Twenty-Four

Max

I see her and don’t believe it’s really her. I blink seeing her in front of me and then she says the words I’ve been dying to hear—I love you. Words only Denise has ever said to me. And here she is, in her new jacket and boots, standing in the middle of my loft telling me she loves me. I don’t know what the fuck I did, but I’m not giving her back.

“Angel,” I say, my heart beating so fast I think I’m going to run out of breath. It’s almost like I’m panting. “Get your ass over here.” I don’t finish because she’s running to me as she jumps and my arms wrap around her waist as I step back. She looks into my eyes, her hands going to my face. “You came back?” I ask as she nods, smiling, while tears still fall.

“I came back to you, for you.” She pecks me gently on the lips. “Besides, you didn’t open your last gift.” She kisses me again. “Me.” And with that, she lets go of my face as she shrugs her shoulders. Her jacket falls off as she leans in and bites my lower lip. She hugs my neck as her mouth comes to mine. My mouth opens to hers. It’s like coming home. It’s like it was always meant to be. Like she was made for me.

I walk to my bedroom, the lights still out since I was in the bathroom when she arrived. My hands go to her ass as my legs hit the bed. My hand roams up to her back as she locks her ankles around my waist. I moan out when pulls away from my lips, as she unwraps her legs from me and places her feet on the bed.

“The whole time sitting there, all I wanted was for you to be there with me.” She kicks off first one boot and then another. “Then I got a picture of you here, and your smile.” She leans down, crosses her arms, and pulls her shirt up and over her head, tossing it to the floor. Leaving her in her baby blue satin and lace cushioned bra. “It didn’t reach your eyes. It fell short.” She pulls her pants down her hips as she shimmies them all the way down, kicking them off with her foot. She stands there with her blond hair all over the place in her bra and underwear and she’s legit the picture of an angel. “So I knew then and there that my place was here, next to you.” She smiles as she gets on her knees, bouncing a bit, and crawling to the edge of the bed, her hand coming out touching my bare chest. “I want to be with you.” She kisses my heart, no doubt feeling it pound erratically under her lips. “I want to be with you completely.” One hand goes to the place she just kissed in the middle of my chest.

I place both hands on her hand. “Angel.” I shake my head. “You don’t have t—” Her finger goes to my lips.

“I want you to make love to me. I love you.” She smiles big as tears come out again. “Like love love love you.” She laughs. “Like Romeo loved Juliet, without the dying.” She tries to make a joke of it as my thumb catches a tear that is rolling halfway down her face. “Love me, Max.”

“I don’t know what I did to deserve you, but I’m going to prove to you that I’m that good guy you keep telling me I am.” I advance to her, my hands going to her hips, then my finger going from her belly button to her chin, her eyes following it. “I promise to never hurt you.” I peck her lips. “If at any time you change your mind, we don’t have to do this.”

“Max.” Her hand cups my cock that is almost poking out of my shorts. “I promise that if you don’t use this on me tonight, I’m taking it anyway.”

I laugh at her, putting my hands in her hair. “I wanted to do this differently,” I say as I tilt her head to the side, kissing her neck. “Candles.” I kiss the other side of her neck. “Rose petals.” I kiss her chin. “Music.”

“I don’t need all that. I just need you.”

I snap and attack her mouth, pushing her backward on the bed, as her legs open for me and I lie on my arms as I kiss her with everything that I have. Everything that I have to give her. I kiss her and then slowly trail kisses down her neck as I reach one breast, her chest going up and down. I snake my tongue out, in between her bra and her nipple. While my other hand pushes the bra down, I roll one nipple and bite the other, making her back arch off the bed. The heels of her feet dig into my bed as she is squeezing me closer.

“Max.”

Her hands go into my hair. I do the same to her other breast, taking it in my mouth and rolling my tongue around the pink peak. I kiss her center and travel little butterfly kisses till I get to the edge of her panties.

“You’re everything that I have been waiting for.” I kiss her right above her elastic as I peel them over her hips.

I’ve done this almost every day, yet I look at her, scared to hurt her, scared to not be the man she deserves. She lifts her hips, telling me she’s waiting. My heart beats so fast, my palms are sweaty, you would think it’s my first time and in some ways, it is. This isn’t fucking. I’m going to make love to her.

“I’ve fucked up so much in my life.” My mouth goes on her, the wetness melting on my tongue like sugar. “I know I don’t deserve this gift.” I suck in and her head goes from side to side as I manipulate her clit with my tongue, my teeth, as my fingers slide inside of her, first one, then two, then three. “I can’t walk away no matter how many times my head tells me to. It’s my heart that wins out this time.” I twist them as I try to stretch her. I know she’s getting close because my fingers are being squeezed so tight I don’t think I can move them in again.

“Max, please,” she begs me and I know that it’s now.

I lean up on my knees, leaning over to the bedside table I keep condoms in. Grabbing one in my hand, I tear open the corner with my teeth as she watches me.

“I’m on the pill,” she starts saying as I stop mid tear. “When was the last—”

And I don’t let her finish.

“I think it was February,” I say, looking into her eyes. “I’m clean. We get tested monthly.”

“I know,” she says.

“I’ve never ever done this without one, not even once,” I tell her as she nods. “You’re sure?” And she nods again. I look down at her, her knees to the side, her pussy open for me. The wetness glistens, so I pull my shorts off. I grab my cock in my hand and rub the head through her folds, wetting me. I line my cock up to her opening as I push the head in a little. Her pussy grips me like a vise. I hiss out and try not to let myself take in the moment. I slide in a little at a time as Allison tenses. “You okay?” I ask her as she nods while she holds her breath. “Does it hurt?”

“No, no, it’s fine.” She looks at me, pushing her legs back, trying to open up more. I go in a bit more. This time only the head is in. “Just do it in one shot.” She grabs onto my arms that are beside her. “Like a waxing.”

“I’m afraid if I move I’ll hurt you even more,” I say through clenched teeth, pushing through till I’m halfway in. I swear sweat is starting to roll down my back. I go back out and push in, this time a bit more. I see her bite her teeth and hiss. I go in and out again, once, twice and then I just push all the way in as she screams, not in pleasure. I stay buried in her. “Fuck. Don’t do that,” I tell her as I feel her clench around me.

“I can’t help it,” she says, moaning. “I think my vagina is rejecting your penis.”

“I’m going to move now,” I say, pulling back out and then in again, this time sliding in with more ease. My arms shake from holding up all my weight as Allison’s hands stay on my hips. “You’re so tight,” I hiss out as she looks at me and I slowly go in and out till she finally relaxes a bit. “Angel, I love you” I lean down and kiss her, my tongue rolling with hers as I fill her, as she wraps her legs around my waist, our lips never leaving each other as we both dive off of the cliff together. I ride out our orgasms together, my thrusts coming slower till I’m just buried in her.

I leave her lips, kiss her nose, and then turn onto my back, bringing her with me. “Are you okay?”

“Um, well, considering you’re still in me, yes.” She leans down and kisses my neck. “I’m kind of hungry,” she says as her stomach lets out a big growl. “I didn’t eat dinner.”

“Okay,” I say, hugging her even closer. “Let’s get you fed.” I slip out of her and roll off the bed. There’s a hint of pink on my sheets, and my eyes just stare at it.

“Sorry about that,” she says shyly. “I’ll wash the sheets now.” She gets up and leans down, trying to take the sheets off as my hand comes out and stops her from doing anything.

“Leave them,” I say as she stands back up. “Go get in the bath. I’ll bring you something to eat.” Pecking her lips, I leave the room. I grab a couple of things from our dinner I was going to take with me on the road: turkey, stuffing, some mashed potatoes with gravy. I fix the plate, putting it in the microwave and go in search of her. I walk into the bathroom as she is just getting into the tub. “It’s in the microwave, but I don’t know if you can eat turkey and stuff in the tub.” I laugh as I see her sit down as she goes down to her neck, the water a color pink. “What’s in the water?”

“A bath bomb,” she says as she lays her head back against the wall behind her. “Want to come in with me?” She opens her one eye, looking at me. I step into the tub and wince at the hot water. “I like really hot baths.”

“This isn’t hot, it’s scalding,” I say as I crotch down and go in slowly. My legs go around her body. “This is why I never take a bath. I can’t even fit in here,” I say as I see my knees come up from the water. “What did your family say when you told them you were leaving?”

She rubs my chin. “They were sad because it’s my first Christmas not there.” She smiles at me, no doubt in her eyes. “But”—she shrugs—“they knew I had to go.”

“I’m not going to be sorry you’re here and not there.” I shake my head as I grab her foot and start massaging it. “What happened tonight is the best gift that someone has ever given me. I’m a selfish bastard and I wanted you here.”

She stands up, the lingering pink water dripping off of her. She steps out of the tub, grabbing one of the hanging white robes that is hanging near the shower. Something that she added over time.

“Go eat,” I say as I get out of the tub. “I need to wash off this pink shit.”

She laughs as she comes to me and gets on her tippy toes, kissing me under my jaw. “Okay.” She walks out as I start the shower. By the time I finally finish, I find her washing her plate and putting it in the dishwasher. “What time are we leaving in the morning?” she asks as she leans against the counter.

“Five a.m., so we can make it there just before lunch,” I say as she closes the lights off and we make it back to the bedroom. “I can’t believe you’re really here,” I say as she slides her robe off and gets in the bed, grabbing the covers that are at the end of the bed. I get in next to her, wrapping my arms around her. “Merry Christmas, angel.” I kiss her head as she lies in my arms and falls fast asleep.