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"Max," I whimper, tears pricking at the corners of my eyes. I bury my head in his neck so he doesn't see them.
Max grunts and starts fucking into me harder, his breathing getting more labored with each stroke.
"E-Emily, I'm gonna come."
I meet his thrusts, my core pulsing around his cock as my body starts to convulse with pleasure.
The moment we both start to come, we are falling, tumbling through the sky together, united and lost amongst the stars, and as we quake around each other, I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that I've found something more than a lover in Max.
I've found my soulmate.
CHAPTER11
Emily
The wind blows gentlythrough my hair, tickling my cheeks as I walk down the street. The rhythmic click of my heels on the pavement accompanies me like a metronome, keeping time with the beat of my heart. Though the sun is setting, a lingering warmth still remains in the air, a nostalgic reminder of the summer days that have long since passed.
"Emily!"
The sound of my name interrupts my thoughts. I turn to see Carter approaching, his stride confident yet somehow hesitant. Concern etches itself across his handsome features, and I can't help but feel a flutter of curiosity mixed with apprehension.
"Hey, Carter," I respond, my voice steady despite the uneasiness creeping up my spine. "Is everything alright?"
His warm brown eyes search mine for a moment, as if gauging whether or not to speak, before he finally breaks the silence. "I thought you should know, Emily...I've seen Max watching you."
My heart skips a beat at the mention of Max's name, the image of his piercing green eyes and shy smile flashing through my mind. The passion we shared last night...
“Oka-ay…” I drag out the word, my confusion evident.
“No, Emily, I mean I’ve seen himwatchingyou—like creepy psycho watching you.”
A surge of emotions courses through me. Disbelief, confusion, betrayal,hurt.
The rhythmic clicking of my heels against the pavement suddenly seems jagged and discordant. "What do you mean?" I ask.
Carter sighs, clearly struggling with whether to share his concerns. "I've seen him lurking around outside your apartment and the candy shop, always keeping an eye on you. It's like he's constantly monitoring your every move, and it worries me."
The words hit me like a tidal wave, threatening to drown me in their implications. My eyes widen as shock courses through me, making my heart race. The image of Max, always so gentle and endearing, stalking me like a predator preys on its victim sends shivers down my spine.
"Are you sure?" I whisper, hoping against hope that there's been some kind of mistake. "Maybe he's just...I don't know, concerned about something else? A group of men did just try to attack me." I try to defend Max—both to Carter and my mind.
"Another time," Carter continues, "I was out for a run, and I saw him sitting in his car near your apartment, taking notes or something. It looked like he had a whole file on you, Emily. That's when I knew I had to say something."
My stomach churns, thoughts swirling together like a whirlpool threatening to pull me under. How could Max keep this from me? I thought we were building a foundation of trust, brick by brick, but now it seems like our castle was made of sand, ready to collapse beneath the tide.
As Carter reveals more of Max's clandestine actions, my heart hammers in my chest like a wild bird trapped in a cage. The severity of Max's behavior dawns on me with each sickening detail. He's morphed from the guy who would catch me when I fell to the lurking shadow that silently stalks my every move.
"Emily, he's been watching you for weeks," Carter says, his voice a thread of silk barely holding together against the weight of his concern. "He's been outside your apartment at night, taking photos...he's even followed you to work."
Max pulls out a packet and hands it to me. I open it and shift through the photos of Max watching me.
While Max was watching me, Carter was apparently watching him.
My hands begin to shake like trembling autumn leaves, the shock of this revelation uprooting everything I thought I knew about Max. My breathing grows shallow, as though trying to draw air through a pinhole.
"Are you alright?" Carter asks, his eyes reflecting the storm of emotions swirling within me.
I nod, but the motion feels hollow and unconvincing. My thoughts scatter like dandelion seeds on the wind, refusing to be corralled into coherence. How could I have missed the signs? Had I been so blind to the cracks beneath Max's seemingly tender exterior?
