Page 31 of Charity's Torment

I chewed my lip and thought of his soft lips touching mine—of his hands running up and down my back. I wanted him to touch me, but he turned me away last time, leaving me feeling rejected and bewildered. I didn’t handle rejection well.

I closed my eyes, trusting him. His chair scraped across the hardwood floors. His warm hand touched my shoulder. I sighed, awaiting his next move. His fingers burned a trail down my arm, then took hold of my hand, tugging me from my chair. His lips touched the shell of my ear. “No peeking.”

He led me forward, and I followed our path in my minds-eye. I had Max’s home memorized just like Luca’s, Nico’s, and mine. It was a technique Randall taught me called blueprinting. I logged every detail I noticed into a map in my mind. I knew Max had his pistol to the right, in the front of his trousers. I noticed he moved a vase on the dresser containing fake sunflowers to the center, and now, it had daisies. A small figurine now sat in the place where the vase once was.

He pulled me around a corner and to the right, and I knew we stopped in his bedroom. “Don’t move.” He dropped my hand, and I stood motionless.

“What are you doing?”

“Just wait. Don’t peek.”

Tap.Tap.Tap.

I don’t like surprises; it makes me uneasy. His shuffling feet moved around the room, and he placed something on a surface with a mild clatter. Buckles clacked like a briefcase opening. “Okay, you can open.”

Max leaned against the dresser with one leg crossed over the other. Next to him was an open case.

I squealed. “Are you fucking kidding me?” I hopped up and down and enclosed my arms around him, damn near strangling him in my excitement.

He returned my hug, dusting his fingertips over my waist. “Luca said you were looking for one. It has the serial filed, so you can use it without worry.”

I gawked at the new Smith & Wesson 340 PD laying in its case, and my fingers yearned to embrace it. “Is that a .357 Magnum? Can I touch it?”

The corners of his mouth quirked up, and he nodded his head. “Sure is. Tell me what you think.”

I hopped in place and quietly clapped.

Picking up the small revolver, I spun the barrel like a cowgirl in the wild west. I had a love for Annie Oakley and her famous feats. Annie was my inspiration. I endeavored to be an expert marksman like she was. I already had incredible accuracy, but sometimes, I’d shoot an eye instead of the head. It’s the little things I want to work on.

I pointed the empty barrel towards the wall and squeezed the trigger. The hammer slammed down with a click.“Sheesh. That takes a lot of pull power.”

He grinned. “It’s just right for you. Now you’ll never be able to say it was an accident.”

“Don’t take away all of my fun. You stroke my crazy, remember?” I bounced the light piece of metal in my hands and looked down the barrel and sights.

Max and I have spent more time together since Luca ordered me to help with his rat problem. This extra time with him has helped me see him in a different light. If I didn’t know any better, I’d say he wasalmostas crazy as me.

“I have to have some balance, right? Besides, I heard Giovanni talking about it a while back. He said he was going to get one for his girl.”

I picked up the box of ammo and opened it. “Speaking of… did he ever find anything out on my tail?” I loaded the heavy bullets into the barrel.

He shook his head. “No. He is still working on it, though.”

“How long does it take to run a plate? He’s dragging ass.”

“He says he is hitting roadblocks—whatever that means.”

I tucked the new pistol in my pants and looked at myself in the mirror. My tight jeans bulged slightly with the small piece. I stretched my shirt over to cover it and clapped, jarring Max out of his zoned expression. “Earth to Max?”

He shook his head. His chocolate eyes raked over my body, dark with lust. He cleared his throat and rolled his lips together. “Let’s get something to eat.”

My libido was experiencing so much whiplash it may never recover. “If you say pasta, I’m going to puke.”

“Burgers?”

I beamed and dashed for the door. “I’m driving.”

Max didn’t stand a chance with the head start I had. I climbed into the vehicle and waited for him to get in the passenger. “Where to, big guy?”

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