Maxie (Triple X) Read online

  The pressure Maxie was feeling gave way to pleasure as he hauled her close. His hands fisted in her nightie, and it pulled high against the back of her thighs. She closed her eyes as she kissed him. His skin felt hot against hers wherever they touched, but she wanted more.

  Their fronts sealed together as the kiss became hotter and sexier. Cool air brushed against her thighs as he lifted her nightie higher, but heat swamped her when his hands cupped her bottom. With a tug, he swiveled her hips towards him.

  She sucked in a ragged breath. He was hard.

  “Uh-uh,” he grunted as he kissed the line of her jaw. “No thinking.”

  She clung to him when he swept her up into his arms. He walked away from the bed, and she clutched him in surprise. “What are you doing?”

  “I’m hot and I’m sweaty.” He turned so she wouldn’t hit her head and crossed the threshold into the bathroom. Nuzzling her neck, he set her on her feet and turned on the shower.

  Maxie’s entire body felt aflame. Oh damn.

  He braced his hands against the wall on either side of her head. “Have I ever told you how much I like you wet?”

  She squirmed as he leaned over her. He was so big, so male and so incredibly sexy. Half out of his uniform with his blond hair tousled…

  “This would look incredible under the water.” He slipped a finger beneath the strap of her nightie and plucked it like a guitar string. The snap made her inhale sharply, but that just pressed her breast into his palm when he cupped her intimately. “All see-through and clingy.”

  The bandeau bodice felt thin and insubstantial. His heat surrounded her, yet the filmy material kept his touch from her. Maxie bit her lip when her nipple beaded up, nudging at his palm. Oh God, she didn’t think she could take that kind of teasing. She began pushing at his uniform, trying to get it off. “Not again. Please. No clothes this time.”

  He rolled his shoulders to help her get rid of his uniform. “You’re right. This time we should get naked.”

  He got the khaki shirt off one shoulder, but it snagged on his other elbow. Maxie grabbed the shirt and almost ripped it off. Her mouth went dry at the sight of him. She’d been stealing glances at him forever. She liked him in that uniform, but she liked him out of it even better.

  She didn’t know where to touch first.

  Surging off the wall, she pressed her lips to his chest and stroked her hands up and down his sides.

  “Whoa, Beauty.” He caught at her nightie. “You’re not the only one who gets to have fun.”

  The loose material lifted easily, but the bandeau was snug across her breasts. Zac swore when it didn’t pull off easily. He slid his hands underneath, cupping her breasts as he tried to work the gown off. Maxie groaned. Skin. Finally.

  Crossing her arms, she tugged at the garment. It turned loose, and her breasts popped out. She raised the white silk over her head but let out a surprised squeak when heat and wetness surrounded her nipple.

  She froze, blinded, as Zac sucked her breast.

  Arousal poured through her, arching her body into his. He wrapped his arms around her as his head bent low. The tug of his mouth was strong. With every suck, a pang resonated deep in her belly. The knot cinched tighter, growing hotter. The white nightie slipped from her fingers as she let her head fall back.

  Threading her fingers through his hair, she held him to her. Her fingers tightened responsively when he licked at her and sucked strongly. The bite was just… Ohhhh. Lifting one leg, she slid her knee against his thigh. It felt so good. Her pussy ached, and her skin was sensitive everywhere.

  “Zac.”

  He turned loose, only to give his attention to her other breast. He nuzzled it with his nose and kissed the underside. “You are so beautiful.”

  Maxie held him to her, loving the sensation of his hard chest and the rasp of the whiskers on his cheek. Her breasts felt full and hot. She wanted this. She wanted him. She pecked kisses across his shoulder and wrapped her leg higher around his hips.

  They rolled towards her, and she moaned when his erection pushed between her legs, right where she needed it the most. She rubbed helplessly.

  “God. Damn.” He ground against her hard, pumping twice before pulling away. “Hold that thought too.”

  Maxie let out a cry of distress and tried to keep the contact, but then he was tugging at her panties. Her hands were jerky as she reached for his zipper. Yes. Clothes off. She was so turned on she could think of nothing else but getting close to him, feeling him inside her.

  Grasping the waistband of his pants, she pushed them down. The room was getting warm and humid as the shower sprayed nonstop. She swiveled her hips as he stripped her bare, his hands big and hot and male. They fought with the clothes until they dropped to the floor, and the two of them stood together, naked and aroused.

  Zac said nothing, simply grabbed her about the waist and hauled her into the shower. Maxie gasped, clutching at him as he pressed her to the slick wall. The kisses he gave her were rougher, more explicit. She squirmed against him and felt his erection pressing at her belly. He was thick and long.

  His hand tangled in her hair. Water was falling all around them, trailing over sensitive skin and splashing onto exposed flesh. Maxie shivered. The water was too hot, then too cold. Either way, it was shocking.

  “Hurry,” she begged.

  He hitched her up, and she circled her legs around him. The position left her open and vulnerable. She caressed his chest as he backed her up against the shower wall. His body was a thing of wonder to her. She loved the tapestry of muscles, the layers of bone and sinew. His breath was warm against her neck, and she boldly caressed lower and lower. When she finally wrapped her fingers around his erection, his forehead dropped against her breastbone.

  She kissed his temple and stroked him down below. He was pulsing in her hand, impossibly thick, his skin incredibly silky. “Mmm, I like you wet too.”

  She lifted herself, and they both shuddered when the tip of his cock brushed her sensitive flesh. She rubbed it front to back and back to front until it bumped against her clit.

  Sensation swarmed her. She couldn’t take it anymore. Rocking forward, she positioned him at her opening. His hips jerked when he settled into the soft notch, and he penetrated her.

  She groaned with pleasure, and he shoved in another inch.

  “Fuck. Wait.” He yanked out abruptly. “Just a second.”

  She was confused when he set her on her feet. Was he stopping? Why? That hand of inhibition that hadn’t even been allowed in the room suddenly wrapped around her heart. It squeezed viciously, and she huddled back against the wall, unsure of what to do or what to say. But Zac’s attention wasn’t on her. He’d turned away from her, and she felt achingly bereft. She pressed her hands against the wall at her sides, fingers clenched into fists. The shower door banged open, and he bent over, reaching for his pants.

  “Oh,” she said weakly when he took something out of a pocket.

  She blushed impossibly hotter. The strip unfolded, revealing what had to be an economy-sized pack of condoms.

  He made quick work of the first one, tearing off a square and ripping it open with his teeth. Maxie watched, incredibly hot and bothered, as he unrolled the latex sheath over his rigid shaft. She felt shy but aroused. Embarrassed but engrossed.

  When he touched her, she felt stiff and uncoordinated.

  He looked at her, water from the shower streaming over his face and trailing off his chin. His eyes narrowed at her expression. Catching the shower nozzle, he deliberately directed it at her.

  She gasped as water splashed over her bare body. The slap of it was shocking, and she wiped her face and sucked in air.

  The oxygen stuck in her lungs when he caught her by the waist. He lifted her as easily as if she were a feather, putting her right back where she’d been. He pushed himself between her legs until they were spread wide, and she caught at his shoulders for balance. His cock pressed against her opening again, but this tim
e there was no hesitancy.

  He watched her face as he thrust into her, hard and deep.

  “Oh!” Her body bowed as water streamed over her and heat burned inside her. “Oh God!”

  He began to pump, and her thighs shifted against his hips. She pulled them higher, locking her ankles at the back of his waist. He felt huge burrowing inside her, spreading her and filling her.

  But the way he moved.

  Maxie came a bit undone. Her body clenched, and she pointed her toes convulsively. “Zac,” she moaned.

  “Maxie,” he rasped in her ear.

  The water made their skin slick as they moved together. It stung against sensitive flesh, drenching their hair and gliding down their legs. For Maxie, it was freeing. Being with him this way, so open and sexual, solidified something inside her, something that had been unsure and afraid.

  She kissed him and raked her fingers over his skin. She wrapped herself around him as his thrusts became more intense. The rhythm was jagged and rushed, but she needed it that way. She needed him.

  He lifted her a bit higher, and she rolled her head against the wall. Her breasts were jouncing with every thrust, and he was pressing right against her clit. She couldn’t stand it anymore. With her hands biting into his butt and her hair clinging to his shoulders, she came. She dove into the sensation headfirst without taking a breath. It left her dizzy and thrilled and totally wrung out. By the time it was over, she sagged against him like a rag doll.

  He shagged her almost desperately, still straining towards his own peak. Eager to help him, she slid her hand down to where they were connected. When her fingertips brushed against his balls, he jerked like she’d just pulled a string.

  She held him as he came, his hips spasming as the pleasure rode him hard.

  He braced one hand against the wall, and Maxie realized he was carrying all her weight. She reached for the slick floor with her toes.

  “I’ve got you,” he grunted in her ear.

  He caught her other leg before she could slide it down. He was still inside her, but he wasn’t making any attempts to disconnect their bodies. They looked at each other, eyes blinking as the water still poured over them.

  “Right where I want you.”

  Maxie let out a shaky breath. Her muscles were weak, her insides were quivering and warmth was emanating deep inside her belly. She hadn’t known sex could be like that. So hot and intense, desperate and demanding, yet thoroughly satiating and emotional.

  Her eyelids drooped, and she rested her forehead on Zac’s shoulder.

  “All right.” His voice was gruff as he tucked her wet hair behind her ear. “I think it’s time we found Sleeping Beauty a bed.”

  When Sunday morning rolled around, Zac was holding Maxie. They were lying together on her big king-sized bed, but as close as they were, a twin would have sufficed. Their bodies were spooned together with her back pressed against his chest. Her bottom cushioned his softened cock, and her toes rubbed his shins.

  He could hear people moving about in the kitchen downstairs, but he was nowhere near ready to get up. He spread his hand wider over her stomach and felt her breathe as her chest slowly rose and fell. She was awake, he knew, and it encouraged him that she seemed too comfortable and content to move.

  She wasn’t sneaking away this time.

  “Zac?” she said.

  “Yeah?”

  “Can I ask you a question?”

  “You can ask me anything you want.”

  She ran her fingertips along his forearm. “If your family is in Chicago, why did you leave? Why did you come here?”

  He let out a long breath. He didn’t want to talk about that. Not now. “It was a good career move.”

  “From big-city detective to small-town sheriff?”

  He nuzzled her hair. It had dried in wild waves that made him want to curl it around his fingers. “Just because a place is small doesn’t mean it doesn’t need law enforcement. Besides, it was a promotion.”

  “But there’s not as much going on here. We don’t have a drug problem or gangs or murders.”

  “Thank God for that.” Every place had drug problems, and bad things happened even behind a small-town’s closed doors, but she didn’t need any more truths smacking her in the face.

  She went quiet, but her fingers stopped tracing the bones in his wrist. She wanted honesty, he realized, something that had been pretty amorphous in their relationship.

  “I needed a change,” he admitted.

  “Has it been for the better?”

  He soaked in the sensation of her body against his. “Yeah. A lot better.”

  The room fell quiet again. The morning sun was brightening the room, and flecks of dust glowed, suspended in midair. He watched them for a moment as they danced around with nowhere to land, nowhere to ground them.

  “I did undercover work for a long time,” he said. “Deep cover. I was good at it, taking on roles and getting into places nobody else could. It was a rush.”

  Her hand covered his, and she intertwined their fingers. “Until?”

  “Until I got a bit too good. My brother, Mike, was the one who called me on it. I’d missed our mother’s birthday dinner, and he gave me an earful. We nearly had a knock-down, drag-out fight.”

  “Why did you miss it? Were you busy working?”

  “Nothing I couldn’t have gotten out of, but undercover work is intrusive. It splits your life right down the middle. You have to protect your personal life at all costs but open yourself enough that the wrong people believe you. It’s a really fine line, and I was beginning to cross it.”

  Her grip on him tightened. “You weren’t starting to go bad.”

  He pressed a kiss to her ear. “No, I had a firm grasp of what was right and wrong, but I’d become so focused on fighting the battle that I’d closed off my real life. I had barely any contact with my family. I hadn’t talked to friends in months. My sister didn’t recognize me the one time I dropped by her house. I’d lost weight and had gotten pretty grungy to fit my cover.” He let out a hard breath that stirred her hair. “Somewhere amongst all the lies, I lost myself.”

  “But here?”

  He nuzzled against her, loving the feel of her supple, warm body. “Here, I think I’m finding my way back.”

  A sound left the back of her throat, and she rolled over to face him. Concern shone in her eyes. “I’m sorry.”

  He cupped her face. Her expression was so guilty he couldn’t imagine what was going through her head. “Sorry about what?”

  “I put you right back in that situation again. I made you lie.”

  He gave her a wry look. “You mean pretending I was your boyfriend?”

  This undercover role he’d been playing with her had been anything but typical. Undercover didn’t usually mean under the covers, but this had nothing to do with his job. Everything he’d done with her had been purely personal.

  Make that extremely personal.

  He slid one of his legs between hers. They’d made love several times over the course of the night, but he was ready for more. “It’s worked out pretty well, hasn’t it?”

  A sexy blush came over her cheeks, but Zac frowned when she didn’t say anything.

  He watched her carefully. Morning had arrived. The sun had risen over the hilltops and was glinting off the river. Downstairs, coffee cups clinked and conversation murmured. “Are you going to tell them about us today?”

  She traced the line of his collarbone. “I’m not sure what to say.”

  What was there not to be sure about? They’d started out as a lark, but all that had changed, hadn’t it? There was no reason to continue with the pretense now. She had her family tree. He’d agreed to play the part of her boyfriend until they’d learned the truth. Now they had it. Why not be upfront about everything?

  “What’s happening between us, Maxie?” he asked point-blank. Apparently, it was something he needed to know too. He knew how he felt, but she’d just admitted she’d
been flying by the seat of her pants. “Are we getting caught up in our two-man show, or is this for real?”

  She bit her lip. “I…I want it to be real.”

  Zac’s heart sank. He pulled his arm away from her shoulders, and lines of stress reappeared on her forehead.

  “But you don’t know for sure,” he said flatly. His heart hit bottom, and the impact hurt. She’d been giving off mixed signals, but he’d thought she’d been right there with him. “Well, last night was pretty damn clear for me.”

  She looked at him like a doe in the headlights. But she still didn’t say anything.

  “And I thought I was the actor.” He swung his feet over the side of the bed. When her fingertips brushed against his back, he moved.

  “Zac, wait.”

  He’d waited around long enough. Picking up his gym bag, he walked away without looking back. “You let me know when you figure it out.”

  Chapter Eleven

  Setting up the booth was easier on the second day than it had been the first. Lexie and Roxie knew where things went, but Maxie wasn’t focused. She hung another dried flower arrangement but didn’t take the time to determine if it was centered.

  She was miserable. She and Zac had had a terrible misunderstanding. She’d never seen him in a bad mood, but she’d hurt him. Simply by not knowing what to say, by getting all tongue-tied and, damn it, by being timid.

  She grabbed a box of fancy ribbons she’d tied into bows and began setting them out for display. Last night she hadn’t been shy. She’d thrown her worries into the wind—or make that the water spray. She’d felt safe with him, wanted and protected. If he hadn’t noticed, she’d gone a little crazy over him in return, but this morning he’d put her on the spot. When he’d asked her what was happening between them, she hadn’t been able to find an answer.

  She was an idiot, pure and simple.

  She liked him. She was falling for him like Indigo Falls over those colorful rocks, but the fact that he’d had to ask how she felt had brought up her old insecurities and doubts. She’d thought she’d shown him. When she’d realized that he needed the words, it had been too late.