“Olivia? What are you doing here?” he asked.
“I don’t want you to court her.” Her voice rang out across the room.
“Livvy—”
“I know that I ruined our beautiful afternoon together. And that I said I wasn’t sure…and that I hurt you…but you can’t—”
“Livvy, come here,” he commanded.
She blinked at him for a moment. But then she moved into the room and slowly came toward him with eyes filled with trepidation. His initial instinct to tease her about being jealous died on his lips. He held out a hand, cautious not to spook her. “Livvy, I don’t care about Susanna Ashby. I care about you.”
Olivia stopped in front of him. He reached for the candle holder in her hand and set it aside next to his book. Then he grasped her hand, sandwiching it between both of his. “I don’t want anyone but you.”
Her breath rushed out of her in one long sigh. “You don’t?”
Words didn’t seem to sink in with this ridiculous woman, so he tugged her onto his lap and kissed her instead. He sank into the kiss, gently sliding his lips against hers, sipping and savoring her unique taste. She sighed against his mouth, and he counted it as a victory. Olivia was thinking far too much, worrying far too much. Tonight, he would make it his mission to persuade her only to feel.
She wore naught but her nightclothes, and her hair was unbound falling in a waterfall around her shoulders. He slid one hand into her hair. It was just as soft and thick as he remembered. It had always cascaded down her back freely when they were young, and he had been quite obsessed with the golden locks.
Max wrapped his hand in a section of her hair, winding it around and around. Then he gave a tug to pull her head back and expose her throat. Her eyes widened in surprise, but a low hum of pleasure followed as his lips scorched a path across her soft skin. “I think you need to be reminded that you’re mine. That we have always been meant to love one another.” He nipped at the juncture of her throat and shoulder, not too hard but hard enough to get her attention. “Livvy, why did you come to my room tonight?”
Her eyelids fluttered closed. “Because I was jealous that you spent the whole day with Susanna.”
He gave another tug on her hair. “And why were you jealous?”
Her eyes popped open. They flashed with heat. “Because you’re mine.”
He growled in satisfaction and crushed his lips against hers. Her hands slid into his hair, and she kissed him back with just as much desperation. He wanted to devour her. Taste every inch of her heavenly body. He let go of her hair to run his hands down over her curves. There was far too much clothing between them. He stood, taking them both to their feet. With a swift tug at the belt of her dressing gown, he had it off her shoulders in seconds.
Olivia’s curious fingers were under his shirt and burning a path up over the muscles of his stomach. He sucked in a breath as she circled one of his nipples, scraping gently over it with her nail. In one swift move, he pulled his shirt over his head. Her hum of approval shot straight down to his cock. He unbuttoned his trousers and stepped out of them, never breaking eye contact with Livvy. Her hot gaze flitted down to his erection, and his cock pulsed in response. Her mouth formed a smallOand she reached out and ran a finger down the length of him. When she went to pull her hand back, he grabbed it and wrapped it around his cock. “Don’t shy away; satisfy your curiosity.”
Her fingers gripped him firmly, sliding slowly from base to tip. Then her thumb swept over the head, spreading his precum around the tip. Her other hand cupped his bullocks, giving them a gentle squeeze. Max closed his eyes, his head falling back at the sheer pleasure of having her tender hands fondling him. Though he quickly reconsidered his comment, her curiosity might be the death of him. “Livvy,” he ground out.
Her exploration immediately stopped. Her gaze flew up to his face. “Was that not right? Did I hurt you?”
He framed her face with his hands and stared into her eyes. The worry was back, the corners crinkled in concern that she had done something wrong. “God no, your hands on me feel amazing. Don’t mistake my groans for anything but pleasure.” Max bent and captured her mouth with his, plunging his tongue in to tangle with hers. “Let me show you what I mean.”
He grabbed handfuls of her shift and began to slide it up over her thighs. When he got to her waist, she raised her hands above her head. But he didn’t increase his pace, enjoying the slow reveal of each curve and dip of her body. Finally, he lifted the nightgown over her head and tossed it aside. He cupped her backside and lifted her off her feet, capturing her mouth again as she wrapped her legs around him. Then he walked over to the bed.
“No more worrying, no more thinking about the future or the past,” he murmured against her lips. “Focus only on right now in this moment. Think only of my lips against yours, my hands against your skin, my moans of pleasure in your ears.”
Olivia nodded frantically; her nails dug into his shoulders as she wiggled her hips against his erection. She was so slick with desire he almost lost control and sank into her wet heat right then. She let out a squeak of surprise when he tossed her down on the bed. “Oh, no, naughty girl. I have plans to ravish every inch of your delectable body. No rushing to the finish line.”
The corners of her mouth tipped up into a wicked smile. She trailed her fingers from her throat down the valley of her breasts, across her the gentle rise of her belly, all the way to the dark curls below. “Are you sure? The finish line is so wet and aching for you.”
Max almost choked on his tongue at her words. She leaned back on her elbows, and the pose pushed her lush breasts out, her tawny nipples, hard as diamonds, begged for his lips. With a low growl, he grabbed her ankles and slid her closer to the edge. “Not until I taste your sweet quim and have you screaming my name.” He sank to his knees.
He kissed the inside of one knee, spreading her legs wide. Taking his time, he placed open-mouthed kisses along the creamy skin of her thigh, working his way to her center. When he reached her mons, he wasted no time with teasing. He fell on her like a wild beast, licking up her seam, savoring her spicy tang on his tongue. Olivia bucked her hips and cried out. He laid a firm hand on her pelvis to hold her down while he feasted, tonguing her slick folds and flicking her tight bud. Olivia writhed, and her head snapped up. Her gaze ensnared his, wild and glazed with passion. Triumph raced through his veins. He gave her clit a long slow suck eliciting a scream from Olivia as she climaxed against his mouth.
The sharp scrape of her fingers on his scalp propelled him into motion. His throbbing cock would not be denied a moment more. He sprang to his feet and flipped Olivia over onto her stomach. Reaching for her hips, he thrust into her dripping wet quim. The words he’d spoken to Livvy earlier prophetic. All he could do was feel. Olivia’s moans matched his own as he sank into her. Her hips pushed back against him at each thrust. He bent over her back and caressed her shoulder with his lips. “God, Livvy, I’m lost in you. You are everything.”
Then he straightened and gripped her hips, and he allowed himself one last glorious slide into her slick heat before pulling out. His climax rolled through him like fire cleansing his soul as he pulsed his seed out onto the sheets. Olivia collapsed onto her stomach, and he crawled up the bed on shaky knees to wrap himself around her. She turned in his arms to face him, hooking one leg over his. Her smile was languid.
He pressed a kiss to her lips. “What are you thinking about?”
“You.” Her hand smoothed over his hip.
He gave her another kiss. “Mission accomplished.”