Eleven
Naked Max
“Max.”
“Almost there.”
“Max, please.”
“Jesus, it’s in there tight.”
“I’m gonna lose it,” I whimpered.
“One more second, don’t move,” he chuckled as he extracted a bug from my hair.
True to his word, when I’d asked him for Wet Max and Naked Max he’d taken me to some hot springs near his home.
I’d geared myself up the whole way, worried about my body falling short, my participation being less than spectacular, also telling myself I wasn’t making the hugest mistake of my life.
While Max drove, he’d pulled me close and kept his hand on my thigh teasing me with his fingers. Naturally, I was a bundle of nerves by the time we’d arrived and when he helped me out, my mouth ran away with me to stall. He ignored my rapid-fire questions about the springs and grabbed me at my waist, hauled me to him, then buried his hands in my hair and kissed my reservations away. That is until a bug landed on my head tangling in my hair.
“Is it gone?” I asked, jumping around.
Max held up the offending bug and then tossed it into the air. I watched it take flight and kept my eyes on the creepy-crawler until I knew it wasn’t coming back. The problem was, I should have kept my eyes on Max.
When I turned back, his shirt was gone and he was toeing off his boots. My breath hitched like the first time I’d seen all his hard lines and flexing muscles, and I froze. Max saw it, shook his head and grinned, then down went his jeans. He stood up, giving me a perfect view of all God gave him, and it was a lot, by the way, and then dove into the hot springs.
He surfaced, ran those big hands through his hair, smoothing it back, all while he stared me down. (This is the part where my heart started pounding and my mouth went dry.) He stood up, made his way back towards me, as I scanned his body and watched how the water ran down, around, and over his chest, abs, and Thor’s hammer. (This is also when I pulled the shirt from my body.)
Wet Max plus Naked Max equaled Turned on Mia.
Max reached me as my jeans hit the ground, and just like earlier, he put his hands to my ass and picked me up, as I wrapped my legs around him. Still in my bra and panties, his mouth claimed mine as he walked back into the water. I inhaled sharply when the hot water touched my skin. Then Max submerged us both, as I stayed locked around his body.
When we surfaced, Max moved to the side of the spring and leaned forward until he’d pinned my body with his own. Then his hands moved up, my bra disappeared, and he grabbed my hands to pin them over my head. Without a word, he leaned down, claimed a nipple, flicked his tongue across the tight bud, and I whispered “Yes,” as his mouth began to make my body sing.
I tilted my head down to watch as his mouth sucked, bit, and flicked until a rapid burn had my body moving against his. He released my hands, grabbed me under the arms, then lifted me from the water and placed my back on the edge of the bank. With one tug, my panties were gone. Max grabbed my legs, then spread them wide, leaned down and flicked my clit as my back bowed from the warmth of his mouth.
I whimpered deep in my throat as his tongue worked its magic, while I wrapped my hands in his hair and kept him right where I needed him. His beard rubbed against my sensitive skin and added an indescribable bonus to his mouth. The combination had me squirming and I could feel the mud under my back. Dirt be damned, I wanted this, and intended to have my fill.
“Christ, you taste like warm honey, so fuckin’ sweet,” he growled as his hand joined his mouth. He slid two fingers in and started thrusting as my legs began to shake.
“Please—” I husked as his fingers found that spot. Then he thrust twice more, found the spot again, sucked hard on my clit and my body took flight.
My back bowed as I cried out, his fingers and tongue still working me through my release. As I came down, he crawled up my body, tasting his way to my mouth. When he reached my lips, he kissed me slowly till I was relaxed, sated from my release. However, Max wasn’t done. He tore his mouth from mine and bit out, “Condom?” as he grabbed his cock and begin to stroke.
“Pill,” I choked out as I watched his hand work his shaft.
His eyes turned darker as he scanned my curves, then he leaned down, centered himself, and slowly pushed in. I moaned as he entered, my head falling back as he filled me, stretched me. Max inhaled sharply as his jaw tightened, his eyes hooded, and then he buried himself deep. With both hands on my hips, he pulled out and then slammed back in as he grunted, “Jesus, you feel like warm silk.”
Then, with a growl on his lips, he leaned down, grabbed my neck, and pulled me up until my chest slammed into his, crushing my breasts against his warm hard chest. He claimed my mouth again as he wrapped his hands around my shoulders, anchoring me to his body. One hand grabbed a fist full of hair and he yanked back, exposing my neck. Then he bit his way to my ear, his hips still thrusting, powering in and back out, as I held on to his neck for support.
“I‘m not stoppin’ till you scream my name,” he whispered. His warm breath and promise of heaven caused my core to tighten. “Show me,” he grunted as he slammed my body on his cock.
The force of his thrust had the desired effect as another climax built quickly. Needing it more than I needed air in my lungs, I bit his bottom lip to get his attention.
“I’ll show if you tell,” I answered, feeling bolder than I had in my life.
“You want “the tell” you got it. I’m gonna ride that sweet pussy of yours until you give me what I want. Then I’m gonna bury myself so deep in your sweetness you’ll feel me in your throat.”
“That works,” I gasped as he slammed me down and took my mouth.
It was beautiful the way our bodies seemed in sync. The give, the take, the push, the pull, the power in his strokes, the way I knew to tilt or roll my hips for maximum pleasure for us both. He gave as good as he got, and when I was about to give him "the show," he pulled me off, flipped me over, and placed me on the bank. I was about to protest when he crawled over my back, bit his way up my spine, as his hand came between my legs and he surged his fingers back in.
“Ride my hand,” he ordered so I surged back on his hand as his other came up, his thumb and forefinger both finding my nipple and pinching hard.
“Oh, God,” I whimpered as his thumb found my clit and then rolled it.
Just as I was about to give him what he wanted a second time, he withdrew his hand, lined up behind me and slammed in, riding me like the sex God he was.
One hand on my hip, he grunted with each thrust then reached down, found my clit again, applied pressure and I ignited. My climax was so profound I felt my atoms split and then merge again as my body shuddered around him. I’d never experienced anything like that in my life, and the result of the experience, he got his show—his name spilling from my lips.
Max grunted, “There’s the show,” with his final thrust and then buried himself deep and held. He groaned as he spilled into my warm depths, shuddering through his release. When he was done, with labored breath, he leaned down, buried his face in my neck, and kissed his way up. When he got near my ear, he bit the lobe, as his hands found my breasts, cupping them. Then he lifted me from the bank and we fell back into the warm water.
Max floated on his back as my body rested on his as we both caught our breath, but neither of us spoke. There was no way to put into words how connected, truly alive I'd felt wrapped in his arms. From the first kiss until now, there had been a feeling of home. Now it was stronger, coursing through me like warm, sweet honey . . . a feeling completeness. Like I’d known him, lost him, and then found him again.
Trying not to panic since this was supposed to be just sex, not a life-altering moment. I concentrated on his fingers running up and down my arms, as I took in our surroundings. It was peaceful, surrounded by nature, the sound of the water, the smell of the trees, the wind blowing gently as we floated.
“You ok?” he whispered in my ear as I continued to ignore what had just happened and focus on the stars.
They twinkled brighter out here than in the city and every night since arriving, I’d gone outside when night fell. It struck me while gazing at their beauty that it was almost like standing in a room full of diamonds. Unfortunately, their brilliance couldn’t stop my mind from wondering how the hell I’d ended up naked with this man, or, more to the point, how I could feel the way I do when it should be impossible in a few short days. So, I ignored his question about how I was feeling and flipped over, wrapping my arms around his neck.
“Do you come out here to camp?” I inquired avoiding anything that had to do with feelings.
“Sometimes,” he answered as he brushed the hair from my face. Max seemed to be watching me for a reaction so I smiled as if I didn’t have a care in the world. His eyes gentled when I smiled, then he leaned in, ran his nose against mine, and whispered, “I missed the tattoo the other night, might have taken you then if I’d known.”
I was proud of my tattoo, a bear paw, right on my pelvic bone. It took me months to build up the courage to get it and when I did, I was proud as hell for overcoming my fear. In addition, if I do say so myself, it is kinda hot.
“I’m not that easy, you wouldn’t have succeeded,” I laughed.
“You do know we have a problem don’t you,” he responded ignoring my protest.
Confused, I looked around then asked, “What’s that?”
“That,” he kissed my lips quickly, “was great fuckin’ sex and moved you from possible to probable pain in my ass. If you use that mouth as well as you sing, I’ll tie you to my bed so you can’t leave.”
“Max,” I whispered, not sure what to say.
“Mia.”
Panicked for no other reason than I shouldn’t feel this way, I blurted out, “I agree the sex was amazing, but my life is in shambles and I need to sort it out, not get involved with you.”
Leaning in, Max smoothed the hair from my eyes and replied calmly “We’ll see,” as he took my mouth in a long, leisurely kiss. A kiss, by the way, that woke both our bodies up so we got around to finding out how talented my mouth really is. Unfortunately, his resounding “Fuck,” told me I’d better avoid his bed in the future if I wanted to leave.
“Morning sleepy head,” Jess laughed when I stumbled into Maxine’s kitchen. I reached for a cup and filled it to the brim as I tried to wake up.
“Has anyone seen my glasses? I took them off last night before we went to the bar and I can’t find them.”
“I don’t know why you even wear them, are you going for the hot librarian look or something?”
“I need them for distance.”
“You hide behind them is what you do. Those frames are huge, they’re like a barrier between you and the world,” she pointed out.
“No psychoanalyzing before I’ve had at least two cups of coffee, please. Where is everyone?”
“Well, while you were off getting laid we put our heads together and came up with a plan. Maxine is running down leads, Frank and Lucy got up early and headed back up to their base camp, and you need to give me the four-one-one on the gladiator.”
“I’m not gonna talk about my sex life with you,” I laughed.
“Oh, come on, humor your old auntie . . . was he good, please tell me he was good, oh, and hung. God, that would be a disappointment if a man who looked like that wasn’t great in the sack, please tell me I’m not wrong.”
“Did Maxine say when she’d be back?” I segued as I tried to avoid all topics of Max.
“Soon, and stop deflecting, I’m not letting you off the hook, now spill.”
I’d leaned against the counter as she spoke, but I knew she wouldn’t let up. So, I huffed, moved to the table, and pulled out a chair.
“Fine, what do you want to know?”
“Well, considering the way he manhandled you last night, I’d say this is more than just a passing fling. The question is, you’ve always avoided men for some reason, and now that you’re not, why’d you pick the biggest one I’ve ever seen? Not to mention the bossiest, who lives a thousand miles away from you and, as far as I can see, you have nothing in common with, so what gives?”
“All good points, one’s I’ve asked myself. Though, I hadn’t realized it till you said something, but you’re right, we have nothing in common.”
“So why are you getting involved? With all that stacked against you from the start, I think you’re just spinning your wheels. If you were anyone else I’d say go for it, sleep with him until you leave, but you’re not anyone else. You’re Mia. You’re not like me your heart gets involved. If it’s not going to work out, which is a big if, by the way, a man like Max would be hard to forget, trust me I know.”
Leave it to the irresponsible one in the room to point out the obvious. She was right; I’d end up with a broken heart. I may have wavered a tad about not getting involved after our night together, but Jess just slapped me with the cold, hard facts.
“You’re right,” I mumbled, “Thanks, Jess, I’m glad we had this talk. When he kissed me and, well, other things, the connection was so strong I let my heart lead my head and I gave in. But, you’re right, we have nothing in common and I’d drive him nuts,” I replied as I went to leave the kitchen for some quiet time and self-reflection.
Thinking about what she’d said, my stomach felt a little queasy. My head may understand it doomed to failure, now I needed my heart to understand. Which, by the way, is exactly why she was right. I couldn’t get in any deeper with Max because he’d be a hard man to forget.
As I made my way through the great room, I swore I heard Jess mumble “Connection?” When I turned back to see if she was talking to me, I found her staring out the window with her hand to her chest, playing with a golden locket she’d always worn.
When Buddy shouted at Max for the third time, he finally looked down at his foreman. He’d been surveying a tangle of trees that had grown too close together.
There was mathematics involved in bringing down trees. You couldn’t just walk up to one and mark cut here. You had a potentially deadly situation on your hands when you brought the wrong tree down first. He should know, he’d lost his father to just such a cluster-fuck of miscalculation.
Ten years prior, his father, Tom Hunter, had been overseeing the takedown of a crop of trees just north of the main operation. He’d taken a young crew with him who’d misunderstood his instructions and taken down the supporting tree first. His father had been downhill when they felled the supporting tree, and when it broke loose, without its support, another tree snapped and came down with it. Unrestrained with a line as it should have been, it slid down the hill and caught his father off guard, crushing him. They’d paid a high price that day, and ever since, Max made sure he was standing uphill and watching the first cut.
“Didn’t see you at Last Call last night,” Buddy replied as he handed Max a clipboard.
“Had a woman to find,” Max mumbled as he signed the paperwork and then handed it back.
“I figured as much. So, you dumped Annie for the scientist, you sure that was the right move?”
Max looked down, grinned at his friend, and then slapped him on the shoulder.
“Is that a yes?” Buddy laughed as he watched Max walk away, but Max just lifted a hand and waved as he headed uphill.
Christ, he didn’t want to believe it, fought it for damn sure, but Mia had gotten under his skin. When he wasn’t doing the job, keeping his head in the game while he held onto his saw, his mind had been on her over the past five days. The way she looked, or the way she smelled like sunshine on a cold winter’s day. That noise she made when she was frustrated, or the sound of his name spilling from her lips, it all played over in his head. He thought it was cute as hell the way she hated bugs and the adorable way she shrieked when it caught in her hair. Hell, he’d never thought of anything as adorable in his fuckin’ life, but something about that woman was just that, fuckin’ adorable.
He figured he had a week tops to find out if she fits into his life. But, like he’d said last night, as far as he could see, she had permanent pain in his ass written all over her. Fortunately, for him, “pain in his ass” finally meant something besides headache. Though, he’d bet she’d be a fair bit of that as well.
Max climbed into his truck and waved to his men as he headed into town to pick up replacement blades for the saws. When his phone rang, he pulled it out and saw Jack was calling, so he answered on the second ring.
“Jack,” Max answered.
“Max, got your message, talk to me,” his cousin replied, all business just like he needed.
“Got a Chief of Police, he goes by the name of Stetson, Duke Stetson. I need you to run a background on him. When we hired him, his recommendations were so fuckin’ sterling they’d make your eyes hurt. He’s been here a year, maybe more, and his handlin’ of these killings had me wonderin’ if someone polished his badge to get rid of him.”
“Is he barkin’ up the wrong tree, pushing his weight around?” Jack asked.
“He’s barkin’ up the wrong fuckin’ woman,” Max replied.
“Right, anyone I know?”
“Nope, still figurin’ her out myself.”
“She give you a headache?”
“Yep.”
“She piss you off?”
“Yep, in the best possible way.”
“I’ll get right on it then,” Jack chuckled.
“You do that. If you find anything call me ASAP,” Max told him.
“Name?” Jack asked.
“Stetson,” Max replied.
“Name of the headache, Max. Jenn’s gonna ask questions and I gotta have an answer or I’ll have a headache on my hands.”
“Right, tell Jenn her name is Mia and she works with bears.”
“Christ,” Jack chuckled.
It wasn’t lost on either man that Jenn had moved to Gunnison to live in the mountains with the deer and bear. A childhood dream if you could believe that. Now, Max had a woman who worked with bears and was involved in two murders. Jack’s wife, Jennifer, had been the focus of a psychopath and he’d fallen fast for the smart-ass reporter. Now, Max was in the same boat. The only difference was, he hadn’t fallen fast—he’d been pulled under kicking and screaming by a pair of crystal blue eyes. Only time would tell if he surfaced or drowned in those fuckin' pools. However, the tightness in his chest that seemed to steal his breath whenever he thought of her told him he was already in deep water and sinking fast.