“Who’s done with their bowls?” he asked, pausing the movie.
Laughing at his frustrated tone, I stood up to help him gather the dishes. I followed him down the hall, still chuckling slightly. Karen was in the kitchen cleaning up when we walked in. I joined her at the sink and started rinsing out the bowls.
“Katelyn, I have this. You go watch your movie and have fun with your friends.”
“Are you sure?” I asked dubiously, looking at the stack of dishes. I couldn’t remember the last time Lucinda had washed a dish, let alone insist that I have fun. I felt a knot form in my throat as I got a glimpse into how it worked in a real family with an equal amount of give and take.
“Of course dear, go have fun,” she said, giving my hand a gentle squeeze.
I was lost in thought as Max and I headed back to our friends, so it took me a moment to comprehend when he veered off into an empty room.
Taking in my surroundings, I looked at him puzzled.
Without saying anything, he pulled me into his arms. Finally understanding the detour, I smiled, looking up into his eyes as he ran his hands up my arms, making me shiver.
“I’ve wanted to do this since I first laid eyes on you two weeks ago,” he said, bringing me closer to him.
“Really?” I asked breathlessly, dragging my lower lip between my teeth.
Max groaned, running his hand up to the side of my face so he could run his thumb over my lip once more. “I can’t tell you what that does to me when you do that,” he said, dragging in a ragged breath.
“Show me,” I whispered, more daring than I had ever been before.
Needing no further encouragement, he crushed his lips to mine. My knees turned to putty as he anchored me more firmly to him. His lips were as soft they looked and I couldn’t resist touching them with the tip of my tongue, making him groan. Misreading his groan, I retracted my tongue, sealing my lips.
“Uh-uh, open them please,” he whispered against my closed lips.
I parted them slightly, giving him the access we both wanted. Time lost all meaning as our mouths became one. Finally, after what could have been mere moments or eternity for all I knew, he finally pulled back, reluctantly.
“We need to go back,” he said, still breathing heavily as he rested his forehead against mine.
I nodded, trying not to stare at his lips that were still within reach. His eyes darkened with need as he saw my stare.
“You're driving me crazy,” he said, pressing his lips to mine for a quick searing kiss that made my head spin.
“Is that a bad thing?” I asked as he reached for my hand.
“No way, that’s a good thing,” he said, pulling me snugly against the side of his body as we joined the others.
“Hey, what took so long?” Clint complained. “Dude, you dog,” he added, seeing my flushed look and kiss-swollen lips.
“Shut it,” Max said, chucking a pillow at him.
Clint plucked the pillow out of the air before it could hit him and threw it back at Max with precision.
Alicia and Shirley giggled as my cheeks brightened with color.
“Let’s get back to the movie,” Max said after throwing the pillow back at Clint.
Alicia dimmed the lights as Max and I settled back on our bean bag chair.
My eyes met Rebecca’s before the lights dimmed, and I felt awful for the pained look she tried to disguise.
I sighed unhappily as the movie came back on.
“What?” Max asked, draping an arm across my shoulder.
“Rebecca,” I whispered back simply.