New Forever Read online

  “I’ll go with you,” he says uncertainly. “If you want me to.”

  “Duh,” I tell him cheerfully and smack his ass. His very nice, firm, ass.

  Get a grip, Hayley!

  I scrunch up my face and then purposely release the tension as I take the cake pops out of the oven and prepare them for our drive to Dee and Adam’s house. Once we are in the car, I scrub my hands over my tired face, and suddenly remember I haven’t bothered to put make up on. Opening the mirror in Max’s car, I take out my emergency pack and quickly put foundation over my harried face. After a few strokes with the mascara, I apply lip gloss and again release the tension in my pinched face. I have to relax, I remind myself. Things will get better, I repeat to myself, but even my mind is groaning theatrically at my pep talk.

  Within minutes, we’re at Dee and Adam’s house with Josie napping on my lap while Dee and I watch a very over protective Max pace the side of the pool as Janus swims happily.

  “Relax, poppa bear,” Dee calls out and I chuckle.

  “He only has three legs,” Max rationalizes, ready to jump in and save the dog that’s supposed to gut him if he guts me.

  “He doesn’t know that!” Adam laughs. “All he knows is that he’s having a good time.”

  Adam hands Max a beer while our boy swims laps in the pool with his tail flying inches above the surface.

  “Does he like balls?” Dee asks and I shrug.

  Max obediently takes the ball from Dee’s outstretched hand and throws it for Janus who picks up speed to retrieve it. When he reaches the ball, he hits it with his paw, sending it under the water. Without missing a beat, Janus sticks his head under the water and not only misses the ball but continues to send it deeper underwater.

  Much to everyone’s surprise, Max jumps into the pool and grabs Janus by the collar. My heart flutters in my stomach as I watch on baffled when Max then paddles Janus to the shallow end where he sets him on the steps and pats his neck.

  “What was that?” Dee asks with tears in her eyes from laughing so hard.

  “He was drowning,” Max huffs out, clearly out of breath from the adrenaline rush that propelled him into the water.

  “Drowning?” I’m doubled over in laughter and am barely able to get the word out. I’m not completely sure he’s found the right word.

  “His head was underwater,” Max defends his actions.

  This man, this strange, wonderful man will definitely be my undoing. I feel my heart expand until I’m sure it will explode but somehow it manages to grow even larger.

  “He was fetching the ball,” Adam explains and much to Max’s embarrassment, Dee and I burst into another fit of laughter.

  “He was drowning,” Max says slowly.

  “That’s right,” I say, finally coming to Max’s defense. “And you saved him,” I say proudly, getting a smile out of the big hero.

  “Out of the pool, Sir Knight,” Adam tells him. “I have a surprise for everyone.”

  “Oh my God! You’re pregnant!” I shout excitedly. “I thought you had gained some weight but didn’t want to mention anything in case-” I stop midsentence when I see Dee’s face fall, but it’s already too late. Shit, she’s not pregnant. Open mouth, insert foot. “Not a lot of weight. Just a tiny bit. It’s not even noticeable.”

  “Noticeable enough,” she complains, putting her hand protectively over her stomach. “Bitch.”

  “You’re beautiful,” Adam tells her after shooting me a meaningful look. “You’re perfect.” He cups her face in his hands and kisses her hard on the lips, making me swoon and jealous at the same time.

  “Whatever. You’re fat and I’m sexually deprived,” I say under my breath, making Dee laugh.

  “Adam can give you guys some pointers if you need.” Dee grins and I flip her off.

  “Pointers for what?” Max asks once he gets out of the pool.

  “Nothing,” Dee and I sing in unison.

  “So, your surprise?” I ask.

  “Neither one of you deserves it,” he tells us, making me smile even wider. This is gonna be good. Like, Adam-is-the-best-at-surprises type of good.

  “Really, I don’t think I’ll take either of you. It’ll be a boy’s outing, with just me and Max.”

  “Brokeback Mountain style?” I ask, licking my lips at the suggestion and Dee laughs.

  Adam runs his fingers through his hair and sighs at me dramatically. “I’m just glad my daughter’s sleeping so she can’t hear her Auntie.”

  “Spill, Pena,” I say, using Adam’s last name.

  “I got us all tickets to go to Nassau in two weeks.”

  “Nassau?” I ask. “As in The Bahamas?”

  He nods, obviously delighted with his surprise. “And we’re gonna stay at the Atlantis on Paradise Island for five days.”

  “Atlantis?” I ask, sucking in a breath. I don’t even care that I’m repeating everything Adam says like a parrot. “That place is gorgeous!” I’d get up and hug him if I didn’t have Josie snuggled on my lap. Thankfully, Dee takes the lead and kisses him for both of us.

  I’ve only ever seen Atlantis in photographs and over the internet, but the place looks like a fairy tale, complete with towers. My eyes widen as I imagine myself on the pristine colored beaches. The beaches in Miami and Ft. Lauderdale are great, but they’re not Bahamas great. My face breaks into a spontaneous smile while I momentarily forget about everything else going on in my life.

  I’m going to The Bahamas!

  After a few beers and an hour of Janus swimming, Max is able to relax with the rest of us when Janus gets out of the pool to lie out in the sun. To be honest, I would never have pegged Max to be the overprotective type. Especially over a dog. It’s cute and endearing and just one more reason why I can’t live without him.

  “What are we going to do with Janus?” Max asks me, leaning in close enough that I can feel his breath on my skin.

  “What do you mean?”

  “When we’re in Atlantis, who’s gonna watch him?”

  “Put him in a kennel,” Dee offers and Max and I gape at her.

  “Don’t say that!” I shush her. “He just left the shelter and you want to put him back in a cage?” I’d cover Janus’ ears if he were close enough, but as it is, he’s rolling around in the dirt and doing some sort of weird dance on his back. He’s definitely gonna need a bath.

  “They have those dog daycares,” Dee defends. “Some of them are cage-less.”

  Unconvinced, I shake my head at her. “What if he doesn’t get along with the other dogs? What if they pick on him?”

  “A big dog like him wouldn’t get picked on,” Dee laughs my concerns away, but she can’t know for sure.

  He’s already been hit by a car, had his right hind leg chopped off, been abandoned by his family, and left at a shelter to fend for himself. I’m not putting him through one more traumatic event.

  “We’ll find him a dog sitter,” Max says taking my hand.

  “Okay.” I nod. “But we have to do background checks first. I don’t want just anyone watching our dog.”

  “What about your parents?”

  “Good idea! They need some bonding time with their first grandbaby.”

  Max agrees and while he bathes Janus, I take the opportunity to ask Adam to take Dee and me to an open house in the neighborhood Dee and I went through the day before. While he’s reluctant, he’s not one to turn Dee down, especially when she bites her bottom lip or opens her already big eyes even larger. I clap my hands when he offers to take us this weekend and wake Josie up in the process. Unfortunately, Josie isn’t as pleased to see me as she usually is, so I grab Max and Janus and make a quick retreat while her parents try to calm her.

  Okay, so maybe letting Dee and Adam think that Max and I are doing fine was a bad idea. As if living under the same roof with someone who rarely touches you, and when he does he balks as if you just lashed out at him, wasn’t bad enough. Now we’re stuck in a tiny hotel room together. There’s no
couch for him to sleep on and no bedroom for me to escape to when our emotions run too high.

  Ever since our barbecue at Dee and Adam’s place, he’s been different. Not good or bad different, just different. He’s talking to me more and will touch me for no particular reason, but then it’s like he remembers he’s not supposed to touch me or look at me so he backs off even further than before. Because I have zero desire to placate whatever internal feud he is fighting, I go out of my way to touch him. Nothing big, just small non consequential touches that leave him running away from me and often into things.

  I stick to my side of the room while I unpack, careful not to brush up against Max. The tension between us has grown substantially since we walked into this room and I’m afraid he’ll jump on the first flight back to Ft. Lauderdale if I do anything.

  Then again, I could use the space to my advantage. Aside from going to the bar or casino, he really can’t get away from me. If I play it right, we could go back to being us before we leave for Nassau.

  I contemplate going into our bathroom to change into my bikini, but I think playing a little dirty might work in my favor. So without saying a word, I lift my dress over my head and then strip off my bra and panties, making a show of bending over. I see him gawk at me through the corner of my eye and smile even though my heart is racing in my chest. When he lets out a strange sound that seems to be coming from his throat, I do an imaginary fist pump in my head.

  Still naked, and rather pleased with myself, I go through my clothes until I find Max’s favorite bikini—a white Brazilian cut with blue polka dots. Even though I am more than capable of tying the top of my bikini, I ask Max to tie it for me and am delighted when his fingers linger over my skin. When he finishes, I turn around on weak knees and stand on my tiptoes so that I can kiss the side of his mouth.

  “Thanks,” I say and he grabs my shoulders and pulls me to him again.

  I look at him through hooded eyes and that’s all it takes. Just one look.

  Our lips crash into one another with a ferocious entanglement of tongues. I move away enough to get his attention, and slow the rhythm of our kiss so that it is less of a battle that I am waging, and more of a dance. I link my hands together behind his neck while he trails his tongue over my lips. Forgetting that I’m the one doing the seducing, I lose myself in him and his kiss, while he grips my hips in place and runs circles over my thighs with his thumbs.

  Too soon, our kiss is over and reality washes over Max’s face. He tries to move away from me, but I stop him when I touch his shoulder.

  “This is us, Max,” I tell him gently. “Tell me we’re not right together, that we’re not a perfect fit for each other.”

  Understanding washes over his face before it is replaced with regret. He kisses my cheek and hugs me to him.

  “I want that to be true, Hay.”

  He takes my hand in his and we link our fingers together as we go downstairs to meet Dee and Adam. The blood seems to rush to my head with the small contact and my heart continues to pound ferociously in my chest. Giddiness overtakes me and I’m tempted to go back to the hotel room to solidify whatever’s come over him, but I’ve never been on a glass bottom boat before and it took me almost the whole two weeks of getting ready for our trip to convince Dee we should go, so I don’t want to be late.

  The waters in The Bahamas are clear enough that you can see right down to the bottom from the surface, but a boat with a glass bottom still sounds exciting. I know Max loves the ocean while I appreciate it from dry land, but I wanted to do something he’d like. This way, we can both see the world underneath without actually having to endanger our lives.

  I kind of wish Max had been with me when Dee and I went whale watching in Seattle a few years ago. It was easily one of the most soul finding experiences I’ve ever encountered. Maybe a pod of dolphins will grace us with their presence while we’re on this little adventure.

  As soon as we get on the boat, I make my way to the center and sit next to Max. He hasn’t let go of my hand since we left the hotel room and the small gesture fills me with more joy than I’ve experienced in the last few weeks. I lean my head on his shoulder and sigh when he kisses the top of my head lightly. I close my eyes as our tour guide give us directions and only open them to make sure I know where the life jackets are. You know, just in case.

  Max lets me go when Josie toddles to him and demands to be picked up. Never one to turn her down, he picks her up and together they look over the side of the boat and into the water as the boat moves away from the dock and toward the open ocean. I watch with them, keeping track of all the beaches and lighthouses we pass that I want to visit.

  I listen to Max tell Josie about the different sea life that lives under the water and am annoyed when our tour guide interrupts him with random jokes that aren’t even funny. I’m not all that interested in sea life either, but I like listening to Max’s voice and it seems like forever since I heard him sound so at ease. Josie is as entranced as I am and barely speaks throughout our ride.

  When our tour guide announces that we have reached our destination, we turn around and watch as the floor in front of us opens up to reveal the glass bottom we had been promised. Adam takes Josie from us while I squeeze Max’s arm in delight. Seeing the different colors the sea has to offer makes me want to go under there and experience it for myself. Max points out the different types of fish that swim under us as well as the different reef systems below us and I lean forward to get the best view, soaking in the information like a starving child.

  After a few minutes, our tour guide offers us all some fish food to toss over the side of the boat, which I happily take. With the food securely grasped in my closed hand, I turn around and feel the sudden urge to vomit. I let go of the fish food so I can hold onto the side of the boat and take long, slow breaths when the world spins around me.

  “You okay?” Max whispers into my ear and I shake my head no, only to have my ears start ringing.

  Without further warning, I lean over the side of the boat and vomit. I feel the sweat build up on my forehead while Max rubs my back and kisses the back of my head. I lean my head down and continue to breathe slowly, hoping the nausea will dissipate.

  When I begin to feel slightly better, I turn around and take a cold bottle of water Dee hands me. I take a small sip and my stomach immediately retaliates. Max takes the bottle away from me when I put my head between my knees and he rests the cold bottle on my neck after pushing my hair to the side.

  “Ah,” I sigh. “That feels good.”

  I close my eyes and continue to focus on my breathing while Max presses the bottle to my neck. I hear our tour guide continue to ramble but don’t bother trying to make sense of what he says. All I want is to be on land again. Dry, unmoving, land.

  “Lets go to the bow of the boat,” Max suggests gently. “That way you get some fresh air on that pretty face of yours.”

  Max helps me to my feet and together we move to the front of the boat where Max and I find a couple unoccupied seats. I lean on him and with the warm breeze hitting my face and Max’s arm around my shoulders, I begin to feel better. I lift my head up and enjoy the sea breeze that hits my face and tickles my nose.

  “You sure know how to kill a moment,” Max jokes and I nudge his stomach with my elbow.

  “I don’t get it,” I tell him. “I’ve been on boats hundreds of times and have never been sea sick.”

  “The glass bottom can disorient people and make you sea sick,” he explains and I find little solace in the idea that my stomach hasn’t somehow weakened.

  “I still want to go on the booze cruise,” I joke. “Or one of those speed boats. That’d be fun.”

  “Okay, but you’re resting the rest of the day.”

  I feel better, but I like the idea of Max taking care of me so I willingly agree.

  Once the boat is finally docked, I practically launch myself off the boat and onto dry land. I’d kiss the very ground I walk on if Max was
n’t holding me firmly to his side. I lean my head on him, milking my ailment longer than necessary, as we walk back to our hotel room. When I’m tempted to skip forward, I remind myself I’m sick and in need of Max’s attention and suppress the urge.

  Under his instruction, I take a shower while he orders me soup and then cuddle on the bed where Max joins me. I curl into him, for the first time in over a month sure that he won’t turn me away, and hug his stomach. Before my soup arrives, I fall asleep while Max runs his fingers through my hair.

  I wake up drenched in Hayley’s scent and with her body curled into mine. I put my arm around her and gently pull myself closer to her so that empty space does not exist between us. I kiss her forehead but move to her lips when she tips her face up to meet mine.

  The heat radiating from her body makes my own come to life while my pulse quickens under her gaze. I caress her face, and shudder when her eyes grow sultry. I hear her soft moan when I nip her neck and continue down to her collar bone.

  “I’m yours,” she tells me, moving her body and straddling me.

  My hands go around her waist and I slip them beneath the shirt she is wearing and lift it over her head to remove it. After I throw her shirt to the side, I cup her breasts in my hands and then take my time licking and sucking on her nipples. Her fingers dig into my hair as she parts her lips and sighs my name softly.

  Hayley crawls to the edge of the bed so she can take off her panties, I follow suit and remove my boxer briefs. After crawling back to me, she takes my dick in her hand and slowly strokes up and down. I jerk once in her hold and she smiles back at me before she puts my dick in her mouth. She licks the tip and moves her hand along the length again while I caress the sides of her stomach and ribs with my fingertips. My stomach flutters with her firm grasp and movements and I jerk upwards.