Page 17 of Maximum Risk (The Andrades 3)
Once? That’s my problem, I wish it weren’t just once. Tara retreated to her room, closed the door, and sat on the edge of her bed. Ever since she’d left Max, she’d told herself she was okay with it ending as a one-night stand. She’d succeeded, at least for a while, to put him out of her head. But whenever she was alone, memories of his kisses warmed her cheeks. Her body quivered at the thought of tasting him again, welcoming him back into her bed. No. No. No. He’d implied he’d wanted to see her again, but Tara was already confused from the short time she’d been with him.
She stood and started undressing. She took her cell phone out of her pocket and remembered she’d turned it off earlier. She’d been so preoccupied she’d forgotten to turn it back on. Her breath caught in her throat when she saw she had several text messages—two from Max.
The first message had come in about an hour after she’d left him.
My place tonight? Max
The next was time stamped several hours later.
Are you okay?
Tara debated if she should answer him and, if she did, what she should say. Saying nothing was its own message. Still, she’d never been the type to treat someone callously, and he hadn’t done anything wrong—in fact, he’d done everything right. There was no need to let him worry that something might have happened to her.
She texted: Sorry, just getting in and saw your text. I’m fine.
She jumped a moment later when her phone rang. She answered it, and in a breathless voice said, “Hi, Max.”
“Hi, yourself. I was beginning to think you were ignoring my texts.”
Tara closed her eyes. His voice was deep and warm, just as she remembered it. “I wasn’t, but we need to talk about what happened this morning.”
“I’d rather repeat it than discuss it,” he purred.
Tara bit her bottom lip. Me, too. “That’s the thing. We can’t repeat it. On Slater Island you said you were looking for something brief and casual. Well, you got it. Now it’s time to move on. End it before things get confusing.”
“There’s nothing confusing about wanting to have you again, Tara. It’s all I could think about today. Are you coming to me, or am I going to you?”
Tara sat back down on the edge of her bed as her legs went to jelly beneath her. It would be so easy to say yes. Remembering why she couldn’t wasn’t easy while her body tingled with anticipation. Fighting for the strength to make the only choice that made sense, Tara lied. “I don’t feel well tonight. Someone gave me too many drinks last night.”
He was quiet for a moment, then said, “You should rest tonight. You’ll need your strength for tomorrow night. I don’t intend to leave Gio’s dinner party without you.”
Tara let out a long shaky breath. “Max, things are more complicated than you know.”
“Are you sleeping with someone else?”
“No.”
“Good, because that’s the only complication I couldn’t tolerate. Come to the dinner tomorrow alone, because you’ll be leaving with me.”
“You sound pretty sure about that.”
“I am. I know what I want, Tara, and that’s you. Tomorrow night will be about leisurely exploring every inch of your body until you’re begging me to take you. I love the way you whimper my name when you come. And you’ll do it again and again, all night long. But next time, I’ll wake up with you in my arms and start loving you all over again.”
“Yes,” Tara said with a wistful sigh, then corrected herself. “I mean, no. That’s a bad idea.”
“You can’t pretend you don’t want me, not after the way you gave yourself to me this morning. Do you like games? Is that what this is? I have to admit, you keep it exciting. So, play hard to get—it won’t change how the evening will end.”
“Good night, Max.”
“Until tomorrow, Tara.”
Tara hung up and flopped back onto her bed. I can’t sleep with him tomorrow night, can I?
I’m going to the dinner for Maddy.
Sex after dinner won’t stop me from helping her.
Maxwell Andrade wants me.
Me.
Would he if he knew about all the lies I’ve told his family? He’ll eventually find out Maddy hired me as a PI. Then what?
Tara remembered how his tongue had skillfully teased her clit until she’d been writhing from the pleasure of it.
Maybe he won’t care.
I can’t believe I’m considering this.
Tara thought about her plans for the evening if she said no. She’d be in a strange hotel room, alone, irritated that her roommate’s sex life had taken over their apartment.
Or I could be having the best sex of my life.
I’m a young, healthy, single woman. If I want to sleep with a gorgeous man, who just so happens to also be great in bed, I should be able to.
Right?
As soon as she’d made her decision, she couldn’t stop smiling. He said he liked the chase. She could have some fun with that.
Tara’s dreams that night were full of scenarios of teasing Max until he broke and took her roughly in a variety of locations her subconscious supplied. Each option was more exciting than the last and left Tara desperate to see Max again.
***
Max went through the motions of working the next morning. He worked from his hotel room, not wanting to be confined to an office all day. He could usually shut off the noise in his head and work regardless of what was going on around him. Closing out everything and being able to focus completely on the task at hand was what had allowed him to break away from his family and make his own success.
Nothing distracted him.
Pleasure had its place in his life, but nothing was more important than the business he’d built for himself. His trust fund had been ample, but he prided himself on how he’d used it to become a success even by his family’s standards.
He’d broken free of the drama that was his childhood, forged a life where things made sense, and not much surprised him. Until he’d met Tara, he would have said he was completely satisfied.
He also would have said the last place he wanted to be was New York. Yet here he was, dele
gating his workload and freeing up his time for a woman he barely knew. A woman he couldn’t get out of his mind no matter how hard he tried.
He wondered if she was anticipating seeing him as much as he was looking forward to seeing her again. Images of her brought a smile to his face. He thought back to the first time he’d met her and how she’d taken his breath away in that blue dress she’d claimed was too small for her. He thought it had fit her perfectly, and he was certain there wasn’t a man alive who would disagree with him.
His smile widened as he remembered how she’d made him laugh the other night when they’d shared too many drinks and closed Richard’s restaurant. He’d never met a woman who could make his sides hurt from laughter.
His phone conversation with his assistant, Dale, had left him feeling uneasy.
“I have you scheduled to fly to Cancun on Friday.”
“Why don’t you go instead, Dale? You’ve gone with me enough to know what I’m looking for. Send me a detailed report.”
“Okay,” Dale had said slowly. “You were planning to be in Vegas later next week. Are we meeting up there?”
“We’ve never had a problem out there. Why don’t you handle that site visit, too? I need to be in New York a little while longer.”
“New York?” Dale asked, suddenly sounding worried. “Is there a problem?”
The Vigie in New York was the only property Max normally delegated to Dale, so he could understand his concern. “No, you’ve done well here, Dale. I’ve merely found a project that temporarily requires my full attention.”
“Another acquisition.”
Max smiled. “You could say that.”
“Can’t wait to hear about it. You normally can’t wait to get out of that city. Whatever you’re working on must be something spectacular.”
“It is,” Max said, speaking more to himself than to Dale, as he remembered how Tara had looked naked and fresh from a shower, her eyes burning with desire for him.
Dale was right. It usually took Max less than a day to regret giving in to what was usually a plea from Luke to visit. One conversation with his family was all it usually took to have Max happily flying as far as his private plane would take him. There was nothing usual about this visit.
