Page 71 of His Sinful Need

Surprisingly. Maybe there’s something in the Castellanis that Anna-Vittoria should have a look at. She’s never been one to make friends, but times are changing. She obviously sees that, or she wouldn’t have sent Max to help me out in the first place.

“Tomorrow,” I say after a while, breaking the silence, “we should head back to the Lair. It’s past time I got rid of the place—should’ve done it right after…” I clear my throat. “We need to go through it for anything vital, I mean any clues about who this mole is, and then destroy it.”

“Agreed,” Max responds tiredly. His eyes are closed, and I wonder how tired he really is. Too tired to—? “We’ll find answers,” he goes on, cracking his eyes open. “One way or another, we will find this person and make them pay.”

Here I am thinking about my dick when a damn Castellani is keeping his eyes on the prize: finding the mole inmyFamily. I should be ashamed of myself. And yet…it’s hard to keep my mind from wandering when Max is right there beside me to glance at as I drive back to my place.

“After we finish with the Lair tomorrow,” he says, as I pull up in the driveway, “we need to look at Honeybee again.” His eyes open fully at last, and he gives me a serious look. “I know you don’t want to hear it, but—”

“No, I agree,” I say. “I don’t like what happened today. It could be nothing. Could be something. But that’s tomorrow. Tonight…” He raises an eyebrow, a silent prod for me to go on. “Tonight, maybe you could help me forget again?”

Surprise registers in his eyes. I feel compelled to add quickly, “It doesn’t have to mean anything. I just want to get my mind off of things. Figured maybe you did, too. We could…help each other out?”

He reaches out slowly, cupping my face in his hand, stroking me, a look of tenderness in his eyes I wasn’t expecting. “Yeah,” he says roughly. “Maybe we could.”

CHAPTER29

BRICKER

We’re barelyinside the house when I pull Max into a kiss, long and hard, but he breaks it off just as my hands start working at the buttons on his shirt.

“Hold on.” He stills my fingers.

Shit. “You changed your mind?”

“No. But last time…last time I decided if we were ever doing this again, we’d do itright.”

I grin too, now. “We didn’t do it right last time? Mess on my couch suggested otherwise.”

He gives a little huff. “There’s more to sex than a happy ending. I just want to…take my time. If you’re okay with that.”

My heart speeds up so much I feel it humming in my throat. “Yeah,” I croak out. “I’m okay with that.” Does he evenknowhow hot he’s making me? “Um. In that case, give me fifteen?” I want to make sure I’m at my sparkly-fresh best, if Max Pedretti plans to take his time with me.

He raises his eyebrows a little, but nods. “Sure. You call me in when you’re ready.”

Call him in, like he’s here to service me or something.

That idea only makes me hotter.

“I’ll be quick,” I promise, as I run upstairs with my cock already heavy in my jeans.

* * *

This will be the first time Max Pedretti has set foot in my bedroom, it occurs to me as I start the shower.

The first time we got naked it was in the hot tub, and then we stumbled up to his guest room. And then there was that giant argument, which I won’t think about now as I step under the water.

Second time was downstairs on the lounge just yesterday, and it was hot and primal, but tinged with grief. Grief and regret and a desire to escape.

Tonight? I asked him to help me forget again, but that’s not what I really want now, not since he said what he said downstairs.

I wanthim, time to explore him, to find out all the secrets of his body, since he won’t share the secrets of his mind. He’s still such a mystery; it’s a fresh surprise every time he kisses me to find that under all that cool there’s a hell of a lot of heat.

I dry down and leave the towel around my waist. Nice for Max to have something to open, right? And then I spend some time trying to position myself on the bed in the most inviting manner possible…until I feel like a fucking idiot, get off the bed, and go to the door.

“Hey,” I call downstairs awkwardly. “I’m…ready.”

Why the hell am Inervous?I’ve never been nervous about sex before. If there’s one thing I know how to do, it’s fuck. But I have to resist scurrying back into the bedroom as I hear his feet coming up the stairs. I’m glad I stayed in the doorway when he comes into view, because I get to see his eyes taking me in, traveling head to toe and back again.

---