Page 92 of Not Until I Found You

I return my attention to my sandwich and take a bite as I try to rein in where my mind wants to go. But I also don’t move from my stool that’s close enough to her that our knees brush together. I pretend to focus on my food instead of watching her lick her fingers. I definitely ignore the low tug in the pit of my stomach when she lets out a faint moan as she takes another bite and then sips her drink. It’s the shoulder shimmy that finally does it for me, though.

As soon as she sets her can down, I lean over and kiss her again, her half-eaten sandwich clattering onto the plate. My fingers weave through her hair until I cup the back of her head and bring her closer to me. She tastes like peanut butter and sugar and all my dreams coming true.

Sven barks and jumps onto me, practically pulling us apart, and causes a ripple of laughter out of us. I point my finger at him, and he blinks at me, unfazed by my silent scolding. Maxinne reaches over and gives Sven a scratch behind his ears.

“Don’t reward him for breaking up our moment.”

“You can’t be upset with him.” She looks at Sven and then continues to baby-talk him. “He’s just a little jealous.”

Sven closes his eyes as she scratches his chin, and I can’t believe that I’m actually a little jealous of my own dog. He’s supposed to be my companion, but I see his true motives now. He wants to steal Maxinne’s attention from me. I narrow my eyes at him, which only gets her to laugh.

“I take that back.” She smirks, looking between us. “Maybe you’re the jealous one.”

I swallow. I want to kiss that smirk clean off her beautiful face.

“Of course I am. He’s trying to steal you away from me.”

To my surprise, she releases her hold on Sven and slides off her stool. She steps toward me, one slow step, and then another, until she’s standing between my knees, close enough that I can feel the warmth of her legs, causing my breath to catch.

She lifts her hands to cup my face, her palms soft against my jaw, and I go completely still. I’m scared that one wrong move might shatter this moment. She tugs my face toward hers, agonizingly slow, until I’m close enough to smell the maple syrup on her breath.

I know, with absolute certainty, that Maxinne has ruined this sandwich for me forever. No longer will I be able to think about my sweet grandmother making it for Ryland and me. I will forever think of this moment with her.

My eyelids flutter closed, and the tips of our noses brush as her breaths pick up. My heart pounds against my ribs right as her lips pause in front of mine. Then, I feel the lightest touch, and I put my hands on her hips to pull her closer. But she doesn’t yield. Instead, her lips are like a whisper against mine, touching but not quite kissing.

“I think you and I both know by now that I’m all yours.”

And for the third time this evening, Maxinne completely destroys my control.

My mouth fuses onto hers, and there’s nothing that could have prepared me for this. For the way her curves fit against me like they were always meant to. Or the way she responds to me without hesitation. How she leads the kiss, even though I’m the one who started it.

I pull my mouth away long enough to trail kisses along her jaw, leaving a maple-sticky trail down the smooth line of her neck. This kiss is hot enough to melt us together. All of the tension we’ve built since she’s been in Covewood syncs up perfectly in an intricate dance of kissing, nibbling, smiling, and laughing.

She mumbles something against my lips that I can’t quite catch, her fingers scraping gently at my scalp before sliding down my neck and across my shoulders. I want to ask what she said. I really do. But my thoughts have completely short-circuited.

Her palm cups my cheek, thumb brushing along my skin, and an involuntary sigh leaves from my chest. I pull back enough to rest my forehead against hers, our breaths tangling together.

I haven’t felt this happy in such a long time. Honestly, I don’t remember ever feeling this way before.

“Max,” I breathe.

Every slow exhale from her warms my lips, and all at once, the weight of my emotions settles over me. It’s not just this kiss or this moment. It’s everything. It’s every moment with her.

In the past, I might have called this a coincidence, but I don’t think I can now. Not after all the prayers and all the ways God has shown up when I least expected Him to. Especially not after watching Him heal pieces of both of us this summer. God wasn’t only working in our individual stories, but He was weaving them together all along. The thought is almost too much to comprehend.

Needing some air and space to sort through my thoughts, I pull back. She steps away until she’s perched on the stool again. For a second, neither of us speaks. She lifts her hand, thumb brushing across her lips, a dazed smile tugging at the corner of her mouth.

“Wow,” she whispers.

“Wow,” I echo, because it’s the only word that even comes close to what kissing her is like.

“I, uh… I didn’t expect the night to go this way.”

She lets out a soft laugh, shaking her head as she meets my gaze. “Me either.”

I swallow, the words falling from my mouth before I can stop them. “If I’m being honest, I didn’t even know I could have”—I gesture loosely between my heart and hers—“this again.”

Her smile fades a little, her brows knitting together as she studies me. “What do you mean?”