Chapter 14 - Naomi
This is too much.
I don’t know what’s happening, or why I’m doing this, but it’s too much. My body is screaming at me to just strip down naked right here and wrap my legs around Max’s muscular frame. Every nerve ending is begging for release. There’s a ball of fire in the pit of my stomach, and my panties are completely soaked through.
That was more than a kiss.
It was incredible. It was an explosion of tension and passion and lust all rolled into one.
Even the way he’s holding me now, cradling me against him as he rests his forehead against mine. He runs his finger along my jaw and tangles his fingers into my hair, and I melt into him again. I tilt my chin up and taste his lips.
We kiss more slowly this time, feeling each other more fully than the first time. I inhale the smell of his skin, wrapping my arms around his neck as I melt into his kiss. His hand drifts down my side, brushing my breast and coming to rest on my hip.
Every touch makes my whole body tremble.
I want him.
I want him more than I’ve wanted any other man.
And yet, when we pull apart, I take a deep breath. I don’t think I can do this right now.
There’s too much going on—too much between us. If I sleep with him now, what does that mean for us, for this engagement, for the money? For my mother?
Sex is complicated.
My whole body is screaming for it, and most of my mind wants it too.
But still, I take a deep breath and put a hand on his chest. He pauses, staring into my eyes as I shiver. I shake my head.
“I should go.”
“You don’t have to.”
“I know, but I should.”
Max nods.
“You’re probably right.”
“Probably.”
It only takes a minute to gather my things. I sling my bag over my shoulder and hold it close as I look up at him. He has a hint of stubble across his jaw, and his hair is completely disheveled. His eyes are bright, and his lips are still glistening from our kiss.
He looks so perfectly kissable right now.
I bite my lip.
“So…”
“I’ll call you tomorrow,” he says. “We probably need to figure out the details of this…” he waves his hand. “Whatever this is. This engagement.”
“Okay,” I reply. No turning back now.
“I’ll cancel my physio appointment for tomorrow. I have some paperwork to figure out, and I don’t want to put you in an uncomfortable position. Maybe I can take you out to dinner?”
I nod. “Sure.”
He leans down and kisses me again. It’s soft, and tender. It’s intimate, even though it only lasts a second. His hand lingers on my cheek, his face just next to mine.
“I won’t do that if you don’t want me to.”
“It’s okay,” I reply, brushing my hand against his. “I’ll talk to you tomorrow.”
By the time I get to my car, my hands are shaking. I slide into the driver’s seat and close my eyes. I gulp down air as if I’ve been drowning and my head has just broken the surface. It takes a few minutes for me to regain my composure. I put my hands on the steering wheel, and I take another deep breath.
With my hands still shaking, I dial Ariana.
“Hey,” I say when she answers.
“Hey, girl,” she says. “You okay?”
“I think so. Can I come over?”
“Of course. Meg is here, too.”
“Perfect.”
“You want us to get the wine ready?”
“It’s like you read my mind,” I laugh. “I’ll be there in half an hour.”
When I hang up, I feel calmer already. The girls will be able to ground me. If I tell them what’s going on, they’ll be able to let me know if I’m being absolutely crazy or not.
Too much has happened today. From Max’s first proposal—if you can call it that—to finding out about my mom’s cancer and the foreclosure on the house, and then to dealing with Max’s parents… I just need some time with people that I trust, people that have been there for me.
I practically run up the steps to Ariana’s apartment, and she opens the door with her arms wide open. Meg isn’t far behind with a glass of wine in one hand and a pint of Ben and Jerry’s in the other. Before I know it, tears are streaming down my face. They don’t ask me anything, they don’t say anything, they just sit me down and fill me with wine and ice cream and laughter.
“Naomi,” Ariana starts. “I have to tell you about last night. I ended up going home with this guy Rolf.”
“Rolf?”
“Literally Rolf. R-O-L-F. I made him show me his ID because I didn’t believe that was his name. He was Swedish and he looked like the guy from True Blood.”
I laugh. “Hot.”
“To look at, yeah, he was perfect. I couldn’t understand anything he was saying, though,” Ariana laughs. “But you know, he got the job done.” She winks and I laugh some more. My shoulders relax a little and I take a sip of wine.
“Were you still at the bar when Julia was dancing on the table?” Meg asks, dumping a bag of chips into a bowl.
“No, when was that?!”
“Must have been one in the morning, or something. She fell off and smashed one of the chairs. That’s why we got thrown out.”
“You got thrown out?!” That makes me laugh so hard I get a stitch in my side. Tears are streaming down my face, but this time I don’t mind. My heart feels light. We lean against each other, laughing and eating and drinking until Ariana puts her hand on my leg and looks me in the eye.
“So what’s up, Naomi? How’s your mom?”
My lip trembles and my chest squeezes, and I can’t even get a single word out. Meg scoots closer and puts her arm around my shoulder.
“Just tell us when you’re ready,” she says softly. “Shh. Tell us when you’re ready.”
I make a weird snorting, sniffling, hiccupping sound as I try to talk just as a huge sob racks my body, and then I try to laugh and another weird snorting sound comes out of me.
Ariana laughs, grabbing a box of tissues and handing them to me. “That bad, huh?”
“I don’t even know where to start.”
I look at my friends as the tears fill my eyes, and they just hug me until I’m able to talk.