Page 49 of Invisible String (The Underground #1)

RAINEY

T wo days have passed since Max and I kissed, since he expressed himself in ways he never has. A large part of me believes it, or maybe because I wanted to climb him like a tree. Tasting his lips again brought up memories I was forced to bury.

Every part of my body has come alive, a tingling awareness coursing through my veins.

I yearn, no, I am compelled to taste him, to feel the warmth of his skin beneath my fingertips, to trace the contours of his chiseled chest. His body felt different.

Harder, stronger, and those tattoos melted me to my core.

The temptation to rip his shirt off and trace the dips of his abs with my tongue was pure torture.

If he wouldn’t have stepped back, I would have. I’ve missed him.

He’s been coming every morning for the last two days, and I say good morning. And stare at him. He’s making me weak in my knees.

I want you to tie me down. Save me from my unhinged ways. Tame me. More than anything, one day, I’d like for you to take my name.

How can he say these words and not affect me?

He wants marriage with me? Does he really?

I’m so confused. My treacherous body longs for him when my heart is guarded by steel bars, and my soul hums for him like a siren searching for her other half.

I’ve lost him twice. I can’t bear going through it again.

“Yikes,” I shout when I bounce up, after not seeing the speed bump. The asphalt at the diner crunches under my tires. My dad asked, more like begged, my brother and me to have dinner with him. This diner has the best pancakes, and it was my mom’s favorite place in Vegas.

The restaurant is quiet, but it’s usually busy during breakfast hours. It’s built to look old-fashioned, and the walls are decorated with historic stories of Vegas. My dad and brother are sitting in a far booth tucked in a corner.

“Hey, sis.” Justin steps out to hug me. “How have you been?”

I give him a tight squeeze. “Good. How about you? You seem happy.” He’s so smiley, it’s cute. “Aww, don’t tell me it’s a woman.”

“Yeah, maybe that’s it.” He grins.

My dad steps out. We hug awkwardly. This is what it has come to? Hugging my father like a stranger? “Rainey. How’s my beautiful daughter doing? I stopped by the café a couple of days ago. Isabella said you were at the bank.”

“Yes, I was at the bank.”

He gestures for me to slide in. I sit between them and wish Bethany were here. “Thank you both for coming tonight. I know it’s difficult, and you would rather be anywhere but here. I miss my kids and your mother. We can start by having small talk.”

The waiter shows up on time because he’s right. I would rather be at home. We order breakfast for dinner and a cup of coffee.

“How’s work going?” I ask my brother.

He sighs. Being an attorney is a rough job. It involves a lot of late nights. My mom always had patience since we were kids. “The firm has grown. We have some tough cases. Right, Dad?”

Dad rips a packet of sugar when the waitress drops our coffee. “We have cases up our ass. It’s been exhausting.” He pours the sugar, then milk. “Crime has escalated since the city is growing. Be very careful, sweetheart. This city is not forgiving.”

“I’m good. Always careful.”

“I hope so. Carry pepper spray with you. I worry you're going in at the crack of dawn or staying late. You never know who might be outside.”

Justin nods in agreement.

“The café has a security system.” And a stalker behind it. Completely free of service.

“You live alone. Have you thought of having a roommate? Maybe Andrew.”

I slap my hand so hard on the table it vibrates. Why in the hell Andrew? Does he not see Andrew and I are not in any way compatible? Even Justin sees it. He gives my dad a bewildered look.

“Andrew? Seriously? We aren’t even a couple.

We are friends and not even close friends.

Why is it that if you could set an arranged marriage, you would pick Andrew?

The thought of his touch has me cringing.

” Max’s touch is a thirst only he can quench.

And I love-hate that my body has a mind of its own.

The waiters arrive, carefully balancing our steaming short stacks of pancakes on their trays. The enticing aroma wafts through the air, a delightful blend of sweet vanilla and butter that makes my mouth water in anticipation.

My dad glances at me, then reaches for the warm bottle of syrup. I’m sure he’s thinking of what to say and picking his words carefully.

“You and Andrew have been friends for so long. We know the family. I just thought it would be a good thing.” He cuts into the pancake. “You did attend the gala with him?—”

“As his guest.”

“What I want to know, Rainey, is why you went home with that man and danced with him. I told you years ago he is not good for you.”

Justin drops his fork and gives my dad a strange look. My anger heats like a volcano ready to erupt.

“His name is Max. Like I told you then, I’m a grown ass woman.

What I don’t understand is what do you have against a man you know nothing about?

Is it money? Because he has it. He’s a successful man and is fighting professionally.

I have no doubt he will be big. Bigger than what this world is ready for.

” I shake my head at him. I’m so fed up with him. “Answer me. Why are you so against it?”

His mouth closes and opens.

“Dad?” Justin says.

They both stare at one another.

“Something about him I don’t like. Especially now that he left you brokenhearted, like I had warned you.”

I gasp. “How would you know this?”

“Your mother told me.”

Sorry, Mom, but you traitor.

Justin grips his fork with a tight grip and takes an angry bite.

“And what about you, Justin? You agree with Dad?” Not that I would take any of their advice. I will see who I want to. I’m curious about what my brother thinks.

“I’ve never met him personally, so I can’t judge him. You date and love who you choose. As long as he treats you right, that’s all that matters.” He grins. “You danced beautifully at the gala. How did you know how to dance?”

I laugh. “Don’t you remember? I watched Dancing with the Stars every night as a kid.”

“I guess you engraved those moves in that noggin of yours…” He turns to our dad. “You have no business telling her shit about Max. What happened between them is their business. You checked if he has a criminal history, and he has none.”

“He did what!?” I slap my hand on the table.

“You know what I find ironic? Is it that you never tell Bethany anything about who she dates. Did you do a background check on her current boyfriend? I bet not. But you want to say shit about Max.” Max and I are not even together, but it makes me furious that he treats him this way.

“Oh, but, Andrew? You’re ready to have us live together. Don’t mind that he’s a complete wuss.”

My brother snorts, then his head falls back in laughter.

When he catches his breath, he offers his opinion.

“How about a trembling chihuahua? Oh, Rainey, you missed how shit scared he was of Max at the gala when he was watching you two dance. If some dude took my girl on the dance floor, I would approach him and take him from her. It just shows what kind of man Andrew is. Is that the man you want for her?”

My dad shakes his head, almost as if it's forced.

“That’s what I thought,” he tells Dad, who averts his gaze from me. “Eat up, baby sis, so we can get out of here. We tried to have a family dinner, but he’s still all about himself.” Justin gives our dad another strange, brow-raised look.

We finish our dinner, and Dad stays silent for the entire fifteen minutes.

After leaving the restaurant, I meet with Lana for some shopping therapy. She waves to me, sitting on a bench at the outdoor mall. “Hey, you.” She gives me her cutesy grin. She’s still in her scrubs. “How was dinner? By the look on your pretty face, I’m guessing shit?”

A laugh of disbelief escapes from my lips. “It started out with how Andrew should move in with me.”

She loops her hand in mine and makes a gagging sound. “Yuck.” From start to finish, I tell her the conversation with my dad.

“What the fuck? I agree with you. What is it with your dad hating on Max? If money is the case, it makes sense. I see my parents acting the same way. It’s all about status.

You and I are so different—especially you, Rainey.

You see the good in everyone. With Max, you fell hard for him regardless of whether he’s not a big talker, or if he wasn’t the popular kid.

Then during the summer at the cabin, you found him again.

You both clicked back into place. You fell in love with him.

And you knew he wasn’t in a good place, although he didn’t tell you, but you said you felt it.

” She points to a guy with an ice cream stand.

I nod.

She continues as we get up and walk over. “You danced with him at a gala. Who gives a fuck? Your dad is pissing me off more. I’m trying to keep my respect for the man, but I hate him now.” We stand in the long line. “It’s not like you’re back with him.”

She’s been so busy with work that I haven’t told her the latest. “He kissed me.”

She gasps so loud that the woman beside us gives us a stink eye. “What, when, and why?”

“We argued. Okay, I argued with him while he was saying the sweetest, the most darn perfect words that shook me to my core. Then he pressed his hot sexy lips on mine, and I was in heaven, sucking his face, wrapping my legs around him, humping him.”

Lana covers her mouth. “Oh, my gosh, Ney.”

The woman beside us pulls out her earbuds, her eyes wide.

“Where?”

“In my office. After a hot, long minute, I pushed him away, only for seconds later. I pulled his shirt, and we went back at it. My hands were feeling him up, Lana.” It was muscle memory. Then, of course, I tell my best friend the heart-melting words Max spoke.

“Do you believe him? Do you think he will finally fill you in on his life? And stay?”