Page 26 of Crush

He sniffed, “I had you down as a tiramisu girl,” he replied, deciding against elaborating.

He released a huff, “You were saying,” Max said with a maddening smirk.

The mean girl in me surfaced. I pointed a finger into his chest, “Yes. You have a shit personality, you’re a dickhead and you’re old.” The name-calling was juvenile but why the hell not?

This brought Max’s head back down, his pupils appearing wild in their sockets. His expression had morphed into something hard. There was a beat of silence and it felt like the air had been sucked from between us. I had crossed the line. I knew he was touchy about approaching thirty.

“So, I’mold,am I?” he growled, pushing his chest forward and into my finger. I dropped my hand and moved back, the door again blocking my retreat. My eyes darted around him. Should I make a run for it or stay and fight?

A quiver of something undisguisable bloomed in my chest. Crossing swords with Max Hunter had stirred something inside me. Nothing of any actual substance, we weren’t talking ‘feelings’ by any stretch of the imagination but there was a definite harmony.

“Yes,Grandad,” I replied childishly with a smirk of my own.

He washed a hand down his face. “Do I haveanythinggoing for me?” Max questioned with a head flick towards his body.

I allowed my gaze to roam over him with a critical expression. “You’re good-looking and have a decent enough body, a solid seven out of ten, but you donothingfor me.” The lie and blatant challenge fell from my lips almostechoingaround the small space between us.

Max’s gaze became predatory, “Is that so?”

“Yep.” I stood my ground.

He suddenlyobliteratedany space between our bodies and I twitched as he lifted his hand and ran his thumb across a section of my throat. “I donothingfor you? So, there is a sense of humour in there somewhere. Why don’t I don’t believe you?” His whisky-scented breath breezed across my face, making my nipples tighten.

“Because you’re a conceited ape?” I stated flatly, my body starting to betray my lie at his nearness.

“Why is your pulse fluttering so much then?” The skin there heated and I felt a burst of pleasure. He was right, something had changed between us whether I liked it or not.

“Panic maybe. You do have me pinned against a door,” I pointed out, tilting my chin higher as I inspected him. My voice left my body much breathier than I intended. The heat between us was suddenly insane.

Max then traced his fingers across my collarbone, dropping his head to whisper into my ear. “You’re lying.”

The energy between us switched from hostile to something else and as he pulled back, an intense feeling of lust fluctuated through me. “How do you know?” I whispered.

Our gazes remained tangled until Max’s eyes fell to my mouth. “Your lips are moving.”

The realisation that I should have cut my losses and dodged past him when I had the chance slapped me in the face as he trapped me. Max’s strong arms came up on either side of my head, caging me against the door.

“What do you think you’re doing? Move,” I said even though being so close to his body gave me a sharp, sick thrill.

Max smirked, “What’s the magic word?”

Shooting him anare you kidding melook, I replied, “Wait, I know this one. Does it rhyme with back the hell up?” I raised my arms and pushed against his rock-hard chest but he didn’t move an inch.

“You also should have showered instead of coming straight from work,” I said with insulting ease. It was a complete lie as his scent was amazing.

Max chuckled, “What are you? The hygiene police?”

“Let me go, Max. I mean it.”

“Why, Iknowyou’re attracted to me, Amber. I’ve seen the way you eye-fuck me at work. Those coy glances,” he husked as he crowded me. Max was blatantly baiting, provoking a response.

The fact that I was being held against my will caused that fizz of excitement to pulse. That’s why his vanilla comment was so very wrong. I loved being restrained during sex and this was close enough, but I never surrendered easily. I enjoyed submitting, but only on my terms, and when I was ready.

Max was watching me like he knew all my secrets.

“You’re confusing coy glances with blatant disdain.” I croaked out, lowering my hands and eyes, his hungry expression was a complete turn-on. The dampness between my legs was proof of that. I was wet.

Max shifted one hand and gripped my chin, forcing my gaze back up. “Let’s test the theory, shall we?” Max smirked in a voice loaded with promise. His spicy masculine scent teased my nostrils.

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