16. Maxim
Chapter 16
Maxim
B y the time we get to the hospital, everyone else is already there. Talia’s family chose to stay behind, even though we assured them they were welcome to come. Her uncles and cousins were going to join them at the penthouse so they could discuss their plans to go back to Oregon. When Talia asked if she should stay back with them, the look I’d given her had her quickly shutting her pretty little mouth. She’s a part of my family now, and where I go, she goes.
The waiting room we step into is filled with familiar, smiling faces, and as soon as Isabella sees us, she comes running over, too excited to keep still.
“Uncle Max,” she yells, and since my sling is off, I’m able to bend down and lift my hand out of the way so she can throw her arms around me in a big hug.
“Hey, Bella,” I say, kissing her cheek. “Are you excited to be a big sister?”
“Yes,” she squeals, hugging me tighter.
Letting me go, she quickly wraps her arms around a surprised Talia and yells, “Aunt Talia!”
“Hey, sweetie,” she says, and I can tell she’s fighting tears at being called an aunt. As soon as I see Natalya, she’s getting a big hug for being so damn thoughtful and teaching her daughter about how important Talia is to me. Nat’s always had a huge heart, so I’m not surprised she did it, but I’m still deeply touched.
After Isabella runs back to her grandparents, we make the rounds, saying hi to everyone. When we get to Sveta, I smile down at her and ask, “You ready to be next?”
She groans while Vitya smiles and gives her a kiss. “Of course she is,” he says. “Right, pcholka ?”
“Not really,” she admits with a laugh and then pats her stomach. “It’s not like they’re going to give me a choice, though. Samantha was so easy.”
Vitya laughs. “That’s because I literally found her and brought her home.”
“Exactly,” Sveta says. “She’s a precious gift that I didn’t have to push into this world. I have a feeling these two boys are going to give me hell.” She smiles at her husband. “I mean, they are yours, so of course they are.”
He laughs and puts his hand on her stomach. “Don’t be scared, sweetheart. You’re going to do great, and I’ll be right there with you.”
“With snacks?” she asks. “You’ll sneak some in even if they say it’s not allowed?”
He fights a grin and nods. “You have my word. I’ll smuggle in all the snacks you need.”
Clearly her big worry about childbirth is that snacks won’t be provided, but now that that’s sorted out, she seems more relaxed about it and nods. “Okay, but you also have to promise to bring me in food from the outside if I don’t like what they serve here.”
“I promise I’ll bring you anything you want,” he assures her.
“Okay, deal, I’ll have your babies then,” she says, making Vitya laugh.
He looks up at us and grins. “I’m not so sure she understands how this works.”
Talia and I laugh while Sveta elbows her husband. She gets distracted, though, when her dad walks in with a huge box and a big smile on his face. He walks over to Lev and lifts the lid. His brother laughs while Vitaly says, “Nice, right?”
“What is it, Dad?” Sveta asks.
He looks at his daughter and grins. “I got my brother an ice cream cake.” He tilts the large box he’s carrying so we can all read what’s written in icing: Congratulations, Grandpa!
“Shouldn’t that say, Congratulations, Natalya instead?” my Aunt Jolene asks. “She is the one doing all the work.”
“But Lev’s the one out here worrying,” Vitaly argues. “He deserves a cake, Jolene.”
“Do we each get a slice of it?” Sveta asks.
“Of course you do, honey,” her dad says. “There’s no reason we should be hungry while we wait. This could take hours.”
“Are you getting me a big cake like this for my birthday?” Mia asks, already grabbing a plate and fork.
Vitaly gives her a wink. “A giant one that’s covered in flowers and ballerinas.”
Mia laughs. “You wouldn’t dare.”
“I’m only kidding,” our uncle promises. “It’ll have knives and skulls and all kinds of scary things.”
Mia grins and holds out her plate for a slice. “Thanks, Uncle Vitaly.”
“Knives, skulls, and scary things?” Dario asks. He looks down at Mia. “Yeah, that sounds about right. She’s always trying to steal my knives.”
“It’s not stealing if I was planning on giving them back,” Mia argues. “Then it’s called borrowing.”
Dario eyes her. “Even if you don’t ask permission to do the borrowing?”
Mia shrugs. “It’s a morally grey area.”
Dario raises a brow at her. “I’m not sure that’s how that works.”
Mia takes the large slice our uncle cuts for her and stabs her fork in it before saying, “It just depends on how you look at it, Dario. I look at it as you’re my teacher, and if you’re not able to keep track of your knives, then you deserve to have me borrow them.”
Dario mutters something in Italian and looks to his brother for help, but Alessandro just laughs and holds up his hands. “Don’t pull me into this. You’re the one who agreed to train her.”
“I thought she’d mellow out over time, but she’s just grown more feral,” Dario says.
Lev smiles and winks at his daughter, clearly proud of her ability to drive her teacher crazy. His two daughters are about as different as they can get, but my uncle has never shown any sort of favoritism and loves them both like crazy.
Before we find a seat, my Uncle Vitaly hands Talia and me a plate. I’m not really hungry, but trying to explain that to my uncle is pointless, so I just smile, say thanks, and then give what I can’t eat to Sveta. Like her dad, she never says no to sugar.
“Sorry, Vitya,” I say, knowing he tries his best to keep her sugar consumption down.
“I’m used to it,” he says. “She doesn’t know it, but she’s getting an extra large salad at supper tonight, and I’m roasting asparagus.”
Sveta makes a disgusted face behind his back before taking another bite of cake.
“I felt that,” Vitya says, making her laugh.
“How?” she asks.
He looks back at her. “Because I love you, and I know every single thing about you, pcholka .”
“And yet you still insist I eat vegetables,” she says.
He grins. “Like I said, I love you.”
“You’re impossible to stay mad at,” she says, making him laugh. “It’s infuriating.”
He turns to kiss her while Talia and I go to sit by Val and Yelena. Luka and Lara are already there. Roma’s passed out in his dad’s arms, oblivious to the excitement around him. He’ll love having another cousin to play with when he’s older, but for now, he obviously doesn’t see what the fuss is about.
Talia leans in and smiles at how cute he is. “I think he’s the most beautiful baby I’ve ever seen,” Talia tells them.
Luka grins and winks at his wife. “He looks just like his mommy.”
Lara lets out a soft laugh. “Please, he’s like your little twin.” She looks at Talia and says, “When you look at old baby pictures of Luka and compare them to Roma, you can’t tell who is who. It’s crazy. Roma’s eyes are more bluish green, but besides that, there’s no difference. Even my mother-in-law is stunned by it.”
“Well, if this one is a girl, I hope she looks just like you,” Luka says. “And then we can work on giving Roma some brothers.”
Lara laughs and tells us, “I think he’d be happy with ten kids, but there’s no way in hell that’s happening.”
Luka doesn’t deny it. Instead, he grins and eyes her like he’s already thinking about baby number three.
Talia and I laugh and then spend the next few minutes talking with my cousins, and it feels so natural to have her next to me. She fits into my family so perfectly, and I feel a sense of pride at having her next to me, at being the lucky bastard who gets to spend my life with her. I watch as she laughs at something Val says and when she turns to look at me and I give her a wink, she gives me the cutest smile and tucks a strand of her dark hair behind her ear as her cheeks turn an adorable pink.
It’s so easy for me to lose myself in this woman, and already I can hear the notes in my mind of the song I’m composing for her. I’m not happy with the ending, but until I can mess around with it on the piano, I’m stuck, and it’s annoying the hell out of me. I try not to let it show, but not being able to play is taking its toll. If Talia weren’t here, I’d be going crazy. My fingers physically ache with the need to touch the keys that are as familiar to me as breathing. My need to bring her to life through music goes way beyond a mere want. It’s a definite need, and until I can do it, it’ll slowly eat away at me, threatening to drive me mad.
When she looks back at me again, I smile and lean down to kiss her, because as much as it’s driving me crazy, there’s no reason for her to know and be upset by it. She’d just worry and feel bad, and that’s the last thing I want for her. My job is to protect her from all that, not make it worse.
She tilts her head up, whispering that she loves me right before she kisses me, and despite everything, I’ve never been so happy. Before her, my family and music were my life. It’s all I cared about, and even though there’s an ache inside me at not being able to play the piano, she softens that pain and replaces it with so much more than I ever thought possible. Even if my fingers never heal, I know that I’ll be happy with Talia. I’ll find true joy in the life and family we create, despite the ache of losing my music. That’s more than I ever could’ve dared to hope for.
“I love you,” I whisper back. Watching the smile she gives at hearing me say it is the sweetest fucking gift.
The sound of Dominic’s proud voice pulls our attention to the open doorway. “He’s here, and Natalya’s doing great.”
His cousins hug him, all three of them speaking rapid Italian. Isabella runs over to him, and Dominic scoops her up, giving her a big kiss and telling her she’s officially a big sister now. Lev laughs and grabs Jolene, swinging her around as she laughs and cries and squeezes him back. We all crowd around when Dominic holds out his phone, showing us the tiny baby boy in Nat’s arms.
“We’d like you to meet the newest edition to our family—Vincenzo Antonio Alessi, or Enzo for short,” Dominic says, handing the phone to Lev, who quickly pulls him in for a hug.
Lev’s smile is bigger than I think I’ve ever seen it as he swipes through the photos with Jolene. Mia and Sasha crowd in to see. Jolene’s still crying when she looks at Dominic and says, “He’s so beautiful. How’d it go for Nat? Everything okay?”
Dominic beams with pride. “She did great.” His voice is thick with emotion when he takes his phone back and shows the picture to Isabella. “That’s your baby brother and Mommy.”
“Aww,” she says, pointing at the screen. “I want Mommy.”
“Okay, baby,” he tells her. “We can visit with Mommy, but then she needs to rest, okay?”
Isabella nods, and Dominic looks at all of us and says, “You should be able to see him through the nursery window now, and then they’ll bring him into Nat’s room.”
Alessandro laughs and holds up his phone so Dominic can see. “Dad is already cracking open a bottle of wine in celebration.” He looks at his brother. “And he says we need to get our asses in gear, get married, and start making babies.”
Dario grunts. “Yeah, I’ll get right on that.”
Sandro types out a message for his dad. “I told him we didn’t need to because Dom and Nat are going to make enough babies to keep the family going.”
“Yeah, that’ll appease Uncle Salvatore,” Dominic says, making his cousins scowl at him.
Sandro looks at his brother. “You’re the oldest. Time to do your duty, brother.”
Dario just laughs, not even bothering to give a response.
“Are we meeting my newest nephew, or what?” Mia asks, looking around the room. She’s not really the baby obsessed kind, so when she gets a few raised eyebrows, she points to her mom. “Grandma’s getting anxious.”
Jolene nods, still crying tears of joy. “I really do want to meet him.”
“Let’s go meet our grandson, malinkaya ,” Lev says, giving her a kiss before they follow Dominic out of the waiting room.
We all trail out after them, and it’s Damien who says what we’re all thinking.
“The hospital staff are going to be thrilled when visiting hours are over.”
Evgeny laughs and says, “At least no alcohol is allowed. We’d never get them out of here if they provided celebratory margaritas.”
“Poor little Enzo. He’s just been born into one crazy family,” Niki says. “I have a folder of photos I’ve collected over the years. Maybe I’ll put together a collage that highlights some of our proudest moments.”
“What kind of photos do you have?” Luka asks.
Niki just laughs. “You don’t want to know.”
“Just remember that my brother isn’t a photographer. When he says he has photos, it’s snapshots he’s taken from security cameras,” I say with a laugh.
Luka groans. “That’s what I’m worried about.”
Val points a finger at my younger brother. “You know you’re not allowed to spy on certain things.”
Niki laughs and shakes his head. “Relax, I’m not a fucking perv. Although, if I was,” he adds, “I’d have one hell of a folder, because there are a few couples in our family who can’t seem to behave in the elevators.”
“Do tell,” Sveta says, waddling in even closer.
“You really want to know the answer to that, baby?” Vitya asks her. “If anyone is having a quickie in the elevator, my money is on your dad.”
Sveta scrunches up her nose. “Eww, you’re right. Never mind, Niki. I don’t want to know.”
“Your dad is one of them,” Niki admits and then laughs at the look Sveta gives him. “But he’s not the only one.”
No one asks, because none of us want to know, but when he looks over at Sasha and Mia and gives a soft laugh, Mia fakes a dry heave while Sasha says, “Don’t ever fucking send me those pictures. It’ll scar me for life.”
“Little late for that,” Mia says while grinning up at her brother. “You were born scarred. You don’t need to see gross pics of mom and dad going at it in the elevator to make that happen.”
“Well, we don’t need to make it any worse, do we?” he asks.
Mia shrugs. “True enough.”
We turn the corner and see the large nursery window up ahead. Talia grabs my arm in her excitement, and I smile down at her. She looks up, giving me a wide-eyed, breathless look. “Don’t know why I’m so excited,” she admits with a laugh. “I barely know your cousin.”
Stopping near the window, I grin when I find Enzo, all bundled up in a blue blanket and knit cap and sucking on a pacifier. “It’s your first nephew,” I tell her. “That’s why you’re excited.”
I pull her in front of me so I can wrap my arm around her from behind and kiss the top of her head.
“He’s so beautiful,” she whispers, pressing her fingers against the glass as she leans in.
“He is,” I agree, hearing my Aunt Jolene start crying even harder as Lev takes a million photos.
Leaning down so I can press my lips against her ear, I whisper, “I can’t wait until it’s our turn.”
She turns her head and kisses my cheek. “You’re skipping steps. I’m still waiting for the world’s smallest diamond and a proper proposal.”
I grin and kiss the tip of her nose. “I’m working on it. Minuscule diamonds are surprisingly hard to find.”
The truth is I’ve hired someone to help me design the perfect ring for her. She’s my light, the woman who chases away all the darkness, and a teeny-tiny diamond isn’t going to cut it. She needs a mini sun on her finger, and I won’t settle for anything less.
We watch as one of the nurses smiles at Dominic and then points at the door. When Dominic nods, she starts to wheel his son out so we can meet them in Natalya’s room. Talia and I hang back with the others while Dominic brings Isabella and Nat’s parents in so they can have a few minutes alone to meet their very first grandson.
“He’s such a baby,” Vitaly whispers when Lev walks out with glassy eyes, waving at us to come in and meet Enzo. “Everyone thinks he’s the tough guy because of his piercings and underground fighting, but the man is a giant baby.”
“Didn’t you drop a tear or two the other night when Samantha took her first wobbly step with you?” my Aunt Katya asks.
The look my uncle gives her has her laughing. “She didn’t just take a step. She also said Grandpa while she did it.”
“If you say so, honey,” she tells him.
“She did,” he insists. He looks over at all of us. “It wasn’t the most articulate thing I’ve ever heard, but she said Gahn-pah clear as day, and that’s good enough for me. It was adorable.”
“It was really cute,” my Aunt Katya says.
My Uncle Vitaly squeezes her ass and kisses her smiling face. “Be nice and maybe I’ll teach her how to say Gahm-ma.”
My aunt laughs as we all squeeze into Natalya’s room. It’s a private room, but it’s still a tight fit. When Talia and I finally get to her, I give her a hug and say, “Sorry, Nat. I know how exhausted you must be.”
She hugs us both and smiles, even though I’m sure she’d like nothing more than to sleep for a few hours. “Are you kidding? I knew they’d all be storming in here as soon as I pushed him out.” She reaches out to squeeze my left hand. “We’re really glad you’re here to meet him, Max.”
“Me too,” I tell her, giving her hand a squeeze as Dominic walks over with his son in his arms and a huge smile on his face.
“Want to meet your nephew?” he asks.
“He’s so beautiful,” Talia says, stepping closer and running her finger over his tiny hand. He’s sucking on a pacifier, calm for the moment, his big brown eyes looking around and taking everything in.
“Hey, Enzo,” I say, running my fingers over the silky dark hair on his head. I look at Dominic and Nat. “He’s gorgeous. You did good, Nat.”
Dominic beams at her. “My principessa did amazing.”
She smiles up at him, and he gives her a wink before looking at Talia. “Do you want to hold him?”
She turns her dark eyes to mine, and I give her an encouraging smile. My desire to see her holding a baby is surprisingly strong, and when Enzo is safely tucked against her, I feel something loosen in my chest, a tightness that I hadn’t even realized was there. Whatever it is, it softens when I see Talia holding our nephew, and all I can think about is how badly I want to see her holding our baby instead.
Talia looks over at me and smiles. “Want to hold him?”
When I say yes, Dominic scoots a chair over so I can sit. With my right arm still useless, there’s no way I’d feel comfortable holding someone else’s newborn with just one good arm. As soon as I’m sitting, Talia leans over and very carefully puts him into my left arm, making sure his head is supported and he’s perfectly secure before standing up.
Enzo’s brown eyes stare into mine, and I give him a big smile. “Hey, little man. I’m your Uncle Max. Well, actually first cousin once removed, but who wants to say all that? I like uncle better.”
I hear a sigh and look up in just enough time to see my mom and Talia snapping a bunch of photos while everyone else stares at me. Everyone is emotional, and I know what they’re all thinking. Today could have very easily been different. It wouldn’t have taken much for me to die in that basement, and then they’d be here celebrating today without me. I never would’ve gotten to meet my newest nephew, and I wouldn’t be about to spend my life with the woman I love. My life would’ve ended, and that would be that.
My mom’s sniffling pulls my focus back. “Don’t cry, Mom. I’m here, and everything’s going to be fine.”
She nods while my dad pulls her in tightly against him. “I know. I’m just really happy.”
“We all are,” my Aunt Jolene says, snapping another photo of me holding her grandson. She looks around the room and gives us all a smile that’s wobbly with emotion. “How about no more kidnappings, huh?” She gives a soft laugh. “Can we just say, been there, done that, and move on? I think our families deserve a break.”
“Hear, hear!” my Aunt Emily says, raising a glass of champagne that someone has apparently smuggled in. “To baby Enzo and a time of peace for all of us.”
I guess I was busy staring at my nephew while they were busy passing around the bubbly, because everyone raises a glass, toasting the newest edition of our family and hoping for a peace that, in all honesty, probably won’t last too long. Not for this family, anyway.
When Enzo lets out a hungry whimper and starts rooting around, I look to Nat for help. She laughs at whatever she sees on my face as Dominic takes his son and puts him in his mom’s arms. Knowing she’s about to nurse, we all start to say our goodbyes. I hug them both and congratulate them again, and as soon as we’re out of the room, I nod at my brother and grab Talia’s hand, pulling her down the hall and into the elevator.
“What are we doing?” she asks with a laugh.
‘We’re going home,” I tell her, pushing the button for the parking garage where one of our guards is already waiting to take us to my house. I’d texted Niki earlier, letting him know what I had planned, and he’d helped me set up a night away for us. Dima and Bran packed her a bag and had it sent over. Everything is ready. The only thing missing is Talia naked in my bed, but I plan on remedying that as soon as possible.
Once we’re in the SUV and on our way, she asks, “What about everyone else?”
“It’s taken care of. Your brothers packed you a bag, and everyone knows to leave us alone for twenty-four hours. I invited your entire family over for lunch tomorrow, so they can see my house and how secure it is and so that you can spend some time with them before they leave.”
I cup her face, running my thumb over her soft skin. “But we need this time together, Talia, just the two of us.”
She grins up at me. “We do,” she agrees. “But we’re not skipping your finger exercises. I still need to do it three more times today.”
“I wouldn’t dream of trying to skip out on it, my bossy little nursemaid.” Leaning in closer, I whisper, “I am curious to see what my reward will be.”
“I’ll see what I can come up with.”
I pull back and give her a wink. “I can’t wait.”
She returns my smile and then spends the rest of the drive staring out the window, excitement written all over her face.
“We can do anything you want,” I tell her. “Go anywhere you want, see anything. Just let me know, and I’ll make it happen.”
“It’s so different from Oregon.”
“You really miss it, don’t you?”
She quickly turns to me and rests her hand on my thigh. “I like it here, too.”
I take her hand and kiss it. “I know it’s a sacrifice,” I start to say, but she shakes her head to cut me off.
“Nothing about being with you is a sacrifice to me. Don’t ever think that. I want to be here with you. Please don’t ever doubt that, Max.”
I don’t push the issue because I don’t want to upset her, but I also know I need to figure something out to make this doable. I won’t have her giving everything up for me. It’s not fair to her, and I would never ask her to do that. That kind of one-sided sacrifice usually ends in resentment, and that’s the last thing I want for us. I don’t ever want to be the cause of her unhappiness, the person standing in-between her and her family. I’d never forgive myself.
I put that particular worry on hold when our driver pulls up to the security system Niki put in place. Rolling down my window, I press the pad of my thumb to the scanner and make sure I’m looking straight into the hidden camera. My face and fingerprint run through the system, and when they match with what’s on file, the light turns green and the wrought-iron gate swings inward, allowing us access.
“Wow,” Talia whispers when she sees the large brick, two-story house in front of us. A sudden rush of nerves hits me when I realize how much I want her to love this place as much as I do. I haven’t had it long, but as soon as I saw it, I knew it was meant for me. The property is big enough to seem private and allow for good security. There’s a pool in the back, and a ton of trees, which make the place seem like a little oasis in the city.
The security I have at the house is top of the line, so I feel comfortable sending the men in the SUV away. Nothing is getting onto the property without at least two warning systems going off, one of which will go directly to Niki, who will alert the whole damn Bratva to get their asses over here. We’re as safe as we can possibly be, so I grab Talia’s hand and lead her inside.
Nerves continue to eat at me as we walk further into the house. She looks around, taking everything in with an open curiosity. I watch her every move, looking for any signs that she might not like something or wish something was different, but she’s all smiles, walking around the kitchen and then the living room as she touches anything that catches her eye.
“This is beautiful,” she finally says, stopping to look at a painting Sveta made for me. “It’s you, right?”
I let out a surprised laugh. “How can you tell?” We both look at the large painting. It’s an Impressionist style painting, so the man at the piano isn’t done in detail, making him completely unrecognizable as any specific person.
Talia looks at the painting and points out certain parts as she says, “I recognize the line of your jaw and shoulders, and even if the fingers aren’t very defined, I can still tell their yours. Who did this? It’s really amazing.”
“Sveta painted it a few years ago. She was going through her ‘Gloomy Impressionist Phase,’ as she liked to call it. She was also bored, and so one day she showed up with one of her giant sketchpads and spent the day drawing while I practiced. Then she disappeared and brought me this a few months later.” I laugh at the memory. “It was more like she showed up, shoved the canvas at me and said, ‘Here you go. I’m gonna fiddle around with watercolors next.’ I think it was Mia who got the watercolor portrait. Sveta and her mom are very talented artists, and she gets bored easily, so she’s always trying new things.”
“I can’t imagine having that kind of talent,” Talia says, staring at the large painting. She turns her dark eyes to mine. “I’m starting to feel a bit dull, Max. I can’t paint you a beautiful picture or play you a song. I can’t even carry a tune, if I’m being honest. You’re going to be so bored with me.”
“Never,” I say, wrapping my arm around her and pulling her against me. “Don’t even think that. You’re the most amazing person I’ve ever met, and the truth is I’m in complete awe of you. I don’t want you to paint me a picture. If you want me to teach you how to play the piano, I will, but I honestly don’t give a rat’s ass if you can play an instrument or not.”
I tilt her chin up and kiss the tip of her nose. “I would really love to hear you sing off-key, though.”
She laughs and says, “Okay, but just remember that you asked for it.”
Bringing my mouth close to hers, I thread my fingers through her hair and pull her even closer. “What part of the house do you want to see next?”
Her breath hitches when I ghost my lips over hers. I want to consume this woman, taste every inch of her and brand her body as mine, but even though I wanted this night away with her, I’ll take things as slow as she needs me to.
That doesn’t mean I don’t let out a relieved breath when she runs her hands under my hoodie and says, “Your bedroom.”
I grin and say, “ Our bedroom.”
She lets out a squeal of protest when I grab her ass with my good hand and lift her up. Bracing my forearm under her, she wraps her arms and legs around me in a tight hug.
“Your arm,” she says, looking down at my injured hand.
“Is fine,” I tell her. I lift it up to show her. “See? I’m not using it. Just press your body to mine and hang on tight.”
“I think I can manage that,” she says, squeezing me tighter and pressing her face to my neck as I carry her down the hall. Her warm lips trace a line up my skin, and when I feel the heat of her tongue, I groan as my cock grows painfully hard and my restraint starts slipping away.
She’s momentarily side-tracked from driving me crazy when I step into the large downstairs bedroom and she gets her first look at it. There’s a king-size bed, a flatscreen TV, and a set of French doors that lead out to the back patio and pool, but that’s not what’s captured her attention. She’s staring at the Steinway Model M grand piano that’s taking up a large chunk of the bedroom. It’s a couple of feet smaller than my mom’s, but it’s still nearly six feet in length. I haven’t been in here since before I was taken, so there’s sheet music everywhere and some clothes on the floor.
“Can I see?”
I smile and lower her down, watching as she slowly walks over to it. When she reaches it, I can tell she wants to touch it, but she holds back.
Stepping up behind her, I say, “You’re not going to break it.”
“I might,” she whispers. Hesitantly, she reaches out and runs her fingers along the keys and then shifts her attention to my scribbled notes on top. Her touch is almost reverent, running her fingers over the notes I’d written in a frenzy. “When you see this,” she asks, “can you hear it in your head?”
I look at the piece she’s touching and run my eyes over the bars of music, hearing every single note in my head with perfect, sharp clarity.
“Yes,” I tell her.
“You’re amazing,” she whispers, and I let out a laugh at how sweet she is. I sit on the bench and pull her into my lap.
Burying my nose against her neck, I breathe in the vanilla cinnamon scent of her. “I’m not amazing, sweetheart. I’m far from it.”
She lets out a soft sigh when I drag my nose along her skin. “You’re amazing to me.”
I smile and kiss the crook of her neck. Putting my left hand on the keys in front of us, I say, “Put your hand on top of mine.”
Waiting until her small hand is resting on mine, each finger lined up as much as they can, I start to play a few notes from the song she’d just been looking at. Turning my head, I watch her as I play. With her eyes glued to our fingers, a huge smile lights up her face, and she’s so beautiful that for the first time in a very long time, I miss a note.
“Hmm,” I say, stunned that I fucked it up. “That might be a problem.”
“What might be?”
“I just missed a note.”
With her brow furrowed, she turns to look at me. “You did?” I laugh while she says, “I didn’t hear it. Do it again.”
“This is how it should be,” I say, going through it again, this time making sure to get it right. “And this is what I just played.”
The offending note is like nails on a chalkboard to me, but she just gives me a cute, lopsided grin and says, “I can’t tell the difference.”
“Jesus Christ,” I say with a laugh. “Did I seriously fall in love with a woman who’s tone deaf? The Universe can’t be that cruel.” I give her a wink to let her know I’m joking, kind of, and then say, “Okay, hear this?” I ask, hitting the C note. She nods, so I say, “Does this sound the same?”
I hit the D note and let out a relieved breath when she says, “Of course they’re not the same.”
“What about this?” I ask and then go through a few more notes. She passes every test, and when I slowly play my earlier mistake again, she finally learns to hear the small difference in the notes and gives me a thumbs up. “You scared the hell out of me, sweetheart,” I tell her.
She grins and then surprises me by standing and turning around so she can straddle my lap and we’re chest to chest. Something about her smile has me raising a brow. “Were you just fucking with me?”
Her laugh is cute as hell when she says, “Yeah.” The look on my face has her laughing even harder. “I didn’t hear it when you first made it, though. I never would’ve noticed it if you hadn’t said something.”
“I can’t believe you let me believe you might be tone deaf,” I say, shaking my head in mock disappointment. “You’re really taking advantage of the fact that my spanking hand is injured.”
“Gotta live it up while I can,” she says. Leaning closer, she threads her fingers behind my neck and rocks her hips as she gives my bottom lip a soft suck that has all the blood in my body going straight to my dick.
When she feels me grow even bigger, she gives a sexy moan and grinds against me.
Locking her beautiful eyes on mine, she says, “I think you’ve teased me long enough, Max.”
I grin and cup one of her perfect ass cheeks in my hand, giving it a good squeeze. “You think so, sweetheart?”