The thought of seeing him again brought back that rush of excitement and gave her something to look forward to, instead of spending another Sunday on her own. Okay, see you then.
Chapter Seven
Max sat at a large dining table with his Premier Realty partners, who were also his best friends, as they drank a beer and bullshitted back and forth while Natalie and Hailey were in the kitchen doing their thing. They’d already gotten the grand tour of Wes and Natalie’s house—a sprawling one-story that Kyle and Connor had helped to renovate before they’d moved in, and Max had to admit that the place was impressive.
From top to bottom, the entire house had been renovated and modernized, with new hardwood floors, crown molding, paint, upgraded hardware, and a gourmet kitchen with all the bells and whistles. Walls had been knocked down to give the house an open-concept design, and rooms had been restructured, one of which Natalie had turned into an insanely large closet, with floor-to-ceiling shelving to hold her purses and shoes, a massive number of drawers, a full-length vanity, and inset dressing mirrors. Oh, and an elaborate crystal chandelier hanging in the center of the room to give the space even more glitz and glamour.
Natalie called it her dream closet, and Hailey had concurred while clearly expressing some serious closet envy. Wes, however, being a guy and an idiot, had grumbled about the unnecessary size and couldn’t understand why she needed so many shoes and purses and clothes. Natalie had argued that size did matter and reminded Wes that she’d already more than compensated him for giving up one of the rooms in the house to make her happy. The smirk on Wes’s face told everyone that said compensation had been in sexual favors, and Connor, Natalie’s brother, immediately walked out of the room after announcing that he wasn’t about to listen to the specifics of how Wes had exploited his baby sister.
“I think you got the better end of the deal,” Kyle said to Wes as he leaned back in his chair and took a drink of his beer. “That man cave of yours down in the basement is fucking sweet and double the size of the one in your old house.”
“Yeah, big enough for a theater room, a pool table, a poker table, and a full-service bar.” Wes looked extremely pleased with himself. “Claiming the entire basement was part of my agreement with Natalie, along with an entire week of anytime/anywhere-I-want-them blow jobs,” he said, just as Natalie and Hailey strolled out of the kitchen, each of them holding a bottle of Mike’s Hard Lemonade.
“I still have rug burn on my knees because Wes wanted to make sure he got his weeks’ worth,” Natalie joked, a brazen contrast to the shyer, more modest Hailey walking beside her. “Trust me, I earned that closet.”
“Jesus Christ,” Connor said, shifting uncomfortably in his seat. “Will you two stop? I don’t want to know or hear this shit about my sister.”
Everyone laughed at the pained look on Connor’s face, while Natalie slid into the seat next to Wes. Max watched Hailey walk around the table toward the vacant chair beside his, her blonde hair a soft, wavy cloud of silk that literally made his fingers itch to touch…and pull. She’d worn black jeans with heels and a pink off-the-shoulder blouse with a neckline trimmed in lace—the same color and fabric choice that she’d used to describe her panties to him yesterday afternoon. He wondered if she’d worn that particular top to deliberately tease him, and if so, it was definitely working.
When he’d first arrived with Hailey, they’d endured a bunch of ribbing from everyone about their fake engagement—Max wouldn’t have expected anything less with this group—but once everyone had their fill of jokes and comments, Hailey had settled in nicely. She and Natalie seemed to hit it off well, and as Hailey settled into the seat beside his, she looked relaxed and comfortable.
“So, Hailey, this whole matchmaking thing you do, how does it work?” Kyle asked curiously.
“Why? Are you getting desperate for a date?” Wes interjected, trying to be funny.
“Ha-ha.” Kyle gave Wes the middle finger. “No, wiseass. I have no problem finding women to date, and the last thing I’m looking for is to get serious with anyone.” He shrugged. “I was just wondering how Hailey matches people.”
“I’d like to know, too,” Natalie said. “The whole matchmaking thing fascinates me. How did you even get into that kind of business?”
Hailey smiled, that self-consciousness coming into play again now that all the attention was on her. She was sitting close enough to him that he placed his hand on her thigh and gave it an encouraging squeeze.
“When I was in high school and through college, I had a knack for setting up my friends with guys who they really clicked with,” she said easily. “When I graduated from college and I was unsure what I wanted to do, my best friend, Brielle, suggested I give professional matchmaking a try. So, I did.”
“And you’re obviously very successful at it,” Natalie said, the words a compliment. “How does it all work?”
“It’s very much like a dating site, but more personalized and upscale,” she explained. “We personally meet and get to know all our clients, and they go through an extensive interview process so we can evaluate strengths, weaknesses, and what they’re really looking for in a partner. From there, we have mixers and events, where a client can meet more than one person who fits their relationship criteria.”
Natalie took a drink of her beverage before asking another question. “Do you do those compatibility tests? And do they really work?”
“Yes, they actually do,” Hailey replied. “That gives us a lot of great information about a client’s personality, so we can better match them to someone who has similar values and beliefs and interests.”
Wes slid a hand across Natalie’s shoulders and pulled her close, his lips tipping up in a humorous smile. “God, the two of us never would have gotten matched based on a compatibility test. She’s a smartass and stubborn and competitive.”
“Hey, that sounds just like you, Wes!” Kyle said, and rolled his eyes. “You two were made for each other. I don’t think any other woman would put up with your crap the way Natalie does.”
Natalie gave Kyle a sweet smile. “Thank you, Kyle.”
The doorbell rang, and Natalie jumped up from her seat to answer the door. After a short conversation with the person on the front porch, the door closed and Natalie started toward the kitchen with three large boxes in her hands. “Pizza’s here! Come and get it, boys.”
Connor groaned and glared at Wes. “Are you fucking kidding me? Did you actually let Natalie order the pizzas after the last fiasco we had with her?”
“Yeah, we’re getting married,” Wes said, his expression sheepish. “Gotta start trusting her with the pizza order sometime.”
Connor braced his hands on the table and pushed up to a standing position. “I’m going to wring her neck if there is so much as the scent of anchovies or jalapenos coming off of those pizzas. It took me weeks to be able to enjoy pizza again.”
“You and me both, man,” Kyle said, visibly shuddering as he followed Connor and Wes into the kitchen.
Max chuckled, vividly remembering that gawd-awful incident, and Hailey glanced at him with wide, curious eyes, prompting him to explain. “A few months ago, Natalie lost a bet to Wes, and he made her host one of our poker nights.”
Natalie walked out of the kitchen with two slices of pizza on a plate, just in time to hear Max’s comment. “In other words, Wes wanted me to be his maid so he could order me around and make me clean up their messes.”
“Not true!” Wes shouted from the kitchen in his defense.
“Yeah, it’s totally true,” Max said, siding with Natalie because he knew Wes well enough to realize he’d been goading Natalie at the time. “So when he told her to order us some pizzas, they arrived with the most disgusting combinations. It was pretty gross. We all had to pick off the extra jalapenos and anchovies, and even then, it was pretty bad.”
“No weird stuff tonight,” Wes said as he headed into the dining room with his normal-looking pizza. “Promise.” Then
he sat down and leaned close to Natalie, nuzzling his face near her ear. “You did good, Minx,” he murmured affectionately. “No spanking tonight, unless you want one, of course.”
“Jesus Christ,” Connor grumbled as he took his seat with his dinner. “I don’t want to fucking know what goes on between you two. Seriously. It’s creeping me out.”
“Don’t worry, Connor,” Natalie said, not so innocently. “I wanted the spanking.”
Connor swore again, and Hailey laughed at their bantering.
“Now that we know that the coast is clear, how about we go and get some pizza?” Max asked her.
Hailey smiled at him, her eyes bright with enjoyment. “That sounds good.”
He scooted back his chair and stood and helped her up, too. Grabbing her hand in his, he led her into the kitchen. Kyle passed them on his way to the dining table with his own plate piled with pizza, which left the two of them alone for a few minutes.
Max handed her a plate, and he watched as she selected two slices from the box with pepperoni and mushroom. “Are you having a good time?”
“Yes, I am,” she said, her voice light and happy. “I like your friends and Natalie is great, too.”
He selected three slices of the meat lovers’ combo. “I’m glad you like them. They can be a bit crazy sometimes, as you can see, but it’s all in good fun.”
They carried their plates back to the table and joined his friends, joking and laughing and telling stories as they ate their dinner. Hailey helped Natalie with the cleanup, and they stayed for another hour after that until Max announced they were going to head out. The next day, Monday, was an early work day for all of them, and while Max had enjoyed the evening with his friends, he wanted some alone time with Hailey before he went home, too.
Half an hour later, Max parked his car outside of Hailey’s apartment building and walked her to her door, then followed her inside once it was unlocked and open. He closed it behind them, and because he’d been dying to get his hands and mouth on her all night, he took her keys and purse from her hands, set them on a side table, and buried his hands in her hair.
He guided her a few steps back, until she was pressed up against the nearest wall. A soft gasp escaped her, and her eyes warmed with instantaneous longing. Having her against a hard surface was a familiar position for the two of them, and it enabled him to align his entire body along the length of hers, as well as maintain control of the situation. And standing, instead of reclining on a comfortable couch, also kept him from taking things too far, too fast with her tonight.
He tipped her head up, positioning her mouth right where he wanted it, just inches below his. Her lips parted on a soft sigh, and he smiled. “It’s only been three days since I’ve kissed you, but it feels like forever.”
“I agree,” she whispered as she slid her hands between the two of them and up to his chest. “You were too much of a gentleman when you picked me up earlier. I wanted you to kiss me then.”
Ahhh, he liked the fact that her anticipation was growing, that she was becoming less guarded with him, as well as embracing her desires rather than trying to hide or suppress them. He supposed a lot of it had to do with their intimate phone conversations and texts, which were gradually breaking down those insecurities and giving her the confidence to be more open and adventurous. Once the mind was swayed and seduced, he was hopeful her body would follow.
He gently skimmed the pads of his thumbs along her soft cheeks. “I guess I’ll have to make up for that kiss now, won’t I?”
“Yes, I think so, too,” she said eagerly.
Her lashes fluttered closed in the sweetest kind of surrender, her upturned lips waiting for him to claim them, and he wasn’t about to disappoint her. His lips covered hers, and she immediately responded to the firm pressure with a sensual moan. She welcomed the soft sweep of his tongue inside her mouth and shuddered against him as he stroked and teased and coaxed her to play along.
Her body rubbed uninhibitedly against his, her hips gyrating in a way that drove him insane with wanting her. His dick was hard and aching, and when she made a needy sound in the back of her throat, he tipped her head back farther and delved more deeply, more greedily, so hungry for her that it took every ounce of control he possessed to rein it all back in while he could still think straight.
With effort, he ended the kiss and buried his face against the side of her neck with a low, growling groan, very much aware of her chest heaving against his and the luscious swells of her breasts tempting him. Considering the off-the-shoulder blouse she was wearing, he could have easily tugged down her top to bare those gorgeous tits to his gaze and suck on those tight, aroused nipples he could feel demanding his attention between them. Any other woman, and he probably would have.
They already had the kissing and touching down to a fine art, and in that regard, they were completely in sync. But that next step between them was huge, and he didn’t want to fuck it up by rushing things with Hailey and scaring her off. She was getting there at her own pace, trusting him more and more, and he was patient enough to wait.
He lifted his head and stared down at blue eyes blurred with desire and her lips damp and swollen from his kiss. “I need to go,” he said, his tone gruff with the effort to resist her.
Her teeth grazed that lush lower lip, her expression demure. “Are you sure you don’t want to stay?”
He knew what that invitation was insinuating, and it wasn’t a request to stay for a glass of ice tea and conversation. She was definitely getting more comfortable with him physically, but right now, he had a feeling that the adrenaline rush of arousal thrumming through her body was overriding her normal uncertainties, and he wasn’t about to take advantage of her offer when he knew she wasn’t mentally prepared for that next level of intimacy. The last thing he wanted was for her to have regrets after the fact.
“Not tonight,” he said with a shake of his head.
Confusion swirled in her gaze. “Why not?”
God, she was killing him with those big blue eyes. “Believe me when I say that, more than anything, I want to stay right here with you, but there’s two reasons I can’t,” he said, knowing he was doing the right thing, even if his dick was currently protesting. “For one thing, we haven’t negotiated that part of our relationship yet, and secondly and more importantly, you’re not quite ready to beg. But we’re definitely getting there.”
Much to his relief, she didn’t take it as a rejection. Instead, a flirty smile eased up the corners of her mouth. “Then I think you need to step up your game.”
He laughed. “Challenge accepted.”
Chapter Eight
Hailey glanced at her reflection in the full-length mirror attached to the inside of her closet door, giving her outfit one more inspection. She’d spent the past two hours trying to find something appropriate to wear to Max’s father’s birthday barbeque, and she was pretty certain she’d finally found the dress. She’d gone through dozens of choices, and while she kept muttering to herself that she had nothing to wear, the huge pile of clothes on the bed contradicted that statement.
Today, it was all about looking the part of Max’s fiancée to meet his family, and considering how much she’d fretted over what to wear, she would have thought that the engagement was real and legitimate. It wasn’t, of course. She was accompanying Max today to hopefully stop his mother from her meddling attempts and to put an end to Addison thinking she had some kind of chance with Max. But knowing all that didn’t stop Hailey from wanting to fit in and hoping that his family liked her.
The fitting in part concerned her the most. While a lot of her clients were wealthy and affluent, she hadn’t grown up in the lap of luxury as Max had. In fact, she still tried to live modestly, and her biggest fear was sticking out like a sore thumb and being judged, even if Max had reassured her that she wouldn’t be.
“I think this is it,” she said to her reflection as she smoothed a hand down the front of the knee-length dress. The fabric
was a pretty spring pattern that was modest and casual and perfect for an outdoor party in the afternoon. The cut of the dress was super-flattering, with a rounded neckline that didn’t overly expose her breasts. The design nipped in at the waist and flared out at the hips to minimize her extra curves—which was a good thing since she was bravely forgoing her Spanx today.
Nerves and anticipation fluttered in her stomach, and those butterflies weren’t just over meeting his parents. Nearly a week had passed since the night he’d kissed her goodnight after their evening at Wes and Natalie’s and her playful comment for Max to step up his game, and he hadn’t missed an opportunity to do exactly that.
Between both of their work schedules and Hailey packing up her house and office for the move in her spare time, they’d managed to find time to spend together. They’d gone to lunch twice—once after he’d accompanied her to the property inspection for the Logan Square building and again after she’d dropped paperwork off to her lender—and both times had ended with a hot kiss that made her melt. Throughout the day, random messages would appear on her phone, bold, sexy texts that made her blush and always required an answer from her: What is the most sensitive part of your body? My neck. Give a massage or get a massage? Give a massage. Would she rather have sex in the shower or a tub? Tub full of bubbles. Lights on or lights dimmed? Lights dimmed. And at least a dozen more questions.
At night, they talked on the phone, about work, their childhoods, and he gave her a rundown of his family for today’s party, but those calls always ended the same way . . . with a provocative question that coaxed her to open up to him sexually, and always left her aching and wanting him. Slowly and gradually, all week long, he’d chipped away at her doubts and insecurities, and last night, after a heavy-duty session of phone sex, when she was quivering in the aftermath of another intense orgasm, he’d asked the one question that would change everything between them.
The Book Boyfriend Series Box Set Page 26