For the next couple of weeks, Max and I fell into a routine of making love in the morning, spending the day working alone on our projects, and then coming together for dinner and a quiet evening of talking or making love. His wounds healed nicely, and although neither of us brought it up, we hadn't ventured back to the Buffalo Bar. In fact, I had only gone into town once to shop for groceries.
There were no more calls from Tammy or Officer Moorehead, and Riley was wise enough to not show his face. It was as if Max and I existed on a deserted island. Although the silence lent itself well to the completion of my novel and uninterrupted hours of lovemaking, I was beginning to feel restless.
I started thinking more about the job I had put on hold and how things were going at the office. There was a part of me that missed the hustle and bustle of the city and the adrenaline rush to meet a deadline, or running for a train and catching it just as it pulled away. My survival skills were more attuned to Fifth Avenue than the woods of Virginia. As much as I tried to pretend that I could live happily ever after in Margarite's house with Max, I knew that I needed more. Max knew it too.
"You know Jamie," he said, sipping the leftover wine from dinner. "I've been doing some thinking."
"Sounds dangerous," I retorted sarcastically.
We rocked slowly on the porch swing in unison with the crickets, watching the millions of stars in the sky. Max ignored my jest and continued.
"Are you still planning on going back home in a few weeks?"
I held my tongue, not knowing what to say. I felt like he was calling my hand and I hadn't even looked at my cards.
"I guess so," I sighed, playing with the hem of my short dress. "I can't hide out here forever."
"Well, I figured that. Although, you know you could stay with me forever, but I don't have any say over this house."
"Oh thanks," I said, patting his hand.
"Jamie look," he said, turning toward me. "That isn't what I've been thinking about."
"That's okay, Max," I said quickly, trying to salvage my ego. "I didn't mean to make you feel like you had to ask me to stay."
"Jamie! I wasn't thinking that either." He was frustrated and pushed his hair back and let out a deep breath. I decided to remain silent. "What I was thinking was more about me, and us. I've been ready for a change. I had thought about moving last year when Tammy left, but your dad asked me to stay until I found a replacement. I guess I'm pretty picky, because I never found anyone that I wanted to recommend."
"Where were you going to go?" I asked.
He took my hand in his and gently played with my fingers. "Well, that was part of the problem. I didn't know. But now I do." There was a hesitant smile on his face as he waited for the words to sink in.
"You want to move to New York?" I asked, in disbelief.
"Well, maybe not in Central Park," he laughed. "But I've been in up-state New York and there are a lot of nice areas within an hour of there. All I want is a couple of acres of land with some big trees and room for a few animals."
I realized the discussion about where we would live danced right over the fact that he was talking about living together.
"Wait a minute�" As much as I hated to squelch the excitement on his face, I held up my hand to stop him.
"You don't want to commute?" he asked.
"This is about commuting, Max. This is about us. Are you saying you want to move to New York and live with me?"
"What do you mean by 'live with you'?"
"You know, your clothes in the same closet as mine."
"Yes, that's what I mean."
He seemed much calmer about the whole idea than I was and for some reason that was bothering me. I had never had roommates, male or female. Having my own space was always too important. And yet Max had never got on my nerves over the summer, especially the past few weeks when were we staying in the same house. In fact, it had seemed natural to have him there. My silence finally took effect.
"Jamie, look� I'm sorry. Maybe I got too far ahead of myself� and us." He dropped my hand and started to pull away.
"No Max, you didn't," I reassured him. I hugged him and held him close. "I've been thinking about this too. I just didn't know you were."
"God Jamie," he sighed, kissing the top of my head. "Life has been wonderful since you came here this summer. I don't want to lose you."
"You really want to move to New York?" I asked, looking up into his eyes.
"It's time for me to do something else," he explained. "I've never really worried about what would happen to me. My dad left me a lot of money and I've invested it well. It's not like I don't have to work, but I can afford to do something I like."
"Like what?" I asked.
"Well, like landscaping. Besides the business degree my dad made me get, I went back and got a landscaping certificate after he died."
"No wonder you know what to do around here."
"Well, it's helped," he chuckled. "Anyway, I always thought about starting my own landscaping business."
"Wow�" I sighed.
"Wow?" repeated Max.
"I can't believe you want the same thing I do."
"You want to be a landscaper?" he joked.
"No!" I nudged him and then cuddled back into his arms. "I can't believe that you want to stay together."
"I couldn't stay here without you now."
I knew exactly what he meant. If he weren't here, I don't think I could ever return and enjoy myself.
"So what do we do now?" I asked.
Max sat up in the swing as if he were going to go start packing. "When do you have to be back to work?"
"Right after Labor Day� in about three weeks."
"You kept your apartment, right?"
"Yes, are you crazy? It wasn't worth trying to save a few bucks to put it all in storage."
"Well, we could stay there while we look for a place to buy out in the country."
"Buy?" I asked, dumbfounded. "I don't have money to buy a house."
"I have plenty of money for a down payment," he assured me. "But I might need a little help with the payments until my business is up and running."
I shook my head in disbelief. "First you blow me away telling me you want to live together, then you tell me you want to buy a house together."
"You're right," he said, standing up from the swing. "I'm doing this all wrong." He knelt down on one knee and took my hand in his. My mouth dropped as he continued. "Jamie, will you marry me?"
"Oh God, Max!" I cried, "I don't believe this!" I was half crying, half laughing as he looked into my face with a confused smile.
"Was that a yes or a no?"
"Max� I'm really crazy about you," I said, wiping a stray tear from my cheeks. "But it's only been a couple of months."
"You can have as long of an engagement as you want," he said. "I just need to know you're mine."
"Oh Max," I sighed, holding his head in my hands. "Of course I'm yours."
As he pulled me forward, we kissed deeply, confirming our passion and love for each other. Moans of pleasure and happiness blended into the night as he showered me with his kisses. His hands slid up my dress while we kissed and pulled my panties down over my legs until the dropped to the porch. Then, with a devilish grin, he slid my hips toward the edge of the swing and pushed my dress up to my waist.
I rested back into the swing and watched him kiss the insides of my thighs. He gently moved the swing to advance it in the direction he wanted. Fortunately, that was closer and closer to my pussy. I whimpered and squirmed as he neared my clit, but then as if to tease me, he pushed the swing back and his kisses headed toward my knees.
"Oh you tease," I whined, trying to pull my legs together. He kept his head between them and growled, biting gently into my thighs. His long arms reached around my body and held my ass. I giggled, and then froze as his tongue started snaking its way down my thighs again.
"Don't tease me," I whispered, letting my legs fall back to the side.
"Never," he mumbled. His lips brushed against my pussy and I let out a gasp. I closed my eyes and waited for the next touch, the next moment of pleasure. I was an instrument he was learning to play well. When his tongue slid across my clit, I let out a long moan.
"Oh yes, right there," I encouraged him.
But by then his tongue had moved away. Quickly, it flicked inside my pussy and then slid across my ass. I squirmed trying to follow it, but Max held me steady.
"Please�" I whimpered.
Then suddenly his tongue was back caressing my clit, and I tightened my legs around his head. Encouraged by my tension, his tongue flickered from pussy to clit until I was writhing on the swing.
"Oh God, I can't take anymore�" I moaned, but he didn't stop. He licked across the top of my clit as if he knew it was too sensitive for direct contact. That's where the orgasm finally started.
"Oh yes!" I cried. "Right there� don't stop."
I was grateful that we were miles away from civilization as the built up pressure was released. Max sighed with pleasure as I rocked against his mouth. It wasn't until the swing stopped rocking that I realized I was pulling his hair.
"Oh� sorry," I said, smoothing it out.
He looked up and smiled. "Actually, it felt kind of good."
I dropped my legs to the porch and let out a long sigh as Max leaned in to kiss me. I loved tasting myself on him. His kiss was burning with need and I grinned as he pulled away. "Something tells me we should go upstairs."
"I'm so hard, I'm not sure I can walk," he laughed.
"Somehow," I said, getting up from the swing and reaching for his hand. "I think you'll make it."
The outline of his hard cock bulged from his jeans and I rubbed my hand over the fabric. "I love that you get this hard for me."
"Come on," he said, pressing me toward the door. "Let's go."
We passed the phone at the bottom of the stairs and it reminded me of our earlier conversation. "I take it you don't want to call my father tonight."
Max tapped me on the ass and prodded me up the stairs. "Keep marching lady."
By the time we got to the top of the stairs, Max had already unzipped his jeans. His hard cock stood rigid as he pulled them off. I dropped my dress and sat naked on the bed as he walked over and stood in front of me. When I caressed his cock, he shuddered and stepped closer. I bent my head and ran my tongue over the tip.
"Now who's teasing who?"
I chuckled and took the head into my mouth. He pumped his hips gently, seeking relief and moaned as I allowed him to go deeper into my throat.
"I'm the luckiest man in the world," he sighed. I moaned in agreement as I sucked his cock. "Do you think I should resign before I tell your dad we're getting married or afterwards?"
I released his cock and scooted back onto the bed as he opened a condom and rolled it on. "Well, it's the old good news, bad news story. Tell him he's losing a grounds keeper, but gaining a son-in-law."
Max slid between my legs and kissed my nipples as his cock entered my wet pussy. He felt so good inside of me. I almost couldn't remember being afraid of sex. I pushed my hips up for more of him.
"Well, at least he knows I take good care of his prize possessions."
"You sure do..."
©Copyright 1997 Angela Preston. These stories may not be reprinted in any form without written permission.