Page 106 of Invisible String
“We were never an item.”
“You don’t need to be an item to fuck.”
She jumps off the table, shoving her jeans on. “Oh, I know that. But we never did.”
Ankles crossed, I lean up against the wall. I realize I put distance between us. If she had been sleeping with Andrew, it would drive a knife right through my heart. He drove me away as a kid so he could have her. It doesn’t surprise me she never found out I was one of their foster kids. Her father and Andrew buried it. Then, I didn’t know Andrew’s parents and Raney’s were close friends until the day I was kicked out. Would she have continued being friends with him if she knew? It’s not something I want to get into now.
“Relationships were the last thing on my mind, Max. Like I said before, your absence was heartbreaking. Then, months later, my mom was diagnosed with cancer. From then on, it went downhill. She passed a year ago, and it’s still hard to accept she’s gone.”
She averts her gaze from me, fixing her hair. Emotions deep inside surface in remembrance of the day I lost my mom. Pain so bone-deep it hurts. My chest tightens. It wounds me to see Rainey mourn the loss of her mother. I wouldn’t wish that on anyone.
“Come here,” I tell her, extending my arms out for her.
She gives me a sad smile and wraps her arms around me. Her head lies on my bare chest. The tightness in her hug expresses how much she needs this. I plant kisses on her forehead, and her eyes close.
“I got you.” I always have, even when she didn’t know it. I rub her back. “So, my place or yours?”
She looks up at me through her long eyelashes. I still can’t believe this beautiful woman has not been with anyone since me. “Mine.”
I nod. Daisy is at Carlo’s house because Nessa took her to the groomers. “Okay then, we’d better go. It’s getting late.” And my body aches. I give her a gentle but tight squeeze before letting her go. “Are you okay?”
“I am now.” She exhales. She smiles at me, and the twinkle in her eye shines slightly brighter. She gets on her tiptoes and kisses my chin. “Oh, Max. I think it opened again. Fuck. I’ll call Lana. It’s my fault. We shouldn’t have done anything.” Her eyes fill with worry, and her brows dip.
With my thumb, I rub the crease between her brows. “First, I’m fine. I’ll be okay. It’s not my first. You worry too much. Second, nothing is your fault. I wanted you just as much as youneeded it. Suppose you want me to eat you out again when we get home? I’ll gladly do it.”
“Oh, great titties.”
My lips twist into a smile. “Am I making you wet?”
Her gaze caresses my body. She lifts her top lip, and I’m drawn to it. “Very much so when you speak to me like that.”
“Nothing has changed. You still like my dirty talk?”
Her eyes always glistened. Rainey tidies up the mess we created, including the cream cheese icing that had dripped onto the floor. It tasted even more heavenly when I enjoyed it between her soft thighs.
She looks at me over her shoulder and smirks. “Are you ready?”
I grab my bloody shirt. Ready? Does she mean ready to be back between her fine legs or ready to get to her house? Either way, I just want to be in her presence, close to her. “I’m ready, baby.”
Before Rainey steps out,I check whether Daniel or his men are parked outside the bakery. Only a single dim light flickers beneath us. I shake my head. Rainey has been leaving work late at night and going in early in the morning. It’s too dangerous for her to be in a dark parking lot. I’ll have to send my guys to put better surveillance and lights for her. “Let’s go in my car,” I suggest.
“No, let’s take my car…” She puts her hands on her hips. “Or yours.” Rainey puts her index finger up. “But I drive. You can’t drive with an eye and a half,” she jokes.
Maybe if her driving had improved. Her Mustang’s headlights are busted. “It’s best if I drive. I can drive just fine.”
She stops walking mid-parking lot and peers at me.
“You’re tired,” I add.
“I’m fine, Max.” She frowns. “Does this have anything to do with my driving?”
I reach for her hand and tug her into my arms. The whisper of the breeze fluidly passes us. I arch her back and kiss her stupidly. My lips melt into her delicate, hot lips. Pulling away, she blinks, surprised by my sudden move. “Absolutely not. You drive like a race car driver. Reckless, but also focused and determined to get to your destination.”
The graze of her fingertips on my chest sends a wave of boiling heat. Her touch is like liquid gold. “That does not make sense.” She laughs. She knows she drives, well, like shit.
She follows me to my car.
“Princess treatment. Always remember. I drive, and you read, eat snacks, look out the window, or…” I shrug. “Suck me off.”
