"What?" I whisper harshly, ignoring her growing smirk.
"I would like to join you." She says. Her fingers grip the bottom of her shirt, pulling it over her head and she reaches behind me to turn on the shower.
"We can't just take a shower together, we are at your father's house, and Liam and Danielle could be back anytime." I say. The idea of seeing Max completely naked under the shower makes me squirm but this is too much.
"Well, I am going to take a nice hot shower while you stand there and overanalyze." Her pants are left on the floor, along with her boxers as she steps past me and into the water. I don't realize I am staring until she closes the curtain abruptly, hiding her perfect body that I was in the middle of ogling.
"Don't you just love a hot shower after a long day?" Her voice is distorted from the water but I can hear the smug smile her voice.
"I wouldn't know because some rude naked person stole my shower." I huff and hear her chuckle.
"A sexy rude naked person?" She teases. "Just come in before the hot water gives away."
"I.." I want to but taking a shower with someone is just so intimate, too intimate.
"Come on, live a little. It's just a shower." She says and opens the curtain. "Please." She reaches her hand out and my eyes scan her long, inked torso, gleaming from the water sliding down her skin.
"Okay." I whisper and undress while she watches every move I make. "Stop staring" I scold her and she pretends to be wounded, placing her hand over her heart.
"Are you questioning my nobility?" She laughs and I nod slowly, trying to fight my smile.
"I am insulted." She reaches her hand out to help me step in with her. I can't believe I am actually doing this, showering with her. I try my best to cover myself with my arms as I wait for her to move from under the water.
"Is it weird that I love how you're still shy around me?" She says, removing my shield. I stay quiet and she gently tugs my arms to bring me under the water. Her head dips down, soaking my bare shoulder.
"I think it's so appealing to me because you are so shy and innocent, yet you let me do dirty things to you." Her breath feels hotter than the water against my ear. I blink as her hands travel down my arms slowly, her eyes taking in my naked body.
"And I know for a fact that you like when I say dirty things to you." I gulp and she smiles against my neck.
"See how your pulse quickens.. I can practically see it under your delicate skin." She taps her index finger over the pulse point in my neck. Oh wow. I have no idea how I am standing, my legs have surely turned to mush, along with my brain.
Her fingers running over my body make me stop worrying about the fact that we aren't alone in the house, they make me want to be reckless, and let Max do whatever she wants to me. When her long fingers wrap around my hips, I involuntarily lean into her.
"I love you Charli, you believe me don't you?" She asks. I nod, wondering why she is asking me this right now, after we have said it so many times in the last twenty-four hours.
"Yes I believe you." My voice is hoarse and I clear my throat.
"Good, I have never loved anyone before." She goes from playful to seductive to serious so fast, I can barely keep up.
"Ever?" I think I already knew this but it feels so different actually having her say the words, especially when we are in the shower together. I thought she would have her head between my legs right now, not expressing her feelings.
"No, never. Not even close." She admits. I wonder if she has ever had a girlfriend before, I don't want to know if she has. She told me she doesn't date, so I am going to stick with that.
"Oh." Is all I can say.
"Do you love me the way you loved Chase?" She asks. A sound between a cough and gasp comes out of my mouth and I look away from her. I grab the shampoo off of the shelf, I haven't even washed anything yet and we have been in here a few minutes.
"Well?" She asks. I don't know how to answer that. It's a totally different with Max than it was with Chase m. I loved Chase, I think. I know I loved him, just not like this. Loving Chase was comfortable and safe, it was always calm. Loving Max is raw and exciting, it sparks my every nerve and I can't get enough of her. I never want to be away from him. Even when she drove me crazy, I missed her and had to fight myself to stay away from her.
"I take that as a no?" She says and turns away from me, letting me have full access to the water. I feel cramped in the tiny space and the air is too thin, too clouded with steam from the hot water.
"It's not the same." How do I explain this to her without sounding insane. Her shoulders slack, I know if she was to face me she would be frowning. My hands wrap around her waist and I press my lips against her back.
"It's not the same in the way you think." I say. "I love you in a different way, Chase was so comfortable to me he was almost like family. I felt like I was supposed to love him but I really didn't, not in the way I love you at least. It wasn't until I realized I loved you that I saw how different the love was. I don't know if that even makes sense." I breath. A ping of guilt hits me for saying I don't love Chase but I think I knew that from the moment I kissed Max for the first time.
"It does." When she turns back around her eyes are much softer. The lust, then apprehension is gone, replaced by.. love? Or relief.. I can't tell but she leans down and kisses my forehead. "I just want to be the only person you ever love, the way you are mine." How could she be such a jerk before and say these loving things to me now? Despite the hint of possessiveness in her tone, her words are sweet and surprisingly humble for her.
"In the ways that count, you are." I promise her. She seems pleased with my answer as her smile returns.
"Now, can you move so I can get this dirt off of me before the water goes cold?" I say and gently push her out of my way.
"I'll do that for you." She grabs the cloth and pours soap on it. I hold my breath the entire time she gently scrubs the dirt off of my body, shivering as she passes over the sensitive spots, her touch lingering on them.
"I would have you wash me, but I won't be able to stop what would happen after." She winks at me and I blush. I want to find out what would happen after, and I would love to touch every inch of her body. But we aren't alone in the house and Karen has probably already finished cooking.
After I am dirt free and feeling calm yet wound up from Max's touch, I dry off quickly and put on my yoga pants and a t-shirt from my bag and brush my hair before pulling it into a bun. Max wraps a towel around her waist and stands behind me, staring at me through the mirror. She looks so heavenly, god like, and perfect and mine.
"Those pants are going to be distracting." She says as we walk downstairs.
"Have you always been such a pervert?" I tease and she nods. It isn't until we walk into the kitchen that I realize how we look, both coming down here with wet hair. It is obvious that we just showered together, Max doesn't seem to mind but she has no manners.
"I made some sandwiches, they are on the counter." Karen beams. She doesn't seem to be surprised or mind either. My mother would lose her mind if she knew what I just did. Especially with Max.
"Thank you so much." I tell her. Ken is sitting at the counter with a stack of folders in front of him.
"I had a nice time today Charli." Karen tells me and we start discussing the greenhouse again. Max eats in silence, glancing at me from time to time.
"Maybe we can do some more work next weekend." I suggest, I forgot the wedding for a second. "Never mind, the weekend after?" I laugh.
"Yes, of course."
"Uh, is there a theme or something with the wedding?" Max interrupts. Ken looks up from his work.
"Well, there isn't really a theme but we have chosen white and black for the wedding décor." Karen says nervously. I am sure this is the only time they have discussed the wedding with Max since she lost it when Ken told her about it.
"Oh. So what should I wear?" She asks casually. I want to reach over and kiss her after seeing her father's reaction.
"You're coming?" Ken asks, clearly surprised but very happy.
"Yea.. I guess." Max shrugs and takes another bite of her sandwich.
Karen and Ken smile at each other before Ken gets up and walks over to Max.
"Thank you, this means a lot to me." He pats Max on the shoulder. Max stiffens but rewards her father with a small smile.
"This is great news!" Karen says and claps her hands.
"It's nothing." Max grumbles. I move to sit next to her and put my hand over her under the table. I never thought I could get her to agree to the wedding, let alone actually talk about it in front of Ken and Karen.
"I love you" I whisper in her ear when Karen and Ken aren't paying attention. She smiles and squeezes my hand.
"I love you." She reciprocates.
"So Maxxy, how are your classes going?" Ken asks.
"Good."
"I noticed you moved your classes around again."
"Yea, and?" Max is getting annoyed.
"You're still majoring in English right?"
"yep."
"That is great, I remember when you were ten and you would recite passages from The Great Gatsby all day, every day. I knew you were a literature whiz then." Ken laughs.
"Do you? Do you remember that?" Max tone is harsh. I squeeze her hand trying to tell her to calm down.
"Yea, of course I do." Ken says calmly.
Max's nostrils flare and she rolls her eyes. "I find that hard to believe since you were constantly drunk, and if I remember correctly, which I do, you tore that book to pieces because I bumped your scotch and spilled it. So don't try to take a stroll down memory lane with me unless you know what the fuck you're talking about. " She stands up as Karen and I both gasp.
"Max!" Ken says as she leaves the room. I scurry after her and hear Karen yelling at Ken.
"You shouldn't have went that far with her Ken! She just agreed to come to our wedding, I thought we agreed on baby steps! Then you go and say something like that, you should have left it alone!" She says, I can tell she is already crying.