Page 48 of What Doesn't Kill You…

"That’s inappropriate," she said, pointing at his pants.

To her disgust, she sounded like the nun who'd taught her chemistry in high school. Sister Agnes had found everything to be inappropriate, especially when it came to Violet. Weirdly, she still got a card from the nun every Christmas.

"That can't be helped when you wake up with a sexy woman plastered to you." Max swung his legs over the side of the bed and sat up facing her. "It's clear that, subconsciously, you really needed a cuddle last night. Wanna talk about it?"

"No!" She threw up her hands, spun on her heels, and stalked toward the bathroom.

"It's perfectly normal to seek comfort from other people," he called after her. "You didn't do anything wrong. Okay, so waking up to find you'd turned me into your snuggle bunny was a bit of a shock, but I want you to know I'm here for you. Whenever you want a cuddle, you only have to say the word."

Violet let out a long, low growl and hoped he got the message.

The frustrating man laughed. It was deep and low and sexy as hell. The sound was so unlike anything she'd ever heard that it undercut her anger and she felt it fade away, to be replaced with curiosity.

She turned to face him. "What exactly is so funny?"

He leaned back on his hands, clearly unbothered by the massive pole tenting his pants. His hair was standing up in about a million different directions and he was desperately in need of a shave. And yet, he was tantalizingly sexy in his dishevelment. If only she could figure out why.

"Could you at least pull a sheet over your lap," she said.

He glanced down at himself and smiled with languorous amusement. "Don't see the point, the cat is kinda out of the bag now anyway. Plus, this is the natural reaction of a man who wakes with a sexy woman in his arms."

Sexy woman? It took a moment to realize he meant her. A warm feeling settled in her belly. She wasn't sure what that meant either. This whole conversation was too confusing. A woman needed coffee before she had to deal with Max Durant.

"I'm thinking," he said, his voice low, rough, and captivating. "Now would be a good time for that first kiss you were talking about yesterday."

She sucked in a breath, her attention firmly on those dark eyes of his. "Now?"

He cocked his head. "You did put me in charge of our relationship, and I think now is a good time for us to practice being comfortable with each other. It'll set us up for the day and make fooling everyone a whole lot easier. Don't you think?"

It was difficult to focus on his words because the tone of them was so distracting. It was pure sugar, spun around her, enticing her to taste, to indulge.

She swallowed hard. "I haven't brushed my teeth yet," she said, feeling a little self-conscious.

His smile was slow and wicked. "I'll cope," he said, his voice held a hint of a challenge.

Violet was torn. On the one hand, she'd made an agreement with him to let him lead in this aspect of the op, which meant she should probably listen to him. On the other hand, she wasn't sure she could stop at kissing. The way he sat there, leaning back like an offering, waiting for her to come to him. It was far too tempting. She worried her self-control would break, and she'd climb him like a monkey who’d found a delectable tree.

"Vi," he said, his voice going lower. "C'mere."

He widened his legs, in an invitation for her to stand between them. Before her brain could respond, her body was moving. She was standing in front of him before she knew what was happening.

Max sat forward, closing the distance until there was only a breath of air between them. "Seeing as you're the one with problems touching, I think you should kiss me."

"What?" her eyes shot to his lips.

"I'm ready when you are," Max said, his tone teasing.

She forced her gaze back to his eyes. "You think I won't do it, don't you? You think I'm scared, or nervous, or something."

"I think you're stalling," he said with a knowing smile that really grated.

"I've never walked away from a challenge in my life," she threatened.

"Then consider the gauntlet thrown."

"Who talks like that?" Violet asked with a shake of her head. "Bloody writers. Always so wordy."

"I'm waiting," Max said with a smile. "That sentence short enough for you?"