Chapter Thirty-Five Emma
Idon’t leave Max’s apartment until around noon the next day, and I don’t leave alone.
“You don’t have to babysit me, Max,” I tell him as he leads me into my own apartment. “I’m sure you have better things to do.”
Max shakes his head as he sets his keys and wallet on my kitchen island. “I’m taking off work today.”
I raise an eyebrow at him as I watch him grab a glass from my kitchen cabinet and pour some water into it. “You took a day off work? You?”
Max places the glass of water down on the island in front of me. “I take days off work. I’m not that crazy of a workaholic. If things come up, I’ll take off work.”
I peer at him as our eyes lock, a tense charge filling the air between us. Max seemed to relax a little more last night once the food came and the three of us spent some time together and talked some more. He swears that he’s on board, and I hope that he isn’t lying to make me feel better.
It’s bad enough that no one has heard from Ryan since he walked out yesterday. I don’t want to lose Max too.
“Thank you for letting me stay at your place last night and for taking me home, but you don’t have to do anything else going forward. I don’t want to force you to do anything,” I tell him.
Max gives me a pointed look. “I told you that I’m all in, Emma. Drink the water.”
I purse my lips at him. “So, I told you that I’m not going to force you to do anything, and you’re forcing me to do something?”
A smirk crosses his face as he scoots the glass closer to me. “You need to hydrate and relax. You’re still tense.”
I roll my eyes, but as I take a few sips of water, I can’t help but smile to myself as flutters fill my stomach. There’s still a part of me that’s terrified of what will come next for us, but it has been really nice seeing the guys act so caring and paternal already.
It really suits them.
“On the couch,” Max says, nudging me there with a hand on my lower back.
I take a seat and sink back into the cushion, sipping on my water as he walks off. My eyes trail him as he starts tidying up the random things on my coffee table, his brow tight in concentration.
Max walks over to my entertainment stand, plucking some dust off the wood and adjusting my framed pictures that I placed on the shelves.
I have to stifle a laugh. He can be so restless. Honestly, his nitpicking is taking my mind off things, so I let him tidy things up for about fifteen minutes without saying anything.
“Where do you keep the extra hand towels?” Max asks from the kitchen.
“In the second drawer to the right of the oven,” I tell him before finishing off my water and walking to the kitchen to put up the glass.
Max takes it from me before I can even reach the sink. He rinses off the glass and places it in my dishwasher, moving like he’s some sort of automated machine.
“Okay, that’s enough tidying up,” I say as I grab his arms, turning him to face me. “I can’t relax if you’re cleaning up my entire apartment.”
“I just want to help out,” Max replies. “I feel bad about how I acted last night. Josh was on top of everything, and I was… useless.”
“No, you weren’t. I dropped a bomb on you, and you were processing,” I tell him as I slide my hands down to his to squeeze them. “I want you to be honest with me. Even if you’re freaking out.”
A small smile appears on his face. “I’m kind of freaking out, but it’s not a bad freaking out. I just want everything to go well.”
I can accept some freaking out because that’s still me on the inside. Everything is about to change for us, and I think a little bit of panic is expected for something like that. As long as we’re mostly happy, we’ll make it through.
With them by my side, I’m really happy.
“Me too,” I say with a gentle sigh before rubbing the back of my neck. “I don’t think I can sit on the couch and relax right now.”
Max thinks for a moment before his eyes light up. “How about a bath?”
Now, that sounds really nice. I nod eagerly and let him lead me to the bathroom by the hand, hoping that the hot water will melt away the rest of my stress. At least for a little while.
Being around the guys and not being all by myself has already helped me a lot. As long as I don’t lose them, I think I can brave the bumpy, winding road that’s ahead of us and whatever surprises it holds.
Max pulls back the shower curtain and liner and turns on the hot water, letting it steadily fill up the bathtub. He turns to me and gives me a warm look. “I’ll leave you to it.”
Before he can leave, I grab his arm and shake my head. “Stay. Please.”
Max nods, his eyes lingering on me as I start to undress. His eyes steadily darken as his gaze roams up my bare body, taking in every inch of me and my smooth skin.
Warmth pools low in my stomach as I walk to the bathtub, feeling his gaze on me. I don’t want to be alone, but I also can’t help but crave his attention.
And his affection.
I step into the tub and sink down into the hot water, my muscles immediately relaxing as I lean my back against the inside wall. “That’s really nice.”
Max grabs a washcloth from my bathroom cabinet and dips it into the water before soaping it up. “Relax. I’ve got you.”
I close my eyes and tilt my head back as he gently drags the rag up my arms and over my shoulders, the steam from the hot water filling the bathroom. I don’t think that I’ve ever been pampered before like this, but it feels so good.
Max slides the washcloth over my chest, and even the slightest graze of the cloth against my nipples makes them harden. His breath hitches, but he continues, moving his hand lower over my stomach.
Feeling him lean so close to me and hearing his breath next to my ear almost drives me as crazy as his hand does as it ventures all over my body. I press my thighs together under the water, feeling a light pulse of desire between them.
Max kneels a little behind my right shoulder and leans close to my ear. “This is what I want to do. I want to take care of you.”
A faint moan sounds in my throat as his lips press against the side of my neck. “Max…”
Max abandons the washcloth and slips his hand between my thighs instead, his fingers pushing through my folds before gliding over my clit beneath the water.
I buck up against his hand as I reach out to thread my fingers through his hair, my chest rising and falling heavily. Every stroke of his fingers feels like ecstasy, making me feel hotter as he kisses and touches me just right.
Max sucks a mark into the top of my shoulder where no one else will see it. Besides maybe the other guys.
“I want you inside of me,” I breathe out as I arch my back off the tub wall, needing more to fall off the edge.
Max pushes a finger inside of me and thrusts it in and out. “Like this?”
What a tease. He knows exactly what I want, but what’s the fun in rushing to the finish line so quickly?
“More,” I plead him as I tighten my fingers in his hair. “Give me more.”
Max adds another finger and rocks them deep inside of me, making the water swish and sway around me. “You’re so damn beautiful.”
His fingers feel incredible as they fill me and stretch me, but I know what will finish me off. I need it. I need the release.
“I want your cock. Please,” I tell him as I grab his arm, tilting my head back to give him a pleading look.
“Fuck,” Max breathes out before removing his fingers. He doesn’t bother to drain the tub or grab a towel. He picks me up out of the bathtub and sets me down on the edge of the bathroom counter, pulling me close enough to the edge for him to slide his hard cock inside of me.
I drop my head back, not even caring as it hits the mirror. My nails sink into his forearms as he grabs my hips, holding me steady as he thrusts in and out of me over and over. “Yes, Max… just like that.”
Max slides his hands down to the inside of my knees, pulling my thighs farther apart so that he can thrust even deeper. His eyes rake over my bare figure, water glistening on my skin. “You’re killing me, baby. Begging for my cock. Looking so beautiful.”
Moans spill from me as he snaps his hips, driving in harder and faster as we both chase each other to the edge. “So close. Right there.”
Max rubs his thumb against my clit as he continues rocking into me, making my body arch and tense as pleasure hits me like a shock of electricity.
“Max!” I cry out as my release hits me with force, making me tremble through the intensity.
Max groans as he pumps into me a few more times before finishing deep inside of me, his cock pulsing. He places his hands on either side of my body, leaning over me to kiss me slowly.
I wrap my arms around his neck, using him for stability as we settle from the high. A really good high. It’s safe to say that helped me relax. It doesn’t feel like there’s a bone in my body right now.
“I’m not going anywhere,” Max whispers to me as we hold each other, steam floating in the air around us. “You don’t have to worry about doing anything alone, okay?”
I smile up at him and nod, but even as we kiss again, my mind roams elsewhere. I want him to be mine so badly, and I want Josh and Ryan too.
But can I really have them all, especially with a baby on the way?
Can my crazy fantasy of a big, happy family with them and our baby really become reality?