What Maxi Needs (Leave Your Shoes On)

by Calista Fox

Because she’d reacted vehemently to Ryan from the moment he’d blown into the conference room this morning.

  No denying it.

  “What’s changed?” he asked.

  Maxi frowned. “About what?”

  “You said that you used to believe in the need for an emotional connection in order to have a physical one. Used to…”

  “Oh, right. It’s just that being emotionally invested in a man, as you call it, has gotten me, uh…nowhere. And yet…” Her voice trailed off as she grappled with the complicated subject matter. And how much she might truly want to divulge.

  But Ryan gazed at her with easy patience and genuine curiosity. Not pushing her, just letting her process as he continued his fabulous massage.

  Finally, Maxi said, “I don’t even know you and I responded instantly to you. Sexually.”

  He grinned. “So my theory is shot to hell. And yours has been proven indisputably correct.”

  She eyed him quizzically. “Which theory?”

  “Sexual chemistry. There is no breaking it down on your office whiteboard, dissecting it, analyzing it, whatever. It either exists or it doesn’t. And when it’s insanely strong—it truly does claw at you.”

  Maxi’s breath caught. Her pulse hitched several notches. On some levels, he totally got her. A first.

  But she wasn’t quite ready to concede any points. Not just yet.

  She introduced another speculative idea. “If love can grow over time between two people who are just friends, like with Lola and Alex, and attraction along with it, that disproves my theory.” She shook her head and let out a soft laugh. “Wait. You’re confusing me now.”

  Between the incredible sensations evoked by his hands, and the way he so intensely stared at her, Maxi was getting a bit turned around.

  He asked, “Why don’t we both agree that physical attraction can be immediate and spontaneous?”

  “Spontaneously combustible,” she muttered under her breath.

  He heard her and chuckled low and deep. The rich sound once again reverberating within her.

  His thumb pressed into her arch, and Maxi let out a soft purr, completely unable to stop herself.

  Einstein grinned. “Good spot?”

  “The best.”

  His dark brow crooked. “The best?”

  “Well…naturally, there’s another spot.” She drained the rest of her scotch. Reached behind her to set the glass on the end table. Ryan’s hand shifted, moving up her ankle, along her calf.

  Everything inside of Maxi went haywire, as it had when they’d kissed. His touch was so perfect—firm yet somehow still gentle. A caring caress mixed with an underlying dominance.

  She was back to thinking of that volcano of passion she’d mentioned to Avril. Could it be true? Was Einstein really a mountain of magma, ready to erupt?

  He said, “You have incredible skin. So satiny. So warm.”

  Lust shot through her. Ryan was proving to be an enigma, and Maxi was completely wrapped up in the mystery of him. Not to mention in awe of all the zings he sent through her body.

  She couldn’t help but ask, “That kiss wasn’t a fluke, was it?”

  “Let me show you a little something about cause and effect. No charts required.”

  His hand skimmed up to her thigh, his fingers grazing just under the hem of her skirt. He leaned in close—and she didn’t bother to stop him. His open mouth hovered over hers, so they shared a breath. He smelled of scotch and male heat.

  Maxi’s chest heaved. Her clit tingled. Her pussy pulsated with an insistent need. For him.

  It was a wonder she could speak, but she managed to ask, “If I take off your glasses, can you still see me?”

  “If you stay close.”

  “I’m not going anywhere.”

  She slipped the rims from his eyes and got the full effect of his melted-chocolate irises, all dark and flaring with desire. Flames danced over her skin.

  Did Maxi understand the line she was about to cross?

  Of course she did.

  Yet she had to contend—if only to herself—that there were few moments in one’s life that felt so perfect, so fated, that to walk away from them was a scientific impossibility.

  This was one of those moments.

  “Ryan,” she whispered against his lips. “Kiss me. Now.”

  Chapter Four

  She didn’t have to ask twice, and Ryan didn’t need to give a second thought as to what he was doing.

  His mouth pressed to hers. Her lips were soft, yielding. Spreading wider to allow his tongue to sweep inside, delve deep.

  Fire lit his groin, instantly and fiercely. His free hand cupped the back of her head, beneath the mass of thick, silky curls, and he held her to him as the kiss intensified, their tongues performing an erotic dance that sent his pulse through the roof. His other hand remained on her thigh. He felt her muscles bunch beneath his touch, felt the flesh of her inner thighs quiver where his thumb gently stroked.

  He kissed her with all the lust raging through his body, which she had evoked. Burning desire that had sparked from the moment he’d laid eyes on her this morning and which had become an unrelenting force the likes of which he’d never known.

  Four years with Elizabeth had never—could never—equate to eleven electrifying hours in the presence of Maxi Shayne.

  This woman was raw and passionate. And he was hooked on her.

  Their tongues tangled, their lips twisted. They plunged and retreated. Ate at each other. Consumed one another.

  His cock surged in wild beats, and his heart thundered.

  She didn’t hold back. Didn’t play games. Didn’t ask for the moon and stars, promise them in return, and then coldly turn her back. No. Maxi fully engaged. Giving and receiving. Pushing him farther down the path of ecstasy and keeping a steady pace with him.

  “You’re amazing,” he told her in a strained tone, in between kisses.

  “I’m completely out of control.” Her own voice sounded raspy and full of need, yet tinged with surprise.

  Ryan suspected she’d had no idea they’d connect like this. Nor had he, really.

  Maxi didn’t seem to be hindered by her shock or deterred by their unexpected desire for each other. She clutched the lapels of his jacket and shoved the material over his shoulders and down his arms. He had to relinquish his grip on her thigh so she could divest him of the jacket. She tossed it aside. Then she flattened her palms against his chest and pushed him back into the pile of scarlet-colored pillows in the corner of the sofa. He clasped the hem of her tight skirt and jerked it up at the same time she straddled his lap.

  Then one of his hands returned to her nape, and he pulled her to him, kissing her fervently. She tugged at his tie, loosening the knot before undoing the two buttons at his throat, which—finally!—helped him to breathe a little better. Though not substantially, because she’d effectively stolen his breath, but still…

  He tore his mouth from hers just long enough to say, “We should close the door this time.” Then he was kissing her again.

  He sat up, and her long legs circled his waist as he stood. Her arms snaked around his neck. They kept at their scorching kisses as he crossed the office and kicked the door shut with his foot. In doing so, he lunged forward, and her back pressed to the closed door as his body sealed to hers.

  “How convenient,” she said in a saucy tone. “My laptop bag is hanging on the coatrack to your right. There’s a condom inside.”

  A groan filled with need wrenched from his lips. Yet he said, “I’m pretty sure I can survive this without having to fuck you right this very second.”

  “Oh, but why would you want to?”

  Their gazes locked.

  Ryan said, “To prove I’m not a user.”

  She grinned, a bit dreamily. Kind of dazed. “That’s not anything that’s crossed my mind. And for the record, I’m not that way, either. But I will tell you that I’ve spent a good deal of time on the short end of the stick. So I think
I know someone earnest when I meet him.”

  Still staring deep into her eyes, he said, “I’d never treat you badly. That’s not who I am.”

  “I figured that out already.”

  “Hmm.” He was sure his eyes smoldered. “Then I should stop trying to reconcile this all in my mind or talk you out of it and just—”

  “Fuck me.”

  This was really happening? Because, Christ, he wanted her. Like nothing he’d ever known before.

  “Now, Ryan,” she said. Then kissed him heatedly. When she pulled away, she repeated, “Now.”

  With one arm around her to hold her up, though her strong legs did a damn fine job of it as her thighs tightened around his waist, he reached for the laptop bag hanging on the peg nearest him.

  “Inside flap,” she told him.

  He deftly worked the latch with finger and thumb. Then his hand dove into the front pocket, and he yanked out a foil packet.

  No questions asked, he clenched it in his teeth, unbuckled his belt, and released the button on his pants. Jerked down the zipper and his briefs. He ripped open the packet and pulled out the condom as he blew the foil from his mouth. He was sheathed in a heartbeat.

  “How is it that every nanosecond without you inside me is pure torture?” Maxi asked in a hoarse tone.

  “Chemistry, remember?”

  “God, you’re hot.”

  Her words alone sparked an internal fire. But the way she looked at him…as though he were some sort of sexual Holy Grail…

  Damn, that had him incinerating from the inside out.

  Ryan literally couldn’t take another moment, another breath, without being buried within her. He whisked aside the triangle covering her mound. His arm around her loosened just enough to let her slip a bit lower, into the precise position. Then he plunged deep into her pussy.

  “Oh, God!” she called out as her head whipped back.

  Ryan stilled, sensations jarring him in the most exciting, unexpected way. “Christ, Maxi. You’re so damn tight. So wet.”

  For him.

  Her arm around his shoulders gripped him firmly. Her other hand splayed over the side of his neck, her fingertips pressing in. She was breathing heavily, those big blue eyes of hers wide and flashing with desire.

  “Ryan,” she whispered. “Shit.” Her pussy contracted around him, and vibrations started deep inside her and stretched outward until she was shaking in his arms. “Damn it, I think…Oh, God…” She milked his erection, nearly pushing him over the edge. “Oh, fuck. I’m going to come.” A second later, she let out the most soul-stirring, unbidden cry of ecstasy. And squeezed him even harder.

  Ryan could barely breathe. A couple full thrusts and chances were damn good he’d come too.

  But, no. He wouldn’t give in so quickly. So easily.

  How long had he waited for this blaze to rage within? How long had he craved for a woman to fall apart under his touch, instead of insisting that polite society didn’t engage in such primal acts?

  Son of a bitch, what a fucking doormat, asshole, idiot he’d been for trying to be everything to Elizabeth that she’d never even wanted.

  And here was this incredibly gorgeous, talented, witty—passionate—woman falling to pieces at his first, initial ministrations?

  “Maxi,” he said with conviction in his tone, “you are so damn sensational.”

  A soft laugh escaped her parted lips. She gazed at him with eyes that didn’t quite settle in their sockets—they seemed to dance all over his face. “I just came. Did you not notice?”

  “Oh, I noticed,” he assured her.

  “Like, within seconds of you entering me. Notice that?”

  “Definitely.” He kissed her. Then he said, “Have you noticed you made me even harder?”

  “Thought that would be impossible because you are…huge. Oh, my God. Like…so huge inside me.”

  Her inner muscles worked his cock, making him increasingly tense, increasingly aroused.

  “You’re testing my restraint,” he warned. “Just so you know.”

  She smiled. A dazzling one that lit her sparkling sapphire eyes. “Sorry to have gotten lost in my own moment.”

  “By all means, take all the moments you need.” He grinned. Then he plunged deep into her.

  She let out another erotic cry.

  He pumped steadily as she clutched his cock with her tight pussy, and her fingers coiled around the collar of his shirt.

  “Oh, yes.” She moaned. “Just like that. God, I can’t remember the last time I felt anything so amazing. Maybe never.” Her ragged breathing filled the quiet room. “This is so incredible,” she said. “The way you fill me. Stretch me. You feel so good!”

  Her hips rocked in time with his and she held fast to him, as though needing to be closer to him, as though needing all of him.

  It drove Ryan wild how uninhibited she was. How willingly Maxi gave herself over to the pleasure he brought, without worrying about tedious things like how it’d smudge her makeup or how it might make her less than perfection personified in the eyes of high society. Always concerns of Elizabeth’s, despite their private life never being a hot topic for public consumption.

  How could it have been a hot topic? There’d never been anything scandalous to talk about!

  Pulling him from thoughts he needed to leave miles in the past, Maxi yanked the ends of his tie that she’d loosened previously and then hastily undid the remainder of the buttons on the flap of his shirt. She ran her hands over his chest.

  As Ryan watched Maxi lose herself in the throes of passion, he found her more fascinating, more captivating, more sensual, and infinitely more beautiful than any woman he’d ever encountered.

  And that spurred him on. He fucked her faster, and she responded excitedly, encouraging him with her hips bucking and her fingertips dipping into his shoulder muscles.

  “Yes,” she murmured. “Just like that.” Her hips circled as his cock thrust deeper. Her eyelids fluttered closed. Sharp whimpers fell from her lips.

  Ryan’s entire being—his very essence—responded to her. Jesus, the woman felt magnificent. It was a snug fit, to be sure, but she was wet and wanting him, making it easier for him to slide along her inner walls.

  She was slight of build, and he could hold her up with one hand on her ass so that he could slip the other between their bodies and unbutton her blouse. He cupped her breast and caressed it through the lace of her bra. Then swept his thumb over her hard nipple.

  “Oh, fuck, that’s good,” she said on a harsh breath.

  He pinched and rolled the taut peak, and it made her hips jerk.

  “Ryan,” she murmured, her eyes still closed, her sculpted face flashing crimson at the obvious heat coursing through her.

  His head dipped, and his tongue replaced his fingers on her nipple. He licked through the thin material, then suckled deep.

  “Oh!” She squeezed him tight as she reacted to his mouth on her.

  Ryan thought he’d explode right that very second. Seriously, how much tension could his body take?

  He was harder than ever before and on such a violent verge of coming, it was a wonder he could even concentrate on finding ways to further bring Maxi pleasure. But he was enthralled by her. And wasn’t ready to give in to the roaring fire in his veins.

  He shifted his free hand lower and used his thumb to massage her clit while he teased her nipple with his tongue—lightning-quick flutters over both buds—and fucked her harder.

  “Oh, yes.” Her voice was a mere whisper. Strained. Full of need. “Oh, God, yes. Make me come again. Please, please make me come again…”

  He pumped more vigorously and knew precisely when he hit that perfect spot within her.

  “Oh, fuck, yes!” she cried out. “Right there!”

  She tensed all around him.

  Ryan continued to give her everything he could; she called his name as the climax hit. Her nails dug in as she quaked in his loose embrace.

  Her c
ream coated his cock, additional lubricant to make his movements smoother as he pulled almost all the way out, then thrust all the way in. And erupted instantly.

  “Ah, goddamn, Maxi!” Air pushed from his lungs. Adrenaline raged through him. His cock surged, his body convulsed.

  “Ryan,” she gasped. “You’re still fucking me.”

  True, he kept pumping into her as his own release drew out from the way she held him so fiercely.

  “Christ.” She moaned, low and throaty. Then he felt another orgasm take her and she cried his name again.

  His testosterone spiked. His chest puffed a bit. He’d just delivered three O’s big enough to make her scream.

  No When Harry Met Sally… faking it required.

  So to hell with the past bullshit he’d been mired in. There was a new Ryan Donovan in town—and this one fully embraced his ability to rock a passionate and dynamic woman like Maxi Shayne to the core of her being.

  Repeatedly, if she so chose…

  * * *

  Maxi couldn’t catch her breath. Would she ever?

  Her insides burned, her skin flushed. Every fiber of her being felt singed. And her inner muscles refused to relinquish their hold on Ryan’s cock, which was still hard enough to fill her, despite his own release.

  “Ryan,” she said on a long, satisfied sigh. “You are not at all what I’d expected.”

  “Glad to see I’ve earned my wings.”

  She laughed softly. “What you did was blow my mind.”

  “Now, that’s exactly what a man wants to hear.” He kissed her. Another scorcher. She was starting to think he wasn’t capable of anything less. And it made her toes curl and kept her pussy throbbing.

  “What exactly do they teach in that MIT Sloan program?”

  He chuckled. “Not this, I assure you.” He shifted slightly, and she loosened her legs so that she could stand.

  He withdrew from her and, shockingly, Maxi experienced a peculiar void deep within. And a flash of disappointment.

  Hmm. Odd.

  She moved her thong back into place and shimmied her bunched skirt over her hips and smoothed it appropriately. Then she crossed to the sofa and sank onto a plump cushion, her legs a bit wobbly, her knees practically knocking together. Because of Ryan and all the desire he’d unleashed.