* * * * *
Max watched Anna’s rounded ass disappear behind her bathroom door and sighed. There was definitely something cooking in that beautiful head of hers. The play of emotions that had come and gone over her face had held him momentarily enthralled. Anna could always hide her feelings from him, but this one time, he had seen them. Fear, then doubt, then sadness so deep he could feel it down to his bones.
He ran his fingers through his hair. Frustration, beyond the sexual, coursed through him. What to do? Anna would definitely fight him if he confronted her. Or she would deny anything was wrong. He’d watched her with men over the years and knew for a fact she liked them dancing to her tune. Max refused to be one of her typical conquests. Sexual conquest, that was different. But Anna felt she needed to control the timing of the relationship. Heck, she controlled the tenor of the relationship. Max had never seen her emotionally connect with any of her boyfriends.
No, Max needed to make her understand this was beyond what she was used to. Unfortunately, telling her would only result in her pulling further away from him. He’d have to show her. Loving Anna wouldn’t be easy, but showing her would be tougher.
The sound of running water told him Anna was in the shower. The image of water trickling down her body, dripping from her nipples, sent a wave of heat straight to his dick. Max gritted his teeth and stood. That she could even think he would let her build a wall between them irritated him to no end. Max desperately wanted to grab her and shake her. Instead, he would love her body. He would show her in deed how much he needed her. How much she needed him. Taking a calming breath, he walked to the bathroom.
It was about time Anna learned he was around for keeps.
Chapter Six
Anna allowed the cool water to slide over her body, hoping it would relieve her fevered skin. Every molecule in her body urged her to join Max back in her bed, to submit to the need pulsing in her veins.
She sighed and picked up her lilac-scented soap. Nothing was going to help. Ice cold water, thinking about her ninth-grade algebra teacher…nothing turned her off when Max was lounging in her bed.
Her bed.
She closed her eyes. She would never forget the feeling of waking up next to him. Just thinking about it had her nipples so tight they ached. Anna soaped one breast, then the other.
“Do you need any help?”
Anna gasped and looked over her shoulder. Max held her shower curtain in one hand as he leaned against the tiled wall. She’d been so distracted by her thoughts, she hadn’t heard the bathroom door open and close. His sexy smile deepened as his gaze traveled down her body, then back up, lingering on her ass. Every nerve ending in her body tingled. All he had to do was look at her, smile, and Anna was ready to jump his bones. Lord, she was really pathetic.
But the truth was, she didn’t care. The heat coursing through her overrode her better judgment. No one could make her feel the way he did when his chocolate-brown eyes darkened. Her pulse accelerated, her nipples tingled, a gush of liquid wet the lips of her sex. Anna glanced down and saw his cock, hard and ready.
She met his eyes and smiled.
“If you don’t mind scrubbing my back, darling.” Anna exaggerated her southern accent.
Max chuckled and stepped into the tub. “I think I can help with a lot more than that.” The dark promise in his voice sent another thrill racing along her skin.
He grabbed the soap from her and stuck his hands under the shower water.
“Jesus! You need some warm water, Anna.”
She turned the knob further to the left. When she straightened, Max stepped closer to her, his shaft rubbing against the small of her back. He began at her shoulders, massaging and gliding his hands over her tense muscles.
“What’s got you all uptight?” His breath warmed her ear. She shivered.
“Oh, nothing much. I’m just standing in the shower, with a six-foot-plus stud behind me. I have absolutely nothing to worry about.”
His hands slipped down her back, then over her hips. They skimmed across the small of her back, cupped a cheek in each hand, squeezing, massaging her aroused skin. A moment later, his hands were on her breasts. Max teased her nipples, pulling and pinching them as he ground his cock against her bottom. Anna’s knees almost gave way as his fingers then eased down her body, past her stomach to her sex. She placed her hands on the tile to steady herself. Her head spun, her body throbbed.
Wet and slick, his fingers slipped inside her. As Max thrust his fingers in and out, he barely touched her clitoris. Each little brush of his thumb pushed her closer to the edge. The tension in her body drew tighter, her body quivering with the need to explode. He kept his touch light enough to titillate, but not for her to find satisfaction.
When she tried to push against his hand, Max chuckled.
“Patience, Anna. It’s much better if you draw it out.”
At that moment, he brushed his thumb against her clitoris again, and she growled. Frustration and irritation combined, heightening her senses. Her blood raced through her veins, heating her from within.
“Maxwell.”
He chuckled. “I know I’m in trouble when you use my full name.”
Max massaged her breast while he continued to torture her with his other hand. Her juices poured over his hand as her arousal grew. The pressure built, tension drew tighter. Before Anna could break free, Max pulled away from her, sitting down in the tub, pulling her on top of him. Anna sat facing him, straddling his lap.
“Shit.”
The frustration in his voice was unmistakable. Max reached outside the tub and retrieved a condom. After ripping it open, he threw the wrapper aside and then rolled it on. A moment later, Anna was sliding down his hard shaft. He held her hips, digging his fingers into her skin. The water sluiced over them as he set the rhythm, slower than she wanted. She opened her mouth to protest, but he took one turgid nipple into his mouth, sucking and nipping. Her every thought centered on the feel of his shaft sliding into her, his tongue twirling around the tip of her nipple. The pressure built, the need to reach the pinnacle consumed her every action. Her stomach muscles tightened and quivered.
His hands moved from her hips to her hair, tangling in the mass of wet curls, pulling her down for a kiss. His tongue immediately thrust past her lips. She increased her speed as her tongue tangled with his.
God, nothing had ever tasted as good as Max in the morning. His hands clenched tighter in her hair and he threw back his head, moaning her name. The sight of him in the throes of his orgasm pushed her over the edge. Anna exploded, her inner muscles clamping around his shaft, pulling him deeper. Every muscle in her body quivered with her release.
Moments later, Anna collapsed against him. Max grunted, and relaxed against the back of the tub. He pushed the mass of heavy curls away from her face and kissed her forehead. The tender action was almost her undoing, but she bit back the words she’d wanted to say for the past ten years. Even men who liked to cuddle didn’t like messy emotional declarations after sex.
“I think I’ll hire you, if that’s what you call a back scrub.” His chuckle echoed in the bathroom, and Anna bit the back the disappointment as she stifled her emotions.
* * * * *
Later that morning, Max walked down the hall to his office, his step a bit lighter than usual. He’d stopped by his house on the way to work for a shave and a change of clothes, but his shower with Anna earlier occupied his thoughts. Each time Max replayed how it felt to slip into her warm, moist body, all the blood he had in his brain rushed to his dick.
There was still a lot to resolve with Anna. Max knew it would take a lot to convince her to trust him. But he knew he was the man for the job.
By the time Max reached the door to his outer office, he was whistling. He’d passed a few people who did a double-take as they walked by. Maxwell Chandler didn’t walk down the hall with a smile on his face. He chuckled to himself. Max hadn’t felt this good in…well…forever.
&nb
sp; He opened the door, stepped into his outer office and stopped cold in his tracks. There on the sofa, dressed to the hilt in a pink linen suit, every blonde hair in place, and her nose buried in a tissue, sat Cynthia.
She jumped up the moment he walked through the door. “I need to talk to you, Max.”
Max looked at his secretary Jeanine, who rolled her eyes. He glanced at his watch.
“Okay, but I have a meeting soon, so it will have to be short.”
Cynthia smiled, that fake cheerleader smile she always smiled, and glided past him. Max didn’t know what she wanted, but he knew it couldn’t be good.
As he followed her into his inner office, the scent of her perfume left him feeling slightly nauseated. He preferred Anna’s lilac soap.
“What do you want, Cynthia? I have a full day ahead of me.” And, if there was a God, a full night of loving Anna.
Cynthia shifted from one foot to other, then set her purse on his desk. She glanced past him. He turned to see Jeanine peeking around the corner. He bit back a chuckle and shut the door in her face.
“Now, tell me what you want.”
“Well, after thinking about it, Max, I’ve decided that maybe I was a little too hasty when I called off our wedding yesterday.”
Chapter Seven
Max stared at Cynthia and blinked. Did she say what he thought she said?
“What do you mean?” His voice was rougher than he intended. Damn woman. He didn’t need this kind of aggravation.
Cynthia’s smile faltered. “Just what I said. I want to get back together.”
He bit back the growl threatening to erupt from his throat. “But…I don’t.”
Now her lips turned down and her blue eyes shimmered with unshed tears. Max sighed. He didn’t want to hurt her, but after the previous night, there was nothing that could keep him from Anna. Not Cynthia changing her mind. Not the ruckus canceling the wedding would cause. Not even Anna herself would keep Max from possessing every inch of her sweet body.
“Cynthia, I thought you had decided you didn’t want to marry me. You said that very thing at lunch yesterday.”
“Yes, but I tried to call you last night, and you didn’t answer your home or cell phone. I left several messages. Where were you?”
Max didn’t answer the question and motioned toward one of the chairs situated in front of his desk. After setting his briefcase down, he settled himself in his chair behind the desk and waited for her to continue.
“I … I tried to tell Daddy last night, but when I did, he became angry.” She sniffled into her tissue. If he thought she truly had changed her mind, he’d feel badly, but he had a feeling there was something else to it.
“Cynthia, you don’t want to marry me.”
“But he threw a fit. He said he would cut me off if I didn’t marry you.”
Max shifted in his chair. This wasn’t going to be easy. Cynthia had little or no skills. She had a degree in something like art design, but had never really worked a day in her life. Just as like her mother, Cynthia had been groomed for life as an executive’s wife. She had no means of supporting herself.
“I sympathize with the position you’re in, Cynthia, but I am not going to marry you. You broke it off and I’ve…changed my mind.”
He couldn’t help the smile curving his lips as images of his morning shower with Anna flashed in his mind. Just thinking about sliding his hands across her wet skin sent his blood racing to his groin. Max shifted in his chair to relieve the tightness of his pants.
Cynthia’s eyes immediately narrowed, and the tears mysteriously disappeared.
“Where were you last night?” Accusation threaded her voice.
Irritation inched down his spine.
“I really don’t think that’s any of your business, Cynthia.”
She crossed her arms beneath her breasts. “I’m your fiancée. I think I have every right to know where you were last night.”
Max leaned forward, placing his forearms on the desk. “Cynthia, we broke up yesterday. You said you didn’t want to get married to me. You are no longer my fiancée.”
Cynthia blinked, probably because she wasn’t used to his harsh tone.
“But I changed my mind, Max.” Cynthia smiled tentatively, apparently unsure of his reaction.
“I don’t want to get married anymore.” Not to her. To Anna -- now that was another thing. As soon as the thought popped into his mind, he knew the rightness of it. Max wanted Anna forever. Not just for a night, or a month, or even for a year. He wanted marriage and kids and the whole nine yards. His heart smacked against his chest. He was going to have Anna in his bed, in his life, from now on.
The problem would be convincing the woman.
“Max?”
“What?”
Cynthia sighed and then rolled her eyes. “I said Daddy was furious and is insisting on a wedding.”
“Oh, well, he can insist all he wants. We will not be getting married. I like you, Cynthia, but you don’t want to marry me any more than I want to marry you.”
She opened her mouth to argue, but Max cut her off before she could utter a word.
“No. We can still do business. I have no problem with that. I told you and I will tell your father, I don’t want to get married.”
Her shoulders slumped and she sighed. He regretted his harsh tone. Despite everything, Cynthia wasn’t a bad person; she’d just never done anything against her father’s wishes. Max understood how scary something like this was for her.
“Listen, we had those tickets to Bermuda for next week. Why don’t you take yours and go have a good time? Figure out what you want to do, and then, if your father is still giving you trouble, I’ll talk to him.”
Cynthia nodded, her perfectly lined lips turned down in a frown. “I guess I better go pack. Daddy said he’d call you to straighten it all out. He left for New York.”
“Okay.” Max took her hand and led her to the door. “I’ll take care of it and you avoid his calls. By the time he gets back, he’ll have cooled off and seen the rightness of our decision.”
She kissed his cheek, then opened the door and left without a word. He thought about calling her father in New York himself, but he had other things to do first.
“You know, I could ruin your life, you slam the door in my face again.”
Max turned and laughed. Jeanine’s blue eyes narrowed and she frowned. “Jeanine, you know better than to eavesdrop on the boss.”
“You should know better than to piss off the secretary.”
“Yeah, I should. But then, I’m learning to take chances.”
Max left Jeanine with her mouth hanging open and stepped into his office to start making plans. He needed to make sure that everything was perfect, and that by the end of the “four week factor,” Anna understood just how much she meant to him. A plan would help him control the situation. As long as he was the one in control, everything would move smoothly and work out just fine.
* * * * *
Anna looked down at the figures on the spreadsheet and tried to concentrate. But for the fifth time in as many minutes, her thoughts wandered back to Max. The way he smiled at her, the way he looked at her when he knew she was full of bullshit, the way he looked as he shoved his --
“You must be thinking about something very naughty.”
The object of her thoughts stood in the doorway of her office, that sinful smile curving his lips. Anna repressed the shudder of need rolling through her.
This was so not good. Not good at all. Lust, passion, was great. But this overwhelming need to possess, to be possessed in return -- that was not good. She cleared her throat and tried to clear her mind of the image of Max naked in her office.
“What’s going on?” She kept her tone as light as possible.
Max shrugged. That enigmatic smile deepened as he stepped into the room and shut the door behind him. Deliberately walking to her desk he grabbed her hand and yanked her out of the chair. His arms enveloped her, pullin
g her closer, his hands resting on her ass.
Bending his head, he brushed his lips against hers.
“I just thought I’d stop by and see if you wanted to catch a movie tonight.”
That sounded suspiciously like a date, and Anna didn’t date. Not really.
“How about I pick up that new Tom Hanks movie that came out on DVD and we watch it at your place?”
Max didn’t say no, but Anna could feel his disappointment. He gave her rear end one more soft caress before pulling away.
“Okay, but if we order pizza, just plain, nothing freaky like pineapple.”
She sighed. “You are such a simpleton when it comes to pizza.”
“Damn straight. Meat, cheese, what the hell else does a guy need? Seven o’clock?”
She nodded, and a moment later, he was out the door. Anna would have to remember that despite the fact that Max tended to have long, serious relationships, she knew just what to expect out of men. Because she enjoyed sex, most men thought she was easy, but Anna didn’t sleep with every man she met. And when she did, she knew where to draw the line. No commitments. Men, especially a man like Max who liked to be in charge of most situations, didn’t like to keep an assertive woman around.
Now each time he smiled at her like that, she needed to remind herself that it was sexual attraction, passion, lust. If Anna could prevent her heart from being involved she would be able to survive this affair. But, somewhere in the back of her mind, Anna worried she’d already passed that point. Her heart had been involved for over ten years.
Anna didn’t like it and, dammit, she didn’t know what to do about it.
Chapter Eight
With a sense of satisfaction, Max lit the last few candles he’s placed around the dining room. Barry White, one of Anna’s favorites, was playing softly in the background. The woman actually thought she could keep him at a distance. He shook his head.
Max knew she thought going out constituted a date, which would mean they were serious. They were. Anna just didn’t know it yet. Why did he have to want such a contrary woman? He sighed.
A Little Harmless Sex Page 4
