Page 28 of Driven By Desire
“My ears.” Chirag’s low moan set him off again.
Trying hard to stifle the laughter bubbling up, he looked straight ahead and into Max’s dancing eyes.
The amusement in hers had his own spilling out.
Throwing her head back, she laughed exuberantly even as she continued to make the most hideous noise with her poor abused guitar.
Still chuckling as they, thankfully, banged out the last note, Krish felt his heart swell as Max came straight to him.
The intensity of what he was feeling swarmed his eyes and had Chirag melting discreetly into the background.
“Come with me.” Twining his fingers with hers he led her out of the room. Walking out of the crowded house and into the blissfully peaceful garage area, Krish slowed their pace to a stroll as they made their way to where the cars were parked in the street.
Unlocking his car, Krish reached into the back seat and withdrew a brightly wrapped package.
“For me?”
“No. For the drunk, morose elf.” The dry answer had her grin widening but instead of opening the gift, she handed it back to him and shot off in the direction of the house with a yelled, “Give me a minute.”
Baffled by what was unpredictable behavior even by Max’s standards, he remained rooted to the spot with his gift in one hand.
Shaking his head, he leaned against his car and took in a deep breath of the crisp, winter air.
Angling his stance to keep the house in view, he smiled as another raucous burst of laughter floated across to him.
Max charged into view a second later. Worried she’d break her neck racing around like a maniac in those heels, he straightened and caught her a second before she barreled into him.
“Here.” With a little bounce, she handed him a wrapped package and grabbed the one he still held in his hand. “Gimme mine.”
Head bent, Max ripped into her gift with a childlike enthusiasm that had his heart doing a strange flip flop inside him. Uncovering a gorgeous state of the art tool box, Max let out a delighted gasp. “I’ve been saving up for this for ages. How did you know?”
“You had printouts of reviews, specifications and links to online retailers who sell it on your nightstand. I saw it while you were taking a shower that night.”
“Thank you.” Throwing her arms around him, Max tried desperately to show him the feelings bursting inside her.
Love swamped her in a tidal wave of emotion that swept logic, practicality and the last vestiges of common sense aside.
Launching herself at him with a fervor that almost toppled him, she kissed him in a dizzying burst of passion.
Steadying her with his hands on her waist so she didn’t take them both down to the ground, Krish let the sweet taste of her overwhelm him. Desire ignited in a blaze and had him forgetting where they were until a blare of a car horn cut through their preoccupation with each other.
Burying her face in his shirt, Max sighed as Krish threaded his fingers through her hair. His now habitual gesture soothed and gentled her and had her fevered flush slowly receding.
“You haven’t opened your gift.”
The husky whisper had him smiling. “That kiss wasn’t my present?”
Giving him a light whack, she nudged him. “Open it.”
Reluctantly relinquishing the soft, warm bundle of woman in his hands, he peeled back the wrapping to reveal a large book. The ten books on Architecture by Vitruvius. Along with it was a large notepad he hadn’t seen in years.
“Where did you find this?” A faint tremor shook his finger as he traced the faded, scribbled drawings.
“Chirag thought it might be in the loft so I went looking for it.” Worried that he wasn’t meeting her gaze, Max said uneasily, “I hope you don’t mind that I looked through the cartons.”
“There are close to twenty cartons in there.” Finally looking at her, he said, “All full of junk.”
“Memories.” Closing her hand gently over the fist clenched around the notepad, she said, “They’re full of memories.”
“Max-“ Her name came out on a ragged exhale. Pulling his fist out from her grasp, he took a step back. “I don’t have time for memories.”
“Not even good ones?”
“The good ones are the ones that hurt the most.”
Hurting for him, Max moved closer. “You didn’t see the rest of the gift.”
There was more? He didn’t think he could handle anymore. Wishing desperately she hadn’t opened up old wounds that had scabbed over years ago, Krish tried not to let the past shadow the moment.
Flipping the notepad, she pointed at several blank sheets attached to the back. “Make new memories, Krish.” Unaware of the tumult raging in the man in front of her, Max took a deep breath and risked her heart. “Make them with me.”
His eyes held hers for an interminable moment.
Willing him to accept what she was offering, Max kept her eyes locked on his hoping he’d read the emotion in hers.
The silence ballooned and enveloped them until Max couldn’t take it anymore.
Unwilling to let him see how deeply his silence had hurt her, Max looked away from his intense, inscrutable gaze and towards the house.
“I should get back inside. Dad’s bound to be looking for me.”
Wobbling a little in her heels, she braced herself against the car to regain her balance. Blinking back the sudden stinging of tears, she breathed deeply and fought desperately to keep her mask in place.
“We’ve been planning an overnight family picnic at our farmhouse this weekend.” The quiet words stopped her with all the force of a brick wall. “Come with us.”
The enormity of what he was offering had her chest tightening. Facing him, she asked, “Are you sure?”
A strange vulnerability shadowed his eyes as he looked at her and nodded.
When she took a hesitant step towards him, he opened his arms wide and pulled her into an embrace that stole her breath.
Letting the warmth and strength of him enfold her, Max pressed a kiss to the heart that thundered in her ear.
“Merry Christmas, Krish. Thank you for the tools.”
“Merry Christmas, Max.” A slight hesitation later, he added simply, “Thank you for trying.”
Snuggling in closer, Max decided it was enough. For now.