“Hmm. I might just take you up on that.” She backed away toward the fire, smiling, keeping her eyes locked on his until the last possible second. He watched her go, watched her get swallowed up by a crowd of girls and the screeching woman—the bride, Max assumed. He watched her as they headed up to the bar for shots. He watched her raise her glass to toast the bride, watched her laugh at the girls’ jokes and jabs.
And he knew, on some deep gut level, that her heart wasn’t in it. Like Max, she was going through the motions, there but not really there.
Looked like she needed a distraction, too.
Max was more than ready to give it to her.
If only he didn’t have to work this bullshit gig, he could grab her by the hand, take her right down to his cottage, and do all the things he’d been fantasizing about since he’d first laid eyes on her.
Every few minutes she’d look up and catch him watching her. She’d smile at him mischievously, her eyes flashing, and Max would wonder if they were thinking about the same thing.
Getting naked together. Kissing. Sucking. Tasting. Writhing. Coming apart in each other’s arms…
And then saying goodbye, no strings, no tears, nothing but fun.
Hell, it sounded damn near perfect.
For the rest of the night, Max didn’t let her out of his sight, enjoying the stolen smiles, the flirty looks, their hot little game. So an hour later, when she slipped away from the bride and her entourage, kicked off her shoes, and headed down the shore alone, Max knew exactly where she was heading—and he knew no one else had noticed.
She looked back at him once, a smoldering glance and a smile that lit him up inside.
It was an invitation. And God, he wanted to accept. To ditch this party, run straight to her.
But fuck… he couldn’t. Not tonight. Not with the party scheduled for another three hours, the bonfire roaring, the smokers lighting up every time he turned his back.
“Sir?” A tug at his elbow, and Max turned to find a woman older than the damn ocean glaring up at him. She poked a finger into his chest. “Are you in charge of the bathrooms here?”
Max forced a smile, repeating the same lines he’d said a dozen times that night. “There’s extra toilet paper and paper towels under the sink, ma’am. Soap, too.”
“It’s not that.” She motioned for him to bend down close so she could whisper in his ear. “I think someone might be having relations, right there in the ladies’ room.”
“Relations, ma’am?”
“They’re fornicating!” she shouted. A few people turned to look, not bothering to hide their smiles. “You need me to draw you a picture?”
Jesus Christ. “That’s okay,” he said, forcing another smile. “I’ll take care of it.”
“Please do. It’s damned indecent.” The woman wandered away, muttering about loose women and randy boys, and Max closed his eyes, wishing it would all just fucking disappear.
The cigarettes. The fire. The underage drinking. The rude guests. The girl and her asshole ex. The damn ocean, screaming in his ear, taunting him no matter how much he tried to ignore it. The fact that his friends were down shore, patrolling, hanging out, having a grand fucking old time while Max cooled his heels with this high society bullshit.
It was too much.
Fuck this. Probation or not, he couldn’t stand another minute of this party. And he abso-fucking-lutely wasn’t being paid enough to deal with the “relations” going on in that bathroom.
He had his own relations to consider. Just thinking about that sweet little bridesmaid had him half-cocked again. His dirty mind was already serving up red-hot images of that soft, wet mouth, her hot little body straddling him, grinding against him…
His dick stood at full attention now, waiting for Max to make his move.
It was probably a terrible idea, but hell—he’d had worse.
After confirming no one was watching him, Max mimicked her disappearing act, and took off down the beach. Out of habit, he scanned the horizon as he walked, his eyes sweeping the water for people, ears tuned in for anything that might be a distress call.
It was so ingrained, so instinctual, that it took him a good five minutes to remember it was totally pointless. Even if someone needed his help out there, legally, there wasn’t a damn thing he could do about it but run for Luke.
Fuck it. Time for Max to refocus his efforts on the one thing he could actually do something about tonight: his dick.
Chapter Two
If she had any chance of surviving her sister’s wedding weekend, Haley Scott was going to need three things: a place to hide, a shit ton more alcohol, and a few hours alone with that sinfully hot guy from the party.
On second thought, scratch the booze and the hideout. Number three on the list would do Haley just fine.
Damn, he was good. Dark brown hair. Eyes the same dark, haunting blue of the deep sea. Haley’s fingers ghosted over her lips, remembering the taste of him as their mouths collided, again and again. The feel of his tongue. How eagerly he’d kissed her back, despite his obvious shock. How turned on they’d both been…
Haley picked up the pace, charging through the soft sand as if that alone could disperse the jittery energy still buzzing around inside her.
The whole thing was beyond crazy.
She was beyond crazy.
The kiss had left her reeling. Her panties were still damp, everything in her wound up tight, aching for more of his touch. She hadn’t even planned for it to go so far—it was just supposed to be a quick little show to get Brian to back off—but the moment their lips touched, everything had changed.
That man was so commanding, so insistent… the way he touched her… God, the whole thing was over in minutes, but Haley hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him for a single second. Craving him. Wishing like hell he’d run up behind her now, scoop her up into those strong arms, lay her down in the sand, and make her forget every single one of her worries…
Her sisters had seen the kiss, maybe even seen her leave, but Haley didn’t care. The youngest of four girls, she’d spent most of her life following their marching orders. But she was turning thirty next month, and she was more than ready to come out from behind their overbearing shadows. If that meant hooking up with a random stranger at her sister’s pre-wedding beach party just because she felt like it, so be it.
And after that kiss? Hot damn, she couldn’t help but wonder what his lips would feel like on her neck… her breasts… her inner thighs…
“Haley Marie! Where’d y’all go, sugarplum?”
Dammit.
Her mother’s voice shot down the beach like an arrow, piercing Haley’s skull and shattering her fantasy. Not even the constant sigh of the ocean could drown her mother’s shrill cries, especially when the woman was eyeballs deep in a bottle of Chardonnay. Though the family had lived in California for decades, Haley’s mom had never lost her Texas accent, and drinking only made it more pronounced.
It was well after dusk, the light fading, but Haley kept right on walking, desperate to leave the sounds of merriment behind. She loved her family more than anything, but good lord, they were a challenging bunch all together like that. Except for an uncle in New York, every single one of them had converged on the tiny coastal California town for her sister Anna’s wedding—aunts, uncles, cousins, people she hadn’t heard from in years, not to mention her stupid ex-boyfriend. And the moment they’d seen Haley, the comment on everyone’s lips wasn’t “Wow, you look so happy!” or “Congratulations on opening your vintage clothing boutique—it’s so awesome that you own your own business!” No, they all wanted to know the same thing.
Why did Brian dump you?
It never occurred to them that leaving Brian had been her decision. That he’d been a “nice enough” guy but a terrible boyfriend who would’ve made an even worse husband and father. That instead of supporting her dreams and cheering her on, he’d tried to talk her out of opening the boutique, pouting about
the hours she’d be spending away from him to get the business off the ground. Those first few weeks after the store’s rockstar opening had been such a roller coaster ride—coming home after the high of a successful day, desperate to share it with her partner, only to get blank stares and complaints that she was working too much, or spending too much time away from him, or—god forbid—making more money than he did with his MBA.
They’d been sharing the same bed for the better part of three years, yet she’d never been so lonely in all her life. So, on the best terms she could manage, she ended it.
Six months later, he was still pining for her, still trying to convince her she’d made a mistake.
Haley stopped in front of an empty lifeguard tower and set her purse on the ladder, then beelined to the water, sticking her toes into the squishy sand and letting the soft waves lap at her bare feet. She went in a little farther, all the way up to her calves, the cool water instantly washing away her worries.
Closing her eyes, she strained to hear her mother, but all she got now was the ocean’s peaceful sigh.
Finally.
This moment, right here, was everything she’d always loved about the beach. She took another step into the water and drank in the quiet calm, not caring that the bottom of her dress was getting soaked.
The moment was just about perfect—her own private oasis in a sea of crazy. So when she heard the footsteps padding toward her in the wet sand, she just knew it was her mother—epic ruiner of calm and peace—and she turned abruptly toward the sound, ready for an argument.
But it wasn’t her mother at all.
It was her man.
“Hey.” She didn’t bother trying to hide her smile—it took up her whole freakin’ face. She trudged out of the water and onto the shore, dripping everywhere. “I was hoping you’d find me.”
“I was hoping you were hoping.” He grinned back at her, cocky and adorable, then ran a hand through his thick, dark hair—a nervous gesture that made him all the more endearing. Haley wanted to reach up and do the same, but after mauling him at the party, she thought it best to wait for him to make the next move.
Damn, she could’ve gazed into those blue eyes forever, but the sudden onslaught of nerves in her belly made it hard for her to hold his penetrating stare. She hadn’t been with anyone since Brian… what if she was misinterpreting his signals? Maybe he was just here to tell her to back off. That she’d been highly inappropriate. That her mother was looking for her.
Ugh.
Haley turned her attention to the hem of her dress, gathering it in her fists and wringing out the water. Without looking up, she said, “So. Here to save me again?”
“Depends. You still need saving?”
At this, she looked up. He was flirting. Definitely flirting.
Again, the telltale smile took over her face.
“Not into the whole party scene?”
“Just… I needed some air.” At an outdoor party. Smooth one, girl. Real smooth.
“Look, I gotta know.” He stepped closer, brushing a lock of hair away from her face. The barest brush of his fingers against her neck made her shiver. “Do you normally make out with total strangers, and then run away?”
Oh, God. It sounded so ridiculous when he put it like that.
She looked down at her dress again, still gathered in her hands. “Ah, no. That was a first for me. You?”
“Only on Thursdays.”
“It’s Friday.”
“Yeah? Fuck. Then I guess it was a first for me, too.”
“Well. I’m glad I got to bust your making-out-with-a-stranger-on-a-Friday cherry.” The words were out before she could stop them, but the guy only laughed.
Haley blew out a breath.
“You don’t hold back,” he said. It wasn’t a question.
Haley shrugged, but he was dead wrong. Flirting with a total stranger was one thing. Even kissing him hadn’t been all that weird, despite the circumstances. But when it came to her family, to Brian, to standing up for herself, to the stuff that really mattered? Haley held back everything.
But right now had nothing to do with what really mattered. It had to do with escaping her life long enough to satisfy the ache between her thighs.
“So,” she said, not sure what else to say. The tide was coming in, nipping at her feet again. Before the next wave hit, they both took a step back, away from the onslaught of water.
“So.” Blue Eyes looked back at the lifeguard tower, then turned his gaze back to her, leaning in close like he was about to share a secret. “This is the part where I hit you with my A-game pickup line. You ready?”
A shiver crept up her spine—a warning and a promise. She was more than ready. “Hit me.”
“Hey, baby,” he teased, hitching his thumb toward the tower. “Ever see the inside of a lifeguard tower?”
Haley cracked up. “Does that crap actually work?”
“No. No it does not.”
“Yeah, I’m not impressed. What else you got?”
“Do you really want me to answer that?” He leaned in close again, kissing her neck with a light touch, slowly dragging his lips up to her ear. He sucked the lobe between his lips, nipping at her flesh, turning her bones into jelly. “Or would you rather I just show you?”
That line did the trick. Haley was on fire, everything in her reaching out to him. She wanted him, needed him to keep kissing her like that. Teasing her. Touching her.
Wordlessly, she slid her hand into his, allowing him to lead her to the lifeguard tower where she’d left her bag. He grabbed her purse and headed up the ladder, then turned and offered her a hand up.
She didn’t know why they called them towers; the structure was more like a hut on stilts, no more than five feet off the ground. They entered through the opening in the back. Inside, there was a fiberglass chair, a counter with a few life jackets piled up in the corner, and a big, wide window looking out over the water. The floor was coated with sand, cool and gritty on her bare feet.
Max sat on the chair and pulled her close. She stood before him, captured between his knees as he ran his hands up her thighs and slid the damp dress up over her hips. His mouth was so close to her bare skin, she could feel the hot rush of his breath on her belly. “I’m breaking some pretty major rules for you.”
“Yeah?” Haley could barely form words. Barely breathe.
“Technically, only lifeguards are allowed in the tower.”
“Lifeguards, huh?” Haley closed her eyes, losing herself in the heat of his touch as he slid his hands further up her body, unwrapping her like a present. “So if I pass out, will you give me mouth-to-mouth?”
He laughed. “Mouth-to-mouth? I don’t think so, sweetheart. My tongue has much more interesting plans for you tonight.”
Proving his point, he pressed his face to her bare belly, his tongue swirling around her bellybutton as she groaned in pleasure.
“This dress needs to go,” he said. Haley couldn’t agree more. She raised her arms, and he lifted it over her head, tossing it unceremoniously onto the counter. His T-shirt followed, revealing a broad, perfectly sculpted chest and a set of abs that defied nature.
Haley stood before him in her strapless bra and panties, feeling wild and bold and alive in a way she’d never felt with Brian.
Maybe it was the fact that she didn’t know this guy, that their fling had a finite stopping point. Even though she lived twenty minutes from the Cove, being here at the beach was like being in another world. Here in the tower, no witness but the ocean, no one knew her—especially not him.
He gazed at her body, his eyes lingering over every curve, every freckle, and she wondered what he saw. What he must’ve thought of her after that crazy kiss at the party, and now, half naked in the tower.
Haley closed her eyes, losing herself in a new fantasy. For tonight, she decided, she could be whatever girl this hot, intense, sexy-as-hell man wanted her to be.
She could be anyone.
H
aley opened her eyes. The man was still watching her, his deep blue eyes dark with lust. Slowly, teasingly, she ran her hands over her breasts, unhooking her bra and letting the garment slide to the ground.
The man inhaled sharply, his eyes wide, but Haley wasn’t done yet. With a light touch, she trailed her fingers down her stomach, over the silky triangle of her panties. Hooking her thumbs into the lace edge, she shimmied them down over her hips and thighs as the man watched her with desperate hunger.
She couldn’t remember the last time any man had looked at her so intensely.
“Fuck,” he said. “You’re beautiful.” His tongue darted out to lick his lips, and all she could think about was how that tongue would feel sliding between her thighs.
She let out a soft sigh.
In a low growl that made her toes curl, he said, “I want you on top of me. Right the fuck now.”
Haley climbed into his lap, straddling him on the chair, the backs of her thighs rubbing against the cool fabric of his shorts. He was rock-hard for her, the length of him pressing desperately against his shorts. He stroked her thighs, her hips, his calloused hands running possessively over her soft curves. His touch was electric, warming her entire body against the cool night air.
She finally gave in to her desire to run her hands through his hair. The moment she pulled him close, his mouth was on her breast, sucking her nipple between his lips, gently at first, then hard and hungry, his teeth grazing her sensitive flesh, making her gasp in pleasure.
With one hand gripping her hip, he slid his other hand between them, freeing his cock from the confines of his shorts. She rose up onto her knees, desperate to slide down onto his smooth, perfect length, to feel him all the way inside her.
“You good with this?” he asked.
“Yes, but…” She gripped his shoulders, her breath coming in gasps. It was the very last coherent thought she had, the last logical words her brain would allow before she completely surrendered. “Please tell me you have a condom.”
But the voice that answered back was not his. It wasn’t a man’s voice at all.
Rescued by the Bad Boy (Bad Boys on Holiday Book 4) Page 2