Page 38 of Craving You

“No need to…” But then Max yawned too, causing them both to laugh a little. “Okay, so we each eat a little bit of sandwich just to try to eat healthy. Then, if you need some help falling asleep, I’d be more than happy to exhaust you a little more,” he gruffly suggested.

Lifting her head, she whispered, “I was hoping you’d say that.”

This time, the kiss was slow and sweet as they gradually made their way down and back under the sheets, the sandwich tossed aside. Max rolled her beneath him, taking his time like he was savoring the feel and the taste of her—which was more than okay because she was doing the same with him.

With soft caresses and tangled limbs, neither was in a rush to do more than simply explore. Earlier, when she said she wanted to hit pause on life, she meant it. If she could, she would stay right here like this with him for as long as she possibly could. Sunday morning and all the days after it were full of uncertainty. But this right here? This was real and wonderful and…everything.

If only this was the only thing she had to focus on.

If only they were just a normal couple who met and fell for each other.

If only they weren’t thrown together because they created a baby after knowing each other for less than forty-eight hours.

If only…

Max lifted his head and worriedly looked down at her. “Hey, are you okay? I feel like I lost you. If you’re really tired…”

“What? No. Sorry. My mind wandered. I guess I couldn’t fully hit pause,” she admitted, and wanted to kick herself.

“It’s okay,” he assured her. “It’s not possible to fully shut the rest of the world off, no matter how much we want to.”

She knew the next words out of his mouth were going to be that she should get some sleep, and she refused to hear them.

Instead, she reached up, raked her hand through his hair, and guided his mouth back to hers.

And they spent the next hour exhausting each other before finally giving in and taking a nap.

Max must have stayed awake a little longer than her, because he managed to set an alarm so they’d have time to shower before going down to dinner. Stretching, she turned her head and found Max lying on his side watching her. It didn’t matter how many times they’d seen each other naked or how many intimate things they’d shared, she suddenly felt a little self-conscious. When he reached over and gently combed her hair away from her face, all she could think of was how awful she must look.

“Hey, sleepy girl,” he said softly. “I hated to wake you up, but I know how much you were looking forward to eating dinner downstairs.”

“Mmm…I really am.” Forcing herself to sit up and stretch, she glanced at the clock. “What time is our reservation?”

“Seven. That gives us around ninety minutes to get ready.”

He leaned in to kiss her, but she quickly rolled away. “Oh, no you don’t,” she said, laughing. “If we do that, we’ll never leave this bed.”

“And that’s bad because…”

“Because we really should leave the room and do more activities that require clothes,” she said primly. “Isn’t there some sort of outdoor thing on the weekends? I thought I saw something about the fire pits and marshmallows on Friday and Saturday nights.”

“The campfire? Really? I thought it was more for families, but we can definitely check it out if you’d like.”

“Are there any other nighttime activities around the resort?” Slowly, she climbed from the bed and walked over to her weekender bag, pulled out her robe, and slid it on.

“That I’m not sure about, but we can ask at the front desk when we go down for dinner. The only things I know of are stuff you do outside during the day and the only indoor stuff I’m aware of is the arcade and the indoor skiing facility.” He rose from the bed and walked over to her, kissing her soundly before she could protest.

Her arms wrapped around him. “It’s a good thing I really want to go down for dinner. Otherwise, I’d be tugging you back down onto the bed.” Kissing him, she quickly moved out of his embrace. “Is it okay if I shower first?”

“Go ahead. I think I’ll do a little research while you’re using the bathroom so we can have a plan in place for after we eat.”

“Sounds good!” Grabbing her bags, Hailey went to get ready. All the while, she felt giddy about having another “date” with Max. Part of her was curious about where he’d take her if they weren’t essentially hiding out. Would they go to the movies? Out to eat with friends? Would they go into some bigger city where there were concerts and festivals? She hoped to find out.

Smiling, she took her time getting ready, hoping there was going to be something fun for them to do after dinner.

And when she stepped out of the bathroom, Max held up his phone with a big smile. “Okay, there is a campfire tonight along with an outdoor movie. It is geared more toward families, and it’s a Disney movie, but I thought it could be fun. The indoor skiing thing is also open and so is the arcade.” Laughing, he stood and stretched. “Essentially, we can act like we’re still in high school and going out on a date.”

“Aww…”

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