Caught in the Middle

Chapter 25

I bend over her to brush my lips against her sweaty forehead, not being able to hold off on tasting her anymore. "Just some good-natured teasing about the unwanted attention your incredible physique has been receiving. Do you really have to look irresistible doing the simplest of things?" The lopsided grin she gives me, when I point to the table filled with women seething at us now, forces a laugh to escape my lips. Maya lifts herself onto her elbow, pulling my head down with her hand tangled in my hair. "Sono sempre e solo appartenuto a te. (I have only ever belonged to you.)" I can feel the minty whisper against my lips just before hers presses into mine.

The first brush of her supple lips makes my insides turn to mush and when her elbow slips from under her, she pulls me down with her. The grip in my hair tightens as her lips part for me, to permit my tongue entry into her mouth. I taste the spearmint she just had before coming over to us and can feel her wet hair between my fingers from her physical activities in the scorching heat. The smell of her warm and clammy skin brings back a marathon of memories from our more intimate hobbies that used to make her skin flushed like this.

I momentarily forget that we're not alone and don't think to swallow my moan before Maya's skilled tongue pulls it out of me. Our heated exchange gets rudely interrupted and our mouths wrench apart as soon as an icy stream of water gets dumped over our heads and down my back. "This is a kid's party, Bish. Keep it in your pants." We both look up to see Jack and Beckett holding empty buckets over our heads, with childlike grins splitting both their faces.

They put the buckets down and fall down beside their partners as well, also looking worse for wear after entertaining the lawn full of kids. "Agh, yuck, Bishop." My eyes are still trained on her glistering bronze legs peeking out of her shorts before I realize her toe is poking Jack in his ear and against his cheek. Their childish antics cause our small group to snort on our laughter, but also warm my heart at seeing my wife so carefree and happy.

When everyone falls into their own conversations, she turns her head back to me on my lap. Maya tucks the wet strands of hair behind my ear, caressing my cheek with her thumb while I wipe droplets of water from her face. "You seem to be having fun." She turns her face into my stomach, kissing the skin showing there soft enough that only we know about it, before she reaches out for a handful of snacks. "I am." She drops a few pretzels in her mouth before washing it down with a sip of my cocktail, looking around us to make sure no one is paying us any attention.

"Più felice di quanto ti vedessi da molto tempo. (Happier than I've seen you in a long time.)" I lean closer to her when I see a blush creep up her cheeks, as not to embarrass her by letting anyone overhear her confession. "I've never had this, you know? We were never allowed to have birthday parties or play with our friends. Then before I knew, I didn't have a single friend left, and the only time I was allowed outside, was when my dad allowed me to train for track meets."

Maya looks so small curled onto my lap as she opens up to me about something she never has before. I reward her with another soft peck on her trembling lips before I brush my lips over her eyes, so no one can see the shallow tears in them. "I didn't even learn how to swim until my dad spoke to a varsity coach when I was eleven. Apparently swimming under water helped his track stars get scholarships because it helped expand their lung capacity."

Her abs tremble underneath my fingers when I slip my hand into her shirt to draw shapes over her flat stomach. "He used to push my head under whenever I was ready to give up, until my chest felt like it was on fire, and I started losing consciousness. Then he would punish me if I vomited after finally letting me up, by making me run home with limbs that felt like lead. If I fell down on my way, he'd send me to my room without dinner. He never made me feel safe enough to enjoy anything like this."