Page 68 of Tempt Me

Chapter 26

Gigi’smouth feltlikeeveryounceofmoisture had been syphonedoutof it. Her tonguewasstuckto theroofof hermouth,andshewasprettysurethatwhen sheopened hereyes,her lidswould sandpaper her eyeballs.

Her fingersflexed involuntarily,meeting someunexpected resistance. Somewarm,hard resistance.

Eventhough sheknewitwould hurt,sheopened hereyes.Itwasstilldark,thankfully,sothe sensation ofa railroad spikegoing through hertemplewasn’timmediate,norwasitassharp asshe wasexpecting ittobe,butitwasstill thereand hereyesbegan towater. Shedidher besttofocus on whatshewastouching.Her sluggish brain wasn’tjoining her in theland of consciousnessjustyet, leaving herto puzzleitouton herown.MaybeIkilledtoo many brain cellswith all thetequila I drank lastnight,shethoughtmiserablyasanother round ofspike-through-templeassaulted her.

Sheinhaled sharply,thescent ofwarmskin and aftershaveinvading her sensesand tickling her memory. Sheknewthatsmell. Realization dawned onher quickly,and her fingersflexedoncemore.

Max.

And shewasbeing theBigSpoon.

Gigi lether eyesdriftup,taking in theshockofhair sheknewwasmoreblackthan brown andthe broad muscular backshehad sunkher nails into before. Shelicked her lipsand tried nottomove, trying toremember whathad happened lastnight. Had sheshown uponhisdoorstep and demand hefuckher?Hadheactually donethat?With thesmallestmovementspossible,shetried to lookunderthesheets. Shecould feel thesoftnessof thecotton againsther bare breasts,butthat would havebeen possible becauseshewasn’twearing her—Jen’s—halterneckanymore.Thatwas okay. Shecould dealwiththat. Aslong asshestill hadher underwearon…

“Wejustslept.”Max’ssleep-affected voice drifted betweenthem.Sheknewhewasn’tshouting thewords,buttoherears,itsounded asif hewasannouncing itthrough amegaphone. Shegroaned and tried topull herarmfromaround hischest.Hegrabbed her wristbeforeitcould slidefree, holding her in place.“Leaveitthere,justfor alittlewhilelonger.”

Shecouldn’tdenyhim. Hefeltamazing againstherbody,butafter thewayshe’dlefthimthe morning before,shewasn’tsosureaboutthestatusoftheir relationship. Swallowing her embarrassment,shefinallyasked,“Howdid Iend up here?”

“I calledyou last nightandyou answered.”

Shegota flashbackofthat phonecall,thesketchyjangle of imagesfromthenightbeforecoming together slowly,although still notcompletely. “Icalledyoua bastard,”shesaid.

Maxchuckled,thevibration running through hischestand intoher hand stillover hisstrong heart. “Youdid.”

“I’msosorry. I didn’t meanit.”

“Sureyou did. You haveeveryrighttocallmeanynumberof names.I screwedup.”

“Howdid I end up atyour apartment?Ididn’tjust…showup,did I?”Talking abouther holey memoryfromherdrinkingbingewasembarrassing—atleastitwaseasiertalkingtohis backrather than his facewhileshewasdoing it.

“I asked you tocomearound.”

“And I justshowed up?”

Helaughed again. “You said youweregoingtoloseJen first.”

Shegroaned.“Jen.” Her roommatehadmade her promiseshewouldn’tansweranycallsfrom Max. She had also promised she’d forgetabouthimfor thenightand tryto havefun. Jen’sideaof fun involved tequila and randomhook-ups. Gigi wasokaywith thealcohol,butnotwith thecasual sex.“I’ll havetocall her.”

Maxsqueezed herhand. “Call her later.”

Shenodded and relaxed againsthisback.Whattheyweredoing wasnice,butitcouldn’tlast.The problemtheyfoughtaboutyesterdaystillexisted. Forrightnow,shewould justenjoythefeelof his strong,warmbodyagainst hers. Gigi inhaled and letthebreathoutslowly.“Max?”

“Hmm?”

Shethoughtmaybehe haddrifted off tosleep again. “TellmeaboutChelsea.”Shefelt his whole bodystiffen instantly.“Please?”

Hewastoosilentandtoostill fora longminute.Shethoughthe’d refuseher.Butthen hesaid, “I’ll tell you everything youwanttoknow.”Rollingover,hefaced her.“Butlet’sdoit over breakfast.”

“Why—”

“You’rehungover,and probablyseverelydehydrated.”Glancingover atthe nightstand,headded, “Drinkthewater. Takethe pills. Getdressed thenmeetmeand Erinoutinthekitchen.”Heleaned forward,kissed her templeand rolledoff thebed,taking hisphonefromthe nightstand ashewent. Shewatched him go,studying themusclesasthey moved in hisback. Shewouldmisshimwhen he wasgone. Sitting up,sheheld thesheetstoher bodyand reached for theglasshe’d leftand thetwo Tylenol.

When shefeltableto,she gotup,finding her clothesfolded up neatlyon theback ofa large armchair inthecornerof theroom. Putting ontheskirtand top,shelookedatherself inthemirror and balked. Shehad goneoutlikethatlast night?Jenhad actuallypicked thatparticular outfitand thoughtitlooked good?Max musthavehad aheartattackwhen sheturned upon hisdoorstep.

Shelooked downattheground,snagging oneofMax’steesfroma pile. Holdingitto her nose, sheinhaled;itsmelledofMax’saftershaveand ofhisskin. Slipping itover her head,shepaddedout intothekitchen.

Erin wassitting in herhigh chair whileMaxfed herbreakfast.Thelittlegirlsmiled widelyatGigi beforeopening hermouthfor thenextmouthfulof porridge.

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