Max

I stared at her, wondering if she could see my heart beating out of my chest. But if she could, she showed no sign of it, too distracted by everything else I had to offer.

Never tearing her gaze from me, Addison licked her lips and nodded as if she’d made an agreement with herself. Then slowly, she sank to her knees in front of me and took me in her hand.

“Ah, fuck no,” I groaned, though I hated myself for stopping her.

Her eyes went wide and wild. “What? Did I do something wrong?”

“Not at all. God, it’s so fucking right. But I want to see you.” I pulled her hand away from me and urged her up until we were face-to-face. “All of you.”

Slowly, gently, I lifted her dress over her head and let it fall to the floor beside me. Her underwear was white, lacy, and simple, the perfect accent for the girl next door. It made my cock throb just looking at her.

I lowered my mouth to her throat, trailing kisses from the hollow of her collarbone to the shell of her ear as I twisted the clasp of her bra and allowed it to fall away. I wanted to pull back, to look at her, but I had to take my time.

Instead, I wrapped my hand around the back of her neck and whispered in her ear, “Now the choice is yours. If you want to go through with this, you can take off your panties.” I slid my hand over the lacy fabric, feeling the wetness that dampened the front. “If not, you can still turn back.”

She hesitated, her stiff nipples brushing against my chest, and then she lowered herself again, this time sliding her panties off as she moved and stepped out of them at last.

Now I could see her, all of her—from her pretty pink nipples to the glistening pink flesh between her legs.

“Now, get on the bed,” I said.

“But I . . .” She glanced at my cock, swiping her tongue over her lips again.

I squeezed my eyes shut and said a prayer for strength. If anyone ever heard about this, I’d have to turn in my man card, but fuck, I really did want it to be perfect. Everything either of us had fantasized about. I was already a man on the edge, and having her suck me off and blowing into her mouth early was not what I wanted.

“There’ll be time enough for that. I want to look at you.”

Taking both her shoulders in hand, I guided her until her knees buckled against the mattress. She scooted back, her knees still together, and I took a deep breath, ignoring the surging need in my cock for one second and allowing sanity to prevail.

This really was the point of no return. It was likely a terrible idea, I knew—between my baggage and my commitment issues, this was a recipe for disaster. It was all the more clear to me now, looking at her slender form as she lay in my bed.

But that was the point, wasn’t it? She was already in my bed now, willing and waiting for me, and even though I hadn’t had her yet, this still felt better than any woman I’d ever been with—it felt right. I couldn’t let her walk away, not now.

Maybe not ever.

I shoved aside that terrifying thought as I glanced down at her closed legs, then met her gaze. She was staring at me still, waiting for me to come closer. She pulled her bottom lip between her teeth, and for the first time, I realized that the blush on her face trailed all the way down her neck to her breasts. She was as pretty as a fucking picture.

I held one of her knees and she slid her legs apart, showing me the pretty pink space between her thighs.

“Fuck me,” I groaned. It was the most beautiful pussy I’d ever seen, and I couldn’t wait to bury my face between her legs and make her beg for me. I was nearly on the point of doing just that when she interrupted me again.

“You should know it’s been a while for me.” The redness on her cheeks and breasts deepened. “So . . . be gentle, okay?”

I crawled between her legs and cupped my hand behind her head, pulling her lips to mine. She met me timidly, and I brushed a strand of her hair away from her face.

“Don’t you worry about a thing,” I said. “Tonight, I’m taking care of you.”

I placed another tender kiss on her lips and she returned it, pressing her hand against the plane of my chest, then raked her nails down my pecs. I let out a little grunt of pleasure and she startled again, looking like I’d struck her.

“Did I—” she asked, but I shook my head.

“You won’t do anything wrong. Not when you’re with me,” I murmured. “I want it all, whatever you got. Whatever you want to do, I want in. Don’t hold back, Addison, because I sure as fuck don’t intend to.”

She held my gaze for a long moment and then nodded. This time she pulled my face to hers, kissing me tenderly and gently, like every move was a word of praise picked especially for me. We moved together slowly, ignoring our racing hearts and focusing on the feel of our mouths against each other, our tongues entwined in the push and pull that was just the start of what we wanted—what we needed.

As she kissed me, I held her in my arms, pressing my chest against her full breasts and savoring every moment when her breath caught or quickened.

I couldn’t remember the last time kissing had felt so intimate, and it seemed like we’d been locked in each other’s arms for an eternity before Addison drew away from me.

“I want you,” she said, her voice raw and needy. “I want you now.”

“Not yet.” I shook my head. If she hadn’t been with a man in a while, there was one thing I knew I had to do before we made love, and I was bursting at the seams to do it.

Slowly, I kissed my way down her body, stopping to massage her tits and suck on the cherry tips of her nipples. She gasped as I released each with a pop and then she whimpered, begging me for more, but there was no chance of that—not this time. Instead, I moved lower, kissing the neat triangle of brown hair above her pussy.

Then, when I was face-to-face with her pretty pink sex, I licked my way along her folds until I found the bundle of nerves at the top.

She yelped, gazing down at me with raised eyebrows, and I grinned back up at her.

“Do you want me to stop?” I asked.

She shook her head and dropped back onto the bed, her hands gripping the comforter on either side of her hips.

“Relax.” I kissed her again, lapping my tongue over her core before finding her nerve center again and coaxing it with my tongue. With my every little move, she quivered, her knees buckling. My cock ached so hard that I was shocked my eyes hadn’t begun to cross, but I couldn’t take her—not yet. Not until she’d come at least once.

With one finger, I pushed inside her and felt the sweet wet warmth I knew was waiting for me there. She was beyond tight, and as I moved my finger in and out, she bucked against me, pushing me deeper, riding me harder. All the while, I kept kissing her, rolling my tongue over her clit, loving every little shake and gasp and moan.

“Oh, Max,” she rasped. “Max, I . . .”

But I didn’t know what she was, because she let out a low moan that grew louder and louder the harder and faster I fucked her with my finger. Her walls jerked and quaked around me, and I pushed another finger inside as she yelped with pleasure.

“Oh my God, I’m, I’m . . .” She gasped.

“Say it, baby. Tell me what you’re feeling,” I muttered, my face still buried between her legs.

“I’m coming so hard,” she said on a whimper. “Don’t stop fucking me, don’t stop. I need your cock. I want you to feel me come.”

Fuck.

Dirty talk slayed me. Who knew Addison had it in her? God, did I want to put something else in her . . .

My cock ached with its own pulse as she rode out the aftershocks against my mouth. I glanced up at her, sorely tempted to climb up and bury myself deep. But I knew that if I fucked her now, there was no chance it would last for as long as I wanted it to. I wanted to know every little whimper and sigh she was capable of.

So I brought her back down slowly, playing with her, lapping at her and teasing her until I felt every last fizzle of her orgasm. When she finally quieted, I moved to her breasts, raking my nails over the tender underside of her curves, and sucked long and deep on her sensitive nipples.

“You have perfect tits,” I murmured, and she ran her fingers through my hair.

“When are you going to stop teasing me?” she asked, tugging on my short locks.

“When it suits me.” I shrugged.

She sat up, dragging my lips away from her, then pressed her core to my throbbing shaft. Moving her body up and down, she whispered, “Please, Max, I want you to fuck me.”

My brain went offline for a second, the wet heat of her deep-frying my thoughts. My dick was like a wild beast now, raging, throbbing, and so heavy with need that it hurt. There would be other times for me to learn every inch of her. I needed to fuck this woman more than I needed my next breath.

Cupping her chin, I moved her lips to mine and kissed her slowly, gently, as I let her back down onto the bed. When her back was against the mattress, I gripped myself and teased her opening, rubbing my thick head around her clit until she writhed beneath me.

“Please,” she gasped as she broke away from my kiss, and I held her face again, gazing deep into her eyes. This was the moment.

After what had felt like forever, Addison was going to be mine, all mine.

Settling back on my haunches, I pulled a condom from the nightstand and rolled it over my aching dick, then teased her again, taking a deep breath before finally, slowly, pushing just the tip inside.

I took her an inch at a time, watching as her eyes widened and her mouth opened into a perfect little o.

“Fuuck, you’re so tight,” I groaned, and she squeezed tighter against me, making me feel like I was going to lose my damn mind.

“You’re so . . .” She panted, then grabbed my face with one hand, pulling me down to kiss her again. “You’re so big,” she whispered against my lips. “You feel so good.”

I smiled against her mouth and pushed deeper still until I was buried to the hilt, and she let out a little whimper of satisfaction.

“Tell me if I hurt you,” I said, and she shook her head.

“You feel amazing.”

“So do you.” I kissed her again, then drew back, still slow.

It was driving me crazy, moving inside her like I was trapped in quicksand, but I needed her to find herself first—to find the time to match my thrusts with the move of her hips, to kiss me in time with the growing need surging inside both of us.

But I shouldn’t have worried about that.

With every little quake and move, she rolled her hips along with me, following my pace easily and seamlessly. Her tongue swept out to meet mine, and as she kissed me deeper, I knew she wanted more, wanted all of me.

Holding her in my arms, I moved faster, pistoning in and out of her as she tightened even more around me. I didn’t think it was possible, but I felt even harder than I had before, and I buried my face in her neck. I sensed her climbing toward the edge again, her body tensing, readying for another climax.

Her nails scraped against my back and I sucked the silky skin of her neck, needing to claim her as my own.

Our breath caught and we moved in a frenzy, gripping any part of each other we could reach. I massaged her breasts, pulling back to fuck her deeper, and she grabbed for my bicep, my arm, anything in her reach.

“I’ve never . . .” She gasped, shaking her head. “I’ve never had it this good. That cock is perfect. You’re amazing. You feel—”

I cut her off by bending down to nip hard at her straining nipple again, and she grasped me tighter, the one warning sign before her walls collapsed around me and I felt the long, full quake of her orgasm.

“Yeah, baby, come for me,” I growled, fighting off my own explosion so I could ride hers out.

“I want you to come with me,” she rasped breathlessly. “I want to see you.”

Damn, if that wasn’t the sexiest thing she’d said all night. Pulling back, I grasped her hips and pulled her into me, fucking her hard and deep until my balls drew up and the hard knot of tension in my stomach loosened, sending waves of euphoria throughout my body. Her pussy milked every last drop from me, tight and needy, sucking me dry. If I had any lingering doubts about whether this was a good idea, they were instantly wiped away.

She was better, sexier, tighter than any woman I’d ever been with, and as the last ripples of our orgasms climbed through us, I stared into her eyes, wanting to share the intense, sweet moment with her.

She stared back at me and I knew she felt what I did—that this was special. That it had been perfect.

In the silence, we panted together for a few minutes. Then I pulled away from her, removing the condom and dropping it into a nearby wastebasket before coming back to bed.

“What do we do now?” she asked, crossing her arms over her chest, looking more vulnerable than I’d ever seen her before.

I moved toward her, uncrossed her arms, and then tweaked her nipple.

“Get over here and lay with me,” I said.

“I should probably sleep in my own room, but I can stay for a little bit.” She raised her eyebrows, a grin tugging at her lips. “Never took you for much of a cuddler.”

“I’m not. But I might be tonight if you let me be the big spoon.” I climbed over her, then pulled her back to my chest and draped my arm over her naked body. Breathing deep, I took in the scent of her skin, of her hair, of the sex that still lingered in the air around us.

Fucking perfect.

“I’d say that went pretty well,” she said.

“I’d have to agree.” I kissed her hair. “And now I know for sure that I was right. Whoever made you feel less than in bed was out of their fucking mind.”

She snuggled closer to me. “Thank you.”

“No, thank you.” I cupped her breast and she giggled, then turned to look at me.

“I really think this might work,” she said.

“I have no doubt.”

“But can you do one thing for me?” she asked.

“What’s that?”

“Never make pancakes again.” She grinned and wrinkled her nose. “I don’t know how, but you managed to make them crunchy and mushy at the same time.”

I laughed. “Family tradition. Not my fault if you can’t appreciate it.”

“Maybe that’s one tradition Dylan can live without?”

“Maybe.” I pushed a strand of hair from Addison’s face, then stared into her eyes. “I’m sort of hoping she doesn’t get much from me, anyway.”

“What do you mean?”

“I don’t want her to be part of the military family bullshit I got dragged into. It’s nice, I think, and it’s not because she’s a girl or anything, but I want her to really make an impact in the world. The military is great, and if that’s the path she chooses, that’s fine, but—”

“It would scare you to death?” Addison asked.

I should have known she’d see right through me. “That obvious, huh?”

She grinned. “I think most parents feel that way. They have a certain idea of what their kids should be or what they should do. My mom wanted me to be a surgeon. The day I told her I wanted to be a teacher, I think she almost had a heart attack.”

“Oh yeah?”

She nodded. “Some people say teaching is the noblest profession, right? Well, my mother . . . doesn’t feel that way. She thinks science is the be all and end all.” She shrugged. “It’s fine and it was her choice, but I think as long as you don’t impose that will on your child, they’ll end up just fine.”

“Maybe so. But you and me—our parents did do that. So, what does that mean for us?” I asked.

“I guess we’re screwed.” She smiled.

“Guess so. I don’t think I mind too much, though.”

“Me neither. When I think about being a parent, though, I think more about what my mom did right than what she did wrong. She had a lot of pressure on her. I think if I was in her shoes, I would have done about the same,” she said with a shrug.

“And what if you had things your own way?”

“I don’t know yet. I’m not a parent. What about you? What’s the dream?” she asked.

I considered her for a minute. I’d never thought about my future much—aside from how I wanted the company to do, at least. But now that Dylan was around . . .

“I want a big family someday, I think. A wife who loves Dylan like I do. Some more kids. Big Christmases.”

She nodded. “It’s a nice dream.”

“Thanks.”

Silence settled over us for a moment, and then the bed creaked and Addison sat up. “Speaking of dreams, I should be getting to bed.”

“All right, yeah.”

I couldn’t ignore the faint disappointment I felt, but I stood, following her to the door and waiting as she collected her clothes. If we crossed into the realm of sleepovers and sharing a room, there was no going back. We had agreed to take things slow and keep it casual for now, and I wasn’t about to back out on the deal already.

“This was fun,” she said.

“You could do better than me.”

She winked. “I could. But I like you and I love Dylan, and nobody is going to pry me away from her.” Then, on her tiptoes, she kissed me, short and sweet. “Good night.”

“Good night,” I said, and when she was gone, I closed the door after her.

I should have felt like a million bucks. Tonight had gone great.

But there was something else, something that gnawed at my stomach. It might have been that I’d gone out on a limb—I’d never dated, after all. It could have been the risk I’d taken. More than that, though, it might have been what Addison had said. She loved Dylan, and Dylan loved her. It could be the start of something great for us all. And I . . .

Well, I was going to have to hope that I didn’t fuck everything up like I always did.