Page 87 of Can We Skip to the Good Part?
“Yeah, but the best variety.” He gave her hand a squeeze, stood, and brushed off his pants as if he’d been sitting in dirt. She knew it was the emotional equivalent, and he was wiping away the excess, gearing up to go back to work with a level head. And he would. This store would be amazing once again with incremental work and a little bit of tender care. The books demanded it.
She stayed at the shop through the afternoon until the sun began its descent in the sky, opting to work on her latest cover right there, knowing her presence, even as she huddled quietly in the corner with her tablet, was a form of support for Doug on what had been a hard day.
Afterward, she swung by her place to grab some clothes, give Rachel a squeeze as she moved through the kitchen, and head to Max’s, where she spent most of her nights these days. She didn’tknock because she was expected. Breezing into the kitchen and expecting to see Max prepping a meal or pouring a couple of glasses of wine proved unsuccessful. “Ms. Wyler? Where might I find thee?” She strolled through the living room, smiled at Max’s leather attaché on the floor near the square coffee table that doubled as a seat. She heard the water the closer she walked to the bedroom. They’d just texted a few minutes earlier. Max must have decided to hop in the shower for a quick revive and relax. While she wanted to waltz into the room and join her beneath the stream, Ella took a seat on the bed instead, just in case Max was angling for a few moments on her own to decompress. It was only a few minutes before she emerged in nothing but her towel. Ella’s mouth went dry.
“Well, hello,” Max said, her lips easing into a smile.
“Hello,” Ella said, blinking in amazement. Max’s long legs and the round tops of her breasts peeking out of that towel were the very things she needed in her life at this moment. “Early evening shower?”
Max nodded, a stray strand of dark hair falling just shy of her right eye. “I had an angry couple this afternoon. Lots of shouting. Very little listening to reason or logic, which made for a frustrating afternoon. I wanted to wash all of that away so it didn’t touch our evening. Also, hi. I missed you.”
“I missed you, too.” Ella met her brown eyes. “I want you to know that I very much appreciate the shower, only because it brought me to this moment.”
“Is that right?” Max’s eyes danced. “What moment would that be?”
“The one with you in this towel. Looking like that.” The expanse of smooth skin had Ella’s mouth watering and her fingertips itching to trace every curve.
Max let go of the two ends of the towel she had clasped in front of her, and the whole thing dropped to the floor. “What towel was that?” she asked with innocent eyes.
With a sweet smile, she moved past Ella to the dresser and began to look for a T-shirt, leaving Ella standing there, still like a video buffering, to take in the show. And she did. She watched from behind as Max perused her clothing options. Her long, dark hair rested on the olive skin on her back. Ella followed the lines of Max’s ridiculous body from the trim waist that flared into the curve of her hips to the perfectly round ass and ridiculously sexy thighs. Ella wanted to touch her so badly it hurt. She also couldn’t help but notice Max taking her sweet time, which was too much encouragement to ignore. She approached her from behind and placed her hands on Max’s waist, and smiled when she went still. “Oh, hello.” Max turned her head to the side and met Ella’s gaze over her shoulder. Her eyes were hooded, the desire more than evident behind them. She seemed to like the objectification.
“What is it you’re working on over here?” Ella asked.
“Oh.” She swallowed. “I was just organizing the drawer a little. It’s out of control.”
“Well, don’t let me interrupt you. Organize away.”
Max relaxed her arms and then continued to explore the contents of her T-shirt drawer, rearranging items and straightening what needed to be straightened. In the meantime, Ella did some exploring of her own. She eased lower on Max’s waist until her hands landed on the curve of her ass, which definitely needed a full caress. She closed her eyes, losing herself in the feel of the warm, soft skin. But it was merely a means to get to where she really wanted her hands. On a mission, she slipped one between Max’s legs and stroked her ever so softly from behind, closing her eyes at the warm, wet heat that she found there. Max exhaled audibly.
“Don’t mind me,” Ella said. “Keep going. That drawer needs you.”
“Right. The drawer.”
With her foot, Ella nudged one of Max’s legs to the side, widening her stance just enough. Then, with deliberate softness, she ran her fingers through the gentle folds between Max’s thighs, her touch barely there—just a whisper at first, then another. She lingered in that teasing rhythm until she felt Max shift, angling herself into Ella’s hand, silently pleading for more. But Ella held back, never quite letting her touch reach Max’s clit, on purpose, of course.
Instead, she stroked in a steady, coaxing rhythm, up and down, just enough to let Max grind into the motion. The friction built quickly, the slick heat of it coating Ella’s fingers. She loved Max this way. The sound of her soft gasps, the way her fingers gripped the edge of the dresser, the subtle whimper that told Ella exactly where she was in her climb. The louder one that said she was closing in.
That was her cue.
Ella adjusted her hand and slid two fingers inside, pumping steadily and slowly. With her other hand, she reached around and circled Max’s clit with the pad of her thumb—once, twice, then a few purposeful strokes. Max cried out, her body jerking as the orgasm broke over her. She kept moving, hips rocking against Ella’s hand, drawing out the aftershocks of pleasure.
Ella leaned in and kissed the back of Max’s shoulder, her lips catching a slight tremble. Wet hair clung to her cheek, and she smiled at the scent, clean and sweet, like fresh peaches. She closed her eyes and let herself breathe it in, anchoring the moment before either of them said a word.
“Good day at work?” Ella asked finally, which prompted laughter from both of them.
Max turned in Ella’s arms, her chest flushed from the orgasm, water droplets still beaded on her breasts. “God, I love being fucked by you,” Max said, just before claiming Ella’s lips in an open-mouthed kiss that rocketed heat from Ella’s head to her toes. Her center began to ache with anticipation. Her body knew Max now and prepared itself for her. Their chemistry was as automatic as the sun rising on the horizon each morning. Max pulled back and met Ella’s eyes. “But as for my day, I still have a little work ahead of me.” She walked Ella toward the bed. “Luckily, it’s my absolute favorite kind.” She glanced down. “Now let’s get you out of these clothes.”
“Sonya, are you free?”
“For about three minutes. I’m working on getting the financial affidavits submitted for the Dawsons. They were slow in getting everything to me, and now they want me to jump through hoops.”
“Well, you do it better than anyone I’ve ever met.”
“After that, I need to start translating the Morales mediation into the formal settlement agreement, and then I’m going to smoke a cigarette and put my feet up on my desk.”
“You don’t smoke.”
“Well, sweet cakes, I’m starting today.” Sonya arrived in the doorway of Max’s office and paused. “Why don’t you look stressed? I feel like I’m ready to pull my hair out using a spork and no anesthesia while you’re fresh as a daisy.” Her dry delivery was, as always, spot-on.
