The Invisible Woman Ch. 09

The world stopped moving around them as they held onto each other, everything except the feeling of her body against his dissolved, becoming a blur. The smell of her hair tickled his nostrils and he could feel her heart beating against his abdomen.

He had no idea how long they stood there. Time became as slippery as their surroundings, all fading into oblivion. She calmed her breathing and loosened her grip, peeling away from him. He felt like he was losing a limb.

"Let's go drown our woes in personal bests, shall we?" she said, managing a small genuine smile.

He smiled back.

"A woman after my own heart," he said.

He kept his arm around her shoulder, not wanting to break contact and lead her into the gym. Only then did he notice Andrea, sitting in a chair across the lobby. Observing them, she gave a slight, approving nod and went back to her shake.

***

Max grunted fiercely as she pushed to straighten herself up holding 250 lbs on her back. She racked the bar and Jack cheered.

Clapping her on the back, he said, "Yes mam. You did it the entire set. Hell yeah

Max was beaming broadly. Whatever demons had entered the gym with her were quelled. At least for a moment. She broke into a ridiculous dance that involved a lot of joyful finger pointing and knee wobbling. Jack burst out laughing.

"What the hell is that?"

She grinned and kept going. "It's the victory dance I patented in grade school when I played soccer. You know you're digging it. I can totally see it in your eyes."

He watched her absurd dance and damned it if she wasn't right. "Yeah actually. I kinda do."

Max slowly stopped and just looked at him.

"I left Geoff today," she said earnestly.

His body flared with endorphins. He wanted to grab her, to kiss her, to take her back to his place and fuck her until next week, but there was so much sadness in her eyes, he knew she hadn't left Geoff for him. Jack steeled himself against his urges and calmly waited, allowing her the freedom to continue if she chose.

"Are you ok?" he asked, careful not to let jubilation sneak into his voice.

She shook her head.

"But I will be," she said, smiling sadly. "I'm mad, and I'm hurt and I'm humiliated."

She paused and looked into Jack's eyes. "I'm also a bit relieved, which is a feeling I didn't expect."

Jack's heart soared. He knew this wasn't the time to make his move, but he had hope that he now could one day. He could actually kiss her and touch her and — his thoughts ran off and he had to pull himself together.

"I have no advice for you, but why don't you come to my place since we're done here? We'll have a drink. We can talk about it, if you want. Or we can talk about something completely different. Or we could play boggle. I love boggle."

Max smiled and nodded. "I'd like that."

***

Max pulled into the driveway behind Jack. Having taken the time to shower and change, her hair hung in damp, curly chaos. She wore no makeup and was dressed in loose sweatpants and her favourite slouchy. He assumed she was trying to make a statement that this was not a sexy date, but this was probably the sexiest she'd ever looked. Her pants hung low on her hips, as though staying up by magic on the curve of her ass. The sweater was short, exposing about two inches of her midline and all of one shoulder.

He held the door for her and nearly made an ass of himself by sniffing her hair. It smelled like roses. They were barely in the door when Jack's big golden lab came barreling towards them, nearly knocking Max over with his excitement.

"Gumbo, back off, buddy. You're going to knock her over, you big goofball," Jack said as he got down and gave the big lug a petting. "Yeah, I missed you too buddy."

Max recovered from her surprise and squatted down, her legs wobbly from the work out. She cupped Gumbo's big, happy face in her hands.

"Hello handsome. You were just excited to meet me, huh? Oh my gosh, look at your face. You're such a good boy." She scratched his ears once more before straightening up.

Satiated for now, the dog retreated to his spot on the love seat and watched them from afar

"Wine or beer?" Jack asked.

The sight of Max in his living room was incredible. He never thought he'd see her here.

"Wine please," she replied politely, as she explored his living space.

He decided to grab the Ramon Bilbao rioja. He didn't know a ton about wine, but he knew he liked this one and he wanted to impress her. He carried the bottle and glasses to the coffee table and poured.

He started a small fire in the fireplace while she got acquainted with the room. She was checking out his art. It was a large canvas of a photo in the woods with textures and encaustic wax.

He brought her her glass and stood beside her as she admired it,

"I love this," she said genuinely, reaching her hand out to touch the texture. "It's so peaceful."

"Thank you," he said, sipping his wine. "I made it in 3rd year."

She looked at him, surprised.

"You did not!" she accused.

He chuckled. "Yeah, I did. I took a visual arts class to fill in some credits and ended up really loving it. I haven't created anything in a while, mind you, but I still have my workshop."

Max rolled her eyes playfully,

"Anything else, Dr. Carmichael? Anymore secret talents that will come up later on?"

He took another sip. "There are many, of course. I'm the most incredible man alive."

She looked from the picture to him and mumbled, "and humble to boot."

She shrugged her bare shoulder as took a sip.

"This is excellent, " she said, admiring the wine. "Add wine connoisseur to the list I suppose."

"Not at all. I just know what I like the taste of. My expertise ends there."

"Me too." she admitted. "{Hey, you promised boggle."

Jack cocked his eyebrow and put down his wine.

"Hope you're ready to get spanked." he said, as he went to a solid wood armoire on the opposite end of the living room.

Max's cheeks flushed crimson and she took a sip to cover her reaction.

Jack gave a carnal grin. "I mean at boggle of course. I'm the Carmichael reigning champ. We have a tournament every Christmas. Although, I'll happily administer any type of spanking, you're into."

Max's cheeks another shade deeper as she finished her wine.

Jack set up the game and refilled her glass. Grabbing some oversized cushions, he set them up on the floor on opposite sides of the coffee table and they both sat on the floor pens in hand. After a few rounds and a few glasses of wine they were both in hysterics.

"No way. Nuh uh, that is not a word! It's a phony," Max said through her laughter. "Smeat? Get outta here with that "

Jack could barely talk, he was laughing so hard. "It definitely is. It's a spreadable meat. It's a popular culture thing. Hold on."

He got to his feet and left the room, heading to his bedroom. He rummaged in his drawer until he found it.

He returned triumphantly, wearing a shirt with a bright yellow can similar to the spam can. It said "smeat" across it, in big bold letters. Max keeled over laughing, as Jack stood there proudly in his too tight, ratty smeat shirt.

He grabbed another bottle of wine and poured them both generous glasses. Max was finally able to sit up, but couldn't look at him without breaking into giggles.

"Ok, ok. I concede you are the boggle master," she said, wiping her eyes.

Jack stood and took an elaborate bow that ended with an extended hand to help her up. He motioned to the couch, and she sat at one end, curling her legs under her and facing him as he sat at the other end. She took a sip of wine and her eyes, tipsy and dancing with humour, met his.

"Thanks for inviting me," she said, tilting her glass to him.

He returned the gesture.

"I would have invited you the day I met you," he replied.

Max regarded him from across the couch, cradling her glass. "I would have declined."

He laughed. "I know. That's why I didn't. You're here now though, and I'm happy."

She tilted her head to the side, a touch of sadness creeping into the edges of her ocean blue eyes. "I'm not ready to move forward, Jack,"

He nodded. "I know."

They looked at each other across the three feet that separated them, understanding each other, with little need for words. She finally looked away.

"He was cheating on me."

"I know," he replied.

Her eyes shot back to his, surprised.

"You knew?!" she exclaimed.

Jack shrugged. "I should say, I suspected. The way he grilled me that day at the gym. He was insecure and worried about my relationship with you. The marks of an unfaithful man."

She stared at him. "That's why you came for that massage the day after?"

He nodded. "I accepted staying away, thinking you were happily married. When I realized that might not be the case, I changed my position. I'm not going to rush you, Max. I meant that. However, I am absolutely interested in you. Romantically, emotionally and sexually."

Their eyes stayed connected as his very honest declaration simmered between them.

Max's eyes trailed down, and breaking the spell, she started giggling. He realized that she was looking at his shirt.

"I'm sorry," she giggled. "I just can't take you seriously while you're wearing that thing."

Jack leaned forward, placed his wine glass on the table, and he pulled the shirt up over his head, revealing an incredible landscape of muscles beneath. Max stopped giggling. Jack thought she nearly stopped breathing. Jack's veins hummed when she looked at him that way. He picked up his glass and moved to the middle of the couch. He drained the glass, then took her legs and scooped them up onto his lap. Max watched him, her breathing shallow. He took her foot and started massaging it. She smiled.

"You're pretty good at that you know," she said, leaning back on the couch dreamily.

"We learn some massage in sports medicine,"

She watched him as he worked his thumbs and fingers diligently over her feet. He then trailed his fingers lightly up to her ankle and raised the cuff of her pants to her knee, delicately touching her skin. He could feel her skin break into goosebumps under his fingers, and he had to control his urge to go higher. Wrapping his fingers around her calf, he pressed into the firm tissue, working in circles, exploring her bare flesh for the first time.

It was insane. How was it possible for a man who dealt with human bodies all day to feel so high when he touched hers? Like their skin was made of magnets. Max moaned softly her eyes closing. Jack continued, watching her relax deeper before eventually moving to the other foot. Jack was addicted to the feeling of her. He looked up to her face to see that she had opened her eyes and was watching him. She took her final sip of her wine.

"What is it about you that makes every single touch reverberate in every nerve?" She asked.

Jack shook his head, still holding her foot.

"I have no idea. I crave it though. Touching you. Being near you. I've never experienced anything this addictive before."

Max watched him thoughtfully before sighing and pulling her feet out of his lap.

"It's getting late. I should probably go. I'll call an Uber and grab my car tomorrow." She sat forward, stretching her arms above her head, her sweater rising up to expose more of her beautiful skin.

The feeling of intense loss filled him at the thought of her leaving.

"Stay." he said simply.

She turned, her wild curls creating a halo around her. Her lips parted and then closed again as though she couldn't find an answer.

"I have a guest room. You are more than welcome to stay in my bed with me, of course, but that's not my intention by inviting you to stay. It's late. There is no need for you to splurge on a hotel room when you're already here."

Max eyed him cautiously, perched on the edge of the couch as if ready to bolt.

"Okay" she said, as though she saw some confirmation on his face that there was no expectation of anything beyond friendship if she stayed.

Jack smiled, genuinely thrilled at the idea of this sleepover. Max was sitting on the edge of the couch not seeming to know what to do.

"Since you're staying, would you like another glass of wine or are you ready to get some sleep? I won't be offended if you want to get some rest."

Max pondered the question before replying, "I'm off tomorrow. My only plans are meeting you at the gym at noon. Fill me up, sir."

Jack grinned at the idea and poured them each another glass. He leaned back into the couch and Max did the same, their feet up in front of them on the coffee table, watching the fire crackle. She was close to him now, their arms only an inch apart. His entire left side was bristling with the electricity she seemed to emit.

They sat in companionable silence, neither feeling the urge to fill it with small talk. Max shifted slightly and lay her head on his shoulder. The scent of roses wafted up to him and he inhaled deeply, shifting to bring his arm up and around her, allowing her to get more comfortable. His hand rested on her ribcage, right below her breast. Her hair tickled his bare chest. He pulled her gently closer, breathing her in, enjoying the sensations in his body as her body nestled into his. He brought his hand up and smoothed her hair out of her face.

Pressing his lips the top of her head, he closed his eyes. In this moment, he was in complete bliss.

As he stroked her hair, her breathing began to even out and he gently removed the wine glass from her hand as she settled into a peaceful sleep. He reveled in this moment of closeness with her for a while longer, enjoying the feeling of her sleeping body spooned into his own.

He considered sleeping here on the couch with her, but he'd promised her the guest bed and didn't want her to wake up with any regrets. He took his last sip of wine and in one graceful movement, slipped his left arm under her legs, gathered her to his chest and stood up. She stirred slightly, but quieted again as he took long strides down the hall. He placed her gently onto the bed and her body curled up like a prawn being placed in a hot pan. He smiled and kissed her cheek as he tucked her in, then forced himself to leave.

He walked down to his bedroom and entered his en-suite bathroom. Turning on the shower, he slipped off his pants and boxer briefs, his cock springing free. It had become erect when Max's hair had tickled his chest and with her body in contact with his he hadn't been able to get it to go down. He hadn't had this little control of his boners since 9th grade.

Stepping into the rainfall shower, he turned on the Swedish body sprays and grabbed the soap. He generously lathered himself, imagining for a moment that Max was with him in the shower, her hands lathering him in soap instead.

The thought of her naked and wet in here with him was almost too much. He slid his sudsy hand down and stroked his cock a few times. He imagined it was Max's hand, and he was kissing her. He'd been dying to kiss her, her perfect pouty lips. What would it feel like to finally touch his lips to them, to suck on them gently, to taste her. His hand moved swiftly up and down as he fantasized about what her breasts would look like. They were gorgeous and full in her clothes. He imagined she probably had pink nipples. What it would feel like to grab her breast in this shower? He could practically feel her nipples hardening. His balls tightened as he stroked harder. He imagined sliding his hand down to her naked pussy and finding it wet with anticipation. He imagined sliding a finger in and having her clamp around it. He groaned loudly as he thrust into his hand, cumming all over the tiled wall. Holy fuck he had it bad. He was falling, and hard.