Bodie by Nyssa Kathryn

Chapter 18

Maya lifted another chair onto a table.

A couple more days had passed since she’d been at the coffee shop with Bodie and Shayna. Since then, Bodie had been sweet but distant.

She should be happy. After all, it was her distance that had caused the strained relationship.

The fact that he’d hardly spoken to her all shift should not be making her feel so anxious. And the way his eyes had barely landed on her shouldn’t be making her heart clench in pain.

It was better this way. There was less risk of her falling in love with the guy.

Then why was the ache in her chest starting to feel like a gaping hole?

Maya snuck a peak at Bodie from below her lashes. He was mopping the other side of the room. His eyes were downcast.

Turning away, she focused on putting up the last few chairs. He probably needed to get back to Marble Falls soon. She needed to give him an answer as to whether she would join him. The thought of him leaving town without her sent a jolt of pain through her heart.

Pausing, Maya rubbed a hand over her chest.

“Are you okay?”

At Bodie’s question, her eyes shot to him. She warmed at his concern before dropping her hand. “Of course.”

I’m just trying to work up the courage to move across the country with you. Drop my barriers and trust you not to break my heart.

His gaze held hers for another beat before he went back to cleaning.

The short exchange disappointed her. Never in her life had a man affected her this way.

Grabbing a cloth, Maya wiped down the bar. Bodie’s back was now to her, and she had a perfect view of his perfect behind.

Did the man have to be so sexy?

Not that him being ugly would have changed how she felt about him. An unattractive exterior wouldn’t take away from his kindness. Or his protective nature. Or the way he tried to make everyone around him smile.

Argh. The guy was faultless.

A small voice in her head whispered that she could keep him. That maybe this ache in her chest was love. But the sad truth was, she had no idea what love felt like.

The thought made her belly cramp.

Dropping the cloth into the sink, Maya looked around for something else to do. Something far away from the flawless man who stood too close.

Drinks. The Budweiser needed to be restocked. Grabbing them from the storage room would buy her at least a few minutes of distance. Bodie had said he would grab them later, but she needed a job to keep her mind occupied.

Maya headed down the hall and stepped into the storage room. She studied the shelves, spotting the Budweiser on a top shelf. Of course it was. It couldn’t be somewhere easy like on the ground.

Grabbing the ladder, she leaned it on the shelves and began climbing. She’d just begun shuffling the box out when she realized she’d underestimated the weight of the beer. Either that, or overestimated her own strength.

“What the hell are you doing?”

The booming voice startled her so badly; the ladder rocked against the shelves before tipping backward.

Maya closed her eyes, waiting for the pain of hitting the ground. But instead of hitting a hard floor, her body landed in warm, strong arms.

Opening her eyes, she found Bodie’s face above hers as his strong arms wrapped around her back and legs. His brown eyes boring into hers. But where usually he looked at her with affection and warmth, right now, he looked annoyed. “Maya, I told you that I’d get the beer.”

Being this close to Bodie, after not touching him for so many days, had tingles wandering through her abdomen. “You were busy. I needed a job.”

And distance. Although, right now, the lack of distance was pure bliss.

“The cases are too heavy. Are you trying to break your neck?”

Bodie didn’t wait for a response. He placed her on her feet before moving the ladder back into place and climbing up. He pulled the box out quickly and easily, making it look like it weighed nothing, especially when he shifted it to one arm and climbed down the ladder with the other.

He’d almost made it to the door when Maya found her voice. “Bodie…”

He stopped at the sound of his name and turned. The beer still firmly against his side. “What is it, Maya?”

What is it? It’s that she hated that he was treating her differently. Yes, she understood that it was her fault. That he was treating her how she’d been treating him for the last week. It didn’t make it any easier to accept. “You’re so distant.”

Bodie’s eyes softened as he lowered the beer to the ground beside him. “I’m giving you space. Isn’t that what you wanted?”

Yes. No. Christ, Maya didn’t know what she wanted. But this didn’t feel right.

“I want the old Bodie back. The one who smiles and talks to me.” The one who makes my heart gallop a million miles an hour. Who soothes my anxiety. “I know that it’s not fair of me to want that when I haven’t given you either of those things, but I do.”

He scrubbed a hand over his pained face. “Maya…”

Oh god, nothing good ever came from saying someone’s name like that. Like they were tired of the very thought of you.

“I care about you. A lot. It’s actually nuts how strong my feelings are. When I’m with you, you’re all I see. So being around you, while not being able to touch you—being around you, and you not being mine—causes me physical pain. Like, heart-being-torn-from-chest kind of pain.”

Maya’s breath caught in her throat. The pain he described was exactly what she’d been feeling. When Bodie’s hands lowered to his sides, Maya realized just how tired he looked. Like he’d just spent his last shred of energy.

“All I want to do is sweep you into my arms and hold you, but I’m trying to be respectful. I’m trying to accept the fact that you don’t need me in the way that I need you…and it’s just about destroying me.”

Maya’s heart pounded against her ribs, loud and hard. This is what she’d been running from. Words so sweet that all her walls broke down.

On the outside, she didn’t move a muscle. On the inside, everything shifted. Every little part of her that had been fighting what she felt, didn’t want to fight anymore.

When she continued to remain silent, Bodie’s tormented expression changed to one of disappointment. Breathing out a sigh, he bent and picked up the box.

Maya took a small step forward. “I was five when I recognized that I didn’t have what other people had.” Bodie paused before straightening. “It was the first week of school, and the teacher asked us to draw a picture of our family. While everyone else started drawing, I sat there for a long time wondering which family to draw, only to stop at the knowledge that none of them were mine.” Maya swallowed before continuing. “Needing another person scares me because people leave. I’ve survived everyone else leaving. I don’t know if I could survive you. But I think I do…need you.”

Actually, she knew she did. And it was terrifying.

Suddenly, Maya felt exposed and vulnerable.

Bodie moved to her. So close, she could feel his warm breath on her face. “You’re not someone I feel capable of walking away from. Not now. Not ever.”

He said the words firmly, making her believe him. Despite everything life had exposed her to.

Bodie reached out a hand and placed it on the back of her neck.

Oh, how she’d missed the feel of his skin on hers. It had only been days, but it felt like so much longer. Reaching up, Maya slid her fingers through his hair. “It might take my damaged heart a bit longer than most.”

Bodie lowered his head so that his lips hovered above hers. “You can have all the time in the world.”

The moment their lips touched, Maya hummed. The kiss soothed the ache in her chest. It quieted the ugly voices in her head.

The kiss was healing.

His hand skimmed her waist before lowering to her butt and lifting her up against him.

Almost instinctively, Maya wrapped her legs around his waist, causing her skirt to bunch at her hips. Then there was a wall pressed to her back and Bodie pressed to her front.

His lips never left hers. This kiss felt different from the others. Hungrier. Like they both wanted to recapture every lost second from the last several days.

Maya ground her body against his, a fiery need growing inside her.

When Bodie’s hand lifted her shirt, grabbing her breast, she whimpered against his mouth. Then he began to squeeze, massaging her. Lower, at her core, even though there was a barrier of clothing, she could feel every ridge of his body.

His kiss deepened, his tongue exploring her mouth. His breathing hard. Bodie yanked her bra cup down. Then his mouth tore from hers and was on her nipple. Sucking and tugging.

Yes.Yes to Bodie, and to this, and to them together.

When the sharp edge of his teeth grazed her sensitive peak, she threw her head back and released a soft cry. She ran her fingers through his hair, grinding her core against him. The apex between her thighs ached. Every movement only heightened her need.

“I need you, Bodie.”

His mouth trailed back up until it reached her neck. At the same time, his hand reached down. At the firm pressure of his thumb against her clit, Maya’s whole body vibrated against his and her stomach quivered.

While his mouth continued to suck her neck, his fingers played with her. Her body started to scream with need.

Then his finger was pushing inside her. Filling her.

She clawed at his shoulders, blood roaring through her veins. His thumb moved against her clit while he pushed in and out. He continued like that for several minutes, pushing her close to the edge. Driving her crazy.

Bodie slid in a second finger.

God. Her body was so heated with need, she was close to exploding.

“Bodie…”

When he didn’t stop, didn’t so much as pause, Maya tugged his head up and kissed him again. She ground herself on his hand while thoroughly tasting him.

“I want you,” she whispered, her breath brushing his lips. “Inside me.”

He growled. Removing his hand from her body, he quickly opened his pants, shoving them down, then pushed her underwear to the side before sliding inside her.

Pleasure shot through her body as her muscles stretched to accommodate him.

Then he was moving. Pulling out until just the tip touched her before pushing back inside.

Arching her back, Maya surrendered herself to the sensations. To the intensity.

His thrusts remained steady. She tightened her legs around him, pulling his body closer, urging him to go faster.

When he finally did, Maya cried out at the electricity coursing through her core.

Maya was consumed by the insatiable need within her. By the man who made her want so much more than she ever thought she’d have.

Bodie lifted a hand to cup her breast and pinched her nipple with his thumb and finger.

Maya exploded. Her whole body convulsed and spasmed around him as she called out his name in passion. Her blood roared in her ears as her muscles strained. Her breathing heavy as Bodie tensed inside her.

He quickly pulled out and growled deep in his throat as he climaxed.

It took a while for both their bodies to steady. For the throbbing to dull and their breathing to ease. Once they did, they still didn’t part. He still held her tightly.

Maya surrendered to the fact that she was Bodie’s, and he was hers.