I spin to ask Max what he thinks, but he silences me with his lips on mine, coaxing them open until his tongue tangles with mine. I wrap my arms around his neck, but he stops me. He drops the iPad on the bed and grabs both my hands, then spins me around and places them on the bed.
His palms skim under the hem of my borrowed dress as his body leans over mine, and hot breath tickles my ear. “Can you be quiet, siren?”
I peek over my shoulder. “Siren?”
I’m silenced when Max drops to his knees, and shivers ripple down my spine as he exposes my naked skin to the cool air blowing in from the vents. “Max...”
“Shh.” The heat in the depths of his fathomless blue eyes holds promises I have no doubt he’ll deliver on, and I lay my chest flat against the duvet and grasp it with both fists as he drags his flattened tongue up the length of my sex.
Oh God.
I buck back against him. My head turns toward the open door, checking to see if we’ve been caught, but after a moment, when he drags his finger down the curve of my ass and circles that virgin hole, I stop caring. He adds one blunt finger to my pussy. Then another. A web of color bursts behind my eyes as I fight to control the silent scream escaping from my throat.
I collapse against the bed and let Max fix my dress before I attempt to make my legs work. Once I push up, his arm encircles my waist, and his lips caress the shell of my ear. “Your cunt is delicious, Daphne.”
I lean back against his chest and soak in his strength since I don’t know whether I could stand on my own right now.
He wraps my hair around his fist and nips my neck. “Let’s go buy a house.”
And for one solid second, I imagine us doing that together.
This man may be more dangerous than I thought.
* * *
Max informed Holly he’d take the house, furniture and all. He also said that he’d pay 10 percent over the asking price, in cash, if he could settle in less than thirty days. She’s going to get back to him with an answer, but I can’t imagine anyone saying no to that offer.
Holly might not have gotten the guy, but she’s going to get one hell of a commission. I think she may believe I’ve gotten the guy, but she’s wrong there too. The words mutually beneficial friendship play over and over in my head with every touch of his hand and secretive smile given this morning. I may have to remind myself a few hundred times that I can’t get involved in any kind of relationship while my life is falling apart around me.
But that’s just fine with me.
At least, that’s what I’ll try to convince myself of later.
When I’m alone.
In the comfort of my own room.
Once we’re back in the car, it’s Max’s turn to probe. “How’s your dad been since the acquisition? I can’t imagine retiring at his age. I think I’d be bored out of my mind.”
I shrug, not wanting to get into this now. And especially not with him. “I haven’t seen much of him lately.”
He glances my way with concerned eyes. “Everything okay?”
“Of course,” I bristle. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“No reason. Just something Sam mentioned a while ago. Our dads were friends once upon a time, Daph. If there’s anything I can do to help, let me know. Okay?” The hand that was resting on my thigh squeezes, and I inch away, not wanting the contact now.
Max follows my directions to Dixon’s house. It doesn’t feel right to call it my house. It was never supposed to be permanent, just a place for Maddie and me to use as a stopover on our way to our new place. But I think our stay may last longer than we anticipated.
He pulls his hand away from me. “Have you been working on the information we need for Start A Revolution?”
I preen at the fact he called it by what I want to name it and not just the foundation. “Actually, I have.” I turn in my seat and contemplate putting my feet up on his dash but choose not to piss off the sleeping lion, so I tuck them under me instead. “I’m working out a few ideas for a massive kick-off event to raise the first round of capital. I’d like to throw a fundraiser before the season starts in September.”
“Oh yeah? What kind of fundraiser are you considering?”
“I want to do a bachelor auction with the team members. Bid on a date with your favorite player kind of event. Their date can consist of four hours of a mutually agreed upon activity. Dinner, dancing, ice skating. Something like that. We’ll have cocktails and hors d’oeuvres. A silent auction with baskets of donated items the guests can bid on as well. Maybe early September.”
“That’s less than two months from now.” Max pulls into the driveway of Dixon’s place and turns the car off. “Can you pull that together, Miss Brenner?” He pulls his sunglasses off and tosses them onto the dashboard. “We could allocate one of the interns to help you.”