Page 96 of Invisible String
My tongue flicks deeper. My hands don’t know where to roam. I want to touch every part of her, but I know she’s not all in, so instead, I hold on to her face and take every passionate kiss she’s giving me.
“Max, oh God.” She pulls away, dropping her legs to the ground. “I want to kiss you over and over. But I can’t.”
She pulls my shirt, and our mouths are back at work. Her hands lock on the back of my neck. Lightning strikes in bolts through my body. I groan when Rainey rubs on me.
She pulls away again, panting, shaking her head. “We can’t. I can’t.” A tear rolls down her cheek. I lean in and kiss it. “But…I feel like I can’t stop. I want to kiss you when I know I shouldn’t.”
“It’s okay, baby. I’ll stop, okay?” I take a step back. “My God, Rainey, you are so fucking gorgeous. You know that?” The last thing I want is for us to go deeper when I know she’d regret it.
Her lips curve into a shy smile. “I don’t see how. I’m wearing an apron, and my hair is in a ponytail. I have flour on my clothes. I’m far from it at this moment.”
“You’re perfect in my eyes.”
She tilts her head solemnly. “It’s you, but not entirely. Something about you is different.”
Taking another step back, I lean on her desk. The chatter from the café had died down. Isabella’s voice sounds from the front, talking to the employees.
“I’m still me. A lot has changed, but nothing major. What you’re seeing are the layers I’m peeling for you. I’m laying it out for you. When you’re ready and if you want it. I’ve never been the type of man to lay anything out for anyone to see who I really am, but with you, I do because I trust you. I don’t trust easily, so I understand when you say you no longer trust me. But I want to earn it back.” Leaning off the desk, I take the steps I need to be in her space. Her eyes soften, following my every move, then land once again on my lips. “You lost the light in your eyes, you always had. I’ll bring it back and do whatever it takes to do so.”
The moment of heat is gone when she balls a fist, shoving on my chest to push me back. “What is it you want from me, Max? To hurt me all over again? To walk out on me?”
“I will never hurt you, not intentionally. I’ll never walk out on you because what I want is your love; I want you to tie me down. Save me from my unhinged ways. Tame me. More than anything, one day, I’d like for you to take my name.” She goes to stone, and her eyes enlarge. “From the first time we kissed, Itasted forever on my lips.” I drop a gentle kiss on her cold nose. “I need to get to work. You know where to find me if you need anything. I’ll see you,tesoro mío.”
CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE
RAINEY
Two days have passed since Max and I kissed, since he expressed himself in ways he never has. A large part of me believes it, or maybe because I wanted to climb him like a tree. Tasting his lips again brought up memories I was forced to bury.
Every part of my body has come alive, a tingling awareness coursing through my veins. I yearn, no, I am compelled to taste him, to feel the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips, to trace the contours of his chiseled chest. His body felt different. Harder, stronger, and those tattoos melted me to my core. The temptation to rip his shirt off and trace the dips of his abs with my tongue was pure torture. If he wouldn’t have stepped back, I would have. I’ve missed him.
He’s been coming every morning for the last two days, and I say good morning. And stare at him. He’s making me weak in my knees.
I want you to tie me down. Save me from my unhinged ways. Tame me. More than anything, one day, I’d like for you to take my name.
How can he say these words and not affect me? He wants marriage with me? Does he really? I’m so confused. Mytreacherous body longs for him when my heart is guarded by steel bars, and my soul hums for him like a siren searching for her other half. I’ve lost him twice. I can’t bear going through it again.
“Yikes,” I shout when I bounce up, after not seeing the speed bump. The asphalt at the diner crunches under my tires. My dad asked, more like begged, my brother and me to have dinner with him. This diner has the best pancakes, and it was my mom’s favorite place in Vegas.
The restaurant is quiet, but it’s usually busy during breakfast hours. It’s built to look old-fashioned, and the walls are decorated with historic stories of Vegas. My dad and brother are sitting in a far booth tucked in a corner.
“Hey, sis.” Justin steps out to hug me. “How have you been?”
I give him a tight squeeze. “Good. How about you? You seem happy.” He’s so smiley, it’s cute. “Aww, don’t tell me it’s a woman.”
“Yeah, maybe that’s it.” He grins.
My dad steps out. We hug awkwardly. This is what it has come to? Hugging my father like a stranger? “Rainey. How’s my beautiful daughter doing? I stopped by the café a couple of days ago. Isabella said you were at the bank.”
“Yes, I was at the bank.”
He gestures for me to slide in. I sit between them and wish Bethany were here. “Thank you both for coming tonight. I know it’s difficult, and you would rather be anywhere but here. I miss my kids and your mother. We can start by having small talk.”
The waiter shows up on time because he’s right. I would rather be at home. We order breakfast for dinner and a cup of coffee.
“How’s work going?” I ask my brother.
He sighs. Being an attorney is a rough job. It involves a lot of late nights. My mom always had patience since we were kids. “The firm has grown. We have some tough cases. Right, Dad?”
