What the hell was going on with him?—she peeked at Boone and caught his loaded smile—damn it, with both of them?
Dinner seemed to drag on forever. By the time it wrapped up and Justin inquired if anyone cared for dessert, her eyes were drooping.
“No, thank you.” Her yawn slipped free. Mortified, she covered her mouth. “Sorry. These late nights are starting to get to me.”
Max lurched to his feet. “Maybe we should go to bed.”
She stared at him. “It’s barely eight.”
“You said you were tired.”
“That doesn’t mean I have to go to bed right now.”
Heavy disappointment fell across Max’s face, and Boone chuckled.
“I think our boy’s impatient to get the night rolling.”
“Why? Does he have a hot date planned?” she couldn’t help grousing as she rose from her seat.
For some reason, Max’s cheeks turned even ruddier.
“Well, whatever you do, I’m afraid you’ll have to count me out,” Justin said as they walked from the dining room. “The only hot date in my future is with some immensely boring investment reports.” After brushing a courtly kiss across her knuckles, he abandoned them for his office.
She glanced at Max and noticed the stony set of his jaw. Okay, now what was that about? He met her eyes and his fierceness softened.
Leaning down, he claimed her mouth in a kiss that was a thousand degrees hotter than the one Justin had offered. Easing back, he skated his fingers along the side of her breast. “Are you sure I can’t talk you into going to bed?”
Oh. So that’s why he’d been in a rush to get her upstairs. He was in the mood for a little mattress mamboing. She should have guessed. Licking her lips, she tasted his spiciness and the faint hint of the chardonnay they’d partaken in at dinner. “Tempting as that is, I think maybe I should take a shower first. I skipped one this morning, and I’m probably all sticky and gross.”
“Can I join you?”
“You want to take a shower with me?” Okay, wow, she’d said that pretty damn loud. Embarrassed, she peeked over Max’s shoulder. Fortunately, Boone was nowhere to be seen, and the door to Justin’s office was closed. Hopefully he hadn’t heard.
Max’s grin was an invitation to all kinds of wicked delights. “I like the idea of soaping all your fun parts. What do you say?”
She’d never taken a shower with anyone before, much less a man. Biting her lip, she peered at Max. Make that an incredibly gorgeous man who was fantastically good with his teeth. And every other part of him. “I think I could get on board with a group shower.”
For some reason, Max choked on a cough. Grabbing him by the hand, she headed toward the spiral stairway. Her gaze landed on the marble sculpture of a group of sirens, and a shiver coursed through her. There was no question the creatures were devastatingly beautiful, but she’d never be able to look at them without recalling the hateful evilness of Reva. “D-do you think Aurele…?” A thick lump of worry clogged her throat.
Max hugged her close, his nearness and his strength comforting. “She’s a smart woman. Aurele knows damn well that Reva has to keep her alive. I wouldn’t doubt it if she’s taunting Reva about that very fact.”
Some of the ache eased in her chest. “You’re right. That’s so something Aurele would do.”
Bending, Max tipped her into his arms. She gasped at the spontaneous action. “Uh, what are you doing?”
“Sweeping you off your feet.”
“Wow, that’s an incredibly cheesy line.” But it still filled her heart with giddiness.
Max took the rest of the stairs two at a time. When they reached their room, rather than set her down, he carried her all the way into the opulently appointed bathroom. One look at the enormous Jacuzzi tub and she changed her mind about the shower. Max moved behind her. Sliding his palms across her tummy, he nuzzled her neck. “We could put those jets to good use.”
“Mm, yes, we could.” She toed off her sandals while Max relieved her of her top. He flung it aside and rasped down the zipper on her capris. She shimmied from the garment and removed her bra and panties before leaning over the tub and cranking on the faucet. Satisfied the temperature of the water was absolutely perfect, she pivoted.
Max was still fully dressed.
She plunked her hands on her hips. “Why aren’t you naked?”
“I was too busy ogling your delectable ass.” His eyes glowed with the heat of his desire. Seeing the evidence of how much he wanted her filled her with a seductive wantonness. Without thinking twice about her actions, she cupped her breasts, her fingertips brushing her nipples. Max watched her, his eyelids growing heavy. “You getting those pretty nipples ready for me, baby?”
“Mm-hmm.” She plucked the pebbled tips and moaned.
His motions swift and impatient, Max kicked off his shoes and made short work of the rest of his clothing. She took her time admiring his muscular, yummilicious body, her pussy growing damp as she noticed the thickening of his shaft. A clear bead of precome pearled from the tiny slit. She dropped to her knees in front of him and gathered that glistening teardrop with her tongue. Max groaned, his chiseled abdomen quivering. It was heady, knowing she had such an effect on him.
She stretched her hand around his girth, her fingers unable to meet. It was a miracle he was able to fit inside her. But it felt oh so wonderful when he did fill her full with his hard cock. Taking him into her mouth, she sucked down his length, working him toward the back of her throat. His fingers stroked through her hair, and she looked up at him through her eyelashes.
His glittery eyes were locked on the movement of her mouth. “Yes, baby. Fuck. That feels good.”
She hummed in response and he jerked. Sliding his hand beneath her chin, he quickly eased her off him. Worried she’d done something he didn’t care for, she offered him an uncertain look.
“Too much more of that and I would have come,” he said, apparently reading her mind and wanting to reassure her. He hugged her tight and kissed her slowly, temptingly, before he lifted her and climbed into the tub. They settled into the steaming water. It was like being cocooned in a warm, seductive oasis. She sat in his lap and he cupped her breasts, the pads of his thumbs grazing her nipples. He seemed fascinated by the way they puckered beneath his touch. The bath water continued filling around them, its silky glide adding its own brand of friction. She scooped up a handful and splashed it down Max’s chest, watching the rivulets stream into his bellybutton.
He kissed her, his tongue a teasing flicker. “You have no idea what this is doing to me. The heat. The water. You.”
She had to admit it was all getting to her too. Max and the water were proving to be a potent blend of the ideal aphrodisiac.
The swirling steam was leaving beads of condensation on her skin. Max lowered his head and sucked the droplets from her flesh, paying particular attention to her nipples. His big hands kneading her breasts, he looked at her with a hot intensity. “I want to go down on you. Feel you come on my tongue before you do the same around my cock.”
She whimpered. Both at the request and the huskiness of Max’s voice.
“Lay back. But whatever you do, don’t turn on the jets.”
“Why?”
“Just trust me.”
Angling her legs better, she rested her head on the padded vinyl pillow that’d been thoughtfully suctioned to the lip of the tub. Max reached behind him and dialed off the faucet. He stretched over her, his mouth inches away from hers. Their breath mingled for a moment before he scooted backward. Max’s smoky gaze held her in place. His body morphed into the same watery substance he’d utilized at the aquarium, and an instant later he disappeared.