Maximum Risk

  His hands loosened on her hips. “So you were innocently standing over me naked?” He raised one hand and cupped one of her breasts gently. “Sorry, my mistake.” He ran his hand down her side, across the top of her thigh and to her sex. Tara gasped as he dipped a finger between her folds and flicked expertly back and forth. “And this? Are you still wet from the shower?”

  “I-I—” All coherent though left Tara at his touch. It didn’t make sense, but did it have to? She’d spent the night dreaming of this. Her body wanted this, and her mind rushed to justify it. What would sleeping with Max change? Nothing.

  She’d already proven she couldn’t do the job Maddy had hired her for. All she had to do was rip up the check and explain to Maddy she’d been serious about quitting. Max wasn’t looking for a relationship. He’d already been blunt about that.

  So what? I’m single. He’s single. Do I have to invest my heart into every relationship I have? Maybe not. Hell, I might even enjoy myself for a change. Isn’t that worth the risk of getting hurt? Just this once?

  She leaned forward, hungrily closing her lips over his. She was on fire for him, and he met her kiss with a hunger of his own. He threw her towel aside and ran his hands over her while their kiss deepened. She braced herself above him, giving herself over to the intensity of their passion. This was a mating, pure and simple. Two bodies craving to become one.

  She ripped his shirt open, loving how his powerful chest felt beneath her hands. His hands were as skilled as they were rough. Max was not a man who asked; he was a man who took, but—oh, the way he took. His mouth was hot and masterful. His tongue teased hers then went on to tantalize her sensitive neck, her eager breasts, lingering there to nip gently at her sensitive nipples.

  He rolled Tara beneath him and took both of her hands in his, holding them easily above her head as he ran his other hand over her. “You are beautiful,” he whispered.

  Fully in a sex daze, Tara whispered back, “You are, too.”

  He chuckled deep in his throat and resumed kissing his way down to her navel. His tongue circled before proceeding any lower, and Tara arched backward as she gave herself fully to the feel of him.

  Max’s finger continued circling below, indulging her pleasure by adding a second finger and placed his thumb over her clit, spreading her juices as she writhed against it. Fully aroused and unable to speak, Tara moaned softly.

  “You want this as much as I do, Tara,” he murmured. “Tell me you want this.”

  “Don’t stop, Max. Whatever you do, don’t stop.”

  “One of us is wearing too much.” He looked down as his trousers.

  Tara quickly grasped the zipper of his pants and undid them, trying not to think while she helped him out of them, pulling his boxer briefs off at the same time.

  “Right pocket . . . condom . . . open it.” His hands kept titillating both her sex and her breasts while his mouth returned to her mouth. Not wanting him to stop, she swiftly ripped the foil, removed the latex, and rolled it over his ample erection.

  He pulled her back onto the couch, rolling so he was above her. “Oh, baby, you are so wet. This is all I’ve been able to think about since I met you. You’re even better than I imagined.” He shifted his cock between her folds, and she felt time stop as he entered her.

  Adjusting her hips so he could gain full entry, she gasped and took in his length. He slowly began to pump in and out. “You feel so good,” Max gasped and started to increase his speed.

  It was good—by far the best mistake Tara had ever made. “Oh, God, Max. Faster. Harder. Yes. Do not stop,” she cried out.

  ***

  Max was no stranger to fucking. He was told he was a generous lover. It was pragmatic, really. The more pleasure he brought his partner, the more she generally brought him. He remained in control, but took his time to ensure everyone left satisfied.

  It was different with Tara. He hadn’t planned their first time to be like this and wasn’t taking his time with her. She was tight and felt too damn good. He felt himself losing control as she urged him to drive into her faster and harder.

  As much as he wanted to last, he felt himself nearing his climax. She was clinging to him, digging her nails into his back, and he pounded down into her with a wild abandon he’d never allowed himself. As he neared release, he growled into her ear, “Come with me.”

  “Oh, Max . . . I’m right there with you. You are . . . so good.” Tara jerked and moaned as Max climaxed. He kissed her deeply as they shuddered against each other. He propped himself on his elbows, remaining inside her as they came back to earth together.

  He looked down into the most amazing brown eyes he’d ever seen and said, “I didn’t mean for that to happen.”

  She touched his cheek gently and said wryly, “I meant to ask you to leave.”

  He smiled. “You do something to me, Tara. I can’t explain it.”

  With gentle humor in her eyes, she said, “It’s pretty clear what I do to you.”

  He kissed her smiling lips. “It seems safe to say I do the same to you.”

  She nodded. “You may have just convinced me casual sex isn’t completely without merit. I always thought I needed to be in a relationship to enjoy it. Apparently that doesn’t matter.”

  Max withdrew from her with a frown. He cleaned himself off, then walked back to the couch. Tara sat up and scooted back to make room for him. Still naked, he sat beside her. He didn’t say anything at first. He wasn’t sure what to say. All he knew for sure was he didn’t like her last comment.

  Tara reached for her towel on the floor and wrapped it around herself. It didn’t cover her entirely. From where he was seated he could still see her neatly trimmed sex, but he wasn’t about to tell her. He doubted there was a man alive who would have. Still, the sight made sorting through his conflicting feelings even more difficult. She saw what they’d just done as something casual. He should be happy about that. Casual was all he wanted—all he ever wanted.

  She laid a hand on his shoulder, seeming to sense his mood. “What’s the matter?”

  He held up a hand, speaking to himself and her at the same time. “Nothing.”

  She dropped her hand. “Should I not have been so honest? No wonder Brigitte skips out before her dates wake up. This is awkward.”

  He knew enough about Brigitte and her overnight guests to dislike the comparison. He wasn’t ready to admit, even to himself, that being with Tara was different—made him feel different. So instead of discussing how he felt about them, he said, “I don’t like the idea of Dyson staying here with you.”

  Tara cocked her head to one side, looking genuinely surprised. “Dyson? He’s harmless.”

  “He’s far too comfortable being here without your roommate.”

  “That’s because he and I have spent a lot of time together since he met Brigitte. I feel bad for him. He really likes her.”

  “You’re not staying here alone with him.”

  Tara stood up, tightening the towel around her. “I’m sorry? Since you and I won’t be seeing each other after today, it’s really none of your business who does or doesn’t stay here.”

  Max stood and glared down at her. “Who said anything about never seeing each other again?”

  Her eyes rounded. “You did? You don’t do relationships.”

  “I don’t.”

  Tara took a step back, chewing her lip as she did. She pointed a hand at his lower region without looking down at it. “It could be because you’re distracting me by waving your . . . whatever . . . at me while you speak, but I’m confused.”

  He stepped closer. “I don’t want to talk, Tara. I want to spend the day exploring every sweet inch of you.” With one strong move, he whipped the towel off her. He grabbed one of her arms and hauled her against him, bare skin to bare skin. “I’m not done with you, Tara. I’m nowhere near done.” Her lips parted, and she let out a wistful sigh that was all the yes he required. He lifted her into his arms and carried her down the hallw
ay to her bedroom. “I only brought one condom with me. Looks like we’ll have to get creative.”

  With rounded eyes, she laid a hand on his shoulder and asked softly, “Creative?”

  He laid her gently on the bed and took a moment to appreciate her sheer beauty. She had her long, lean legs chastely together as if they hadn’t just fucked in the other room. She raised herself onto her elbows, and he knew he’d never again see a more perfect set of tits. They were naturally high and round, what women strove for with implants.

  His cock was pulsing evidence of the hold she had over him. His need for her blatantly displayed. She looked down at his arousal and licked her lips before meeting his eyes again. The air was heavy with anticipation of what they both knew was to come, but he didn’t move toward her. His earlier orgasm had taken off the edge, and he wanted her to be the one to lose control first. “Say it and I’ll do it, Tara. Tell me what you want.”

  Almost shyly she parted her legs slightly, watching his expression carefully as she did, as if she were afraid he’d laugh. There was nothing funny about the sight of her delicious sex already shining with a wetness he couldn’t wait to taste.

  “Wider,” he ordered softly, and she opened her legs more for him. In all his life, he’d never seen anything more beautiful than Tara offering herself to him.

  He was between her legs in a heartbeat, telling himself it would be more fun if he made her ask for each touch, but unable to resist tasting her. He laved her lower lips, then parted them with one hand and blew gently on her exposed clit. Her hips jutted upward and her head flew back.

  She was so ready for him, so eager for his mouth, but he knew her pleasure would increase if he took his time and teased her first. He kissed the inside of each thigh, stroking his hands lightly over her. He gently kissed her stomach, her amazing hips, and the length of her thighs.

  He ran a hand up the back of one of her legs, lifting it as he did, then slowly ran his hand down it again. He did the same with her other leg. Each firm caress both relaxed her and deepened her breathing.

  He slid a hand beneath her ass and lifted her to worship her sex again. He gently nipped her mound then paused, letting his warm breath be a promise of its own. She dug her hands into his hair and writhed beneath him. He used his free hand to lift himself so he could lean forward and tease both her breasts with soft kisses before working his way back down to where she was moaning in anticipation for him to go.

  With deliberate, torturous leisure, he made his way back to her sex. He licked her as he had before then parted her lips. Her clit was a tiny, hard nub eagerly awaiting his attention. He stroked his tongue across it, then up and down, alternating his technique until he found the rhythm and the direction that had her gasping and begging him not to stop.

  He had no intention of disappointing her. He continued even as she moved her hands to grip the bed sheets beside her head and opened herself wider for his mouth. He loved how her skin warmed beneath his hands as she became more and more aroused.

  He increased the speed of his rhythmic assault when he sensed she was nearing climax. She writhed against his mouth and cried out as an orgasm shook through her. He lapped at her juices greedily, gently sucking her clit as she shuddered again in his arms.

  Still panting, she threw out one arm toward the bedside table and whipped open the drawer. She fumbled for a moment then threw a condom at his head. It bounced off his forehead and landed on her stomach. She tensed beneath his hands. “In my head, I handed that to you with a level of sophistication.”

  As turned on as he was, he still found her so amusing he chuckled and kissed her inner thigh. “You are a constant surprise, Tara, and one I can’t get enough of.”

  He moved higher on the bed and kissed her slowly even though he was raging with desire to sink into her. He ripped the condom package open, sheathed himself, and raised himself above her. She eagerly wrapped her legs around his waist. He lowered himself until the tip of his dick teased her swollen sex. “I want to fuck you until you don’t remember anyone who came before me—until I’m the only one you crave.”

  Whatever she might have said was lost in the deep kiss he gave her. He thrust into her deeply, loving how she opened herself wider for him, lifting her hips to meet his. The sweet feeling of her enveloping him sent him over the edge for the second time that morning. He took her with a wildness foreign to his usual style of lovemaking. With her, he couldn’t remain detached. Her head thrashed back and forth. Her hands dug into the muscles on his shoulders. They rolled until she was on top, and she rammed herself up and down, riding him with the same frenzied abandon that had swept through him.

  “I’m coming,” she cried out.

  He joined her with a powerful upward thrust.

  She melted down onto him, and he breathed in the scent of her, shaken by the desire to hold her to his chest and never let her go.

  Not today.

  Not ever.

  Sex had never held an emotional component before, and Max wasn’t comfortable with how Tara made him feel. He rolled over and cleaned himself off. When he turned back she was already beneath the blankets. He slid beneath them and pulled her into his arms.

  He never stayed after sex, but he wasn’t going anywhere. He fell asleep with her tucked against his side and slept better than he had in a very long time.

  Chapter Seven

  Tara slid out from beneath Max’s arm, quietly removed clothing from her bureau, and darted into the hallway, closing her bedroom door softly behind her. She threw on jeans and a blouse, put on enough makeup to conceal the shadows beneath her eyes, and brushed out her long hair.

  There was no disguising the freshly fucked glow on her cheeks. A quick glance at her phone revealed it was one o’clock in the afternoon. Shit. I told Maddy I’d meet her at one. Please, please don’t come here, Maddy.

  She sent Maddy a text telling her she was already on her way—a lie but one that might save her from the ultimate embarrassment of trying to explain why Max was naked in her bed. Tara grabbed a pen from her purse and left Max a quick note:

  Everything was great. Lock the door as you leave. Tara

  She made a face as she reread the note. Since she didn’t do casual sex, she wasn’t sure how to say “Thanks for the sex, now get out.” Brigitte didn’t write notes; she left the explaining to Tara.

  Tara placed her note on the kitchen counter. If Max were any other man she’d be worried about leaving him alone in her apartment, but what could she or Brigitte have that a billionaire would want to take? Nothing. She’d already given Max what he’d come for, and now that she had he would probably be just as anxious to get out of there as she was to see him gone.

  The sex had been great.

  Max had been amazing.

  But it was over, and it was better that way. She held up the check from Maddy. Fifty thousand dollars was a lot of money, as was the second payout if she completed her job, but it wasn’t worth it. She didn’t want to be the person she was becoming.

  Tara had always considered herself a champion for people who were being betrayed. Neither her job nor her lifestyle had ever been glamorous, but she’d always been proud of what she did.

  Working for Maddy had Tara all turned around and confused. She was getting used to a lifestyle of nice clothing and expensive things that had never been of interest to her before. Her personal ethics? They were blurring the more she played the role of Maddy’s friend.

  Without the money, Tara could justify what she’d done—at least to herself. After all, she’d taken the job because she’d wanted to help the man in the photo. Her mistake had been letting Maddy convince her she could be a different kind of investigator.

  It’s not all Maddy’s fault. I wanted to meet Max. I wanted to see what had put that sad expression in his eyes. But not this way. No part of this is right anymore. Maddy will have to understand that.

  And Max?

  Tara slipped out of her apartment without making a sound. No harm,
no foul. It wasn’t as if he’d be hurt by her departure. He’d probably have another woman in his bed tonight.

  And that had to be okay. She and Max were not meant to be together. Without Maddy, they never would have connected. They had nothing in common and, despite how entertaining dinner had been last night or how great sex had been this morning, they couldn’t be more wrong for each other.

  Sorry, Max, I was paid to learn more about you, and I did, but not the way I should have. My bad.

  Tara’s resolve didn’t waver, not even when she somehow ended up in the back of a town car explaining to Maddy for a second time that she’d torn up the check and was no longer working for her. “So, I’m done. No more meeting your family. No more lies. I’m sorry I couldn’t help you, but I can’t do this anymore.”

  “I completely understand,” Maddy said and gave the driver an address Tara didn’t recognize. Maddy looked at her with those dark pleading eyes on full blast. “Adam is feeling better today, but I still hated to leave him with the nanny. I don’t do that unless something is really important. I get that you don’t want to work for me anymore, but could you do one small, teensy-weensy favor for me before you go?”

  Say no and run. “What do you need?”

  “I need you to meet Patrice.”

  “Patrice Stanfield? Max’s mother?” Oh, no. No. No. No.

  “Good, you know who she is. What did you find out about her last night?”

  Heat filled Tara’s cheeks. “Max didn’t talk about his family.”

  Maddy chewed her bottom lip in frustration. “He never does. I was hoping he’d be different with you than he is with me.”

  Oh, he was, but not in a way I can discuss with you. Bad, bad Tara. Stop picturing Max naked in your bed and wishing you were still there.

  “How was dinner? You have to be careful with Max. He’s a heartbreaker.” Maddy’s expression filled with sympathy. She took Tara’s hand in hers. “Oh, you like him, don’t you? I am an insensitive idiot. Last night went badly, didn’t it? I’m sorry. He seemed interested in you. I should have known better. Max tends to date the double-D Vegas variety, if you know what I mean. He’s always surrounded by flashy displays of skin and cosmetically perfect women. You can’t expect to compete with that. When all this is over, I’ll find the perfect guy for you.”