Chapter Twenty
MAX AWOKE TO the smell of coffee and Treat, only she was alone in the bedroom. She went into the bathroom and was surprised to find her toiletries laid out in a basket beside the sink. Her shampoo and conditioner were already in the shower. She loved his propensity for organization, which was so much like her own. After brushing her teeth, she headed downstairs in search of him.
As she stepped onto the first floor, a floral scent surrounded her. She spotted an enormous antique metal bucket overflowing with Knock Out roses. Oh, Treat. She found him in the kitchen, showered, dressed, and strikingly handsome in his jeans and T-shirt. Two more vases of roses sat on the counter and in the center of the table, which was set for two, with warm croissants, fresh fruit, and hard-boiled eggs. Max’s hand covered her heart.
“You are the most thoughtful man on earth.”
“Good morning, beautiful. I had to take care of some business this morning, so I got up early.” His gaze traveled slowly down her body from head to toe, heating her up from the inside out.
“You didn’t have to do all this,” Max said as Treat handed her a delicious-smelling cup of coffee.
“It wasn’t much, and I figured you’d be hungry. Vicky called. She said that she wanted to make sure you were okay, but I think she really wanted to make sure we’d made up.”
“Did you tell her we weren’t really fighting?” She set the coffee on the counter and wrapped her arms around him.
He kissed her and said, “I told her we had a horrible fight but the makeup sex was incredible.”
“At least you were half honest. These roses are gorgeous.”
“They line the driveway. Fate?” he asked with a shrug.
“Fate indeed.” She gazed out the windows at the gorgeous view of the bay. The sky was a clear powdery blue, mirroring her feelings, like the fog that had hung over her and Treat had evaporated and all that was left was the beauty between them. But she knew the skeletons of her past had only gone back into hiding and feared the time they might poke their evil heads out again.
Treat took her hand in his, and she pushed those thoughts away, focusing on the incredible man who was as real and present as he was good.
“Thanks for all of this, and for bringing my things inside,” she said.
He placed her hand on his hip and stepped closer, drawing her against him so their thighs brushed and her breasts pressed against his torso. “I put your clothes in the dresser drawers.”
“Treat, it’s not like I’m moving in.”
“Not yet, anyway. See? That’s why I didn’t want to get too close last night. Women are fickle,” he teased, and began kissing her neck.
“I’m not fickle.” She clung to his waist, breathing harder with each slick of his tongue. “I’ve never stopped wanting you.”
“Good, because you’re stuck with me.”
“I like being stuck with you,” she said flirtatiously. “But I forgot to ask how your business deal went.”
“It was a great success. Soon I’ll be the proud owner of the Ocean Edge Resort and Golf Club. And you, my beautiful girlfriend, will have to help me celebrate.”
“Treat, that’s wonderful!” She threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.
“I want to show you around today,” he said between kisses.
“How can we go anywhere with the crowds?”
He took her in another sensual kiss, and suddenly those crowds didn’t matter. His hands moved over her back, down her hips, and then snuck beneath her shirt, warming her bare skin.
“So it’ll take a little longer to get where we need to go?” He brushed his lips over her cheek and whispered in her ear, “We have nothing but time. It’s only ten thirty.”
“Ten thirty! Why didn’t you wake me up?” She buried her face in his chest. “I’m so embarrassed.”
“You were tired. Besides, what did I tell you last night about loving someone?”
“That part of loving someone means letting their body do whatever it needs to do.”
“And your body needed sleep.” He took her chin between his finger and thumb, his hungry gaze awakening her desires. “Especially since I kept you up so late.”
They’d both been insatiable last night, and as his heat consumed her, she wondered what it would be like to wake up beside him every morning and go to sleep in his arms every night, without breaks, without questions about whether they’d end up there. Vicky’s words came tumbling back to her—He’s your tiller—as his mouth moved to the nape of her neck.
“Treat,” she said breathlessly. “You’re what my body needs.”
“HOW CAN I miss you this much after only a few hours’ sleep?” Treat practically growled.
He crushed his mouth to hers and Max pressed her whole body against him. Love and lust coalesced, and his deepest desires rushed forward. He struggled against the urge to lay her on the kitchen table and make love to her until she forgot her own name.
“I can’t get enough of you,” he said between hungry kisses.
Max pushed her hands beneath his shirt, sending a bolt of anticipation to his groin. She stood on her tiptoes as he slanted his lips over hers and lifted her into his arms. She wrapped her legs around his waist, her hair falling like a curtain around their faces. She smelled like sunshine and madness at once. And he was mad all right, crazy in love with her. Their kisses were rough and messy. He wanted to bury her doubt, to love that burn out of her body.
He set her bottom on the table and wedged his hips between her legs. “What have you done to me?”
“I don’t know, but whatever it is, I want more of it.” Her words came out in a rush as she pushed at his shirt, trying to get it off.
He wished they were upstairs, on the couch, anywhere more respectful, but he was too far gone, and in the next breath his body took over.