Page 94 of Cream and Punishment
I narrowed my eyes at him, which only made him laugh harder.
The rest of the date was a heady mix of fun, laughter, and contentment. I obliterated him in Battleship, he put my hatchet-throwing to shame. But then he’d taught me his “technique,” which involved a whole lot of having his arms around me. It was the best time I’d had in… probably ever, actually.
When we made it back to his apartment to pick up Giorgio, Max handed the pillow to me with a smirk on his lips. “Have I wooed you enough for another date?”
I pretended to consider his question. “Will there be more throw pillows? Because you’ve set the bar pretty high here. It’s gonna be hard to top this.”
He pulled me to him, his hands on my waist as I hefted Giorgio out of the way before he could become a ravioli pancake. The pillow swung awkwardly in my hand, hovering behind Max as I wrapped my arms around him. Even as my body ignited, pressed against his, my thoughts still strayed. Had I already made things awkward by keeping Giorgio along for the ride? I wasn’t willing to drop such a cherished gift to the floor, though, so me and my newly adopted moustached pasta were in this together for the long haul. For better or worse.
Max didn’t so much as bat an eye, shifting me out of overdrive like he often did so effortlessly. Parting the curtains until I could feel the sunshine on my face.
“I love a good challenge,” he murmured, tucking a stray curl behind my ear. “And this feels like one I’llreallyenjoy.”
I shivered, both from his words and the smoldering depths of his eyes as they met mine. I could stay here forever, wrapped up in Max. The fact we’d ever been strangers felt…wrong. Like I’d spent decades walking along the shore, collecting shells and building sandcastles, yet completely unaware there was an entire ocean brimming with life and beauty mere feet away.
“I don’t want tonight to end,” I whispered.
“Me neither.”
He placed a feather-light kiss on my forehead before resting his head on mine. I pressed my cheek against his chest, thethump-thumpof his heart hypnotic and comforting. Nearly enough to distract me from my hand that held Giorgio, which was starting to cramp.
Max chuckled, the sound vibrating through my skull.
I grimaced. “The pillow is kinda killing the mood, isn’t it?”
“Pretty sure it’s impossible for ravioli to be anything but romantic.” He pulled back until I could see the skin crinkling by his eyes. “But that wasn’t why I laughed, actually. I was just… happy, I guess. Glad I made the right choice.”
“In throw pillows, or…?”
This earned me another chuckle, and he guided me to the couch. I snuggled into him, hugging Giorgio to my chest and laying against Max’s. We fit like we’d been made to go together.
“Not throw pillows,” he continued once we’d gotten comfortable. “I turned down a position in the Miami field office yesterday.”
My jaw dropped. Nerves twisted in my gut, and my thoughts twisted with it, already shooting in different directions before his meaning could sink in.
He was offered a job elsewhere. I almost lost him before I really ever had him. Would he leave me if a better offer came? Why didn’t he accept this offer? Wasn’t Miami where his family lived? That field office was bigger and thus had more funding, right?
Max absently stroked his fingers over the top of my curls. “When I went out of town last week, an old friend from the Bureau showed me around. I’d talked with him about applying for a transfer there a month or so ago, but I decided not to submit it.”
My voice box finally started working again, grinding out one of the many burning questions sprinting through my mind. “Why not?”
“I don’t know if you know, but this crazy, beautiful woman moved in next door and kind of flipped my life upside-down.”
I snorted amidst the rollercoaster of emotions coursing through me. Relief. Confusion. Fear. “How inconsiderate of her.”
“Nah, my life needed a good flip.” He pulled me closer and kissed the top of my head. “Anyway, I guess a position opened up in Miami, and the first person they thought of was me.”
“Can’t blame them,” I murmured. And really, who wouldn’t want him, no matter the capacity? They’d be lucky to get him. “Why didn’t you accept? It’s a great opportunity, right?”
His shoulder shifted behind me in a shrug. “Of course. But there are lots of great opportunities in the world. Choosing that one would mean missing out on the best one right in front of me. Or a wall away from me, I guess.”
I sat up, my brow furrowed. “You turned the job down because ofme?”
“There were a few other reasons that went into my decision” —the corner of his mouth lifted in a devilish smirk as he slid a curled finger along my jaw and tipped my chin up to meet his eye— “but I’ll admit you played the biggest part in it.”
I blinked, too stunned to believe this was real. He’d chosen to stay. For me.
It was everything I wanted, a fairytale I’d only dreamed about. But was it what heneeded? What was best forhim? If love was choosing, then I chose him.Hishappiness. He deserved to work somewhere close to family, with better resources and weather. He deserved everything, and I wasn’t about to hold him back.
