Page 37 of Dodging Bullets

Without answering, he rolled me to the side, laying me back on the quilt. Leaning over me, he kissed me hard. “I’ve never wanted anything so much in my life.” He tasted like mint and something sweet. “You just tell me when.”

His lips brushed across mine again, and my hard nipples pressed against his chest in a way that made all my nerve endings catch on fire. “Now?”

He pulled back, shock making his lips part. “Now?” he repeated. I nodded, kind of enamored by how shocked he was. “Now.” He repeated it one last time, climbing to his knees. “Okay. Yes. Okay.” He grabbed a nut and put an arm out for Rufio. “Give me ten minutes. I’ll put the bird away, and make something perfect.” Rufio landed on his arm, and Max began walking back toward the house, talking softly to the bird, like they were discussing plans for my great deflowering.

Flopping back down on the quilt, I stared back up at the sky, feeling equal parts nervous and excited. It felt right, though. It might have been a spur-of-the-moment thing, but my instincts agreed.

August had told me to trust my instincts, and he hadn’t led me astray yet.

Twenty-One

Polly

In the end, I gave him closer to fifteen minutes before I summoned the lady balls to go inside. I’d talked myself in and out of the whole thing at least ten times in those fifteen minutes, but the certainty I felt that Max was the right person—and wouldn’t care if I had no freaking clue what I was doing—prevailed over every other possible embarrassing scenario I imagined.

The house was still silent, and my bond with Llew told me he was annoyed and bored, but still not home. I was kind of relieved. Not that I thought he’d be mad about what was going to happen, but because I wanted to avoid the awkwardness of… everything.

“Max?”

“Down here!”

I walked through to the back of the house, where my bedroom was. When I didn’t see him in my suite, I walked further down the hall to the main bathroom. I could smell the sweet scent of flowers, and the gentle splash of water. Opening the door, I stepped hesitantly inside.

There must have been twenty small candles lit around the room. The tub was filled to the brim, the sweet-scented watermilky, with rose petals floating on top. In the soft glow of candlelight, it lookedmagical.

A shirtless Max stood beside the tub, a soft smile on his face. “This is a little cliché, but it’s cliché for a reason.” He moved around toward me, mesmerizing me with the way his muscles all seemed to flex. “Are you still sure? I promise you, if you’ve changed your mind, I won’t be mad. I’ll walk out of here satisfied, knowing you’re enjoying the bath I provided.”

His concern only solidified my decision. Nodding, I reached out and stroked my fingers down the strong muscles of his abdominals. Llew was the only naked man I’d ever touched, and while he was all hard muscle, he wasn’t defined like this. He was solid like a tree. Max was more solid like one of those Grecian statues.

He stood still as my fingers explored the ridges and lines of his body, his breathing even, but the heat in his eyes almost burning against my skin. I traced the line that went from his hip, angling down towards the waistband of his shorts, and he grabbed my wrist, letting out a low grunt.

“Beautiful, if you explore down there, we’re never making it to the tub.” He cleared his throat, heaving in some deep breaths. “Can I undress you?”

I licked my lips, my mouth dry, but I nodded. I was wearing a pair of yoga pants; the Leaders would have had a heart attack if they’d seen me in these back in the Homestead. They hugged every part of my lower half in a way that was almost obscene. Maybe that’s why I liked them so much. They were a giantfuck youto Leader Malakai and the hell he’d created. Plus, they were super comfortable.

All thoughts of yoga pants and Leader Malakai fled my brain as Max’s fingers brushed beneath the bottom of my tank top. I held my breath as he dragged it up, his knuckles brushing upalong my sides until he was tugging the top over my head. I stood there in my new cotton bra and tried not to blush.

“Fuck…” he breathed. “You’re so fucking beautiful, Polly. It’s taking every ounce of willpower I possess not to just tear your clothes off, prop you on the vanity, and fuck you senseless.” He wrapped his hands around my sides, then trailed them back down my body until he hooked the waistband of my yoga pants. Lowering himself to his knees and dragging the band down, he kissed little lines across my stomach. My lungs were burning, and I realized I was still holding my breath. I sucked in a much-needed breath, and when he tapped the back of my knee, I lifted one foot, then the other.

My heart was racing a million miles an hour. I stood before him in my plain cotton underwear, and he was on his knees in front of me. He was so beautiful down there, his eyes trained on my face, even as his hands moved their way up the back of my calves, then my thighs, until they were cupping my butt.

He dropped his head and groaned. Then he got to his feet, his hands still on my ass, and lifted me until we were mouth to mouth. I wrapped my legs around his waist, and it wasn’t my imagination how perfectly we fit together. He kissed me with so much… I couldn’t even describe it. He kissed me like he needed me to live. Like oxygen wasn’t as important to him as the taste of my lips.

I kissed him back, fumbling and not nearly as practiced, but he didn’t seem to care. I gripped his strong shoulders as he walked me back toward the huge tub, which could fit us both easily in its depths. He held me like I weighed nothing, kissing me deeply, for so long that I was seeing stars.

When he finally pulled back, he let me go. His hands went to the waistband of his shorts, and I watched with rapt attention as he pushed them down, his hard cock springing free as they slid down his thighs.

Transfixed, I stared at his cock. Like his body, his cock was different to Llew’s. Not as giant, but still thick and hard. And long. So long. I reached out, stroking my hand up its length. He hissed between his teeth, his eyes closing as he dropped his head back to stare at the ceiling. Had that hurt him?

I dragged my hand back up, and he wrapped his fingers around mine. “That feels so fucking good, but if you keep it up, I’m going to come already and embarrass myself.” He lifted my hand to his neck, stepping closer. His arms slipped around my back, unhooking my bra. It fell down my arms, baring my boobs to the air, and he moaned. Like he couldn’t help himself, his hands slid to the front, and he cupped their weight. “Oh, baby. Fuck, these are some beautiful tits. Can I taste them?”

I nodded.Uh, heck yeah.

His lips slid down my collarbone to my chest, then over my nipple. He sucked gently, and I moaned so loudly, it echoed around the bathroom. I was almost too distracted by his mouth to realize he was slipping me out of my underwear.

At least, until his fingers were swiping through my slick lips. He groaned again, popping his lips off my nipple and resting his forehead against my chest. “You’re so slick for me already. I haven’t been this close to losing control since losing my own virginity.” As he was speaking, his fingers were stroking gently across my clit, making it hard to concentrate on his words.

Without another word, he swooped me up into his arms and stepped easily into the tub. He lowered us into the water, which felt like an impressive feat of core strength. The water was a perfect temperature and scented with something floral. Once I was in the water, he spun me gently until my back was to his front, letting me lean back and use him as a backrest. It was both intimate and casual.

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