Indiscretion: Volume One (8 page)

“Wow, it all looks wonderful, thank you.” And I meant it. A lobster roll sat beside a small piece of halibut, while artichoke and asparagus were nestled beside some roasted potatoes. It wasn’t often that I was able to treat myself to a meal like this. I’d grown accustomed to searching through the local flyers for the best deals every week in an attempt to keep the grocery bill down.

“My pleasure.” Max rubbed the back of his neck. He looked like he wanted to say something but was unsure about it. Finally, he said, “I have a confession to make about what Nancy was really doing here.”

A pit formed in the bottom of my stomach, and I steeled myself for what he would say next. With my history, I didn’t expect the best when someone declared they had something they
had
to tell me. Quite the opposite.

I plastered on as natural a smile as I could manage, silently cursing myself for agreeing to come here tonight.

CHAPTER NINE

Chloe

He cleared his throat. “Nancy does work for the company, but we’re also…”
here it comes
, “friends, and I asked for her help to prepare for tonight.”

I blinked a couple of times. Wow. So not what I was expecting. But good. Really good. “Help prepare?”

He winced. “You know, with the menu, the music, my wardrobe…” he trailed off, looking a little sheepish.

I giggled and happiness swelled in my chest. Max, Mr. Millionaire, had gone to such trouble to try and impress
me
?

“Why are you laughing?” he asked, grinning.

“I’m just surprised.” I shook my head. “I figured women were the only ones who put any effort into that kind of thing. I didn’t realize men enlisted the help of their
friends
.”

He shrugged, seeming to have recovered from his momentary embarrassment seconds before. “Men do it too—when it matters. Besides, the fact that she handled some of the prep gave me more time to concentrate on the other activities I hope we’ll partake in this evening.” He gave me a heated look.

My heart rate picked up speed, thumping away on the inside of my ribcage. I wasn’t sure what to say to that, so I just looked down at my plate and began eating again. Only sounds of the waves meeting the shore and tourists on Main Street far off in the distance surrounded us. As the silence stretched on, it felt like a third person was at the table with us—me, Max, and the sexual tension neither of us was acknowledging at the moment. It was an entity of its own.

I speared a piece of halibut and brought it up to my mouth.
Think, talk about something.
“So, have you had a chance to see what Maine has to offer since you’ve been here?” It was small talk, but I was desperate for anything to distract me from my humming body.

“To be honest, I hadn’t seen anything worth enjoying until very recently.” His gaze swept from my head to my breasts, where the table cut off his view, and he gave me that killer smile. One I was sure had charmed the pants off a female or two numerous times in the past. Damn it. Max was making it excruciatingly difficult to get through the main course.

I pretended not to notice the innuendo. “Well, you really should visit Acadia Park. It’s so beautiful this time of year.”

“I’m a city guy. Is there anything to look at besides at bunch of trees?” He laughed.

“Absolutely,” I defended. “There’s Thunder Hole, Otter Cove, and Cadillac Mountain. Not to mention my favorite, Jordan Pond.”

“You seem to know so much about it. Perhaps you can give me the official tour. I’d love to see it through your eyes.”

“Let’s see how tonight goes first,” I said, giving him a pointed look.

Max furrowed his brow, but seemed to brush the emotion off quickly. “So, how are sales going in your building?”

“Trying to get some insider intel from the competition I see,” I said in jest.

“It’s called making conversation, Chloe.” He grinned and laughed.

“We’re closing in on eighty percent of the units sold.”

“Wow! That’s amazing, considering the building isn’t even complete.”

“I think I’ve worked harder than I ever have, chasing leads on this project.” He looked at me questioningly, so I explained. “I have three more units to sell by the end of the summer to earn my bonus, and I need to get those deals. Correction. I’m
going
to get those deals.”

“Big plans for the money?” He raised a brow.

I nodded. “I have an opportunity to buy into the brokerage that I work for, but I only have until the end of the summer to come up with the rest of the money. I’m determined to make it happen.” I pressed my lips together. “It kinda feels like the culmination of everything I’ve worked so hard for.”

“That’s terrific.” Max moved from across the table to sit beside me.

Warmth flooded my body and I shifted to face him.

He raised a hand to my cheek and brushed a hair behind my ear that had come loose in the slight breeze floating off the ocean. “I believe in setting goals and then doing what it takes to achieve them.”

I had the feeling we were no longer talking about my desire to secure my future. A shiver raced up my spine, causing the hairs on the back of my neck to stand on end. His thumb stroked up and down my cheek. The moon illuminated the whites of his eyes, making his pupils look blacker than the night. Awareness crackled between us while stark, demanding need settled into my core, pushing away any lingering doubts.

Before I knew what I was doing, I’d moved off my chair and onto his lap. His obvious arousal pressed through the thin layer of my dress and drove a wave of heat and passion throughout my body. Max responded to my boldness by grabbing my waist, lifting me up until I faced him directly. I had no choice but to part my legs and straddle him as he put me back down.

He put his hands on either side of my face and gazed into my eyes. Slowly, he brought his lips to mine and lightly brushed against them. Back and forth, back and forth. The touch was so light I could barely stand it—I wanted him to increase the pressure. I bit back a groan of frustration. He continued his ministrations, slowly and torturously. Finally, my patience and self-control worn thin, I moved to open my mouth and kiss him when he put a finger to my lips.

“Patience, Chloe.”

He bent his head and kissed and suckled my neck, his warm tongue tracing an invisible pattern over my skin, but I needed more. I moved my hips in a rhythmic motion over the hardness of his erection underneath his pants, and he made a low growl in his throat, the sound stoking the fire already burning in my core.

Finally he took my mouth, exploring the inside with his tongue. Probing, tasting, devouring. This was no romantic kiss but one filled with urgency and passion. His hands slid up my hips to my breasts, and he rubbed them through the fabric of my dress. My nipples hardened beneath his touch as he paid them extra attention. Max moved his tongue in and out of my mouth in rhythm with my hips moving over the stiffness of his cock straining through his pants. He was fucking my mouth. I didn’t even know such a thing existed until this moment, let alone that it would feel so good. His tongue was mimicking what I wished his cock was doing inside me.

My breathing was shallow and labored as Max’s hands moved back down to my hips, and he applied pressure, holding me even tighter to his hardness. I tried to resist, but he held me there and began dictating my movements. Back, forth, round and round my core rubbed against him. I closed my eyes and leaned my head back, panting and moaning as sensation after sensation coursed through me.

“Come for me, Chloe,” he said huskily. It was an order, not a request.

Was it wrong that it totally turned me on? I’d been trying so hard to control every aspect of my life for ten years now. I didn’t want to control this.

“I want to know that I can make you come fully dressed.” I was totally onboard with that plan.

He thrust his hips up as he pushed mine down, and it sent me spiralling toward the edge. Heat built in my core, and I fought to control it. Fought to keep from going over into the abyss. I didn’t want this to be over, but I was so close. Finally, a moan escaped my lips, and Max groaned a breath after me. His teeth bit into my neck, the mix of pain and pleasure sending me into unchartered territory as I shattered into a million pieces. Wave after wave of pleasure rolled through my body until all my limbs relaxed.

Completely sated, I let out a sigh and slowly opened my eyes, now very aware that I was out in the open, on a balcony, my skirt pushed up to my waist, straddling a man who was becoming too big of a distraction for me.

When Max leaned in and gave me a tender kiss, embarrassment crept in and heat rushed into my cheeks.

“Chloe, you are so amazingly responsive. It’s such a fucking turn-on.”

I looked away from him, moved off of his lap, then stood and readjusted my dress. “If you’ll excuse me, I need to use the bathroom.”

Without waiting for a reply, I tucked tail and rushed from the balcony as fast as I could, regret seeping in like a raindrop hitting the parched earth.

CHAPTER TEN

Max

I sat at the table, still trying to figure out exactly what had just happened. One minute we’d been talking, and the next Chloe had been on my lap and my single-minded focus had been to give her as much pleasure as possible. I’d been unable to control my response. Feeling her ass settle on my lap had brought back visions of the last time it had been planted there.

Goddamn, this woman gets to me.

Realizing how this was affecting me, I decided I needed to be careful. I’d come to Maine to do a job, and I couldn’t afford any distractions. And Chloe, well, she was turning out to be a big fucking distraction. I’d figured on us screwing around a few times and that would be the end of it, but she was occupying more time in my brain than I originally anticipated. And what just happened here was not going to help. The last thing I needed was to give my father any ammunition to harang me.

Someone needed to let my dick in on that little fact though. Chloe was so responsive. She felt the pull between us as much as I did, I knew it. A girl didn’t come on your lap—still dressed—if she thought you were a total prick. Although, she probably thought I was a prick now.
Why didn’t I say something to make her feel better before she raced off to the bathroom?
She’d clearly been mortified, not unlike the first time.

Did she bolt again? Maybe I should go and check.
I laughed to myself because it wouldn’t be that easy for her this time. I knew where to find her now.

I stood up and adjusted myself, my erection finally starting to subside. Walking to the edge of the balcony, I looked out over the ocean. It was as black as sin, except for the reflection of the moonlight. Standing there for a moment, I ran my hands through my hair and let out a sigh. I was drawn to Chloe—big time. But I couldn’t afford for it to be anything more than physical. I’d only be in town for a few months, and that’s all that could come of it. For more reasons than that.

I tapped my fingers on the rail of the balcony. I needed to be sure we were both on the same page before things went any further. I had to figure out how I was going to do that though. It wasn’t exactly a speech I’d planned on having with her tonight. More than anything, I wanted to be inside her right now, but I wouldn’t put her in a position to be hurt. And I damn sure wasn’t going to let her try to high-tail it away from me again.

When I turned around to move back to the table, I saw Chloe standing in the doorway to the balcony, watching me. She appeared deep in thought.

I opened my mouth to speak, but she beat me to the punch.

“We should talk.” She straightened her posture and thrust her chin up as if she was preparing for battle.

“I think that would be a good idea,” I agreed, like we were conducting a business deal.

We looked at each other until she finally broke the silence. “This isn’t going to go anywhere. It can’t. I
have
to earn my bonus this summer. I can’t afford to lose focus. I like spending time with you, but I need to know that we’re on the same page.”

“I couldn’t agree more. I have a job to do here, too. Besides, I’ll be gone once the project is off the ground and then I’ll only be back from time-to-time to check on things. That said, when I’m off the clock I’d like to see you.”

Relief flooded her face. “So we’re agreed then. This will just be a fling.”

I nodded once. “Purely physical.”

“Nothing more.”

“A way to relieve some stress.”

“No hearts and flowers.”

“I’m not looking for a relationship, Chloe.” I released a heavy sigh. “Been there, done that—not too long ago.”

Chloe’s mouth opened in what appeared to be surprise. I suppose sleeping with her in a bar within hours of knowing her probably hadn’t led to the impression that I could be a one woman kind of guy. She walked back over to her seat and sat down, so I followed suit.

“When you say not that long ago…”

I saw where she was headed with that. “It was over long before we met in New York.”

She released a breath and brought a hand to her chest. “Oh, okay. Good. Does it bother you to talk about it?”