“Another time.” He places a kiss on the top of my head, and at that moment, I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else. All this time I’ve been fighting Max and fighting against my feelings for him; I left when really I should have stayed and not been so afraid.
“Right. I think it’s bedtime for two little girls.” Muffled giggling comes from the other side of the kitchen and Max tiptoes over to the table, pulling up the vinyl tablecloth and bends down with a roar. The girls squeal and crawl out from under the table, half laughing and half screaming as he chases them around the kitchen. This all new to me, and I double over with laughter as he runs after them.
The girls seem to decide that I’m a safe bet because they run over and hide behind me, each one clinging to a leg as Max approaches, taking slow exaggerated steps.
“Don’t think she’ll save you.” His eyes hold mine with a twinkle of mischief that causes my stomach to flip violently. The girls grip tighter and the three of us start to edge out of the room. We almost make it when Max makes a run for us and grabs me, surprising the girls so that they let go of their grip on my legs. Hoisting me over his shoulder, he runs toward the sitting room.
I squeal with laughter as the two girls chase after us, although how he can run and carry me is slightly worrying. When he reaches the sofa, he drops me down and lies on top of me, bracing most of his weight on his forearms. We are nose to nose and he bends to kiss me, his tongue delving into my mouth. My hands grip his shoulders, wanting him closer. But before we can get too carried away one girl and then the other jumps on top of Max until all three of them are lying on top of me.
“Human blanket,” they scream, and Max laughs against my lips. “Eww yuck, you’re kissing again,” Maisy shouts and jumps off.
“Gross,” shouts Cassidy and jumps off, too. Max laughs harder, his whole body shaking, making me shake, too. I try hard not to get distracted by how close his body is to mine and how much I like it. He bends his head for another kiss and that sets the girls off again.
Eventually, he climbs off, and I can breathe properly. Cassidy and Maisy start to yawn.
“Time for bed, you two.” Max takes charge and picks up Maisy. Cassidy comes over and raises her arms for me to pick her up. I follow Max up the stairs to the bedroom the girls share and we put them into their beds.
“Story,” Cassidy mumbles sleepily, and I take the book that she offers me. I sit down on her bed and start to read. Max sits on Maisy’s bed and listens to the story, too. After a chapter, I set the book down. Max gives both girls a kiss and I follow him out of the room, closing the door slightly.
Back in the sitting room, Max flops down on the sofa and reaches for the remote control.
“You want to watch a movie?” He scrolls through menus.
“As long as it’s not sappy,” I warn him.
“No way. Here, you’ll like this.” He leans back in the sofa and holds out his arm for me to curl into him. I let out a small laugh when I see the opening credits for Fast and Furious. He knows me so well. I nestle into his side to watch the movie.
An hour into the movie and it is becoming harder than it should be to concentrate. Max’s fingers gently stroke my shoulder in small circles and it’s a good thing I know this story inside out.
“Max, wh-”
“Shh, I'm trying to watch.” He cuts me off, still keeping his eyes straight ahead, so he misses the narrowing of my eyes.
What the fuck? That's it!
I shift in my seat and turn my body slightly so I can look at him side on. His profile is pretty striking, too—strong jaw, a day’s worth of stubble. Reaching out, I run my finger along his jawline and see the tiniest flicker of his lids.
“Leigh, stop staring at me.”
“Why?”
“You're distracting me.”
“Oh, I'm sorry. Is this distracting?” I run my finger along his jaw again and down his neck.
“Yes,” he grinds out.
“What about this?” I lean forward and brush my lips down his neck.
“Yes.” His voice has lost some of his force.
“How about this?” I shift further over to rest my hand on the top his thigh, very near his crotch and squeeze. He sucks in a breath and jerks around to look at me. Desire flickers in his eyes and I lean toward him.
“And this?” I press my lips to his and kiss him softly, my tongue running along his bottom lip. His mouth opens and he responds, his tongue darting out to wrap around mine.
With a growl, he grips my hips and pulls me onto his lap so I am straddling him, his growing erection pressing into me.
“So distracting,” he mumbles against my lips, squeezing my ass and tilting my pelvis into him. Sitting like this gives me a slight height advantage, and I lean down to look at this gorgeous man who is making me rethink everything I once believed and has me considering actually staying. When I run my hands through his hair, his eyes close for a second before opening and the want in them shines brighter. My hands continue down his shoulders to his chest and then his abs. Tugging at the bottom of his t-shirt, I push it up so I can feel his skin underneath my palms. Max lets go and holds his arms above his head to allow me to pull his t-shirt over his head. The sight of his chest and tattoos has the same effect on me every time. They rob me of the power of speech and make it a little harder to breathe.