Chapter 13 #2
Annie smiled, remembering the diorama—the one she had spent forever on for the school’s science fair, and her obsession with lightning that had gotten her there.
She had painstakingly created a realistic thunderstorm, complete with lightning made from miniature Christmas lights and cotton ball clouds.
Her project was meant to teach how to determine how far away a thunderstorm was using the speed of light and sound of lightning and thunder.
Something about counting the seconds between the two and dividing by five—she was a little fuzzy on the details. “Yeah. I remember.”
“And how you awarded yourself the most creative project award and then told all of the adults that it was unfair to grade on science skills alone?”
Her grin widened as she laughed. “Yeah, well, I still stand by that. It’s not like we were making big scientific breakthroughs in the fifth grade; it was basically a performative book report,” she said smugly.
They watched in silence as Avery set her stance, positioning herself ready to serve the match-deciding point. She tossed the yellow ball up high, her racket cracking through the air after it.
“You’ve always been good at standing by your convictions, Annie. That hasn’t changed once in thirty years.”
Annie’s ears prickled as she waited to hear the words she hoped her mom might say right now, but Avery’s excited cheer took their place as she drove a backhanded hit over the net, sending the ball past the tip of Drew’s racket, winning the match.
“Happy birthday, sweetheart,” her mother said, getting to her feet.
After saying goodbye to her mom and siblings, Annie slipped back into the locker room to shower and change.
She, of course, had planned ahead and slipped a few extra things into her gym bag that might come in handy later—things like her toothbrush, a change of clothes, and a black lacy matching bra and underwear set she had bought herself as a little birthday present.
She showered, taking advantage of the attached changing stall to slide into the lingerie, looking down at her chest and how much the lacey racerback pushup bra elevated her cleavage.
Lead with your best assets, right? But still she grinned as she slid into a cute purple zip-up sweatshirt and matching shorts.
She fiddled with the zipper so a hint of the lacy bra was visible.
Annie checked the time. She had told Max she’d be over around six, which gave her exactly five minutes to finish her makeup.
“You’ve got this,” she said to her reflection after glancing around to make sure she was alone.
“You are hot. You are desirable. And you are going to go over to Max’s to show her how much you want her.
” She jabbed her finger against the reverse image of herself looking back at her. “You. Are. Not. Boring.”
Annie 5:40 PM
Heading your way
It wasn’t about Annie not feeling like she was desirable—she knew she was at least a six, maybe a seven on a good day, on the hotness scale—it was just, after Caroline, and after being so surprised and caught off guard by how the unraveling of their relationship went down, Annie had felt so deeply humiliated.
And that feeling had only lingered as one by one people started to find out because it always started with this look—a genuine curiosity—which then fell into pity, and if she hated one thing, it was being pitied.
But tonight she was reclaiming her power with the one person who had never pitied her.
She arrived at Max’s house, preparing for the hike up the one thousand stairs leading to the front door. No wonder Max’s ass looked so good; these stairs, every day, multiple times a day, were one hell of a challenge. When she reached the top, she took a moment—only a moment—to collect herself.
“You’ve got this,” she quietly told herself, fingers gripping the cool brass door knocker, tapping three times. Max answered almost instantly, like she had been waiting for her.
“Hi,” Max breathed, her smile warm and inviting, and one Annie wanted to sink into on a rainy day. “Come on in.” She turned, Annie taking note of the tight spandex shorts Max had on, gulping as she tried to control her impulse to grab her and push her up against the wall, kissing her senseless.
“Hey.” Annie dropped her bag discreetly next to the front door, stepping into the kitchen. Max leaned against the counter, long bare legs stretched out begging to be touched. Annie shifted uncomfortably, the urge to reach out growing stronger with each passing second.
A grin unfurled across Max’s lips. “My eyes are up here.” She laughed.
Heat bloomed rapidly across the tops of Annie’s cheeks.
“If you’re going to wear shorts like that when it’s only you and me,” she said, her voice dropping into a low register as she stepped forward, placing a hand on either side of Max’s body, curling them around the counter’s edge.
She pushed herself forward, her chest grazing Max’s, enjoying her shudder at the barest contact.
Annie’s mouth hovered over Max’s throat, breath hot and heavy with her desire.
“Then I’m going to continue to assume you want me staring at you like that. ”
She pressed her lips to Max’s, soft and slow, before diving in, ready to fully submerge herself.
Max’s hands were everywhere on every part of her body as she explored freely, their mouths moving in a dance they’d done before but hadn’t quite perfected, but Annie liked it like that.
Max was new and exciting, and made her feel like her life was opening up in ways that, if someone had told her a year ago, she would have called far-fetched.
Annie stepped closer, her thigh pressing against Max’s leg. She rolled her hips, grasping the back of Max’s neck, pulling her deeper into the kiss, grinding her hips against her.
“So—fu—uh,” Max gasped, trying to form a coherent thought as Annie trailed her tongue along her angular jawline. “So, um, I guess no TV shows?” she asked feebly, her hands slipping under the hem of Annie’s sweatshirt to rest on her hips, leaving little pinpricks of fire on her skin.
“We could do that,” Annie murmured against Max’s ear as she finally spoke her desire out loud.
“Or you could take me back into your bedroom so I can make you say my name so many times you lose count.” Her voice was husky, dripping with the need she held for Max, the desire to feel her, to have her. To be trusted with this part of her.
“That option, please.” Max grinned, pushing off the counter, slipping a delicate hand into Annie’s and guiding her into the bedroom.
The room itself wasn’t overly large. Big enough to fit a queen-size bed, a dresser, and not much else, but it was cozy.
Annie didn’t have time to look too closely before Max had her up against the door, the weight of her body pressing against Annie as Max tangled a hand in her hair once more, exposing Annie’s neck.
Max’s mouth charted her jawline, her neck, and lower still.
Greedy hands gathered the material of her sweatshirt, tugging it up and—
“Max,” Annie whispered her name, hands pressing into the tops of Max’s shoulders. Not a moan, but a plea.
Max stilled instantly. “Everything okay?” she asked, concern flashing behind her pale blue gaze as her eyes searched Annie’s for an answer.
Annie smiled sweetly, leaning forward to kiss her, deciding that it was safe to ask for exactly what she needed. “Is it okay if I, um, make you come first?” She wished her question sounded more confident, but she was learning that vulnerability sometimes meant temporarily setting confidence aside.
Max’s easy grin calmed her. “As long as you’re cool with me coming in like two seconds.” Annie’s eyelids fluttered closed at the thought of Max being so turned on by her that she could come that fast.
“My last STD tests all came back negative,” Annie blurted out, mortification bubbling up inside her.
“I mean, like, I’m down for whatever you are.
Just, um–tell me if I’m doing something you don’t like or isn’t working for you…
you know… Good to go.” She buried her face in Max’s shoulder, the heat of embarrassment spreading through her, but Max was laughing as she tilted Annie’s chin, angling her so their eyes met.
“Mine were also negative. And there hasn’t been anyone else for me in a while.” Max responded.
Annie dropped her gaze to Max’s mouth, inhaling deeply. She leaned in, hovering just above Max’s lips. The sensation of hot breath an unbearable tease.
“What was that about you making me come?” Max slipped a hand over the curve of Annie’s hip pulling her close.
Annie grinned into their kiss as she gently pushed Max back towards the bed, and when the back of her knees hit the mattress, Annie watched as Max eagerly laid back, lifting her own sweatshirt up and over her head, revealing her bare, freckled chest, soft pink nipples already hard and begging to be tasted.
“Do you ever wear a bra?” Annie asked playfully, eyes tracing the contours of Max’s body as her fingers toyed with the drawstring of her own shorts, steady hands working them over her hips, dropping them to the ground
“Rarely.” Max smirked, clearly pleased with herself, but even more so at the sight of Annie standing next to the bed in her zip-up sweatshirt, her fingers on the zipper, tugging it down at an excruciatingly unhurried pace.
She watched the way Max’s gaze stayed with her hand as she tracked the movements of the zipper moving inch by tantalizing inch. With a deep inhale, Annie shrugged the garment off completely, leaving her standing before Max in the lacey black lingerie set she had picked out for this very moment.
Max let out a low whistle, sitting up and moving to the edge of the bed, her hands reaching out for Annie.
She stepped closer into Max’s outstretched arms, melting into the heat of her touch.