Maya by Shayne Ford

14

MAYA

Shade’s Place

We sneakout of the beach house, eager to get away.

It is not that the party is not great or the house is not beautiful or the evening was uneventful.

Tara and Shade had to sort out some things while Chad and I can’t keep our hands off each other.

When I said I’d be cautious and take my time with him because I didn’t want to repeat what had happened last year, I had no idea how quickly I’d feel so irresistibly attracted to him.

I can’t make plans when it comes to him, especially when he says and does the right thing, and I can’t hold anything against him.

This day was nothing like I had imagined. The time we spent at the beach, the trip back.

He dropped me off before I got ready for the party, and I floated on a cloud the entire afternoon, everything reminding me of him. The water running over my body in the shower, my skin warm from the sun, and the memory of him as I was still experiencing the aftershocks of that amazing sensual fest we’ve engaged in at the beach.

‘You’re good?” he asks, glancing at me.

I settle in the passenger seat while he steers our ride away.

“Yes.”

The wind blows in his hair, making him run his fingers through it quite a few times.

He wears a dark shirt and black pants, and his skin is even darker after the time we spent at the beach.

He looks stunning, his smile illuminating his eyes and face.

“Where are we going?” I ask.

“I rented a place,” he says, grinning.

“You did?”

He tosses a smirk at me, arching an eyebrow.

“No pressure. It has a hot tub on the terrace, so we spend some time drinking wine and staring at the stars.”

Softly shaking my head, I laugh.

I know how that works with him. He’s probably testing my limits.

He glances at me, looking so damn hot behind the steering wheel in his red sports car, his eyes hypnotic in the soft light of the dashboard.

He flicks his hand up, grinning knowingly.

“I know what you’re thinking, but I had to find a place for us. We have a long history of making out in public spaces. For once, I wanted to be with you in a place where I don’t need to glance over my shoulder every other second to ensure no one has walked in on us.”

“I didn’t say anything.”

“Am I right?” he tosses at me, throwing me a ridiculously sultry sidelong glance.

“Yes, you are.”

I tip my gaze down to my dress. I’m dolled up in a sophisticated satin white dress that flows over my front, and it’s completely open at the back.

It looks great against my skin and the color of my eyes.

I lift my gaze and catch him studying me as well.

“You look beautiful,” he says in a softer voice.

He takes my hand, brings it to his lips, and kisses it.

I lean closer to him, wrap my arms around his neck and kiss his cheek. The car slows down while he places his hand on my knees.

“You look handsome too,” I murmur before kissing him again.

I pull away from him, his hand staying on my knees.

His smile fades, his eyes moving to the road before I look away as well.

We zoom down the highway until we take an exit, roll for a few more miles in silence and stop in front of a beautiful property.

Carved into a rocky cliff, it faces the coastline and the ocean in the distance, and it has the feel of a vacation home.

The car comes to a stop on a gravel-covered driveway.

We exit his ride before walking to the entrance, where he punches in the passcode and invites me in.

The inside is as beautiful as the exterior.

It has an earthy feel, different than the villa where the party took place.

Large windows, wooden floors, a sizable terrace, an open kitchen,

a message from the owner, and a gift basket waiting for us on the counter.

“How does it look?” he asks, unpacking the gift basket.

“Good,” I murmur, walking to the patio doors. “Have you been here before?” I ask, noticing how easily he finds the glasses in the cupboard.

He sets them on the table and uncorks the bottle of wine.

“Only when I met the owner.”

“When did you do that?”

“A few days ago,” he says, smiling.

“Huh…”

“What?”

Grinning, I give up on checking the terrace and walk back to him.

I like the place. It looks like a home.

I imagine someone drinking a cup of coffee at the wooden table in the morning and maybe cooking something delicious for dinner in the evening.

I lean against the kitchen island and cross my arms over my chest, looking at him.

He pours two glasses of wine before pivoting to the refrigerator.

“Are you hungry?” he asks.

“No.”

“Okay… I have something for you, though.”

He pulls out a bakery box.

“Cake?”

“Yes.”

“No way. Red velvet cake and Pinot Noir. You remembered.”

“Mm-hmm. Let’s sit at the table.”

We set everything on the round dining table overlooking the terrace. I can spot the hot tub from where I sit.

“How did you remember?”

He tosses me a smile that makes me tremble inside.

It’s what I ordered last year. That night at Shade’s place. I wanted something sweet. I don’t know why. Usually, I stay away from desserts, but the red velvet cake has always been my favorite. He suggested red wine.

I loved the combination and what followed after. The night I spent with him.

He pulls the chair back and slides into his seat, setting the dessert spoons on the napkins.

I take one and sink it into the moist cake.

“And you?” I ask, already tasting the exquisite dessert.

“I’ve got mine too,” he says, scooping out another individually wrapped little red velvet cake from the box.

He lifts his glass, and I swallow smoothly before picking up mine too.

“To us,” he says before leaning to me and getting a taste of cake and creamy icing.

“Mmm… You’re delicious,” he says, smiling and pulling away from me.

“So…” I start. “You rented the place after we met at that business meeting a few days ago.”

He nods and takes a sip of wine before placing his glass down.

“Yes.”

“And then I haven’t heard from you. How did you know I’d come here with you tonight?”

He smiles.

“Did you?” I ask.

Elbows set on the table, he dips his dessert spoon into the cake and glances at me.

“Do you think I’m the type of man who leaves something important to chance?”

He winks at me, a blush warming my cheeks.

“Hmm…So let me see if I got this right. You took me home, listened to what I had to say, didn’t know what would happen between us––if it would happen––and then rented a place and planned to bring me here.”

He raises his hand.

“I still don’t know what will happen between us,” he murmurs, not looking at me.

I set my dessert spoon down and move my focus to my drink.

“Even after today?”

“Especially after today,” he says quietly.

“Have you changed your mind?”

“No.”

“Do you think I haven’t made up my mind?”

He lifts his eyes and shoots me a piercing glance. My shoulders are covered in goosebumps.

“It was a trap…” I murmur, smiling.

He chuckles before looking at his dessert.

“You were right to want more time. I agree we should do this the right way.”

His words catch me unprepared. His tone is serious, and I suddenly feel the need to confess. And make things clear.

I place my dessert spoon on the plate and pick up my glass of wine. I feel like I need the alcohol to muster enough courage to speak.

I drink red wine and set my glass on the table.

“This doesn’t have to do only with us,” I say, garnering his attention.

He looks at me.

“What do you mean?”

I feel that emotion again creeping up my chest, making me bite my lip.

I smile to conceal that pesky feeling.

“I want to get it right this time.”

He looks at me seriously, his eyes glinting with surprise.

I flick my index finger up warningly.

“It doesn’t mean anything in terms of us, but you should know where I am right now.”

He leans back and folds his arms over his chest, suddenly guarded.

“I have a bad history with committed relationships…” I say. “ I put a lot of effort in the past into something flawed. Ironically, it helped me grow and cut my teeth in life but made me doubt myself as well. I got it wrong that time, and I don’t want to repeat the same mistake, so it doesn’t have to do with you. It has to do with me. With wasting a good part of me in a story that wasn’t even my story in the end. I want to be the right woman for you in every aspect of our lives. And if given the chance, I want to be everything for you.”

I stop and bite my lip hard.

“I don’t want to get it wrong again. And also I don’t you to pay for my mistake. I want to go back, if all possible, to where I was before everything got started. Before I wasted my soul for nothing. That’s why I need some time.”

His eyes glint again, and he uncrosses his arms and leans forward, his elbows sliding onto the table.

He looks down, a muscle ticking in his jaw, and for a moment, I don’t know what crosses his mind.

I even think I’ve said something wrong.

“What are you saying to me, Maya?”

His voice is stern.

He looks down, his eyes pinned on his hands.

“When we met…” I murmur, waiting for his eyes to come to me. “So many things were happening at once. I had just separated from my husband, and you were just, you know… Shade’s hot best friend,” I say, my voice breaking a little.

I look away to push back that crippling emotion that suffocates me.

“And, um…” I continue, my gaze trailing down while his eyes stay on me.

A bitter chuckle falls from my lips.

“You were like infinite possibilities to me. You were everything I’d ever wanted. A man I never thought I’d crossed paths with. A man I had had one night with. I tried to make the best out of it, and after it happened… After you went home and realized we couldn’t stay connected via phone and messages, I had time to think about you and how you had made me feel. I felt bad after that first night, and I thought it was because I hadn’t been thinking clearly, but it wasn’t that at all. I felt bad I’d wasted my heart before you on something that had zero chance to work. At the same time, I knew that just because I liked you, it didn’t mean that you and I could be together. Luckily, I can tell you now something that would’ve sounded ludicrous back then. I wanted you. I wanted more than a hot night of passion from you. When you spent that night with me, you showed me so much more than I had expected, and I couldn’t remove the memory from my head. Once upon a time, I had a dream… And you had shown me that my dream was real.”

I pick up the glass and drown the last bit of tension in alcohol when his hand comes to mine.

I lift my gaze.

“I never thought otherwise.”

My lips part in surprise.

He smiles. A soft, nostalgic grin that makes my heart swell.

He brings my hand to his face and presses it against his cheek before sliding it to his lips.

“I knew a lot about you when I had laid my eyes on you for the first time. And later… When we had spent time together. You had a different feel. You looked at me differently. Your eyes talked to me. You were a real woman. I felt what you let out for me to see and what you held back. I was hooked on you the first time I touched you. I liked everything about you. Especially that you were ready to give everything to a man. And I thought… Someone before me had failed to see you. And someone after me might convince you to love him. And there I was… Having, I don’t know… Twelve hours or so to convince you I’m the one for you?”

His soft laugh makes me smile.

“You didn’t,” I say quietly.

Incredulously.

He nods.

“Yeah… It was one of the things that crossed my mind.”

“What were the others?”

“Uh… I didn’t want to startle you.”

“Startle me?”

He nods again.

“Yes. I didn’t want to come onto you too strongly.”

“And that explains the distance you put between us?”

He goes pensive.

“It wasn’t that. We both agreed we needed time to adjust and see if that thing had the slightest chance to work.”

“So you’re saying…?”

Our eyes meet again while he squeezes my hand slightly.

“We’ve already put in the time. That’s why your plan to take it easy has already failed.”