Payback and a Bottle of Merlot: Like Sisters Series Book One (17 page)

Jack can go to hell. I’m going to enjoy my life too, damn him. Max is great, and one of the nicest men I know.
Mia looked at the clock on the wall of the bar. It was two-thirty. “I guess I should get home. I can’t hog your whole day even though I’ve had the best time with you, Max.”

“You’re a lot of fun and you held it together. I’m impressed, Mia. You’re a real trooper.”

She looked at Max and smirked, “Will I get a badge for heroism?”

“I’ll have to see what I can do. Okay, young lady, lead the way. Let me give you a hand.”

Back in the car, Mia directed Max the few short miles to her house. A million thoughts filled her mind as she stared out the window. She knew Jack wouldn’t be home for hours, if he even showed up at all. Did she dare invite Max in?

Chapter Twenty Two

He pulled into the driveway, set the e-brake and turned off the car. “Stay here while I take your stuff up to the front door. I’ll come back and help you in.”

“Thanks.”
What a keeper he is.

Max returned to the car and helped Mia out. He handed her the crutches and supported her until she had them wedged in her armpits. They went up the sidewalk together. She unlocked the front door and warned Max that Reggie would be excited to see them.

“I’ll have to keep Reggie down, you don’t want him to knock you off your feet. Let me help you inside. You should sit while I get your stuff off the porch.”

Mia hobbled to the couch with Max’s help while Reggie barked for attention. She had to get used to the crutches. “Reggie, it’s okay. Calm down, boy.”

“Okay, everything is in the foyer. Let’s just relax for a while. Maybe Reggie will settle down. I can check to see if he has water.”

“Max, you’re too nice. Thank you so much.”

“Hey, it’s all good,” he said, as he filled Reggie’s water dish, then came back to the couch and sat next to her.

There was a moment of silence before Mia leaned over and whispered something in Max’s ear. “I want you Max. I want you to make love to me all afternoon. It’s been so long since a man wanted to be with me.” She remained steady, kissing his neck and nibbling his earlobe.

“God knows how much I want you, Mia. We’re in your house though. Is this what you want to do, right here?”

“Yes, it is. This is my house, not Jack’s. This will still be my house after he’s long gone.”

Max carefully lifted Mia and carried her into the bedroom. He lay her on the king sized bed and went back to lock and deadbolt the front door. He returned and closed the bedroom door to keep Reggie out. “No distractions. I want to make love to you the way you deserve being made love to. Tell me what makes you happy. I’m here to please you for as long as you want me to.”

“Max, give me everything. I want every inch of you and more. Just keep it coming.”

“God, woman, you know how to turn me on.”

She propped herself up with a few pillows and watched as Max took off his shoes and socks. He unbuttoned his shirt and stripped it off, hanging it over the doorknob. His belt was quickly unbuckled and he lowered his faded jeans, exposing the shape of his rigid shaft held in place by the tight boxer briefs. His manhood was standing at attention and ready to pounce. Mia salivated with anticipation. She noticed how his muscles flexed with every movement he made. His rock hard six pack glistened with the afternoon sun peeking through the bedroom window. She was dizzy with lust, and needed every inch of him. She wanted to feel alive again, to be desired. Max definitely desired Mia. That much was obvious.

“Help me take my clothes off. I want your hot body against my skin. I want all of you, right now.”

Max groaned with lust. He couldn’t get Mia undressed fast enough. He finally had her naked and pressed his body against hers. He kissed her from head to toe. He licked and nibbled on her innermost forbidden areas. She arched her back in ecstasy with every spot he explored to the point of no return.

Jack never touched me like this. Nobody has ever touched me this way.
“Max, I want you inside of me now. I can’t wait any longer.”

With primal, sex driven groans, Max entered Mia with a fury. Within minutes, they both climaxed simultaneously, then again and again until they were completely spent.

Max rolled over and lay next to her. Other than the sound of their hearts pounding through their chests, the room was silent. They needed a moment to catch their breath. Their bodies glistened with sweat from their shared sexual needs.

“Max… ” Mia panted, “I’ve never… ” she couldn’t complete her sentence due to sheer exhaustion.

“Me either,” was the only thing he could say.

She reached for the bottle of water on the nightstand and took a huge gulp, then handed it to Max to finish. Mia fell back on the bed, smiling.

“What?” he asked, laughing, as he caught his breath.

“Us… that’s all. We’re pretty great together.”

“You’re a dangerous woman, Mia James. You’ll be the death of me if we keep this up,” he said, as he leaned over and kissed her forehead. He fell back on the bed smiling too.

“Max?”

“Yeah.”

“Will we see each other again? Do you want to?”

“Of course I do, but it’s up to you. You’re the lady, and the lady calls the shots. But if I don’t hear from you in a month, I’ll call. You can count on it.”

“That’s one thing I like about you, Max, I can count on you.”

“That, you can take to the bank. I’ll never let you down.”

“I hate to end our fabulous party, but I’ve got to get things together. I have no idea how I’m going to get around for the next week or so. I’ve got to make phone calls and ask for favors. Plus Jack the jerk may come home tonight. Either way, I need to change these sheets. I’ve got to walk Reggie too… somehow.”

“Sweetheart, let me change the sheets and walk your dog. After that, you’ll be settled in for the night anyway. You can make your calls then. First things first, where’s your cell?”

“It’s in my backpack, but it’s dead. The charger is in there too.” Mia pointed toward her backpack as she spoke.

“Okay, I’ll plug it in. Now, tell me where the clean sheets are, and the leash for Reggie. I’ll get everything done and be out of here in thirty minutes. Oh yeah, where’s the train station?”

“Shit! How are you going to get to the train, it’s three miles away.”

“I’ll walk, no biggie.”

“No, Max, take my bike. My friend can bring it back here tomorrow. That will work perfectly. It’s not like I’m going to use it anytime soon. Lock it on the rack at the station.”

“Are you sure? You aren’t going out for a twenty mile ride?” Max asked, with a sexy wink.

“No, smartass. It will be fine.”

“Okay then. I’ll get Reggie walked first. I’ll be back soon. Do you need anything before I go?”

“A kiss and help to the couch.”

“A kiss it is.” Max picked Mia up and carried her to the couch, then kissed her. “There you go, beautiful. Are you comfortable?”

“I’m more than comfortable. I’m in la-la land, and I like it,” she said, smiling from ear to ear.

***

Mia couldn’t believe what a wonderful man Max was.
Who would have thought? I go from nobody to having two great guys in my life. I’ve got a lot to think about. I love Aaron, but could I love him in a sexual way? Max is so damn hot, it’s easy to lust for him. Aaron is my security blanket, plus I’ve known him forever. Damn it, it’s not fair to him. I haven’t given Aaron a chance.

Within fifteen minutes the front door opened and Reggie came racing into the living room.

“Honey, we’re home,” Max sang out in a joking tone of voice. “Reggie should be good until morning.” Max turned the corner and followed Reggie into the living room. “Now tell me where the clean sheets are. I’ll get the bedroom straightened up and be out of here in a few minutes.”

“What if I don’t want you to go?” Mia said, with a somber tone in her voice.

Max turned around to look at her, not knowing what to say.

“Gotcha!” she said, giggling.

“You hot little vixen. You had me fooled for a second.” Max sat down and took Mia’s face in his hands. He kissed her long and hard which began to stir them both up again. “Okay, enough of this. Where are the sheets?”

“They’re in the master bathroom closet, hot stuff. Max… thank you, for everything.”

“Sure, babe, no problem,” he said, as he walked down the hallway toward the bedroom. Ten minutes later he was finished and back at Mia’s side. “I put our sex sheets in the laundry basket. Now, where do I find your bike and the lock?”

“Help me up. I’ll go with you to the garage. Mia opened the service door and flipped on the garage light. Okay, my bike is the black one leaning against the wall, and the combination lock is wrapped around the handlebars. The code is 4-9-3-1. Do you have a smart phone?”

“Yep, I should just use my navigation from your address to the train station, right?”

“Bring it here, handsome. I’ll type it in for you since I know the addresses.”

Mia programmed the navigation on Max’s phone. “Now my address in your nav. You can’t ever say you forgot where I live.”

“Smart girl. I guess I better go. It’s been a crazy few days, Mia. I wouldn’t trade them for the world. I’m expecting to hear from you soon,” he said, as he gave her an enormous hug and a long, soft kiss. “Goodbye, beautiful.”

“Bye, Max. Thanks for everything, and I do mean everything,” she said, grinning. “Take care of yourself.”

Mia pushed the button on the wall which lifted the garage door and released Max into the late afternoon sunshine. She watched as he waved, blew her a kiss and rode off down the street toward the train station. She stood alone, empty and deflated. He wasn’t even to the end of the block and she already missed him. Mia pushed the button again, closing the space between the man she desired and herself. The reality of her pathetic life with Jack was back, and Max was gone.

Mia hobbled to the couch with the crutches, and checked her cell phone. The battery was charged enough to make a short call to Vic. She checked the time: 4:57 p.m. Vic was home already, and Mia had quite a story to tell her.

Chapter Twenty Three

“Vic, it’s me.”

“Mia, where the hell were you? I tried calling you like five times today. What’s going on?”

“I told you I was spending the night at the Boy Scout camp, right?” Mia asked, while trying to elevate her throbbing foot onto the couch.

“Sure you did, but I thought you were coming back around noon. I called several times to see if you wanted to do lunch with us, but your phone kept going to voice mail. Is everything okay?”

“Got a few hours?”

“Yeah, do you want to grab dinner somewhere?”

“I can’t. I have a sprained ankle and I’m supposed to stay off my foot as much as possible.”

“Oh my God, what happened? I can’t come over now since Dumb Ass Doofus will be home soon.”

“I know, and I’m not looking forward to seeing him. I only have enough charge on my cell to last about fifteen minutes anyway. I want to tell you everything, but not over the phone. I’ve got to stay off my foot today and see if Jack even comes home. He needs to pitch in and do things around here until I’m stronger. That’s going to piss him off, for sure. And walking Reggie? I might as well shoot myself in the head right now.”

Vic snorted. “Okay, sister, but if you need anything at all tonight, call me. How about lunch tomorrow? I can come over and pick you up, or bring something to your house.”

“By tomorrow I’ll be stir crazy already. Let’s go out to eat. Vic, if I can’t depend on Jack to be around, I’m going to need someone to help me set up a portable pen outside for Reggie. At least he can do his business and get some fresh air until my foot is stronger.”

“Don’t worry about anything, between all of us, we’ll get it done. Aaron would be happy to watch Reggie for you.”

“Vic, he just did when I was in Florida. I can’t take advantage of him like that,” Mia said, as she rearranged her foot and placed it on the ottoman.

“Girl, Aaron would
love
it if you took advantage of him,” Vic smirked.

“Yeah, yeah. Okay, my phone is going to die again. I’ve got to put it back on the charger. Call me in the morning. I love you, sister.”

“Back at you, Chica. Talk to you in the morning.”

Mia jammed pillows behind her back and relaxed on the couch. She couldn’t stop thinking about Max. She popped a few aspirins into her mouth and washed them down with a long drink of water. The daydreams took over her mind until she drifted off to sleep.

“What the hell is wrong with your foot?”

The loud, grinding sound of Jack’s voice was right above her. Mia woke with a start and looked up to see him staring at her with his arms crossed in front of him. He appeared angry at the sight of her in this helpless situation.

“Jack, I didn’t hear you come in. What time is it?”

“It’s seven-thirty. What’s wrong with your foot?”

“I fell down a hill and sprained my ankle. You’re going to have to pitch in with everything for a week or so until I can put weight on it.”

“Terrific. You know I’m going to Chicago next Wednesday. I’d suggest trying to get your foot in shape sooner than later. Laying on the couch isn’t going to strengthen it.”

“Seriously? It’s swollen for crap’s sake. This just happened yesterday. Give me a break. Why are you so damn self-centered all the time? The doctor even said to stay off of it for a few days.”

“Oh, you mean Dr. Albert, the quack? How are you going to make dinner and walk the dog?”

“I’m not, okay? You figure it out. Damn it, Jack, you’re such a jerk.”

“Fine. I’m going to Henry’s for dinner. I’ll bring something back for you. Meanwhile, I’d suggest you start thinking of a way to get around. I’m not changing my upcoming plans because of your sore foot.”

“Go to hell. I’ll figure out my own dinner. I don’t want you to go out of your way for me. Forget I’m here, like every other day,” Mia said, with hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She rolled over and used the arm of the couch to push herself into a standing position. With her crutches in place, she headed for the kitchen. “Leave already, I’ll be fine.” She didn’t care about Jack, or his self-centered attitude. She was angry he was still around, and now this injury was going to delay things again.