The Gamble (Colorado Mountain #1)(121)

And again.

For eternity.

In the grips of a sudden, irrational panic, I whirled around and jumped off my side of the bed, thinking that my rummaged through suitcase and my pajama bottoms would take too long, I ran to the dresser. I opened and closed the top drawer then in the one down I found what I wanted. I yanked out one of Max’s t-shirts and tugged it on. I was pulling up my panties, my mind blank, no thoughts in my head, none at all, no idea what I was even doing when Max came back in, his hair sexily disheveled from my hands, still in his jeans but they were only partially buttoned.

My mouth went dry. His brows snapped together.

“You moved,” he informed me of the obvious.

“Yes.”

“You dressed,” he went on.

“Um…”

I stopped mumbling when Max started stalking.

I took one look at his big, tall, powerful body in stalk mode and I retreated. In about a step, I hit the dresser with my bad leg.

“Ouch,” I said but I barely got out that one syllable when I was up in the air and then I was down on the bed and Max was on top of me.

I looked into his clear, gray determined eyes.

“Max –”

“I got in,” he declared and he could say that again.

“Max –”

“I’m in, Duchess, you think for a second I’m gonna let you push me out?”

“Um…”

“I’m not.”

“Max –”

His hands started roaming and he stated, “No f**kin’ way.”

I forgot what we were talking about because his hands were up the shirt.

Then I asked, “What are you doing?”

“That was fast.”

“Sorry?”

“Too fast.”

“Um…”

I stopped muttering when his mouth came to my neck. “This time, gonna f**k you slow.”

“Oh my God,” I breathed out loud.

His head came up and he was smiling.

Then he said, “Yeah.”

Then he kissed me. After that, he f**ked me slow.

And it was even better.

* * * * *

We were in Max’s hot sauna that Max had turned on after round one and Max took me to after round two.

It wasn’t big, just big enough for two. Max had a towel around his h*ps and he was sitting on the little, wooden bench. I had a towel wrapped around my body and I was on my back on the bench, my knees bent nearly to my chest with my feet against the wooden wall, my head on Max’s firm, towel-covered thigh. He was using his fingers to sift through my hair, arranging it across his lap.

Heaven.

I had my eyes closed and my mind was wandering to nowhere, nothing. It wasn’t filled with junk and garbage like it normally was. It was just drifting along peacefully. And my body was sated and relaxed, so deeply, I didn’t think relaxation could be that deep.

“What’s in your head, Duchess?”

“You have a strong tongue,” I blurted the first thing that entered my blank mind then my eyes popped open and I saw him looking down at me, his brows raised and his mouth twitching.

“What?” he asked.

“Nothing,” I whispered and turned my head to the side so my cheek was to his thigh and I hoped the hot sauna camouflaged the heat in my face.

His finger touched the hinge of my jaw and went down, along my neck to my collarbone.

“Nina –” he called and I started talking, scared to death of what he might say, I had to stop him saying anything at all.

“I’m not sure sweating with a man in a sauna is a good thing to do.”

“Why?”

“Sweat is unattractive,” I told the wall.

“It wasn’t when you broke one in my bed ten minutes ago.”

He would mention that.

“Well –”

“Baby, look at me,” he demanded gently as his fingers curled around my neck.

I closed my eyes then I turned my head on his thigh to look up at him. His face was as gentle as his voice and I tensed.

“You’re right, we’ve only known each other a week,” he said, his thumb stroking my jaw and my tense body went taut, all sated relaxation, garbage-free mind gone.

I knew it. I just knew it.

Wonder Max wasn’t Wonder Max at all.

He had me naked(ish) in his sauna after ha**ng s*x with me twice and he was done with me.

I just knew it.

“Yes, only a week,” I agreed, pulling my face from his hand, lifting up and twisting so I was seated on the bench.

That was as far as I got before I was dragged across his lap. My eyes met his and I opened my mouth to speak but he got there before me.

“I wasn’t done,” he told me.

“What?” I asked briskly, his brows drew together over narrowed eyes and he examined my face.

“You pissed?”

“No,” I lied.

“Yeah, you are.”

“No, I’m not.”

His eyes roamed my face and his arms tightened around me. “Jesus, Nina, how in God’s name can you be pissed?”

“I’m not,” I lied again.

“Babe, you are.”

“Let me go, it’s hot in here, hotter when we’re touching.”