Page 12 of Waiting for Her

I scrunch up my nose, wondering if he just wanted to fuck his way through a line of women before getting to me.

“Get that thought out of your head.”

My eyes widen and I school my features, but he sees right through me as usual.

“I did not fuck every woman that came onto me, although I will admit there were a lot of options.”

I roll my eyes. Loving and hating this cocky side of him.

“I won’t lie and tell you that there weren’t any women, there were, but just not as many as you might think.”

I didn’t go into this thinking otherwise. The man was a manwhore in high school and I didn’t expect that to go away because he had feelings for me.

“So what, you didn’t pursue me because you were afraid of my brother?” I ask, trying to get this conversation back on track.

“Yes and no.” His eyes lock with mine before he leans over and places a soft kiss on my lips.

“What was that for?” I ask, my eyes drifting open only to see pure desire staring back at me.

“Because I can. I’ve waited a long time for a moment like this with you, and I want to take advantage of it.”

I don’t know why I never noticed how much of a smooth talker he was, but Max has game, and I fucking love it.

“So, back to my brother and your overactive libido.” I giggle as his full smile takes over his face.

“Ha. Ha. Seriously though, I’ve only slept with maybe five women.”

My eyes bug out, not believing him in the least.

“That’s not possible. You always had girls hanging off you in high school and from the stories Drew and you used to tell when you came home from college, you were a manwhore.”

Max gasps, placing a hand on his chest as if I’ve offended him.

“I take offense to that,” he teases with a wink. “But in reality, it was all a lie. I was trying to hide my feelings for you and although I did have a few girlfriends here and there, nothing ever stuck.”

“So if you had feelings for me, then why did you date other girls?” The thought has been nagging me for a few minutes and yet I don’t really know if I’m prepared for the answer.

“Honestly, I think I was trying to get over you. I didn’t think I would ever have you, and so I tried to distract myself from that reality.”

“So what does that mean for us?” I ask, wary of the question because I still have no idea what to do with all the feelings coursing through my body right now.

But Max just smiles, leaning his forehead against mine.

“It means there is an us.”

I close my eyes, loving the sound of his voice in the silence of my bedroom. “It means we can start to figure out if this”—he motions between us—“works.”

“And what if it doesn’t?”

He arches a brow as I avert my eyes.

“What if we try this and everything falls to shit? I don’t know if I can handle losing you, or worse, my brother blaming me for losing his best friend.”

Max stares at me for a few seconds before dragging himself against me, pulling my face to his chest and engulfing me in those strong arms I’ve dreamed about for years.

“I would never let that happen, but I promise that even if it did, you would never lose me. Drew would never have to choose between us, and I promise you right now, that will never happen.”

I take a shuddering breath, taking in his cologne and closing my eyes because, for the first time in months, I feel peace, and before long I drift off to sleep without worrying about what the future holds.

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