Max held the razor beneath the running water, then tapped the handle on the side of the sink before returning it to its carrying case. He preferred the look of a five-o’clock shadow, but he’d decided to shave this morning.
There was a knock at his hotel room door. Good. After his shower, he’d requested additional towels. He was barefoot and wearing only a pair of pants slung low on his hips. Max pulled on a short-sleeve shirt, quickly buttoned it and opened the door.
“You asked for fresh towels?” Quinn held up the stack of towels as if it was a silver platter. Her sensual mouth curved with an impish smirk that brought out her dimples. She broke into laughter. “Don’t worry. I tipped the housekeeper. Is it okay if I come in?”
“Of course, thanks.” He accepted the towels from her and stepped aside to let her in, still a bit stunned she was there.
It’d been nearly an hour since he’d left Quinn in that elevator. As much as he’d hoped she’d come to his room, he’d assumed that she’d renewed her resolve not to get romantically involved. He’d even tried to convince himself that it was for the best. But now he hoped like hell that she’d changed her mind. Still, he wouldn’t presume that was why she was here.
Max put the towels away. “What’s up?”
“I contacted Marty. He’s good with meeting us for lunch at one. He wants to go to the seafood place downstairs. You’re not allergic, are you?”
“No.” He gestured for her to have a seat in the living room. “The seafood restaurant at one is fine.”
Quinn sat in the chair and he sat on the end of the couch nearest her. Neither of them spoke right away.
“It was nice of you to deliver the message,” he said. “But you know you could’ve just called me or sent a text, right?”
Quinn nibbled on her lower lip, looking like a kid who’d gotten busted with a hand in the cookie jar. “I suppose that’s true.”
“So why’d you really come down here, Quinn?” He wanted to be clear about his intentions. And he needed her to be clear about hers, too.
Quinn set her purse on the small table beside the sofa and stood in front of him. She stripped off her jacket and dropped it on the chair she’d vacated. Her beaded nipples poked through the thin fabric of her camisole.
She slid her skirt up just enough to allow her to straddle him. Her knees dug into the sofa on either side of his hips.
“There is one other reason I wanted to see you.” She captured his mouth with a soft, teasing kiss.
“I’m trying really hard to respect the boundaries you established, Quinn.” His voice was a tortured whisper, which she seemed to relish. Like it fed the ravenous, seductive beast inside her. Something he remembered all too well. “You aren’t making this very easy for me.”
“Maybe I’ve changed my mind,” she whispered between kisses to his jaw that sent blood rushing below his belt.
Quinn hadn’t done anything like this since the summer she’d worn Max down, convincing him to give in to the attraction between them. Mostly because she’d won the battle yet lost the war. In the end, once she’d fallen for Max—heart and soul—he’d walked away.
Just as her mother had warned her.
Men only want fast girls for one reason. They have no intention of ever taking them home to their mothers.
Now here she was, the pull of Max Abbott so strong that she was ignoring her mother’s advice again. She’d spent more than a decade being the “good girl.” Being pursued rather than going after what she wanted. And what had it gotten her?
She’d ended up alone. Without a job. Her reputation tarnished.
This time she’d get what she wanted: sex with no strings attached. Then they could both just walk away.
“Maybe won’t cut it, baby.” Max held her chin between his finger and thumb, forcing her to meet his gaze. “You need to be sure.”
Quinn’s heart thudded in her chest as she grabbed her purse from the side table. She stuck a trembling hand inside and produced a small, overpriced box of condoms. “I went to the drugstore and got these.” She waved them. “So yes, I’m sure.”
Her cheeks and face flamed with heat. She’d never felt more vulnerable.
What if he says no?
The few seconds of silence that elapsed as he studied the box in her hand with furrowed brows were agonizing. Quinn swallowed hard, her pulse racing.
She was about to tell Max that she’d temporarily lost her mind, and he should disregard everything she’d said and done that morning. But then Max slid his arms around her and squeezed her bottom, pulling their bodies closer. His hardened length against her sensitive flesh sent a shiver of pleasure up her spine.
Max pressed his open mouth to hers, his tongue seeking hers in a kiss that was hungry and impatient. Heat spread throughout her body, emanating from every place he touched her—even through their clothing.
He tightened his embrace, his large hands on her back, crushing her breasts and sensitive nipples against his hard chest. She moved her hips, moaning into his mouth at the intense pleasure as she dragged her sensitive clit along the outline of his hardened shaft through the thin material of their clothes.
Max gently bit her lower lip before going in for a deeper kiss.
Her skin tingled, as if tiny licks of fire scampered across her flesh. Max Abbott was an excellent kisser. But now, just as then, he seemed hesitant to take things to the next level.
She’d come this far. No turning back now.
Quinn tugged up Max’s shirt and skimmed her hands over the dusting of hair on his belly. As they continued the kiss, she slowly unbuttoned his shirt, starting from the bottom. Then she slid it from his shoulders, revealing the tattoos.
She broke their kiss, allowing herself the luxury of admiring the artwork. She traced the letters with her fingertip, applying only the lightest pressure.
QB. Her initials. Followed by her favorite lines from the poem she’d read to him that summer. Both tattoos had been there nearly the entire time they’d been apart.
Quinn pressed a soft kiss to those letters, brushing her lips over the words of poetry inked on his skin. Then she flicked his nipple with her tongue. He sucked in a deep breath, his muscles tensing.
Max speared his fingers into her hair, dragging her mouth to his again. Slipping his hands beneath the hem of the camisole, he tugged it over her head, then dropped it onto the floor. He fumbled with the clasp of her bra, releasing it and gliding it off her arms.
“Fuck,” he muttered softly. His appreciative gaze trailed down her exposed torso, and her belly tightened in response.
She gasped in surprise when Max suddenly flipped her onto her back on the sofa and slid down her body. Taking one of the already ultra-sensitive nubs into his warm mouth, he grazed it with his teeth.
Quinn murmured softly in response to the sensation—part pleasure, part pain. She dug her fingers into his soft curls, gripping his hair as she arched her back in a greedy plea for more.
Max’s mouth curved in a sensuous smile as his hooded gaze met hers. He shifted his attention to her other nipple, licking and teasing it with his tongue. Pleasure radiated throughout her body, her sex pulsing. Aching for his touch.
Gliding his hand down her side and beneath the short, black skirt, Max cupped the damp space between her thighs. He tugged aside the fabric, plunging a finger inside her as his thumb caressed the slick, hypersensitive bundle of nerves.
She trembled, unable to hold back quiet moans as he circled her clit with his thumb. Max slipped another finger inside her as he continued to lick and suck her sensitive nipple.
The symphony of varying sensations sent Quinn floating higher and higher, the intensity building until she’d reached a crescendo. She cried out in intense pleasure, her body shuddering and spent, yet craving more.
Her chest heaved with rapid, shallow breaths that left her slightly lightheaded.
Max trailed kisses up her chest and neck. Kissed the side of her face. Finally, he pressed a lingering kiss to her mouth. He stood, retrieving the box of condoms. His gaze held hers as he extended his open palm.
“Are you still with me, Quinn?”
Maybe this was a really terrible idea, but being with Max felt amazing. And maybe she shouldn’t, but she trusted Max to be discreet.
Standing on unsteady legs, Quinn nodded and placed her hand in his, following him to his bed.