“Fine, sorry.” I put my hands up in surrender.
“I’ll see you on Monday.” She turned to leave again.
This time, I figured I should try fighting fire with fire.
“You’re not mad about the present,” I said. “You’re mad because of how it made you feel. You’re mad because I got under your skin.”
Emma stopped and stayed so still it looked like somebody had pressed pause on her. Then she slowly turned to face me, and I noticed the little bit of pink on her cheeks.
“You’re not under my skin,” she replied, voice just a little too steady.
I stalked toward her, touching her chin and forcing her to look up at me. The air between us was smouldering and charged with all the sexual tension we’d spent the last few weeks suppressing. Emma could try all she wanted not to want me, but it was clear as day how much she did. I could practically smell it on her, and I wouldn’t be satisfied until I’d made her admit it. I could only be the sweet, gentle lover for so long.
“If I’m not under your skin, then what are you doing here, baby?”
“Don’t call me that.”
“Answer my question.”
She took a step back, my hand falling away to my side. I noticed her breaths were coming heavier now.
“I came here to yell at you because I can’t do that at work,” she replied.
“Bullshit. You came here because you’re mad, yes, but you’re not mad at me. You’re mad at yourself for liking the gift, and for appreciating it. So you came to return it, to punish yourself, but also because you can’t stay away from me any more than I can stay away from you. Admit it.”
Her hazel eyes widened ever so slightly, lips parting as if of their own accord. If I touched her wrist I knew I’d feel her pulse racing under her skin like a thumping drum line. I’d never wanted anything more than I wanted her right now.
“You’re wrong.”
“No, baby. I’m so right it hurts. And the sooner you admit that, the sooner I can make you forget all about that hurt and introduce you to a world of pleasure instead.” I reached for her again, this time holding her face in both hands and staring deep into her eyes. “Let me.”
It was as much of a command as it was a plea and I knew that if she left my home today, I would be a wreck.
I’d already let her walk away from me once before, and I couldn’t do it again.
Emma’s pupils ate up her irises until they were practically black. Her skin was soft and warm under my palms, and I wondered how it would taste. Probably sweet, just like the rest of her. Though, she certainly had a rough streak. She’d proved that much to me today.
“It’s not a good idea, Max,” she said weakly, trying to convince herself more than she was trying to convince me. There was no convincing me. She was in my sights and I was pulling the trigger, there was no doubt in my mind. But would she let me?
“The only thing that’s not a good idea is the fact that you’re still wearing those clothes.”
She gulped, bringing my attention to the long line of her neck. I leaned in to press my lips there, unable to hold back any longer.
Emma wrenched herself from my grasp and teetered back a few steps. “And what happens when you get tired of me, huh? I’ll be out on the street looking for a new job, and you’ll be my only applicable reference.”
There was fury in her eyes now, like it was my fault for putting us in this situation in the first place. Like I had insulted her by wanting her. It made fire scream through my veins to see her look at me like that, with such distrust and fear in her eyes.
“Listen to me closely, Emma,” I said, tone dark and low. “There are a great number of things I’m going to do to you, and that’s not one of them. I’m going to make you cum so hard you see stars.” I took a step closer. “I’m going to stretch you wide with my cock until you scream for more. And I’m going to make my mark on you, under your skin where you’ll always be able to feel me.” We were face to face again, and this time she didn’t scurry away. I bore my gaze down at her, daring her to move even an inch. “But I will never betray your trust, nor will I do something as stupid as sullying my company’s good name by using it as a means to get myself some disposable action on the side. Do you understand?”
Emma glared, those delicious lips pressed into a thin line. I grabbed her chin and yanked her closer, until our faces were a hair’s breadth apart.
“Do you understand, baby?”
She opened her mouth, but hesitated before speaking. When the words came, it was the most powerful rush I’d ever felt.
“I understand... sir.”
My cock throbbed with the need to take her. I couldn’t hold back anymore.
“Good.” I slammed my mouth down on hers, wrapping my arms around her to grab her ass and pull her tight against my chest.
Emma moaned, opening up to me like she had that night on the patio. She fell against me without resistance, without complaint. My heart thudded with triumph as I held her. I never wanted to let her go, never wanted to touch anything other than her soft, fragrant skin or the silky trail of her hair. I wrapped her up so tight it was like I was completely enveloping her, keeping her close to me and me alone.
The kiss started off at a scorching tempo. There was enough pent up passion between us to power the whole block, and it showed. Within moments I jammed her back against the wall, her hands tightening in the front of my shirt. I burned for her, ached for her. Each kiss only relieved a small amount of my longing while adding to my addiction even more. I grabbed her hands and held them above her head in one hand, running the other over her breasts, down her ribs, and across her hip. She groaned and nipped at my lip. I bit back, harder, showing her just how much I wanted her by grinding my hard length against her abdomen. I’d waited a long time for this. For her. Once wouldn’t be enough, but I had all night.
Like fucking hell she’d be leaving this place before morning. And I’d make sure she’d have trouble walking straight when she did, and hopefully I’d be one giant limp dick myself.
Chapter 18
Emma
Sure, I didn’t like admitting that Max was right. When is admitting that to someone ever a good time? But when I did admit it, when I did give into it, he rewarded me so generously that I think it was worth holding back. It was worth the tension.
Max kissed with fervor, with purpose. His desire burned hotter than the sun, and I was on fire. Every brush of his lips against my neck, my shoulder, the tops of my breasts, made my heart beat faster and my core clench. The wall was solid against my back, and Max was pressing me so hard into it I thought the wall would break in two. His body felt amazing pressed up against me, a veritable smorgasbord of sexy man. I could feel each ab and the swell of his pecs, even if he was holding my hands in place above my head. It was a huge turn on, one that made my pussy quiver with anticipation. If he was this much of an animal when making out, what was he like in bed?
Well, I knew a little, since he’d finger-fucked me to heaven and back on our last little rendezvous. The memory of that backseat encounter made my face flame with heat, and a little moan escaped my lips.
“I can’t wait any longer,” Max growled. He stepped back, but only far enough to dip down and toss me over his shoulder.
I’d never been carried off to bed caveman style before, and despite my initial surprise it was actually one hell of a rush.
I squealed with pleasure and he gave me a hefty pat on the behind, laughing. We were both laughing now, which felt good after having such a tense confrontation. We needed this release. And I needed him.
Max’s bedroom was, as I expected, amazing. He had a huge king size bed with creamy sheets, and it felt like he was dropping me onto a cloud. A window on the opposite wall had a sprawling view of the city, where the lights were just beginning to come on in the adjacent buildings.
Max stripped off his t-shirt as I lay there, getting my bearings, and my attention immediately darted back to him. He was g
lorious. His torso was taut with muscles, a faint dusting of hair heading down from his navel beneath the waistband of his jeans. I’d seen him in jeans a couple times, but had never seen him shirtless. The combination was breathtaking.
“My eyes are up here,” he joked.
I dragged my eyes up from his chest to his face. He was wearing a smirk that sent my heart flopping over in my chest.
“Shut up.”
Max grinned. “I like when you boss me around,” he said, lowering himself over me. “But don’t forget for one second who’s the boss.”
He bit my lip and continued down, pulling up the hem of my shirt and dragging it over my head. His light kisses left a trail of goosebumps down my stomach, and he blew on the wet spots and made them tingle even more. I squirmed, which earned me a chuckle from my tormentor.
“Have a little patience, baby.” Max undid my jeans and slowly pulled them down, kissing each inch of leg as it was exposed. I’d never had a guy pay so much attention to my body before, and we hadn’t even gotten to the good stuff yet. With Lance it was usually a little making out, maybe foreplay if he was in a good mood, and then straight to the sex. Had he ever kissed my shin? Probably not.
“You are so sexy,” Max whispered, staring down at me as he dropped his own pants to the floor. His massive erection stretched the fabric of his boxers, creating a tent big enough to shelter a grizzly bear. My mouth went dry.
“You too,” I said, swallowing.
“I’ve been wanting this since the moment I first set eyes on you,” he said, climbing back over me. “Every day at the office with you is torture.”
He rubbed himself against my sensitive mound and I moaned, biting my lip. His mouth fluttered over my neck, up my cheek, then over to my mouth where he took me again in another soul-consuming kiss. I was drunk on him, unsteady even lying down.
Max slid a hand between our bodies, slipping under the waistband of my panties and dipping between my folds to test my slickness. He hissed against my mouth with pleasure, sliding in further and rubbing my clit with his thumb, just like he’d done in the limo. This time I was treated to the feeling of his body heat burning my skin, the knowledge that soon we would both finally get what we’d been craving.
“Fuck baby, you’re so wet,” he murmured. “Do you even know how sexy you are?”
Max plunged another finger into me and I curled up toward his hand, my moan more of a cry than anything else.
“Please, Max,” I said.
“Please what?”
“Don’t keep teasing me. I need you.”
His whole demeanor changed. He rolled to the side and pulled me on top of him, unclasping my bra faster than it took for me to straddle him in the first place. My breasts swung free, nipples peaked and aching. He leaned forward and captured one in his mouth, sucking and licking it until I thought I might burst. He switched to the other one, making a delicious growl in his throat that I felt deep in my core.
Max leaned further forward still, until he had somehow rolled me back onto my back and was kneeling above me. His smile as he relieved me of my panties could only be considered mischievous, and hell did it look good on him. I felt like Christmas had come early, and this year’s present was wrapped in a tight-fitting pair of boxer shorts that left little to the imagination. He pulled them down as I watched, reaching forward to rub one hand on the top of my mound as he pulled himself free of the boxers. If it were a cartoon—a very R-rated cartoon—my eyes would have popped out of my head. I could barely keep them contained when I saw the size of his meat. It was thick, with a veiny ridge down the bottom and a swollen mushroom head.
Merry Christmas to me.
Max backed away momentarily, feeling behind him for the drawer of his nightstand. I was amazed how much he could accomplish while keeping his eyes on me the whole time. He got a condom, put it on, and was back on top of me before I’d even had a chance to realize that this was really happening. He was really on top of me, his cock was really poised at my entrance, and I was really about to fuck my boss.
And god, did it feel good.
“Ready, baby?” Max asked.
“Go slow.” I laughed. “You’re, uh, a little bigger than I’m used to.”
Max rested his hands on either side of my head and began to slowly push inside, filling me to the point I thought he’d never get it in. Then, mercifully, my body relaxed to accommodate his girth. And from there it was clear sailing.
I felt every inch of him as he sank inside, and the look of pure bliss on his face told me he was feeling me too.
My core sizzled, and I could feel energy growing there. Each stroke brought me closer to that high, and I had no doubts about getting there. With another lover, maybe, but with Max? Not a chance. If there was one thing I knew I could rely on, it was that his lovemaking would leave me beyond satisfied.
His thrusts brought our hips flush against each other, his chest squeezing against mine. There was no space between us, and we exchanged air and the slick of our sweat. I dragged my nails down his back to pull him closer, loving the way his body overwhelmed mine. He was so much bigger than me, and a million times stronger than me, but I felt safer than I’d ever felt before in his arms.
His lips brushed my earlobe. “You feel so good. You’re so fucking tight.”
His dirty talk thrilled me, even if I didn’t feel confident enough to try out any of my own. I wished I could, though, because I knew it would drive him wild. And I’d do anything to drive Max wild.
The pressure in my core grew, coiled. I buried my face in his neck and kissed him with a fierce intensity as I started to climb a slope of pleasure, one that I knew was going to end in fireworks. My body shook as I held onto him with all my might.
“I’m close,” I whispered into his ear.
It was hardly expert dirty talk, but it achieved the effect I thought it would. Max groaned and his thrusts went deeper, harder. He sat back on his heels and lifted my legs over his shoulders, holding me by the hips as he slammed his hips into mine ruthlessly.
The sudden change was enough to send me hurtling over the edge. I cried out, and it felt like I was doing so with every cell in my body. We were all crying for him. We all needed him. He muttered something unintelligible and crashed forward again, again, again. Each thrust sent more waves of pleasure undulating through me. My hair stood on end. My body crashed against the waves. I shook.
Max stilled above me, holding his hips tight against mine and screwing his eyes shut with ecstasy. He groaned and fell over top of me a second later, chest heaving and skin sticky with sweat. He kissed my shoulder where his head rested against it, which was an unexpectedly tender gesture, but also one that was completely welcome.
I pushed at his shoulder. “I’m thirsty.”
“I should expect so,” he chuckled, biting my shoulder. “I’ll get up and get you some water.”
I frowned. “I can get my own water.”
“Sure you can,” he said, inching his mouth up my neck. “But you’re not allowed to leave this bed. Not yet.”
I’d been dreaming about Max’s scent for weeks. That warm, spicy musk that always drew me in and made me want to get as close as possible was as familiar to me as the smell of a campfire in the summer, or the earthy scent of the forest after the rain. It was a smell that I’d logged away in my memory with all the other delightful smells I experienced, and it crept out from time to time in the form of dreams.
Today, however, when I woke up with Max’s scent in my nostrils, it wasn’t a dream. It was real life.
Really real life.
His arm was heavy on my waist, holding me in place even though I never wanted to move again. We both lay on our sides, with my face tucked in to his warm chest and his resting somewhere above mine on the pillow. It was an incredibly intimate way of sleeping, as far as my experience went, and it was my new favorite thing.
The only problem was that my throat was as dry as the Sahara and there was no refreshment withi
n reach. I knew that battling my thirst would only end up with me on the losing end, so I decided not to even try it.
It was the weekend. I could get back into bed after I was properly hydrated, and snuggle up against my boss at my leisure. And then maybe we could do something a little less innocent.
I rolled over, but as soon as I did Max’s arm tightened and he pulled me back. “Where do you think you’re going?” he murmured in a ragged, sleep-stained voice.
I giggled, “To get some water. I’m parched.”
“Why are you always so damn thirsty?”
“I don’t know, because I’m a human being? Plus. I have to pee.” I elbowed him lightly in the chest, much as I hated having to eject myself from the hold. “I’ll be right back. I promise.”
Max was still half asleep, that much I could tell. If he weren’t, he probably wouldn’t have let me go so easily. He was a bit of a control freak, always had been, and now that we were intimate I was experiencing a whole new side to him.
His arm retracted, and he sighed heavily and turned on his back. I got up and grabbed his discarded shirt from the floor, buttoning it up while I looked down at him with a smile.
His hair was ruffled, and he had more stubble than I was used to seeing. I’d never seen lazy morning Max before. I hoped I would get to see much more of him.
I padded out to the kitchen with bare feet, smiling to myself as I grabbed a glass and held it under the water dispenser in the fridge door. Apart from grabbing some furniture, there was nothing I had to do today and nowhere I had to be. I was feeling particularly inspired, and since Max and I had made up I decided that I would accept his gift after all. That meant today I could do a little drawing if I felt so inclined, which I did. It was a happy thought.
There was a metallic jangling from the front door, and I froze. Was Max expecting someone?
Before I could think to run back to his bedroom, the door swung open. In walked my literal nightmare.
Paulina shrieked, like she’d walked in on a crime scene rather than her son’s assistant wearing his shirt. The woman beside her, a pretty brunette wearing an adorable polka-dotted dress, looked between us in alarm but said nothing. I expected she had no idea what was going on, which was good since neither did I.
Playboy Ever After Page 11
