Page 18 of Invisible String (The Underground #1)

A red SUV drives up the driveway. My heart thumps seeing my mom step out of her vehicle.

She’s such a beautiful woman. My father is a fool.

He lost a gorgeous woman. She’s smart and has a heart of gold.

I open the door to greet her. She smiles widely at the sight of me.

My gaze goes to Max’s place. He left after he fixed me another warm bath.

I offered for him to join me, but he said it would lead to something else, and I need to rest my body.

It’s only been an hour, and I miss him. I know it’s a bad thing, considering he does not want a girlfriend.

I guess what we have is a summer fling. Honestly, I hate the way it sounds on my tongue. Summer fling.

“Hey, Mom, is everything okay?”

“Yes. My girl hasn’t come to the house, so I had to make a special visit.”

My shoulders sag. “I’m sorry, Mom.”

She shakes her head, then kisses my cheek. “How about a hug?” I embrace her hug with a squeeze. “I missed you, honey.”

“I missed you, too, Mom.” I give her a half smile.

“I figured you could use some company. We can go shopping—” Her words are cut off when Max steps out with a roll of masking tape. He kneels and starts taping the mirror I broke. “Humm, you definitely have had company, I’ll say.” She wags her brows while gently caressing the back of my head.

“He’s the owner’s son,” I say, trying not to stare too hard at him. “We should go inside.”

Mom takes a step toward the door and turns. “What’s his name?” she whispers, getting a laugh out of me.

“Max.”

“Oh.” She’s silent for a second. “Max,” she repeats.

I tilt my head. “You know him?”

“No. The name sounds familiar.” Maybe she heard me talking to Lana about him in the past.

“I’ll spend the day with you, and then I’ll head back home. If he were my neighbor, I would want to be alone.”

“How do you know I have been alone with him?” I ask, looking around the kitchen and living room, to see if I left any evidence like my underwear.

“You have a mark on the top of your breast.”

I gasp and check. I sure do.

“Are you two dating? I would love to meet him.” She pulls out a chair for me when she notices my shoulder sagging and the disappointment on my face.

“He doesn’t want a relationship. That’s what he told me from the beginning. Maybe I’m being too clingy. I’m not one of those girls who can handle flings, but I like him and I can’t help but hope for more.”

Her warm hands lace mine. “Sometimes our hearts and minds have a hard time agreeing on what they want. Our minds may try to override our hearts’ desires, but ultimately, the heart always prevails. With the right person, it could happen. You, Rainey, are beautiful.”

I squeeze her hand. “Thank you for the beautiful speech.”

She laughs.

“But seriously, I can’t make someone love me. I know he likes me, and that’s something. He’s quiet, and I don’t know much about him. I have a feeling he’s had a horrible past. His mom died when he was very young.”

She swallows the tears that threaten to fall. “That’s sad. Bless his heart.” She clears her throat. Her gaze stays pinned on our laced hands. The seconds of her silence engulf me. “How about we do some shopping? I wish your sister were here. Unfortunately, she ran away, too.”

Right, my sister is on vacation with her friends.

“I would love to meet Max. Let’s invite him out for dinner.” She gives me a shit-eating grin.

Twenty minutes later, we are in and out of different stores. While my mom is busy looking at kitchen gadgets, I speed walk to the lingerie department to get some sexy underwear. I’ve never bought underwear in hopes of a man seeing it. Then, I grab some new swimsuits.

“Ready?” My mom’s sneaky voice has me jumping.

“Warn a girl. Sheesh.”

“Those are cute. Here, hand them over. I’ll pay.”

She reaches for them, and I take a step back, not wanting her to see the stack of underwear. Of course, she’s persistent. She grabs them, causing me to spill the pile of underwear under the swimsuits. She bends to help me pick them up. My cheeks warm.

“Sexy,” she chirps, tucking them under my swimsuit.

“Mom, I can pay.”

“I remember when I first started dating your father. I used to buy the sexiest panties. He loved them. He?—”

“Okay, Mom. Gross.” I stick my finger in my mouth and pretend to gag.

On the way back home, my mom’s phone beeps. I know it’s my dad. She’s been checking her phone every time a call or message comes through, silencing it. It makes me sad that a stupid decision can destroy our family.

“How are you holding up?” I ask, turning the signal light on.

“Honey, I don’t think you want to talk about this with me.” Her voice cracks, and my heart shatters.

“Mom, I’m just worried.”

“Everything will be okay.” She squeezes my thigh.

“You know you don’t have to stay with him because of us. We are grown adults now.” I know it’s a shitty thing to say, considering he’s my father, and I want things to work out. But if she’s unhappy and hurting, then there’s no point.

“I know that, Rainey, but it’s not that simple. I love and hate him, both. Part of me wants to leave him. The betrayal of him sleeping with the woman he shares an office with and then inviting her to our home for Christmas dinner is a slap in the face.” She huffs, shaking her head in disbelief.

“I’m really sorry, Mom. I support you in any decision you make,” I say honestly, but if it were me, I’d say fuck you and your sleazy bitch.

We drive up the cabin’s bumpy driveway. Max is outside with the hood of his car up, apparently checking the oil.

I introduced him to my mom earlier, before we left.

She suggested we should all have dinner tonight before she leaves.

Max was hesitant, but my mom was determined to get a yes out of him, and she did.

“There’s your guy.”

Is he my guy?

“He’s a cutie. He has a serious face, but I’m sure you can make that boy smile.”

I turn off the engine and peer at my mom. “He’s always been talkative with me, smiling and even laughing,” I say proudly.

“It doesn’t surprise me, Rainey; everything you touch turns to gold.”

I wave to Max when he peers at me, his gaze taking me in. And damn, I want him. When I pop the trunk to get the tons of shopping bags, the crunch of gravel tells me Max is walking near me.

“Need help?” His lips brush my earlobe. A shiver runs like fireworks through me. He takes the bags from my hold before I get a chance to respond.

“Sexy,” my mom mouths.

I pinch the bridge of my nose.

He steps in when I unlock the door. The whiff of his fresh soap scent sends an arousal to my lady parts. To think of him lavishing his body with a bar of soap. He sets the bags on the wooden chair next to the entrance. One bag falls, revealing my lingerie. He eyes them, licking his lips.

When did I start blushing uncontrollably all the time? My cheeks burn with embarrassment as I watch him bend down and pick up various pairs of panties and a lace baby doll set. “Oh, I got it.”

He ignores my protest and puts them in the bag. His lips twist into a sexy smile. His gaze lingers on my lips, making me hot as hell.

A snap of a hand clapping wakes us from our eye fucking. “Max, are you ready for dinner? I’m thinking of steak and potatoes. You seem like a steak-and-potatoes type of guy,” my mom gushes, her gaze volleying from mine to Max’s.

“Yes, ma’am. I just need to change.”

“Oh, don’t call me ma’am. How about just Jenna?” My mom smiles at Max.

Max nods. “Ok…Jenna. Steak and potatoes sound good. I’ll be back, ladies.” The door slams shut, and my mom keeps grinning like a fool.

“I’ll be right back,” I breathe out, running toward the door.

“Take your time,” she calls out.

“Max!” I shout, catching his attention.

He turns around, and a smile forms on his face.

Before he can speak, I leap toward him, and he catches me effortlessly.

I kiss him passionately, as though it might be our last embrace.

His fingers tangle in my hair, and he mirrors my intensity, consuming me with his kiss. He lets out a groan into my mouth.

“Rainey,” he voices, a delicious rumble on my lips.

“We better stop before I take you to my place and fuck your brains out. I don’t think your mom would like to see you freshly fucked.

Cheeks pink.” That would not be good, but…

“Sunshine,” he groans as if he could read my mind. “What was this kiss for?”

“A thank you for accepting my mother’s invitation. I know it’s not your type of scene, Max, and it probably feels too intimate. I know we’re not a couple or anything like that, and having dinner with my mom might freak you out.”

His strong hands hold my ass. “You’re right. It’s not my thing, but I’ll do it for you. I seem to want to do things for you … to make you happy.” He shrugs. “I find myself willing to do anything for you. It’s not a sentiment I would readily share with anyone besides you.”

My heart fills like a balloon, not with air, but…. something else. Love.

“You can thank me with your pile of panties later. How about you try them on me for later tonight?”

“Yes,” I breathe out like a crazed sex addict.

He laughs, only igniting heat between my legs. “Well, I’ll shower and pick you ladies up. I can drive your car.”

“No, I want to be in your car.”

His head tilts to the side. “You want to drive in my car wrapped with duct tape because some crazy driver ran into it?”

I pout like a child, earning a soft kiss. “I’m joking. We can go in mine if your mom’s okay with it.”

“It’s fine, Max. We love classic cars.”

Walking back to the house, Max runs to his house to shower. Mom waits with a glass of wine. “Did I just witness my daughter in love?”

In love . Yeah, I’m in love with him, and it scares the shit out of me because I knew better not to fall for him. I will end up hurt. He will walk out of my life again in a couple of weeks.