Chapter 13 Kari
THIRTEEN
KARI
Max was lying on the bed, the sheets bunched around his waist. Titus was lying at the foot of the bed, chewing on a red knotted rope that we had picked up for him at PetSmart. Max held the Kindle Jada had given to me for Christmas.
There’s nothing sexier than a guy reading.
Dinner at his parent’s had been interesting, to say the least. Fern made a couple of comments about grandbabies, especially when Pierce and Isa arrived with Joselyn.
I had a nice conversation with Isa and we had made plans to go hiking the following week.
I dodged glares from Brielle throughout dinner.
Before leaving, John had pulled me in for a hug and whispered, “Don’t let Brielle bother you.
I’ll have a talk with her when y’all leave.
You just keep doing what you’re doing, darlin’. ”
Our ride home had been quiet, Max talking to Cane most of the way about something work-related. Once we arrived, I had taken a quick shower and slipped on a green gown.
I watched Max swipe the screen of the Kindle and I giggled out loud. He turned his head and looked me over from head to toe. He grinned sexily, making me melt on the spot. “You read this stuff?” he asked, nodding subtly towards the e-reader.
“I do.” I walked slowly to the bed. “Got a problem with it?”
“Not if you are going to let me try some of this.” He popped the Kindle back up again. “I mean, this is some good shit.”
I laughed and stretched out beside him. I rolled over to face him and stroked his abs with my fingers, feeling each ripple beneath them. “It is.”
He sat the Kindle down and rolled onto his side, facing me. “You’re so damn beautiful, sweetheart.”
“Thank you,” I whispered.
He watched me for a long time. “I’m sorry about my mom tonight. She can be a little overbearing.”
“It’s fine. She’s just proud of you and wants the world for you.”
“I already have the world.” He tipped my chin so I was looking at him. “You’re all that matters to me in this whole world.”
My lips betrayed the cool confidence my brain told my body to portray. My face broke out into a huge smile. “You don’t play fair.”
“I’m not playin’ at all, sweetheart.” His voice was heavy, his accent thick in the late hour.
“I know I ask you to marry me all the time and it sounds like a joke at this point. I guess it kinda is because I know you’re gonna say no.
But know this…” He bent down until our eyes were even.
His greens pierced mine, cutting through all the crap that I tried to hide.
“I’d marry you in a heartbeat. I’d be so damn honored to call you my wife. Okay?”
“Okay,” I whispered, trying to fight the swell in my chest.
“I mean it. I know there’s a bunch of garbage in your head, but I’m tellin’ you right now it’s a bunch of shit. All that matters is me and you.” He kissed my forehead. “I’m not sure what’s going on in there,” he said, tapping my temple gently, “but I’m gonna figure it out and fix it.”
He rolled onto his back, looking at the ceiling. “I don’t want you thinkin’ I’m pressuring you or anything. I just want you to know where I stand.”
“I love you,” I said softly, not sure what else to say. The simple truth seemed like the best response. They were words I usually had a hard time saying, words I didn’t want to toss out there. But Max just made it so easy.
“I know ya do. And I love you, too.”
I pulled the blankets up, feeling a sudden chill. I was getting deeper and deeper into this relationship when I should’ve been putting some distance between us.
I was making a huge mistake and I knew it. I just couldn’t do anything about it.
“I feel like I’m wasting your time,” I whispered.
“How’s that?” he asked, his voice sounding bored.
“Because you want to get married and do all that. And your family wants it for you, as they should.”
“I don’t give a damn what they want. I want you.”
“But—”
“No buts.” He pressed a finger to my lips, quieting me. “Did you see Joselyn?”
I nodded.
“If you don’t want kids, we’ll just turn Isa’s kids into little tyrants. We’ll spoil them rotten and they’ll love us. We’ll sugar them all up and then send them home to her. Or to my mom’s,” he laughed, making me laugh, too.
I scooted over and nestled my head into the crook of his neck. “Sam said that any woman would be lucky to have your kid. She’s right, you know.”
“Well, my mom said you were a part of our family. She’s right, too, you know.” He let his fingers trail down my back, his touch leaving a wake of goose bumps in their path. “I told Sam that our relationship was strictly professional yesterday.”
“You did?”
“I did. I know you don’t like her, but you honestly have nothin’ to worry about when it comes to her.”
“She asked me to have lunch with her tomorrow.”
Max laughed. “She did?”
“Yup.”
“What did you say?”
“I said I’d call her in the morning.”
Max let his fingers stroke the skin beneath the silky fabric of my nightgown. “I think you should go. It might do her some good to have a friend.”
“She has Brielle,” I countered.
“And Brielle isn’t doing you any favors. Maybe you should go just to calm your nerves about her.”
I relaxed into him, spreading my legs apart in hopes that his fingers would find their way there. “Why does Bri not like me?”
Max shrugged beneath me. “I don’t know. Doesn’t matter. Because I like you.”
“Well, I’d like you a little more if you put this,” I said, grabbing his hand and placing it on the apex of my thighs, “here.”
His chest moved with a suppressed chuckle. “Well, sweetheart, I’d like it a little more if I put this,” he said, picking up my hand and touching it to his face, “here.” He took my hand and joined it with his on my sex.
I placed my hand on top of his and pushed it towards my opening. I picked up his middle finger and pressed it against my clit, letting out a small breath. “I won’t say no to your face between my legs. You’re like a damn wizard.”
“A wizard?” He laughed, tucking one arm under my waist and tossing me across the bed. He spread my legs and positioned himself between them.
“Yeah, a wizard,” I said, distracted with the anticipation of what was coming. “Now work your fucking magic.”
“Language, Kari,” he warned, narrowing his gaze and making me giggle.
“Magic Max. Get on it.” I lifted my hips towards his face and he chuckled.
“Impatient?”
“Now.”
He picked up my left leg and left a trail of kisses from my calf, up to the inside of my thigh.
Every touch of his lips on my skin sent a direct burst of heat to my core.
Once he reached the top of my thigh, he grazed his tongue mercilessly over to the center of my thighs.
I rolled my hips, needing relief from the ache that was throbbing.
With his hands pressing roughly into my thighs, he opened me with his thumbs. His tongue was hot against me as he licked up my slit and landed on my clit. The contact sent my nerves on high-alert, a burst of energy shooting through my body.
He dipped his tongue into my opening, swirling it around and driving me crazy. I grabbed the back of his head and tugged on his hair, needing a way to release some of the energy that was overflowing inside me. He swirled his tongue again, causing a soft moan to escape my lips.
Once again, he licked up my wetness, landing on my swollen bud. Working circles against the heated flesh, he increased the pressure and intensity slowly, making me lose my fucking mind.
I pushed on the back of his head, trying for more contact.
I needed a release, the build-up beginning to exceed the limits of what I could take.
He dug his fingers into my skin, warning me to let him do his thing.
I squeezed my eyes closed, my mind buzzing with way too many sensations to think straight.
He stroked his tongue down again and licked inside me, removing it quickly and replacing it with a finger.
I pressed my head against the pillows, moving my hips around without thought.
I tried to make sense of what he was doing, but all I could see was the proverbial light ahead.
My orgasm was imminent and I needed it to happen. Quickly.
He massaged my clit with his mouth, his tongue stroking it with more force this time. He added another finger inside me, moving them in and out slowly. My legs began to shake, my core heating.
“Max,” I warned through gritted teeth, the stimulation preventing me from saying much more. I tugged at his hair again, the soft locks slipping through my fingers.
He licked harder, my legs shaking faster, and before I knew what was happening, I toppled over the edge. Multi-colored glitter flashed through my vision, my body exploding from the work of Max’s tongue.
I moaned his name, trying to pull his face away from my body, the contact now suddenly more than I could bear. He groaned against my body, objecting to being tugged away. He slowed his onslaught, licking more gently, the strokes of his tongue softer.
My legs felt completely dead. My heart and breath both struggled to achieve some rhythm. My eyes were heavy but I forced them open anyway, wanting to see the grin I knew was staring at me.
His dimple was set deeply in his cheek as he wiped his face with the back of his hand. “Good?”
“Magical.”
Kari
The cafe on Mill Avenue was bustling. Patrons were going in and others leaving, waiters and waitresses buzzing around tables. The sounds of laughter and silverware clamoring from the kitchen filled the air.
I sipped my water and waited on Sam to show up.
I had called her that morning and agreed to meet her for lunch at a cafe close to Alexander Industries so she could swing by on her lunch break.
It wasn’t the best way to spend the afternoon, but it seemed to mean a lot to Max that I tried to be friends with her.
I swiped the Arizona Republic from a nearby table and paged through it until the seat across from me was pulled out. “Hey, Kari!”
I looked up to see Sam’s pretty smile. “Hi, Sam.”