“Max! Are you having an allergic reaction?”
“Oh. I’m okay,” Max said, looking a little embarrassed. “You were about to tell me something?”
“Max... are you...” She looked down at the shrimp tails on her plate, then back up at him. “Are you allergic to shellfish?”
“We-ell.Allergicwould be a strong word. It’s not fatal or anything. I just... get a temporary rash when I eat shellfish. But I had sort of hoped I had grown out of it. I really didn’t want to tell you I couldn’t eat the meal you were making me. It’s no big deal, really.”
Sadie jumped up from the table. “Max! You should have told me. You could end up with anaphylaxis. You risked your life to eat this dinner!”
Max laughed and stood, catching her by the arm and pulling her gently toward him. “Sadie, I am not going to die.”
“Do you have any Benadryl?”
“I don’t think so. I really think I’ll be okay. I feel fine.”
“Okay. Well,stopscratching your arms. Take off your shirt,” she commanded.
“What? What does that have to do with—”
“Just to make sure it isn’t getting worse,” Sadie said.
Max did what he was told, revealing his firm, muscled chest—no rash.
Had he stopped breathing, or had she? She looked up at him and saw that his expression wasn’t pained—he was watching her, his eyes now full of the same desire she was feeling.
“I really think you should take off your pants, too. Just in case,” she suggested, her hand hovering above the waistband of his jeans.
Max merely nodded, undoing his zippered fly and then taking off his jeans. A moment later he stood in front of her, wearing only a pair of boxers. There was no question what was going through his mind.
“Well, this took a turn, didn’t it?” Sadie murmured, very aware of how little clothing Max was now wearing.
“It did. And now that you know I’m okay, I think it might only be fair if you take your clothes off, too,” he whispered, helping her stand back up. “I mean, only if you want to...”
“I do,” she said quickly.
“Happy to help,” Max said, his fingers gently tugging on the hem of her shirt.
She gave a nod and lifted her arms, allowing him to pull her shirt over her head, leaving just her lacy black bra on. “I’ll get that in a sec,” he murmured, his breath hitching, making her knees quiver.
“You’re so perfect,” he whispered, touching her shoulders, moving his hands down and around her back to undo her bra. His movements were slow, yet purposeful. “Okay?” Max asked, his fingers on her bra clasp. She nodded, and a second later the bra released. He slid the straps from her shoulders, allowing one hand to graze her breast, setting his other hand on her waist. In one swift move he pulled her to him, kissing her hard. She gasped, locked her arms around his neck, and kissed him back.These kisses were different from the ones they had shared over the past few days. They were deep and hungry. They both knew what they wanted.
She kissed his face, his chest, making her way down his body until she reached his boxers, which she tugged down without a moment’s thought. He groaned, then said, “Time to even things up again,” and tucked his fingers into the waistband of her underwear, pulling them down with the same determination she had. They stood there for a moment like that, both of them breathing heavily, both realizing what this meant: there would be no pretending now.
Sadie reached out and let her fingers intertwine with his, then she led him to the couch and pushed him against the cushions, letting him take a good look—she had never felt so wanted. He made a sound in the back of his throat and reached for her. She let him pull her on top of him, the two of them breathless and wanting. They stayed like that for a time, Sadie moving against Max until she was almost dizzy with desire.
“Hang on,” Max whispered, shifting her slightly to the side so he could reach for his jeans. He pulled a small packet from his back pocket, and Sadie laughed.
“Did you have that in there this whole time?”
Max grinned, then shrugged, carefully ripping open the packet. “I was hopeful.”
A moment later Max pulled Sadie back onto his lap, and she lowered herself onto him. Max let out a groan and she clung to him, pausing only a moment longer before she started moving her hips. “Oh my God, Sadie,” Max whispered against her neck, the heat of his breath agonizing against her skin.
“Don’t take this the wrong way,” she murmured, pressingcloser to him. He clasped her hands in his, then set them against her lower back, pulling her in deeper. “But I’m not sorry about your shellfish allergy.”
Max chuckled, leaving a trail of soft kisses across her collarbone, moving slowly inside her. Sadie shivered in his arms, even though she felt she was burning up. “I’ve never been so happy about anything,” he replied.
—
