“Tell me everything,” he ordered.
You dirty boy. I had no idea he liked dirty talk, but this, I could do. “Well, I was living in the dorm back then. Madison was out, thank God. So I went to bed and fucked myself stupid, imagining you were doing me up against your bedroom door. I came so hard, Max.”
“How?” he whispered.
“You mean fingers or toys?”
“Yeah.” Max lay down on me and put his face in my neck, trembling with the force of his need. He pumped his hips against me in furtive movements, unconscious, uncontrollable.
“Vibrator, six inches, flexible. But I didn’t turn it on that night. I just used it to fuck like you would.”
My nipples were so hard they hurt. His breath gusted in my ear as he worked his hips. Even with two layers of denim between us, it felt amazing. Max levered up enough to pull my bra and his shirt off. Then we were half-naked, skin to skin, and he growled, a hot flush high on his cheekbones. His mouth was slightly parted as he hung over me, biceps bulging.
“I don’t... I have no idea what I’m doing. Courtney, please—” Losing control, he bit into my neck and wrapped his arms tight around my back. His hot skin felt delicious against my aching breasts. I craved his mouth, his fingers, everything.
Never been so turned on in my life.
Somehow we wriggled out of our jeans and then there were only two thin layers of cotton between us. I expected him to roll back on top of me but instead he held himself up and slipped a hand into my panties. His eyes closed when he discovered how slick I was for him. Max stroked in perfect rhythm, edging me closer and closer. Like a bastard, he teased around my clit, working my labia until I could only moan and rub against his hand.
He kissed my belly, licking a circle around my navel while he drove me crazy with his fingers. “Sexy, sexy girl. You have to come soon.”
“Working on it,” I panted.
“No, you have to. I’m...close.”
“But I’m not even touching you.” Astonishment drove me upward, so my hand brushed his hard cock, and the new angle on his fingers, along with the extra pressure, spiked me into the hardest orgasm ever, even as Max called my name, shivering against me.
Holy, holy shit.
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
Afterward, Max stumbled to the bathroom to clean up.
Still too dreamy to move, I crawled under the covers. If he wants me to leave, he can kick me out. I’d pictured being nearly naked in Max’s bed before, but I never thought it would actually happen. With a goofy smile, I fell into the pillows and breathed him in. His scent was clean but earthy, a hint of gas and engine oil, plus the bright lemony scent of his soap. I stroked the pillow next to me.
A few minutes later, he returned in clean boxer briefs and as he came toward me, I admired the cut of his abs along with the lean line of his thighs.
“Perving on me already?” But he grinned as he climbed in next to me.
“You love it.”
“Maybe a little.”
Max dropped onto his back and spread his arm around, inviting me to cuddle up against him with a smoky look. I rolled against his side and found the perfect place for my head. As soon as I settled, he relaxed on a long breath, staring up at the ceiling with an expression that mirrored how I felt. Hesitantly I reached out and trailed my fingers down his chest, watching Max’s face.
His gaze heated as he sucked in a sharp breath. “That feels amazing.”
“I’m glad. I still kind of can’t believe you want this. Michael will be so disappointed. He asked me to wait for him, you know.”
Max’s eyes snapped open fully. “The fuck he did.”
“Kidding. But that does bring me to a pertinent question.”
“What’s that?”
“Should I tell him the next time I email? And what about our friends?”
A frown pulled his brows together. “Is there some reason we shouldn’t?”
“I dunno. You might want to keep it quiet in case things don’t work out.”
“Hold up. Why won’t it work?” His frown deepened into a scowl and he levered up, jolting me away from him.
“Don’t flip out. I was only asking how you want to handle breaking the news, not prognosticating the end of us.”
“I like us. Good word.” Max relaxed marginally and his hands felt possessive when he drew me fully into his arms.
“Me, too. Anyway, what do you think?”
“That I want the world to know we’re together. I couldn’t give two shits who you tell. In fact, I’m thinking about scaling a tall building to yell about it.”
That earned him a kiss on the shoulder. “Is there an elevator? If so, I’ll go with you.”
“I’m not worth climbing twenty-five flights of stairs?” He feigned a hurt look, executing the lost puppy air so well that if I didn’t know better, I’d take him seriously.
“You are. But I might die on the way up, that’s all I’m saying.”
“I’ll carry you.”
“Hmm, that might end in a herniated something. Why don’t we stay in bed?” I brushed my fingertips across his forehead, playing with silky strands of dark hair.
“Somehow you’ve talked me into it. So tell me about the guy who brought you home.” Though Max was smiling, the look in his eyes told me he needed to know.
It was weird to imagine him feeling insecure over me when he was so good with women. But maybe that was the key difference, plural. To the best of my recollection, he’d never settled into a relationship, never dedicated himself to one person. Considered in that light, his vulnerability seemed more understandable; he’d never been in this position before.
“I have some news, actually.” From there I told him all about the band, starting with Evan and continuing with Dana and Ji Hoo. While his expression lightened, I filled him in on the musical style and ended with the no-dating-other-members rule.
“I’m speechless.”
“In a good way?”
“Obviously. This is hella cool. My girlfriend’s a rock star!”
My breath caught as a shiver of pleasure rolled through me. Girlfriend. “Please. I just had one rehearsal and they’re busy teaching me not to suck.”
“Promise you’ll tell me about your first show. I won’t forgive you if I miss it.”
“Okay, I swear. It could take a while, though.”
“Understood. What made you...” He trailed off, probably unable to think of a way to phrase the question that didn’t make me sound like an ambitionless potato.
“Try something new?” I offered.
“Exactly.” Relief colored his voice.
I smacked his arm gently. There was no way I’d tell him that it was because I needed a non-Max-centric hobby. “In high school I was really into music. Eli and I went to concerts all the time and we talked about starting up an indie music label together.”
“You never told me that.” His eyes took on that deep, haunted look I’d noticed anytime I mentioned Eli.
“For the longest time I didn’t see any point in talking about dead dreams. But lately I’ve been wondering if they could be brought back to life.”
“What could?” he asked warily.
“My old plans. Eli’s gone, but it doesn’t mean I can’t do things that used to make me happy. I never loved the classical stuff my parents prefer but I might have a lot of fun with the music Racing Sorrow plays. I figured it didn’t hurt to try.”
“That’s your band?”
“Yeah.” I repeated what Evan had said about the reason behind the name.
“I like it. And from what you said about the set list, I think I’ll enjoy the sound, too. But even if you were playing death metal I’d come cheer you on.”
I grinned. “But you’d bring earplugs.”
“Probably.” Sheepish tone.
“Maybe I’ll write you a song,” I mused.
“If you do, make sure to praise me as a sex god.”
“Hmm. I suspect I’ll need mor
e empirical evidence before inspiration strikes.”
Max rolled onto his side and draped his right arm and leg across my body. “Are you challenging me?”
“Possibly.”
“Am I allowed an intermission?”
Smiling, I stretched lazily and kissed his jaw. “You can’t go again? See, this is where being female comes in handy.”
“Give me ten minutes.” He ran his fingers through my hair and each time he brushed the nape of my neck, it sent fresh shivers through me. I let out a little moan. “Okay, five.”
“I can’t believe I’m in your bed.”
Hesitating, he cupped the back of my head in his hands. “Maybe I shouldn’t admit this, but there probably haven’t been as many women as you think.”
“In your bed? I know, you never bring them home.”
“That’s not what I mean. Just because I leave with somebody, it doesn’t automatically mean we hooked up.”
“Hey, your past is—”
“I’m being sincere here. Nadia seems to think I’ve banged hundreds of women. I don’t care about correcting her, but you’re different.”
“I hope so. If you ever had a thing for Nadia, then you’re completing the roommate trifecta, and I’m pretty sure all a woman has to do is move in and feed you a few times.” I smirked to show I was teasing. “Don’t they call that stray puppy syndrome?”
“Funny.”
“Any stirrings toward Kia yet? Wait, I don’t think she cooks—”
He shut me up with a kiss. Normally that move would make me want to kick a guy in the junk, but this was Max. I forgot about teasing him for endlessly delicious moments. When we broke apart, I was breathing hard and he had that look in his eyes again.
“Are you going to let me finish?”
“That depends.”
“On what?”
“Whether you mean talking or sex.”
“Both,” he said. “Eventually.”
“Okay, I promise I won’t mess with you anymore.” I hesitated long enough for him to wonder what I meant, then added, “Verbally.”
“Thank God. In my defense, I liked Lauren before we moved in together. And no, I’ve never seen Nadia and Kia as anything more than friends.”
“I was joking. But your earnest look is adorable, so carry on.”
He kissed my nose in response. “Anyway, I just want to make sure you know you’re...special to me. I won’t fuck around on you.”
“Wait, so this is relationship-y nakedness? Damn. I don’t know if this is going to work, Max. After all, I did just join a band. I’ll eventually have groupies and—”
“Really? I bare my heart and you eat it?”
I smacked my lips. “It was delicious, I regret nothing.”
“You’re an awful human being.”
“I know.”
Pulling away, he pretended to pout, so I followed him to the other side of the bed and tickled him until he grabbed my hands and stilled them on his chest. “You were kidding, right? I already called you my girlfriend and you didn’t protest. It’s too late to back out.”
“Obviously. I’m sure you weren’t really worried, but I can do monogamous. You can trust me,” I added quietly.
This seemed like a big deal to him, though I wasn’t entirely sure why. I knew about Max’s propensity for hooking up, for no-strings sex, but he’d never told me about getting his heart broken. There was the whole Lauren thing, of course, but that didn’t count as a failed relationship. I studied his face in the glow from the streetlights in the parking lot, wondering why he seemed so serious. My happiness at being with him left me giddy and slightly silly, but he radiated a different vibe entirely.
“I do,” he said.
“Then what’s going on? You’re super intense right now. Not in a scary way.”
“I just feel...” He trailed off, tipping his head back on the pillows. I rolled over and propped onto my elbows, waiting. “At a disadvantage, I guess.”
“Why?”
“I haven’t had a girlfriend since I was fifteen, Courtney. You had Eli...and then Amy, maybe other relationships, too. You have more experience at being a partner than I do, and I’m so afraid I’m going to fuck this up.”
Guilt slithered over me; I shouldn’t have taken his concerns lightly. “The fact that you care means it’ll be fine. I’m not saying we’ll never disagree, but that comes with the territory. Don’t let it stress you out, okay? As long as you’re honest about what you need from me, we can figure it out as we go.”
“I need everything,” he whispered.
“Wow.” I shivered a bit. “You don’t have anything to worry about, you’re great at this.”
“At what?”
“Putting it all on the line.”
He smiled slightly. “I’m really not. You’re the only person in the world I can talk to like this, the one person who might believe I’m capable of it.”
“That’s good...because it would probably piss me off if you spread your deepest feelings around like some kind of emotional harlot.”
“All my feelings are belong to you?”
“Yep. Which means I want to hear if you have a shitty day and you need a hug, or if you have amazing news and want to celebrate. I should be your first stop, no matter what. Get me?”
“I did that before we got together,” he said in a quietly marveling tone. “It was—we were—all of this already, just without the sex.”
“I like sex,” I pointed out.
“Me, too. And it’s even better with you.”
“How would you know? We’ve spent the past hour talking. You could’ve fucked me four times by now.”
“Complaining will not get you laid any faster.”
“What will? Bacon sandwich? Because I’ll totally fry some. Naked. And that might be painful, so I hope you appreciate what I’m willing to sacrifice for you.” I made like I was going to climb over him and Max pulled me down on top.
“You know the sexiest thing about you?”
I furrowed my brow in mock-thought. “Is it my ass? I hear it’s pretty juicy, if you like them big and round.”
“Your brain.”
“Is this where you tell me you’re going to drill holes to let the demons out and then make sweet, sweet love to my skull? Because I think I have to pass.”
He muffled a laugh. “Courtney. You make it really hard to be sincere, you know that?”
“Fine, tell me all about my beautiful mind.”
“You make me laugh, no matter how bad my mood is. You always listen, even when you’re busy or tired. And you’re on my side, whether I deserve it or not. What I’m trying to say is, I’d want you if you were a dude, a robot, or a head in a jar, as long as you were still you.”
“You win,” I whispered, hugging him.
“What’s the prize?”
“Me. I hope you don’t feel cheated.”
“No way.” His arms came around me, and I snuggled my face against his neck, kissing a path toward his jaw. “You are my golden ticket, baby.”
“Eh.” I eased back. “Maybe not. I’m not opposed to pet names but let’s find one that doesn’t infantilize me.”
“Fine, I’ll work on it. Sweetheart.”
“Better, but it still doesn’t feel right.”
“Do you intend to critique my sexual skills, as well?” He eyed me with a mixture of amusement and chagrin.
I grinned teasingly. “Dunno, would it push you to try harder?”
“You’ll give me performance anxiety.”
Wriggling on top of him, I decided that seemed unlikely. “Did you tell your dick?”
“He’s headstrong, doesn’t listen to me.” The faint stress delivered the joke.
I snickered as I leaned down to give Max a lingering kiss. “Ten points for a sex pun. You can’t fall asleep like this. So should I get off or should we?”
“We already did, but you’re making me curious about the sequel.”
“Sequels are never
as good.” I kissed his shoulder.
“That’s a dirty lie. What about Mad Max 2, Aliens, Star Trek: Wrath of Khan—”
“I’ve never wanted you more. Your secret geek makes me want to tie you up and lick you all over.” Demonstrating, I eased down his body and ran my mouth over his rib cage to his abdomen, tasting, nibbling, nuzzling.
Max sucked in a sharp breath. “I think you might be kidding about the bondage, but you should know, you’re seriously turning me on right now.”
“That’s the point.”
“I wasn’t sure you’d want to—” His voice broke on a groan when I put my mouth on his nipple, sucking lightly.
“I do, so much.”
“Yeah?” His eyes burned with longing, fixed on my face until I squirmed on top of him.
Max’s skin felt incredible, hot and smooth. He was so tan compared to me, a lovely contrast in the moonlight. I remembered how much he liked it when I told him how I fantasized about him. At the moment, I wasn’t sure how to incorporate that without it seeming like something from a porno, but I wanted to figure out how to make talking natural.
Oh. Maybe...
“I want to make you come again.” His cock throbbed against my stomach in reaction. Yeah, definitely on the right track. “But how? Should I use my mouth, tease you, until you can’t take anymore and you—”
“Yes, that. Do that.” He worked his hips against me, getting hotter as I spoke. Phone sex with him would be amazing.
“Or I could strip off your underwear right now and climb on. It feels like you’re ready to be fucked. Hard and fast, gentle and slow?”
I pretended to consider while Max ran desperate hands over my back, stroking, urging me on. He cupped my ass and kneaded, licking his lips as he gazed up at me. At any point, he could’ve taken control but he seemed to be waiting for me to decide. I liked his hungry patience; God, I was so wet, partly from the orgasm he’d given me before, but mostly from the incredible rush of tenderness and desire flooding through me right now.
“You feel so fucking good,” he whispered.
Lowering my head, I went back to my original plan of kissing him all over soon. I tasted every inch of his throat and shoulders, his chest, his sexy-as-fuck abs. Max knotted his fists in the sheets as I lowered the waistband of his boxer briefs and licked the curve of his hip. His thighs came up, taut as steel beams, and I used the leverage to strip off the fabric entirely. Then he was naked for me, his cock long and lean, throbbing visibly.