my chest where guilt lived for so long was filled. It was filled with love. I missed him. Missed him so much I was hanging onto him like a barnacle, but he didn’t seem to mind. He held me up and buried his face back in my neck.
“I’ve been miserable this week, Max. But something big happened. I quit JMS.”
“What? Why? Did I drive you to this, make you think you had to? Oh, Blue. No. Not a chance. Nope. I’m calling Jake.”
Max put me down and reached for his phone, running his other hand through his hair. I stopped him with a touch, putting both of mine on his chest.
“I’m going to take over B’s. I’m going to work with nonprofits, bringing music into rehab centers. And I’m going to sing, Max. And play. And write. You did that. You brought my music back. And it makes me love you even more. This is a good thing.”
“But…” he started, searching my face for doubt, for uncertainty. “That’s… Blue, I’m so proud of you.” Max brought my hand to his lips and kissed each knuckle, shaking his head.
Baxter let out another loud bark, trotting over and pushing in between us.
“Aw. Hey, bud. How’s my boy,” I cooed, bending down to rub his back.
“He wants to go to the terrace. Take a look.”
“What?” I said, turning around to face the staircase.
It took me a minute to process what I was seeing. It was a stairlift, almost like the one my great-aunt had but customized. Instead of a chair, there was
a wooden platform with a large blue dog bed. Baxter ran back and jumped in the bed, turning in a circle before plopping down and barking again.
“Max? You did this?”
Max kept a firm hold of my hand as I walked over, looking at the lift. I ran my hand over the light wood of the platform and the railing. How had he done this in just a few short hours? Baxter was in his element, ready to go for a ride.
“I love it, Max. It’s perfect.” My voice was shaking with all the other things I needed to say, but Max knew, leaning down to press a kiss to my lips.
“I’m glad, baby. I wanted to show you how I felt. Want to take the boy for a ride?”
“I do, Max. Let’s go.”
We took the stairs with Baxter riding behind us, and when we got to the terrace, he ran around sniffing every plant. I leaned into Max, running my hands underneath his shirt, not believing it was possible to smile so much in a day. Max whistled, and Baxter cocked his head, running back to the stairs and sitting down in anticipation of another ride.
We walked down to the first floor with Baxter behind us, stealing glances and smiles. Through the hall and into the living room, we held on. I never wanted to let go. Everyone’s eyes were on us, so I pulled Max down for a wet kiss and was rewarded with that full dimpled smile.
Bird gave Addison a high-five, and she held up a wine glass with a silent toast. Olivia poked her head out of the kitchen, pulling off an oven mitt to give us a thumbs up.
“You two are so disgustingly cute. I can’t stand it,” Jenna said, shaking her head and reaching out to pet Baxter. He sniffed her hand, then rubbed against her thigh, making her stumble backward with surprise.
“You’re next, lady!” I said, pointing to my eyes, then hers. She held up both her hands in mock surrender and walked back to the kitchen.
“Um, low blow, Jenna,” Bird said, pulling Taylor to him and wrapping an arm around his waist. “Have you forgotten the standard all couples should aspire to? Hashtag goals right here, baby!”
He leaned down and kissed Taylor, shoving a hand in his back pocket with a grin.
“I don’t think you’re supposed to say hashtag, Bird. But fine. Max and Anna, you take second place on the cuteness,” she said. “And one thousand apologies to the couple that takes the cake.”
“Noted,” Bird answered, following Jenna into the kitchen and rubbing his stomach.
“The macaroni needs another hour or two,” Olivia said, stirring the cheesy goodness and leaning over the adjust the temperature on the BBQ.
“Macaroni?” Max said, rubbing slow circles on my back. I laid my head on his shoulder and breathed him in.
“Yeah, Broody. I made macaroni.”
“With ritz-cracker crumbs?”
“And sour cream.”
“Blue,” was all he could say before I pressed my lips back to his, smiling.
“Ugh. Come on, gang. Let’s give these two time to catch up. Beers on me,” Bird said, grabbing the keys to Max’s truck and waving to us.
“You two!” Addison said, grabbing her purse. “You have one hour before we’re back. Make it count!” She wiggled her fingers and followed Bird out the door.
“One hour?” Max said, waving one hand to our little group and grabbing mine with the other. “Make it an hour and a half! And someone put the crock pots on warm!”
I barely heard the front door shut, and the cat-calls Taylor made as Max pulled me back up the stairs. I was right on his heels, desperate for his touch and giggling like crazy.
He dragged me into the bedroom and slammed the door. In an instant, he pushed me against it, and his lips were on mine, our mouths frantic, tongues dueling. The noises we were making were obscene, and I absolutely loved it. And him. So much.
Max’s mouth broke from mine long enough for him to pull his shirt over his head. God, I had forgotten how massive he was. How long had it been? Days? Weeks? Decades? All I knew was it was too damn long. He was all thick arms and tan skin rippling with defined muscles. He jerked my head back as his tongue dove into my mouth, possessively. He was gorgeous and wearing too many clothes. Hunger, powerful and vibrating in my veins, threatened to explode out of every pore in my body.
“I need you to know something, Blue.” He cupped my cheek and ran his thumb across my lip. “I know we had a bit of a rocky start, but I wouldn’t change a thing. I love you, Blue. I love your beautiful smile and your strawberry shortcake. I love your big heart and your loyalty. And I love how you make me feel like I could move mountains. I think I’ve loved you since that moment on the beach. And we don’t have to do anything. I’m content to just hold you, to kiss you.”
His tongue darted out again, and he licked my earlobe, making me shiver.
“Did you not, um, want to?”
He reached out and grabbed my hand, pressing it to his cock and hissing when I squeezed.
“No. Fuck no, Blue. I’ve been on a desert, an island, in a drought without you. But I just got you back, and I want you to know that I’m willing to wait for you. To earn you. To deserve you. Whatever you need, baby. Tell me.”
He pressed his forehead to mine, and relief poured through me and my eyes stung with tears. We were real. This was real. This was love.
“Max,” I said, drawing my lower lip in my mouth. His eyes got dark as he watched the movement, hanging on my next words. “Take your pants off. I need you inside me. Right, the fuck, now.”
He gave me a wicked grin, and those huge arms picked me up and carried me to the bed, and sat me down. He leaned down and wiped my tears, kissing the tracks they left on my cheeks. I wrapped my legs around him, spreading them wide as he pulled my bra straps off my shoulders and popped both breasts free from their cups.
He groaned and held both tits in his large hands, licking each hard peak as my head dropped back and the throbbing pressure between my legs made me almost explode. I was aching, desperate, and flooded with warmth.
I braced myself against the edge of the bed and rubbed my core up and down his length. That drew his attention away from my tits long enough to pull my shorts and panties off. He shucked his jeans as I took off my bra, freezing me with a lust-filled look. He licked his lips and leaned down to lick my inner thigh, letting his dark, short stubble tease the sensitive skin.
I loved it. I loved him. But my body was not prepared for the way he looked at me. Like he would have walked a hundred miles through the arctic cold to feel my heat pressed against him. I wanted nothing but the moaning, panting cries of our bodies slapping together, struggling to get closer. To feel. To live. To love.
“You taste so fucking good. I’m going to spend every day worshiping this body.”
He kissed and licked, moving closer and closer to my core. When his tongue finally darted across my clit, my hips arched off the bed, and I grabbed his face, pushing him into me, begging for more. His tongue was magic, and when he added two thick digits, I almost passed out from pleasure. I held on to the bed as if my life depended on it, and he sucked on my clit, pumping his fingers in and out of me. My legs were trembling as he owned my body, bringing me to the brink then holding me as I was about to shatter.
“I love this pussy,” he said between licks. “I’ve missed you, Blue. Missed this. Let go, baby. I’ve got you.”
I could feel my core building, racing towards relief. I tried to hold back, wanting to prolong the pleasure and come on his cock, screaming his name. But he wasn’t having it. He kept pumping his fingers in and out, curling them to hit that magic spot. He paused his licks for a second and looked at me, face covered with my juices and smiling with lidded eyes.
“Come on, beautiful. Come on my face and let me drink you down.”
With one last lap, he sent me spiraling over the edge, coaxing out every drop of pleasure until my thighs were shaking. How did he know how to reach down to the deepest, most intimate parts of me an
d make me feel alive? And I came, screaming his name and holding on like he was the only thing keeping me anchored to this world. Maybe he was.
He slid his fingers out and licked his lips while I tried to catch my breath. His cock jutted out proudly between us, and I wrapped one hand around it, bringing him down on top of me. His cock was everything. Hard and thick and dripping with pre-come, pulsing in my hand.
His eyes tracked my movements, taking me in. I had no idea what was going on with my hair, and my thighs were shaking, but whatever he saw, he liked, because he smiled and leaned down, fitting perfectly between my legs. I brought his fingers to my lips, tasting him, tasting us, needing him.
His look was filled with molten lust, but also love, so much love. I could see it radiating off his body, and god did it feel good to be loved, to be desired.
“You ready for me, beautiful? Ready for more?” He leaned off the bed and pulled a condom out from his discarded pants, but I took it from him.
“I’m clean, Max. And on the pill. I want to feel you.”
“Fuck, Blue. Yes. I’m clean too. But I’ve never…”
“Me either,” I said, dropping the condom on the floor and pulling him closer. My core tingled with anticipation, and I chanted, “Yes, Max. Please.”
He held my legs open, and his lips curled into a wicked grin. “I love fucking you, Blue. But more than that, I love you. So much.”
He moved closer, every inch of his body hard and thick. I opened my mouth to reply, but he thrust inside—bare, hot, and nothing between us. My body stretched to accommodate him, filling me to the breaking point. He drove his cock in and out, abs flexing, and looked at me like I was his entire world. He was everywhere, hands moving up and down my chest, kneading my breasts and lightly pinching my nipples. And his eyes. His eyes never left mine.