Wilson Mooney, Almost Eighteen (25 page)

“
If you want to,” he
answered. “Maybe we’ll get there for dessert.” He ran his fingers
down the inside of my arm and snatched my hand. He pushed me
towards the door.

“
Let me get the clothes I
want to wear tonight.” I went back to my duffel bag. He pushed his
hand into my folded clothes and noticed a cute slinky top that I
brought in case I was going to see him. He pulled it up hooking it
on his finger.

“
Wow Wilson, what I
wouldn’t give to see you in this,” he purred. I snatched it from
his finger, his hands wrapped around my waist. I liked how
comfortable I felt with him.

“
I know something you won’t
give.” I slid my hand down his stomach, stopping just above his
waist.

“
Hey, careful there, I
don’t think you want to start something you’re not ready to
finish.” He pulled my hand up to his chest.

After what I experienced,
I’m totally sure I would have no problem with going all the way
with him.

“
We’ll see in a month.” I
flicked him in the chest and walked towards the door.

“
Ouch, thirty days.” He
rubbed his fingertips on the spot I flicked him.

“
Seven hundred twenty
hours.” I grabbed a towel from the closet and tiptoed through the
hall and down to our special bathroom.

I swung the door open and I was back
in the familiar area where we had our first kiss. The couch I cried
into, the mirror I looked at him through and the counter I leaned
against when he kissed me, I walked past them like friends I
outgrew. I appreciated each for where they brought me.

The shower was incredible. I didn’t
have any curtain to pull or glass to close me in. Surrounded by
shower heads protruding around me, they were pointed to every part
of my body. Earthy tones of brown and tan braided through the stone
on the walls. A perfect sized rock bench placed perfectly below the
showerheads found the one spot the water missed.

My body craved a nice hot shower. I
pulled off my panties and dropped my towel on the oversized antique
velvety taupe chair. I twisted the knob to hot, the shower steamed
as water flooded the space. I stepped into the stream and felt the
water drench my hair; it was like someone took a pitcher and poured
it over my head. The lower heads pulsated like hands caressing my
entire body. I tilted my head back and closed my eyes letting the
water swallow me. I reached for the shampoo when a slight knock at
the door pulled me away.

“
Do you mind if I come in?”
Max whispered against the door.

My throat went dry as I answered him,
“No, come in.”

He pushed the door open, slowly. His
eyes focused on the slate floor. I stood there, waiting to see what
his intentions were. His sharp black hair dangled across his face.
There wasn’t a curtain or towel to wrap around my body. I was
exposed and all he had to do was look up, instead he waited for
permission.

“
Do you like your showers
hot? Because I like my showers hot,” I told him. He swallowed
hard.

“
Me too, really hot,” he
answered as his eyes took in my body bit by bit. He sauntered to
the edge of the shower mesmerized by the sights and sounds of the
water as it splashed down my skin. I grabbed his hand and pulled
him in, Calvin Klein’s and all.

His body became wet and steaming; his
boxers, translucent. Without words he brought his lips to mine, the
water traced down our faces and invaded our kiss.

I turned away filled my hand with
shampoo, reached up and tangled my fingers in his hair. He caught
my hands, collecting the excess shampoo and shared his lather with
me pressing his foam filled hands into my hair. His strong fingers
massaged my scalp with delicate intentions. I leaned back, closed
my eyes and let the water flood me. His hands were careful not to
pull my hair, or brush my temple, and his lips were a pleasant
surprise against my mouth.

He slowly pulled away and asked
against my ear, “Do you want me to wash your back?”

I grabbed the soap and started
lathering across my body. He shifted my hair away from my neck and
started tasting below my ear. His hands ran up my stomach across my
breasts, I turned and kissed him. His body warmed me, we fit
perfectly together. The water filled the gaps between our skins. I
couldn’t tell where he began and I ended.

“
Um hum, please,” I moaned
as his hands slid down to my waist, they were so warm.

“
You’re so soft,” he said
against my skin. He turned me to the wall, I felt his hands push
and drag heavy across my back. I couldn’t see what he was doing,
but when I felt his mouth against my shoulder blade I knew where he
was. His hands slid up under my arms, his body pressed against my
back, his entire body. My head tilted back, his hands cased my
stomach and down my inner thighs. A moment of desperation flooded
my body. He was teasing me, and it was salacious.

His hands navigated low. His mouth
close to my ear, I could hear his visceral breaths. It drove me
wild, my hips pressed back against his exposed desire. I wanted
him, so bad. But even in the heat of the moment, somewhere deep in
my soul I found a thread of responsibility and pulled away from
him.

He snatched me back, the water created
a cocoon around our bodies, bursting free the wings of my
butterflies, and they were free to fly. He was perfect to me, and
to him, I was flawless.

He reached across still tangled in my
body and turned the water off. His hands unwilling to leave my
skin, I turned to face him. His hands wrapped tight around my body.
My face rested perfectly against his chest.

“
I could stay like this
forever.” I tightened my arms around him.

“
Me too,” he whispered.
“But then we’d miss dessert and my mom makes the best berry
cobbler.” He licked his lips in a boyish manner.

I noticed when he talked about his mom
he had an inspiring innocence about him. What she must be like, to
still hold such a deep part of his heart. Something I could only
envy or dream of. My experience with having a mother, or the lack
of one, was the day she dropped me off at my grandparents’ house,
kissed me on my forehead, got back into the car and drove away. My
whole life I blamed myself for making her leave. Maybe if I was
less hyperactive or I liked her boyfriends, she would have stayed
for me. Maybe if I was a better daughter then she would’ve come
back for me. All the while, I never knew my grandparents had
obtained a restraining order against her and she was never coming
home to me. Not then, not now. They died never forgiving their own
flesh and blood.

I pulled away from him, grabbed the
towel I threw on the designer chair and draped it around my core. I
was cold.

“
Let’s go to your place. I
really want to meet your mom,” I choked on the words.

He stepped out, wrapped the towel
around his waist and shook his head causing his hair to fluff and
lie perfectly. He pulled me into his chest.

“
Are you sure? We could
stay here if you want to.” He tried to understand.

“
I’m sure. I want to go.” I
pulled away from him and snatched up my clothes. “I’ll be right
back.”

I opened a door that led to the
toilet. Not my favorite place in bathrooms, but at least in there I
could hide the pain that I hated to own in my soul. I’ve been so
good at disowning it for so long I thought I was immune to the
jealousy that reared in my body, especially with him. I wasn’t
going to let the experiences of my F’d up mother ruin what new
memories I had created with Max. I wanted to see a family like
his—where the choices of a mother spurred success in her son’s life
and she was there for him, really there. It was that reality I
wanted to inhabit.

I got dressed pushed the
back side of my hands to my eyes drying the useless tears from my
cheeks and worked at filling my mind with thoughts of what we just
had together. I’ll be damned if I was going to let
her
win.

Max knocked on the door.

“
Wilson? You okay?” his
voice was soft. I could hear that he was concerned. I guess I would
be too. He has totally made me unbelievably happy and I go pull the
basket case freak out and run away to a toilet to change my
clothes. At least it was spotlessly clean.

“
Yeah, I’m fine.” I opened
the door. “Sorry about the disappearing thing.” He slipped his
hands around me and clutched me to his body.

He didn’t say a word. He just held me
until I was comfortable enough to pull away. It wasn’t about sex or
guilt. It was his understanding of how to treat a woman, when she
just needed to be held. It was him being sensitive and concerned
about me.

“
Wilson, I think we should
change your bandage.” He pressed his fingers to the edges of the
tape. “It’s soaked.”

“
Okay, thank you.” He
pulled the bandage from my temple. His eyes reflected less
concern.

“
How bad is it?” I asked
pushing my hand to the edge of my eyebrow.

“
It’s not bad at all.
Smaller than I thought it was going to be. I don’t even think
you’re gonna need a band aid.”

“
Oh good.” I said relieved.
Last thing I wanted to do was to go to meet his parents with a
ghastly bandage taped across my head.

“
You ready to go?” he asked
low.

“
Yeah, I am.” I walked to
the sink and washed my hands.

“
Oh I almost forgot,” he
said as his hand reached into his pocket.

“
What?”

“
This—I found it on your
dresser, thought you’d want to wear it tonight,” he answered as he
held the key and heart necklace up in the air. He pulled it across
my neck and fastened it. He pressed his hands down across my
shoulders onto my forearms.

“
It’s beautiful Max. Thank
you,” I whispered.

“
You’re welcome.” He kissed
the top of my head. “Something to keep me close to your
heart.”

It’ll be the perfect symbol of him
when we get back to Wesley. Even though, I didn’t need a necklace
to remind me of whom my heart belonged to.

He held out his elbow and I weaved my
arm through his. He walked me through the hall, down the steps and
out to his car. My other hand pressed my new necklace against my
chest.

Yeah, it was something that definitely
kept him close to my heart.

Chapter
Nineteen:

I loved that he held the car door open
for me and he made sure my seatbelt was on before he shut me in.
The drive to his cabin was comforting. He reached over to me and
held my hand. His fingers were warm against mine.

“
You should know something
about me,” he said after a moment. My heart dropped into my
stomach. I knew this was going to be too good to be
true.

“
Yeah, what’s that?” The
words clung to my throat.
God please don’t
let him tell me something that would break my heart.

“
Well it’s not really
something about me; it’s more about my family.” He glanced over. My
heart started to rise back to where it belonged.

“
Okay—,” I sang to him. I
don’t know why he took so long to tell me. Maybe it was something
he was embarrassed about.

“
I’ve never taken anyone to
my family’s cabin before—to meet my parents.” He looked forward as
he turned. The muscles in his neck bounced as he swallowed
hard.

“
Nobody?” I asked. I felt
my lips pull into a slight smile.

“
No, not a woman.” He
looked at me, his face tensed. “You’re the first.” He looked so
vulnerable.
Reality check, he called me a
woman.
It clicked for me and I understood
instantly, I wasn’t a girl anymore.

“
You, Max Goldstein? Not
one girl?” I wrapped my hand over his and pulled it to my
face.

“
No, not one. No one was
ever worth it before,” he said looking straight ahead.

Did he even know what he
was saying to me? If I could press heavy against and melt into him
I would do it. Did he know that he made the butterflies and
tingling parts of my body completely dedicated to him? Invade me
with words, I’m here.

“
Well, I’m honored. Thank
you Max. That means so much to me.” I leaned over and kissed his
cheek. He peeked at me. The muscles in his jaw line
flexed.

I could tell he was
entering an uncharted area of his life. As handsome and worldly as
he was it was hard to believe he never brought a girl home to his
parents before. Was he that private? What did that mean about me? I
felt a bubble of spastic energy spin up into my throat.
I’m the ‘one’ he brings home to mom.

“
What if she doesn’t like
me?” I mumbled as my eyes focused on the glove box handle in front
of me. I didn’t want to look at him.

The car swayed to the right and rolled
to a stop. He cleared his throat. I felt his eyes burn into my
skin. He tickled the side of my face with his fingers as he pulled
my hair away.

“
How could she not? Wilson,
she’ll love you. She’ll see exactly why I wanted to bring you home
with me.” He leaned over and kissed me softly.