Page 44 of The Charming Checklist
He tipped her chin, his dark eyes gazing into hers, unflinching. “Do you really need that coffee?”
“No.”
Then he hauled her up in his arms and carried her into his bedroom, closing the door with his back. She marveled as he placed her on his big bed as carefully as if she’d been made out of glass. He slipped off her sandals.
She took a quick glance, noting his room looked as if a decorator had decided stark and sparse were the way to go. Only one mahogany chest of drawers. A matching sleek bookcase with a few photos and only a couple of books. A few prints decorated the walls, one of the Lone Star State, another of...
Max had started to take off his shirt, one button at a time.
At the utter sensuality of those movements she stood, slowly unzipped her dress and let it fall to the floor to pool at her feet. Thankfully, she wore her matching red bra and panties set even if she hadn’t planned on any of this tonight.
She eased the shirt from his shoulders, those incredibly broad shoulders that were also tan and warm to her touch. Nearly hypnotized by his utter male beauty and grace, her fingers trailed down his chest to his abs, earning an incredibly sexy intake of breath out of him. Max squeezed her breast through the bra, his mouth lowering to tug on one nipple through the fabric, leaving it in a damp peak. Then he slowly lowered one strap, and his mouth was on her bare nipple. She trembled at the sensation of his warm tongue on her bare skin.
Then he trailed kisses up the column of her neck and sank his teeth into her earlobe. She moaned.
“You’re trembling, baby,” he said. “Are you scared?”
Not in the way she’d thought. Now she was afraid he’d take another look at his list one day and realize she didn’t have any of the qualities he wanted. Afraid he’d break her heart because she already loved him.
The sound of his husky deep voice near her earlobe and she shook again, this time with heat. “I’m a little...terrified.”
“Don’t be. I’ve got you.”
“I know you do.” Her hands slid down his arms. “What changed your mind about all this?”
“You were right. That’s not how love works. I just didn’t see this happening until it hit me over the head.”
He gently pushed her back on the bed and divested them both of the rest of their clothes. Then they were bare skinned, sliding against each other, moaning, kissing, tasting. He spread her legs and touched and tasted every tender fold.
“Let’s go slow,” he said, kissing her stomach.
“Maybe next time,” she said, writhing. “Max, please. I want you.”
He reached for a condom from his nightstand and protected them both. “Whatever you want.”
Braced above her, he drew her arms over her head, and threaded her fingers through his. Sweet heat pulsed through her body and she buzzed with desire. She’d never been readier for a man in her life.
“I didn’t see you coming,” Max said, thrusting inside her, and they both gasped and moaned.
Then there was a lot more moaning, gasping, and neither of them spoke any actual words for a long while.
Chapter Thirteen
Max woke the next morning with a start. He’d been in a heavy and deep fog of sleep, not the norm for him. Usually he struggled to fall asleep and stay that way. But after an incredible night where a coldanythingwas not part of the menu, he suddenly felt ice-cold blocks on his legs. This woke him, and not in his favorite way. He opened one eye and realized the problem. Beautiful, sexy, wild Ava had wrapped herself around him like a taco. She had a leg slung over him, and her feet were freezing.
Rolling to face her, he disengaged from reminders of the Arctic Sea, and considered putting his heavy wool socks on her feet. If he could find them. Not like he’d ever used them in Texas. And how in the world could she have such cold feet when the rest of her body was like an oven? She slept soundly, and he took a moment to study her. A lock of hair had fallen to cover one side of her face, messy, and...adorable. He pushed it off her face, expecting her to wake up. She didn’t move.
Okay, so a solid sleeper here. Not a bad thing. He toyed with the idea of waking her again for another round but decided that was selfish of him. She hadn’t had much sleep last night, after all. Neither had he. And it had been the best time of his life.
I didn’t see you coming.
For someone who prided himself on goals and meticulous planning, Ava had taken him by surprise. She wasn’t at all what he’d expected. And maybe he was a jerk for believing this, but yeah, he had wondered if someone so happy all the time might have a character defect. Idiot. Like with so many things in life, she wasn’t black or white. Not all good or all bad. Max lived in those gray areas, so he should have known better.
Last night he’d seen her dancing on that table and something inside of him had shifted. She looked like, sounded like and reminded him of home. Love. Comfort and steadfast security. He didn’t know how he could have missed the importance of that. In that second, he realized he wouldn’t be able to wait for her another minute. She would be his or he would die trying to claim her. Good for him that she’d been on the same page because he’d never been this lucky.
He should wake her up. They could go sailing, to the boardwalk again, somewhere for breakfast maybe. His only solid plans today were to go through the Salty Dog’s books, find some money to give the current kitchen staff a well-deserved raise, and check in with Adam. He could do that anytime this weekend.
He pressed his lips to her temple. “Ava.”
