Max

“And an extra-large order of fries. Do they supersize here?” I asked.

Zach glanced back at me, a stupid grin on his face. “Yeah, we got it the first couple of times you said it, chief,” he said with a laugh. “Burgers, and as many fries as they’ll give us. We’re almost to the speaker now.”

I stared out the window from the backseat, squinting at the too-bright drive-through sign. Why did it seem like there were two signs? I closed one eye until the second one faded.

“Maybe a burger too,” I added. “And four chicken nuggets for Dylan.”

“We told you, it’s the middle of the night, man. Pretty sure Dylan is already asleep,” Matt cut in.

“Shit,” I whispered. “Did I call Addison? Did I tell her—”

“We’ve been over this.” Zach sighed. “Matt and I called her before we left the office. She had no problem with you enjoying your birthday having drinks with friends.”

“And boy, have you enjoyed it,” Matt said with a snort.

I frowned. Even now, with the edges of the world so blurry, I could only remember bits and pieces of my night. The two of them had shown up at my office door an hour before I usually left, and insisted that I go with them to some shithole of a bar down the street. At the time, I’d agreed because it was just for one celebratory birthday drink.

But one drink turned into five. Then I lost count as we toasted everything from my thirty-fifth birthday to the quarterbacking prowess of Peyton Manning. The last thing I remembered with any clarity was clinking glasses and chugging a shot in honor of J.Lo’s booty at the request of a howling Zach.

“You guys are a bad influence,” I complained. I’d told the guys last week that I didn’t want to do anything for my birthday, and not surprisingly, they hadn’t listened.

“That’s why you like us,” Zach said as Matt, our designated driver, motioned for us to quiet down while he ordered. We pulled up in the pickup window’s line, doubtlessly full of other people who’d been thrown out of the bars at two a.m., and I tapped my fingers against my jeans, a little amazed at the texture of the fabric.

How did I never notice that sober? They were so soft. Like unicorn fur.

“I still think you should have gone home with that girl,” Zach said. “She said she was a nurse. You’re going to need one tomorrow.”

“I need one tonight,” Matt murmured, holding up his hand for a high five from Zach.

“No, no, I don’t want a nurse. I want Addison,” I slurred, flopping back against the seat with a groan. “She’s got great teeth. Have you ever noticed that?”

Zach blinked, then Matt reached out the window and then turned to hand me a bag filled with food.

“Eat up, buddy. It’s for your own good,” Matt said, and I stuck my hand into the bag, not bothering to look inside before I fished out a paper-wrapped burger.

I peeled away the wrapping, took a huge bite, and savored the meaty, cheesy goodness. I rarely ate fast food, and this was so hot and delicious, I found myself wondering why. I chewed, pausing only briefly to swallow.

“They’re so straight.”

“What?” Zach asked, shooting me a look over his shoulder.

“Addison’s teeth. She’s got a great smile. The other day she was smiling at Dylan, and I was just looking at her like, ‘Whoa, that’s a hell of a smile,’ you know?”

Zach and Matt exchanged a look, but then Zach pointed to the bag and reminded me again to eat.

“You’re going to need some water and aspirin when you get home too,” Matt said.

“Addison will know what to do,” I said with my mouth full. “She always does.”

“Right.” Zach sighed. “Okay, almost home.”

We passed the rest of the ride with the guys talking about the nurse who’d hit on me. It was true, she’d been pretty—buxom and brunette with legs that looked like she might have been a dancer. She was exactly the kind of girl I would normally want to tie to my bed and keep there all weekend. But now, when I thought of my bed, I could only picture one woman there, naked on top of the sheets and waiting for me.

“Okay, we’re here.” Matt popped the car into park, and Zach climbed out to open my door for me.

“What am I, Cinderella?” I asked. “Get the fuck back in the car. I can walk myself to the door, Prince Charming.”

Zach raised his eyebrows and barked out a laugh, pulling out his phone. “Right. You got it. But if you fall, note that I’m videoing you, and it’ll be on Instagram inside three minutes for the world to see.”

I flipped him and his cell-phone camera the bird and pulled myself from the car, momentarily surprised when the world spun around me as I stood.

“You sure you’re okay?” Matt asked.

I frowned at him. “I’m fine.”

“Be careful not to wake the baby,” Zach reminded me in a singsong voice.

I waved them off. “Go home. I’m fine.”

Before they could say anything else, I started for my front door and listened as their car pulled away behind me. Without their headlights, it was pretty dark out, but the porch light was still shining. Addison had probably left it on for me. She was so thoughtful that way.

I fumbled with my keys, then opened the door and stumbled over the threshold. I didn’t remember the door moving quite so quickly before, and it crashed against the wall beside it.

I winced. “Dammit.”

A light clicked on in the living room. Addison peered at me through sleepy eyes, a book spread open on her lap.

“Were you waiting for me?” I asked, trying not to weave on my feet.

“What? No.” She shook her head. “I fell asleep reading. You look like you had a fun night.”

Her lips quirked, and I tried my hardest to remember why I wasn’t supposed to cross the room and kiss her face, but nothing was coming to mind.

“Looks like you could use some water. Come on.” She motioned for me to follow her, and I was careful to close the door quietly behind me before doing just that.

In the kitchen, she had a glass with ice water waiting for me, and was opening a bottle of ibuprofen I kept above the sink.

“I don’t need that,” I muttered, then gulped the crisp, cold water. I made a mental note to drink more water. It was so refreshing.

“Do it for my sake then,” she said, holding out a few pills in her palm. I took them and popped them in my mouth, if only in hopes that it would make her smile at me with those straight white teeth of hers.

“Okay, time for bed, I think. What do you say?”

She strolled away and I followed her again, this time watching her curvy hips sway beneath her boxer shorts as she moved. My cock flexed, waking from its drunken slumber to weigh in on the view.

She led me up the stairs and into my bedroom. I flicked on the light as we stepped in. On the nightstand sat a single cupcake with a little “Happy Birthday” flag stuck into the perfect swirl of chocolate icing.

I blinked, staring at it in wonder. “Did you make that for me?”

“Dylan and I did.” She shrugged. “It was nothing.” Her cheeks turned a pretty shade of pink, and I stepped toward her.

“It’s not nothing. You do so much for me.” I took her hand, wanting to thank her, but the second I touched her skin, that damn electric pulse shot through my veins and I wanted to pull her closer, to smell the sweet lavender of her hair again. To feel her lips against mine.

There was a reason I shouldn’t. I knew it was in there somewhere, but damn it all if I could think of it right now—especially not with her silky hair hanging down her back and her cute little short-shorts framing that perfect ass.

I glanced down at her hand, closing one eye again to stop the double vision, and wondered if it would be weird if I bent over and kissed it like they did in olden times. Luckily, she pulled it away from me before I drunkenly decided it wouldn’t.

“Did you have a good birthday?” she asked.

“It was okay. I would have liked it better if you were there.”

She raised her eyebrows. “Is that so?”

“Yeah. This girl came over to me and sat on my lap, you know,” I murmured, suddenly enthralled with the graceful line of her neck.

Addison’s mouth flattened into a thin line, but then she smiled. “Ah, so it sounds like a very good birthday then.”

“No, I made her get off.” I shook my head. “The only person I want on my lap is you.”

Her eyes widened and her pink cheeks went crimson. “Oh boy, yep. Definitely time for bed.”

“Listen, don’t placate me because I’m drunk. It doesn’t mean I’m not telling the truth.” I took her hand again, this time pulling her close enough that her body was flush against mine.

She fidgeted, almost like she was debating whether she should move away, but I wrapped my arm around her waist and rested my hand on her lower back.

“I only want one birthday gift this year,” I said. “And it’s you.”

I cupped her chin with my free hand and she stared into my eyes, her expression torn, like she was at war with herself.

Time to see if I could help make up her mind.

I swooped down, crushing my lips to hers, and that sweet electricity sparked between us again, igniting something in me I wasn’t sure I’d ever felt before. I pulled her body closer still, wanting her to feel the thick outline of my erection. She moaned a low, needy sound as her hips arched against mine.

I groaned in reply, rubbing against her so that my cock rode her slit in just the right spot. God, did I need to get inside her. Slide deep into that wet, hot warmth that I could feel branding me through the fabric of my jeans.

I lifted a hand to cover one of her breasts, my pulse cranking up as her nipple pebbled beneath my fingers.

To my surprise, her fingers trailed down my stomach, burrowing between us to cup my cock, running up and down over the fabric.

Fuck if I didn’t want her to unzip me right then and there and slip her hand down the front of my boxers. I wanted her to tease me, stroke my swollen shaft up and down, and then get on her knees and do all the things I’d imagined her doing three times a day since she’d moved in here with me.

Instead, she gripped me one last time and then slid her hand away to grab my ass, pulling me close to her again. We were lost in each other, consumed by the heat of our mouths, the feel of our tongues as they slid against each other. I stepped back, drawing her with me until I felt the bed frame behind me, but misjudged and went tumbling backward. When the room finally stopped spinning and I opened my eyes, I realized I was alone on the mattress.

Addison stared down at me, her nipples hard, her chest heaving, and her eyes full of regret. “You’re drunk,” she whispered. “I’m sorry. It just doesn’t feel right.”

Fuck.

“But I want you,” I said, knowing I was slurring my words even as I said it and cursing myself.

She shook her head slowly. “I know. And I want you. But not like this. We’ll talk tomorrow like adults when both of us have had time to let sanity prevail.” She pressed the back of her hand to her heated cheek, and then said, “Happy birthday,  Max.”

“Thanks.”

I slumped back on the bed and watched as she left the room, my cock raging with unfulfilled need.

Happy fucking birthday, indeed.