Last on the List (Wait With Me #5)(30)

A loud crack of thunder shakes my entire house, and I distractedly notice that my lamp downstairs kicked off and the air conditioner hum is no longer present. The power must have gone out. My vibrator is still alive and well, though.

God bless batteries.

I close my eyes and attempt to put myself back in my story. I know the entire thing by heart. I don’t need to read the pages to recall the delicious dirty things the hero says to the heroine.

But my traitorous mind has other ideas.

Namely…Max…in his shower.

That clear glass shower with glossy charcoal tile that I tried not to stare at when I walked into his bathroom tonight. Never mind the moment I had walking into his bedroom when I paused by his bed and inhaled his masculine scent. I have no idea what cologne he wears, but his room is completely drenched in it. Before I entered the bathroom, I debated lying on his bed and rolling my body all over just so I could take home a hint of that intoxicating aroma he carries with him everywhere he goes. It’s a heady mix of smoky woods with an exotic scent that I can’t even begin to place. It gives total mafia boss vibes, and my body reacts damn near carnally to it.

Or maybe it was that smoldering look in Max’s eyes when I finished doing Everly’s hair. It reminded me of the look I saw when we were zip-lining, but I was close enough to confirm this one. Max was staring at my ass. Without a doubt and without any ounce of shame. And when his eyes caught mine in the mirror, and he said “beautiful,” he wasn’t talking about Everly’s hair.

I nearly came on the spot.

Okay, that’s not true. There was a child in the room, and I’m not a complete pervert!

But my stomach was doing cartwheels for sure. I can still feel my pulse racing in my veins, thinking about how I noticed him letting that CEO guard down for a moment. With one expression, he confirmed that the chemistry I’ve been feeling between us for the past fourteen days hasn’t all been in my head.

If only he’d have asked me to stay with him tonight. A shock runs through me as my thighs clench around my vibrator at the thought.

I imagine him grabbing me by that hand and walking me into his shower, stripping off my clothes as he explores my curves. The image of that causes me to gasp, feeling myself grow wetter as my nipples tighten beneath the taut fabric.

With my opposite hand, I caress my stomach, imagining they’re his masculine fingers working their way up my chest. I shudder against the vibrations between my legs as my breath quickens, feeling my orgasm just on the crest.

My own fingers wrap lightly around my throat as I imagine Max whispering every dirty word to me the character in my book whispered.

Lifting my hips, I chase the orgasm that’s right there…that’s almost…

A loud bang on my door just as I was about to reach the precipice has me screaming. Full-on blood-curdling scream.

“Cassandra, what is it?” Max’s voice booms as he bursts through my unlocked door with a flashlight in hand. He shoots the stray light beam all over my tiny house, seeking out the cause of my apparent stress.

“Max?” I barely hear my voice over the pounding of my heart. From my almost orgasm or from being scared half to death, I’m not sure.

I shoot up out of my bed and drag my blanket with me to cover my scantily clad body. Peering over the railing, I see my boss. The grip on my blanket tightens as I take in his completely soaked white T-shirt and a pair of gray sweatpants.

I sway heavily against the railing feeling my center throb at the real-life fantasy standing in my living room.

He shines his light toward me, and I lift my hand against the brightness. “What are you doing here?”

“The power went out,” he answers, pushing back his wet hair as he lowers the light. A security light down by the creek casts a bluish glow through the windows enough for me to make out the features of his face. He looks stressed when he adds, “I was coming to bring you a flashlight. I heard you scream, and I thought something bad was happening.”

I swallow nervously, thinking about what was about to happen, and shift the blanket to cover my hardening nipples nearly falling out of my nightie. “Sorry, I was just—”

A loud thunk down by my feet has my eyes moving from Max to the floor where my pale pink vibrator has come loose out of my blanket. Eyes wide, I pray his light didn’t catch it before it hit the floor. Hastily, I bend over to grab it so I can stash it safely back in the folds of the blanket.

As I bend, the blanket falls over it, making it hard to see with only the light from below as my guide. I kick my foot out to move the blanket aside when it connects with the vibrator.

To my great horror, I watch in slow motion as it falls through the railing right toward where Max is standing below me.

With a loud thud that echoes through my tiny home, it hits the floor.

“I got it,” Max says, moving toward the device that now resides on the main floor.

“Just leave it,” I nearly scream as I drop the blanket and scamper my ass down this stupid fucking ladder that I thought was charming until this very moment. Now I hate it with the fire of a thousand suns. “Please…don’t touch it!” I gasp loudly out of breath as I fumble for the next rung on the ladder.

“It’s no problem,” Max offers, walking over to the kitchen area that’s under the ladder.

“Please, for the love of God!” My feet thump on the hardwood floor as I jump off the ladder with three rungs to go.