Chapter 15
Chapter Fifteen
W hile Landon went on his run for the day, I hunted for one giant burnt marshmallow.
I didn’t find him in his room, so I wandered over to the bathroom, assuming he’d worked out that morning and was cleaning up. The locked door confirmed my suspicions.
So, I did what any girl would do.
Ran back to my room, found a bobby pin, and picked the lock. A trick my dad had taught me, which came in useful with these old-fashioned door handles.
But, because I wasn’t a complete brute, I knocked before opening the door.
“Bathroom’s taken,” Max growled from the other side.
I snorted, since that tone wasn’t the one he used with me, but rather, reserved for Kingston and Landon. “I’m coming in, so cover your parts if you don’t want to be ogled.”
“Quinn?” Yep. Softer tone. “Shit. The door’s locked. Give me just a?—”
I flung open the door and caught him rising from the tub.
With his arms braced on the sides, muscles taut from lifting his body weight, and bubbles dripping off his glorious expanse of bronzed skin, he belonged in an ad for ridiculously expensive shampoo or something.
I had no idea. My brain stopped functioning as soon as my eyes reached the bubbles zipping down his Adonis belt to cover his?—
“Princess?”
When I forced my eyes up and met his gaze, it surprised no one that he had a smirk on his face.
“Um…I was just…”
“Care to join me?”
I blinked at him, unsure why he had the ability to turn my brain to mush, but forced myself to go with it.
“Yes, please.”
There was absolutely no reason for me to hesitate instead of pulling my sleep shirt over my head.
Absolutely no reason to hide my body from him, but Mr. Carved From Stone had zero body fat and abs for days.
I had regular abs. Abs ready to ditch the party early, if they kept plying me with breakfast foods every time I requested them.
Maybe it was that. I wasn’t sure. But I shuffled my feet near the edge of the tub, peering over the rim like I was searching for his dick to distract him.
He huffed a laugh. “What are you doing?”
Then, he sniffed my head.
“What’s that smell?”
I jerked back, mouth dropping in fake outrage since he had to mean the scent of sex, and I had the gall to pretend I wasn’t covered in it. “Seriously, Max? Were you raised in a barn?”
“What?” He growled low in his throat, grabbing my wrist and tugging me toward him. “You smell fucking delicious. Get over here.”
He buried his face in my neck, and my mouth dropped open in surprise, a moan escaping as his tongue swiped over my neck.
“ Fuck me . Did you have another nightmare? It’s like you’re covered in pheromones or some shit.”
A laugh bubbled out of me, and he took that as confirmation.
“Aw, did my Princess wake up needy?” His large, very wet hand found my ass and tugged up my shirt. “I bet if I explore a bit, I’ll find you soaking wet for me, huh?”
“Yes,” I panted, bucking my hips toward his hand when he did exactly that.
His satisfied groan rumbled in my ear. “Baby girl, you’re fucking soaked.”
He teased his fingers over my slit, coating them with my arousal before skating up to find my clit. When he grazed it, I moaned louder. The needy cry echoed off the bathroom walls, and Max chuckled.
I couldn’t even fault him for being smug since I’d cleaned up after sex with Landon.
That was all for him.
“Max—”
“Get in here.”
He pulled me into the tub, sleep shirt and all.
I shrieked. Bubbles flew everywhere as I landed in his lap. “Max!”
“Shh,” he murmured against my neck, continuing his attack on it like he wanted to get to the center of one of those old lollipops. “You packed, like, fifty of those fucking shirts. You’ll be fine.”
“How did you know—Ohhh.”
Whatever I was about to ask was effectively silenced by his cock brushing my clit and his answering groan. “God, I want to bury myself inside you right now.”
His arms came around my back, sealing our bodies together as close as they could go without fully crossing that line.
If it wasn’t for the lingering soreness from Landon, and the inevitable ache that would come from Max Dread putting even just the tip of that motherfucking python inside me, I would’ve lobbied to take things further.
But, alas, my voice of reason reared its ugly head. Again .
“We can’t,” I blurted. “I mean, don’t get me wrong, I love your enthusiasm, but we need to talk, and I was just?—”
“Nope.” He smothered my words with a kiss.
“New rule, Princess. Under no circumstances, when I’m hard as a fucking rock and hell-bent on making you come, will either of us mention those other two.
I get it. Yeah, yeah. You’re theirs, too.
But as far as I’m concerned, they’re impotent eunuchs, and they’ve never touched you. You got me?”
I opened my mouth to argue, since impotent eunuch was an oxymoron, and I wanted him to know the truth. But Max cut off my argument by pushing his thumb inside me, curving it in a way that stroked exactly the right spot, while the heel of his hand applied pressure to my clit.
“You got me?” he asked again.
“Yeah,” I panted. “I fucking got you.” When he smirked, I rocked against his hand. “Now, make me come, you damn brute, or I’m describing their dicks in detail.”
He took his time working my body over, lathering soap over every inch of my skin as I rocked against him. The temptation to tilt my hips ever-so-slightly tugged at my core the longer he took care of me.
Needy, desperate for his touch between my legs, I groaned when his hand cupped my sex.
I buried my face in his neck, and when his touch traveled to my ass, I sank my teeth into his skin, careful to avoid the gold chain he wore.
It occurred to me to ask him about it, but when his thumb applied pressure between my cheeks, thoughts of all his dark promises to fuck my ass distracted me.
Burning up with desire, I had half a mind to let him.
But I was in no way ready for that.
When I thought he’d finally give me what I needed, he withdrew. Mouth popping open with indignation, I was about to make good on my threat, but before I brought up other dicks, Max pinned me against his.
“You have no idea how badly I want you.”
He secured his hold on me and stood up.
As surprise stole the response from my lip, my body reacted instead. I wrapped my legs around his waist and locked my arms around his neck, staring at him as intensely as he did me. His eyes didn’t leave mine, even as he grabbed a towel and wrapped it around my body.
“Max…”
After setting me on the counter, he dried my body and wrapped me fully in the towel. He placed a chaste kiss on my lips before scooping me into his arms, his eyes locked on mine.
My heart swelled with emotion as he lifted me into his arms and carried me to his bedroom. We hadn’t spent much time alone since coming to Pendragon, but something was building between us in our moments together. A foundation forming strong beneath the weight of all we carried.
I wanted that more than the intensity of our mutual attraction. More than the passion burning between us each time we touched. The need for more.
But…I definitely wanted that , too.
When Max kicked the door shut behind him, a sly grin tipped his lips and alerted me to mischief. I picked up on it seconds before he reached the bed.
And tossed me onto it.
“Hey!” I cried out as my butt hit the mattress with a bounce, the edges of my towel flying apart.
All the air in the room evaporated. Max lunged forward with a growl, his eyes darkening. Gripping my ankles, he tugged me to the edge of the bed.
As I lay there, stretched out on the bed in front of him, he towered over me, his gaze fixed between my parted thighs. His hand came up to the towel wrapped around his waist, drifting over his cock. A lazy squeeze of his hand widened my eyes as his low voice rumbled through me.
“Is this what you want, Princess?”
“Yes.” I wet my lips and stared as he stroked himself. “Yes, I want it.”
His eyes flashed to mine.
“I want you , Max.”
He chuckled, low and dark, like a wolf toying with its prey right before he consumed it. But that was what I wanted. I wanted him to consume me—wanted him to devour me.
His onyx gaze locked on my core. “And what about what I want?”
“Take it.” I panted. “It’s yours, too.”
When he tensed at the reminder that I wasn’t only his, my heart faltered. I pushed up onto my forearms, expecting him to stop.
But he leaned forward over the bed, bringing his face close but keeping his body just out of my reach.
“Oh, I plan to take what’s mine. As soon as The Quest is over, I’ll be so deep inside you, you’ll feel me all the way up in your chest.” He placed his hand over my left breast, covering my heart. “Right here.”
“I already feel you there, Max.”
He met my gaze, his stare melting my body. My heart soared as he took me by surprise and stepped back.
Then sank to his knees in front of me.
Gripping my thighs again, he dragged me toward him, his mouth, so hot it practically burned, latching onto my clit and bucking my hips off the bed.
He didn’t stop until I came apart. His lips, his tongue, his fingers digging into my legs—every eager touch and stroke over my body brought me to the edge quickly.
I clawed at the bedsheets as he scraped my inner thighs, his nails dragging across my skin and leaving a trail of fire in their wake. He didn’t stop when I cried out. He devoured me like he couldn’t stop, and my thighs clenched around his head.
Pleasure tore through me, stars bursting behind my eyelids as my body shook. I pulled his hair when the sensation became too much, pushing him back. The vibrations from his soft laugh rolled through my core, and I shuddered when he released me.
He didn’t rise to his feet, staying on his knees and bowing his head to rest his forehead on my thigh. Turning to rest his cheek on my flushed skin, he raked his gaze over me. A soft murmur of appreciation leaving his lips.
Our eyes met.
And I still wanted more.