“Oh my God.” Her hand flew to her mouth, her shock obvious. “I had no idea. My life became so insular I didn’t follow high school people on those sites. That’s awful. He must have suffered terribly to do that. And his poor parents,” she murmured, her eyes filling with tears.
He nodded, recalling the phone call he’d gotten from Kutch’s mom. “His parents thought I’d want to know. They called a select few people. Kutch didn’t have many friends,” Lucas said in a low voice. “I felt like I failed him, losing touch like that. My life took such a different turn. I got lucky. He…” His voice cracked, and he trailed off, unable to express his feelings.
Maxie turned and stepped closer, wrapping her arms around him. “I’m sorry.”
“Yeah. Me too.” He cleared his throat. “Anyway, this place is a community center and a technology haven. I picked an area that didn’t have the money for computers on their own. I figured kids who didn’t play sports or have something to do after school could come here. Hang out.” He shrugged, almost embarrassed now that he was explaining his motives.
“That’s so generous. And such a smart thing for you to do.” Her expression was soft and full of understanding.
“I didn’t tell you to make me look good. I wanted you to know I didn’t forget where I came from. And remind you, while you’re wrestling with what happened between us, that I’m nothing like Keith.”
She tipped her head back, meeting his gaze with her big brown eyes. “I know. I never should have said you were. I was just upset.”
She bit down on her lower lip, a move that had an immediate effect on his groin. But this wasn’t the time or the place for him to act on those feelings.
“Lucas, last night was incredible. And I don’t regret it. I never could.”
“But?” he asked because the follow-up seemed obvious.
“But I can’t be in a relationship right now. Not when I’m finding my footing for the first time.”
He grasped her hands. “And I respect that. I understand and I plan to give you all the time you need.”
“But?” she asked this time, with a half-smile on her lips.
“But I’m going to be right here. By your side. I’m not going to let our time pass us by. No way. No how.” With that pronouncement, and without waiting for her to respond, he whistled for the cab idling on the street corner, waiting for them.
He’d wanted to have the last word.
Chapter Six
Once again, Lucas proved himself true to his word. He became a definite presence in Maxie’s life. Not that he hadn’t been before, but now he stepped up his game. Living together took on a different meaning now that they’d had sex.
Breakfast in the morning was more intimate than it had been before. The car ride to work, though short, provided her with an up-close-and-personal invasion of his personal space because he drove a Porsche, didn’t care that he had to pay for expensive New York City parking, and the small interior was filled with his masculine scent. She climbed out of the car even more aware of him than she’d been before she’d gotten inside.
He picked her up afterwards, always agreeing to whatever time she said she had to work until. On later nights, he offered to go out for dinner, and sometimes she was just too tired to cook.
Over the next few weeks, they frequented his favorite restaurants near his apartment. She learned the owners, maître d’s, and waiters knew him by name, and he knew theirs and asked about their wives and children.
For as many times as she and Keith had been out to dinner to restaurants he went to often, she never once recalled Keith being friendly to the staff, let alone truly caring about their personal lives. She learned that Lucas had helped put one man’s daughter through culinary school because she was just that talented and he couldn’t manage it on his waiter salary.
There were so many facets to Lucas’ personality, including his standing Thursday boxing night with Derek and often with Kade. He’d come home sweaty and sexy-looking in a tee shirt with the sleeves cut off and the hem ragged at the bottom, the muscles in his legs and arms tight and hard.
But he didn’t pressure her to sleep together at night, and to her complete and utter shock, after maintaining she wasn’t ready for a relationship and needed distance, she was disappointed. And horny.
Constantly horny.
Every time she lay in her lonely bed at night, she found herself reliving their time together. Her fingers would slide beneath her panties and glide over her wet sex, as she recalled kissing his firm, masculine lips, his delicious taste, and the feel of his thick erection filling her completely. She’d climax knowing he was next door, and instead of putting the night behind her, her desire for a repeat performance was growing.
Living with him only served to bring them closer. They laughed over silly jokes and folded laundry together. They alternated cooking and cleaning, and the routine felt like they were a couple. She didn’t know how much longer she could hold out… and the more time that passed, she wondered why she was trying to.
Maxie took a taxi to the storage unit in order to drop off a box of summer clothes she didn’t want to have to keep in her room at Lucas’, before meeting a friend for lunch at TGI Friday’s restaurant. Angela Carson was a paralegal from her job at her old law firm, a curvy woman with wavy brown hair, blue eyes, and a sparkling personality. Last time Maxie had seen Angela was the day she’d left the building for the last time, but they’d kept in touch by text and phone.
Once they were settled and had ordered lunch, they got down to the business of catching up. “So… how’s Matt?” she asked of Angela’s longtime boyfriend and now her fiancé.
“We finally set a wedding date,” Angela said, excitement in her voice. “You’d better mark September nineteenth on your calendar.”
“I wouldn’t miss it,” Maxie promised, happy for her friend.