Page 26 of Invisible String (The Underground #1)

RAINEY

I woke up at the crack of dawn. Max is still sound asleep.

Waking up in his arms is just as magical as being with him on the Fourth of July.

I know our time is coming to an end soon.

I’m not sure how to bring it up about us.

We do have an— us. How do I tell him I’ve fallen in love with him?

Maybe he can move out here, or I can transfer to the college in Vegas.

A knot of venomous fear settles in my gut.

What if he doesn’t reciprocate my feelings?

What if I’m rushing it? I shake my head.

I need to stop. Just go with the flow, Rainey.

My heart breaks for Max. Has he not experienced Christmas? Santa, reindeer, leaving cookies for Santa—he missed out on so much. I honestly want to find his dad and beat that mother fucker to death, and I would look damn cute in orange.

Kidding.

I pull out a chair to add a star to the Christmas tree I brought down from the attic. Thankfully, Max hadn’t heard me sneak out of bed. I’m pretty sure I drained his balls out last night. That was the plan.

Stepping back, I gaze up at the tree. It’s truly stunning. I also made a quick trip to the store to pick out a present to place under it. “Rain,” Max’s hoarse voice rumbles from upstairs.

I bolt up the stairs. “I’m coming.” This man is melting me. No one will ever compare to him. Gray sweats on. A baseball hat turned backward. Shirtless. My breath catches in my throat.

“Where did you head off to? I found this note.” He slides it between his thumb and index finger.

Good gracious.

“I have a surprise for you.” I bite my lip nervously, walking to him.

He wraps his arms around me, and I lay my head on his warm, bare chest. The scent of muscular cedarwood or some kind of masculine aroma lingers around us.

The way he hugs me is different, not awkward like it once felt.

Maybe it’s just that no one’s ever given him a hug.

Now, it’s as if I’m his lifeline. He doesn’t want to lose.

His hug is warm and inviting, like a cozy blanket.

“A surprise? Would it be more lingerie? Because, damn, I could have my breakfast in bed.”

I lift my head from his chest to look up at him. His green eyes sparkle with mischief. My hands tighten around the hard tones of his muscles.

“No, not that… something else.” Getting on my tiptoes, I place a kiss on his chin. The fresh stubble ruffles my arousal.

Stay focused.

“Okay…so what is it?” A sexy brow lifts in response.

I take his hand and guide him downstairs.

We get to the landing, and I turn to him. “I hope you like it.” Max notices my nervous habit of biting my nails. He takes my hand out of my mouth.

He flashes a lopsided smile and reassures me, “I’m sure I’ll love it.”

I nod and pull him into the vast living room. The Christmas tree is lit with white lights, and silver ribbons stream down. Silver and blue ornaments hang from it, and silver wrapping paper matches the gifts under it.

His eyes widen in shock, his mouth forming a perfect O .

A wave of emotion washes over him, and his gaze softens as he looks at the five carefully wrapped presents before resting on the festive stocking hanging from the mantel.

Max squeezes my hand. “It’s nice,” he says, stumbling to get the words out.

“You did all this…this morning?” He’s shocked with awe in his tone.

“I did. It’s Christmas in July, and I wanted to do something for you.”

He cradles my face, his piercing forest greens looking into mine. “Thank you, sunshine. It’s the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.” His Adam’s apple bobs when he swallows. “You didn’t have to go through all the trouble.”

“I wanted to. We can open gifts later tonight…maybe midnight.”

His eyes have me sucking in a breath. He’s handsome and just breathtaking.

“It will be fu—” I can’t get a word out.

His lips lavish mine. Hot, passionate kisses assault me.

I climb him like a tree. My legs wrapped around his midsection.

This kiss feels different. Not filled with lust, but…

something else. I can’t quite say love, but it is an emotion different from when we first started up at the end of May.

We’ve grown close, and I feel his walls cracking brick by brick.

His erection grows hard under the fabric of his sweats. A tingle of electricity flows like a river throughout my body. Our kisses are wet, messy, and fiery. My hips buck, grinding into him. Max groans in response. I’m so wet my panties are soaked.

“Holy fuck.” He pulls from our locked lips. “We should stop,” he says breathlessly.

“Why?” I whine, kissing his face everywhere.

His husky laugh fills the space between us. “Because I want to fuck your brains out.”

“Then do it,” I say, rubbing on him. He slaps my ass playfully. “Ouch.”

“We’ll save that for later…tonight.”

“What’s tonight?”

“You said open gifts. I want to fuck you under that tree. Lights on. I want everyone to see how mine you are, Rainey. Regardless of whatever happens, you’ll always be mine,” he gropes my ass.

“I want to taste every part of you with the tip of my tongue. Devour your body.” His gaze eats me up.

“You make my body react in ways it never has. I know I do the same to yours.”

Yeah, he does. I’m still grinding on him. It’s like my body is not my own.

“I’ll make you come not once, not twice, and not even three times. Tonight, I’m positive it will be four. I mean, that’s how it always is. I just let you rest after the third time.” A wicked smirk crosses his face. “Not tonight, tesoro .”

Jesus Christ.

My orgasm floods a tsunami out of me. I bite my lip to hold the wild noise that wants to erupt in me. My head drops to his shoulder in embarrassment. I just soaked him. His hands on my ass, hard-on pressed onto me, and dirty talk is all it took. “Oh fuck, this went tits up,” I murmur.

His body shakes in a complete fit of laughter.

I bite his shoulder for chuckling at me.

“Hey.” He laughs harder. Finally, he controls himself.

“I’m not laughing at you. It’s that my theory is correct.

I can make you come so many times. It proves you can dry hump me and come without my touch.

” He sweetly kisses my shoulder. “Now, let’s go get cleaned up.

You made a mess of us.” He walks us up the stairs. “Look at me, Rainey.”

“No, it’s embarrassing.”

“Nothing embarrassing about it. I’m as hard as a stone. It’s leaking from just holding you in my arms.”

I lift my head to peer into his sparkling eyes that dance with lust. “Your words of promising to fuck me turned me on, and you’re hard.”

Max pecks my lips. “That was hot as hell. I don’t want to put you down. Unfortunately, we need to head to the boxing gym. We both need a distraction until tonight.”

My brows furrow. “We?” He’s been going to the gym since the night I showed up. I’ve never gone with him.

“Yeah, we. If you want to.”

He sets me on the bed, and a big, soaked spot is on his crotch.

He slides his sweats off. Oh, heavens. Thick, erect, and springs free.

Nonchalantly, he scrambles through the basket of clean laundry, looking for a pair of gym shorts.

I groan, throwing my head back and covering my face.

How can I not get turned on when he looks like this?

“You’re acting like you didn’t see it last night. When your pretty mouth was wrapped all around it.”

I take my hands off my face to peer at him. His shorts are on.

“Stop talking like that. You turn me on when you’re naked and hard in front of me.” Let’s face it: I get turned on anytime he’s in my presence. “I’ll go with you. I just need to shower.” I’m still wet and flustered.

“We can shower when we get back. I’ll even take the edge off for you while we’re at it.” I can’t wait.

As we enter the bustling boxing gym, I am surrounded by men and women.

The scent of sweat and determination fills the air as we make our way through the crowd.

As soon as Max enters the room, all heads turn.

His broad shoulders fill the doorway, and his commanding presence demands attention.

With each step, he exudes confidence and power, and it’s clear that he’s in his element.

His fingers lace with mine, and he holds his bag in his other hand.

Max is back to being his broody self. That scowl makes it clear—he reserves that sweet side for me alone.

He drops his duffel on the bench. “I’m going to warm up by hitting the bag for five minutes, then I’m going to spar in the ring. You can sit here or stand by the ring. It’s up to you,” he says, opening his bag.

“Once you get in the ring, I’ll go watch you. I want to see what you got?—”

“Hey, Max.” A sugary voice laced with lust fills our space.

I turn to see who that voice belongs to. Of course, fucking Annette.

“Hey,” Max replies in his gruff voice, grabbing the wraps from his bag. He doesn’t look up at her.

She is beautiful with her caramel-smooth skin and wears elastic shorts, showing her toned legs. I’m envious of her athletic body. Although Max eased my worries about her, I can’t help but feel jealous.

“Dad was telling me you have a fight coming up. In a couple of months, right?”

A fight? I didn’t know he had a fight coming soon, and he didn’t tell me this, which stings. Why would he? We’ve been living in a fairytale world. Summer will wrap up, and I’ll have to head back, as will he. He did say he needed to find a job. I’m sure he’s running short on cash.

“I do,” he simply says, then his eyes go to me. “That’s why I’m borrowing the gym here until I return.”

“Oh, yeah. You need to train to be ready to kick ass.” She flutters her eyelashes at him. She pays me no attention. Her heart-shaped gaze licks his body. At this moment, I could give two shits if she is a great fighter and can kick my ass, but he is my man, and no one looks at him that way but me.