Page 16 of Her Reclusive Beast

I shrug with a slight smirk. “I could answer that if I knew what the plan was.”

He snorts. “By that logic, the person with the plan is in charge, correct?”

I frown at him. “I’m not prepared to concede that.”

8

Max appears mildly flummoxed by my resistance to his taking over, but he doesn’t seem displeased. His eyes are noticeably brighter and more playful before he lowers his head to kiss me firmly. I lift mine to meet him halfway. That surprises him too, but with a half-laugh, he slides one hand into my hair before absolutely devouring me. It’s the kind of kiss you see in old movies.

When I can breathe again, Max is sitting up and regarding me thoughtfully. Then he leans down to kiss my nose. But he absolutely steals that breath away again when he says, “I glow at night because my existence was genetically modified to include bioluminescence.”

Tilting my head to one side, I scan him up and down. He’s tense, waiting for my reaction, so I know I have to tread carefully. Finally, I nod in acknowledgment. “What else can you do?”

Looking startled, Max’s lips tilt upwards. “That was a freebie. You want to know, you’re going to have to let me lick that undoubtedly adorable pussy until you cum.”

I squirm under the heat of his gaze. I want that, but not right this minute. He gave me a gift of the truth just now and I feel the need to reciprocate with my own show of trust. Sitting up abruptly, I catch a brief glimpse of the wariness in his eyes. Then I push on his broad chest with my hands until he gets the idea and reclines back on his elbows. It’s not as far back as I was hoping for, but it will do. Slowly and with precision, I unbutton his shirt. Max watches me with one eyebrow quirked, but he doesn’t interfere.

Taking a deep breath when I’ve accomplished my task, I pause for a moment to simply admire him. Then I dive in. It’s my turn to kiss and lick and suck. Max freezes under my admittedly amateur assault before gradually relaxing. By the time I’ve made my way to one of his flat male nipples, he’s threading his fingers through my hair to hold me in place. When I gently bite down, he groans, takes one of my hands, and places it over his burgeoning erection. I still while a nervous giggle escapes me.

“You done playing with fire, baby?” Max inquires hoarsely. I nod dejectedly. Instead of pushing me away or even pulling me to my feet, he somehow bundles me into a ball and rolls us over again. Then I’m being tickled. Mercilessly.

I’m helpless and gasping with laughter before he eventually stops the torture. “You never have to go further than you’re ready for, Jenna. And it’s okay if the goalpost moves back and forward on different days. It brings me immense pleasure that you even want to touch me at all.”

His words are so quiet and solemn it takes me a minute for them to sink in. I raise my eyes to his and see the truth there. He’s been braced for rejection all this time. Maybe still is a little for the rest of whatever he hasn’t told me. I sit up again and lean into his shoulder. “It’s okay, Max. I don’t care if you glow. It could prove useful if the power goes out.”

“Hmmm.” He nuzzles my neck as if he can’t bear not to be touching me. I’m certainly not complaining about that. “It makes it extremely difficult to travel.”

The lightbulb finally goes off and I mentally kick myself for not putting it all together earlier. Although in my defense, there have been a few other things going on. “Is that why you’ve never come to New York?”

He nods jerkily.

“Well, what about Halloween? Surely you can travel on one day of the year.”

Max’s lips twitch. “And get back when, exactly? I have taken some short trips in the area. As long as I’m checked in to a hotel room before dusk, it’s fine. But that’s a tedious way to travel, even in the summer.”

My arm brushes his in sympathy. Surely we can figure something out? But I think that’s a problem for another day. “Are we done making out like nervous teenagers?” I ask dryly.

Max bursts out laughing. “I guess we are.” He stands and folds up the picnic blanket and then takes the repacked hamper from my grasp. It’s a quiet and contented walk back to the house. That is until I’m back in the office checking my phone for any messages.

There’s an email from an unfamiliar sender listed as a law firm that I almost mark as spam until something about the phrasing of the subject line makes me pause. Cautiously, as if moving slowly is going to make a difference, I click to open it. Then my mouth drops open in shock. Rudnam (although I’m sure Diana is behind it) is suing me for… well, I’m not entirely sure what the legal terms mean but essentially if I’m reading this right, they’re accusing me of stealing. Not money, or intellectual property, but Max, specifically.

My mouth opens again to call Max into the room, but somehow no sound comes out. And that’s how he finds me a moment later, staring at the open door.

“Jenna? What’s the matter?” He sets his own phone down on the desk to pull me into his arms.

“They’re suing me over you.” A nervous laugh escapes because I still don’t understand the logic of that.

Max holds out his hand for my phone and I blindly place it on his palm, then snuggle my face into the warm, comforting solidity of his chest.

He’s quiet as he reads, and then an annoyed snort escapes him. “They have no idea who they’re dealing with.”

A watery chuckle escapes me. “Me or you?”

“Both of us,” Max responds firmly. “I too got an email, a very solicitous one from Diana apologizing for sending such an inferior editor and offering to come up here so she personally can oversee a complete re-write.”

My body freezes in terror. “She can’t do that, can she?”

Large, warm hands slide down my back. “No, baby, she can’t. The terms of my contract specifically say once the manuscript is received by Rudnam, my obligations are done. They aren’t required to publish it, although if they don’t in six months, the rights revert to me. I’d be okay with that.” The teasing note in his voice is his attempt to cheer me up. My arms tighten around his waist so I can forget about the outside world for a minute while I breathe in his piney scent.

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