Chapter 16 #2
Violet was torn. On the one hand, she'd made an agreement with him to let him lead in this aspect of the op, which meant she should probably listen to him.
On the other hand, she wasn't sure she could stop at kissing.
The way he sat there, leaning back like an offering, waiting for her to come to him.
It was far too tempting. She worried her self-control would break, and she'd climb him like a monkey who’d found a delectable tree.
"Vi," he said, his voice going lower. "C'mere."
He widened his legs, in an invitation for her to stand between them. Before her brain could respond, her body was moving. She was standing in front of him before she knew what was happening.
Max sat forward, closing the distance until there was only a breath of air between them. "Seeing as you're the one with problems touching, I think you should kiss me."
"What?" her eyes shot to his lips.
"I'm ready when you are," Max said, his tone teasing.
She forced her gaze back to his eyes. "You think I won't do it, don't you? You think I'm scared, or nervous, or something."
"I think you're stalling," he said with a knowing smile that really grated.
"I've never walked away from a challenge in my life," she threatened.
"Then consider the gauntlet thrown."
"Who talks like that?" Violet asked with a shake of her head. "Bloody writers. Always so wordy."
"I'm waiting," Max said with a smile. "That sentence short enough for you?"
She let out a huff and closed the final millimeters between them.
Heart thumping loudly, she pressed her lips to his as her hands curled into the front of his rumpled gray shirt.
Slowly, she slid her mouth over his, feeling the soft firm shape of his lips and the rough unshaven skin around his mouth.
Any more of this and she'd have beard burn.
Eyes still open, still locked on his, she poked out her tongue to taste him and got a hit of salted caramel.
Delicious. She sucked in a breath and, against her will, her eyes drifted closed.
Max made a little groaning sound and his arms came up around her, one pressing against her lower back as the other clasped the back of her head.
He angled his mouth over hers, and suddenly it wasn't clear who was kissing whom.
Lips and tongues tangled in a dance Violet could finally understand.
One without rhythm or beat. One where instinct was more important than learned steps.
Their breaths mingled as they explored each other.
Max knew how to kiss. No, Max could have taught a class on how to kiss.
He teased her mouth, nipping at lips and tongue, torturing her with tiny kisses one moment and long, sensual ones the next.
Just when she thought she'd lose herself in him entirely, he'd pull back, making her whine in protest. Her tongue chased after his as his taste fast became an addiction.
One she feared she would never be able to quit.
She pressed into him, wanting more, needing more.
The world around them spun and swirled, turning into a tornado, but they were at its center, silent and protected in the eye of the storm.
Heady with need, she slid her hands under his shirt, feeling muscle ripple.
She wanted the shirt off. She wanted everything off. And she wanted it now.
Suddenly she was two feet away, breathless and cold and wondering what the hell had happened.
Max ran a hand through his hair, making it worse. Cheeks flushed, breathless, and looking slightly dazed, he faced her. "Before we go any further, I think we should talk about this," he said.
Violet's heart was racing. Her hands tingled with the need to touch. She felt disorientated, like she'd suddenly been thrown from a rollercoaster and desperately wanted to chase it to get back onboard.
"Talk?" she said, as though the word was foreign to her.
"Yeah, talk." He stood, looked around as though searching for something. He nodded. "In the dining area. At the table."
He headed through the living room, expecting her to follow.
Confusion meant she did. Max sat in one of the chairs and smiled at her.
Not the same drugging smile he'd given her moments earlier, but the open, welcoming smile an interviewer might employ to put a job seeker at ease.
Although there was a brittle tension to him, and his breathing still seemed a little ragged.
"What's going on?" Violet said as her heart returned to its normal rhythm.
"I think we should talk about what we're doing so we're on the same page. We're in a complicated situation here, under a lot of pressure, and I don't want there to be any confusion about what's happening between us." He sounded reasonable. He looked reasonable. But he was clearly insane.
"You want to talk?" Violet said again.
He seemed relieved she understood. "Yes. I know we're supposed to be in this fake relationship, but what happened between us just now was very real. I mean, I feel that it's real. Do you feel the same way?" He looked at her expectantly.
"You want to talk," Violet said, rage bubbling inside of her.
"That's what I've been saying," Max said clearly perplexed.
Violet narrowed her eyes at him, and he swallowed hard. For a second, it seemed to register that he may have misstepped and a different approach might have been wiser. Unfortunately for Max, his realization came a little too late.