Predators MC: Stand Off Part 18

"Why aren't you in school?" Casey asked, breaking the silence.

Maxie played nervously with the hem of her skirt. "I sneaked out. I pretended to be sick, and when the teacher sent me to the nurse, I left."

"Why?"

"I was meeting someone."

"Who?" Casey had a feeling she knew the answer.

"Fisher."

"Is he your girlfriend's brother?"

Maxie nodded. "He waited for me at the corner. We were just supposed to have lunch together, but he pulled behind the mall." The girl covered her face with her hands.

Casey's hands tightened on the steering wheel. Keeping her voice matter-of-fact, she asked a question that needed to be asked. "Did anything happen?"

Maxie shook her head. "No. When he tried to kiss me, I jumped out of the car. He got out and called me names, so I ran around the front and saw the bus stop." She began crying harder. "He just left me there. I saw him drive away without looking back."

"Are you sure that's all that happened?"

"Yes. I thought we were just going to have lunch. I swear, Casey. Please don't tell my dad. He'll be so mad at me."

Casey wrestled with the decision. "I'm not going to tell him, but I think you should. Do you want to be constantly worried that he'll find out? What if the school has already called your parents? Lying will only make it worse. It's not easy to keep secrets, Maxie. They steal from you, and you become more fearful than actually facing the consequences."

Maxie quit crying. "I'll tell him after dinner. That way, it will be too late for him to go after Fisher."

Casey didn't want to tell her that she didn't think that was going to make a difference to Max, so she remained silent.

"Can I ask you a question?" Maxie asked, her eyes down on her lap.

"Depends on what it is."

"Fisher called me a tease, said I led him on. Do you think...?"

"No," Casey answered firmly. "I don't. I think you trusted him, and it was misplaced."

"I knew it was wrong sneaking out, but he makes me feel good inside. I wanted to kiss him, but I got scared. Maybe I did tease him," she admitted miserably.

"Maxie, this is a talk you need to have with your mother."

"She'll get all crazy because I talked about kissing a boy. She thinks I'm too young to want to kiss. Most of my friends have done more than kissing... I just wanted to see how it felt."

"Things are the same now as when your mother was your age." Maxie started to interrupt, but Casey didn't give her the time. "It is, Maxie. Boys will always pressure girls to give them s.e.x, and other girls will tell you what they've done to make themselves feel better."

"Why?"

"I don't know. I've known a lot of women who lost their virginity and regretted who it was with or the timing, but I haven't heard anyone regret keeping it until the time was right. Do you really want to remember Fisher for the rest of your life for giving you your first kiss?"

"G.o.d, no. I hate him."

"You will always remember your first. It's up to you to decide if they're special enough for that privilege."

"Was yours?"

"Yes. He's very special to me. The night wasn't perfect, and I did it for all the wrong reasons, but if I still remember him when I'm ninety, I won't feel bad about it."

Maxie looked out the window. "You really remember your first kiss?"

"Do you remember a special present your parents gave you?"

"Dad gave me a sweater that I begged Mom for. I wore it until I outgrew it. I still have it in my drawer."

"I bet you remember exactly how it felt when Max gave it to you, what it looks like, how it felt when you wore it for the first time. You think a sweater is more important than your first kiss?"

Maxie's eyes widened. "I almost messed up, didn't I?"

"Maxie, it could have turned out much worse. Nightmares don't always start with ugliness. The ones that torment us the most are the ones we weren't smart enough to avoid."

"I won't do it again."

"Please don't, Maxie. You're a sweet girl, and I would hate for something bad to happen that could ruin something that's meant to be so beautiful."

Casey brought the car to a stop in front of the school, and Maxie got out. "Thanks, Casey."

"You're welcome."

She watched her walk inside the school before driving back to the bank. She was ten minutes late by the time she shoved her perishables into the refrigerator in the break room.

The rest of the day was spent waiting on customers, her hand constantly picking up the phone to call Max. Feeling guilty, she wanted to call and tell him about Maxie skipping school, but she couldn't bring herself to break the girl's confidence. If Maxie didn't tell him tonight, she would tell him herself.

Feeling better about coming to a decision, the day went much smoother. After work, she grabbed her groceries and was one of the first ones waiting to leave.

Jack noticed her impatience when several employees lagged behind.

"Hot date?"

She keyed in the code. "More like a firing squad. I'm afraid I've done something to make him really mad. I'm hoping a good dinner will keep him calm."

"Make him dessert. Whenever my wife does something she shouldn't do, she makes me a chocolate cake," Jack advised.

Casey went to her car. If she hurried, she could stop at the bakery on the way to Max's. She was going to buy him the biggest chocolate cake in the store. That way, he would be too full to kill Fisher.

When she pointed to the cake she wanted in the display case, the woman hesitated, asking if she was having a party.

"No," Casey said impatiently.

"This one is twenty-four servings. I have a smaller one that serves twelve."

"Give me the one for twenty-four, and give me a couple of vanilla cupcakes."

When the salesgirl gave her a knowing look, Casey guessed she and Jack's wife weren't the only ones who used chocolate cake as a deterrent to murder.

Dinner was ready when Max entered with his kids, and they stared at the food on the table. All the children except Maxie jumped up and down in excitement when they saw the large cake sitting on the counter. While her eyes said a silent thank you, Casey gave her an encouraging smile as she directed everyone to sit.

The boys and Max filled their plates high with the mashed potatoes and meatloaf, ignoring the broccoli.

"This is great! None of Dad's other girlfriends made us dinner," Maxim spoke with his mouth full, wincing and crying out in pain a second later.

"Why did you kick me?" he asked his sister.

"Because you shouldn't talk about Dad's other girlfriends in front of Casey. It's rude. You could hurt her feelings!"

Casey broke into the burgeoning fight. "It's okay, Maxie. I know your dad has had a lot of girlfriends."

Max kept eating, his eyes staring into hers in amus.e.m.e.nt. She was tempted to stick her tongue out at him, but she didn't want to set a bad example.

"See, she knows Dad's a horn-dog."

Max choked on his food, while Casey almost spilled her gla.s.s of water.

"You're not supposed to say that!" Maxie reprimanded him before his father could.

"Why? That's what Mom calls him."

"Eat your dinner. I'll have a talk with your mother when I take you home tomorrow," Max said grimly.

Maxim looked stricken that his father and mother would get into an argument.

"How about we finish dinner so I can cut the cake?" Casey gave Max a warning glare as she cut him another slice of meatloaf and more potatoes. "Eat up." If she was lucky, he would eat himself into a food coma.

They ate their dessert in the living room while they played video games.

She was about to take the last bite of cupcake when Max reached over, pulling her hand to his mouth.

"How come you're the only one who got a cupcake?"

"Because I like vanilla more than chocolate." Max took the bite from her hand, licking off the small bit of vanilla that was left on her fingers.

"Jeez, Dad. That's gross," Randy said, sitting down on his dad's lap.

Max winced, shifting his son to one of his thighs.

"I'll remind you of that in about twenty years." Max smiled, wrestling with his son.

"It won't be that long," Maxton said, concentrating on the video game. "He already has a girlfriend."

Max straightened to look down at his innocent son. "You have a girlfriend?"

"Her name is Sofia," Randy admitted with shining eyes.

"Like father, like son." Casey burst out laughing, almost dropping the controller.

"G.o.d, let's hope not."

"Dad, she's cheating," Maxton complained.

"Another one takes after you. Sore losers must run in the family gene pool," Casey taunted.

"She didn't even have the map, and she found the crown."

"Because I'm good." Casey sank back against the couch.

"Now the boys have to do the dinner dishes," Maxie whooped, bringing the red faces of the boys to her. Their sister stood. "Come on, I'll help you." The four children went into the kitchen.

"You're going to trust them to do the dishes?"

"Yep," Max said, lifting her onto his lap.

"You're not going to help them?"

"Nope." He teased her neck with small kisses.

"You have to help them at least put the food away. It was the girls against the boys. You're a boy, so you have to help."

Max lifted his hips, pressing his c.o.c.k against her a.s.s. "You staying the night?"

"No, I told you I don't like staying when your kids are here."

"Then I'm not helping."

"Are you trying to blackmail me?"

"Is it working?" he murmured seductively.

"A little bit," Casey admitted, lying back against his chest.

"I'll sneak you out before they wake up," he promised, his hand sliding up her thigh under her dress.

Casey jumped up, walking toward the kitchen.

"Where are you going?"

"To help the kids. Have another slice or two of cake."

"You going to stay?"