Unravel(16)

Lip biting.

Bare skin touching.

Hands all over.

I wanted it all.

My tongue dragged down his throat and flicked against the skittering of his pulse. I pulled my hands from underneath his shirt and went straight for the buttons. I was ready to see what I was touching. He helped me. I anxiously parted his shirt and pushed him deeper into the sofa.

For a second, I looked down at him. Taking in his impressive body. Without realizing it, I started to rub myself against him. Both of his hands wrapped around my hips. His fingers pressed deeper into my skin and his breathing increased as my hands traced every muscle.

I was ready to lick every single line and curve of his stomach. I lowered my head and lightly bit down on his pec. A groan tore from Max’s throat.

“Naomi.”

I closed my eyes, as my name came from his mouth, making his chest vibrate against my ear.

“Do you want me to f*ck you right here?” His voice was a deep rasp. Almost like he was in pain. “Because I’m seconds away from doing just that.”

I lifted my head. Instead of answering him, my fingers grabbed his silk tie and used it to tug him closer. There were a billion ways to tell him no. I whispered into his mouth and said, “Yes.”

A harsh sound tore from the back of his throat. All control was stolen from me in seconds. Max crushed our mouths together before he licked my lower lip, bit down and sucked it strongly enough to make my fingers dig into his shoulders in pain and pleasure. My fingers raked through his hair, and I tugged on the strands, making him tilt his head back.

He responded by tugging down the straps of my dress with hard jerks, exposing my breasts. There was a pause. The two of us panting. My nipples tightened. The way I was sitting made them inches away from his face.

I watched in silent torture as his eyes stayed rooted on my chest. His nostrils flared before he cupped my breasts in both hands. “Fucking perfect,” he growled.

I whimpered when he massaged them, pressed them together. Kissed the curve of one swell. He was killing me. Every noise I made seemed to spur him on.

He looked up at me. Our eyes locked. I saw the wild look in his eyes. Slowly, Max leaned forward and repeatedly flicked his tongue against my nipple. For a few minutes it was torture and complete pleasure as he went back and forth. And then his hands were everywhere at once. Pushing my dress down my stomach, brushing against my lace underwear with teasing strokes. He was hitting pleasure points at a rapid pace. I couldn’t keep up and not once did he give me a break to catch my breath.

Over and over he built me up with his hands, his lips. And I knew I was right there. So close to breaking apart.

And then his hands curled around my arms. He pushed me away, breathing harshly. I almost cried out. He flipped me over, looming above me.

Out of nowhere I heard Lachlan’s voice in my head. I heard the words he said to me almost a year ago.

“I’m going to be here waiting.”

Suddenly, I felt like a traitor. A traitor against my heart. A traitor for kissing and feeling things for someone that wasn’t Lachlan.

“Stop,” I panted.

Max leaned back, frowning at me. I instantly jumped off the couch. I quickly fixed the straps of my dress. My hands wouldn’t stop shaking. It took me three tries to cover myself and even then, I still felt naked.

Disbelief made my heart thunder in my chest.

How did it get out of control so quickly?

I turned back around. My answer was right in front of me. Max. He looked sexy, disheveled, and so completely tempting I almost took a step forward.

He was standing up now. His shirt was still unbuttoned, and his tie was skewed, trailing down his naked chest. Every time he panted, his stomach muscles would clench, making my body react. His hair was in every direction.

“Why did you stop?” he panted.

I stumbled from the couch, toward the other side of the room. I didn’t know how to answer him. Everything I said right now would be fueled by lust, my desire for him and what we almost did and what I still wanted to do.

“I-I just—” I fumbled through my words.

“Is everything okay?”

No, everything wasn’t okay. The shadow of my first love wouldn’t leave me alone. I didn’t say the truth though. Instead, I smiled and said: “Everything’s fine. We were just… moving too fast.”

“Moving too fast,” he repeated.

I nodded and watched as he slipped off his tie and blindly tossed it at his desk. He buttoned his shirt back up and I wanted to tell him to stop.

He caught me staring. “You can’t look at me like that.”

“Like what?” I breathed.

“Like you want us to keep going.”

I looked away and never answered him.

Max stopped in front of me. “You’ll be here for the rest of the summer?” he asked.

I nodded and watched him with confusion.

Letting out a deep breath, Max dragged both hands through his hair and leveled me with a determined look. “I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Because of what just happened?” I asked.

“Does that,” he gestured toward the couch, “happen to you often?”

If that happened to me often, I would need a pacemaker. What just happened was almost soul-shaking.

“No,” I finally admitted.