by Nicole James
“If you did, I know I would deserve it, but I’m hoping you won’t. I had to come here, Max. Don’t you see? Until I have you back, I can’t do anything else.”
He signed to her, almost resignedly. Malee, it’s not that easy. Your father—
“I love you. I don’t care what my father says, what he thinks.”
Yes, you do.
“Okay, I do. But I care more what you think.”
You won’t be happy. Not if you have to give up your family. You’ll come to resent me.
“My aunt gave me some good advice. Do you want to know what it is?”
He shrugged.
“She told me I can’t live my life for anyone else; I must live my life for me. She’s right. I can’t…I won’t live my life to please my father. I love my father, but I’m in love you, Max. Please tell me you still love me.”
He looked away, and his eyes glazed over.
“Max?”
I still love you. He wasn’t happy when he made the motions with his hands to admit it. He turned to face the horizon, one hand on the porch post. He sensed her move behind him, and then her thin arms slipped around his waist and her head pressed against the hollow between his shoulder blades. It was his undoing. He felt all his walls shatter like glass.
Then she was pulling him around. He looked down at her, all the vulnerability plain on his face. She could hurt him again, and he hoped he wasn’t a fool for giving her another chance.
She asked, “Will you marry me?”
He searched her eyes and tried one last time to get through to her. His motions were jerky and abrupt when he signed to her. Look at me, Malee. Really look. My skin is covered in ink. I ride a motorcycle. I work in a tattoo shop. Don’t you see? I’m not Thai. I’m an O’Rourke, and this town has always looked down on the O’Rourke brothers. That didn’t change until Jameson became famous, and it became profitable for the town to accept us. Are you really seeing me? Do you see what you’d be getting? Because I’m nothing like what your family wants for you. You need to be sure this time.
She stepped closer to him, right in his face. “I see you. I see all that you are, not just the ink on your skin.” She took a breath and signed more slowly. I see a man that’s gentle, with a good heart. A man that took the time to learn sign language for a girl he’d only spent five minutes with. I see a man who looks at me and doesn’t see my disability; he sees a woman. I see a man who cares about other’s feelings, a man whose heart is full of life and big enough to share his love. I see a man who would never hurt me and who I never want to hurt again. I see a man I am completely in love with. I see a man I want for my husband. I see a man I want for the father of my children.
He stared at her, his eyes glazing at her words, and then his eyes shifted away. But this time she wasn’t having it. She gripped his jaw and turned his head back.
Finally, she asked, “What do you see, Max?”
His jaw muscles worked, and he signed, almost with resignation. I see a girl who stole my heart the first moment I laid eyes on her. I see a girl I want to live beside me all the days of my life, until we’re both in rocking chairs, rocking beside each other, watching our grandchildren run in the yard. So you better be sure, Malee.
She jumped into his arms, and he buried his face in her neck. When finally, she stopped crying, he pushed her back and signed, If we’re doing this, then we’re doing this now, tonight, just the two of us. Will you come with me?
She nodded, not even knowing where they were going.
No luggage. I’ll buy you what you need. Are you game?
“I love you. Yes! Yes! A million times yes! Tonight! Now! Let’s go!”
He took her face in his hands and pulled her up to his lips, kissing her long and slow—a kiss filled with all the heartache of months apart and the sweet taste of reunion.
Chapter Thirty-One
Malee and Max stood in front of the hotel room door as he fumbled with the keycard. When the door popped open, he hefted her up into his arms. She squealed, jostling her bouquet in her hand, one arm going around his neck to hold on tight. He grinned down at her, his face tanned by the Maui sun, and carried her across the threshold.
Their suite was lavish with a big bed and a balcony with a gorgeous oceanfront view that right now neither was concerned with.
Instead of tossing her down on the bed like she expected, Max set her on her high-heeled feet. He grinned as he stepped back to the bottle of champagne chilling in a silver bucket. Picking it up, he waggled it at her, and she nodded.
He popped the cork and poured them each a glass while she moved to the balcony and pushed open the sliding door. The diaphanous sheers billowed as the salty ocean breeze blew in. It carried with it the scent of gardenia and plumeria blossoms that bloomed all over the stunning resort property.
Malee breathed in deeply, her eyes on the waves crashing against the shoreline. This was the most beautiful place in the world. She hoped one day Max would bring her back again, perhaps for their tenth anniversary.
Today had been magical.
Max had planned it all out, and it had been perfect.
They’d flown to LA and then to Maui. He’d checked them into this amazing suite. Malee was willing that first night, but they still hadn’t had sex. He’d told her they’d waited this long, he could wait a couple more days. The morning after they arrived, they went directly to get their marriage license and then to a jeweler to pick out wedding bands. Because they were at an upscale hotel, the concierge was able to pull together all the other arrangements per Max’s requests.
Malee hadn’t known any of this.
He’d totally surprised her on the second morning, waking her up when someone knocked on the door of the suite. He’d arranged for a person to come and do her hair and makeup and had even selected a beautiful white flowing dress for her to wear.
When she’d come out of the bathroom, dressed and ready, he’d been standing there looking so handsome in a perfectly fitted suit. The concierge was there with a gorgeous bouquet of white lilies. They rode the elevator down and were escorted to the almost deserted beach.
All this, and it was barely past sunrise.
But the most wonderful surprise of all was who was waiting with the officiant. Malee had broken down into tears when she saw the Buddhist monk standing in his robes, a loving smile on his face, there to bless the couple.
Her wide eyes went to Max, to see him smiling down at her.
He knew this was important to her, and it meant the world to know he’d taken the time and trouble to make this happen.
Although neither of their families were there, it was all the more special sharing it just between the two of them. She knew she would always remember how handsome Max looked and how happy he was as he promised to love, honor, and cherish her for all the days of his life.
He slipped a beautiful wedding band on her finger, and she slipped a matching one on his much larger finger, struggling to get it over the knuckle as they both laughed.
Afterward, the Monk said prayers and blessed the couple with holy water as a single white dove was released into the sky.
Malee couldn’t have dreamed of anything more perfect.
They’d had a lovely breakfast under a beautiful pergola with flowing white sheer draping. The table was set with flowers and an abundance of fresh fruits, pastries, crepes, and even a tiny wedding cake. They’d sipped mimosas and watched the sun climb into the sky.
Max tapped her on the shoulder, pulling her from her thoughts. She turned from the glorious view to see him holding out a glass of champagne. He’d removed his tie and suit jacket, and they now lay draped over a chair.
She accepted the flute, and they clinked their glasses together. She took a sip, and then he kissed her. It wasn’t long before he was taking the glass out of her hand and pulling her toward the bed.
He sat, tugged her down on his lap, and signed, My beautiful wife.
Her face glowed with a radiant smile as h
is love shown from his face. “My gorgeous husband.”
He returned her smile, his white teeth flashing.
She said, “Today was amazing.”
You look amazing in this dress. His eyes moved over her. But now I want to take it off you. His hands moved to her hips, and he lifted her to stand in front of him, positioning her between his knees. Then he reached around and unzipped the strapless gown. It fell in a flutter, pooling at her feet. She stepped free, and he tossed it aside.
She stood before him in nothing but her silver high heels, a pair of satin panties, and a pale blue garter around her thigh. His hands smoothed up the outside of both thighs, sliding over her satiny skin. He curled one finger under the garter and gave it a snap as he smiled up at her.
She jumped, startled, then grinned back at him.
He drew the satin and lace slowly down while his eyes remained locked with hers.
Malee could feel her heart pounding in her chest and the heat climbing up her neck and face. She’d waited so long for this; they both had. And now, as he drew the moment out, she felt like the most treasured thing in the world.
The garter slipped to her ankle, and she stepped out of it.
She couldn’t wait another minute to touch him, and her fingers fumbled with the buttons of his white dress shirt. He reached up to help her, the garter dangling around his wrist. A moment later, she was pushing the shirt off his broad shoulders.
He shrugged out of it and tossed it aside, then slid her garter up over his bicep.
She slipped her finger in it and gave it a snap, like he’d done to her.
He grinned as his hands cupped her ass and pulled her toward him. He held that eye contact as his mouth latched onto one of her nipples to draw and suck deeply.
Her hands slid over his shoulders, and her head dropped back. She was glad his strong arms were wrapped around her, holding her in place, because if they weren’t, she was sure she would have melted in a puddle to the floor. The sensation was that good. A sigh escaped her lips as her fingertips dug into his skin.
Oh God, what had they been waiting for? If this was any indication of how good the sex was going to be, she’d just died and gone to heaven. The hot skin of his hard muscled arms burned against her, setting her on fire. She wanted more—more of his firm hands touching, exploring, and more of his hot mouth doing those amazing things to her breasts. His head moved from one to the other, giving it the same attention as the first.
She moaned, the sound rumbling out of her throat.
She felt needy and excited and daring. Her hands smoothed down his broad shoulders and her head dropped forward, her eyes taking in that broad expanse of beautiful masculine perfection. She’d never seen him with his shirt off, and now she took her time, examining the intricate beauty of the tattoos that stretched across his shoulders and back. It was stunning work, and her fingers traced along the lines, skating gently over his skin. She felt a moan rumble up from his chest and felt the vibrations, too, through his mouth wrapped around her nipple.
She couldn’t stop one knee from bending, her leg lifting and her inner thigh stroking against his outer ribs as she writhed against him, undulating with a need so strong she couldn’t hold back.
A moment later, his arms locked around her, he twisted, and she found herself flat on her back on the soft mattress, the satin coverlet cool against her bare skin. He surged up over her, the look on his face just as needy as hers and fully determined to do something about it.
He dropped to his elbows, his mouth coming down on hers as his bare torso pressed her to the bed. The weight of him on top of her felt amazing, like this was exactly where he was always meant to be.
His mouth plundered hers as his large strong hands smoothed gently over her skin. She kissed him back with just as much passion, which only flamed the fire and drove him further.
One big palm closed over her bare breast and squeezed. He smothered the moan that emanated from her throat as he continued to tease and torment her, pinching and rolling her nipples between his long fingers. Finally, he tore his mouth from hers to lavish attention on her breasts again. He couldn’t get enough of them. He licked, and nipped, and sucked, and squeezed until she was a writhing bag of bones. Her hips lifted instinctively, seeking contact, stroking against his slacks.
That tore his attention from her breasts. He lifted up to stare down at her, almost questioningly, his eyes searching hers. She was breathing heavy, her lips swollen from his kisses, her face flushed.
He moved back off her, and she watched as he stood at the side of the bed long enough to yank the fastenings of the slacks open and shove them and the briefs underneath to the floor.
He was magnificent, his body ripped with muscles, ink running up both sides of his ribs. It was all drool-worthy, but what drew her attention was the proud erection standing tall. Her eyes widened at the sight of it, and fear must have flashed across her face, because a moment later, he was crawling back over her, his hand sliding over her cheek, stroking her reassuringly. He pulled his hand back to sign.
It’s all right. We’ll go slow. When you’re ready. Okay, baby?
She nodded. “Okay.”
We’ve got all the time you need. You know I’d never hurt you, right?
She nodded again, and he dipped his head to kiss her. He pulled back to sign, Take my hand. Put it where you want it.
She reached up and took his hand, and their eyes held as she moved it to her breast. He squeezed. Then she slid it down her body over the soft quivering skin of her belly and farther down to her mound. His hand moved in slow tender strokes over her silk panties.
And suddenly she was trembling with need, with desire, and with an eagerness to please him in a way she’d never felt before. She thrust against his hand as they stared into each other’s eyes, both of their breathing coming in pants. She could feel his hot erection pressed against her hip, throbbing with need. His hand took hers and brought it to his cock, curling her fingers around the hard length.
She was intrigued to find his skin like satin as he closed his hand around hers and taught her the motion, showing her the firmness of touch he liked. She was a quick learner, and his hand dropped away to plant in the mattress near her head. He kept his eyes on her stroking motions, getting off on watching the way she touched him.
She studied his reaction, the way his jaw clenched, the way his hips rolled in time with her strokes, and the way his nostrils flared as his breathing accelerated. Eventually, he pulled her hand away, pressing her wrist to the coverlet by her head as he sucked in a breath and tried to regain his control.
She lay there motionless, her chest heaving with her breathless anticipation for what was next.
He released her, his hand skating down over her side until he reached the edge of her panties. His fingers curled around the satin, and he gave her a questioning look. She knew what he was asking, and she nodded her consent.
He pulled them slowly down her thighs, his head dipping, and his eyes going to all that was now exposed to him. She saw his chest inflate with his breath and then felt as that breath exhaled slowly out of his lips.
She lifted her knees, and he pulled the panties the rest of the way off, tossing them to the floor. His eyes were still at the apex of her legs as he smoothed his warm palm up the inside of her thigh, applying the smallest bit of pressure to spread her legs. She let him. Then his muscular thigh was moving between her legs, his knee pushing them farther apart.
His hand trailed up the soft skin of her thigh until his thumb brushed over her most intimate parts now exposed to him. His touch was soft, gentle, tender even.
Her hands reached up to cup his neck, drawing his eyes to hers as she pulled his mouth down to hers. He gave her what she wanted, kissing her deeply, and she was lost in his kiss, so much so that she felt no embarrassment or shyness as his fingers dipped to find her wet.
When he did, he groaned his response into her mouth as his fingers took up a circular motion, coati
ng him with her body’s response. Her head fell back, her mouth open, and she arched into his touch. His lips moved over her exposed neck, under her jawline, over to the base of her ear, and down to her collarbone as his fingers kept up their motions, stroking her higher and higher toward release.
His mouth returned to her face, raining soft kisses all over it as she soared closer to her orgasm.
Her hands tightened at the back of his neck, and his name burst from her lips as she finally crested the precipice, hurtling over into ecstasy. Her head tucked into the curve of his throat, and her arms wrapped around him as she floated back down to earth.
When he pulled back and she opened her eyes to look up into his, a small grin pulled at his mouth and then the smile burst wide. She couldn’t help smiling back at him, before she hid her head in his neck again.
He brushed the hair back from her forehead and then nudged her back so he could look at her. She read his lips. I love you, baby.
“I love you, Max.”
Keeping eye contact with her the whole time, he took his erection in his hand and positioned himself at her opening. Then he took both her hands in his, threading their fingers together and pressing them to the mattress as he poised above her. His brows rose, as if he were asking permission.
She bit her bottom lip and nodded.
His knees pressed her wide, as he arched his back, pushing slowly but firmly inside her, his hips sliding into the cradle of her thighs.
It hurt. She knew it would, but she couldn’t fight the urge to clamp her thighs together. It did no good. All they did was come up against his solid body.
He felt her reaction, his motions stopping.
But when he began to pull back, she realized that wasn’t what she really wanted after all. Her arms clutched at him.
He cupped her face, staring deep into her eyes, their foreheads almost touching. “You okay?”
She nodded. “Don’t stop.”
He released her with one hand, his palm sliding over her thigh, down to her ankle to wrap her leg around him. He began to ease in and out, watching her face closely for any sign that she wanted him to stop.
