I wake from my nap confused and disoriented. Panic seizes me immobile until I realize I’m not in Carson’s fancy house. I’m safe. With a judge of all people. The shower in the guest bathroom is ten times more luxurious than the crappy one I had at my apartment that had limited hot water. This one sprays hot water for what feels like eternity. After the longest shower ever, I wrap up in a towel and set to hanging my new clothes in the closet. A knock at the door startles me.
Rushing over to the door, I fling it open, eager to see Max again. He may or may not have starred in a little fantasy in the shower where I brought myself to orgasm for the first time in months.
“I was going to let you know that…” His words trail off as he gapes at me in nothing but my towel. I’d answered the door without thinking. Heat creeps up my throat as he tries and fails to peel his gaze from my body that’s barely covered by a plush towel that’s tied simply at my breasts. “I, uh, I…”
While he’s struggling to form words, I quickly peruse his freshly showered body. He’s no longer wearing a suit but instead looks casual—and hot as hell if I’m being frank—in a fitted black V-neck T-shirt and sexy jeans that are trendy with some holes and wear in the denim. His brownish black hair is styled in a way that I’d coin as “just fucked” and is messy in a deliberate way. He rubs his palm across his scruffy cheek before dragging his gaze up to the ceiling as though he’s saying a prayer to the man above.
“You look nice,” I mutter, my voice barely a whisper.
His sharp green eyes snap to mine and I don’t miss the flicker of hunger in them. It sends a shiver rippling down my spine that has nothing to do with the fact my hair is still wet and the air conditioning is too low.
“So do you.” His voice is gruff and all male. It speaks to the female parts of me that are desperate to connect with a man both physically and emotionally.
“Oh,” I say with a playful laugh. “This ol’ thing?”
His lips curve up on one side. I’m growing quite fond of his crooked grins. “Especially that ol’ thing.” He reaches forward and tugs at a wet strand of my hair. His nearness is waking parts of me that have been slumbering for far too long. I nearly let out a moan of need when his thumb brushes along my jawline before he withdraws his hand. “You should get dressed and come help us cook.”
He stalks down the hallway away from me but I don’t miss the fact that he casts another glance over his shoulder. His expression is troubled, as if he’s at war with himself. It makes me want to side with the flirtatious man within him in convincing the responsible judge that it’s okay to be a little reckless.
I’m tired of running and hiding.
I just want to be free.
And he might be just the person to help me do that.
Thirty minutes later and I’m all dolled up. For him. Ever since I acknowledged my attraction to Max, and decided I wanted to do something about it, I’ve been a bit determined. And by determined, I mean back to my old self. The fire that used to burn within me and drive me to be the best at whatever I set my mind to has once again sparked. I feel the slow burn inside of me that has the potential to be a raging inferno again. Carson doused those flames with his icy, cold heart. But I’m done being contained.
Before I exit the room, I glance down at my new summer dress. It’s a bright blue halter top that exposes my cleavage in a tasteful way. I’ve pulled my hair into a sleek ponytail so that the open back of the dress is revealed. The white flip-flops I slip into aren’t exactly sexy but the rest looks pretty damn good. My makeup is muted but I paid extra attention to my lips. They look fuller and kissable. I will kiss him again today.
I roam through the house toward the kitchen. His daughter Sophia sits at the table cutting vegetables for a salad. Max stands at the kitchen island stabbing holes in steaks. Each time he plunges the blade into the meat, his forearm muscle flexes. I still have a hard time believing he’s as old as he claims. When I look at Max Rowe, I don’t see an aging man.
Virile.
Strong.
Sexy.
Addictive.
I don’t think he realizes how delicious he really is. Any time we flirt, he almost seems shy. And while he appears to be a generally confident man, something about his way with women—or at least me—seems sweet and innocent.
After the hell I endured with Carson, Max is exactly what I need.
“Do you know how to make lemonade?” Sophia asks in greeting, her tone venom-filled.
Max’s attention is drawn to me and his features darken upon seeing me. Something carnal flashes in his bright green eyes that seems to light a match within me. Okay, so maybe he’s not so innocent after all. But instead of fearing him, it only makes me want him more.
“I do,” I answer her and flash a smile.
She rolls her eyes and goes back to chopping. When my head turns back to Max, I find him prowling my way, the hunger in his gaze powerful.
“You look beautiful,” he utters, his eyes shamelessly roaming over my body but lingering at my breasts. “Breathtaking.”
Sophia makes a snorting sound but I ignore her. I’m too caught up in this man’s feral stare. It’s as if he’s undressing me with his eyes. I want to be naked for him. I want to see this same stare as he spreads my thighs apart and sinks inside of me.
“Lemonade,” I say, my words shaky.
He clears his throat, the spell broken. “Top cabinet over there. There’s a mix inside but we always cut some fresh lemons to add to the pitcher. Pitcher is in that cabinet by the refrigerator.”
I flash him a smile and set to making the lemonade. Sophia doesn’t speak much but Max and I easily fall into a conversation about my studies in college. Despite Carson terrorizing me, I managed to finish my degree this past spring. Chatting with Max is easy. He makes me feel comfortable.
“Want to come help me with the grill?” he questions. “I’ll show you the pool.”
I nod with a bright smile on my face. I sure as heck don’t want to be left alone with the ice queen who looks like she eats blondes like me for dinner rather than the steak we have planned. Once outside, he checks on the grill but doesn’t put the steaks on right away. He sets the plate on the ledge next to the grill and offers me his hand. Without hesitation, I take it. Electric currents seem to pulsate from where his hot hand keeps my cold one warmed. Together, we walk through the big yard where he shows me the pool, hot tub, and finally a gazebo in one corner of the yard that overlooks a small coy pond.
“Oh!” I exclaim upon seeing the big yellow fish. “They’re so beautiful.” I rest my chest against the gazebo side as I peer down at the coy.
“So beautiful,” he agrees, his voice husky.
I nearly moan the moment his hands find my waist. He steps closer to me to peer over my head at the fish. His heat almost suffocates me but in a good way. I want him to envelop every sense that I have. With him so close to me, I can’t help but lean back against him, seeking his comforting touch. He smells delicious and everything about him calls to me. Instead of fighting this moment, his arms wrap around my middle just under my breasts and he hugs me to him. His erection is hard and imposing pressed against my back.
“You make me forget what’s right and wrong,” he admits, shame tainting his words.
I turn my head so I can look up at him. His green eyes blaze with need for me. It makes me tremble in his arms. “Sometimes it’s nice just to forget everything for a little while.”
His mouth is inches from mine. I want him to kiss me again. When I lick my lips as an invitation, a low growl rumbles in his chest. It vibrates me to my core.
“Dorian…”
I twist in his arms so that my breasts are smashed between us. Lifting my chin, I meet his fiery gaze with a blazing one of my own. “I want to forget right now.”
That’s all the invitation the good judge needs.
His hand slides to my throat where he grips me in a possessive way. He lowers his mouth to mine and captures my lips with his full ones. Max doesn’t kiss me sweetly. This kiss is a whole bunch of promises rolled into one moment.
I will kiss you until you lose your breath.
I will own every part of your body with my mouth.
I will push my cock inside of you and make you mine.
A moan escapes me which seems to set him off. His palms slide down to my ass where he lifts me. I clutch onto his neck in fear that he’ll drop me. But he lifts me as though I weigh nothing. When he pushes my back against the gazebo side and his cock grinds against my pussy through our clothes, I cry out in pleasure. He kisses me hard in an all-consuming way as he works his hips against me. Each time his cock rubs against my clit, I shudder.
“You’re going to make me come like this,” I whisper against his lips, surprise in my tone.
He growls again which sets my insides on fire. “I’m going to make you come like this and then I’m going to make you come a whole lot of other ways too.”
The images running through my mind are filthy. Coupled with the way he expertly rubs against me, I lose myself to a volcanic orgasm within seconds. I start to scream in pleasure but he silences me with devouring kiss. When I come down from my high, he pulls from our kiss and stares down at me as if in awe.
I want to freeze this moment.
Forget about everything in my crappy life and let this sexy, powerful judge own my mouth and my body.
“This is probably all kinds of wrong,” he mutters. But his tone isn’t regretful. If anything, the way he watches me is wolfish. Devious even. It doesn’t alarm me because Max is a good guy. His dark, rebellious intentions turn me on.
“Then why does it feel so right?” I challenge, a smirk playing at my lips.
Slowly, he sets me on my feet and straightens my dress. “Let’s get those steaks started. But later tonight…” he trails off and his jaw clenches. His eyes roam my body again. “Later I will get to know you a little better.”
He stalks away from me, his long legs carrying him across the yard. I take a moment to compose myself and wonder if I should go change my panties before dinner. Heat floods down south as I remember his promise.
“Later I will get to know you a little better.”
If that’s his promise, I probably won’t be needing panties anyway.
“I’m going to Alicia’s for the night,” Sophia calls out as she shuffles away from the dining room table where we’ve just eaten the best dinner I’ve had in ages. Max is a grill master on top of everything else he’s apparently good at.
“Soph,” he calls out, the commanding thunder in his voice causing her to stop. “You okay, sweetheart?”
She turns and flashes a bright, but completely fake, smile at him. “Of course, Daddy. I’ll text you tomorrow.”
When she’s gone, he stands to start cleaning the kitchen. Wordlessly, I fall into step behind him. Together, we work in the kitchen, brushing up against one another as we clean and put away all the food. Long after the front door slams closed with Sophia’s departure, he grabs my hand and guides me through the house.
“I want to show you something,” he says as he pushes into a room I haven’t seen yet.
I’m momentarily stunned as I admire the masculine space. Books of all kinds line the shelves on each of the walls. A chaise lounge sits in the middle of the room and a desk is on one side.
“Is this your office?”
He nods and leads me to the desk. With a gesture of his hand, he motions for me to sit on the top of it. Once I’m settled, he sits in the chair and sets to rummaging in a drawer. He eventually pulls out a bottle of whiskey.
After he twists off the lid, he takes a long pull before handing it to me. With a brow arched in question I take a swallow. It burns me all the way down to my stomach. “You wanted to come show me how to kill my liver in one fell swoop?”
He chuckles and playfully swats at the inside of my thigh. Quivers of need jolt straight to my sex. “Actually, smartass, I wanted to show you this.” He reaches into the drawer and pulls out a newspaper clipping.
Frowning, I take the clipping from him and read the article. A woman, Arlene Rowe, was shot and killed during a robbery gone bad. Her picture is grainy because it’s an old clipping but the eyes are the same.
“Your mom?” I ask, my voice hoarse with emotion.
He plucks the whiskey bottle from my hand and takes another long gulp. When his eyes flash to mine, they’re full of pain. It makes my heart ache for him. I know exactly how he feels.
“She was just twenty-eight when she died. I’d been heartbroken. Cried every night begging my father to bring her back.” He swallows down his emotion and casts his gaze off behind me. “But he couldn’t bring her back. I was angry. Lashed out. Pleaded for justice. I was a young boy but I followed her case. I harassed the hell out of my father’s attorney, Phil. Phil kind of took me under his wing when he didn’t have to. Apprised me of every step of the trial. I sat in the front row of that courtroom when the jury found that bastard guilty of murder.” The judge, with narrowed eyes and an angry scowl, bit out the sentence. “Life without parole. It was the happiest day of my life after one of the saddest. Right then, I knew I wanted to be a judge. I wanted to bring justice to the bad guys.”
A tear rolls down my cheek and drips from my jaw. “I’m so sorry.”
His palm finds my thigh and his thumb rubs a circle on the inside of it just under my dress. “Don’t be. From something tragic, I found purpose. It was then I’d discovered my fire. Sometimes, after the most terrible things, we get to find out who we really are. Strengthens our character.”
Our eyes meet and he smiles sadly at me.
“Dorian, Carson may have screwed you up and ruined your father, but it isn’t over. He doesn’t get to win. Find your fire, beautiful.”
I take the offered whiskey bottle and gulp down more of the gasoline that seems to ignite me from within. He’s right. I can’t keep running and being torn apart. I’m ready to fight for what’s mine.
His green eyes are chaotic as he slides his other palm to my thigh. A shiver runs down my spine when he pushes my dress slowly up my legs.
“I keep telling myself to stay away,” he murmurs, his voice low and deadly. “But I can’t stop thinking about you.” Our eyes lock as his thumbs rub dangerously close to my sex under my dress. “I can’t stop. I don’t want to stop. For the first time since the girls’ mother died, I feel as though the man within me is awake.” His jaw clenches and his nostrils flare. Sure, I know he’s safe but right now he looks positively dangerous. “Tell me no, Dorian.”
I bite on my lip and try to summon up the bravery I was feeling earlier. My words are but a whisper. “What if I don’t want to say no?”
His brows furl together and he presses a soft kiss to the inside of my thigh. He’s so close to my sex, I can practically feel his breath there. “You get to do whatever you want,” he assures me, his lips pecking at my sensitive flesh. When he sucks on my skin, I let out an embarrassing moan. He pulls away and lifts a brow.
“D-Do more of that,” I instruct, my voice shaky with need.
He pushes his hand on my stomach urging me to lie back. “Then I’m going to do more of that. Lots more of that.”
I’m staring up at the ceiling when he starts kissing his way up my thigh. When his hot breath tickles me over my panties, I whimper. The kiss he applies right to my clit over my underwear is downright scandalous and yet I want him to do it again. My fingers thread in his perfectly messy hair and I encourage him to repeat his dirty kiss. This time, though, he doesn’t peck it. He kisses me there with his whole mouth.
Lips.
Tongue.
Oh, God…teeth.
I jolt off the desk but his palm pushes my stomach back down as he assaults my sex with his perfect mouth. I’ve never hated a pair of panties as much as I do now. They’re in the way and I want them gone.
“Spread your legs,” he orders, a growl low in his throat.
I obey and immediately jerk them open. His hands are curious as they roam along my thighs but don’t touch me where I need to be touched most. I cry out when he licks me hard through the fabric of my panties. I’m soaked all the way through from both his mouth and my own arousal. He seems to sense this and his tongue drifts to the sides as if he can seek entrance that way. I’m about to beg him to take my panties off when his large finger hooks into the side of them. He pulls the fabric aside so that I’m bare to him. Before I can process what’s happening, his mouth is back on me but it’s flesh against flesh.
“Oh, God!” I cry out, my body once again rising from the desk.
He plunges his tongue deep inside of me while simultaneously pushing me back down on the desk. I’m losing all sense of reality. I’ve never been fucked by a tongue before. It’s strong and slippery and invasive. I don’t want him to stop. When his thumb rubs against my clit, I yelp out his name. This seems to motivate him because everything he does to me seems to intensify. All it takes are a few more firm strokes against my clit and I explode. My entire body trembles with my release. I’ve barely come down from my high when he’s pulling away and standing.
“Tell me no, Dorian,” he practically snarls at me. He’s so damn gorgeous now that he’s lost control and the feral glint is in his eyes again. “Tell me no because if you don’t, I’m going to pull my cock out and fuck you right here on this desk.” His jaw clenches. “Tell. Me. No.”
“Fuck me, Judge,” I order, not at all intimidated by his fierce warning.
He growls as he shoves my dress out of the way. My panties get ripped down my thighs and then tossed way. His gaze is locked on mine as he unbuckles his jeans and pushes them down his thighs.
“Shirt,” I moan. “Off.”
In one of those sexy guy moves, he grabs at the collar behind his neck and pulls it up over his head revealing his muscular tattooed chest to me. Selfishly, I stare between us and inspect his muscles on top of muscles. He has a V. None of the ex-boyfriends I was with ever looked remotely this good. I’ve died and gone to hottie hell. And I sure as heck never want to leave. With his lip caught between his teeth on one side, he shoves his black boxer briefs down and grips his impressive, thick cock in his strong veiny hand.
“You’re about to get fucked, little girl.”