Page 72 of Playing for Keeps

“God, you smell so good, Em.”

I tightened one arm around her middle while my other hand moved up, cupping her breast through her dress. Her sharp inhale just about wrecked me. I wanted to take my time, to draw it out, but she felt so damn good. Her head fell back on my shoulder, her body pliant against mine. I hooked the strap of her dress and slid it off her shoulder, revealing smooth skin. I kissed her there, slow and wet, tasting her while she pushed back against me.

“Max…” she whispered, needy now, her hands gripping mine.

I smiled against her skin and let my teeth graze her collarbone. “Tell me to stop, and I will.”

She laughed softly, breathless. “You won’t.”

And she was right: I couldn’t. Not tonight.

As soon as I pulled the other strap down, her dress gave up the fight and pooled at her feet. Seeing her in nothing but black lace made my chest tighten. I kept one hand on her breast, my thumb teasing her nipple through the lace, savouring the way her body tensed against mine and the soft, breathy sound that escaped her lips. Fuck, I loved that sound. My other hand traced lower, over her stomach, her hip, and finally between her thighs. She jerked against my touch with a gasp, and I almost lost it right then.

“Max…”

Hearing my name like that went straight to my gut. I didn’t say anything. I sucked on the soft skin of her throat until I knew I would leave a mark. My hand moved from her breast and wrapped around her throat, tilting her head back so I could see everything – every flicker of her face and every desperate twitch of her mouth.

“Eyes on me,” I said, needing her to see – not just what I was doing to her, but what she did to me.

Her pupils blew wide, her lips parted, and I pushed my fingers down, sliding one inside. Her head hit my shoulder. Fuck, she was tight – hot and gripping me like she’d never let go. I curled my finger, deep and steady, and she shook.

“One,” I rasped, more to myself than to her, before giving her more. Another finger.

The way she clenched around me nearly broke my control. I set a slow, merciless rhythm, my thumb circling her while my fingers pushed deeper.

Her body rocked against my hand, every breath jagged. “Please…”

I tightened my hold on her throat, bending her head back just enough to watch her fall apart. Her thighs were shaking, her chest heaving, her whole body tightening under my hands.

“Come for me,” I ordered, my voice rough in her ear.

She did – hard. She broke apart around my hand, clenching so tightly I swore. I swallowed her cry with my mouth and kissed her through every pulse, my fingers relentless until she sagged against me, wrecked.

I pulled back just enough to see her face, flushed and dazed, her lips swollen from my kiss. My cock throbbed at the sight of her like that, held up only by me. She was giving me everything, and God, I hoped she knew I’d never take it for granted.

“Sweetest thing I’ve ever seen,” I whispered. I kissed her again, already wanting more. I knew I’d never get enough. Not of her.

34

EMMA

My body was still buzzing from the aftershocks as I caught my breath. Max’s lips were swollen from kissing me through it, his eyes focused on me. He looked seconds away from losing all control and I loved being the one responsible for that.

I turned around and placed a hand on his chest. He was warm, solid and somehow already so familiar.

“Your turn.”

The way his breath caught went straight to my ego.

My fingers fumbled over the buttons of his shirt; I couldn’t get him close enough. I pushed the fabric aside and slid my hands over the hard lines of his chest. When I reached for his belt, he made a low, helpless sound that shot straight through me.

“Emma…” he said, as if my name was both a warning and a prayer.

“Mm?” I smiled into his hungry eyes, pushing his jeans open.

I covered his mouth with a desperate kiss, my hand sliding inside his boxers. The moment I gripped him, his whole body shuddered. My heart raced, a shiver going through me from how much I wanted to see him unravel.

I slowly sank to my knees. Max swore quietly, his hand flexing at his side before he gave in and gently buried his fingers deep into my hair.