Page 27 of Waiting for Sunshine

When we reach the top we are met with a wide open, empty space. It’s still a little bit dusty since I didn’t exactly have time to deep clean the place after moving the shit ton of boxes out of the way. I flip the switch that turns the overhead lights on, illuminating the large space. The sunbeams are casting a little extra light from the circular window on the east side of the building.

“Whaaat are we doing here?” Shane asks, eyes wild with curiosity. I clear my throat and wipe my hands down my dusty jeans.

“Well. Last night, you mentioned that you didn’t have anywhere to paint.” I say.

“Right…” she answers warily.

“I wanted to offer you this space.” I hold my hands out to the wide-open room we are standing in.

“I mean, it’s not much but it’s just been housing boxes for the last couple of years and I finally moved those. So now, it will either remain empty, or you can use this as your own little studio. Whatever you want.” I offer. She looks around the room, and her eyes glisten from the tears welling inside.

“You’re just. Giving me a room above your bar. So I can paint?” she asks.

“Well… Yeah. It’s no big deal, I just – wanted you to have someplace to put that creativity to use.” I shrug. She turns to face me straight away, her fingers covering her pouty pink lips. She moves them to wipe a tear that has fallen, and I realize…this was a much bigger deal to her than I imagined.

“When I was with Pete, he had plenty of space in his house for me to set up a canvas somewhere to work. Several spaces, actually. But he told me not to because he didn’t want me to get paint on anything and ruin it,” she scoffs. “A true romantic, that one.” Her head dips in embarrassment, but I take a step closer to her, and lift her chin so she’s looking right at me. I place my hand around her neck, my thumb feeling her pulse and the rest of my fingers resting at the base of her ponytail.

“Sunshine, you can paint the walls, the floor, the ceiling, or even the window. I don’t give a damn. All of this is yours to destroy, I only need one thing from you.”

“Anything,” she says.

“Don’t mention that dickhead ex-boyfriend of yours anymore,” I demand.

“Why?” she asks as her eyes go wide.

“Because every time I hear how shitty he was to you, I get the mind to show you how youshouldbe treated so that you’ll never settle for less. But that’s something I can’t do right now.” I feel her swallow hard beneath my grip.

“Why not?” she asks again, looking at my lips while biting the inside of her own.

“Tell me you won’t mention his name again,” I repeat. She nods in agreement.

“I won’t” her voice is mouse-like.

“Good.” I turn to walk downstairs leaving her to enjoy her new space. I stop when I hear her call after me.

“Max,” she starts taking steps towards me and wraps her arms around me. I take her small waist in my arms and breathe all of her lavender goodness in.

“Thank you, so much. This really means a lot.” She says, pulling away again.

“No problem, Sunshine. Glad you like it.” I say, turning to head back down the stairs.

It takes every bit of my self-control not to absolutely ruin every inch of that storage space with her. Everything about her has me feeling things I’ve never felt, and doing things I’ve never done. I just won’t let myself give into these feelings, or urges, whatever the hell they are. Shit if I don’t even know what I’m feeling, I definitely don’t need to act on it yet.

CHAPTER13

SHANE

Max Mullins keeps surprisingme in the most unbelievable ways. The first day I met him his eyes held a sadness behind them and everything about him seemed grumpy. But little by little, I’m seeing more to him than grump. He’s protective on instinct, he treats his employees well, he loves Tucker and Tank like brothers, and he’s dealt with Taylor on multiple occasions and is still standing, so that says a lot. But outside of how he is with everyone else. The way he is with me keeps my stomach fluttering almost constantly.

He rushed to my side during a panic attack, he offered to train me so I would feel safe, he stepped in when a customer got sloppy with me, and now – out of all the little things he’s done to make me low-key swoon over him, he gives me a studio space in his bar. Just because I mentioned not having anywhere to paint. I get the feeling I’m not the only one forming some sort of attachment here either. The comment he made when I mentioned Pete has lived in my head rent-free since he said it.

“Because every time I hear how shitty he was to you, I get the mind to show you how you should be treated so that you’ll never settle for less. But that’s something I can’t do right now.”

Repeat it about a thousand more times and you’d be where I’m at with it.

He looked sexy as hell that day too. He was still dirty from cleaning the room out, wearing dark jeans, a white t-shirt that hugged him perfectly around his chest and arms, and some sneakers. But the absolute panty dropper was the damn backward baseball hat.

Sexy.

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