Page 108 of Invisible String
“That night at the cabin, when my dad showed up, did you go to the house? Did you hear us arguing?”
Blood rushes to my head, making me lightheaded. “I heard a little,” I admit. “It was a private conversation, so I left.”
Her beautiful face goes pale. “What did you hear?”
I set the cup down, then take hers and set it next to mine. I lean her back against the counter, pinning her in with the palm of my hand. “Nothing I didn’t know already. He thinks I’m violent. Maybe I am. In the ring, but never ever with you. He said I’m not good enough for you. He’s right, but I’ll die trying to be the man you’ll always deserve. He said I didn’t have the money to care for you. He was right, but I fixed that. I have money now to takemy womanto a nice restaurant of her choosing, no matter the price. I have money to spoil her with gifts.” I place a kiss on a tear rolling down. “I no longer sleep in the backseat of my car. I have a roof over my head to share withmy womanwhenever she’s ready.” I swallow the emotions threatening to erupt. “And I’ll continue to work my ass off to earn your trust and respect. I’ll continue to fight for your heart.”
Rainey’s chin quivers. “Max.” She combs a loose strand of hair in place. “I’m sorry you heard all that. I…I don’t care about money. I never have.” Her grip clenches on my arm. “You should have told me.” Rainey’s shoulders slump, and her eyes are somber.
I can’t remember far back if she asked that night, but even then, I wouldn’t have told her. Her dad was right. Even though I was desperate to prove that man wrong, a deeper, more urgent desire tugged at me—to prove to myself that I could actually become something. But in doing so, I had to wrestle with my own perception of who I was. I drifted from one place to another, living from home to home and street to street, feeling unloved and unworthy—until I met Rainey. She brought warmth and acceptance. She was my undoing.My reason.
“It’s in the past,tesoro.How about we work on the present?” If I had told her that night, her father paid me to leave her, it would have pained her, and it would have resulted in her impulsive decision to leave with me. Where would I take her? To live in my car or with Carlos? I could never do that to her. My lips slant on her cheek. “So you have lunch with your brother. What happened with you and your dad?” I know he saw me dancing with her.
She scoffs. “He suggested it would be a great idea to have Andrew live with me. And he asked if you were back in my life. He saw you at the gala.”
I rub my chin, and an amused laugh rips out of me. It doesn’t surprise me. That asshole has had a hard-on for me for a long time. My jaw clenches, and my knuckles turn white, gripping the counter.
“What did you say?” My molars grate.
Rainey’s big chocolate eyes fixate on me. Can she see how much she means to me, that jealousy carves into the depths of my bones?
She blinks. “I told him, great idea. We can get bunk beds.” She snorts. “Of course not. I got pissed, you dummy. It resulted in a fight.” She shrugs and takes her coffee to her mouth. The steam gathers moisture on her nose. I wipe it when she lowers her mug.
“I’m sorry you’re not getting along with your dad.” It’s the earnest truth. I am sorry their family broke apart. Rainey had mentioned to me how her father was so busy building his law firm and campaign during Mrs. Collins’ illness, he had not paid her the attention she needed. Instead, he paid for the best doctors and nurses, which was fine, but what she needed was love. She needed her husband’s attention and affection. Even from the beginning of the affair, his job was always his top priority.
The one thing I can say about my dad is that he loved my mother so much that he drowned in grief and doesn’t know how to come to the top. Alcohol became a coping mechanism for numbing his pain, including me. I had longed to grieve with him. For him to hug me and tell me everything was going to be okay. To share stories of her. However, that’s not what life had in store for me.
It’s okay. It also led me to Rainey.
Taking the cup from her hands, I set it down.
To ease the heartbreak, I slant my mouth on Rainey’s, and everything fades. She opens, and her tongue twists with mine. It always feels like she knows when I need her. Her hands glide to my chest, to the nape of my neck. With a desperate tug, the kiss deepens. The cup rattles when I lift Rainey and slide her onto the granite countertop. My body shivers as her pointed tips drag along my bare chest. She intoxicates me, dripping into myveins. Rainey spreads her legs, the body heat between us ablaze. We devour the noises coming from both of us. I love how she’s kissing me. She wants me just as damn bad. I crave her taste and how she felt underneath me. She bites my bottom lip and sucks, sending a rush of blood to my hard length.
“You’re going to be the death of me,” I mumble in between breaths. I feel her smile in the kiss. I’m so close to coming. It would be embarrassing. Her fingers feather into my silk hair, the scrape of her delicate nails massages exotically.
I adjust myself and pull away. Her smeared lipstick makes her look adorable. She chases my lips for more. If we continue, I’ll come within seconds. This is what she does to me with a kiss and a simple touch. I’m not even inside her, and my body revs for her.
Rainey giggles. “You have lipstick.” She wipes it off with a swipe of her thumb. There she is. That laugh.
“You look beautiful today. You always do,” I tell her, fixing the smudge above her lip. Her boots rub on my leg, and I inhale the space between us—vanilla and cinnamon lotion.
She smiles at me, and my heart swells. I see that twinkle in her eye. It’s small, but it’s there. “You don’t look bad yourself. Your swelling is going down. It seems the anti-inflammatory pill helped. We just need to add more antibacterial ointment to it.” She runs a hand through my hair. “And you can see out of your eye.”
“I can see perfectly fine.” I wink with my good eye and lean in when the doorbell rings.
I curse.
“I’m not expecting anyone.” Rainey’s eyes widen, and she tenses with worry. I hate that now she’s paranoid because of me. She doesn’t need this shit. To ease her, I brush my lips on hers, leaving a lingering kiss, then massage her shoulders.
“It’s Johnny and another guy I hired to watch over you. Your own personal bodyguards. They are trained in the military and have experience.”
She hops off the counter and wraps her arms around my waist. “Thank you,Maxi, for always keeping me safe.”
I freeze in her embrace. “Always.” I kiss the top of her head.
Always.
CHAPTER THIRTY-TWO
