Chapter 10
Chapter Ten
W hile Juliette sat at the table in his destroyed dining room, editing the footage from the day, he headed outside to hose off the layers of dust and sweat. When he came back inside refreshed, she was still bent over the laptop and was chuckling to herself.
“I wasn’t that bad was I?” he asked, pulling up a chair next to her.
She glanced over and shook her head. “No, Palmer just dropped the hammer on his foot. Some of the curses are just… Well, here, watch.”
Max leaned in, watching the screen as Juliette replayed the footage. The camera had caught the exact moment Palmer lost his grip on the hammer, sending it straight onto his foot. A string of colorful curses followed, some of which Max was fairly certain weren’t even in English.
“Damn,” Max muttered, shaking his head. “I didn’t know he could even put words together like that.”
Juliette snorted. “Neither did I.” She rewound it again, letting it play at half speed this time.
Max chuckled as Palmer’s face contorted in pain just as the hammer made contact. The man stumbled back, hopping on one foot as Parker and one of the other guys burst out laughing in the background.
“Well,” Max said, smirking, “at least we know his foot’s not broken if he could still jump around like that.”
Juliette leaned against him slightly as she adjusted the camera settings. “I should edit this into a blooper reel.”
Max cocked his head. “You planning on publicly humiliating the guy?”
“Only a little,” she teased, grinning up at him. “Think of it as motivation for him to be more careful.”
He chuckled, shaking his head. “Remind me to never get caught doing something dumb on camera around you.”
She smirked. “Oh, it’s too late for that. I’ve got plenty of footage.”
Max groaned playfully, dragging a hand down his face. “Great. So, what’s the damage?”
Juliette tapped her chin, pretending to think. “Hmm… a few times where you forgot the camera was rolling and talked to yourself. One moment where you absolutely butchered the measurements for the cabinets?—”
“Hey, in my defense, that was Parker’s bad math,” he interjected.
“Sure it was,” she said with a wink.
He exhaled dramatically. “I’m doomed.”
She laughed and turned her focus back to the laptop, adjusting clips and cutting together the next segment of the video. Max watched her for a moment, admiring the way her brows furrowed slightly in concentration, the soft way she bit her lip when she was deep in thought.
“You’re really good at this,” he said after a beat, nudging her lightly.
She glanced up, a little surprised. “At what?”
“All of it. Filming, editing, making this whole project come to life.” He nodded towards the screen. “It’s not just a bunch of construction shots—you make it feel like a story. And people love that. You’d do great in Hollywood.”
A faint blush crept up her neck, and she ducked her head. “Well, it helps when you’ve got interesting subjects.”
He smirked. “Flattery will get you everywhere, you know.”
She laughed, shaking her head. “Oh, trust me, I know.”
Max glanced out the dark window, then into his kitchen. They’d made good progress today, and with the upper cabinets in, they were one step closer to finishing the space.
But right now, sitting here next to Juliette, watching her work, he realized something.
This—these quiet moments, the teasing, the way she made the chaos of this project feel like something more—was just as important as all the renovations they were doing.
And if he wasn’t careful, he was going to fall for her even harder than he already had.
“Stay here tonight,” he blurted out quickly.
Her head jerked towards him, and her eyebrows arched as her eyes met his.
“I mean, if you want,” he added, suddenly feeling stupid. He opened his mouth to say something else, anything else, but before he could, she rushed towards him and placed her lips over his.
“I thought you’d never ask,” she said against his mouth. “Max?”
“Hmm?” he mumbled against her neck as he rained tiny kisses over her heated skin.
“Take me upstairs.”
He stilled at her words. “I still don’t really have a bed.” He frowned at her.
She chuckled and shrugged. “Then take me to the sofa.”
“I should have thought—” he started, but she stopped him by placing her lips over his.
“Stop thinking,” she whispered. “I don’t need a bed. Honest.” She proved it by moving over him and straddling his lap while her mouth brushed over his. “All I need is you,” she added as his hands moved over her hips and then further up, slowly. He held onto her.
The force of what she was doing to him almost knocked him down. So many times in his life he’d chased this exact feeling, with so many disappointments. Now, here, with her, he knew that he’d found that missing piece that had been so elusive.
Her nails scraped against his skin as she pulled his shirt from him. Then she ran her fingertips over his skin, exploring every muscle slowly.
He explored her as well, running his hands up and down her sides, her hips, enjoying her curves and the soft feeling of her body rubbing against his.
The speed quickened. The desire doubled. Neither of them could move fast enough.
When his patience ran out and he wanted—no, needed—more, he hoisted her up and carried her to the sofa with her legs wrapped around his hips.
He laid her down on the sofa, and she wrapped her arms around his neck and pulled him down to her. This time, her kiss was soft, tender, and spoke of her wants.
The last thing he wanted to do was disappoint her. Keeping their lips connected, he started removing her clothes as she continued to tug at his.
Her shirt disappeared, then their shoes, followed by their pants, until they were lying together in just their undergarments. The sexy, soft pink material that covered her made his mouth water.
Dipping low, he ran his mouth over it, wetting it, enjoying the way her nipples puckered underneath. When he nudged the material aside and took her into his mouth, she arched as her fingers dug into his hair.
When he cupped her, she cried out his name and stilled.
He’d never experienced anything like it before in his life.
“Max,” she sighed, and pulled him back up to her mouth. “Don’t make me wait.”
“No,” he agreed and then felt around for his jeans and the condom he kept in his wallet. She leaned up and quickly removed her bra and panties while he sheathed himself.
Then he shifted lower and settled between her thighs, his lips covering her pussy. Her nails dug into his shoulders, pulling him down towards her. He took his time, enjoying the taste of her, building her back up, enjoying the soft sounds she was making as she rubbed her body against his.
His fingers were slick as he slid in and out of her slowly. Her hips circled with each thrust.
“Juliette,” he growled against her skin, “you’ll be the death of me.” He shifted up to cover her again and she laughed.
“You make me feel alive,” she said, pulling back and locking eyes with him. “No one has ever made me feel like this before.”
He nodded in agreement, too consumed by what she was doing to him to string words together. Fear of saying the wrong thing spiked.
He’d never been at a loss of words. This was the first time. Yeah, no one had ever made him feel like this before either.
When her nails dug into his hips, forcing him closer to her, he went willingly, slipping into her like they were meant for one another.
He could have sworn the earth shifted and slowed. With each heartbeat, every breath, ever moan of delight, he drew closer to the edge of no return. Then he felt her convulsing around him and with a burst of bright light and a cry of freedom, they both fell over together.
“I am never moving again,” he groaned softly.
“You’d better. Soon,” she said against his shoulder. “There may be enough room on this thing for you at night, but I doubt I’d make it through an hour with your weight pinning me down.”
He rolled over quickly until she was spread out on top of his chest, making sure they didn’t land on the floor.
“Better?” he asked, running his hands slowly over her soft curves.
“This will do for a while. Until we get hungry and remember your kitchen isn’t fully put back together.” She sighed and laid her head down on his chest. “Then I suppose we’ll have to head somewhere for dinner.”
“I’m working on the bedroom tomorrow. So that next time we do this, I’ll have a proper bed for you to enjoy,” he promised. “And I’ll make sure to move the new refrigerator and at least the microwave into the kitchen as well.”
She shifted and then looked down at him. “Don’t forget a shower.” She smiled and he felt his heart kick hard in his chest.
“Right.” He cupped her face and gently ran his thumb over her cheek. “I should have…”
She shook her head. “It’s like camping. I’ve roughed it plenty of times with my family over the years. I’m not like those Hollywood starlets that snap in half if someone doesn’t open a door for them.”
“No, you aren’t,” he said, grinning up at her. “It’s what first drew me to you.” He reached around and gripped her backside. “And this.”
She laughed. “You’re an ass man?”
He chuckled. “You make a pretty package in your work outfit.”
She rolled her eyes. “I had salsa all over my top.”
“I bet you would have tasted as good as you looked.” He leaned up and kissed her. “Just like now.”
She laughed but then his mouth covered hers and her laughter died and turned into a low moan.
“We’ll order delivery,” he said against her skin as she shifted above him and nodded in agreement. “Later.”
Heat. Passion. Juliette.
So many different things flooded his mind and his senses, and when she slid onto him, whispered his name, and melted around him, nothing could have held him back from falling completely.