by Kally Ash
With his finger under her chin, she tilted her head back up. “Don’t hide your tears from me.”
“I look hideous,” she protested.
“You look beautiful.” He kissed her hard and fast, silently telling her not to fight him on this one. She wound her arms around his neck, clutching him closer to her. His kiss became more passionate, more demanding, and she found herself willingly giving in to him. His hands slid down to her ass. He cupped it roughly and pulling her hips into the hard line of his body. She groaned into his mouth, her fingers flexing instinctively.
Holding onto her bottom lip, he sucked at the flesh and pulled away at the same time. “I need to feel your skin.” She nodded, knowing exactly what he was talking about because she felt the same way. Unhooking her hands, she took off her tank top, letting it fall to the ground. Rolling onto the other side of the couch, she worked the button on her shorts while he took off his shirt and undid his jeans. The smell of fresh linen and soap drifted up between them. Leaning back against the cushions, she kicked off her underwear. His body covered hers, his skilful fingers sliding between their bodies and finding her silken folds. He rubbed at the knot of nerves, eliciting desperate whimpers from her throat. His mouth opened over one of her breasts still confined by her bra, his tongue darting out to torture her hardened nipples. Reaching behind her back, she undid the clasp of her bra, the straps slackening against her shoulders. Max peered up at her from his position, a salacious grin spreading over his lips.
“I like this position,” he said. He pulled the cups of her bra down under her breasts, exposing them. He took her into his mouth again, his tongue and teeth driving her insane with need. Add the way his fingers expertly applied pressure to her clit, and she wasn’t sure which way was up or down.
“Please, Max,” she begged, her teeth biting down into her bottom lip.
“Tell me what you need, Gigi.”
“You.” She was breathless. “I need you.”
He pulled away abruptly, leaving her feeling empty. “Come and have a shower with me.” He held out his hand to her and she was unable to refuse. She let him lead her to the bathroom, turning on the water and sticking his hand under the spray every now and again to test the temperature. He didn’t say anything else to her—he didn’t have to. She could read what his thoughts were by the look in his eyes and by the way he touched her; it was almost reverent.
He nudged her into the shower first while he took off his jeans and underwear and stepped in after her. His hands were on her in an instant, his mouth melding to hers less than a heartbeat later. His tongue explored her mouth while his hands explored her body. He moved down her throat, kissing down to the depression of her collarbone. Gigi threw her head back to allow him better access, her fingers getting a firmer grip around his biceps.
He worshiped her entire body with his lips, tongue and teeth, finally dropping to his knees in front of her. Droplets of water were clinging to his eyelashes, sliding down his face and dropping from his chin. Gently, he inched his hands up her inner thighs, applying the slightest pressure to get her to open them a little further. Propping her hands on the tiled walls, she braced herself, spreading her legs wider. He kissed the inside of her thigh sweetly before swiping his tongue through her sex.
She cried out, the walls throwing the sound back at her; she sounded so wanton. Max lapped at her, drinking her down. Before she knew it, he had coaxed an orgasm from her. Her knees buckled under the intense pleasure, Max’s hands supporting the weight of her body effortlessly. She came while he was still stroking and greedily drinking from her. She could feel her whole body warm as the last of her pleasure ebbed away.
When she could refocus her eyes, she found him staring at her—still from his kneeling position. “Beautiful,” he mouthed, standing up and kissing her. She could taste herself on him. “I hope you’re ready for me, Gigi, because I can’t wait another second.”
She nodded, crying out a moment later as he wrapped her legs around his waist and slammed into her. With her back pressed against the tile, the water hit him fully in the back as his hips pistoned in and out of her. He was in a frenzy, and once again, she could understand why—they were running out of time together. She held on tightly as he continued with his demanding rhythm, riding each jerk and jolt.
“I can’t hold on,” he ground out, his hips flexing into hers once more before he groaned low and long into her ear. Hearing that sound made her entire lower body clench. The muscles in her pelvis tugged at Max’s erection, drawing a hiss from his lips. He withdrew from her body, pressing his forehead to hers as their breathing returned to normal. He touched the corner of her mouth, then pressed a kiss to it.
“Can I wash you?” she asked, eyeing his broad shoulders.
With a grin, he handed her the sponge. Putting a little shower gel on it, she started rubbing slow circles over his chest, letting her fingers trail over his hardened nipples. Dragging the sponge down, she made sure his stomach was also clean before dipping down between his legs. He shuddered as she washed his cock then trembled when she let her fingers linger there for a moment longer.
He shook his head at her, causing her to pout. “I have to go to work soon, remember?”
“I can be quick,” she shot back with a grin.
His strong fingers wrapped behind her neck, dragging her to his mouth. He kissed her before saying against her lips, “I don’t ever want quick with you, Gigi. Leisurely, yes. Adoringly, most definitely. But never quick.”
She knew he was thinking it, but she had no desire to say it: their days of leisurely enjoying each other’s bodies were coming to an end.
The thought left her cold.
“I should get ready for work, though,” Max said softly, seemingly reading her mind. He shut off the water, wrapping her in a towel before getting one for himself. She let him get dressed alone while she went to collect her suitcase. Just as she was toting it into her room, Max stopped her.
“I thought you’d want to leave it in here,” he said, indicating his room with his head.
“You want me to stay in your room?”
“You sound surprised. We’ll be spending every night together anyway.”
He was right, of course. With the suitcase rolling behind her, she walked the last few feet of the hallway and into his room.
“I cleared out a drawer for you and there’s some space in the closet if you have anything you’d like to hang up.”
“Thank you,” she said, watching him slide his arms into a black dress shirt. He looked delectable. Sitting on the end of the bed, he put on his socks and shoes.
“How do I look?” he asked, giving her a knowing grin.
“Good enough to eat,” she replied.
He kissed her softly. “Keep that look for me for when I get back home. I’m looking forward to having you in my bed.”
“I wouldn’t want to be anywhere else.”
Chapter 29
“Mr. Parker?”
Max looked up from his paperwork to see a guy standing at his office door. He looked young—maybe only twenty or so. “Yeah?”
“Brian Wilson,” he said, walking in and offering him his hand. They shook and Max got a better look at the guy. He was a little taller than him, a little slimmer through the shoulders, too, but they shared the same dark hair and eyes.
“Evangeline told me you were coming in.”
Brian nodded. “She said you were going to show me around tonight.”
“That was the plan. I’m booked on a flight home on Friday, so I figured I could give you the run- down tonight, let you do things by yourself tomorrow while I hang back, then Temptation is all yours.”
He grinned. “Thank god I get a bit of freedom here. My boss at Bembe was into micromanaging. It was a pain in my ass.”
“Let me give you the tour,” Max said, getting up from his chair.
They spent the next hour talking about the ins and outs of the club. The rest of the evening, Brian shadowed Ma
x in everything he did from briefing security to talking to his waitresses. He was impressed with Brian. Despite his age, he was attentive, his sharp eyes missing nothing. Max felt as if Evangeline had made a good choice by hiring him, and he also felt comfortable leaving the club in his capable hands.
“So, you’re from LA?” Brian asked as they did the final count for the night. Since it was only a Tuesday, the take was light.
“Yeah.”
“I’ve never been; I’ve always wanted to, though. Did you grow up there, too?” Max shook his head. “Seattle. I moved down to LA after I got married.”
“Oh,” Brian said, his eyes flickering down to Max’s left hand. He had long since taken off his wedding band. “I didn’t realize.”
“We’re in the process of getting divorced,” Max added, feeling as if he had to explain himself. “You got a girl, Brian?”
His smile was mischievous. “A guy. His name is Pete.”
“Been together long?”
He shook his head, thinking. “Maybe only a month or so.”
Max grunted, stretching his legs out under the desk. “It’s working out okay?” He didn’t know why he was so damn curious.
Brian nodded, leaning forward in the chair opposite Max’s, resting his elbows on his knees. “You want to know something, though?”
“What?”
“Even though I’ve only known him a month, I know he’s the one I want to be with forever. Does that… Does that sound crazy?”
Max shook his head, thinking about how he and Gigi shared that unmistakeable spark. “No. That doesn’t sound crazy at all.”
*
Max shut the apartment door behind him softly, finding a soft glow coming from under Erin’s door. Walking into the hallway, he could see that his bedroom door was open, and his bed was empty. At his daughter’s room, he carefully opened the door, mindful of the squeak in the doorknob as he pushed it open.
Gigi was in the rocking chair with Erin cradled in her arms. She was humming softly, doing her best to soothe the baby. He leaned against the jamb and watched as Erin slowly quietened in her arms, her jerky movements stopping. Gigi flipped her gaze up to meet his eyes and smiled. For a few more minutes she rocked, her eyes never leaving his until finally she put a sleeping Erin back into her crib.
He followed Gigi out of the room. Just after he closed the door, he was surprised when she pressed him against the wall and kissed him.
“I’ve missed you,” she purred, running her hands down his chest and along the top of his pants. She pulled the tails of his shirt out of the waistband then skated her fingers up his stomach. Leaning forward, she kissed him again, sliding her tongue into his mouth. He had to admit he liked the way she was taking charge, but he wouldn’t let her have all the control. Sliding one hand behind her neck, he dragged her closer to him. She whimpered into his mouth, surrendering to him once more.
“I’ve missed you, too,” he said, breaking their kiss for the briefest second. “I’ve been counting down the hours.”
Her expression sobered. “We only have a little over forty-eight hours left together.”
“We better make the most of it then,” he growled. Picking her up, he threw her over his shoulder, leaving her head hanging down near his lower back. When she squealed in protest, he spanked her on the ass. “Quiet. We don’t want to wake the baby.”
She stifled a giggle, but made no other noise. Once his bedroom door was shut behind them, he dumped her onto the bed. She was wearing those damn yoga pants again—the ones that showed off every one of her delectable curves. He tugged at the bottom of the legs and she slid the waistband off her hips.
“Forgetting something?”
Gigi smiled and removed her underwear also. Then without any further prompting from him, she took off her tank top and bra. She leaned back on her elbows, letting him drink his fill of her naked body. Leaving her was going to be one of the hardest things he’d ever have to do. Even in this short time, she had found a place in his heart.
“Are you just going to stand there all night?” she teased. He watched, enraptured, as she ran a finger down her chest, circling one nipple playfully as she went. Max couldn’t get undressed fast enough. Kicking off his pants, he crawled up the bed and covered her. He kissed her gently, lowering his hips until he was cradled by her. She arched her back, lifting her breasts closer to his mouth, inviting him to taste. Not wanting to disappoint, he did just that; she gasped.
Lifting his hips back, his erection brushed against her opening. “Don’t tease me,” she groaned, raising her pelvis to make contact again.
Max smiled. “I wouldn’t want that now, would I?” He slid into her, slowly inching his way inside her body. Her hands traveled from his shoulders to hook around his neck, her eyes always on his face. When he was fully seated within her, he started the leisurely strokes that would ensure they would both last a long time. He didn’t want to miss a minute of this, and he certainly didn’t want to rush it. He needed to remember every single detail of how she felt, how she smelled, how she looked at him with such…love.
“I love you, Gigi,” he murmured. He held his breath, waiting for her to reject him. It was too soon to be saying those words to her. They were also pointless, as he was leaving, but he had to tell her at least once even if she didn’t feel the same way about him.
Gigi kissed him. “I love you, too, Max.”
*
It was still dark when Max’s eyes shot open. Something had woken him, and he realized it was his phone.
Where was his phone?
Scrambling out of bed, he dug through the pockets of the pants he’d taken off and found his cell. It was his mom.
“Mom?” he answered, glancing over at the clock by his bed. It was four in the morning, which made it about one a.m. in LA. “What’s wrong?”
“It’s your father, Max.” His mom’s voice was flat—the tone lifeless and devoid of any of the usual spark he was used to hearing.
He sat down on the edge of his bed, feeling Gigi’s arm wrap around his waist and her head lean on his shoulder. He exhaled before speaking. “What’s happened?”
“He passed away.”
Max felt the ripple of the words striking his heart like a sledgehammer. “When? How?”
His mom sniffled, the first sign that the wall she’d built up to deliver the heartbreaking news was beginning to crack. “He developed an arrhythmia after his heart attack. His heart muscle had sustained just too much damage and couldn’t stand up to the abnormal heart rhythm.”
Gigi’s squeezed him tightly for a moment; it was obvious she could hear the other side of the conversation.
“When?” he croaked. “When did he pass?”
His mom’s shaky exhale was a lance of pain through him. “Ten minutes ago.”
He had just one thought. “I’m coming home.” When his mom didn’t tell him not to be so silly, he knew this was what she wanted. She needed the support, not that she would ever ask for it. “I’ll call you when I have my flight booked.”
“I love you, Max,” she sniffled before hanging up.
“I’m so sorry,” Gigi murmured. She was still draped over him, lending him a strength he didn’t think he’d ever need.
“Yeah,” he replied. “Me, too.” He patted her hand to let her know he wanted to get up. He had to get some flights booked to go home. He had to call Evangeline and let her know what had happened. He also had to make Brian aware of his change of plans.
“Is there anything I can do? Anyone I can call for you?”
Turning, he leaned down and kissed her. “Just look after Erin for me, okay?”
She nodded, her lips pressed into a thin line. He pulled on a pair of sweats and a tee then made his way into the living room. He didn’t have a laptop, so he opened the browser on his phone and started looking for flights. He didn’t even know Gigi had followed him out until she started filling the kettle.
“Would you like to use my computer instead?
” she asked.
“Did you bring it with you?”
She nodded, ducking back into the bedroom. She came out with a thin laptop and handed it to him. “The password is no sharing,” she told him with a small smile before returning to the kitchen to make tea. Max found a flight leaving at quarter past eight in the morning. He had only a couple of hours to pack and get Erin ready, but he wasn’t willing to get back to LA any later than that.
“What time do you leave?”
“In about four and a half hours.”
“You’d better get packed then. I’ll take care of Erin’s things… Are you sure there’s no one else you want me to call?”
He shook his head. “It’s too early. I’ll just send them a text now, and then call when I’m at the airport.”
A little over an hour later, he was ready to go. He’d made sure everyone who needed to know he was leaving was in the loop and he had called a cab to take him to the airport. Gigi had watched Erin while he was packing, his mind running constantly through an internal checklist. The buzzer downstairs sounded, fracturing his thoughts. Gigi was up and at the intercom before he could react.
“Your cab is here,” she announced, opening the door. She wheeled the stroller out the door, grabbing Erin’s small suitcase as she went.
Max picked up the duffel bag he’d packed and followed her into the elevator. The ride down was quiet, but he could feel Gigi watching him. Outside, she’d kissed Erin goodbye then handed her to Max. When she was strapped into the car seat and their bags were in the trunk, Gigi threw her arms around Max’s neck and they just held each other.
“Call me when you get in.”
“I will,” he promised, kissing her one last time. “I love you.”
She smiled at him, touching his cheek. “I’ll see you when you get back.”
He nodded, a large knot forming in his stomach. What if he didn’t come back? He was supposed to be leaving in two days anyway. The apartment was empty of everything he had brought with him. Max pushed the thoughts away. His heart couldn’t take much more loss. Bringing her hand to his mouth, he kissed it then got into the cab.