Leaving her bare--ass naked on the bed.
With a squeak, she reached for the covers, but with a grin, he held them out of her reach, heavy sexual intent in his gaze.
Carl, mistaking the commotion as fun time, jumped up with a bark.
“Sorry, buddy,” Max said. “She’s all mine.”
The words should’ve annoyed the hell out of Rory; instead they gave her a hot rush. All his . . .
Nudging the dog aside and dropping the sheet onto the floor, Max snatched Rory and pulled her in.
He was dressed. He smelled fresh and clean and his hair was wet.
The day had started without her.
“I don’t do talks while naked,” she managed, once again trying to reach for the covers.
Max leaned in a little further, taking hold of her wrists, sliding them up the bed, alongside of her head. “Let me offer an incentive.” He kissed her, starting with the lightest brush of lips against hers but working up both the pressure and the heat. When he finally pulled back, she wasn’t the only one trying to catch her breath. She’d forgotten her rush, and the fact that she hadn’t brushed her teeth; she forgot everything but him and had turned her wrists so that her hands clasped his hard enough for her nails to leave marks on him.
Straightening, he took a slow, deep breath and let it out, making her realize with some shock and a lot of female pride that he was just as affected as she. “I just wanted to make sure you understand my intentions,” he said. “And what I want.”
She snorted and rocked against a most impressive erection. “I think I know what you want.”
He didn’t smile. Not even a twitch of his lips. Instead, his eyes filled with something she couldn’t quite catch.
“What I want,” he said, “is significantly more than a road trip from hell and a quick relief of some fairly serious sexual tension.”
She stared at him. “You mean the relationship you mentioned last night.”
“Yes.”
“For how long?”
His gaze never left hers. “Until we don’t want each other anymore.”
She couldn’t even imagine not wanting him, and his lips twitched like he could read her mind. Leaning in again, he pressed his mouth to the spot between her breasts.
Over her heart.
“I’m feeling a little self--conscious,” she whispered.
“Funny, that’s not what I’m feeling.”
No kidding. She could feel him hard as stone through his jeans. “I need caffeine,” she whispered.
“Here.” He handed her the cup.
She sipped, aware of the way his eyes heated every inch of her body as they roamed over her.
Seemed only fair since just the thought of him naked made breathing difficult.
“Better?” he asked.
She managed a nod.
That made him smile. “You’re cute in the mornings,” he said. “If we had more time, I’d show you just how sexy I find that, but it’s time to rise and shine. The roads are open and it’s only six o’clock.”
“We can get all the way through to Tahoe?”
He smiled. “Merry Christmas, Rory.”
Chapter Ten
RORY SPEED SHOWERED and pulled on clothes, and they were out the door not ten minutes later.
“Breakfast?” Max asked, pointing to the small continental spread in the check--in area.
“No,” she said. “I’m sorry, I just need to get there.”
He didn’t say anything until he had them loaded and on the highway. “Need to get there?” he repeated curiously. “Yesterday it was ‘want to get there.’ ”
Yes, and she was extremely aware of the difference. She just didn’t want to explain it, how she felt she’d managed to fail her family yet again. She pulled out her phone to call her mom but she still didn’t have reception. The curse of the Sierra Mountains.
Max’s hand settled on her thigh and then Carl’s head came over the seat and settled on her shoulder. Rory’s heart warmed from the inside out and she heard herself start talking. “When I told my stepdad I was coming, he had me pick up my mom’s present from him. It’s a necklace he had special ordered and made in the city. It was supposed to be ready a few days ago but got held up. I told him I’d hand deliver it. He was understandably hesitant to believe me since I haven’t been home in so long, but I promised.” She paused. “But they always open presents by dawn. I obviously screwed it all up.”
“Hold on,” Max said. “The present was going to be late anyway, but you offered to pick it up and hand deliver it. You set a deadline on yourself, and now because you missed that you think you failed them? Do I have that right?”
“You don’t understand,” she said. “I’ve made promises to come home before and haven’t come through. I wanted this to be different.”
“It is different. You’re actually going. And if not for the storm and then my truck and Carl, you’d have been there.”
“Not your fault,” she said, reaching out to put her hand on his arm. “All those things were out of your control.”