Her emotions were raw from memories of the past, but those same memories made her all the more certain. She would make the most of this night with Max.
Because life had shown her well that tomorrow was never guaranteed.
* * *
The smell of asphalt after the rain entered Max’s nostrils. The acidic smell felt like the only constant in his life.
He’d been passed over again by another family.
Fine. He didn’t need them.
He didn’t need anyone.
Standing beneath the streetlight, he surveyed the city—he had no need to go anywhere, since the group home thought he was at some camping trip. He was good at dodging places that didn’t care about having him around anyway.
Out here, crappy as it was, everything and nothing were simultaneously at his fingertips.
The sun sank low on the horizon, setting fire to the skyline. The whole world seemed to be drenched in fire-red hues as a cold wind stung the edges of his exposed cheeks. A hunger rumbled deep in his stomach, and his eyes shifted to the Dumpster behind the Italian restaurant. Every night, they dumped perfectly good bread and pasta.
So what? He wasn’t adoptable. Not every kid had the run of the streets like this. The future was as open as this Dumpster. Rules were made for some other people. He’d make his own standards.
Another growl rumbled from his stomach. Light seemed to stream at odd angles from the streetlight as he moved toward the Dumpster.
Flipping open the Dumpster lid, he began digging, looking for a hunk of bread.
Instead, his hands found a soft sheet. The scent of lavender replaced the wet asphalt. Wrapped around him. Felt like home, a concept he hadn’t ever really explored...
He flinched, finding himself miles and years away from that Dumpster. The city scene was gone, replaced by a domestic one. Natalie slept next to him, the soft sounds of her breathing grounding him in the present.
She’d shared so much about herself, her past, making herself vulnerable to him. And he couldn’t help being moved by that. He couldn’t fix her past and her heart, but he could give her ease, pleasure, a moment’s forgetfulness.
Watching her sleeping body, he tugged lightly on the edge of the sheet, gathering one deliberate handful at a time toward him and off her. She squeaked once, gripping a fistful, then slowly unfurled her hand and released the crisp white cotton so that... Yes...
He revealed her shoulders, then more as the sheet glided over her breasts, farther, farther...until he unveiled creamy skin with a sprinkling of freckles.
Irresistible.
Angling forward, he pressed his mouth to a smattering of freckles on her hip. She moaned, rolling ever so slightly. He sketched his hand down her leg, sweeping the sheet the rest of the way to the floor. He nuzzled her stomach, feeling the hitch and catch of her breaths, encouraging. Arousing. He kissed his way lower, and lower still until his shoulders nudged apart her legs.
The scent of her was an aphrodisiac he would never forget. Her sensual nature fed his own. Kissing her intimately, he felt a delicate shiver tremble through her whole body. Anchoring her hips in his hands, he tasted her fully, greedy for more but careful not to rush the slow build for her.
She was impossibly sweet and soft. Her fingers skimmed through his hair, a new restlessness in her touch as she arched beneath him.
A flush spread over her skin. A warmth he felt under his palms right before her body quivered.
She writhed and shuddered with her release. Her head pushed back into the pillow and she pressed her wrist over her mouth to hold in her gasps and moans of pleasure. He burned to take her somewhere private, where she could revel in her release with full abandon.
And he would, he vowed. He would find a way to have her all to himself. Soon.
Seven
After stacking the orange pottery plates together, Natalie made her way to the sink, careful not to spill any of the toast crumbs on the floor. Her children had just left for preschool and the guests were already all checked out, leaving her in relative silence.
Peace seemed so rare these days.
She turned on the water, letting it heat up as she put the plates in the deep sink. Pumping soap onto the sponge, she thought back to the taste of Max—the night they’d shared together.
For a moment, she imagined his hands around her, craved that touch. Being close to him had been surprising in more ways than she could have expected. The connection she felt to h