Chapter Twelve
Twelve
It took Max a moment to realize that the lights had gone out.
He was a bit distracted by Stella’s mouth on his and the press of her soft curves against him. She also smelled good, although he wasn’t sure what it was he was smelling. Something floral maybe? It didn’t matter. He just knew that he liked it and wanted to inhale more of it.
Unfortunately, she pulled away, breaking their kiss, and he groaned. That was when he noticed that his room was incredibly dark, only the city lights brightening the space enough so he could make out Stella’s outline in front of him.
“Did you, by chance, forget to pay your electric bill?” Stella asked.
“My bills are on autopay, so no,” he said dryly.
Stella gasped with so much dramatic effect he knew it was just for show.
“Autopay?” she said. “You got money.”
Max shook his head and kissed her again quickly before pulling away.
“I should probably figure out what’s going on,” he said. “It doesn’t look like it’s a citywide blackout, but it might be the whole building.”
“Okay. I guess I’ll just wait for you here?”
Max placed his hands on her hips, guiding her to his bed, until she plopped down on the edge.
“Yes, stay right here until I get back,” he said. “No running away again. I might not want to come find you this time.”
He wasn’t sure, because he could barely make out the features on her face, but it looked like she was frowning.
Max had meant the throwaway line as a joke, or at least he thought he had. Now, though, he was beginning to think her leaving the club the other night bothered him more than he originally thought, and perhaps they needed to address it.
Stella obviously agreed.
“What do you mean run away again?” she asked. “I didn’t run away when I left Red as Sin.”
Max knew that if he wanted to have sex tonight he shouldn’t push the point, but he couldn’t seem to stop himself from saying, “When I went back to that room to find you, you were just gone. And you must’ve moved quick, too, because it’s not like I passed you, unless you purposely avoided me so I wouldn’t see you making a mad dash for the exit. ”
Now he was sure she was frowning.
“I didn’t see you,” she said. “If I did I would’ve said something. You were gone for a while, Max. What was I supposed to do, wait there forever?”
“No, of course not. I just meant—”
“Look, even if I had wanted to stay, when I got my phone I saw that my roommate had called me because she was locked out and feeling uncomfortable because some guy was watching her at the bodega. It was a good thing I left, and maybe if she hadn’t needed me I would’ve tried to find you, but I had to leave. And I won’t apologize for that.”
Well, now Max felt like an asshole.
“I’m sorry,” he said. He lowered himself to his knees so he was eye level with her, but she was looking everywhere but at him, her crossed arms a barrier between them.
“I’m sorry,” he said again. “I don’t know why I said it like that. You had every right to leave. I should’ve been prepared in the first place. I was just disappointed when I realized you’d left, and I don’t want you to leave now.”
Stella sighed. “I don’t want to leave either. But you came at me really hot just now and out of nowhere. I don’t love that.”
“I know, and I’m sorry,” he said again. “Clearly I was harboring some feelings about how things went down the other night, but that was stupid. I’d like to forget about that and start over now. Can we do that?”
The lights in his apartment suddenly flickered back on, making them both blink furiously in the bright light.
“Well, I guess your bills are on autopay after all,” Stella said.
“The backup generators must’ve kicked in,” Max said.
Stella still wasn’t looking at him, and Max was beginning to worry he’d ruined whatever was starting to happen between them.
“Stella?”
He hooked a finger under her chin, gently nudging up her head until her eyes met his again.
“What are you thinking?” he asked.
Stella let out a weak laugh before covering her face with her hands and then sliding them down until they rested flatly on her thighs.
“I’m thinking I’ve maybe rushed into something with someone I don’t even know, and I’m not even sure why.”
The words tumbled out of her in a rush, and it took Max a second to parse what she was saying.
“Stella, we don’t have to do anything tonight,” he said, covering her hands with his. “I’m fine with just ordering pizza and hanging out on my couch, getting to know you more.”
“But we’re supposed to have sex!”
Max knew he shouldn’t, but he couldn’t hold back the little chuckle that escaped him at this declaration. Stella glared at him.
“Don’t laugh. I’m serious.”
“I know, sorry,” Max said. Except he wasn’t because she looked quite adorable with her eyebrows furrowed, staring daggers at him. The look made him want to kiss her, but he held back, assuming that would only make her angrier.
“Why are we supposed to have sex?” Max asked instead. “Because it’s Friday?”
“No, smarty pants.” She flicked his shoulder in annoyance, and he must’ve been losing it because even that small touch made him desperate for more. “I just…I just thought I was ready. To have a casual hookup, I mean.”
Max studied her. He got the feeling she wasn’t telling him the full story, but he didn’t really think he was in a position to push.
They’d only known each other a couple days.
For all he knew, she’d just gotten out of a long relationship and he was supposed to be her rebound.
Or maybe she was still thinking about the fact that she worked for his brother and didn’t want to get too attached when things between them were already complicated.
Either way, Max was happy to take anything she was willing to give him, whether it be just tonight or something more. If the work thing became an issue, he could handle his little brother.
Taking her hands in his, he lightly squeezed until she looked at him again.
“What if, for tonight, we just casually hang out on my couch and maybe fool around a little?” he said. “And if it leads to sex, cool, but if not, that’s also cool.”
Stella chewed her lip, considering, so Max pressed on.
“We don’t have to do everything tonight,” he said. “We’ve already passed what would be considered a one-night stand. If you’re just looking for something casual, I can do that. Whether that’s just for tonight or a few days or even, dare I say, a week.”
Stella rolled her eyes at his attempt at a joke, but he could see the corners of her mouth begin to tip up in the hint of a smile.
“So, will you Netflix and maybe chill with me?”
Stella blew out a breath. “Yes, I will Netflix and maybe chill with you.”
That was all Max needed to hear to let himself finally lean forward and press a kiss to her lips. Stella laughed in surprise at first and then gave in to the kiss, and it was a little while before they came up for air and he was able to order them a pizza.
“I can’t believe you like New Girl,” Stella said.
Max watched as she pushed her empty plate onto the coffee table and pulled her legs up under her. He put his plate down as well and wrapped an arm around her middle, tugging her to him so her back was pressed against his front.
“Oh, hello,” she said, laughter warming her voice.
“Hi. You were too far away.”
“Oh.”
The pizza had taken a bit longer than usual to arrive, so he’d let Stella swipe through his various streaming services to find something to watch.
She’d settled on the familiar sitcom and was delighted to hit play and discover that Max was already in the middle of a rewatch.
So they’d just continued where he’d left off, and by the time the pizza finally arrived, they were on their third episode.
“You didn’t answer my question,” Stella said, shifting slightly so she could look up at him.
Max couldn’t resist moving closer, resting his lips on hers as he said, “I don’t think you actually asked me a question.”
Stella smiled and pressed up, kissing him quickly before pulling away again. He was happy that despite their little tiff earlier, they seemed to be back in step with each other.
“Fair point,” she said. “What I was trying to ask was why do you watch New Girl? It just doesn’t seem like something you’d like.”
“And you already know what I like, do you?”
He brought a hand to rest over her stomach, slowly moving it higher until his thumb swiped along her bra.
“Is this okay?”
Stella only nodded, and Max continued his exploration. He pushed his thumb up under her bra, swiping the underside of her breast and causing her to lean farther back into him. Max grinned.
“Good?” he asked.
“Yes,” she breathed out on a sigh, her eyes shuttering closed as he slid the rest of his hand under her bra, pushing it up so he could cup her breast.
Max decided that crop tops were the best article of clothing ever made.
He stroked a thumb over her nipple, which was already hardening beneath his touch, and moved over to her other breast.
“You can just take it off, you know,” Stella said.
He looked down at her, and she blinked her eyes open to meet his gaze.
“My bra, I mean,” she said. “It’s in the way, isn’t it?”
“Are you sure?”
“I’m so sure, I’m practically deodorant.” She then squeezed her eyes shut and groaned. “I don’t know why I said that. I quote things when I’m nervous.”
Max laughed. “It’s cute.”
Stella shook her head. “Please just take off my bra. I need to be so aroused I forget I’m embarrassed.”
Max laughed again at that but did as he was told, reaching under her shirt to unclasp it. Stella sighed with relief, and Max had been with enough women to know that that sigh was less about desire and more about the freedom of not being strapped into a bra.
Stella went to pull her shirt up and over her head, but Max stopped her.
“Leave it on,” he said. “I like it.”
Stella seemed confused by the request but didn’t argue.
Instead, she slipped out of the bra with it still under her shirt, pulling it out from underneath and letting it fall to the floor.
Her breasts fell against her chest, the undersides slightly visible below the hem of her shirt, and her hardened nipples poked through.
The tease of it all had his dick pressing even harder against the zipper of his jeans.
“Now, lie back down,” he said.
“Okay, bossy,” Stella said, but she obeyed, reclining against him again.
“I think you like that I’m bossy,” he said.
Stella only murmured her agreement as his hand made its way back up her shirt and his mouth came down on her neck, kissing and sucking. Taking his hand from under her shirt, he moved to the top of her pants.
“Can I?”
“Yes, please,” she said, her words coming out breathy.
She was completely lost with him, and he felt the same way. It was kind of ridiculous how he knew that if she touched him right now, even for a second, he’d probably come all over her hand. So he couldn’t let her touch him. Not yet.
Instead, he unbuttoned her pants and slipped his hand down into her panties. On the TV, New Girl was still playing and Max could hear Schmidt and Nick arguing over something, but all he could focus on was Stella’s gasp as his fingers glided through her wetness.
“Max,” she whimpered, grabbing his wrist. He immediately stopped, but Stella only shifted her hips, moving them up so she slid against his hand.
“Right there,” she said, almost pleading. “You can just rub me. Right. There.”
Max obeyed, pressing his fingers against her clit, rubbing circles as he moved his other hand back up her shirt, drawing the same circles around her nipple. Stella squirmed at his touch, moving against Max in a way that had him worried he would explode in his pants like some goddamn teenager.
But he didn’t try to stop her. He wouldn’t dare. Not when she was making such wonderful sounds of pleasure and murmuring his name over and over again as he moved his hands around faster.
“Fuck. Max, please. I can’t.”
She wasn’t speaking in complete sentences, but he understood.
“Come for me, baby,” he said into her ear. “Let go.”
He pressed down on her clit, and she pushed up into the pressure until she cried out, reaching her orgasm.
Max held her until she fell limp against him, her breathing erratic as she came down from the high. Finally, when her breathing seemed back to normal, Max pulled his hand out from her pants and licked his fingers. God, she tasted just as good as he remembered.
Stella watched him with a look that seemed almost ravenous, and a moment later, she launched herself at him, pressing her mouth to his, tasting herself on his lips.
When they pulled apart, they were both panting, their chests rising and falling in tandem.
“What now?” she asked him. She looked down at his crotch. “Don’t you need…something?”
Max looked around until he spotted the clock on his cable box underneath the TV. Somehow it was already getting close to midnight, and as much as he’d love nothing more than to have Stella return the favor, he was giving a presentation at a tech conference first thing in the morning.
He also wasn’t sure if Stella was asking because she wanted to do more, or because she felt obligated to do more.
The second option didn’t sit right with him, and this was already more than he’d thought would happen tonight after they shut things down in the bedroom.
For now, satisfying her was enough to satisfy him.
“I’m okay,” he lied. “Besides, it’s getting late and I don’t think causal hookups do sleepovers, do they?”
“I don’t think so, no,” she said.
Perhaps it was Max being hopeful, but Stella looked slightly disappointed as she said this, yet she’d already turned away from him to grab her bra from the floor. He helped her get it back on and then kissed her again.
“What are you doing tomorrow night?” he asked her.
“I’m not sure,” she said. “I don’t think I have any plans.”
“Wanna go out with me?”
“Again?”
“Wow, sick of me already?”
“No, just…” She let her voice trail off.
“It’s just…?”
She waved her hand as if waving away the thought.
“Nothing,” she said finally. Then she smiled up at him. “I’d like that.”
Max wanted to push but thought better of it and said, “Good. Me, too.”