Renata had finally said it. He should’ve walked away after she pushed him away, yet he eased in close enough to brush his lips against hers.
“I’d never leave you, Ren,” he said against her mouth. “How many arguments have we had? How many times have I stormed away from you—only to come back for more punishment?” He ran his fingers over the nape of her neck, down her back. “Arguments once in a while won’t change how I feel about you. Now or in the future.”
Her heart soared and the words “can’t” and “shouldn’t” floated away from her lips. He had been by her side the longest. From the first day of college when she was moving into the dorm until now. Instead of pushing his hands away, she reached for them, and placed them on her hips. Looking away wasn’t an option. He was right there, only a breath between them. She pressed herself closer to him, from chest to hip, sensing his urgency against her core.
At first the kiss was tentative, a simple test. When he withdrew, her hands snaked up to clutch his face and pulled him back to her. The once gentle kiss grew fervent; all the long-pent-up stress building between them flowed into an anxious fever. Her fingers trembled as she sought out shirt buttons. As the tips groped over firm skin for the buckle of his pants.
This moment wasn’t a surrender, but acceptance.
He moaned as she touched his chest, brushed against his nipples. His skin was smooth, absolutely perfect. He backed her against the wall, but didn’t break off contact. She barely had a chance to breathe as they reached for each other and kissed like they had forever to catch up.
Once he unzipped the back of her dress, the chill from the room seeped over her skin, but that didn’t matter. She stepped out.
There was no hesitation, no questions of what could be done. What couldn’t. Damn, he was good when he took control. One hand gripped her ass while another pinned her hand above her head. With his head, he tilted hers to the side so he could rain kisses along her pulse point. Lower and lower, lingering a moment to take off her strapless bra with one hand and kiss each peak. He nuzzled her briefly, and then flicked out a tongue before he captured her nipple in his mouth.
With each hard suck, pleasure coursed through her, settling into her core. Her hands were free to play again, so she gripped his hair tighter and tighter.
He trailed kisses down from her breast to her belly button. “I want all of you, Renata. Every single inch of you.”
She tugged him up. “Kiss me, please. Keep me warm.” He kissed her again, slowing down the pace enough for her to tug off his pants and yank his briefs over his hard ass. He sucked in a deep breath when she grasped his length. He was far—larger than she expected.
“Oh, sweetheart—shit,” he hissed.
The skin was smooth and fiery to the touch. She wanted that warmth inside her. She stroked him, watching his reactions with a wry grin. He was always so cool, so collected. To see him coming unhinged urged her on.
His hands kneaded her skin around her waist before they descended to her hips. His right hand hooked her panties while the left pressed against her mound. The heated gaze told her she wasn’t the only one meant to have all the fun. His left hand snuck into her panties, eliciting a throaty moan as he drew small circles on her nub.
“Do you want to be with me?” he asked against the crook in her neck.
“Yes. I’m on the pill. Do you have a condom?”
He was referring to sex, wasn’t he?
“I should have one.” Their separation was brief. He went to the light switch and flicked it off. The room became nothing but shadows. Him reaching into his pants. The sounds of a ripped condom wrapper.
He returned, rubbing her arms and kissing her cheek. “You okay?”
“I will be when you hurry up.”
“I’d prefer to take my time, but I’m not one to turn down a lady’s request.” With ease, he grabbed her hips and lifted her onto the counter. Her squeal from the cold surface turned into moan as his right hand pinched one nipple and his mouth attached to the other.
He let go to whisper on her skin. “Tell me you want me, Ren.”
“I want you.”
“Tell me you want me inside you.”
“I want you in me, Max.”
He filled her, smothering her cry with his mouth. She wrapped her arms and legs around him, holding on to him so he couldn’t go away. He was everywhere, one hand cupping her face as he nibbled at her lips with abandon. Another hand held her hips in place, pushing her forward to meet his thrusts. He opened her again and again.
“You feel so good,” he breathed against her mouth. “So perfect.”
She had a talker on her hands. She liked that.
As the pleasure rose higher, her legs clenched against his waist. His pace turned into a frenzy. Here we go. Her hands reached for his shoulders, to his hair, not caring if she dug into him. He grunted as a long moan was ripped from her throat. Her hands itched for something, anything, to grip—Max was there for her as she climaxed. Almost like he’d never left her side in the first place.
***
Max wanted to take away every burden from her. Any stress. Any fears. He wanted to be her friend. Her lover.
Every inch of her body was exquisite. Her climax only made him want her even more. He kneaded the relaxed muscles in her shoulders and arms. All the while, down there, he slowly pulsed inside of her. He circled his hips, searching for just the right angle for deep penetration.
He watched her face, anticipating every reaction. Based on her moans, she loved it fast and hard, but he couldn’t keep up that pace without finishing himself. He wanted to savor her like the wine they’d sampled.
She was as sexy as he’d imagined, biting her upper lip when he hit just the right spot. She managed to say, “You need to come before I—”
Renata clutched him again, collapsing against him. Any resolve he had to hold out was snatched away. He couldn’t look away, falling into her hazel eyes while his body turned to steel. She took all of him, not letting him go even after he stopped moving.
He tried to record this moment into the back of his mind: Her rapid breaths against his ear. The line of sweat between rising and falling breasts. The enticing scent of mahogany from the wooden shelves blended with their sex.
“Houston, we have a problem,” she whispered.
“Hmmm?”
“Your watch is killing me here.”
He eased his troublesome wrist from under her, trying to hold back a laugh. He kissed her shoulder instead. He reached over to kiss her lip—until she yanked his wrist around to glance at the watch. “Oh shit, it’s three thirty!”
The wedding would begin at 4:15 p.m. Minus the maid of honor and the officiant.