“Thanks, you.” I leaned forward and wrapped my arms around his waist. I wasn’t much of a hugger, but Gavin looked like he could use one.
He laid his head on top of mine in a surprisingly affectionate move, wrapping his arm around my back. I smiled. I often wondered if Gavin was hugged much as a kid. I knew he’d been through a lot growing up, but I also knew he wasn’t one to display his emotions and affection much.
Footsteps skidded to a stop on the cement, a sweaty-looking Maxwell being the culprit. “Shit, sorry, I…” His eyes narrowed in accusation as he looked back and forth between Gavin and me.
“Hey, man.” Gavin’s arm stayed wrapped around my waist for a few seconds longer, then he pulled away. His voice was coy, happy even, but nothing about him seemed rushed. I, on the other hand, reacted like I’d been caught doing something wrong—shaking knees and goose bumps galore. “Lee-Lee was cold.”
I stiffened.
Max did too.
Oh God, Lee-Lee? Gavin did not just call me by Max’s nickname.
“Lee-Lee?” Max’s lip curled, right on cue. “Lee-Lee was cold? The girl who wears miniskirts and flip-flops and crazy short dresses in the freezing cold?” He folded his arms.
“Yep.” Gavin stepped around me. “See you on the side of the pitch, Martinez.” Then he pinched me in the ribs before leaning in to kiss my cheek. One squeeze of his hand on Max’s shoulder later and he was gone, his ginormous body exuding nonchalance that should not have been there…but totally was.
He’d just left me to the wolves. And I could almost guarantee he’d done it on purpose.
“So, this is how it’s going to be now, huh?” Max moved forward, taking Gavin’s place at my side. His face was expressionless, but his eyes flashed with uncertainty, jealousy too.
I frowned, taking a step closer to him. The bathroom door was just to our right, and I wondered what he’d do if I shoved him inside and kissed him a little bit. Max was the most adorable jealous man I’d ever seen.
“What do you mean?” I blinked, playing innocent.
He scowled down at the cement and slid his hands into the pockets of his rugby shorts. “Come on, now. You know what I meant.”
My lips twitched. I pressed a finger under his chin and lifted his face. “You’re not jealous of Gavin, are you?”
“No.” He shifted in place and shrugged.
“Liar.” I pulled my lower lip between my teeth to hide my smile.
He scowled and reached for me, tugging me close by the bottom of his jersey. “What’s this, by the way?” he asked, changing the subject.
“The coat of armor against my mother.” I folded my arms, losing my good mood. “She’s not too hip on my new ink, apparently.”
“I like seeing you in my jersey.” He pressed one hand on my hip and used the other to trace one of the tats peeking out from the neck of his jersey. “I also love Mrs. M, but if she doesn’t like your tats, then screw her.”
“Easier said than done.” I snorted.
He narrowed his eyes. “Those tattoos are everything you are as a person now, Lee-Lee. And represent everything I’m in love with.”
Tears filled my eyes at his sweet words. The kind of tears that had me smiling at the same time. Only Max could rock my world with a few simple words, making me feel as though something that was so big and imposing seconds before was minimal. A glitch in the road of life.
“You’re amazingly charming when you want to be, Maxwell.” I moved closer, wrapping my arms around his neck.
He dropped his chin, wiggling his eyebrows as he said, “Charming enough for you to want to get in a quickie inside the bathroom?”
I laughed, then stood on my tiptoes to kiss him. “You’re also incorrigible.”
“Can’t blame a guy for trying, right?” He nuzzled my neck and wrapped his arms around my waist.
I shut my eyes and sighed. Max’s arms were my new comfort, and in them, I felt as though I could take on the world and say stuff I wouldn’t normally say. Not that I was afraid to speak my mind. But I wasn’t one for the serious emotional stuff, all of which had been plaguing me since last night’s declaration.
As much as I’d have loved to jump into bed with him, to start this relationship off with a literal bang, I realized that a lot of things were still unsaid between us. Things I needed him to clear up before we took that next step.
“You good?” he asked, pulling back, uncertainty now clouding his eyes as they roamed over my face. “I was kidding, by the way. There’s no rush to…you know…” His cheeks went pink, a very un-Maxwell quirk. “We’ve got our whole lives to be with each other like that.”
“That’s not going to be a problem. Trust me.” Thankfully, the fact that I was attacked in college never kept me from wanting intimacy with a man. It took some time to emotionally heal from that night, but I was left more with my mistrust in the opposite sex than anything.
“Then what is it?” He pulled his arms from around my waist and cupped my cheeks. “What’s wrong? Tell me.”
I blew out a breath, knowing there was no way around telling him. So, I just spit it out. All three words. “I’m terrified, Max.”
* * *
Max
I blinked, taken aback by her words. “Of me?”
“No, no. Not you, per se, just this.” She motioned a hand between us. “Us.”
I blew out a breath, relieved I hadn’t done something to fuck up already. “Oh. Well, hell, Lee-Lee. Don’t worry. You’re not the only one who’s scared.” I dropped my hands from her face and grabbed her hands instead.
“As far as I can tell, you’re not scared of anything.” She shrugged, chewing on her bottom lip.
I tapped the end of her nose with a finger. “And that’s exactly where you’re wrong.”
I was scared for a lotta reasons when it came to us. What if I fucked up without meaning to? What if I unintentionally hurt her? And most of all, what if she decided I wasn’t what she wanted after all?
“How so?” she asked. “Tell me so I don’t feel like the only fool here.”
I swallowed, willing to admit all my flaws if it made her feel even a little less terrified. “I’m not perfect, Lee-Lee. I’m inevitably gonna fuck something up. But you’re the first—the only—woman I’ve ever wanted to try to be better for. You get me?”
“I get you.” She smiled, but didn’t hesitate to add, “But there’s one more thing you need to know.”
“What’s that?” I asked.
“I know about your business.” She reached up with her free hand and brushed a piece of my hair off my forehead. “And I want you to know that I’m so proud of you.”
My heart grew about ten sizes at her words. For the first time in four years—maybe even longer than that—I almost felt worthy of something other than drinking, sex, and rugby. And damn, did it feel good.
“I’m sorry I didn’t tell you about it right away.”
“I’m not your keeper.” She folded her arms. “You don’t have to tell me everything all the time.”
“No. But you’re half the reason I wanted to do this in the first place. You should’ve been the first person I told.”
“Because of what I said…” Her face went red, and shame gathered in her eyes. I hated seeing it there.
“You said what I needed to hear.” I leaned forward again, pressing my forehead to hers. “I needed to prove to you that I wasn’t some slacker who fucked around with things in life anymore.”
“Why?” Her voice was soft and smelled like peppermint.
“Because I’m fucking crazy about you.” I lowered my mouth, kissing her forehead, only to pull back and say, “I love you.”
She smiled, a slow curve of her lips that had me almost falling to my knees in devotion. “I love you too.”
“Fuck yeah.” I dropped my hand
from her face and wrapped both arms around her waist. She squealed as I hiked her legs up around my body, then giggled as I spun us in circles.
“Maxwell Martinez, I never thought I’d see this day.” She sighed against the curve of my neck, fingers running through my sweaty hair with slow strokes in the back.
“And all it took was you.” I pulled back just enough to kiss her, sealing the deal while getting a taste of her sweet lips. She moaned, and I’m pretty sure I did too, only for a whistle to sound from the pitch, signaling the start of the next match. I didn’t want to let her go. It was the first time in months that the draw of the game, the time with my guys, and the promise of competition didn’t pull me in.
“I’ve got a catering gig tomorrow. My first paid job. Think you can spare an afternoon and be my assistant?”
She kissed my chin, then my cheek. “I would be honored.”
“Then afterward, maybe we could go to your apartment and hang out, watch movies or something.”
“Like a date…”
“Yeah. A date.” Not that it was an ideal one.
“Sure.” Dark-as-sin lashes batted against her pink cheeks as she glanced up at me. “And if you need any more help over the next few weeks, I can be that girl for you, since I only have one other job now.”
“You really quit Jimney’s?” Excitement had my heart beating faster. I set her down on the ground again but kept hold of her hands.
“Yep. Figured I’d overstayed my limit there anyway.” She scrunched up her nose.
“So what…you wanna work with me full-time then? At least ’til you find yourself a better-paying job? Because I could use another set of hands for a lot longer than a few weeks.”
“I’d love to help. You, me, doing the chef thing…”
“The chef thing, huh?” I couldn’t help but grin.
Gone was any hesitation. In its place was a woman who knew exactly what she wanted. And for some reason, she wanted me. I’d always been the fucked-up, goofy kid who didn’t take things seriously. But now? Seeing her look at me this way? It made everything disappear. Made me feel like I was important. Most of all, she made me feel like I had some sort of purpose. And that was the most incredible feeling I’d ever had.
Chapter 17
Max
Happiness came in the form of Lia grinning while wearing a white apron as she tied up garbage bags and did dishes inside a church kitchen. Happiness was also watching her and knowing she was mine.
“That’s it, Enchilada Man. Catering gig number one is done.” She winked at me, tying the last of the garbage bags as she set them by the exit. Rubbing her hand over the yellow bandanna she wore on her head, she smiled wide and moved my way.
“Enchilada Man, eh?” I grinned, yanking the last of the foil off the roll to cover the leftovers. I planned to take them to the women’s shelter near my building.
“I think I like this pet name stuff. Can I call you Burrito Hottie?” I walked around the table and wrapped my arm around her waist.
“Hmm… I think I’d like it if you called me the Tostada Princess instead. I’m filled with layers that you can peel off and eat one by one.”
“I can deal with layers.” Balls tight, knees weak, I scanned her body, appreciating the perfection of her dress and wondering at the same time what was underneath. It was yellow, maybe gold, and definitely not the type of thing I was used to seeing her in. Still, as with all the other dresses she wore, I’d kill to see it on the floor of a bedroom—hers or mine, didn’t matter which.
I yanked her closer by the waist. Screw the fact that God was probably frowning on us. I wasn’t scared of hell if it meant I got to kiss this pretty thing in my arms again. “Fuck, you’ve got beautiful lips.”
“I do, huh?”
Nodding, I leaned forward, ready to show her how much I loved them, only for a cock-blocking granny to enter the room at the same time.
“Um, excuse me?”
My brows shot up as I turned to face today’s employer with her tiny nose and wide eyes. She ogled me from behind her glasses, a flirty grin on her red-painted lips. She was the first one to hire me for a paying gig after walking by my building one night. She’d mistaken it for a flower shop. Cock-blocker or not, I owed her. Not only for today, but because I’d gotten two other jobs from her fellow quilting friends.
“Forget something, ma’am?” I asked.
She tipped her head to the side, and her grin grew even wider. “I just wanted to thank you again for everything. The food was so delicious, and everyone was very impressed with your services.” She took a step closer, nearly knocking Lia out of the way. “And I wanted to say too…if you’re ever in the market for a baker to make desserts, don’t hesitate to call me.” She bit her bottom lip, leaving a faded stain on her teeth. “I can make a mean brownie when I want to.”
Lia smothered her face against my shirtsleeve, squelching a laugh. I pinched her and she squeaked instead, but still held her knuckles against her mouth.
Once the lady finished ogling me, she took off, a little extra shake in her hips.
I turned to Lia again. “You’re insane, woman.”
She walked around to the other side of the table, owning every move she made. If sexiness could be patented, my girl would be the reigning queen.
“It’ll always be like that for you, won’t it? The parade of women, all ages, throwing themselves at you in some way or another…” She walked back around the table, grinning.
“That bother you?”
She shrugged, tossing some more garbage into the can. “Maybe. But it’s not a deal breaker.”
The memory of her calling me a man whore ran through my head. But I figured if she was really bothered by women coming on to me, she’d say something.
She zipped up the bag we’d brought along for the plates and silverware. “There.” She looked back at me, one eyebrow raised and a half smile on her lips. Those lips were purple today—bright purple like the new color she’d added to the underside of her cotton-candy-colored hair. I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“What’re you looking at, Soldier Boy?”
“Nothing. Just like looking at you and knowing you’re mine.”
She rolled her eyes, shouldering the bag. “I’m not anybody’s.”
“Sure you are.” I lifted the rest of my stuff and cradled it in my arms as we headed toward the door. “You’re mine to kiss and touch. And I don’t plan on sharing you, unless of course you initiate it.”
She laughed but didn’t dismiss the idea. “So, a threesome is okay, then? Like, I could call Gavin and ask him to—”
“Fuck no.” I shuddered, opening the back door with my shoulder. I’d driven the Charger today, feeling like my lady needed a carriage.
“I was kidding. Relax.” She laughed, the sound so spectacular I couldn’t help but watch her. Head thrown back, eyes shut…
Stunning.
Inside the car, she turned to me as I started the engine. It rumbled and purred, making me wanna rev the thing and race it down the road.
“Don’t worry. I’m not up for threesomes either, in case you were wondering.” She winked, but I couldn’t shake the rock lodged in my chest.
What if this thing brewing between us wasn’t anything but a good time for her? Something to tide her over—maybe help her get over Travis. Jesus, this insecurity bullshit wasn’t fun.
“You’re thinking an awful lot over there.” She reached across the console and squeezed my hand. Taking it up another notch, I interlocked her fingers with mine, palm to palm, the anxiety inside me easing at her touch.
“Just…happy is all.” I blew out a heavy breath, lying, but not knowing how else to explain my feelings.
“Happy looks good on you, ya know.” She leaned her head back against the seat, eyes half-lidded.
I stroked my thumb ov
er hers. “You’ve always been the one to make me the happiest.”
She turned toward the window. “Then it’s obvious you’ve led a pretty boring life.”
I frowned. “Don’t do that.”
“Do what?”
I turned down her street, trying to pull in my frustration. The last thing I wanted was to fight with her. I might have kissed her lips, laid claim to her mouth, but that didn’t mean I’d laid a full-on claim over her heart yet. Love was just a word in the scheme of things.
“I give you a compliment, and you follow it up with something negative.”
She shook her head, and a chunk of her new purple hair fell out of the back of her bandanna. My finger twitched, wanting to brush the hair off her neck.
“That’s what I do, Max.” She shrugged. “Get used to it.”
“So, you don’t want me to compliment you? Because I’m not sure if I can do that.”
I turned to look at her just in time to see her frown. Her response never came though, and I didn’t push for it. The ache in my gut said not to. That something bad would happen if I did. More than anything, I wanted to stop the car right there in the middle of her street, pull her onto my lap, and tell her how stupid she was being. Because when a guy is trying to win the heart of a woman, compliments happen. It’s part of relationship building. I might not have been all that experienced with commitment, but I knew a beautiful woman deserved a compliment any chance you could give her one.
“I’m pretty tired tonight. Probably won’t be much fun.” She yawned when I pulled into a parking spot near her apartment building.
My shoulders tensed as I put my car in Park. Was she trying to push me away again? “No problem. We’ll just order some pizza instead of cooking. Maybe watch a little Netflix.”
“You want to Netflix and chill with me, Maxwell?”
She smirked, her arms folded under her tits. I looked at them, then looked at her face. “Yeah? So? I’m tired as hell too and would like nothing more than to get you naked and kiss you all over.”
The Right Kind of Reckless Page 13
