If I went back to her house, I knew what would happen. I didn’t trust myself to stop it from happening. But I didn’t want the night to end. And God help me, I couldn’t sa
y no.
“But make no mistake, I’m getting to third base tonight, sweetheart.”
Chapter 12
Everly
I had managed to get him back to my place.
Having received a text from Grace a couple of hours earlier, I knew she and Sadie were out for the evening. We were totally alone. So now what the hell did I do?
I padded into my bedroom barefoot, having left the torturous stilettos by the front door.
He followed behind me, one slow step at a time into my sacred space. My bedroom.
He surveyed his surroundings, the tiniest glimpse of a smile curving the side of his mouth. “Now, this is more of what I was expecting when I picked you up the other night.”
“What do you mean?”
“The decor.” He rubbed his fingers over his chin. “It’s…lovely.”
My bedroom was my pride and joy. The inanimate representation of me. My queen-sized bed was bracketed by a white headboard and footboard. It sat in the middle of the room, facing the door. On either side sat white end tables with white lamps on them. At the bottom of the bed, a turquoise bench with a white-and-turquoise seating pad housed some extra pillows and blankets. California shutters hung on the window to my left. The walls were gray, and above my bed in black stencil was my last name.
I loved interior design. It soothed me. Comforted me. Took me away from all of the stress and anxiety of my regular life. I had high hopes for the rest of the house, but I had been hesitant to make any changes. Scratch that: I was too damn busy to do something I enjoyed.
I knew if I ever told that to Max, he’d whisk me away to the first paint store we could find. Part of me wanted to tell him so that I had an excuse and wouldn’t feel so guilty about wasting time.
“Did you decorate it yourself?”
I nodded. His mouth quirked up in appreciation. “It suits you. Understated, but when you step back and look at the detail…spectacular.”
I couldn’t help the swell of appreciation that started in my chest and rose up my neck to my head. Not only did I enjoy the compliment to my sense of style, but he had just described me in a way I’d never heard before. It was exactly how I wanted people to remember me, and of all people, Max Levin was the one to point it out.
“What am I doing with you?” I shook my head.
It was only a matter of time before he bit the bullet and took a step closer to holding the reins of a multimillion-dollar porn conglomerate. It was his destiny. I had my own, and the two did not mesh.
“You’re using me to finish your bucket list, remember?”
I didn’t know anymore. Spending time with Max had become so much more than the list.
I wanted him. I wanted him inside me. Under me. On top of me. Any way I could have him.
He clapped his hands together and pulled his shoulders back. “So when does the studying begin?”
I appreciated that he was at least trying to uphold my original plan. Ten minutes from now we might be naked, but at least I’d have tried.
“It starts right now.”
I grabbed an elastic band and secured my hair in place. “Do you mind if I take the dress off?”
I realized the stupidity of my question immediately.
“Naked studying? Maybe I might have actually gone to university if that was a thing.”
I stood in front of him, patiently waiting for him to turn around. But he didn’t.