Page 69 of Cowboy Devil's Embrace

“Yeah, I must have gotten static electricity or something,” I mumbled, and he frowned, pulling me close for a quick kiss.

“I’m a shit cook, but I can do eggs and toast pretty well,” he said, pulling out a stool from the kitchen counter.

“I can do it,” I said, but he was already shaking his head.

“Nah. I got this. I cook. You talk.”

“It’s kind of hard with you watching me,” I said, and I could have sworn he mumbled something likeyou have no idea.

I must have been hearing things. Max turned around and grabbed a carton of eggs from the fridge.

He washed his hands, set a frying pan on the stove, and turned the gas on to medium heat.

“I guess I should start with Burt.”

Max growled. Like actually growled. I watched him close his eyes and work to relax his body before he opened them again and returned to cracking eggs in the pan.

“You see, Max, I was already in a relationship with a man who didn’t want me sexually?—”

“What?”

“Well, last night, I thought things were going well. That you liked me,” I began, and yeah, I was twisting my hands together.

I was not shy. Not exactly. But this was not an easy thing to talk about.

How did I tell a man who looked like that how hard it was when someone didn’t want you? How could he even pretend to understand?

“I do like you,” he said, completely abandoning breakfast to face me.

“Yeah, but do you like me, like me? I know this seems stupid, but I’m thirty-four, and I am not getting younger. I wasted seven years with a man who had to force himself to touch me. I won’t do that again. I can’t. So if all you have to offer is friendship, that’s fine. We can be friends. But I don’t want to date a man who doesn’t even try to touch me,” I finished and stood up, pushing the stool back as I slid off the seat.

Max hadn’t moved throughout my whole speech, which told me everything I needed to know about this whole conversation. I was a total moron.

Max didn’t want me.

Fuck, that hurt to admit. But he clearly didn’t. Not like I wanted him.

If there was an on demand black hole service, I sure wish I had their number because right then, that was the opportune time for one to open up and swallow me.

“I’ll. uh, I’ll call an Uber outside,” I whispered and left the room.

The smell of burned eggs tainted the air as I walked into the hallway. I felt about two inches tall, but whatever negative thoughts I was having, it was nothing compared to how out of my mind frightened I was by the howling roar that came from the kitchen, followed by a curse and the sound of water running, presumably over the ruined breakfast and frying pan.

“Max, are you, okayyy—ooof!”

I’d turned back to make sure he hadn’t burned himself only to find myself pinned to the wall and Max breathing heavily against me. Body to body, he felt so good, dwarfing me with his enormous physique.

It wasn’t often I felt small or petite, but he was just that huge. And I couldn’t pretend not to like it.

“Friends? You think I want to be friends? You think I don’t want you? Feel this, Sugarplum? That’s how much I fucking want you,” he growled, flexing his hips and pressing the hard evidence of his attraction against my soft belly.

“Fuck,” he said, eyes wild as he crushed his mouth into mine.

This wasn’t my first kiss, but it was the first time a man had rendered me completely limp with only his mouth on mine. Max kissed like the devil himself. Licking into me with his tongue like he was tasting me, memorizing my flavor.

“Fuck, you’re so sweet,” he growled, nipping my lip.

“Max,” I moaned, clutching his shoulders.

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