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The Bucket List Boyfriend (Boston Love #3) Chapter 16 89%
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Chapter 16

Maya

MY FINGERS dig into the rock, the rough surface pressing into my palms. I take a deep breath and contemplate the next move. Above me, the top of the rock face looms.

I glance over from where I’m climbing just to my right, where Max is. His legs look a bit shaky, but there is a determined look plastered on his face.

“You okay, Max?” I ask.

He looks over at me and smiles.

“How are your movements so fluid and graceful? Like you’ve done this a thousand times before.”

“Well, maybe not a thousand, but the number is definitely high. I’m proud of you though. Looking much calmer than the ziplining fiasco,” I say, stretching to reach a nice groove in the rock.

“Don’t get used to it,” Max says, gritting his teeth as he finds another foothold. “I’m not planning to do this again. Ever. I know my limits.”

I chuckle, the sound carried up by the breeze.

“Aw. That’s a disappointment, Max. I was hoping I’d get to see those biceps working hard again. I’m enjoying the view.”

I think my flirty statement makes him almost lose his grip because his foot slips, but the harness and ropes do a great job of supporting his weight.

“You’re good for my ego, Maya. If I were a peacock I’d be strutting around with a puffed-up chest, showing off.”

That makes me chuckle, but I don’t say anything more because I don’t want to distract him.

The main instructor, Tyler, who is a good friend of mine, is at the top, giving us encouraging shouts every now and then.

Max scoffs. “You make it sound easy, Tyler, but you’re built for this sort of thing. Me? I’m not…in spite of Maya’s kind comment about the biceps.”

I can just imagine how his fingers must be aching and how his heart must pound in his throat every time he thinks about how high up we are.

“We’ve made it this far. There’s no way I’m letting you back out now.”

I reach the top first and glance back down at Max, who is looking up with determination etched on his face.

“Just a few more pulls, a few more pushes.”

“My arms are burning, and I feel like I might throw up,” Max replies.

“Push it down, Max. You’ve got this!”

I watch him move hand over hand, until he finally hauls himself up, collapsing onto the flat rock beside me.

“You did it,” I say, offering him a hand, but he waves me off, trying to catch his breath.

Tyler walks over, checking our harnesses, making sure everything’s set for the rappel down.

I’m not going to mention to Max that going down might be worse than coming up.

“At least it’s a pleasant view from up here—trees stretching out for miles, the sunlight glinting off a river far below,” I say as Tyler checks all my gear.

I’m trying to get Max to look on the bright side as he sits up, but he’s having none of that.

“I’d appreciate it more if I didn’t have to dangle myself over the edge next.”

“You’re good to go,” Tyler says, nodding to me. I clip in, take a breath, and lean back, feet firmly planted on the rock as I start my descent.

“Your turn,” I hear Tyler tell Max.

Max steps to the edge and looks down.

“It definitely feels higher now than when we were climbing. My stomach is doing unpleasant things.”

“Max,” I shout up to him, “there’s a reason Uncle Reggie put this on the bucket list when he knew how terrified you are of heights.”

“I don’t care. It’s cruel and unusual punishment.”

I laugh at his dramatics.

“Max, you’ve got this,” I call up from halfway down.

“Leaning backward into thin air is totally unnatural. I don’t care what anybody says. How did you make this look so easy?”

After what seems like forever, Max finally forces himself to lean back, the harness catching him.

Before I know it, he’s moving down, inch by inch, his feet pushing against the rock. I think the panic is fading a little with each step.

As he gets closer, I can hear him mumble. “Trust the gear. Trust Maya.”

When his feet touch the ground again, he lets out an audible breath.

“I’m alive. Although my legs aren’t feeling very steady,” he says as he unclips himself.

“Not so bad, huh?”

“Nope. Still hate it,” he says, deadpan.

I laugh, brushing a loose strand of hair from my face. “You ready to head back?”

He shakes his head, glancing toward the woods. “Let’s take the long way. Walk a bit.”

I raise an eyebrow but nod. “Sure.”

We say goodbye to the instructors and head into the trees, the path winding through the dappled sunlight, the smell of pine in the air.

It’s quiet, peaceful, and after the adrenaline of the climb, I’m sure it feels like a relief to Max.

After a while, we come across the river we’d seen from the top. It’s shallow here, the water rushing gently over smooth rocks.

Max pulls me toward a boulder on the bank and we sit side by side, our feet dangling over the edge.

We fall into a comfortable silence, the sound of the river filling the space between us.

“Today was fun,” I say softly, breaking the silence. “I’m really proud of how you handled things…even if you hated every second of it.”

He chuckles, rubbing the back of his neck. “Yeah, I wouldn’t want to repeat it, but it was better than I’d imagined it was going to be. Kind of like the whitewater rafting.”

I turn to him and feel a wave of pride. “This whole bucket list thing—it’s been good for you, huh?”

He nods, taking a breath.

“It has been. But not for the reasons you think.”

“Oh?” I raise an eyebrow.

Max fiddles with his glasses before taking my hand in his and searching my eyes.

“It’s not the bucket list that’s been good for me. It’s you, Maya. Since we were kids, you’ve always challenged me. Made me want to do more, be more. I’ve spent years worried that I would never be good enough for you. Adventurous enough.”

“Max—”

He can obviously hear the chiding in that one whispered word.

“No, just let me finish. You know, I went into this bucket list determined to prove to myself and to you, that I could be adventurous and athletic. That I was more than just Max the nerdy network architect. But the whole experience has made me realize something. I’ll never be as athletic or adventurous as you…”

I’m about to argue but Max puts a finger up to my lips.

“...but I’m okay with that now. They haven’t magically made me an adrenaline junkie. If these activities have taught me anything it’s that sometimes risks are worth taking. The greatest rewards often lie just beyond our fears—I can’t let the ‘what ifs’ hold me back from taking the risk that could change everything.”

I smile against his finger, still a little confused about what he’s really trying to say. But I don’t have to wonder for long.

“I’m in love with you, Maya. There, I said it. Finally. I’ve loved you since I was sixteen, maybe even before that—and I’ve been so scared to say anything because I didn’t want to risk losing you.”

My mouth pops open like a fish, and I know my eyes are like dinner plates. I mean, I shouldn’t really be shocked considering the flirty dynamic over the last couple of weeks, but…sixteen? He’s loved me since he was sixteen?

He tries to lighten the moment, giving me a half-smile. “And we both know how risk-averse I am.”

My laugh is cut short when he grabs my face between his hands and I suck in a breath.

“I love everything about you, Maya. I love how you wake up for a dawn run, just to catch the sunrise because it’s your favorite part of the day. I love how you get this wild glint in your eyes when you talk about trying a new adventure sport. I love that you have such a big heart that you want to rescue every animal you see. Even snakes.”

I chuckle at that, but my heart is racing and my head is spinning.

“I love the way you sing when you think no one’s listening and how you laugh at the worst jokes, even mine. I love that you can’t sit still, that you fidget when you’re thinking, and that you’re always up for a challenge, even when it’s something crazy like whitewater rafting. I love your competitive streak, how you refuse to lose at anything. And your smile—it’s like you light up the whole room without even trying. And I love the way you look at me, like you see all the parts of me no one else gets.”

His eyes never leave mine as it all just spills out of him.

“You’re it for me, Maya. You always have been. I might be risk-averse, but I would regret it forever if I never told you how I feel. You’re my greatest risk and my greatest reward. I don’t mind if you’re still figuring things out, but I can’t keep pretending like you aren’t everything to me anymore. I don’t want to spend another day pretending like I don’t feel this way.”

“Max…” I whisper, putting a hand against his chest, feeling the tears burning at the back of my eyes. “You have no idea how happy I am to hear that. And right now, I really, really want to kiss y—”

Before I can finish my sentence, his lips crash into mine. His hands move from my face to my hair, pulling me closer and in response, I clench his shirt with my fist.

This is not some sweet, tame kiss. There’s no hesitation, no careful pause. The moment our lips meet, it’s like a frenzy.

We’re wildfire and kindling, and our kiss is a rush of heat—urgent, consuming. Every touch of his lips sends sparks through me, like he’s been holding back for years.

Now that the dam’s broken, he can’t stop.

Each kiss feels like we’re trying to make up for all the ones we’ve never had, as if stopping now would be impossible.

We’re a force of nature, and I’m drowning in him, in us.

He pulls me onto his lap, and as I straddle him, wrapping my legs around him and raking my hands through his hair. If only teenage me could see me now. I dreamed of doing this…and the reality is even better.

Max growls against my lips as he deepens the kiss, and it’s still not enough. His tight grip on my hip and the way his other hand fists my hair tells me he can’t get enough either.

I may tease Max about being a control freak, but holy smokes, if this is what kissing Max feels like, he can be in control any time he wants.

When Max finally breaks the kiss, he trails his lips along my jaw and I have to suppress a shiver.

“I think Mabel Pickles was onto something when she talked about burning loins,” Max says, and I burst out laughing.

Pulling back, I look into his eyes which are filled with so much love I wonder how I never saw it before.

“I’ve wanted to do that for a very, very long time, Maya Sinclair.”

“Would it make you feel better to know I was majorly crushing on you when I was a teen?” I whisper as I press a kiss to his neck, feeling bold.

“What?” Max pulls back with a shocked laugh. “Seriously?”

“Yup. And I’ll let you in on a little secret,” I continue as I press more kisses to his throat, working my way back to his lips. “The first time I made out with Trevor Sandberg, I was imagining it was you the whole time.”

“Maya!”

I silence Max with a quick kiss on his lips…well, it’s quick until he takes control again. But it’s not frantic like before. This time it’s deeper, and slower, and better than any adrenaline high I’ve ever experienced.

Kissing Max is my new addiction so I can’t help but feel a little disappointed when he pulls back and presses a kiss to my forehead.

Tracing his strong jawline with my finger, I ask: “So what now?”

“Now,” Max lifts me off him and stands up before reaching down a hand to pull me up, “we go back home before you have to throw me in the river to cool down my burning loins.”

He wraps an arm around my shoulders and I hook a finger into his belt loop as we walk back to the car.

“You know,” Max says. “Mabel Pickles was right about something else too.”

“Oh yeah. What was that?”

“I’m going to have to put a ring on it soon.”

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