Page 12 of Her Reclusive Beast

Torture, I quickly realize after soaking his jaw with a hot, damp towel. Nobody tells you how intimate this act is. I have to stand between Max’s spread thighs to get close enough and that means he has me enveloped, since he seems determined to keep his hands on my waist. The more times I swivel to rinse the razor in the nearby sink, the more his fingers begin to wander. I suck in my breath. “Stop that! I’m trying to concentrate here.”

“Me too,” Max mutters. His fingers are spread wide across my ribs.

My chuckle is strained. “But you’re the one that could lose an ear. I’m almost done.”

“I’ll be the laughingstock of the general store.”

I stand back to admire my handiwork. “Is that what’s bothering you? That a woman took over as barber?”

“No, baby. You don’t understand. It’s a regional tradition to grow out a beard for the cold weather. Anyone who doesn’t is a city pansy.”

My eye roll makes his lips twitch. Max moves me back slightly so he can stand. Checking his face in the mirror, he turns to me. “Now I want my reward.”

Blinking, I stare up at him. Bemused all over again that I’m here at all with a world-famous author whose ability with words is the envy of so many. If only they knew…

“What? Like a cupcake?”

He shakes his head, smiling. “No, but just as sweet, I’m sure. Drop the jeans, Jenna. And come here.” He sits back down on the bench and pats his lap. I’m confused. He didn’t get undressed, so he wants… what exactly?

“Now, Jenna,” he growls.

My mouth goes dry. There’s something in his eyes that lures me in. Makes me want to find out what he has in store. Hesitantly, my fingers go to the top button of my jeans. Fumbling, I finally manage to slip it through the hole and lower the zipper. Then I just stand there like an idiot, unable to continue further.

I’m impaled by the fierceness in Max’s gaze. I can’t look away, I can’t move. I’m frozen like a rabbit being perused by a curious wolf. Except I don’t really want to escape. But…

Max’s expression softens. Abruptly, he stands and picks me up in his arms. Cradling me against his chest, we move out of the bathroom and down the hall.

How did I miss this room? Max carries me into a small, cozy room with a big armchair and an even bigger TV mounted to the wall over a small fireplace. He settles into the armchair, taking me with him. I swivel my head to take in more of the room. I can tell he spends a lot of time in here.

“Is this where you disappear to all day?” I ask curiously.

Max shakes his head. “No, this space is for the deep winter, when it’s dark and the snow is blowing against the side of the house. Even hermits need a few creature comforts then.”

I turn my attention back to his face. “You aren’t a hermit. Maybe a self-imposed one which I wish you would explain, but not by nature.”

He frowns down at me. “You are a bundle of contradictions, little Jenna. I forget when you’re so decisive that you’re still so much an innocent.”

I growl at that one. I’m tired of hearing it. “I’m not. I’m not a virgin and I’ve lived in New York for five years.”

Max arches one elegant brow. “What does that have to do with anything? When was the last time you took a lover, Jenna?” His question is neutrally delivered. He’s not seething with jealousy. He sounds more like a reporter who scents a goodstory. And he’s not moving the conversation along when I don’t answer. Max can wait like no other. Except maybe that wolf I was mentioning earlier.

“College,” I finally mumble, just to get this over with.

Max snorts. “Thought so. Innocent.”

I glare at him until he pulls me close against his chest. “You need to understand, Jenna, that I am not a gentle man. That’s even more true in the bedroom.”

“What do you mean?” Something about the way his muscles tense beneath my thighs, the starkness of his words, has me more intrigued than scared.

Max sighs before answering, “I need to be in complete control. I haven’t been with a woman since I moved here, fifteen years ago. It’s too difficult to keep things casual in a small town. That and the fact that I’ve never had such strong feelings as I have for you — makes me want to mark every inch of you.”

My pussy floods, but my brain intervenes before I do something rash. “You only want something casual?” I quaver, bracing myself to hear the affirmative.

Instead, Max growls. “No! Would I have brought your cat up here if I intended to send you back? I only meant that my previous relationships were casual, and most of those women thought I was too bossy and domineering. My need for you, baby… You’re likely to hate me before I even get a taste of your sweet pussy.”

Hate is nowhere on my agenda. My heart swells with the enticement he’s offering. “Can you spell it out for me, Max? What does marking mean? How do you want to dominate me?”

His hand slides over the curve of my butt. “I don’t want to hurt you if that’s what you’re worried about. I need to kiss you all over, Jenna. Lick and suck until every bit of you has my scent.”

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