I laughed quietly, holding him against me. “I don’t think you have to be quite so careful with me.”
His head snapped up at the intention in my words.
I bit my lip, knowing I’d have to convince him a bit. “I want you, Max. Will you touch me? Please?”
He groaned, the sound low and pained. “If only you hadn’t said please.”
I grinned in triumph as he crouched to slide my panties down my legs before lifting me by the hips onto the countertop. “That omelet will be ruined, but my breakfast is going to be fucking spectacular.” He licked his lips as he lifted my tee carefully over my head.
My heart pounded in anticipation as his mouth dropped to my breast, licking and biting my nipple gently as he continued his journey.
When he reached my core, he looked up at me, biting my inner thigh gently. “You’re so fucking gorgeous, Wren,” he told me reverently before he took a long, leisurely lick up my center. The sounds of pleasure he made were only eclipsed by my own as I let how good everything he was doing to me be known, loudly.
His tongue explored me eagerly, his large hands gripping my thighs and holding them apart. I was lost to sensation, to his mouth and his fingers as they reached up to tweak my nipples. When his lips zeroed in on my tiny bud of nerves, I nearly came out of my skin. I’d never known anything could feel so good. I also hadn’t realized he’d merely been playing until now. Now, he was chasing my orgasm with earnest. When his finger slid inside me, joining the onslaught of pleasure, I lost it, his name escaping my lips and echoing from the rafters as I threw my head back.
He licked me once more before kissing my thighs, my belly, and my breasts, moving up my body with predatory grace.
I wrapped my arms around him, needing him close as I fought for breath, not giving a damn about the twinge in my ribs. He rested his forehead on my shoulder, his arms braced on either side of me, appearing just as moved as I was.
“Can we do that again?” I asked with a grin once I’d collected myself.
He winked. “Every goddamn day.”
That suited me just fine.
****
It was a week later that Max found me in his bedroom digging through my duffle bag for something to wear. “I’m gonna drive you over to your folk’s house for a bit,” he announced, making my stomach drop.
“So anxious to get rid of me?” I quipped, desperately trying to keep my tone light. I’d been dreading this moment. We’d spent an amazing week together, reading in his living room, watching movies, and sleeping side by side. He’d started to teach me how to cook, and I was surprised to find I was enjoying it. It had been magic, every day. We were in our own little world, but I knew our cocoon couldn’t last forever.
He shook his head. “Just the opposite. I want to make sure you spend some time with your pop. Sal has to know you want to be here, with me. It can’t just come from me. I don’t think you two have really talked, and you should.”
I nodded in agreement, touched by how much he obviously respected my dad. “You’re right. We usually talk while we’re working on a car together, but we haven’t recently because of my injuries.”
“I want you to tell him you’re going to stay with me.”
I turned to face him, my T-shirt clenched in my fist. The idea of having to talk to my dad about that was daunting, but the idea I was misinterpreting Max’s words was far worse. “How long are we talking?” I asked cautiously. “Just so I know how much stuff I might need,” I added hastily.
“I want you to move in here,” he replied calmly, as if he’d just mentioned what we were eating next.
“Move in,” I repeated through barely moving lips.
He cocked his head to the side, studying my response. “Do you not want to?”
I sighed. “It’s not that. It’s just, well, I know you like your space. You’re a bit of a loner, Max. A week isn’t necessarily a great sample of what it would be like to live with someone else. To live with me,” I clarified.
He stepped closer, taking the tee I held and dropping it to the ground. “I like my space better with you in it,” he murmured as he dipped to touch my lips with his. “I’m a grown man, babe. I know what I want. I want you. Move in with me, please?”
“If only you hadn’t said please.” I grinned up at him, throwing his words back at him.
His brows rose expectantly. “That a yes?”
“It’s a yes.” I grinned, feeling positively giddy with joy.
That joy carried me through our drive passed town toward my parents’ house. I missed being on the bike but knew it wouldn’t be long now when I could ride with him again.
He dropped me off out front, the engine still running. “I’ll be back in a couple of hours.”
“If I survive.” I groaned dramatically.
He chuckled. “You’ll survive. You’d better.”
“Love you, babe,” I replied, the endearment slipping past my lips as naturally as breathing.
“Love you too.” His gaze heated watched me slide down from the truck.
I walked into the house, finding my mom in the living room working on her laptop. “Hi, honey,” she greeted with a warm smile. “How are you?”
“Great,” I replied sincerely. “I feel a lot better.”
“I’m so glad. Did you eat? I have some leftovers in the fridge.”
I shook my head. “I’m good.” If anything, I was too good in that department. If Max kept feeding me like he had, I’d gain fifty pounds. “Is Pop around?” I asked, trying to sound casual.
She smiled knowingly. “He should be back soon.”
I flopped down on the couch next to her, leaning against her like I used to when I was small. She wrapped an arm around me, kissing the side of my head.
“You think he’ll be mad?” I whispered. I didn’t need to explain what I meant. She knew.
She rested her head on top of mine. “No, honey. He’s just…” She sighed. “Sad to let his baby go.”
Tears welled in my eyes at the emotion in her words. Clearly my dad wasn’t the only one. “I’m not going far. And I was already away at school. That was much farther,” I protested lightly.
“This is different.” She pressed her lips to my hair. “It’s a good different though. You found your man, baby.”
“I did.” I nodded. “But I’ll always need you.”
“God, I hope so.” She gave a watery laugh. “When you have babies of your own, you’ll understand. You want nothing more than to see your child find love, to find someone who will love them with the same selflessness that you do. But at the same time, you fear it because it means you lose a piece of them. Max is the man in your life now, and your father just has to get used to that. And he will. Because he knows Max has that kind of love for you. You are our greatest joy, Wren. From the very first, that’s been true.”
Tears slid down my cheeks as I burrowed closer to her, and we simply sat, embracing.
“Why are both my girls cryin'?” My dad’s demand broke the silence.
We sat up suddenly, my mom laughing as we wiped our cheeks. “Just talking, baby.” She assured him with a smile. “How about I make some coffee?” she suggested, standing up. She passed my pop with a tender smile as he hooked her around the waist to kiss her. He never let her walk by without a kiss or some sort of touch.