AllFreeNovel
Share Us
She gripped the phone with two hands. “We don’t have until next week. We don’t have two days.”
“I’ll keep working on it, Ava. Maybe something will come through. These guys are cagey.”
“Obviously. That’s why we gave you all that money.” Tears had filled her eyes and she dashed them away. “You owe me, Cody. You ruined my life, my career. I protected you, and now you owe me.”
“I know that. I’ll keep looking, Ava.”
When she ended the call, she chucked the phone across the room and fell back on the bed, the tears running into her ears.
Max had stood silent and still like a statue during her conversation with Cody. Now the mattress dipped as he sat down beside her.
He wiped away her tears with the back of his hand. “It’s okay, Ava. Don’t cry.”
She hoisted herself up on her elbows. “How can you say that? You know what it means, Max. You have two pills left—one for tonight and one for tomorrow. After that, you’re cut off.”
“Maybe I’ll find more. That’s where I was when I met up with you. I had no hope for an antidote then. I’m back to my original position.”
“No, you’re not.” She tossed her hair back from her face. “You had five pills when you rescued me from Simon.”
“If I had never gone to that lab to chase after Simon, I’d still have two pills today—and you’d be dead.” He lay down next to her and captured her hand. “I’d say I’m in a lot better position now.”
She sniffled. “What will you do, Max? How can I help you?”
One corner of his mouth lifted and he kissed her fingers. “You’ve already helped me, Ava. Nothing more is necessary. Nothing more is required. We have a new goal now—get you to a secure location.”
“Max.” She twined her arms around his neck and pulled his head close to hers, pressing her forehead against his. “I don’t want to lose you. Stay with me. I’ll help you ride it out.”
He wrapped one arm around her waist, and his other hand skimmed up her spine and cupped the back of her head.
Slanting his mouth across hers, he whispered her name against her lips.
The towel had come loose from his waist, and she trailed her hand down the warm, smooth skin of his back. Her fingers dug into the hard muscle of his buttocks, and she moved in closer to him, drawing him closer to her.
He deepened the kiss, thrusting his tongue inside her mouth, lighting a fire in her belly, curling her toes. Here it was at last—the hot kiss she’d longed for, but now it meant goodbye.
He yanked off his towel and tossed it over his shoulder onto the floor.
Her eyes still closed, she let her hands create the visual as they roamed over his naked body, skimming the hard muscle and the flat planes, caressing the smooth skin.
He ended the kiss, leaving her panting and disoriented. Her lashes fluttered and her gaze met his dark eyes, alight with passion and desire. The look from those eyes melted her core.
Then she drank in what her hands had been exploring, and the beauty of his form took her breath away. Pure muscle cut through his lean frame. The nicks and scars on his body relieved it of perfection but added a layer of sexiness and danger that fueled her attraction.
On impulse, she ducked her head and planted her lips against the chiseled slabs of muscle on his chest. Her tongue toyed with one brown nipple, and she felt his erection plow into her belly.
With one hand, she reached down between his thighs and encircled his hard, tight flesh with her fingers.
A groan escaped his lips as he thrust into her hand. His fingers curled around the hem of her T-shirt. “Why are you still dressed?”
Before she could form a coherent answer, he had tugged the shirt from her body and over her head. It joined the towel on the floor. He slipped one hand into the cup of her bra, kneading her breast, swollen and aching with want.
His thumb trailed across her nipple, and she sucked her lower lip between her teeth to keep from screaming. He unclasped her bra and cupped both of her breasts in his hands. Dipping his head, he encircled one nipple with his tongue and then sucked it into his mouth.
“Oh.” She dragged her fingers through his thick hair, her nails digging into his scalp. She hitched her leg over his hip to get even closer to him, and the head of his erection skimmed her bare belly.
