Somewhere In Between (18+)✔️

13|Use your words

The following chapter would contain mature themes intended for an 18+ audience.
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Somehow, she hadn't gotten a good look at his house the other time she had been here. She had been more focused on breathing slowly and spent most of the drive praying that Maxwell Tanner was not some form of serial killer. Now that she felt lighter with excitement, everything looked different. For one, she noticed the row of neatly trimmed flowers that led down the driveway, continued past the fountain and ended just before the short flight of stairs that led to wide double doors. The path was also well lit with gold florescent bulbs that reflected off the water pouring from the fountain ahead and the leaves of the plants beside her. Drey seemed to notice her fascination as he drove slowly. He came to a stop, not doing anything to open the garage doors.

Front door then, she thought as the man exited the car and came to open her door. "Thank you so much, Drey," she smiled at him.

"It was a pleasure, ma'am."

She nodded at him and grabbed her purse before smoothing down her warm coat. He got back into the car and pulled away, slowly heading out of the driveway. She watched him go before she got distracted by the row of plants. There was the light thud of footfalls coming from the direction of the house. Cadee swung her head to see the doors silently close shut on well-oiled hinges.

She would find time to actually inspect the flowers later, right now, her attention was solely focused on the man in front of her. He was barefoot and was in dark blue slacks and a matching shirt. The shirt was left unbuttoned and his usually perfect hair was falling into his eyes in an unruly mess. Her eyes dipped down to the well-muscled torso before she even realized it.

"The floors out here aren't heated, Cadence. You can stare at me all night, but let's do it inside," Max called, his deep voice propelling her to blink. He had that annoying smirk playing on his lips and she cursed herself for being easily distracted.

"Why are you even barefoot?" she asked, taking slow steps towards him. The floor was laid with smooth pebbles and she didn't want to risk her heels getting caught in them. It had been a while since she wore any shoes this high and she was sure that one misstep would send her tumbling to her death. If she didn't break her neck, she'd surely die from the embarrassment.

"I was in the middle of undressing when I heard Drey pull up," he drawled, tucking his hands into his slacks pockets.

She smiled, finally coming to the flight of stairs. Max strode down and met her on the fourth step. He placed a kiss on both of her cheeks before stepping back. Her stomach tightened and then plummeted, reminding her of the feeling she usually got when she was descending from high places with speed. The last time she had felt like that was when she had been twelve and had gone to a water park with her mom. She still remembered how her heart had soared as they hurtled down the 100-feet slide. Most kids had screamed in terror that day, but Cadee had been ecstatic.

He held the door open, shutting it quietly after she'd walked through. Her gaze immediately landed on the hallway and the garage door they'd passed through the other day. From where she stood, she could see some of the paintings that had been hidden and they immediately pulled her in, seeking her attention. She was promptly interrupted as Max laid his large palms on her shoulder, holding her in place. Her breath caught as he trailed his hands down her arms until their fingers touched. He went back up until he was cradling her waist from behind, his fingers slowly circling her. He slowly undid the buttons on her coat and she felt her heart beat faster. It skipped a few beats when he gently pushed the coat down her body and to the floor.