With the First Goodbye (Thirty-Eight Book 5)

by Len Webster

  Each flutter of his lips only had him wanting more.

  More kisses.

  More minutes.

  More days in the week with her.

  “Max,” she breathed as she kissed him.

  His tongue traced the seam of her lips, and she gave him access to slip inside and find her tongue. The moment they touched, he groaned as their kissing became frantic.

  “Late,” she muttered. “I’m so late.”

  He chuckled as he began to slow the exploration of her mouth until he finished with chaste kisses to her lips.

  He pulled back and pressed his thumb to her bottom lip. Then he moved it back and forth. “Go,” he urged.

  The way her eyelids hooded only made him want her to stay longer. He could see it in her lust-filled eyes that she wanted to stay. So to convince her to leave, he dropped his hands from her face and grasped the box of cupcakes. “Go, Josephine.”

  She nodded, got on her toes, and pressed a sweet, lingering kiss to his mouth. “That was worth being late to my lecture for.”

  He chuckled as he watched her spin around and race out of his office and then out of sight. Smiling, he walked back to his desk and set the box down. Max lifted the lid to find his favourite cupcakes inside. Then he noticed the envelope stuck on the inside of the box. Max pulled it off and removed the business card that was inside.

  His chest tightened when he saw that it was her business card. He turned it over and read what she wrote.

  All this time away from you has only made me miss you more.

  Josie

  Max said goodbye to his latest clients, an elderly couple who were selling their prime city property to developers, on Thursday afternoon. It had now been ten days since that free minute with Josephine. And seventeen days since he really got to spend time with her.

  It was torture being away from her, but timing got the best of them.

  Max’s new client had made an appointment with him to go over the contract the developers had given them. Max needed to know what they wanted out of the deal to sell their old house and land. It was one of the rare properties in Melbourne, and they received an offer of thirteen million dollars for it. The couple wanted to make sure they wouldn’t be taken advantage of, and Max had agreed to look over the contract. He promised to redraft it if he thought his clients were being screwed over. The first thing he would have to do was contact a property surveyor and a real estate agent. He needed to know what their house and land were worth in the current market.

  Max picked up his phone and unlocked it to find Josie’s unread message waiting for him. He pressed his thumb to the screen and opened it.

  Josie: Sorry, I was in a lecture. Can’t do tonight. Will be working on my assignment. Tutor gave us until Monday after he noticed just how much he wanted from us. Thank God for small mercies, huh? I want this done so I can enjoy Rob and Ally’s engagement party this weekend. I completely forgot about it. How’s the trial going?

  Max: Email me if you need any help on your memo or if you want me to read it. You’ve got this, Josie. Their engagement party is Saturday night. You’ve got plenty of time. Don’t stress yourself out. At least I can finally spend time with you. I’ve been bloody counting the days until I can.

  Josie: So I’m guessing you’ve missed me just a little bit?

  Max: You have no fucking idea. Terribly. I’ve been missing you terribly.

  Josie: I’m tempted to bail on my tutorial right now to see you.

  Max: Stay put! What’s two more days?

  Josie: Nineteen days since we last spent time together.

  Max: Nineteen days too long.

  His laptop made a pinging sound, and he glanced up to see a new email in his inbox. He set his phone down the moment he saw Andrea’s name. It had been some time since her last email. It was nothing new. She was apologetic. She wanted him to email her back. He shouldn’t have opened it, but he couldn’t help it. He wanted to read her suffering. It was only fair after she kept him in the dark for almost a year.

  Max glanced back at his phone to see the ellipses on his screen indicating that Josie was replying to him. Taking a deep breath, he pulled his laptop closer to him and clicked on Andrea’s email.

  To: MaxwellSheridan@GordonSheridan.com.au

  From: AndyWallace@gmail.com

  Subject: I’m willing to fight for you.

  Max,

  I leave for Boston soon. I spoke to Noel briefly about you temporarily working for G&MC. I could really use you there.

  Please consider taking the job, Max.

  He still doesn’t know about what happened between us—at least, I don’t think he does.

  I have to admit I’m a little scared to return to Massachusetts to see him and Clara together. I used to be so angry that they got married. But then I realised Clara was the better woman. She got what she wanted. She waited and worked for it. I ran away from who I really wanted.

  I never gave us a chance, Max.

  I want you to give me the chance to prove to you that I can be the woman you’ve always wanted.

  All those messages we shared before he married her meant everything.

  You understood me.

  You understood my career the way Noel couldn’t.

  Please, Max.

  I made the mistake of letting you go.

  I know that.

  Yours,

  Andrea.

  I made the mistake of letting you go.

  He was tempted.

  For a single moment, he fell back into his old ways and was tempted.

  But Max moved the cursor away from the reply button and reached over and pulled his top drawer open. Max reached inside and pulled out his wallet. He took a deep breath, flipped the wallet open, and removed the piece of paper from inside. Max unfolded it and held it between his thumb and index finger, reading the words that reminded him that someone quite possibly loved him more and had always put him first.

  You’re my La Vie En Rose.

  Josie.

  His La Vie En Rose.

  The love of his life.

  So Max did right by her and set the sticky note down and deleted Andrea’s email.

  Mamma: Good afternoon, Josephine. Will you be visiting me this weekend? I thought we could have lunch on Sunday. I’d like to talk to you about some stuff.

  Josie saved her assignment and grasped her phone with both hands, reading her mother’s message once more. Over a week and a half ago, her mother was finally fit enough to be released from the hospital. The doctor had given her mother orders to rest and not return to work. That was the only day when work and uni didn’t consume Josie’s life. It was also the only day Max was free to spend their afternoon together, but she had told him she couldn’t see him. Josie wanted to be with him, but no matter how much she wanted to or loved Max, her mother came first.

  She felt horrible for lying to him.

  She felt even worse knowing he was willing to reschedule a client dinner for her.

  When Josie drove her mother home, Stella and West were there and had decorated her mother’s living room with balloons and a sign. They had even brought a ‘Welcome Home, Em!’ cake and flowers. Her mother had cried, and Josie had tears in her eyes. Josie had no idea what she would do without Stella and West in her life. They had no idea how much she appreciated it. The moment her mother asked about Max, Josie felt that sick knot tighten in her stomach. She would tell Max the truth about her mother’s health and apologise for keeping it from him for so long.

  Now that her mother was feeling much better, Josie felt the strain loosen a fraction. There was still a long way to go, but she was confident that with enough rest, her mother could focus on chemotherapy and fighting cancer.

  Josie: Hey, Mamma. Yeah, Sunday works for me. I’m almost finished with this assignment. But are you sure you’re feeling well enough to have lunch?

  Mamma: I’m feeling great, Josephine. Honest. I’ll let you get back to your assignment. I love you.

&n
bsp; Josie: I love you, too. I’ll call you later.

  A knock on her front door had her setting her phone down. Josie got out of her chair and sighed. She didn’t have time for visitors. She needed to finish her assignment if she wanted to have a guilt-free weekend—especially since she’d see Max at Ally and Rob’s engagement party.

  Tomorrow night, she’d tell him the truth about her mother, her feelings, and her want to be something more than just friends who missed each other.

  She wanted to define them.

  For her heart to know that his called hers home.

  Sweeping her brunette hair behind her ear, she made her way down the hall and to the front door. She wasn’t expecting visitors, and Stella hadn’t said she was expecting any either. Upon reaching the door, she set her hand on the handle, twisted it, and then pulled the door open.

  “Max,” she breathed in surprise.

  That smile of his was flawless and one she missed seeing. “I promise this won’t take up too much of your assignment time,” he announced.

  “What?”

  Max pushed past her and entered her apartment. Josie closed the door and spun around, noticing that he was staring at his phone and seemed apprehensive.

  “Is everything okay?”

  He slipped his phone into his pants pocket and nodded. The nervousness in his eyes gave her no confidence whatsoever.

  “Every minute counts.” Then he stepped closer to her, leant down, and kissed her cheek. “God, it’s so good to see you, Josephine.”

  The truth replaced the nervousness in his eyes, and she smiled.

  “What are you doing here? I thought I would see you tomorrow?”

  Max’s hands settled on her shoulders for a brief second then slid down her arms, and he grasped her left hand. “I’m still seeing you tomorrow, but I needed to see you tonight. Josephine, can I please have two hours of your night tonight?”

  She grinned. “Two hours?”

  “That means you’ll have enough time to finish your assignment, and I won’t feel guilty,” he explained.

  He had her interested. “Okay. You have me for two hours.”

  “We’re going to have to multitask,” he said as he held her hand and led her down the hall and to her bedroom.

  “Multitask?”

  “Yeah.” Max opened her door and pulled her inside. Then he let go of her hand, gently pushed her to the door, and cupped the nape of her neck. His lips found hers, and he stole the breath from her lungs with a simple touch. Just as she was about to part her lips, Max pulled away and shook his head. “Sorry, I only pencilled in like ten seconds of kissing. You have to change.”

  “What?” She was half-surprised and half-humoured by him.

  Max stepped back and walked to her walk-in closet. “Trust me, I love seeing you in jeans and a T-shirt, but where we’re going, you’re gonna want to wear something a little more formal.”

  Her eyes scanned his body, and she noticed he was wearing a nice, tight white dress shirt that had buttons with anchors on them and black dress pants. His hair was combed perfectly, and she noticed his leather shoes were polished. He was dressed the part, and she wasn’t.

  Not wanting to disappoint him and the two hours he had planned for them, Josie walked into her closet and took in her clothes.

  “So how was your day?” Max asked as he joined her inside the closet.

  Josie let out a light laugh as she began to search for something formal to wear. “Is this us multitasking?”

  “Yep,” Max said as he pointed at the white dress she had pulled aside to look at. “That’s the dress.”

  “Really?” she asked as she took in the chiffon dress. It was an impulse buy. She had been shopping with Stella when her best friend had begged her to buy the long A-line dress with a sweetheart neckline. The bodice had a corset style design to it and chiffon sleeves that fell off the shoulders. Josie never had an occasion to wear such a beautiful dress.

  Not until today it seemed.

  “Really. It’s actually perfect,” Max said as he pulled it from her closet. “So how was your day?”

  “It was okay. Short lecture today since it’s so close to exams. My lecturer wanted us to focus on our assignments and exam prep. How about you?”

  Max walked out of her closet and set the dress on her bed. Then he turned and faced her. “Stressful. Turns out this couple I’m representing was about to get screwed over by developers who wanted to buy their land for an apartment complex. It means negotiations and more contract redrafts. All right, I’m gonna let you change, and I’ll be on the other side of the door to continue this conversation.”

  Josie walked out of her closet and watched as Max left her room and closed the door behind him.

  “So yeah, my day’s been stressful. But I was happy to see you,” Max continued from the other side of the door.

  She shook her head as she felt her cheeks warm at his admission. Josie glanced at the white dress and then reached for the hem of her shirt. She lifted it over her head and let it fall to her bed. Then she unsnapped her jeans and shimmied them down her legs until she could step out of them. She frowned when she realised that she was wearing a black bra and underwear set. It would show under the white dress.

  Sighing, she returned to her closet and went to her drawers. She pulled the top one open and searched until she found her strapless white lace bra and matching panties. After staring at the two pieces of lingerie, she felt her heart rapidly beat in her chest. She didn’t want to presume Max would ever see them, but there was hope. That, and she couldn’t wear black underneath white chiffon. Deciding to act before she changed her mind, Josie removed her black bra and panties and changed into the lacy white set. Then she collected her black undergarments and returned to her bed.

  She picked up her jeans and shirt and walked to her en suite bathroom. She disposed of the dirty clothes into the hamper and glanced at her reflection. She was glad her brunette waves appeared tame and didn’t go frizzy. And she was glad that she had put on some makeup this morning, but it was too simple. Josie pulled the first bathroom drawer open and retrieved her makeup bag.

  She didn’t have a lot of time, so she had to retouch her makeup quickly. She applied powder where she could, added some blush, and applied a small amount of dark blue eyeliner. Then she curled her eyelashes, coated them with mascara, and reached for her pink glossy lipstick. With the white dress, she decided to keep the colours as gentle as possible. She spread the pink lipstick on her lips and was happy to see that in her rush, her makeup appeared decent. It wasn’t the best job she had ever done, considering she was quite good at it after watching hours and hours of YouTube tutorials. Finally, Josie dug her fingers into her brunette locks and shook them back and forth to tease her hair.

  She quickly returned to the foot of her bed, leant down, and removed the dress from the hanger. She pulled the back zip down and stepped into the dress. She threaded her arms through the off-the-shoulder straps and reached around to pull the zip up. Her arms started to ache once she struggled to zip the dress higher than halfway.

  Josie gave up, rested her palms on her breasts, and held her dress in place as she yelled out, “Max, I need you in here!”

  He was in her room within seconds.

  “Wow,” he breathed when she glanced over her shoulder and saw him with his mouth gaped. His awe-like expression was one she’d never forget.

  “Zipper’s stuck,” she said.

  Max swallowed hard and then nodded. “Right,” he said and walked towards her.

  When he was behind her, her chest heaved as she felt his finger trace a line down her back. It was so intimate. One simple touch and she was dizzy. She felt the zip tug twice until it zipped all the way. Then his hands held her hips, and he whispered, “Change of plans for the next few seconds. Going to sacrifice a few things so I can do this …”

  His lips pressed against her left shoulder.

  They softly trailed up and settled on the curve of her ne
ck for a few seconds. When he pulled away, his breath graced her skin as if he were tattooing the feel of his lips to her skin.

  Then in a soft voice, he said, “You’re so beautiful, Josephine.”

  Her eyelids hooded as she fell in love with the way his voice became hoarse as he complimented her.

  It was so hard to hold back her love.

  But she had to.

  For the remainder of the two hours they had, she had to stick to his plan.

  She was sure he hadn’t pencilled in ‘Josie telling me she loves me’ in his two-hour plan. So she took a step away from his touch and then spun around.

  “I have to grab a few things and put on my shoes. Meet me in the lounge in a few?”

  He nodded. “Sure thing.”

  Josie grasped the bottom of her dress and lifted it off the ground. Then she made her way back to her closet.

  “Josephine,” he called out.

  She glanced over at her door to find Max standing by it. “Yeah?”

  “I just wanted to say that I …” He closed his mouth and inhaled deeply. “I think you’re the most beautiful, genuine woman I have ever met in my life.” And then he was out of her room seconds later, leaving her with her need to say, “I love you,” on her lips.

  Soon, she promised her impatient heart.

  She’d tell him everything soon.

  Goddamn.

  Josephine Faulkner made him so needy and reckless.

  He had almost confessed he loved her in her bedroom. It was definitely not the ideal location to tell her.

  No one should ever hear an, “I love you,” while they were in the closet.

  And now, he was confined in his car with her. Her perfume seemed to linger in the air and strengthen the moment he breathed in. Every part of him ached to touch her. To have those big blue eyes look up at him as he whispered how much he adored her.