Theo was still frozen in place, his mouth hanging open.

  I calmed my nerves, stood up, walked to the edge of the pool, then dipped my stiletto-clad foot in the water. “I guess I should take my heels off, but I just can’t wait.”

  With that I lowered myself to the pool’s edge and slid into the water, slipping below the surface so my ass crested the water. When I came up for air, I saw that Theo was racing to tear off his clothing, moving so fast that the buttons popped off his shirt.

  I watched hungrily as each part of his body was revealed. First, a chiseled chest with an impressive amount of dark hair dusted across the pecs. The muscles in his back flexed as he bent over to kick off his shoes, and I couldn’t wait to rake my nails across the smooth surface. His eyes were locked onto me as he wrestled with his belt and pants, and I held my breath while he pulled them off to reveal a pair of grey boxer briefs. Even from a distance I could see what he was packing, and I fought off a shiver of anticipation as he pulled the briefs off.

  “Water’s great,” I said to fill the silence as I stared at his hard cock.

  He didn’t answer as he slowly lowered himself into the water, the muscles in his shoulders working to support his weight. How could he be so perfect?

  I planted my heels on the bottom of the pool. For an idle second, I wondered if I was somehow scratching up the floor of it, but based on Theo’s expression it didn’t seem to matter. I hovered in the water so my nipples were barely covered. Theo’s gaze dipped to take me in. He paused, closed his eyes and let his head fall back.

  “Holy fuck,” he said before he refocused on me.

  Theo reached out and pulled me to him, the water swirling around us like the beginning of a tidal wave. Our bodies had barely connected when his mouth found mine, hungry, demanding. His hands smoothed down my back and stopped when he hit my thong, a last attempt at modesty when none was needed. He didn’t stop kissing me as he hooked his finger under the waistband and ripped them off of me.

  Everything felt triple-timed as we explored in the water. A speed round of investigation before we began making love. I ran my hands along his chest, teasing my way down until I circled my fingers around his length. Theo groaned against my mouth as I started stroking him with a gentle rhythm.

  It seemed like I short circuited him for a few seconds. I loved the feeling of power as I worked him, making the man weak from my touch. I was so focused on his pleasure that I didn’t expect the jolt that raced throughout my body as his hand slid between my legs.

  Now it was my turn to pause and surrender to the sensations. He teased me back with featherlight caresses, so soft that I wanted to grind against his hand.

  “Come on,” he said in a husky voice.

  Theo pulled me to the edge of the pool and watched as I got out first. I looked down at my shoes. “I ruined them.”

  “Doesn’t matter.” He followed me out then walked to a hidden shelf to grab a towel. “I’ll buy you a hundred pairs of new shoes.”

  Theo walked over to me, opening the towel then wrapping me in it. A shiver rolled through me as he opened it and rewrapped it around the two of us, pressing his naked body to mine.

  “Cold?” he asked as he rubbed my back.

  “Not for long,” I said, pulling him toward the chaise.

  I was shameless. I wanted Theo and I couldn’t wait any longer. I dropped down to sit and spread my legs, staring up at him in an invitation. Theo took a deep breath then kneeled in front of me. He gently untied the straps of my left shoe, tracing kisses along my calf, then my right shoe, kissing higher. I was about to reach down and pull him on top of me when he dipped closer to me and kissed my soft folds, letting his tongue dart inside of me. I shuddered with pleasure.

  I’d wanted Theo for so long that I felt like I was about to come the moment he began, and I couldn’t believe how quickly the rolling pressure began mounting between my legs. His mouth was relentless, like he wanted to taste every inch of me. I tried to hold off, to keep feeling the incredible sensations, but the orgasm ripped through me. I cried out and the sound echoed around us.

  When I finally came to my senses Theo was on top of me, smiling down at me.

  “Are you okay?” he asked.

  I couldn’t find my voice, so I nodded.

  “I wasn’t expecting this to happen here,” he said in a low voice. “I need to go get protection …”

  I shook my head. “I’m clean, and I’m on the pill,” I managed. “And I trust you if you say that you’re clean, too.”

  The words were barely out of my mouth before he lifted me off the chaise, cradling me in his arms then dropping back down so that I was on top of him. He was seated, his cock warm and throbbing between us. Theo put his hands on my hips and raised me to my knees, then paused.

  “One more second,” he said in a gruff voice. His fingertips found their way to my heat, teasing me for a few seconds and checking my readiness before pulling me down on top of his girth.

  I squeezed my eyes shut as I adjusted to the sensation of him filling me. As much as I wanted it—and I wanted it a lot—it had still been a while, and Theo had more than one justification for his cockiness.

  “Max …” he whispered. It sounded like a prayer. “Oh Max.”

  Theo leaned his forehead against my chest, kissing me gently before starting to move against me. I grasped the back of his neck with one hand and tried to hold on with the other as he built from slow, grinding undulations to bucking harder.

  How was it possible that I was about to come again? It never happened. I was lucky if a guy made me come once, yet Theo seemed to bring out the animal in me. His eyes were half-shut as he moved against me, and even as he got closer to coming, he still paid attention to my need. His thumb slipped between us and within a half second I was gone again, head back and crying out.

  My noises seemed to push Theo over the edge too, and he let out a low roar. He pulled me tighter against his chest, breathing hard.

  “I could get used to that,” he panted.

  Same, I thought.

  Too bad we had an expiration date.

  18

  THEO

  What the hell was going on?

  It was close to nine the morning after the engagement party yet here I was, still in bed and staring at the beautiful girl snoring softly beside me.

  Normally, I would’ve gently mentioned to whomever I’d been with, right as we were dozing off, that I had to get up early the following day—just to manage expectations. I wasn’t the kind of asshole who’d kick a girl out after sex, or rush her out the minute the sun came up, but still … I wasn’t into lazy mornings and brunches. Morning sex? Sure, of course. But anything else that hinted at something more soft and personal was a no-go for me. Fun and casual was the name of the game, and the women I spent time with knew it.

  Things felt different with Max. For a change, I wasn’t in a hurry to get up and get out. I was perfectly content to stare at her while she made adorable little breathy noises that reminded me a little too much of the noises she’d made last night. I felt myself getting hard just imagining them.

  I adjusted myself. Morning wood was a thing, and I contemplated waking her up to take advantage of it. But no … it was more important for her to sleep. There was plenty of time for sex.

  I frowned. Was there? We had an agreement and a timeline, but what had happened last night was not a part of either. I sure as hell didn’t regret it, but what if she did? Could I really go back to the just-business arrangement we’d initially made?

  I stared at Max’s face. She was so fucking beautiful, even with her messy hair and smudged eyeliner. The sheet was falling off her shoulder and I ached to pull it down inch by inch, to peek at the delights beneath it.

  “Hey, you.”

  Max’s sleep-groggy voice startled me.

  “You’re awake,” I said.

  She inhaled then stretched her hands over her head, yawning. “Sort of. How long have you been up?”

  “A little while.”

  “What time is it?” Max sat up and looked around the room. “Those blackout blinds make it feel like a casino in here.”

  “Nine,” I said, hoping she didn’t have anywhere she needed to be.

  She fell back against the bed with a thump. “Mmm. I should probably get up.”

  I moved closer to her and gave her a kiss on the shoulder. “Or not.”

  It was my opening move, my shot to get her to stay without actually asking her to.

  To my relief, Max reached over and threaded her fingers through my hair, giving me a half smile. “Or not.”

  I leaned down to kiss her, not caring that neither of us had brushed our teeth. Nothing mattered more in that moment than feeling Max beneath me again. And on top of me. And bending over in front of me.

  “Someone’s ready,” she giggled, reaching down between my legs.

  I groaned as she started caressing me. A sharp noise pierced the room, a ring tone that sounded more like a fire alarm.

  “Shit, shit, shit,” Max said, jumping away from me and reaching toward the nightstand. “That’s my mom. I need to take it.”

  I watched her happy expression dim as she answered the call.

  “Hi, Mom, everything okay?” Max asked. “Slow down, slow down. He what, now?”

  I could hear what sounded like tearful ranting—bordering on wailing—coming through the phone, but I couldn’t make out what was being said.

  “Well, that’s pretty normal these days.” She listened for a beat. “I know it’s wrong, but he’s thirteen! We both know that he’s been a jackass lately. He’ll grow out of it. I did.”

  The voice at the other end went shrill and I made out the word “fight.”

  “It’s what they do best.” Max sighed. “He just needs some time away from Nick. Bring him over to my place and I’ll deal with it.” Max sighed as she listened. “Are you sure? It’s not a problem for me. Okay, fine, just keep me posted. And you need to calm down a little, okay?”

  Max talked for a few more minutes then disconnected the call. “Sorry about that. Family drama, as usual.”

  She looked unhappy, with a line creasing between her eyebrows and a downturned mouth.

  I weighed my options silently. Max had made it abundantly clear that family discussions were off-limits, yet her attitude had changed dramatically in the few minutes she’d been on the call. I didn’t quite know how to define our relationship, but I knew I cared enough about her to want her to feel she could open up to me, at least a little.

  “You … you want to talk about it?” I asked, running my finger down her arm.

  She sighed again. “It’s the usual bullshit. Rafe and his father went at it, things got dramatic and spilled out onto the sidewalk and some neighbors got involved. My mom is mortified. She’s upset with Rafe but if you ask me the problem is Nick.”

  “That’s your stepfather?”

  “I don’t call him that.” Max shook her head. “I have no relationship with him. He’s the guy my mom married, and Rafe’s dad, that’s it.”

  She sounded so adamant about distancing herself from the man. I had to dig a little deeper.

  “You don’t like him, huh?”

  Max snorted and nodded. “Yeah, you could say that.”

  Her expression turned stormier, so I pulled her into my arms. She immediately melted against me. “Why?” I asked, as gently as I could.

  She reached her hand up to lay it against my chest. I could almost feel her weighing whether she wanted to let me in or not. I wasn’t going to push any harder, it was up to her to reveal or stay guarded from me. It wasn’t like I could offer any real advice, but at least I could be an ear. That had to count for something.

  “He seemed okay in the beginning. He treated my mom well. They were happy. He always came off a little controlling but not so much that it was a red flag. Then Rafe was born, and things changed.”

  I stayed quiet as she collected her thoughts.

  “He started getting demanding about everything. Everything had to be just so, from the way she cared for Rafe, to how she kept the house, to what she cooked for dinner every night. Even when she followed his orders to the letter, nothing was ever good enough for him. He berated her, constantly putting her down. He used to call her these awful nicknames that ate away at her confidence. He claimed it was always just a joke, but please explain to me how calling someone ‘Tubby Momma’ or ‘my little Lardo’ is cute?”

  “Jesus,” I muttered.

  “Yeah. And it just kept escalating. I wanted to stand up to him, but I was afraid of him. My mom saw his infrequent tender side. Me? I was just another guy’s kid. He made no secret about his feelings for me. I got out of that house as fast as I could once I turned eighteen, but Rafe was still stuck there, and as he got older he started to catch on to the way Nick was treating my mom. And he tried to stand up for her in his own way, which made Nick lose it. He claimed that they were ganging up on him, and that he was the breadwinner so he could do whatever he wanted. He didn’t let my mom work for the longest time, which kept her under his thumb. She just got her real estate license, and let me tell you, that was a fight. She’s not at the point where she’s making any money, so she’s still basically powerless.”

  “Why doesn’t she leave him?”

  Max scoffed at me. “It’s not that easy, Theo. Not everyone has a bottomless bank account to help them start fresh.”

  I didn’t respond.

  “Sorry,” she squeezed her arm around me. “That wasn’t fair. I’m just really frustrated by her whole situation. It’s tricky, because Nick’s not wrong about being the breadwinner. When my dad was alive, my mom was a housewife. After he died, she really struggled trying to find work that would support us despite having no prior work experience. Dad’s life insurance policy kept us going for a while, but things really started getting tight around when she met Nick. When he swept in, promising to look after us, Mom thought she’d found her white knight. The idea of being on her own again terrifies her—not helped by the way Nick grinds away at her confidence every chance he gets. He likes having her under his thumb. Not to mention, if she were to try to leave Nick would probably lean on the fact that she’s not financially independent yet to try to take Rafe from her. There’s no way we want that to happen.”

  I squeezed her back. “What a shitty situation. I’m really sorry. But at least Rafe has you. A port in the storm, you know?”

  She nodded. “I do what I can. I don’t want the abuse he’s seeing to shape him.”

  “Hey, if I can ever help with Rafe—”

  “We’re fine,” she interrupted, shutting me down fast. “Help’s not necessary, but thanks.”

  I wasn’t sure how to respond. This was the most Max had revealed to me, so it made sense that she’d reach her limit in how much she’d allow herself to lean on me. We weren’t even a real couple. I had no right to push myself into her life in a way she didn’t want, especially since I wouldn’t be able to stay long-term. She was probably right to keep something of firewall between her family and me.

  Neither one of us moved, and little by little the static from Max’s conversation with her mom started to dissipate. I stroked Max’s back, amazed at how silky her skin was. I felt myself getting hard yet again, but it didn’t seem like the right moment to try anything.

  “What’s your day like?” Max murmured.

  “Not sure how it’s going to shake out,” I said. “Got a few ideas, though. You?”

  She made a pouty noise. “I have to work later. Another portfolio shoot. Remember the girl you saw me working with at Sunny Isles?”

  I hid my disappointment that Max and I wouldn’t be able to spend the day together.

  “You mean Miss Pudding?”

  Max giggled. “That’s the one. Well, her friends all loved her new photos and a few of them have booked sessions with me.”

  “Why do you sound disappointed?” I asked. “Work is good, right?”

  She snuggled in closer to me. “Work is great, but …”

  “But what?”

  “I’m not sure what kind of work I want to do. Like I told your mom about wedding photography. It’s not my thing. But I’m still not sure what is.”

  “Well, maybe you’ll figure it out once you start that internship.”

  I didn’t like thinking about it because it signified the end of whatever we were doing.

  “Exactly,” she said softly.

  Our breathing went syncopated as we both seemed to consider what was next for us.

  Max pulled away from me. “I noticed that you have one of those multi-jet showers in that big bathroom of yours.”

  Her expression was full of mischief, her eyes twinkling.

  “I do. Eight heads that can all be heated to different water temperatures.”

  “Eight heads, you say?” she asked, scooting down the bed toward my waist.

  “Mm-hmm,” I managed as she peeled the sheet off of me.

  “I like that,” she murmured, and I wasn’t sure if she meant my shower or my massive cock just a few inches away from her. “I definitely want to get clean with you, but first I want to get dirty with you.”

  She moved closer to me and took the base of my cock in her hand then pressed a kiss to the top of it. I groaned.

  “First, just a little taste,” Max said, her eyes on me as she took my length into her mouth.

  “Max.”

  I let my head roll back and closed my eyes, overwhelmed by how good it felt, but soon I realized that I wanted to see her mouth work me. I opened my eyes to find her watching me, her gaze locked on mine, and I nearly came immediately.

  “No,” I protested weakly. “I want you and I’m about to …”

  She dragged her mouth off of me slowly and it took everything in my power not to climax right then and there.

  “I want you too,” Max said in a husky voice. “In the shower. Let’s go.”

  She slid off the bed, attempting to pull the sheet off with her but I yanked it back, leaving her naked in the middle of my room.