The Boyfriend Sessions (17 page)

“Max,” I groaned. It was too much. His response was to grab my thighs tightly and pull me closer. He wasn’t about to let me escape.

I erupted then, over and over as his tongue lapped mercilessly at me and his hands pulled me back down every time I arched up under his assault. He’d lulled me into a false sense of bliss and now I burned under his unexpected, relentless attack which had me crying out in ecstatic pain. I arched up again, another ripple of shudders overtaking my body, and I was vaguely aware of my heels digging into his back.

“Max!” I couldn’t take anymore, it was too much, and above it all was a desperate, aching need for him. “Please … ”

Gently, he released me, and I attempted to recover, my dazed, hazy eyes staring at the ceiling. I heard him rifling in his bedside table. Thank goodness he was prepared, I don’t think I could have dealt with the disappointment.

As I raised my head to look at him, his hard, agile form came to lie over mine, and he was inside me. I cried out as a new wave of electrifying shudders overtook my body and pulled him to me until we were locked together, slippery in our desire, our short, sharp bursts of frantic breathing punctuating the air.

He started out slowly, painfully slowly, teasing me, tormenting me until I found myself rising up and demanding more. Dark eyes locked on mine. He met my challenge and we moved together in our silent rhythm, my fingernails digging into his shoulders and my legs wrapped tightly around his.

As we neared the peak, he eased back and I cried out again, this time in frustration. What was he doing? When was he going to stop tormenting me?

Before I could speak again he pushed a long, strong arm between us, until his fingers found me.

“Max … ” He was very nearly going to kill me.

He resumed his pace, fingers working steadily, and I felt everything blur at the edges. As my world shrank to only the two of us and the driving pleasure that threatened to swallow me completely, I heard his deep voice, laced with determination. “You’re coming with me.”

The intensity increased and now I was all fluid limbs and hot fire burning fiercely. Every time I’d arch up in pain and pleasure, he’d push me back down and drive into me harder, until we were both mad with our need for each other. And as he broke, I felt myself rise up to meet him, and together we rode the peak, arms and legs locked together and lost in the deep seduction of our desire.

Slowly, as the fires that raked our bodies subsided, Max eased himself gently onto me and we lay quietly, still linked together.

“Holy crap, Christa.”

I was unable to speak, actually physically unable to, but managed something resembling a grunt.

His lips found mine again and I returned the kiss fervently, joyously, desperately.

I sure as hell didn’t know a thing about love, but as far as lust went, I was helpless. I didn’t stand a chance. As I pulled Max to me, spent and exhausted, I knew one thing and one thing only.

Now I’d had a taste of the beautiful, incredible man embracing me, I would never get enough.

My first conscious thought when I woke was to curse the insistent ray of bright morning sunshine flooding the room. My grumpiness quickly turned to confusion when I registered I was not in my own bed. I attempted to sit up so that I could get a better look at my surroundings and that’s when I realized my muscles were tender. Very tender.

Had I gone to boot camp yesterday?

My vision finally clearing, I took in the sparsely decorated room. There was no questioning its masculinity. Apart from the black cast iron bed, the only other furniture was two simple matching black bedside tables. My reflection greeted me as I stared into a mirrored built-in wardrobe directly opposite the bed, and it wasn’t a pretty sight. My curls had matted and knotted into an attempt at an afro—not a good look when you’re blonde or, in my case, it was never going to be a good look. It was obvious I hadn’t had the opportunity to remove my make-up before falling asleep. My complexion was uneven from where I’d worn off my foundation in my sleep and panda eyes stared back at me.

Keen to focus on something other than myself in the mirror, I discovered a mound in the bed next to me and the fog in my head finally cleared.

Max. Sweet, sexy Max.

My muscles twinged at the sight of him and my thoughts were flooded with scenes from the night before. In the light of day, ridiculously I started to feel a warm blush spread over my features.
Too late for embarrassment, Christa
.

Still half asleep, Max groaned like he was reading my thoughts and a strong arm reached out for me. He pulled me to him, my back fitting neatly against his chest and my backside tucked into him. I stifled a gasp at the hard length of him pressing into me. Surely not? Hadn’t we exhausted ourselves the night before?

As his warm hand traveled up my stomach and found my breasts, kneading them gently, I was stunned to feel my body respond of its own accord.

“Morning, Bubbles.”

“Morning, Mighty Max.”

I earned a soft rumbling laugh for that and it did nothing to quiet the stirring in my loins. Did I have absolutely no self-control?

His hand appeared to reluctantly tire from its attentive efforts on my breasts and I shuddered slightly as it passed over my stomach again and kept on traveling. Arriving at its destination, to my surprise he found me wet and ready.

Only moments ago I was asleep. How on earth did my body respond so quickly? Mighty Max indeed.

“Glad to see I’m not the only one,” he whispered in my ear. I pressed myself into him suggestively and received a soft groan.

Afro, smeared makeup, and aching muscles would have to wait. It was clear I wasn’t leaving his bed just yet.

Later, when necessity demanded we finally get up—a full bladder and the ache of starvation the most insistent—I watched as Max comfortably fried up some eggs and bacon in the kitchen. I sat at a small, round glass dining table reflecting on the fact that the view was unmistakably excellent.

I wasn’t talking about the view over Rose Bay. I wasn’t going to argue that was pretty impressive. I’d ventured onto the small glassed-in balcony after my shower and soaked up the atmosphere. It was Saturday morning and the steady hum of traffic traveling along New South Head Road in two lanes either way was constant, but beyond that the water lay restful and virtually still, like a pane of reflective glass. An array of boats and pleasure craft floated peacefully, and morning walkers and joggers passed by intent on ensuring their flawless bodies lived up to the suburb’s affluent reputation.

No, the view I was distracted by currently stood in the kitchen, wearing nothing but a worn pair of jeans. I found myself mesmerized by the way his shoulder muscles rippled just beneath the surface of his toned, olive back. He turned from the cooktop, caught me looking at him, and I gave him a sly smile. He grinned back at me unashamedly.

“Penny for your thoughts?”

I shook my head and narrowed my eyes at him. “We are not going there again, my poor exhausted body requires food.”

“Who said I was going there?” he replied innocently.

“Yeah, right. After last night I’m betting you’d tie me to that bed if you could.”

The look he gave me made my breath stop. “Damn right.”

I folded my arms. “If I’m to be your sex slave then I require sustenance.”

“Coming right up.”

I waited contentedly as he plated the bacon and eggs, adding some tomato and toast for good measure, and then brought them over to the table.

“Hang on a sec.”

He headed back to the small, glossy white kitchenette and although I couldn’t see it, I could smell the distinct, bitter aroma of a coffee being prepared. My hero.

A moment later, he rounded the bench, two coffee mugs in hand. We ate in companionable silence while we quelled our hunger pangs, which were now unbearable due to our missing dinner the night before and our strenuous late night activities.

I was halfway through my coffee when I heard the familiar sound of my mobile phone beeping from my handbag, which I’d discarded in the hall the previous evening. I retrieved my bag and sat back down at the table, rifling through the contents until I’d located my phone. A text message flashed on the screen.

“Oh shit.”

“What?” Max looked at me over his mug of coffee.

I closed my eyes. God, I was so stupid! I hadn’t even thought. “Cate. She’s wondering why she didn’t see me last night and again this morning. Shit. Shit.
Shit
.” The reality of the situation slowly came into focus. “What am I going to tell her?”

“I don’t know. What
are
you going to tell her?” Max’s eyes suddenly appeared guarded.

“I can’t exactly tell her the truth can I?”

“Why not?” He made it sound like a perfectly reasonable question.

“Why not? I’ve broken their trust. I’m supposed to be man-free!” An echo of desperation had crept into my voice.

“Christa, it’s not like you’ve signed a contract. You’ve hardly committed a crime. Why not just be honest with her?”

Honest with her? Was he out of his mind? This, right here, right now, was exactly what they were talking about. My complete and utter lack of self-control when it came to men was abysmal.

Watching my silent agony, Max reached over and gave my hand a light squeeze. “Tell me this then. Knowing what you know now, would you have stopped last night from happening?”

God, no. Absolutely not
. “No.”

“Then tell her.”

“I can’t tell her!”

“Wow. You’re making it harder than it needs to be. It’s not like I’m some random male that’s come into your life, you all know me.”

Maddy’s brother
, my subconscious helpfully reminded me. “Maddy … ”

“I’ll take care of her, don’t worry about it.”

I raised my eyebrows at him, disbelieving. “You’ll take care of her? Don’t you mean she’ll strip you down and neatly arrange you into bite size pieces?” I didn’t care if Max was her big brother, she was going to be pissed.

“You need to calm down. It’s not as big a deal as you think.”

Clearly, he didn’t get women, despite having grown up with them. I had betrayed my friend’s trust, with Maddy’s brother, no less. I needed to help him understand. “Max, I’m currently in ex-boyfriend counseling mode at the insistence of my friends, and you’re coming off the back of a serious long-term relationship. They are not going to take this well.”

He stood, scraping his chair loudly on the tiled floor as he did so. “So what do you suggest?”

I sighed. “We keep it quiet for a while.”

He looked down at me soberly from his impressive height. “You mean we lie to them?”

“Yes.” I wasn’t proud of it, but what choice did I have? I wasn’t going to give Max up and I needed some time to make them see that I hadn’t betrayed them. Even though I quite obviously had.

Silently, Max cleared the table of our plates and took them into the kitchen. I watched as he put the dishes in the dishwasher, his movements tense.

“I’m not suggesting we lie forever, just until it’s the right time to tell them,” I appealed gently.

He didn’t look at me, instead he focused on rinsing the grease off a plate. “And when will that be?”

“I don’t know. Just not yet.” In an attempt to lighten the mood, I suggested, “Maybe when we get married?” Poor choice of words.

I watched as his jaw tensed and he came around to lean on the edge of the kitchen counter. “You don’t exactly have a great track record when it comes to accepting proposals.”

I swallowed, cut by his words. They might be true, but he wasn’t playing fair. “We’re not exactly at that stage yet,” I replied weakly.

“What stage are we at then?” It sounded like an ultimatum.

The insatiable lust stage, I wanted to say, but I thought the better of it. “I don’t know. It’s pretty early on, don’t you think?”

He walked back to the dining table and deftly flipped a chair around so he could sit looking at me with his arms resting on the back. “Here’s the thing about me, Bubbles,” he informed me, his voice even and calm. “I won’t be denied. If you’re going to be with me I need you to be one hundred percent honest with me. If you can’t do that, then I’m out. I’ve had enough dishonesty to last me a lifetime.”

Once again I wondered at the scars he carried from his failed relationship with Sarah, but I knew now wasn’t the time to push him on it. “Max, I would never cheat on you.”

“I know that. You’d die first.”

I pushed a short, sharp stab of pain away at the truth of that insight and forced myself to continue looking him in the eye.

“What I mean is I require your honesty when it comes to this.” He reached over and placed a finger on my temple for a moment, then continued down to place his hand on my heart. “And this.”

I could feel my heart beating against the warm palm of his hand. Something uncomfortable in me stirred and I pushed it aside. “Aren’t I transparent, Max? I’m the girl who always says what she thinks.”

“And pushes away what she feels.”

I blinked, the sharp sting of tears in my eyes surprising me.

“Hey.” Max placed a gentle finger under my chin and forced me to look at him.

“Max,” I began, my tone almost desperate. “I don’t even know how I feel. It’s so soon, I didn’t expect this … ”

“I don’t expect you to know how you feel right now. That’s going to take some figuring out for both of us. All I’m asking is that you be honest with me every step of the way.”

“I will.” I nodded. “I promise.”

Max closed his eyes briefly and when he opened them again, they were clear. “Good. If you don’t want to tell Cate the truth right now, I understand. I can’t say I’m happy, but if it’s what you feel you need to do, then do it. The only condition is that it can’t go on forever.”

“Of course not,” I said, breathing a sigh of relief. I didn’t want to lie to my friends either, but first I needed to figure out exactly what was going on before I could be honest with them.

I switched my phone back on and quickly typed a message to Cate.
So sorry to make you worry. I’ve been up at my cousin’s place and ended up staying the night. Not sure when I’ll be home but I’ll keep in touch, C.

After hitting send, I placed the phone on the table and surveyed it like it was a sinister object. My deception was complete.

“Hey.” Max reached out and his palm caressed my cheek, his fingers disappearing into my curls. His touch immediately soothed me and I felt another hot spike of desire in my gut.

“Mmm.”

“I guess if we’re going to lie about this, we might as well make it worthwhile.”

His mouth found mine and I responded in turn until I could feel his breathing becoming irregular, which only made me more determined.

“Back to bed, woman,” he said with a soft growl.

I shook my head coyly and, ignoring his surprised expression, got up from my chair and had him turn so he was facing me. I lowered myself gently into his lap. “Right here will do just fine,” I told him.

A long, slow smile transformed his face. “Sounds good to me.”

As he pulled me to him again, I knew there was no way I could ever lie to him. He deserved my honesty. What I’d been unable to articulate was that it wasn’t lying to him I was concerned about, it was lying to myself. I’d become so proficient in self-deception during my previous relationships, how was I even going to begin to recognize what my true feelings were?