Page 28 of The Watcher's Bride

I also notice that Max is only wearing a pair of sweatpants and nothing else. I take in the sight of him, temporarily losing my train of thought until I realize he’s still waiting for an answer, looking at me in bemusement.

“Sorry, I thought you’d be asleep. I’m locked out of my apartment. You didn’t give me a new key for the new door,” I explain.

“Yeah, I know, that’s why I was waiting up for you to get home,” Max replies with one of his slow, knowing smiles.

“Shit, sorry,” I say, my cheeks reddening.

“You said that already,” he points out with a smile. “It’s fine, I’m just glad there isn’t a zombie outbreak or something as world-ending as your knocking suggested,” he says with a smirk.

“I’m such an idiot,” I mumble as he moves to grab the keys for me. I can’t help but stare appreciatively at the way his muscles flex with the movement.

“Keys,” he says proudly. “Lemme show you which ones go with which locks.”

“Keys? As in more than one?” As I say this, I notice there are three keys on the ring.

“Yep. It was no wonder the place was so easy to break into, you just had one weak lock and a flimsy door. Now the door is solid wood, with a regular lock, deadlock, and a third lock near the top for extra safety. No one’s getting in here now,” he says proudly as he unlocks the door.

“Including me, I’ll be forever forgetting which key goes in which,” I grumble, though I shouldn’t complain he’s made my home safer for me.

As the door swings open, my eye is immediately drawn to a camera pointing at the door and a complex-looking security system beneath it.

“What the hell is that, Max?” I ask, stupefied.

He has the grace to look a little sheepish. “I took the liberty of installing a security system too. You can operate it from your phone using an app.”

“Isn’t this a bit overkill?” I ask skeptically.

“Not if it means keeping you safe. I couldn’t bear it if something happened to you,” he says, looking pained.

No one has ever cared this much for me.

My mother was killed when I was fourteen, leaving me and my twin brother. My father favored my brother and treated me like an asset, a commodity, keeping me protected to serve only his purposes. He didn’t care if I was safe and happy, only that he owned me and that I would serve him. He should have provided me with a safe, loving environment, but instead he was the person who hurt me the most. Cillian, my brother, would frequently fight with my father and eventually at fifteen he ran away, and I never saw him again. It was like he was dead to us and my father never mentioned his name. A year later I finally made my escape.

Max walks me through my apartment, showing me where the cameras are placed and explaining how the system works. I watch him with a new level of appreciation.

Not only is this man unbelievably sexy, but he somehow manages to make me feel safe. I’m hit by the overwhelming urge to kiss him, and before I can second guess or tell myself all the reasons this is a bad idea, I move closer, placing my hand on his shoulder, the contact with his bare skin sending shockwaves through my body, giving me the courage I need to follow through.

He turns to look at me, his face changing from curiosity to arousal as he senses the need in me, sees the desire in my gaze.

“Nora,” he says, his voice low and rumbling.

“Don’t move,” I whisper.

I close the gap between us, placing my hands on his chest, marveling at the feel of his skin, as hard as granite yet warm. I can feel his heart beating steadily and become hyper-aware of his breathing, his heady masculine smell fills my senses. Hewatches me with unabashed curiosity, but he doesn’t move a muscle, though I can tell it’s taking a lot of willpower for him not to.

Standing on tiptoes, I tentatively kiss his lips. He doesn’t move for a moment, as if worried that he might break the spell, but then he kisses me back. It’s soft at first, gentle and tentative, but then our kisses grow more urgent, our tongues exploring, dancing around each other. I feel his arms twitch at his sides as he resists the urge to touch me. Taking his hands in mine, I move them to my waist, placing them firmly there and hoping he understands the unspoken command to not move them unless I say so.

My breath hitches at the contact. It’s been so long since I’ve been touched by a man like this, and the memories it brings up aren’t happy ones. I try to shove the thoughts away. This is different. Max is different.

Max doesn’t move and I grow used to his touch, losing myself in our kiss. I press myself closer to him, enjoying how he tastes of mint and something else, just him. I break away, trailing kisses along his chiseled jawline to breathe him in, and he does the same, leaving a trail of kisses along my neck that sets me alight. A breathy sigh of pleasure falls from my lips, and in that moment I’m able to focus on him and him alone. How good his kisses feel, how different, how right.

I press myself close again, kissing him with renewed passion. But then I feel him hardening inside his pants, his cock eagerly straining against the fabric, so massive and masculine that my certainty begins to waver. All of a sudden, I feel overwhelmed.

Does Max expect us to have sex now? Will I be able to? Kissing him feels incredible, but can I go further? The feel of his huge erection pressing against me has my blood racing. There’s arousal there, yet there’s also fear. I’m not ready for this.

My breath quickens and my heart starts to pound in my chest. I try and throw myself into the kiss, my eyes shut tight, but suddenly I see a pair of pale blue eyes watching me. Instantly I feel as if I’ve been dowsed in cold water. It’s not my usual fear of intimacy that’s holding me back. But the feeling that if I take things further with Max then I’ll be betraying my watcher. I need to see him. I need to feel his gaze on my while I pleasure myself. I need to know I’ve not disappointed him somehow.

“Stop!” My voice is strangled as I push Max away, more forcefully than needed, and he immediately stops and removes his hands from me as if scalded.

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