Page 17 of Invisible String
When she questioned if my parents owned the cabin, I freaked out. Any other person I can bullshit them with lies mainly because it’s none of their damn business, but with Rainey, lying to her felt like a punch to the gut, especially because I consumed half of her lunch. Although I was hungry, I didn’t want to spend the little money I had on a thirty-dollar meal and not have enough to last me. There was no way I would walk out and not pay for the meal I had eaten.
I swing the door open when I hear a knock interrupting my workout. Sweat rolls down my body. Rainey’s smile has my heart doing crazy, weird shit.
“Hey,” she says breathlessly. Her gaze rolls over my bare chest.
“Hi.” I lick my lips, unsure how to address her or what to say. I’m not the type of man who knows how to host.Cálmate.
“After being so close to hitting you with my car, I wanted to apologize with the cookies and red velvet cupcakes I made last night.” Rainey’s lips go into a straight line.
Damn, do I want to taste them. I shake those wild thoughts out of my head. I need to calm down. No one has ever been this generous to me as she has. No one but Carlos, his wife, and three foster siblings from my past.
“Thanks, but you didn’t have to.” I take them from her hand, unsure what else to say. Inviting her in only leads to us having to talk, and that’s the last thing I want to do. What would I talk to her about? I have nothing going for myself. I’m fucking homeless.
“I wanted to. Besides, I made a shitload, and I love to bake.” She rocks on her heels. “Umm, would you like to join me for dinner? It’s okay if you can’t. I just don’t enjoy eating alone.”
Dinner? Equals bad idea.
“All right.” What the hell! No, no. This woman blocks every cell in my brain.
“Great. How about six?” She smiles widely.
“Okay.”
“See you in a bit.”
She walks backward, almost tumbling down the steps, but my fast reflexes catch her. My arms wrap around her small frame. Her palm glides down my bare chest, and my groin hardens at her touch. She smells of vanilla and spice.
“S…sorry.”
It’s good to know I make her nervous, too. “Are you alright?” I ask, still holding on to her. She’s still wearing the yellow dress she had on earlier, showing enough chest to make a man’s mindgo crazy. Yellow always reminds me of Sol, the girl who lived in my foster home—who vividly lives in my memory.
I help her to her feet and then gather the desserts from the floor, along with the money she had hidden from earlier. “Dammit, I’m sorry…toss the cookies. I’ll get you more.”
I take a bite. Holy shit, these are so good. I’ve never had a cookie that melts in your mouth. “Wow. They’re amazing.”
“Max, they have dirt on them.”
“I dusted it off, and a little dirt won’t hurt anyone.” When you live your life in different homes, you experience starvation to the point you seek food where you can. “And here, take the money.” She takes it from my hand, then shoves it in my sweaty workout shorts, nearly touching my cock. How in the hell does this woman do it? Why is it she can always touch me without making my skin crawl? My treacherous body wants her hands all over me.
“I enjoy your company, Max. Save it. Maybe next time you can take me out, and we can enjoy a meal together. As friends, of course.” She blushes. “See you soon.” She waves, going to her place.
The aromaof home-cooked food wafts through the light breeze. Whatever she’s making smells delicious. Her cookies are the best I’ve ever had. I stand at the front door, unsure of what to do once I’m in front of her. She and I are the complete opposite. While she has lived with a loving family her whole life, I floated around. It all started the day my mother died. My life did a one-eighty. I lost it all—my mother and my father. Me.
“Hey, you.” Rainey’s sweet voice startles me. “I heard steps, but no knock.”
“Could have been a bear? Or some crazy fucker in the forest, and you just open the door?”
She waves me in, stepping to the side. “I looked out the window, you dork.”
My stomach grumbles at the aroma of the food. Rainey changed into some short shorts. My gaze rolls over her body, toned legs, tight ass, curvy, and fucking beautiful. I’m not the type of man who pays attention to women’s hair, but Rainey, I can’t help but pay attention to everything about her, especially her cinnamon-silky hair. The thought of it wrapped around my fist.
Fuck.Nope, not going there.
“I hope you’re a fan of spaghetti and meatballs.” She leans into the stove, stirring a pot.
This house is a little bigger than Mike’s parents’ place. It has warmth and family photos hanging on the wall. “It’s actually my favorite.” Growing up, my mom made it with cooked ground beef and sauce.
She looks at me over her shoulder. “Good.”
