She nodded. Her lips parted. She inched closer still.
I reached for her and cupped her cheek in one hand. She pressed her face into my palm and closed her eyes for a millisecond, then opened them again as if realizing who she was being vulnerable with.
I smiled. “It feels like I want to do it again.”
Chapter 24
Laura
“Are we doing this?” I whispered.
Max was just inches from me. I could feel his heartbeat through the warm press of his palm upon my cheek. I leaned into it and he held steady, watching me with heavy eyes.
If something didn’t happen and happen quickly, I was going to spontaneously burst into flames.
I needed him.
Fuck did I ever need him.
Max seemed to come to the same conclusion. I watched the decision happen behind his eyes, and then he leaned in, closing the last few inches between us to seal his lips softly over mine.
Yes.
I’d been thinking about this all day long. Our make out sessions on the steps and in the elevator had been a hell of a tease—and a lot more action than I’d gotten in ages. Once my curiosity was peaked it became impossible to think of anything besides wanting Max to hold me like that again.
Naturally I wanted him to do more than hold me. I wanted him to fuck me. I could almost taste how it used to feel when he slid his cock inside me when we were young. He’d get me so wet and so hungry for him that when he finally gave me what I wanted, it was a twisted mix of pleasure and frustration. He knew the power he held over me and wielded it with expertise, keeping me on the end of the hook and aching for more before finally indulging me in my fantasies and giving it to me just the way I liked it.
I wondered if he remembered. I wondered if the man cradling my cheek in one hand while he flicked open the button of my jeans with the other was the same in bed as the man he used to be.
I started smiling.
He chuckled. “What are you thinking about?”
I shook my head and hooked my arms over his shoulders. We continued nipping and kissing each other’s lips as he undid my fly. “Nothing.”
“I don’t believe you,” he growled, when he managed to get my fly undone. Then he grabbed the waist of my jeans and gave them a sharp tug down.
I giggled as they came down my hips.
Max picked me up and put me on the closest desk. A gold pencil holder containing a variety of pens with funny looking erasers on the ends was within reach, and therefore within a distance to be at risk of knocking over. As Max pulled my pants off my ankles and threw them on the ground, I pushed everything out of our way on the desk.
“I hope you remember how that was set up,” Max said, taking his shirt and pulling it off over his head. He was already a little breathless.
Which was good, because it made me feel better about the fact that I was too.
“Why?”
“Because Maxine will be pissed if she comes in tomorrow and sees someone touched her shit.”
I arched an eyebrow. “You care about what Maxine will think?”
Max paused.
I threw my head back and laughed. “Maybe you aren’t so bad, Max Miller.”
He stepped between my legs. I hooked them around his knees and drew him toward me. He was giving me a cocky grin that I didn’t trust. I should have expected him to reach behind me and knock half of poor Maxine’s shit off her desk. It tumbled to the floor and scattered all over the place.
I covered my mouth. “Max!” I should have been mad. I should have scolded him. Or gotten up and put my pants back on.
But I didn’t. I started laughing. And once I started I couldn’t stop. It was like a bunch of stress that had been building up inside me over the last quarter of the year suddenly burst out. And it felt so fucking good.
Max watched me with an amused expression and licked his lips. “I don’t give a damn what Maxine thinks.”
“Me neither.”
Max planted his hands on either side of me on the desk. We were eye level when he stood like this. I reached up and raked my fingers through his hair. It was as thick and soft as it used to be. It still smelled the same, too. Like fresh linen and rainwater scented aftershave. Then I ran my fingers over his bare shoulders and down his stomach.
His body had changed over the years. He was stronger. His shoulders were thicker, and so were his arms. Veins ran along the inside of his forearms and up his biceps. His chest was firm and gave way to a stomach of abs that surprised me. A dark trail of hair wrapped around his navel and plunged down beneath the waistband of his pants.
I knew what waited for me there.
I swallowed as my knees grew weak and something inside me strained for release. My panties grew wet.
Max’s hips were cut in a sharp ‘V’ pointing down to the prize contained in his pants. I ran a finger along his lower stomach before slipping it inside his pants. He flinched as I ran my finger back and forth and then he caught my wrist. “Don’t tease me, woman.”
“Do something, then,” I dared.
He smirked and pulled my shirt off over my head. Now I sat upon poor Maxine’s desk in nothing but my bra and panties. And socks. The wood was cool on my bare ass cheeks.
Max bowed his head to plant kisses along the top of my breasts, which were practically spilling out over my bra cups. He did away with them by pulling them down, letting my breasts pop out so he could swirl his tongue over my nipples. I held his head to my chest as he moved between each breast until my nipples were rock hard.
Then he began working his way down.
“Max,” I whispered. He didn’t need to go down there. That was too intimate. Too personal.
But he ignored me and pulled my panties down. Then he dropped to a crouch in front of the desk, pushed my legs apart, and looked upon my nakedness with a fire in his eyes. “I’ve missed this,” he growled.
I was about to tell him to stop talking when he kissed the inside of my thigh and worked his way up. He danced around my clit, knowing it was my most sensitive spot, and made me wait for as long as he dared before finally running his tongue in a gentle circle around my swollen nub.
I whimpered.
Max was smiling. I couldn’t see him, but I knew. He ran his tongue up and down my slit, lapping at my juices, and took his time applying sweet pressure to my clit.
My whimper gave way to a moan and I arched my back when he ran a finger along my opening.
Then he slipped his thick digit inside me.
My toes curled. I held onto my cry and forced myself to keep it together as he pressed further in and curled upward. He knew right where my G-spot was and wasted no time in getting to it. He flicked his finger, hard and fast, and I wished there was something within reach for me to grab onto.
I found the edge of the desk with my fingertips and clung to that. My spine was still curved as I arched my back, pressing my shoulder blades into Maxine’s desk.
“Max!” I cried. I was going to come. My body trembled.
Max pressed in harder and drew my clit between his lips, sucking hard and rolling his tongue over the tip.
My orgasm was explosive. I came with a quick scream that was one part pleasure and one part surprise. I got it under control quickly and silenced myself as my muscles relaxed. My back straightened out and I was able to lay flat again upon the desk.
Max worked his way up my stomach with his lips, planting kisses in his wake.
I watched him make his way to me. He had a sheepish smile on his lips.
“Stop it,” I said. I couldn’t keep a straight face.
“Stop what?”
“Stop smiling at me like that.”
“I can’t help it.”
“Why the hell not?” I asked, as he leaned over me.
Max shrugged one shoulder. His muscles looked even bigger at this angle. “It’s impossible. That sound you make is exactly the same as I remembered.”
I blushed. “Max. Stop it.”
“No,” he purred, swooping down to kiss my neck. He moved up to my ear. “It’s delicious.”
Max slipped a hand in his pocket and pulled out his wallet. He flipped it open and slid a condom out of one of the inside pockets. I rolled my eyes at him. “Aren’t you a little old to keep a spare condom in your wallet?”
“Says the girl who wants nothing more than to have my cock inside her right this very moment.”
I bit my bottom lip.
“You’re lucky I carry one.”
I ran my tongue along my teeth and lower lip. Damn him.
He tore the condom open with his teeth. I sat up and worked to undo his belt. He watched me as I pulled it apart and then got his pants open. I pushed them down around his thighs, and then pulled his boxers down too.
Max’s cock sprang free. I swallowed. He was as big as I remembered—if not bigger.
“You’re going to have to go easy on me, Max. It’s been awhile.”
“Miller’s don’t go easy.”
“Shut up.”
Max rolled the condom over his thick erection. I couldn’t take my eyes off his length as he pulled the ring down to the base of his shaft. Then he pushed my legs further apart.
“Here?” I asked.
“Here,” he nodded before licking his fingers and running them along my pussy. He patted me right between the legs and I flinched. Chuckling to himself he said, “Don’t know why I even did that. You’re already slick. Just the way I like it.”
“Then fuck me already.”
Max ran the head of his cock up and down my slit. I leaned back on my elbows and watched him watch me. He slid his cock in, teasing me with the first couple inches, and then looked up to meet my eye. He held my gaze as he pushed himself deep inside me.
I moaned. The pressure was exquisite.
Max moved his hips in a slow rhythm to start. I appreciated him not pushing me too quickly. I needed the time to adjust to his size. Hell, I needed time to adjust to sex in general. It had been far too long. Long enough for me to have forgotten how fucking amazing it felt.
Max bowed his head as he worked himself in and out of my pussy. I found myself gripping the edge of Maxine’s desk once more as I watched him. His jaw was tight as he strained against his own pleasure. The muscles in his arms were flexed and I could see that it was taking a lot for him to maintain control.
And it turned me on.
I reached down between my legs and rubbed my clit as he fucked me. I knew it would push him close to the edge and I wanted to watch him unravel. There was nothing sexier than a man coming undone while he buried himself in you over and over.
“Harder,” I pleaded.
Max met my request, quickening his thrusts and managing to bury himself deeper inside me with each one. I sighed with delight as my body seized in preparation for another orgasm. Two in one night. I was one lucky girl.
“Yes,” I moaned.
Max worked faster. His hips slapped into my legs and I whimpered as he hit a particularly wonderful spot inside me. I yelped in surprise. Max drove himself in and up. And then I came hard and fast.
Max couldn’t keep it together when my climax rocked me and squeezed him. His own release was quick to follow. He groaned as I rode the wave of my own back down.
When he was done he pulled out and I instantly wished he had a second condom. I didn’t dare say that aloud. He didn’t need to know just how good it had been—although he probably had an idea due to my screams of pleasure.
My cheeks started to burn as he stepped back and slicked his hair back off his forehead.
“Now what?” I asked, whispering like we’d done something wrong and were at risk of being caught.
“Now?” He asked breathlessly. “We put Maxine’s shit back on her desk and get the hell out of here before the cleaners show up.”
“Good plan,” I giggled.
So we did just that. We both crouched down, basically butt naked, grabbed all of Maxine’s shit, and arranged it on her desk as best we could. Then we hurried to put our clothes back on.
Max watched me as he did up his belt.
“What?” I asked.
He smiled and shook his head. “Nothing, pretty girl. Nothing.”
Pretty girl. I tried to hide my smile as I pulled my shirt on and tugged my hair out from under the collar. Hearing those two words made my heart flutter.
Chapter 25
Max
After our romp in the office, and our destruction of Maxine’s desk, it became impossible for me to think of anything but Laura. I thought of her before I fell asleep and as soon as I woke up. I thought of her in the shower while I jerked off. I thought of her on the drive to work, in the elevator, and whenever I set foot in the office.
She was an all-consuming entity that I could not escape.
And I didn’t want to.
I wanted to be plagued with these thoughts because they were good thoughts, and for the first time in twenty-two years Christmas didn’t seem all that terrible.
It seemed—alright. Bearable even.
It was disappointing that I hadn’t seen her in two full days. My thoughts weren’t as satisfying as actually spending time with her, but they would have to do for now.
Laura was busy tying up some loose ends for the year at her foundation. She had last minute donations to accept and process, which meant more thank you notes and baskets and special letters, depending on who said donors were. She also had other donations in the form of toys and items suitable for teenagers so there would be a gift for every child who came to the Christmas Eve dinner she was volunteering at. She collected the gifts and brought them all to other volunteers to wrap and write notes on so the organizers could separate them into categories to suit each child.
She was an impressive woman.
Her determination to help others was a huge turn on for me. Laura was the most selfless person I had ever met. She was an inspiration, really.
Work went by slowly. The five interns from Laura’s foundations finished off their first week without a hitch. They waved to me through my office windows as they headed out at the end of the work day. I waved back and hurried to finish off the rest of my work.
I was supposed to pick Catherine up at her apartment in twenty five minutes so we could head up to the house to have dinner with Keith and Hayden. Apparently we were having spaghetti, a winter dinner staple.
My stomach was growling by the time I finished everything up and put my jacket on. I shot Catherine a quick text letting her know I was leaving the office. She replied by the time I was in the elevator and heading down to the parking garage, telling me she was ready.
I hadn’t received any panicky calls from her about her MS symptoms getting worse, which was a good sign. I’d been checking in on her every day though and knew she had managed to go into work at the cafe yesterday. She left an hour early because she was tired, but she had been really glad to get some work in and get out of her apartment for a while.
I hoped she would be feeling good today.
Once I got in my car and pulled out into the busy street it took me a good twenty minutes to get to Catherine’s house, putting me fifteen minutes behind schedule. She was waiting outside sitting on the curb. She stood up when she saw me coming and stepped out of the way when I pulled over to get her.
She quickly slid into the passenger seat. She was wearing a long brown skirt and a flowy white knit sweater. A long gold chain around her neck had some feathers dangling from it, as well as a few turquoise beads.
“You look nice,” I told her as I checked my mirrors before pulling back out into traffic.
“Thank you.”
I glanced over at her as she clipped her seatbelt on. I was looking for any sign that she might be having a bad day. Sad eyes. A frown. Creased forehead. Slow movement. Snappy comments. A sigh.
I knew what to look for and I knew what every gesture or word really meant coming from my sister. There was no one on this planet I knew
better than her. That also meant I knew that asking the wrong thing could push her over the edge and make her snap. She didn’t like to be reminded that she had MS. She liked to pretend it wasn’t real. And that was fine with me when her symptoms weren’t bothering her. But when she felt ill, and dizzy, and weak, and the depression began to creep in, I had to make sure she would open up to me.
“How have you been?” I asked.
She sighed. It was just a normal sigh, thank goodness. Not one riddled with frustration. “I’ve been alright. A little tired, that’s all. But I’ve been trying to go to bed later and see if I can sleep a little later. It’s been helping.”
“Good.”
“And, before you ask, yes. I’ve been eating plenty. And drinking lots of water.”
I smiled. “You know me so well.”
“We’ve done this whole rigmarole enough times for me to know the questions you’re going to ask.”
“Fair enough.”
We drove in silence for the next fifteen minutes. It was comfortable. Catherine watched out the passenger window as we left the congestion of the city and drew ever closer to the house. Palm trees passed and I drove under their tall skinny shadows on the asphalt.
When I turned onto our old street Catherine shifted in her seat. “I don’t want to talk about it with them, okay?”
I nodded. “Okay.”
“Thank you.”
“Just because you don’t want to doesn’t mean you won’t have to. Just a bit. They’re going to ask how you are. You can tell them what you want. But—don’t shut them out, okay?”
Catherine blinked. “What?”
“All I mean is that they only want to help and—”
“I know that, Max. I just didn’t ever think I’d ever hear you say something like that. What’s gotten into you? Why are you suddenly asking me to take it easy on Hayden and Keith? You never do.”
I shrugged. “I don’t know.”
She narrowed her eyes as I pulled into the driveway and put the car in park. “You’re so full of shit, Max. Come on. Spill it. Right now. Before we go inside.”
“There’s nothing to spill,” I said dismissively, as I peered up at the house through the windshield. The Christmas lights were up. White lights lined the trim of the roof and framed all the windows. The Christmas tree was visible in the living room window. It was gold and red and as beautiful as Mom liked it to be when she was alive. I found myself almost smiling.
Brand New Man Page 15
