Chapter 24
Twenty-Four
Flynn
As soon as we got back to the estate, I made good on the promise I made Max in the water. Joining her in her room, I didn’t even let her shower before I tossed her on the bed and kissed and licked every inch of her salty skin. Then I made her come with my mouth––twice.
Back in my room, showered, shaved, and dressed, I hear a light tap on the door before a folded slip of paper slides through the thin gap beneath it. Walking over, I pick it up and read it. It’s a note from Barnard, saying he has to leave for the evening so we’re on our own tonight. We can have dinner here or if we prefer, he has left a fleet of mopeds at our disposal to head into town.
My eyebrows scrunch as I read that last bit. Town? Barnard owns this island, and I was sure he and his staff were its only inhabitants.
At the bottom of the note is a crudely drawn map showing the road that leads away from the mansion and the right fork to take to head into town.
“Huh,” I say just as Max appears in the open doorway between our rooms.
All thoughts of Barnard and this mysterious town flee when I get a look at her. I nearly lose the ability to breathe, as well.
She looks downright ethereal in a long blue dress with thin shoulder straps and white flowers embroidered all over it. Her hair is swept up into a fat bun on top of her head, and her pink cheeks glow as happiness shines in her eyes.
I shake my head with a dazed expression, making Max laugh and twirl around to show me a deep V on the back of the dress that reveals a sinful amount of skin. Damn. Maybe we should just stay in tonight.
“You got the note from Barnard?” she asks, spinning back around to face me.
“Yeah,” I say, waving the paper in my hand through the air. “I was going to ask if you want to head to town for dinner.”
“Definitely,” she says before I can suggest my idea of staying in bed all night. Then she asks, “Did you know there was a town on the island?”
“I had no clue,” I say.
“Let’s go check it out,” she says, then darts forward to peck a kiss on my lips, jerking back with a laugh before I can deepen it. “More of that, later. I’m starving, and I want to see this town.”
“Fine,” I huff dramatically, and she laughs again.
We head downstairs together, chatting as we go. There’s no point in trying to hide our connection anymore. That cat is definitely out of the bag where Barnard is concerned, and Lars and Peter’s opinions don’t matter. In fact, it would be good if Lars saw us. Maybe if he did, he’d stop trying to make moves on Max.
I’d hate to get eliminated from this competition for violently attacking another writer, but I’d do it in a minute if he ever put his hands on my woman.
My woman.
I like that. A lot.
When we get outside, I’m thrilled to find the mopeds are two-seaters. Max wastes no time pulling her skirt up to her knees and climbing on behind me. She wraps her arms tightly around my middle, and I can’t resist running a palm over her thigh before firing up the moped.
The ride is bumpy as we make our way along the dirt road, and Max holds on even tighter, pressing her chest into my back. I’m definitely buying one of these things when we get back home. I can’t wait to cruise all over Los Angeles with Max clinging to me like this.
The trip is short, and when I park the moped in a small lot filled with golf carts and other mopeds, I realize the “town” is actually more of a quaint village. Steel-drum-heavy music fills the air as people wander up and down the main street. Hand-in-hand, we pass a small, open building with rows and rows of fruits and vegetables. There’s a market that seems to sell everything else a household might need including meat, fish, tools, paper goods, canned food, and snacks. Between two buildings is an open area filled with tables and chairs, and I spot a long bar at the other end with taps and shelves of liquor bottles.
The people smile as we pass, and I actually recognize a few of them as staff at Barnard’s estate. It seems the people who work for him there also live on the island. They must lead quite the life in a paradise such as this.
At the end of the street, we find a small restaurant, and I laugh as Max practically drags me inside. A sign tells us to seat ourselves, and we head for a small table-for-two in the back. A waitress appears immediately, greeting us with a warm smile as she hands us menus to peruse.
“Everything looks so good. I can’t decide,” Max says without looking up from her menu.
“I see what you mean,” I say, reading options that range from American food to Mexican to Polynesian.
In the end, I choose a good, old-fashioned burger while Max orders the Polynesian pulled pork tacos. We both order fruity frozen cocktails, and when they arrive, we clink our glasses together and toast to a great night before sipping on our straws.
The food is delicious, and we end up splitting our meals so we can both try what the other ordered. It feels intimate, like no one else exists in this little bubble we’ve created, and though I don’t want it to end, I don’t want to just sit here all night, either. And I can tell Max is itching to explore this place, as well .
“Can I get you anything else? Some dessert, perhaps?” the waitress asks as she clears our plates.
Max groans with her hands on her stomach, making me chuckle before answering, “No, thanks. I think we’re stuffed. Can we get the check, please?”
“No,” she says, shaking her head. “Mr. Roxberry made it clear his guests are to pay for nothing here. He’s covering all of your expenses tonight.”
“Really?” Max asks.
“Really,” she says, shooting Max a wink, “so make sure you visit every business in town before you leave.”
She walks away, and Max looks over at me with wide eyes. “Did she mean she wanted us to spend Barnard’s money all over town?”
“I think so,” I say with a laugh as I push up out of my chair.
Moving around the table, I hold her chair and pull it out as she stands. She takes my hand once more, and the restaurant staff call out joyous goodbyes as we leave.
“Everyone is so friendly,” Max says as we step back out onto the street.
“They really are,” I agree, pulling our joined hands up to brush a kiss over her knuckles.
The music dies out for a moment, then picks right back up with a lively tune that has people shouting and crowding the streets like a flash mob. Grinning at Max, I pull her into the crowd. Lifting her hand over her head, I twirl her around, and her laughter peppers my skin like a cool midnight rain.
When she stops spinning, she takes a moment to catch her breath before her hips start to sway to the beat. She dances closer, her eyes locked on mine, and I can’t resist darting in for a kiss as I start to move in sync with her. The crowd around us seems to disappear as we move to the beat, Max’s forehead gleaming with a sheen of sweat as she twists and gyrates in front of me.
My heart is so full, I don’t know how my chest is holding it in. Max is everything I’ve ever wanted and everything I’ll ever need. I suddenly can’t wait for this night to be over––for this whole trip to be over––so we can head home and start our real lives together. She’s already agreed to go out on a date with me once that happens, and I’m certain that will be just the start.
The beginning of the rest of our lives together.
A quiet voice in the back of my head whispers that I’m being ridiculous. Impulsive and unrealistic. That even though we’ve known each other for years, I don’t really know her because of the separation. That I can’t plan a whole life together just a few days after our official reunion.
But that little voice can go straight to hell, for all I care. I know who Max is. And I know what she means to me. I was in love with her before, and I’m even more in love with her now. My feelings never changed despite the hurt I thought she’d caused me. But those were Milo’s lies, not Max’s truths. She’s exactly who I knew her to be before all that went down the way it did.
And she’s the woman I adore.
“Take me back,” she says, leaning into my chest and kissing my neck before adding, “Take me to bed, Flynn.”
I’m gripping her hand and pulling her through the crowd before she takes her next breath, making her laugh with joy as she trots along behind me. When we reach the deserted lot where our moped is parked, she jerks me to a stop. I spin around, and she slams into my chest, her hands diving into my hair as her mouth lands on mine. Tasting. Teasing. Devouring me until I’m stripped bare.
My hands find her ass, gripping it firmly and pushing her against me so she can feel how hard I am for her. Releasing my hair from one hand, she slides her fingers between us to stroke me through my pants. I groan into her mouth, and she mimics the sound, gripping me tighter as her lips move from my mouth down to my neck.
“Max,” I breathe. “We should go…somewhere…more private.”
“I know,” she says, but doesn’t stop stroking me as she lifts her mouth to my ear and whispers, “I’m so wet for you right now.”
Stiffening, I step away from her and point to the moped. “On. Now.”
“Yes, sir,” she murmurs, her tongue darting out to wet her puffy lips.
I grunt as a fresh wave of need spirals through me at those words. Climbing onto the bike, I offer her a hand to steady her as she hops on. Once she’s seated, she wraps her arms around me and slips her hands beneath the hem of my shirt to press her palms against my stomach.
I shake my head to clear the white haze of lust from my eyes, then I crank the engine and take off toward the mansion as fast as the bike will take us. I feel Max’s cheek press against my back as one of her hands moves south, rubbing soft circles over my erection and nearly making me swerve into the bushes that grow beside the road.
Holding the moped steady with one hand, I grip her wrist with the other and pull her hand back to my stomach. Holding it there, I turn my head so she’ll hear my words when I speak.
“You’re going to make us crash if you keep doing that.”
She bites me on the shoulder blade in response, then rubs her cheek over the spot to soothe the sting. Her hand stays safely on my stomach when I release it to grab the handle bar so I can turn us onto the road back to the mansion. I don’t know if I’m relieved or disappointed.
She’s so fucking eager, so hot, I feel like I might explode by the time we pull onto the property and park the bike in the same spot where we picked it up. By tacit agreement, we don’t touch as we walk inside and up the stairs. Luckily, no one stops us to talk, and a minute later Max is dragging me into her room and slamming the door behind us, appearances be damned.
Turning to face me, she pulls the straps of her dress down her shoulders, does a little shimmy, and the garment falls to the floor to pool at her feet. I have my shirt off in a flash, and the second I drop it, she’s on me, hopping up into my arms and wrapping her legs around my waist. I grip her ass with both hands to hold her, then spin to push her back against the door as our mouths crash into each other.
She writhes against me as we kiss, then lifts her face toward the ceiling as my mouth moves down her neck. Her gasping breaths echo back down to us, driving me wild.
“Please, Flynn. I need you.”
Tightening my grip on her, I spin us around and stalk toward her bed. Lowering her to the mattress, I follow as she scoots herself up its length until I’m fully stretched over her. Reaching beneath her with one hand, I flick her bra clasp open and yank the cups down so I can suck a pebbled, straining nipple into my mouth. Max groans my name as her back bows, offering both breasts up for me to feast on.
Pulling my knees up beneath me, I slowly crawl backwards as I kiss a hot trail down her stomach to her abdomen. Pushing myself upright, I sit back on my heels and tug at her underwear. Max lifts her hips and uses her hands to help me shove them down to her knees. Dropping back to the bed, she lifts her legs into the air so I can strip them the rest of the way off.
Before she can drop her legs, I grip the backs of her knees and push them into her chest. Dipping low, I push my tongue inside her and groan at how wet and hot and delicious she is. Max barks out a shout at the unexpected invasion, then groans as I pump my tongue into her.
“Flynn,” she gasps. “Please. I need you.”
Pushing my tongue into her one last time, I withdraw and burrow through her slick flesh to tease her clit for a few beats before pulling back and releasing her legs. Her feet hit the mattress with a thud as I back off the bed completely to strip out of my shorts and underwear.
I’m back in a flash, settling my hips between her thighs and lining my cock up with her entrance. We both moan with relief as I drive my hips forward, spearing her to the hilt in one smooth thrust. Pulling back out to the tip, I roll my hips as I push back in, making Max gasp with pleasure.
Despite the frenzy of before, I move slowly. Tenderly. I want her to feel my devotion. My tenderness. My obsession.
My love.
And when we come, we come together in glorious synchronicity, and we don’t even bother to get cleaned up before we snuggle together and fall into a deep, sated sleep.