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We get back on his bike, cruising along at a more leisurely pace than when we left my condo, like he’s prolonging whatever time we have together. I rest my cheek against his back and snuggle closer.
At a red light, a car pulls alongside us with the windows down. Loud music and laughter filter out into the open air.
“Damn, Liam, check out the hot piece of ass sitting right next to us,” a male voice yells over the music.
Maceo’s head snaps to the car, and I’m suddenly fearful for the young men in the vehicle. I need to diffuse the situation quickly.
“Sorry, boys,” I say loud enough for them to hear me. I slap my hand down on Maceo’s shoulder and give him a big squeeze. “But this hot piece of ass is mine. You’ll have to find another man.”
Maceo breaks out into hysterics. The guys next to us stare, dumbstruck. Before they can comment, Maceo’s gunning his bike down the road.
We drive on ‘till he’s pulling us over to a cliff edge overlooking the city. He gets off his bike and practically lifts me from it, setting me gently on my feet. Hand in hand, we walk to the edge to take in the view. I look out over the vastness in front of me and sigh.
“Beautiful,” I mumble.
“I couldn’t agree more,” Maceo says.
I turn my head to look at him, but he’s already staring at me, his free hand covering his chest where his heart is. He’s too damn handsome for words.
Maceo leans down to kiss me and I meet him a little less than half-way, on my tippy toes. Our height difference would be an issue, but he snakes his muscled arms around me to lift me up to him, and I wrap my arms around his neck. I want to go all in, but I pull away.
“Why are you holding back, Josephine? What is it?” he asks, rubbing his nose and forehead against mine.
“A lot,” I confess.
Maceo sets me back down. “Talk to me.”
I shake my head. “I don’t know if I can explain it in a way that makes any sense.”
He pulls me against his chest and kisses the top of my head. “Try me.”
I take a deep lungful of air. “This morning, what we did, I’ve never—I don’t have sex with strangers. I have no idea what you’re thinking of me because of it.”
“I would never fucking judge you, Josephine. I’m the last person to judge anyone. Don’t forget I was as involved as you were,” he mumbles against my hair.
I sigh. “But everyone else would judge what we did. I can’t help but feel ashamed.”
“No. Stop right there. No one needs to know what happened between us because it’soursand no one else’s. And who gives a fuck what other people think? That’s society putting ideas in your head about what they want normal to be. You need to get over this hang-up, baby. People are going to be judging you the rest of your life. Are you going to let this shit hold you back from what you want in life? Let me ask you something. Did you want me this morning?”
“Yes.”
“Did you enjoy it?”
“Yes.”
“Looking back on it, would you change anything that happened between us?”
“No.”
He gives me a gentle squeeze. “Own that shit, Pixie. You saw what you wanted, and you fucking took it like a boss. You enjoyed it and wouldn’t change a thing about it. You took a chance and that’s more than what the majority of this fucked up world can admit to. There’s no shame in taking what you desire as long as you didn’t hurt anyone in the process. I’m fucking thankful you took a chance on me.”
Tears stream down my face as I absorb his words and the freedom they offer. But there’s more where those doubts hide.
“Pixie, why’re you tensing up?” He pulls me away from his chest to look into my eyes, wiping away the moisture on my face with his big thumbs. “Is it the ex? Is he harassing you? Fuck, do you still have feelings for him?” he asks, panic laced in his voice.
“No,” I shake my head roughly. “Whatever feelings I had for him died the day he decided a promotion was more important than me. And no, he’s not harassing me. Well, he has, but it’s been a week or two. It’s not him, but me and my hang-ups on getting hurt again.”
Maceo cups my face in his rough palms and raises ‘till I’m looking into his dark eyes. “Pixie, I don’t want to hurt you. Can we just see where this leads?”
