Saving Max

Chapter 22

I wake up with the stars still shining, the sky a slightly less dark shade of black than it was when I first closed my eyes. Caden is rubbing his hands up and down my arms, whispering softly in my ear words I can't even make out. It's only then do I feel the wetness of my cheeks, and the salty taste clinging to my lips.

I've been crying. 

I stir and open my eyes, immediately locking them on Caden's big blue ones, concern hazing over them. "I'm sorry." I mumble, snuggling ever so slightly closer to him, his hands still rubbing up and down my arms in an attempt to calm me down. "I didn't even know I was crying." 

"It's okay." he murmurs, leaving a lingering kiss on my forehead, making my eyes fall closed, the action almost putting me back to sleep. "I couldn't sleep, so I was just lying awake and felt a tear hit my arm. I didn't want to wake you or anything, so I just held you until it stopped." 

I sigh, pushing off of him to sit up, running a hand through my tangled hair as I look down to my lap. Caden sits up with me, wrapping his arms around me from behind tightly, resting his chin on my shoulder as he leaves a few open mouth kisses on my neck, making me relax in his grip. Sure, it doesn't fix anything, but being with Caden always helps calm me down. 

I crave his touch every second of every day, and whenever I receive it I feel like I'm on a constant high, which, admittedly, does put me in a better place mentally. 

I let out a soft moan as he pulls me up onto his lap, his hands traveling up my shirt, their fiery trail sending a shiver up my spine. I turn around in his grip so that I'm facing him, pulling at his hair to bring his lips back to mine feverishly. He hums in content, making a lazy smile appear on my face as I lean my head back, exposing more of my neck to him. 

He gladly excepts me offer, leaving a trail of hot kisses down my neck and across my collarbone, nibbling at the sensitive skin that connects my neck and my shoulders. I moan loudly as he bites down rather hard, the pain bringing me an indescribable pleasure as he places light kisses over the skin he just assaulted. As his lips move back to my neck, I let my hands roam the taunt muscles of his stomach, slowly creeping under his shirt. As my cold fingers touch the warm skin right above his pants, he shivers, kissing even more hungrily against my neck, like he's dying and I'm the only thing that could save him. 

And I know what we're doing is stupid-I know it is, but I just can't find it in myself to stop. We both need a release, especially after the stressful night each of us had; and we both know we can find it in each other. For me, Caden is the only person that I want to be with every second of every day in every  goddamn way possible. I know that even with just a single touch, I'm done for. I'm his.

With everything that's weighing down on my mind, and all the pressure I've put on myself, all I want is a way to forget it all, even just for a little while. And I know that Caden is the only one who can make me do that. Who can make me forget. To let go. It's like everything he does makes me crazy, and everything he says to me, each word erases everything bad, replacing it with the high that only he can give me. And in these moments, it's like we're the only people in the entire world. 

It almost makes me feel like everything will be okay. 

"Bella." Caden mumbles, pushing my crazy, frizzy hair out of my face as he stares at me, now having stopped his addictive kisses on my neck, his eyes still shining with lust as they stare into mine. I move purposefully on top of him so that I rub against him in just the right spot, his hands immediately moving up to lock my hips in place, his eyes now hooded as he leans his forehead against mine. "You don't know what you do to me." he whispers huskily in my ear, sending a small shiver up my spine, my hands now tangled in his hair.