Baddest Bad Boys(80)

He stood and turned, giving Ellie a clear view of his profile. In the tangle of dreams and bedclothes, she hadn’t realized until just that moment that he was naked from the waist down, too.

It was impossible not to stare. His penis jutted out majestically from a nest of dark hair. It was larger than she remembered, long and thick. Semi-erect, it curved slightly away from his body, mesmerizing her.

The mattress dipped as he climbed in and stretched out on his back. He extended his hand, his voice a low and husky invitation. “Come closer.”

Nothing could have kept her away. All her worries vanished in the simple need to be in his arms. She moved in next to him and put her head on his shoulder, pressed her belly against his side. His arm stretched down the length of her, pressing along her spine, urging her pelvis into his hip. Then he shifted one leg slightly, forcing her legs apart. She drew her knee up, eased it over his. The sensation of being tucked in close was soothing and erotic at the same time.

He had entwined her fingers with his, his thumb stroking rhythmically back and forth over her knuckles.

“Better?” he asked.

Trick question, she thought. Better would mean moving her hand beneath the sheet, to touch him. Better would mean both of them naked.

“Yes,” she said.

“Good. Can we lose the gown?”

Ellie felt her cheeks grow warm. Had he read her mind? “I should refuse since you said our week doesn’t start till tomorrow.” But even as she spoke, she reached for the hem of her gown and started peeling it up.

Max helped. His fingers grazed her sides as he tugged the material. “It’s after midnight, so technically it is tomorrow.”

Balling up the gown, he sent it sailing to a corner of the room. Then he pulled her across his chest, stretching her out on top of him. His arms crossed over her back, ensuring there wasn’t one iota of her that didn’t touch him. The textures, the muscles, the heat of a full frontal hug were shocking. Delicious.

Max was a big man. All over. Hard, too. All over. Fully aroused, his erection teased her bottom. They were shoulder to shoulder, which put her pelvis closer to his navel, and still she felt him. Sensual images filled her mind. She wanted to scoot lower, to grind against his sex.

“You feel good,” he said. “It’s been a long time.”

He had no idea how long. She rolled her hips, felt him there.

Max’s hand went to her hips, holding her still. “We need to discuss safe sex, El. While I still have adequate blood flow to my brain. I’ve got condoms in my room.”

She didn’t want him to leave, didn’t want the moment to be shattered by mechanics. “I’m on the pill,” she said.

“Birth control: check. But I still want you to feel reassured about…other things. I’ve never had sex without a rubber, Ellie.” He flexed his erection up against her and groaned. “And I’d kill to be inside of you without one.”

The thought that Max wanted her so intimately inflamed her. Even when they’d made love years before, he had worn a condom. He’d joked about being lectured on the subject since grade school. Back then, she’d been grateful that he’d taken care of the matter. Now she was grateful that she had choices.

“Never?” she repeated.

“Ever.”

“So I’d be your first?”

He smiled. “Yes.” His mouth captured hers in a brief kiss. His teeth dragged gently on her lip before moving down to her neck. He nibbled softly on her earlobe. “But I’ll get one if you prefer. Your call, sweetheart.”

Need tightened with the power that his request granted. The idea of experiencing all of him sent waves of excitement spiraling to her lower body. Max pulled away. It took her a second to realize he was waiting for her response. His control amazed her. Wasn’t it obvious that she wanted him badly as is?

“You’d be my first, too,” she said at last.

Immediately he drew her closer. “God, I’d hoped you’d say that.”

His mouth slanted over hers in a demanding kiss. She opened fully, inviting him in, her tongue dueling with his as her fingers speared through the silky strands of his hair. He smelled fresh, like he’d bathed in a sparkling ocean.

The quiet compliments and encouragement he murmured against her mouth sent her shyness fleeing. She reveled in the feel of his strong hands sliding down and over her. He smoothed the long length of her hair before lifting it and then gently massaging the muscles of her back.

His fingers traced her spine to her tailbone and bracketed her hips briefly before curling around her buttocks. He squeezed, pressing more of his erection into her abdomen. With each touch, each movement, her desire built.

“Max, please…”

“Please what?”

“Make love to me. Right now.”

He chuckled. “That’s what I thought I was doing.”

For a wild moment, Ellie wished the room was pitch black, though her cheeks would likely glow red in the dark. “What I meant was—”

“Faster?” His hands tightened on her buttocks, pressing his shaft more fully against her wet nether lips. He groaned. “The way that feels. Just…you…”

“Just us.”

“Flesh to flesh.” Max shifted her off of him and onto the mattress. Instead of moving over her, he pushed up on one elbow and gazed down. “This sounds selfish, but I want to remain outside of you as long as I can. Because once I’m in—” He trailed the back of his hand upward along the inside of her arm. “I won’t last.”