The Storm Before the Calm (16 page)

Finally, satisfied with our selections, we checked out and headed uptown. We were only a few blocks away from home, and I was looking forward to getting there. Thoughts of Henry seeing me with Max didn’t cross my mind. All I wanted was to get him alone again and dive into his arms. He hadn’t kissed me since we’d woken up that morning, and I was like a heroin addict that had gone too long since his last fix. I was getting twitchy. No longer was I noticing the interesting and quirky sights of the city. All I wanted was to feel Max’s hands on me again.

We finally made it home. Henry barely looked up when we walked in, for which I was grateful. We climbed into the rickety elevator, and the doors were barely closed behind us before I placed the bags I was carrying on the floor and pulled Max to me, my hand fisted in the front of his shirt, and kissed him. He made a little surprised noise in the back of his throat, but it only took a moment for him to get with the program and kiss me back. It felt like coming home, and I didn’t think I would ever get enough.

The ride up was far too short, and mere moments later, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. I picked my bags back up and shuffled out, leading Max down the hall. Unlocking the door, I then pushed it open and ushered him inside, calling out, “Hello.”

“I thought your aunt was away for the weekend,” Max said.

“She is. I just wanted to check. I don’t want any surprises.”

Max shot me a wicked look. “I like surprises.”

I laughed. “Me too. Good surprises, anyway.”

Max grabbed me by my waist and pulled me in, lining our groins up. I could feel his erection starting to fill as he tilted his hips against mine. “Let’s get the groceries in the fridge, and then we’ll see if we can find you a good surprise or two,” he teased.

I giggled and agreed, racing toward the kitchen.

I’
D
NEVER
put food away that quickly in my life, but I had excellent motivation. It’s amazing what a person can accomplish when they have the right incentives.

When the last bag was empty, I turned around to find Max right behind me, pinning me into the corner of the counter.

“Time for your surprise,” he said, pulling my shirt up so he could bend forward and lick a path from my collarbone to my left nipple. He pulled it into his mouth, sucking gently. He worried it with his teeth, making my head fall back and a hiss bubble up from the back of my throat.

“Good?” he asked.

“So good.” I barely got those two little words out because he had moved to the other side, mimicking the treatment on the right. My hands went automatically to his hair, and I tangled my fingers in it, holding him still. It was so good, and not enough, and I needed more.

He read my body and interpreted my desperate sighs, moving his hands lower and pulling free the belt that held my pants up. He undid the button and zipper next, and with one firm tug I was exposed to him. Wrapping one hand firmly around my shaft, he pumped steadily, bringing me almost to the edge in minutes flat.

I was already close—about to go off—when he let go, stepping away from me. I was disoriented and confused, but it all made sense a moment later when he hooked his hands underneath my armpits and lifted me onto the counter.

“I got enough bruises on my knees from dancing,” he said right before he swallowed my cock down to the root.

“Holy fuck,” I cried, my voice breathy and hoarse. As far as blowjobs went, I didn’t have a lot of experience. Next to none, actually, but I knew what he was doing was making my heart pound and my toes curl, and it took everything I had in me to hold my orgasm back for even a minute longer, just to draw out the pleasure of it.

Soon, though, it became too much, and I bowed forward over him as I came, my orgasm barreling through me, come shooting deep down the back of Max’s throat.

He gentled his sucking, licking me clean before letting my limp cock fall from his mouth. He looked up at me, a satisfied grin on his face before he kissed me. Just like the first time, I could taste myself on him, salty and a bit bitter, and it turned me on. I slipped down off the counter, my legs still a little unsteady, and leaned back against it so I wouldn’t fall. I reached for him, my turn to make him come, when he pushed my hands away.

“It’s okay,” he said, kissing me again. “I already….”

I looked down and saw his right hand covered in come.

“Oh!” I smiled. “Well, next time it’s my turn.”

“That sounds like a good deal.”

“I think I’m gonna take a shower, if that’s all right with you. I feel like I stink.”

Max pulled me close, burying his face against my neck, and inhaled deeply. “You smell fine to me, but a shower sounds good. Can I come too?”

“’Course.”

We took off for the bathroom in a spontaneous race to get undressed and into the tub first, pieces of clothing flying every which way as we ran. I got there first, seconds before Max, who had tripped and almost fallen over the pants around his ankles in the hallway. I laughed at him, no sympathy at all, pulled off my last sock and flung it at him as he entered, then bent down to turn the water on.

I felt his teeth on my left asscheek as he bit down hard enough to sting.

“Ow,” I complained.

“Oh yeah, right. You love it.”

I turned around and flicked water in his face before I kissed him.

“Smartass,” I muttered.

We stepped into the tub, pulling the curtain closed behind us. Steam billowed out around us, making the small space seem even more intimate. Max’s skin was slick and wet, and all I wanted to do was rub up against him. He pulled me to him, sliding his hands down across my ass and grinding our hips together as he kissed me.

We made out under the spray, long enough that we both got hard again. We took turns washing one another, an activity that quickly became X-rated when Max lined our erections up, wrapped his fist around us, and began jacking us off together. The feeling of his fist around my cock, the hard line of his shaft sliding against mine, and his mouth insistent as he kissed me, and all too soon I was coming, ribbons of come surging across his stomach moments before he was coming too.

Chapter Nineteen

W
E
LOUNGED
around the apartment watching TV but mostly making out on the sofa. It was lazy and easy and I loved it. As much passion as I had for dance, I discovered I had as much for Max. In that moment, there was nowhere I’d rather be.

“Are you gonna stay over tonight?” I murmured against Max’s temple as he pressed gentle kisses at the curve of my shoulder.

“Mmm, you want me to?”

“Yes, please.”

“Then I’ll stay. Love waking up with you.”

I grinned like a dope, but sometimes the things he said made me so happy I couldn’t keep my expression masked. It was the two of us in our own little cozy world, and I liked it that way. No one else knew about us… well… no one that mattered knew, and I felt like I had the best secret in the world.

Eventually we got hungry again. Our stomachs were bottomless pits sometimes—especially with all the physical activity we’d done that day—and so we gathered up the things we’d bought at Zabar’s and spread them out over the table. I retrieved plates from the kitchen, and before long we were tucking into a plethora of different dishes from around the world.

Most of it I hadn’t tried before, and there were some old favorites like Brie and potato salad. I popped one of the olives into my mouth, chewed twice, and then, as discreetly as I could, spit it back out into my napkin. I guess it doesn’t much matter the kind, olives in general are disgusting. Max fed me roasted red peppers and goat cheese, and I shoveled piece after piece of bruschetta into my mouth.

By the time we were finished, we’d barely put a dent in the food we’d bought, but we were stuffed to the point of bursting. We put away the food and went back to the couch, flopping down next to one another, cuddling up but leaving enough distance that we wouldn’t hurl on one another from too much weight on our stomachs. For a moment I pretended this was our apartment and we had finished a dinner together at our table. I imagined we were in love and committed and that everyone knew about us and supported us completely.

It was a beautiful fantasy, but unfortunately that’s all it was. As nice as it was to envision those things, it wasn’t practical, and eventually I was going to get my heart broken. I knew that. Max stroked his thumb against my thigh as I flipped through the channels trying to find something to watch. I leaned into him, craving his touch. He pulled me closer and nuzzled my neck.

“Mmm,” I moaned, more contented than I’d ever felt. “Love that.”

“I could get used to this,” he breathed, and I nodded slowly, the image from moments earlier filling my head once more. He took the remote from me and clicked the TV off. Turning to face me, his expression was serious, and my heart fell.

“Charlie, I don’t wanna get all teenage chick on your ass and start asking where this is going and what it all means, but I have to be straight with you for a minute here.”

I nodded again and prepared myself for the worst. Whatever came out of this conversation wasn’t going to be good. I could feel it.

“I like you. I mean I like you a lot. And I feel like there might be a strong connection here, and I think you feel it too. I haven’t had any serious relationships before, and I know you haven’t had any, and in the grand scheme of things, we haven’t known one another very long, but I feel like if I don’t say something, if I don’t take a chance with this, I’m going to regret it.”

“Okay,” I said, processing his words. I wanted to jump up and down and celebrate that the guy I was quickly falling in love with wanted to be with me. But the reality of the situation crashed into me like a wave with a strong undercurrent, pulling me down and cutting off my air.

“So without sounding super clichéd about this, where’s your head at? What do you want?”

I paused, gathering my thoughts and trying to work the jumble of emotions into some semblance of order. I could barely wade through them. How could I expect Max to understand? I spoke slowly and deliberately, wanting to make myself as clear as possible, but more than that, wanting to keep my emotions under control. I would not cry. I wouldn’t.

“I like you too,” I began. “A lot. More than I should. And if things were different….”

“Oh,” Max interrupted, his shoulders slumping. “I get it. It’s fine. Sorry.”

I grabbed his hand and pulled it into my lap, trying to keep his attention on what I was saying. “No, it’s not like that. I’m leaving at the end of the summer. I’d give anything to stay here, but—”

“So stay,” Max said, looking up at me hopefully. “Stay here and dance for Free Rein and be with me and live your life in New York.”

“I can’t. My mom… she’s in Beacon, and she needs my help. She can’t do it on her own. It was selfish of me to even come for the summer, but she looked so happy when she told me about it, and truthfully I wanted to come so badly I pushed aside doing the right thing for one last summer without responsibilities. But my family comes first, and I need to be there for her.”

“But I’m sure she wants you to be happy. She’s your mom. She loves you. She’d want you to be here,” Max argued.

“But I’m not going to make that an option for her. She would never, ever ask me to come back, but she can’t do it without me there. She’s working three jobs as it is and getting older. She can only keep up that pace for so long, and if I can help alleviate some of the financial strain, I’m going to do it.”

“That’s very noble.”

“I’ll understand if you don’t want to continue the relationship knowing the expiration date isn’t far off,” I whispered. I looked down at my hands, terrified of what Max was going to say next.

He lifted my hand and kissed my palm. “Charlie, I will take you any way I can have you for as long as I can have you. If you say you have to leave, well, that fucking sucks, to be honest, but I understand family comes first. Doesn’t mean I won’t miss you like crazy, though.”

“I’m going to miss you too,” I admitted.

Max grabbed my wrist and pulled me into his lap, my knees straddling his thighs. When he looked up at me, for a moment I saw myself how he saw me. I leaned down, moving slowly, and at first it was just a taste of our breaths, and then he leaned in and pressed his lips against mine. I opened for him, granting him access. He slid his tongue inside, heating my blood. As I ground my hips down on him, he grabbed my ass, pulling me closer until there was no space between us.

The room felt like it had gotten hotter, and all I could think about was getting Max out of his clothes. I wanted to see him, to touch him, to make him come. I could feel the pressure building in my groin, that familiar tingle at the base of my spine. But I wanted more.

“Bedroom?” I asked, surprised at how low and husky my voice sounded in the quiet room.

Max didn’t answer, instead lifting me off his lap and standing. He turned me around, wrapped his arms around my waist, and we made the short walk into my room. My breathing was already labored, his touch driving me insane. I felt his lips tracing a path along the back of my neck, his hands traveling down over my shoulders and across my chest.

I turned around, wanting his mouth. He kissed me again and tugged at my shirt, pulling it up over my head before he did the same with his. Warm skin and slow kisses were all I could feel as he sat me on the edge of my bed. I concentrated on my breathing when he stood, removing my pants and then his, until we were both completely naked. I reached for him, feeling cold and lonely even with only a few feet between us. Sliding my hands along his sides, I pulled him close enough to kiss the soft skin of his belly, exploring the dark trail of hair that led down to where his hard cock jutted from his body. His hands were in my hair, and his scent surrounded me.

“I want you so much,” I whispered.

Max groaned and happily complied, crawling over me and covering my body with his. Kissing along my neck and chest, he left a wet trail where his mouth had been. I arched up, eager for more contact and wanting more than anything else to experience everything with him.