Wrong Idea (So Wrong, It's Good #4)

3. Max

three

max

“Stan, I told you I got it.” I huffed, walking out of my apartment.

“You sure, kid?” he asked. I could tell by the tone in his voice he was nervous. “Mr. Storm really didn’t want anyone in his space, but whatever you did in his room yesterday impressed him.”

“You make it sound dirty.” I laughed, teasing my boss. “I didn’t do anything out of the ordinary. Nothing special.” By the looks of it, the older Storm brother was easily impressed. Which didn’t make sense with how everyone talked about him.

“Either way, kid, I owe you. This is big. As much of a pain as he is, he doesn’t ask us to do much for him. Much less send someone to clean his space. The only reason I did last night was because he was finally gone and I wanted to make sure the place didn’t look like a pigsty.”

“It wasn’t the worst I’ve seen.” I shrugged. Over the years, I had pitched in to help in almost every department, but usually housekeeping. I liked Bertie and working side by side with her. She always had some kind of inspiring thing to say about life. The bell over the door of Pine and Grind chimed.

“You getting coffee?” Stan asked, knowing me all too well.

“I’m going to need it. Want me to bring you anything?” I offered, knowing Stan was a huge coffee junkie.

“Na, I’m good.” He shifted, and his voice dropped so no one else would hear him. “Believe it or not, the boss is treating everyone. Want me to get you your order so you can save a couple bucks?”

“No.” I grinned at his shenanigans. It was funny but sweet, the way he looked out for me. “I’m okay, Stan. Plus, I need my caffeine now and not a couple of hours from now.”

“I get it. Okay, then, see you later. Be safe.”

“Always,” I whispered before he ended the call. I slipped my phone into my back pocket and looked around

Pine and Grind was always busy. From locals to the few tourists who came to visit our little mountain town, they had been a hit from day one. When I took a deep breath, it didn’t take a genius to know why. The scent of delicious brewed coffee swirling in the air with sweet pastries I knew were freshly baked every morning filled my lungs and put a content smile on my face. I breathed in again and frowned. That manly scent that reminded me of the man who had been all too great with his hands wafted into my nose. I turned around, and my eyes widened at who was in line, two people behind me.

Quickly, I turned around. Oh my god! It’s him. Car .

I turned again, as subtly as I could, but this time, those blue eyes of his connected with mine and he smiled. Dressed in a navy-blue hoodie and dark gray joggers, he looked hot. Wow. He’d practically seen me naked. I still couldn’t believe it. I smiled at him. Did he recognize me from the massage a couple of days ago? I knew the spa wasn’t as busy as it had been once upon a time, but they did get some appointments. What if he doesn’t even remember me?

“Next!” the barista called out, snapping me out of my delusional state.

Who cared if he knew who I was? I’d been a client. Nothing more. It wasn’t his fault I had never been touched by anyone and now all I could think about was his big hand gliding up and down my body with a firm but tender touch.

I hurried and moved up, ordering my coffee along with a chocolate croissant, then moved towards the counter where you picked up your things. I stared at the ground as if it would somehow tell me what to do next. Should I go and say hi? How embarrassing would that be?

“Hey, Max, right?” his deep voice said, and when I looked up, I couldn’t help but smile. Right in front of me, a mere couple of inches away, there he was. All tall and handsome. The scruff he’d had on his face had filled in almost like he hadn’t shaved, or maybe he was growing a beard. I’d never thought about facial hair being hot or not, but right then and there, looking at him, I couldn’t think of anything sexier. Would it tickle if he kissed me or dragged his lips along my neck?

“Max?”

“Hi!” I yelped, shutting my eyes for a moment to get myself together. When I opened them, I laughed awkwardly. “Yeah, umm, yes, it’s Max. Nice to see you again, Car.” I extended my hand like a nerd. He took it with a seriously sexy smirk on his lips.

“Nice to see you again, too. Come here often?”

“I do.” I nodded. “I live just across the street in one of the studio apartments above the grocery store.” I was spewing all sorts of things right and left.

“Oh yeah? How do you like them?”

“I love mine. I mean, it’s small, and I wished I had a little more space, but I can’t complain. I have a great bay window that looks out to the lake,” I shared, again probably too much, but he didn’t seem to mind.

“That sounds cool. I was going to go take a look at them.”

“Oh? Are you looking for a new place?”

“Something like that, yeah.” He nodded. “How are you feeling after, umm, your massage?”

“Good. Great, actually.” Expect I have been going bonkers thinking about you. “I was contemplating booking another appointment.”

“Oh, that’s good.” He nodded. “I’m actually not going to be there,” he shared, and my smile dropped. He was leaving the spa?

“You’re not?” I couldn’t hide the disappointment in my voice. Of course, I’d meet a new guy in town, and he’d be leaving.

“No, I’m, uh, starting my own thing,” he shared, and just like that, hope sparked in my delusional little heart.

“Oh! Like a mobile service?” He stared at me like a deer caught in headlights. “Car?” I called out his name.

“Something like that.”

“Oh! That’s cool! Do you have a number?” I had no idea where this smooth operator was coming from, but I wasn’t going to question it. I slipped my phone out of my pocket and stared at him. “Maybe I could be one of your first clients on your new venture?” I suggested.

“Right, of course.” He took my phone and put in his information. Before I knew it, his phone rang, and he smiled. “I called myself so I could have your number as well. Hope you don’t mind.”

“Not at all,” I answered softly. We stood there, staring at one another. Is it my imagination or are we drifting closer?

“Max!” the barista behind me called so loudly, it made me jump.

“Here, I got you.” He winked before he walked to get my order. My eyes couldn’t help themselves as I checked him out. His broad shoulders and strong arms with a cute butt. “Here you go.” He handed me my coffee and treat.

But before I could say thank you, they called out his name. I stood there, almost positive he would get his things, wave at me, and go. Men didn’t pursue me. Especially older men like he was.

But still, I stood there, like a schoolgirl with a crush. I watched as his big hand grabbed the coffee cup. Hands I knew firsthand felt good. My heart was ready to drop to the ground, sure he would leave, and I more than likely wouldn’t see him again.

Instead, he turned right back around and headed straight back to me. My heart rate picked up as he made it over with a shy sort of smile.

“I should go.” Be the one who leaves first. “Well, I guess, umm…” I started to say but couldn’t string the right words together. I didn’t want to go. I wanted to hang out and talk to him.

“Would you like to hang out?” he asked, and I blinked.

“Hang… out?” I asked like a complete nerd. That is exactly what I want! Why aren’t I jumping at the chance?

“Yeah. Maybe walk around town, drink our coffee?” he suggested. It was innocent enough. Walking around the main area of town would be nice, not to mention safe.

“You want to do that?” I asked, hating how my voice cracked.

“I have to be honest with you, Max,” he said, and I stood there looking up at the most beautiful pair of blue eyes I’d ever seen.

“Okay?”

“I haven’t been able to stop thinking about you,” he blurted, and if I wasn’t imagining it, his cheeks brightened in shade as if he was blushing.

“Really?” I whispered. I hadn’t been able to stop thinking about him, either.

“Really,” he confirmed, nodding his head, moving in just a little closer. Close enough, I could feel the heat radiating from his body, but not enough for him to touch me.

“Okay,” I found myself saying.

It was stupid.

If this guy was thinking about me, there was no way he was thinking rainbows and butterflies and forevers. For all I knew, he wanted to hook up because he’d guessed I was a virgin. Looking at him, I couldn’t decide if he gave off player vibes or not. He was older and obviously put together. Or old enough he knew how to make it seem that way.

I had a million and one things to do before heading to the ski resort early.

Orders to put together, laundry to separate and get ready for me to heft over to the laundromat the next morning, and new pages to design. But I knew without a doubt, right or wrong, I wasn’t going to get anything done because I was going on a walk with the only man who had ever called my attention.

“Okay. Let’s go for a walk.” I smiled, and his broad shoulders relaxed like he had been holding his breath waiting for my answer.

His free hand moved to the small of my back as we walked out of the coffee shop and stepped onto Main Street. We started to walk, but I noticed he moved so he would be closer to the street. Is he doing the sidewalk rule? I wondered to myself. I’d only heard about it and seen reels about it on my social media posts. I’d thought it was a fake thing. But maybe it wasn’t.

“Would you like some?” I asked, offering him some of my chocolate croissant.

“Sure.” He nodded, and I smiled. I liked that he went for it. After I pulled him off a piece, we both bit into the flakey treat almost at the same time. I couldn’t help the moan that escaped my lips.

“These are good,” he grunted.

“If you think these are good, just wait until my friend opens her bakery!”

“Oh yeah?”

“Yeah! Oli is a fantastic baker, has the best croissants. Though, I think I like her almond ones more than her chocolate ones.”

“Oli, huh?”

“Yeah, I work with her, umm, back at the resort.”

“You work there?” he asked, and I nodded while looking ahead because I got nervous looking at him. How was someone so good looking? All tall, dark, and handsome with muscles I wanted to grab on to. Older and what felt wiser. I felt like a nobody next to him.

It was midweek and still early enough Main Street wasn’t busy. Just a few people out and about here and there.

“Yeah. I’ve worked there since I was sixteen.”

“Wow, and you’re how old now?”

“Twenty-four, almost twenty-five in a couple of months, actually.”

“Nice. I’m, umm…” His arm rose, and he ran his fingers through his thick dark hair. “Forty-two.”

“Oh yeah? Have you always been a masseuse or?—“

“No, that, umm, that’s new.” He cleared his throat.

“So, you’re new to town?” I asked, and he nodded.

“Yeah. My brothers talked me into coming here, and I don’t know… there was something about Moonlit Pines that kinda grew on me.”

“I get it. I sometimes think if I hadn’t been born and raised here and would have found it, I would have stayed, too.”

“Born and raised, huh? Never moved away? Not for college or…”

“I didn’t go, actually.” I inwardly cringed at myself. “I, umm…” His hand touched the small of my back and he led us towards a bench off to the side of the old hardware store. “Thanks,” I whispered.

We sat down next to one another. The bench wasn’t huge, and he was a big guy, so our thighs pressed together. I kinda liked it.

“College isn’t for everyone.” He shrugged, glancing at me from over his shoulder.

“I wanted to go,” I shared. “But my mom died when I was sixteen. Just a little bit after I started at the resort, actually. That, umm, kinda limited my choices.”

“Your dad didn’t want you to go far?”

“Oh no! Umm…” Now I was the on blushing. “He was never really in the picture after I was born. My sister is two years older, and she was long gone. I kinda just got stuck here. But not in a bad way.”

“Really?”

“Yup. I mean… do you know Stan at the resort?”

“The manager?” he guessed, and I nodded. “He helped me out. He caught on that I was sleeping in the laundry room after my shifts before school started. He’d tell me what room was available so I could rest and take a shower. He even let me keep some of my things in an old shed out in the back end of the resort.”

“He did, huh?”

“Yeah, but, umm, that was a long time ago. Don’t go tell on him or anything. I’m sure that would get him in trouble with the new owners somehow.” I rolled my eyes with a sigh.

“Why do you say that?” he asked, his body tense beside mine. Maybe I was sitting too close to him and made him uncomfortable?

“I don’t know.” I shrugged.

“Have you met them?” he asked with a tense edge to his voice.

“No. Not really. I mean, I was at the employee meeting with the brother who does human resources, but the big guy? Nope.”

“Big guy?” he asked.

“The head honcho,” I explained

“Why is that?” he asked, and when I turned, I wasn’t surprised to find him staring at me. What did surprise me was how comfortable I felt around him. How easy he was to talk to. “I don’t know. Everything I’ve heard about him is kinda… scary.”

“Scary?”

“Intimidating? I don’t know. Everyone at the resort I work with has some kind of story about how mean he is. How he gets in fights with the contractors.”

“Fights?” He chuckled and shook his head before taking a sip of his coffee. “I don’t know. He might not be that bad?”

“You think?”

“I mean, I don’t think anyone could be mean to you.”

“Me?” I laughed. “Why is that?”

“I don’t know.” He shrugged, and those big biceps of his rose and fell. “You’re sweet,” he noted, and I rolled my eyes.

“How do you know that? You just met me. For all you know, I could be the meanest, most annoying person around,” I teased. His eyes glittered with amusement before they turned serious.

“I highly doubt that, princess,” he said confidently, and everything inside me went all gooey. Princess? It felt like he could see right through me. Like I knew him somehow, even though I knew there was no way.

“Well, umm… you’re not too bad yourself,” I complimented. Are we flirting? Am I any good at it?

We continued to talk about easy things.

Favorite things like colors, movies, and foods. I suggested some places in town to try out. Before I knew it, the alarm on my phone went off.

“Shit,” I muttered, taking my phone from my pocket and silencing it.

“What’s wrong?” he asked.

“Nothing.” I shook my head. Time flies when you’re having fun. “I just… I have to go in early to the resort.”

“Oh.” I could see the disappointment in his eyes. It matched mine. I didn’t want to walk away and stop hanging out. I liked him. Car was sweet, and there was something about the way he looked at me, like he really saw me.

“Umm… Would you like to come with me to my place?” I asked and then blushed because I could only imagine how that sounded.

“Your place?” Was it my imagination or did his voice drop an octave?

“You mentioned you were thinking about looking at apartments,” I started to explain, hoping it didn’t make him think I had invited him over for a hookup or something. “I was thinking you could you check out the layout of mine. I mean, if you don’t mind the mess?” I rambled, but something in his gaze changed. His blue eyes turned softer, warmer.

“Not at all. I’d like that,” he agreed, and my heart felt like it skipped a beat.

“Okay.” I smiled. We both stood, and when out hands bumped into one another, I gasped softly. But he didn’t seem fazed by it. Without missing a beat, Car took my hand in his and tangled his talented fingers with mine. “Lead the way, beautiful.” I felt my face heat up, but I didn’t say anything.

We simply walked the two blocks to my place and, without losing his hand, I led us straight to my apartment. I was glad I had cleaned up a little on my day off after my massage. When we reached my door, he took my keys from me and opened the door for me like a complete gentleman. I walked in and showed him my small studio.

“As you can see, it’s not much, but it’s spacious. Oh, and if you come over here…” I walked to the back window that faced the lake, “the view is stunning.”

“It sure is,” he murmured, and when I looked behind me, he wasn’t looking out the window but right at me.

“Car…” I licked my lips. He stepped forward, and I turned. My hand touched his chest. I felt the muscles twitch and flex beneath my palm. He was so tall, so much taller than my five-foot-nothing height, I had to stretch my neck to look up at him.

“Car.” My voice softened as I stared into the most beautiful blue eyes I’d ever looked at. His big hand rose and skimmed ever so lightly against the side of my face.

“Tell me you feel this, Max,” he rasped. “Please tell me I’m not the only one who hasn’t been able to stop thinking about you.”

“Car––“

“I can’t do anything,” he groaned, almost like he was in pain. “All I can do is think about your eyes and your smile and voice.”

“Voice?” I whispered with a soft laugh. “I sound like a mouse.”

“You sound like an angel.” His hand slipped to the back of my head, stroking my wavy hair. “You sound and look like an angel. I can’t tell you how much I’ve been going out of my mind thinking about you. I’ve been kicking myself in the ass for not getting your number. I swear, every time my phone pings now, I know I’ll be hoping it’s you.”

“You have it now.”

“I do.” He nodded, his head slowly dipping forward. Ohmygod! Is he going to kiss me? I hoped he would. His lips hovered a whisper away from mine. “Car…” I whispered his name. I didn’t know him, not really, but there was something lying just beneath the surface that pulled me to him. drew out this primal, almost feral, side out of me.

“Can I kiss you, beautiful?” his deep voice rumbled, sending goose bumps up and down my body.

“Yes,” I answered without needing to think. I wanted him to take me into his arms and kiss me. His hand rose to touch my face so tenderly my lips tingled.

“You’re so soft. Your entire body is soft, baby girl,” he whispered. First princess, then beautiful, and now baby girl? This guy had an arsenal of sweet nicknames to get me drunk on. His lips dropped closer to mine all while reminding me he had seen me naked. Not that I needed to be reminded. It was all I could think about.

“Car,” I sighed, swaying closer.

“You’re such a good girl.” My pussy clenched tightly at his words. There was something sexy about this older man calling me his good girl. It made me want to call him something, too.

Before I let the word slip past my lips, his touched mine, and everything in my mind went blank. Nothing existed past him and me and his lips on mine. His hands cupped my face tenderly, which was a big contrast to the firm way his lips took mine.

“Max. God, baby,” he groaned. I loved how deep his voice sounded. Car’s tongue swiped at my lips, and I parted them for him, mewling when his tongue skimmed against mine. His fingers drove deeper into my hair, tugging it close to the scalp, making me moan louder.

His hands dropped from my face and went to my ass. They clenched around the globes of my butt with the perfect grip, and I pressed my front closer to him. God, it felt good. He felt good. It was like he had touched me a million times and had learned my body from hours upon hours of research.

He surprised me, lifting me up like I weighed nothing at all. My legs wrapped around his waist instinctively. I gasped when I felt a very big, very thick length pressed between my legs.

“Car,” I whispered.

“Fucking hell, baby girl,” he muttered, kissing his way from my lips down to my neck. “Been dying to taste you, Max. Thought your kisses would be sweet, but you’re delectable, princess. Sweeter than I could have ever imagined, and daddy has a great imagination.”

“Yes,” I hissed when I felt his tongue drag long my pulse point at my neck. I had no idea why, but the name suited him.

“Daddy,” I whimpered, the word slipping past my lips easily, sounding right to call him that. Exactly what I had been biting away just mere seconds ago. Or had it been minutes? Time stopped existing.

“Fuck.” My back pressed against the wall, and the photos shook beside me, but I didn’t care. They could fall and crash on the ground for all I cared. My body felt like it was on fire. “Let me make you feel good,” he groaned. His kisses were rough, so much I hoped they’d leave marks I could look at after he left for a reminder that this had really happened.

“You already did,” I whimpered softly without meaning to. He pulled away to look at me, silently asking me to explain. My lips pressed together before I licked them. “During the massage. The way you touched my body…” My cheeks heated up.

“Did my sweet girl come home and do something naughty after daddy touched her?” His filthy words made me wetter. Silken heat pooled between my legs, and all I could do was nod. “Fuck.” His eyes shut tightly before he pulled me away from the wall. “We’re going to do this right.”

“We are?” I asked, not sure if I was disappointed at him not taking me right then and there against the wall or excited for whatever he had planned.

“Yes.” He nodded, stealing a kiss, then another. “Daddy needs you, baby.” His lips drank from mine. I met him stroke for stroke. My hands tangled with the back of his head, holding on to him tightly, afraid of him slipping past my fingers and waking up to this whole thing being some kind of amazing dirty dream.

Carefully, like I was made of expensive crystal, he set me down. My knees felt weak as I stood in front of him, waiting and ready for anything. But I wasn’t afraid of falling. Not when his eyes silently told me he’d catch me if I stumbled.

I hadn’t been a never-been-kissed virgin for any particular reason other than the fact that in my teen years, I was busy trying to simply survive, living day by day to keep a roof over my head and food in my belly. As I got older and more settled, meeting people had never been a priority or easy for me. But maybe, everything had happened for a reason? Maybe I’ve been unknowingly waiting for him?

Without a word spoken between us, he took every piece of clothing off me. I’d only been naked in front of him, but even then, I’d been covered with a sheet. I should have been shy or embarrassed. In broad daylight, there wasn’t a stretch mark or stray hair he could miss. But none of that mattered with the way his gaze ate me up I could only stand there. Proudly letting his eyes enjoy me as much as I was enjoying being looked at. It was crazy. None of it made sense.

But when you met someone who was meant to be in your life, things didn’t have to make sense, right?

“Fuck,” he cursed, his hands stroking the sides of my body. From my shoulders down to my arms and torso to my hips. I doubted there was an inch of my skin that wasn’t gooseflesh, that didn’t have every nerve ending standing at attention for him. “You’re so fucking beautiful,” he rasped, dropping to his knees before me. When his lips touched my belly, the muscles beneath quivered.

“Car… I purred.

“You know what to call me, baby,” he roughly spoke, “It’s just you and me here. Say it. Call me what we both know feels right, honey,” he encouraged, kissing that very spot again just as his hands started to rub the muscles of my butt cheeks. He pulled me in closer, my thighs pressed together for some kind of relief.

“Daddy,” I whispered, trembling beneath his touch. I felt his smile against my flesh as he kept peppering little kisses here and there.

“Good girl.” His lips dropped lower to my public bone. “You smell so damn good. Are you wet for daddy, baby?” A choked, almost strangled sound bubbled out of me. My chest fell and rose like I had gone on a sprint. His eyes rose, and mine flared. His hands moved to the inside of my thighs.

“Just like that, princess. Keep those pretty eyes on me, Max baby,” he ordered, and I swallowed. It was impossible not to let myself drown in his gaze. Warm and soft yet hard. Masculine fingers skimmed my lower lips with the lightest touch. “Look at this little clit.” One of his hands dropped to the back of my knee like he could tell I was having a hard time standing up.

I felt like I was on fire from the inside out.

Without thinking, I parted my legs, quietly trying to give him more access to my body so he could touch me like I needed him to. “You want daddy to touch you, don’t you?”

“Please,” I whispered so softly I wasn’t sure I’d actually said it out oud.

“Has anyone ever touched this pretty little diamond?” His mouth was so close, his warm breath fluttered against the bundle of nerves that ached.

“No.” I swallowed. “Only me. I haven’t… I haven’t done much. You were… you were my first kiss,” I shared and worried I’d messed up when he froze and gazed up at me.

“How is that even fucking possible?” he asked, standing up, making me want to cry at the loss of his mouth so close to where I needed him. “Baby…”

“Just, umm…” Embarrassment and self-consciousness flooded through me. “I, umm… I should, umm, it was just life. Life and, umm…”

“No.” He shook his head then lifted me up and gently settled me on the bed. “You saved all this for me. Fucking hell, I knew you were made for me, baby, but, Jesus… never in a million years would I have thought…” He cursed again, pressing his forehead against mine, covering my body with his.

“Car, umm… please, Daddy, I ache,” I whined, surprised that I was asking for what I needed for the first time from someone.

“You ache,” he growled. “We can’t have that, can we, pretty girl.” I shook my head, and something came over me. Boldly, bolder than I thought was possible, I spread my legs as he rolled to the side of me and cupped my breasts.

“Please,” I begged.

“Shit,” he hissed. This time, he didn’t miss a beat. His lips and hands gave my body attention. He took one nipple into his mouth, latching on and suckling like he could actually draw milk while one hand cupped the other and rolled and pinched that nipple with his fingers. The sensations were too much. My hands clenched the sheets beneath me and wetness coated my thighs. Before I could ask him to touch me, almost like he could read my mind, his hand left my breast and made its way to where I needed him most. “Tell me you want me to touch you.”

“Please, Daddy, touch me.”

“Fucking hell, sweetheart, that sounds so good. I’m going to make you feel so fucking good,” he promised. Everything was moving so fast and quickly, it made my head spin, but even though we hardly knew one another, I knew he could do just that.

“It hurts, Daddy,” I whined, my voice a little higher, needing him to do something. To touch me a little more.

“Daddy will make it all better, I promise.” I wasn’t the kind of woman who believed people easily, but I knew Car meant it. My head swam with sensations. His thick finger skimmed between my lips again, but this time, he didn’t stop. His thumb circled my swollen clit, making my toes curl. I gasped as his thick digit breached my entrance and started to enter me slowly. So slowly, I whimpered, begging for more. For faster. Not that he would give me what I wanted.

No, Car was a man of his word.

Slowly, like he was trying to make sure he didn’t hurt me by stretching me too quickly, he sawed his thick finger in and out of my body with the patience of a saint. Sweat started to slicken my naked body while he worked it up. In and out, slowly picking up the pace, but it wasn’t enough. I needed more. My back arched off the mattress and my feet flattened as I spread my legs wider so I could take him deeper.

“Good girl,” he praised, and I felt like I glowed from his sweet words. His touch and deep voice were alluring and addicting. “Max, you’re so fucking tight for daddy. Look at you opening nice and wide so daddy can stretch that pretty pussy.” He groaned. I clenched around his finger tightly, and he made an almost animalistic sound.

When he slipped his finger out, I thought I might have done something to upset him, but he simply added another, scissoring them inside until I was about to cry out. I was so close, the orgasm he had built up paused, but not for long. Not when he did a come-hither motion inside of me, touching a space no one, not even myself or my toys, had reached.

Everything, I mean everything, went blank.

Beautiful, bright fireworks burst behind my eyes as my head crashed and my body convulsed as my sex milked his fingers in deeper, like I couldn’t get enough of him. The crest of the orgasm reached higher and higher, and when I fell, it was beautiful. Indescribable pleasure washed over me, making me scream out for him.

“Daddy!” I shouted. My fingers gripped what I thought were the sheets, but when I opened my eyes, I realized it was his hoodie.

His dark blue eyes gleamed up at me, his chin shiny with my essence. He licked his lips like he had done all that and still couldn’t get enough of me. His hands moved up and down my body as he shifted on my bed, settling me into his side. His body heat seeped right into me, and when I shivered at how good he felt next to me, he pulled up a throw blanket I kept on the bed and covered me up. I snuggled into him. I had no idea why, but in that moment, everything was right in the world despite the things I needed to get done.

All too soon, an alarm rang on my phone, and he glanced down at me.

“I have to go to work,” I whispered, suddenly feeling a little shy.

“Okay,” he whispered back but didn’t move. If anything, he scooted forward, rolling us so I would straddle him, the blanket still wrapped around me. “I want to see you again.” I opened and shut my mouth. I wanted to agree more than I’d ever wanted anything for myself, but I was a realist. My free time was limited.

“I don’t know, Car. You’re starting a business, and I have work and then?—“

“If I get onto the resort tonight, you think you could escape and see me?”

“At the resort?” I squeaked, my eyes wide like saucers.

“At the resort.” He nodded.

“It could be risky.” I giggled and then made a face.

“What is it?”

“It’s… it’s nothing.” His hand rose and stroked the apples of my cheeks.

“What is it? Tell me.”

“I have to go clean up the boss’ office today,” I shared. The nervousness dripped from my voice. “I’m not sure how bad that place is going to be or what he will be like.”

“The boss, huh?”

“Yeah,” I sighed. “Did you meet him when you worked there?”

“Umm.” He shrugged, and I nodded, taking that as he’d probably had as much interaction with him as I had.

“I’ve heard he’s a jerk. Like, he’s the absolute worst.”

“You have?” I nodded.

“He’s mean to everyone.”

“I don’t think he’s mean to everyone.”

“No, he is. Even accounting has mentioned it, and Julia is the biggest sweetheart you could ever meet.” His lips pressed into a thin line. “Hopefully, he isn’t there today and doesn’t micromanage, or worse?—“

“What could be worse than micromanaging?” he asked, and I smiled.

“Oh, to be a man. A micromanaging creep. The kind that gets all handsy and wants you to polish things on high shelves.”

“Has anyone ever asked you to do that?” he asked sternly, obviously not liking that. It only made me fall even harder.

“Twice,” I shared with a face. “The two last owners were kinda gross. They didn’t cross any lines exactly, but… you weren’t comfortable when they watched you and asked you to pick things up you knew they dropped on purpose.”

“Dicks,” Car gritted through his teeth. “I doubt he would be that way.”

“Who knows?” I sighed, dread growing in my belly. “But it’s a job. One I can’t lose. Not yet. Not without something else lined up.”

“You won’t. I’ll meet you by the lake tonight at eleven. Deal?”

“Okay,” I shocked myself by agreeing.

“Yeah?” He grinned, touching my face with that tender caress I knew I would be craving later.

“Car?”

“Yes, baby?”

“You know that what we did? Umm… it’s not something I do. When I invited you up?—“

“I know.” He brushed his nose against mine. “You’re mine, Max.” I shivered at the possessive hint in his tone.

“You hardly know me,” I whispered. Everything inside of me yelled at me to shut up. Why was I trying to talk him out of something?

“I know you,” he drawled before pulling back. His eyes locked with mine, and I couldn’t look away. Just staring at him, hardly knowing him, I could see there was a lot going on behind his dark blue gaze. There was also a touch of something my poor na?ve heart wanted to believe in.

“We just met,” I whispered, leaning in closer to his touch.

“I know, but it feels like I’ve known you forever. Or like I’ve been waiting for you. Does that make any sense?” he asked, and I blinked. If he wasn’t genuine, he was the world’s best actor.

“It does,” I admitted out loud. There was something different about Car, and it wasn’t because he had just made me see the stars in the sky, either.

“I like you. A lot. And I know what we did, shit, baby, we went really fast, and if you wanna slow down, we can. I just want a chance.”

“Okay,” I agreed easily, no need to overthink, and kissed him.

Everything in the world shifted in that moment. Despite having to leave and go off to do a million things I really didn’t want to do, suddenly, the day seemed better. Clearer. Everything made more sense.

“I’ll see you at eleven,” I whispered against his lips before rolling away, taking the blanket with me and hurrying to get ready for work.

When we left, I was in such a hurry and in the middle of a cloud of bliss, I never realized I didn’t lock my front door.

Or that the key to my place was missing from my keychain.