Just as suddenly as the pressure had appeared, it disappeared. Gigi blinked up at Max, seeing the anguish on his face.
“I’m sorry,” he said, withdrawing and bending down to touch one side of her jaw. “Did I hurt you?” She shook her head. He looked relieved. “Thank god. I don’t want to cause you pain, Gigi, but your mouth and your lips just feel too damn good.”
She blushed at the compliment. “Yours too.”
With his hands under her arms, he lifted her from the ground and pressed against her until her knees hit the edge of the bed. “I want to fuck you. Put your head on my pillow like you did before.”
She scooted into position, never taking her eyes off Max. On his hands and knees, he crawled up the length of her body, leaning on one elbow beside her. One finger traced the peaks and troughs of her collarbones, gliding down between her breasts. He circled one nipple and then the other before continuing on his original path. She squirmed when he reached her mons, his finger dragging through her cleft and into her warm, wet entrance.
“So ready for me,” he murmured, placing a kiss against the corner of her mouth.
She made an inarticulate sound meant to sound like ‘yes’. The meaning didn’t seem to get lost in translation though because he reached over to the bedside table and pulled open a drawer. A box opened and foil ripped. When he leaned back over again, his length was sheathed.
“Are you sure, Gigi?” he asked.
She nodded, gripping him by the base of his cock and guiding him to her drenched opening. Max held her gaze the entire time he entered her, and she felt as if he was doing it to make sure she knew this wasn’t just a casual thing. When she had fully taken his length, he held himself above her, dropping just his head to kiss her passionately. She returned his kiss with fervor, wrapping her arms around his neck and interlacing her fingers. After a full minute of kissing, he started to move within her. His strokes were slow at first, withdrawing almost completely from her body before sliding back in again leisurely. She groaned each time he reached the end of her, and squeezed her eyes shut when he withdrew because as he did, his tip rubbed against her g-spot.
He seemed more than content to keep up this relaxed, almost unhurried pace, but she wasn’t so patient. She needed more of him. Tilting her hips up, she deepened his angle, making him pause. He looked down at her disapprovingly. “So impatient,” he chastised gently.
“I had to wait nearly twelve hours for this,” she shot back, arching against him. “We can go slow next time.”
He smirked at her. “Well, if there’s going to be a next time,” he replied.
Max pulled almost all of the way out of her and slammed himself back in again. She cried out as the part of her brain responsible for pleasure started sparking out. Her fingers dug into his shoulders and she panted, “Again,” into his ear.
He did do it again, and again and again until Gigi fell apart in his arms. Her orgasm tore through her, and she could feel her internal muscles clamping down on him, almost as if they were disciplining him for making her wait so long for another orgasm. She thought the sensation of her own release would undo him, but she was wrong.
Instead, he gritted his teeth and continued with his punishing rhythm. His stamina more than impressed her. His hips rocked into hers over and over. Sweat started to trickle down his arms and chest, his body working hard to hold back the tide of his pleasure. She held on for the ride, surprised when he managed to coax yet another orgasm from her. This time when she shattered, so did he.
His breath was a hiss in her ear as he bowed his head and came inside her. Gigi felt boneless, her arms falling away from his shoulders and her legs splaying on either side of his body. Her eyes had slid shut, but opened again when his lips and tongue played with her mouth.
“Was that worth waiting twelve hours for?” he asked. She scrunched her nose and pretended to think about it. He growled. “Don’t tempt me to make you come again.”
She smiled, touching his face gently. “It was so worth it.”
He rolled off her and stood up. “I’ll be back in a minute.” He disappeared out the door, the light from the bathroom turning on. Now that the haze of lust had worn off, she realized she was lying naked in Max’s bed. She really should go back to her own room. This was sex—not a relationship— they were having. Perching on the edge of the mattress, she looked around the room, trying to locate her shirt. She stood to pick it up, and was holding it in her hands when Max returned. He was still gloriously naked and Gigi couldn’t help but admire the view.
His eyes slid down to her tee. “Going somewhere?” he asked.
She looked at her feet. “Back to my room.”
“Why?”
His question jerked her attention back to him. “I thought…” She frowned. “I thought this was just sex—just two people scratching an itch.”
“Is that what you want, Gianna?” he asked.
Was it? “No,” she whispered.
Her answer must have been the right one because he nodded and reached for her shirt, tugging it from her hands and dropping it back to the floor. “Come to bed then.”
21
Max woke the next morning to Erin’s little voice calling from down the hallway. He focused his eyes on the digital readout of his bedside clock and saw that it was seven am. He’d only managed two hours of sleep thanks to the marathon session with Gigi. If he hadn’t been so damn tired, he would have had at least another three times with her, but he had barely been able to keep his eyes open the first time.
Turning his head, he found her with her gorgeous red hair fanned out on his other pillow, her chest rising and falling gently as she slept. He took a moment just to stare at her. She’d been amazing last night. He liked to have all the control in the bedroom. It was something Chelsea had fought him on, but Gigi had responded beautifully to his commands. It wasn’t that he was into that whole Dom/sub thing—he just liked to take charge in every facet of his life. He thought it stemmed from his parents’ divorce, since that kind of broke the fragile sense of balance he’d had growing up.
Rolling off the side of the bed, he pulled on his sweats and opened up the bedroom door. The fresh air hitting his face only confirmed that his bedroom still smelled of sex. Max found Erin babbling to her bunny in the cot, and from the look on her face, the conversation was a pretty serious one. He gathered her to his naked chest and kissed the top of her head; he was rewarded with a one-toothed smile.
“Is it time for breakfast, my girl?” he asked her, taking her through to the kitchen. He fixed her breakfast first, sitting her in her highchair to feed her. When she was done, he let her go and play in the living room while he started up the coffee maker. Gigi was still asleep, and he had the urge to make her breakfast in bed.
While the scent of coffee warmed the apartment, he scooped Erin up and took her to his bedroom. Gigi was just waking up, her relaxed expression only lasting a moment before she looked like she wasn’t so certain about what had finally happened between them. She sat up, clutching the sheet to her chest.
“Max,” she breathed.
“Don’t get up. I’m bringing you breakfast,” he ordered, striding into the room and handing her Erin. Bending down, he placed a gentle kiss first to Erin’s forehead then Gigi’s. “I’ll be right back.”
In the kitchen, he threw together into a griddle the things he needed for an omelette, put some toast on and poured them each a coffee. Opening up one of the cupboards above the fridge, he found a tray large enough to fit all the plates onto. He loaded it up, carefully carrying it back towards his bedroom.
Through the open door, he could see Gigi blowing raspberries onto Erin’s stomach, his little girl’s smile wide with a soundless laugh. He stood there and watched them before he was noticed, and a pang of longing went through him. What he and Gigi had wasn’t meant to last forever. How could it? He was supposed to be leaving in a few months once the club was up and running properly. She was supposed to graduate from univers
ity and get a job—a job directly in line with her chosen career path.
But seeing her with Erin, Max wanted it to last forever.
Erin deserved that much even if he didn’t.
Letting out a sharp breath, he walked the last few feet into his room, drawing both of their attention. “Hungry?” he asked, his eyes drifting down to where Gigi had covered herself up with her t-shirt. He was disappointed to see her body hidden again, but for the sake of propriety and the fact that Erin was there with them, he kept his mouth shut. Setting the tray on his bedside table, he got back into bed, propping himself up with some pillows.
Twisting, he picked up the plate of eggs and the two forks he’d placed on the side and started feeding Gigi small mouthfuls.
“This tastes great,” she said quietly.
He leaned forward to kiss some ketchup from the side of her mouth. “You taste great,” he murmured, managing to draw the color from her cheeks. He sat back with a grin. “Do you have to study today?” he asked, loading up another forkful of eggs.
“No, I don’t have to. Why? What did you have in mind?”
“I thought we could go to Central Park Zoo today.”
Gigi’s mouth turned into a grin. “You know what? I’ve been in New York for four years and I still haven’t been there.”
“It’s settled then,” he replied, taking a bite of toast. “Eat up.”
An hour later, Max and Gigi stepped through the front gates of the zoo. They strolled around with Erin, looking at the sea lions, the red pandas, and the snow leopards, and explored the children’s zoo. Gigi surprised him when she took Erin and sat with her on the back of a giant rabbit statue to have their photo taken. Chelsea would never have done anything like that. She was always too concerned with what people would think of her if she was acting silly. Max clicked half a dozen photos of his two girls then took a few candid shots of Gigi as she picked Erin back up again.
“Time for a coffee?” Max asked, smiling at Gigi.
She nodded. “Sounds great.”
Taking a seat at the cafe, he enjoyed the easy way he and Gigi could talk about everything, enjoyed how much fun she could be.
“What are you smiling at?” she asked.
“You,” he replied.
A blush crept up her neck, and she bit her bottom lip. “Why?”
Leaning forward, he took her hand in his. “Because you’re perfect.”
She scoffed at him. “I’m far from perfect.”
“You seem pretty perfect to me.” And she was. She was the antithesis to Chelsea.
She looked up at him from under her lashes. “What is this between us, Max?” Her voice was unsteady—unsure.
“Honestly?” She nodded. “It’s something that I know I can’t fight—this attraction between us. I know you feel it too.”
“I do.”
“But…” he began.
“But?”
“But, I’m not going to be in New York forever. I have to return to California, and my real job.” For a moment, she didn’t say a thing. “Gigi?”
“California?” she asked in a squeak, her eyes widening.
“Yes,” he said slowly. Had he not mentioned that to her? “That’s where I live. I’m only here helping out my boss with the new club temporarily. I’ll be going home as soon as she finds someone to run the place full-time.”
“I didn’t know that,” she said, her gaze darting away and her hand slipping from his. She sucked in a deep breath. “I didn’t know that,” she repeated. He reached out for her again, but she dropped both hands into her lap.
Max didn’t like the fear uncurling in his belly. “Don’t pull away from me.”
Her wild eyes met his. “How can you say that to me? You’re leaving.”
“Maybe, but I want you in my life even if it’s only for this short time.”
She looked down at the table. “I think this is a mistake.”
He sat taller in his chair. “What is?” he replied, his words clipped.
She sighed. “This.” She motioned between them with her finger. “There’s definitely some attraction between us. I can feel it every time you look at me, but…” She looked him in the eye. “I don’t know how to do casual sex. I don’t know how to be in a relationship that isn’t going anywhere.”
He frowned. “You know that wasn’t what it was.”
“I know,” she whispered. “But knowing there can never be more than a few weeks or months together changes things. What’s the point in even having a relationship if it’s inevitably going to end?”
“Everything ends.” He sat back in his chair, making sure to keep his eyes locked on her face. “And what’s the point of the whole thing? The point is, we get to experience each other. We get to share something that nobody can change, or even have the vaguest notion of what it’s like to feel. Having your body pressed against mine is heaven, Gigi. Isn’t it worthwhile having heaven even if it’s for just a few months?”
He hoped he was getting through to her. He would have a hard time giving her up now if she decided that was what she wanted. Her lips sank into her bottom lip as she thought, the very image of it sending blood rushing south of his belt. Too fucking bad they were in a public place, because if they weren’t, he was going to remind her just how good they were together.
This conversation was depressing the hell out of him. Standing up, he watched her watch him. “We should get home. It’s getting late.”
22
Gigi stared at Max’s broad back as he pushed Erin in the stroller ahead of her. The news he’d broken to her at the cafe had affected her more than she cared to admit. She hadn’t known he was only in New York for a short time and just the thought of Max leaving to go back to California caused her chest to ache. Although it had only been a matter of days, although she had just met him, it didn’t seem to matter to her heart.
She sighed.
What was she supposed to do? She briefly considered ringing Jen to talk about it, but revealing the truth about her and Max’s relationship, or lack thereof, would only fuel Jen’s fire. She supposed she could call her mom, but when the opening line of the conversation went a little something like: Mom, I’ve moved in with a man. I’m looking after his child and we’re also having mind-blowing, but unfortunately casual, sex that will not lead to a relationship, she knew her Catholic mom would have an aneurism.
She could see where Max was coming from; he was saying why not enjoy what they had while they had it, but Gigi’s brain was vetoing the notion. She thought she could do casual sex, and she had, but when Max had asked her what she’d wanted, when he’d invited her to stay in his bed, she realized what had happened between them could never be deemed to be casual and meaningless…at least not for her. She was in it for the long haul. She was in very real danger of falling for him. Putting an end to it before it could begin was the only way she could think of to stop the unavoidable pain that would come later.
When they arrived back at the apartment, the atmosphere between them was charged. Gigi excused herself to her room immediately. She found her iPod and secured the earbuds in place, then lay down on the bed to drown out her thoughts. She stared up at the ceiling, her brain cycling through all the possible outcomes. If she continued this thing with Max, she knew she would be left heartbroken at the end of it. If she put a stop to it now, she would always wonder what if…
Someone was shaking her leg, making Gigi snap into an upright positon. She must have fallen asleep. She looked down to find Max standing there, his arms crossed over his chest. His expression was pinched. She pulled the earbud from her ear.
“Max?”
“There’s someone here to see you,” he grit out. “A guy,” he tacked on with a small snarl.
“Who is it?” Her brain was clearly still asleep because she could not keep up with the conversation.
“I didn’t catch his name.”
Moving off the bed, she stood up and went to the door, but was stopped when he took
her by the wrist. She looked back at him.
“I don’t share well, Gigi.” He had brought his face closer to hers. His gaze was hot and hungry, and focused on her lips. Her mouth parted, a small gasp slipping from her throat. Max kissed her hard, possessing her in every way possible. His tongue slid inside her mouth, stroking her own with a rhythm she was becoming addicted to. When he pulled away, she was breathless.
Dazed, she walked into the living room. Alex was sitting on the couch with a bottle of wine in one hand, and in the other was a pizza box with a DVD case sitting on top of it. “Alex?”
He looked up at her, a grin spreading across his lips. “Since you had to cancel, I thought I’d bring our date to you. Dinner and a movie, right?” he asked, gesturing to the pizza and DVD.
“Right,” she replied. She turned when she felt the fine hairs at the back of her neck stand on end. Max had just walked into the kitchen, his watchful eyes on the pair of them. “Umm, you already met my boss.” The same boss I’m sleeping with, she mentally added.
“Yeah, we met briefly,” Alex said, his voice becoming sharp. She looked between both men warily, watching them stare at each other from across the room; testosterone was thick in the air. Alex was the first one to break, though.
She knew exactly what Max was doing—he was marking his territory. Well, she wasn’t about to let herself become their fire hydrant. Turning back to him, she asked sweetly, “You don’t mind if we watch a movie, do you Max?”
His jaw bulged before he managed to say, “Not at all, Gigi. I’ll get out of your way.” Banging around in the kitchen for a few minutes, Max stalked down the hall with everything he needed to make a sandwich. Gigi stood up, her legs a little shaky, and went to get some plates and glasses. Alex was unscrewing the cap of the wine bottle when she came back. Placing everything on the table, she opened up the DVD and placed it in the player.
Then There Was You: A Single Parent Collection Page 141