Page 20 of About That One Night
“I’m sorry,” I say between giggles. “I guess I got a little shy.”
Max grins, leaning back in his chair. “I’m just messing with you. But seriously, next time, no cheating or this friendship is over.”
Those last three words sober me up, because honestly, I don’t want it to be over. We really have to talk about what happened—and it has nothing to do with skinny dipping.
“But the other thing,” I say.
“Yeah?” He crosses his arms. “What thing?”
“That thing you did to me . . .” Since when am I this shy? I wasn’t downstairs when I was begging him to lick me, was I?
“What did I do to you, Zoe?” He’s waiting for me to say it. “You have to say the words, like a big girlwho just got a really good prize for being very, very good. So. Fucking. Good.”
Those words make me squirm, my legs instinctively pressing together before I open them again, the memory of his touch making me ache with need.
He smirks, as if he knows exactly what just happened. “Say it, babe,” he insists.
“You performed oral sex,” I say, very clinical.
“Fuck, are you for real?” he says, exasperated. He leans forward, his eyes darkening with intensity. “I didn’t just perform oral sex, Zoe. I ate you out like I was starving. I licked and sucked every inch of your pretty, glistening pussy. I tasted how sweet you were, felt you squirm and moan under my tongue. I made you come undone with my mouth, finger fucking you and coating my fingers with your juices because I couldn’t get enough of you—and your sweet cunt.”
His words make me squirm even more, heat pooling low in my belly. I can’t help the way my body responds, every word making me want him more.
“You remember how you begged for more?” he continues, his voice low and dirty. “How you begged me to make you come? And I did. I loved every second of it, loved hearing you lose control, knowing it was all because of me.”
I can barely breathe, the intensity of his words and the memory of what he did overwhelming me. “Max . . .” I whisper, my voice trembling with desire.
He reaches across the table, taking my hand in his. “And I’d do it again in a heartbeat,” he says softly. “Because I want you, Zoe. I want your pretty body, your pleasure—you.”
What does he mean? Like just as . . . I swallow hard, trying to steady myself. “But this . . . we’re just friends,” I say, even as my body tingles with the memory of his touch. My heart races, conflicted between what I enjoy and what I should want.
We’re opposites in every way, down to what we want out of our futures. Well, I don’t have an exact plan just yet. However, I know it ends in family—a man who wants to spend forever with me, a child or two, and a pet.
He wants . . . Well, just to have fun. And that’s great, for him. But for me, it’s a different story.
“Of course we’re friends,” he says after staring at me. “As I promised before, this time we’re spending together is to ensure that you know how to live—to see a different side of things. Now, we added a little . . . benefit. Sex.”
Knowing me, and how I’ve always had sex with someone that I not only trust, but have feelings for, I have to set up a rule that he shouldn’t break. And so I tell him how I feel about sex and even when I’m sure one-night stands are perfectly fine for him, I don’t think my mind can catch up as fast. “Oral is fine,” I conclude after he listens to my long explanation. “Just oral.”
Max’s eyebrows shoot up, but he nods slowly. “And maybe no sleepovers, of course,” he adds, his voice careful. “We wouldn’t want to confuse things.”
“Exactly,” I say, relief washing over me. My shoulders relax, and I feel myself smiling. This could work. We can have fun without complicating things.
Max’s lips quirk into a grin, and he glances at theclock. “Now that we’ve got that settled, let’s finish up. I should get you home soon,” he says playfully, but there’s an undercurrent of something I can’t quite place in his voice.
I nod, picking up my fork again. The salad is delicious, and the casual, comfortable atmosphere between us feels right. We chat lightly as we eat, the earlier tension now replaced with an easy banter.
As I take my last bite, Max stands up and starts clearing the dishes. “Come on,” he says. “Let’s get you home.”
In the car, as he drives me back home, I glance at him and smile. The city lights dance across his profile, and I feel a sudden rush of affection. “Thanks, Max. For everything.”
He looks over at me, his expression softening. His eyes meet mine for a brief moment before returning to the road. “Anytime, Zoe. Anytime.”
Chapter Eleven
MaxMc: Morning, sunshine. Would you like me to pick you up so you can head to work?
Zoe: Love to, but . . . I’m already at work. Some of us have to work early.
