42. Max
***Max***
Icould smell the spent fireworks in the air mixing with Daisy’s sweet scent.
I was supposed to be focused on the road back to the estate but she’d slid closer to me on the golf cart’s bench seat without me having to reach for her.
I could see the lights of the other carts and vehicles ahead of us as everyone headed home for the night.
Wes and Flynn were somewhere in the mix with our kids and Daisy’s dog.
I’d managed to snag Daisy all to myself and I was going to make the most of our time together.
She’d had a slightly restless energy all night and I knew that she’d been worried about everyone seeing the way the three of us Calloway boys were all over her.
She hadn’t stopped us, though. She’d leaned into our touches and tipped her head up so prettily to smile.
I thought maybe a few minutes away from everyone would be calming.
I wasn’t including myself in that. I wasn’t going anywhere.
She sat up when I turned off the road to the house. “Where are we going?”
“You’ll see.” There was a road only locals knew about that wound its way down to a private cove that was as wild as it was hard to find.
It was a well-guarded secret that I wanted to share with Daisy.
I found myself grinning when the cart jolted from side to side because of the old ruts left by previous visitors on muddy nights.
Daisy braced herself and shot me a wide-eyed look. “I’m trusting you to not get us killed, lost, or maimed. And to not ruin my dress.”
“I’ve got you.” As I said the words I realized just how much I meant them. A lifetime as the fuck up had taught me that no one relied on me or expected much but I wanted Daisy to feel safe with me. “I promise.”
“I trust you, Maximillian.” Her laugh at my pained groan was so worth hearing that laughable name.
The cart struggled to get through the thick grass that acted as the last barricade separating us from the little beach area.
It made it, though, and then we were there.
Tucked in on both sides by bluffs, the cove really was the most private place around.
Even Calloway Cove was open to the rest of the lake and anyone riding by on their boat could see the house.
One of the bluffs hiding the private cove stuck out and cut across the water, making the cove feel like a small lake of its own.
With the only light being from the moon reflecting off the surface of the water, it was the closest thing to magic I’d ever felt. The stars felt brighter, the water felt smoother, and the air felt like it held secrets.
I looked over at Daisy and saw her staring around with awe on her face.
I watched her eyes take everything in and admitted that I might’ve been wrong.
She might’ve been the closest thing to magic I’d ever felt.
She’d been through plenty of shit in her life and she still gave out parts of herself like that awe.
She gave that to me, boosting my pride and ego, without feeling the need to hold anything back to play it cool.
“Do you think anyone else will come here tonight?” She finally looked over at me with a wildness in her eyes that made me brace for a second.
I wasn’t even sure what I was waiting for. An old urge? A need for chaos? Nothing like that happened. Wanting to meet her wildness with my own hadn’t sent me spiraling back to my past. I was a different man. I raised my eyebrow at Daisy and smiled. “Nope. Why?”
“Because it’s been a long day and taking a nice, cool dip sounds good.” She took off her shoes and stepped off the cart. “Are you going to come with me, Maximillian?”
The answer she saw in my eyes had her yanking off the dress she’d been worried about before.
She threw it on her abandoned seat and reached around to unhook her bra.
I was still staring at her bare tits when she bent over and came back up with a pair of lacey panties.
Completely naked, she cocked her hip to the side and pouted at me.
“Are you going to let me swim alone, Maximillian?”
I was naked and chasing her across the beach in record time. Catching her before she touched the water, I picked her up and carried her in my arms the rest of the way. The moment the water touched my ankles I had to grit my teeth to hide just how cold it was.
“I didn’t realize you had a romantic side. Such a chivalrous gentleman you are, Maximillian.” She stroked my face and I considered not tossing her sexy ass into the water. Then she spoke again. “You got some creative nicknames as a kid, didn’t you?”
I adjusted my grip and then smirked at her before tossing her in. She came up gasping and glaring at me like a wet cat.
“You- You!” She swung her arm to send a wave of frigid water at me. As soon as it hit me, she forgot about her own discomfort and laughed at me. “That’s what you get!”
I let out a playful growl and lunged for her. She screamed and splashed frantically before I grabbed her and pinned her to my chest with one arm. I held my arm out like I was going to send a huge splash her way. “Are you going to call me Maximillian?”
She looked from my arm to my face and back again. “I always want to be honest. But sometimes a white lie is necessary. I’ll never call you Maximillian again.”
I slid my hands to her waist and shook my head. “You’re terrible.”
Fighting forgotten, she wrapped her arms around my neck and nodded. “I’ve decided I’m done trying to be perfect. Lucky you, you got me after the part of my life where I did everything possible, and some impossible, to be enough.”
She didn’t look like she thought I was lucky; she looked nervous about the admission.
Her body rubbing against mine was distracting but I didn’t let my mind wander.
“I am lucky. I’m lucky because when you accept my feelings for you, you’re going to know they’re real.
They’re not because you cooked every meal or cleaned every inch of the house.
They’re real because of who you are; not what you can do. ”
She froze for what felt to me like an eternity and then she wrapped her body around mine and kissed me like the fucking world was ending.