Oh, Lucas.
“God, you have no idea what you do to me, Maxine,” he groaned as he continued to press his soft lips into her neck. His breathing was slow and deep. Maxine arched her back in his embrace. They’d made their way over to the kitchen counter as they ravenously devoured each other with amazing kisses.
***
Lucas moaned with pleasure as he sucked on the soft skin of Maxine’s neck. The erotic sounds of her groans as he pleasured her with his lips were driving his testosterone levels off the charts. His erection was straining inside his pants. He wanted her desperately. He would do anything for her. Protect her. Take care of her and bring her carnal pleasure like she’d never known before.
No woman had ever captured his heart, his soul and his mind the way Maxine did. There was just something about her. Something that resonated within his soul.
“Oh, God, you’re so sexy,” Lucas groaned as he rubbed his hands down the soft curves of her silhouette. He continued to kiss her gently on her neck then he moved his lips down her arms as he caressed her body. Slowly taking his time, savoring her body while she moaned and writhed with ecstasy in his arms.
“I want you so badly, Maxine,” he moaned.
“Oh, Lucas, I want you too. Please, take me.”
Excitement shot through Lucas’s blood. He wanted to pleasure her so badly and bring her erotic delight more than anything else.
He gently led her into the bedroom a few steps away; both were breathing heavy and in no time he guided her to the bedside and continued to delight in rocking her world.
He wanted to take his time with her gently. She deserved to be treated like a princess, no, like a queen!
“I want to taste you, Maxine. Let me take you down there,” he groaned as he intermittently pressed his lips to her neck and her lips.
***
Take me down there?
Intense arousal washed through Maxine at the thought of Lucas wanting to put his sweet lips between her legs. This wasn’t something she’d ever done before. She was glad her bikini wax was done. What would she have done if she wasn’t groomed "down there"? She trembled inside with delight and awe of what was to come. Panting and breathing hard she moaned, “Yes. Yes!”
Lucas guided her body down on the bed while he positioned himself over her. Gently he lifted up her skirt and spread her legs. To her surprise, he started gently rubbing his fingers over her folds while her lace, sheer panties were in place. The feeling was sensual and delightful as she writhed on the bed and arched her back letting moans of pleasure escape her lips.
“Oh, Lucas,” she groaned in ecstasy. He hadn’t even pressed his lips there yet and she thought she was going to lose control completely.
He then slid off her panties slowly, seductively, and sent her senses into overdrive. Lucas lowered his lips to her mound and gently stroked and teased her with his tongue before covering her with the moist of his mouth while she arched her back on the bed.
Expertly, he sucked and kissed her slow and soft over and over until she came with an explosive orgasm. The first time she’d ever peaked like that. It was her first time she’d ever really climaxed. Her legs were weak with satisfaction and Lucas moved up on top of her and kissed her throat before bringing his lips to hers. She could taste her sweetness on his lips as they kissed.
She wanted so badly to return the favor and she licked her lips and repositioned herself to him and unzipped his pants to free his throbbing erection.
Maxine gently stroked his shaft with her hand while he gasped in delight. Up and down she slid her fingers lightly to drive him wild. She then lowered her mouth to his manhood and pressed her tongue then covered him with her lips and took him into the moist of her mouth. Sliding up and down and savoring him while he shuddered at how erotic it felt.
On the brink of release he stopped her, breathing hard and heavy. Lucas then reached into his pocket and pulled out a condom. He tore it open with this teeth and rolled it over his hardness and before long he had positioned herself over him taking her all the way as he thrust himself inside her back and forth, hard and fast until she came first with an intense shudder, delicious and sweet. He then came soon after and they both collapsed in each other’s arms.
It was late in the evening when Maxine woke up in the cottage to the sound of music playing outdoors and the laughter of people having fun.
She came to her senses and realized the after party was now in effect. Lucy was probably in the main house getting some rest. But where was Lucas? She looked around and he was not there.
The afterglow of their passionate lovemaking brought a warmth inside her and a deep connection to Lucas more than anything else.
She grabbed the sheets around her and got up out of bed; her hair was disheveled in a good way—an after-sex way. She swept her hand through her mane to tidy herself up.
“Lucas?” she called out as she went into the main area. She looked over by the fireplace and his jacket was laid over the sofa.
She heard the door unlock and waited to the side. It was Lucas who stepped inside. Thank God!
“Oh, beautiful, you’re awake,” he said in a low voice, a sexy grin on his lips. “I didn’t want to disturb you. Did you sleep well?”
“Yes, thank you,” she said, sheepishly as she looked into his dark, sexy eyes. She could not believe just moments ago they had been so intimate and done such naughty things with and to each other. Oh, heavens! But she felt closeness to him more than before. She treasured the way he made her feel. No man in her life had ever done that to her, not that she had a lot of experience to begin with.
Lucas moved over to her and embraced her, wrapping his strong arms around her before lowering his head to hers and pressing his lips on hers again and oh how electricity pulsed through her blood like never before. The man had a seductive touch that was indescribable! How lucky was she to have Lucas in her life. But did she have him now?
“What’s on your mind, baby?” Lucas asked in a low voice as if he could read her mind.
“Nothing. I just…I enjoy being with you, Lucas.”
“I enjoy you, too, Maxine. In fact, I can’t get enough of you. I want to be with you more than anything else right now.”
Maxine gushed. So where did this leave them?
Lucas and Maxine spent the rest of the evening talking and away from the party crowd. He’d made her a wicked western omelet in the kitchen of the cottage and they dined by the fireplace and sipped on sweet red wine only to make love again later into the night.
She’d gotten to learn a lot more about Lucas and his family and his hopes and dreams and the way he’d felt about her for a long time. She cherished the moment. Not realizing how stupid she’d been not to have seen the signs before. He really liked her, didn’t he? Since Lucy and Antonio’s wedding. And this wasn’t just about flirting with the next pair of legs. He really had feelings for her. Maxine had never gotten this kind of attention from a man before. Not even her ex gave her this sort of love and devotion. Lord, she did not know what she was missing this whole time.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Three months spun by and Maxine felt as if she had everything under control for the first time in her life. Her new receptionist and secretarial replacement from the temp agency was a fabulous, hard-working older woman who really meshed well with Dream Weddings, Inc.
The new software had some minor teething problems and glitches during the first month up and running but before long Lucas’s team helped her set things back on track and business was running smoothly and flowing well once again.
Lucy and Antonio’s baby was due any day so the family was excited about the new addition to the Romero dynasty on the horizon.
Maxine was so grateful to Lucas for everything. And since it was his birthday, she was all too glad to take him out for a special dinner for once. Just the two of them.
She discovered with the help of Lucy a renowned plush restaurant in the entertainment district that was exclusive.<
br />
“Thank you, Maxine, but you didn’t have to do this. I actually do enjoy your cooking.” Lucas grinned. He sat across the table from her and had the most beautiful glow on his handsome features from the soy candle in the cozy booth.
She scowled playfully at him. “Very funny, Lucas.” He knew full well that she was no Martha Stewart in regards to cuisine. Still, he appreciated her and often showed her stuff he’d learned with preparing certain dishes. Imagine that! He loved her in spite of her imperfections.
“Well, now what should we order?” Maxine picked up the velvet-covered menu.
He looked lovingly into her eyes but did not move. He just gazed intently.
When she opened the menu she was stunned that a silk flower slid out. It looked remarkably similar to the one from the bouquet she’d caught at Lucy’s wedding. Her heart pounded hard in her chest.
“But…what is this?” she asked and picked up the flower. Lucas was grinning from ear to ear across the table from her. Did he know? But how could he have known where she’d take him for his birthday?
“I don’t get it. Did you put this here? Why?” Oh, right. She forgot that she mentioned it to him last week.
“Well, you caught the bouquet at Antonio’s wedding and I caught the garter. So it was only natural.”
A lump climbed in her throat. She didn’t think she’d be able to breathe again. “What?” she whispered before picking up the flower and taking a closer look. Her heart almost gave out. She reached into the flower and pulled out the most beautiful diamond ring she’d ever seen in her life.
She felt weak, dizzy with excitement. Stunned beyond belief. Her eyes widened as she looked at Lucas with tears misting her eyes.
Lucas got up from where he was seated and went to Maxine's side of the table. He knelt on one knee. Maxine was about to faint.
“I never thought I would ever get married until the day I met you, Maxine. You brought such an unbridled joy to my life that I can never be the same without you with me. I love you. I honor you and I treasure you. Maxine Summers, will you do me the honors of being my loving wife?” he asked humbly.
Maxine was a river of tears but she was so overcome with joy she just kept nodding. “Yes. Yes. Yes,” she said as she reached over and hugged him and gave him the biggest squeeze and passionate kiss to seal their love.
CHAPTER SIXTEEN
Maxine felt an unbridled joy she’d never known before. She was on top of the world ever since her engagement to Lucas a week ago. Lucy, of course, was over the moon thrilled for her. They were going to be cousins by marriage. Imagine that!
She parked her car outside the office building at Dream Weddings, Inc. getting ready for a busy day at work when she was swarmed by reporters. What were they doing there?
“Maxine. What do you think about being used by your fiancé for a public relations gimmick?” one reporter called out.
“Maxine! Maxine! Any comment on the recording? Did you see the video?” another shouted from the crowd.
Huh? Video? Recording? What recording?
Maxine thought she was going to lose her mind. What the hell was going on? Did she miss something on the news this morning?
She hurried into her office past the crowd. Her cell phone was buzzing but she decided not to answer it. Her handbag swung from her shoulder as she entered the lobby of the building. The doorman ushered her inside and she paused panting.
“Are you okay, ma’am?” the young man asked her, a look of concern on his face.
Maxine caught her breath. “I…I don’t know. I’ll be fine. Thank you.” She was breathless but made her way up the elevator to her floor.
“Maxine, the phone has been ringing off the hook. Reporters. What’s going on?” the new receptionist called out to her as she entered the reception area.
“I’m sorry, I…I don’t know.”
Once in her office, she closed the door and slumped into her chair. Her heart was racing, pounding hard and fast in her chest. What was going on?
Maxine looked at her smartphone and a text from Lucas showed up on her home screen. “Will be there soon” was all it read.
She switched on the computer on her desk and went to the Yahoo email home to see what was trending in the news. Her heart flip-flopped in her chest.
ROMERO BAD BOY STAGES FAKE ENGAGEMENT IN WAKE OF PATERNITY SCANDAL
The next trending topic:
MAXINE SUMMERS FAKE FIANCEE
And the topic following that:
MAXINE SUMMERS LUCAS ROMERO
Maxine wanted the ground to open up and swallow her whole. She could not believe what her eyes were glaring at on the screen of her computer.
Fake fiancée? Fake wedding? Scandal? That sex scandal again? She was sure her heart rate was beating five times the limit and her blood pressure was probably through the roof. What was Lucas going to do when he arrived? Explain everything away?
Was he really the father of that girl’s baby? Was Maxine just a diversion? A publicity stunt?
She reluctantly clicked on one of the links that led to a YouTube channel. Her body went cold when she saw a video recording of a boardroom meeting some time ago at the Romero Corp. When she listened to the recording, sure enough, Toni Romero and Lucas were discussing his image and the possibility of settling down or getting engaged to project the illusion of stability. So that was why he asked Maxine to marry him? To reverse his bad boy image all in the name of business? What a fool she’d been to believe in him.
CHAPTER SEVENTEEN
Lucas felt the heat of his blood boil inside his vessels. He was face to face with Maxine at her office. “Do you really think this was a publicity stunt? It’s obvious you don’t know me very well, Maxine.”
“But you and your grandfather were on the Internet discussing you settling down. How can you deny that, Lucas?”
“I’m not denying anything, Maxine,” Lucas said, his voice stern and cold. “I had a discussion with my grandfather, yes, but it wasn’t anything to do with fixing a fake wedding to prove anything to anyone.”
Lucas was worked up. Maxine saw a muscle twitch in his jaw. He pace with his hands shoved in his pockets. He paused and gave a sigh. He then turned his attention back to Maxine. “I’ll be going away for a while.”
“Where to?”
“Don’t concern yourself. I’ll be out of your way.” With those words he left the office before Maxine could say anything else. Her mind was numb. Her legs were weak. What just happened? Everything felt wrong, so wrong. Did she just let the love of her life walk out of her life—for good?
***
“I told you I had it covered, Lucas,” Zack assured him later in the afternoon at the Romero Estate. “Our men have the dirt on this woman and we’ll be able to make a public announcement soon.”
“That doesn’t matter right now,” Lucas answered back. The men were in the study along with Toni and their press secretary, Pamela. “I really don’t care what they say.”
“You don’t mean that, Lucas. We’ll get this cleared up.”
“Who the devil could have leaked that to the media?”
“Apparently one of the undercover reporters had sneaked on to the premises and pretended to be a temp. They had their cell phone on the boardroom table recording the whole thing. It was by the basket of flowers,” Pamela informed them with bitterness in her voice.
“It seems like we just can’t trust anyone,” Zack shot back. “If we ever catch that person-”
“Don’t worry about that now, Zack. They’ll get what’s coming to them. For now,” Toni returned his attention back to Lucas. “Lucas, you are our main concern. You should never have taken it out on Maxine.”
“Listen, if she doesn’t want to believe in me after all we’ve been through, that’s fine with me.”
“You don’t mean that, do you?” Toni walked over to his grandson and pressed his hand on his shoulder. Lucas had his hands in his pockets, pain in his eyes. He looked like a broken man. Giving up
on everything.
Zack and Pamela excused themselves from the study to give Toni and Lucas some privacy.
“I really love her, Granddad. I want her more than anything in the world but how can I make her understand?”
“You don’t have to. I already do,” a breathless voice interrupted the men from behind. When Lucas turned, he was stunned to see Maxine standing at the doorway to the study. “I…I’m sorry to interrupt. I just got here and Zack said you were in the study.” Maxine looked timid, anxiety racked her body.
Lucas walked up to her immediately, a look of concern on his face but she could see a mild sign of relief. “What made you come?”
“Because I just realized what I was doing. Lucas, sometimes people say stupid things in the heat of the moment. I thought about the past few months we’d spent together and all you’ve done for me and meant to me. How could I have discounted all those things? I really care about you,” she said before pausing. “Besides, love means giving the one you care about the benefit of a doubt, right?”
Lucas reached his arms around her waist, gazed intently into her eyes and a wave of desire and longing slithered through her being.
“I love you, Maxine. I would never do anything to hurt you.”
“I…love you, too, Lucas. More than anything in this world.”
She rose up to him on her tiptoes as he lowered his head to hers and pressed her lips to his softness. They’d almost forgotten Toni was still in the study with them.
“It’s okay. Please don’t stop on my behalf.” Toni smirked as he walked out of the room. “Please carry on,” the old man said as he grinned in approval.
EPILOGUE
A week later…
“Well, look at the new addition to the Romero family,” Toni beamed as he cradled his great-grandson in his arms. The family had gathered in the family room at Romero Mansion for the joyous occasion. “You’re a god-send and a blessing, do you know that? I’m going to name you Alexander,” he cooed to the little newborn who’d arrived in the morning from the hospital.
A Bride for the Billionaire Bad Boy (The Romero Brothers, Book 2) Page 11
