His mouth lowered.
A tingle of anticipation made her breath hitch.
Soft as a whisper, his lips brushed across hers. Once…twice… then covered her mouth.
Slow and surprisingly gentle, the kiss solidified the fragile bond between them before his lips seared a path along her jaw, down her neck to her shoulders, and back up again. He recaptured her lips, more demanding this time.
His tongue explored the recesses of her mouth, parried with hers until desire, hot and potent, flooded her veins with liquid fire.
She matched his passion with her own, moaning softly when his lips left hers to deliver a series of slow, shivery kisses that left her weak and clinging to him for support.
His arousal pressed against her middle adding fuel to an already blazing fire.
He pulled back, eyes locked with hers, their breath coming in ragged gasps.
“God, Sky. I need you,” he whispered. “I want you.”
“Me, too, but…” She meant to say Maddie might hear, but speech failed her.
“…I know.”
He pulled her against him again, pressing a soft kiss on her forehead as they swayed to an internal melody of contentment.
“You complete me, Sky,” murmured Max.
His warm breath drifted over her ear, and her heart sang with delight.
“You make me feel whole again.”
A delicious shiver raced through her. “You complete me, too.”
Never had she felt more cherished. More alive. More wanted. And she gloried in the moment.
A soft moan escaped as he pulled her snugly against him.
The clock on the wall ticked away time, yet neither moved.
Max evidently felt someone needed to be the voice of reason. “One of us needs to step back.” His assertion lacked any degree of finality.
She rubbed her cheek against his chest, inhaling the scent of freshly laundered cotton mixed with cardamom and spice. “I like it here just fine.”
He sighed. “So do I, but it’s late.”
Before she could protest further, he continued. “And I still need to tell you about Logan.”
As mood busters go, that was a pretty good one, and Sky took a slow step back. Immediately, his stiff posture and closed expression told her how anxious he was about the impending conversation. “How about we sit on the couch. It’s more comfortable than kitchen chairs.”
She pulled two mugs from the cabinet. “Coffee’s done. Go sit. I’ll bring it with some cookies I bought tonight.”
A few minutes later, they sat side by side on the couch, coffee and cookies untouched on the end table.
Max cleared his throat. “Maddie asleep?”
“Yeah. She was beat.”
“I’m sorry I messed up our plans for the evening.”
She shrugged. “Things worked out. We missed you, of course, but it worked out.”
He fidgeted beside her, a light flush on his cheeks. “Um, did Cade say anything else?”
Sky scoffed. “Tried to worm his way into our parade watching and offered to take Maddie to see Santa.” She couldn’t help but smile at the memory. “She basically told him to buzz off and not talk to her again.”
For the first time all evening, he smiled. “That’s my girl.” The smile disappeared when he continued. “Um, I, uh, called Dr. Bellamy earlier.” One hand rubbed his knee. “I’m so out of my element here. I needed some advice on how to talk to him. Logan, I mean. And to you.”
“And?”
This time, he rubbed his thighs with both hands, a sure sign he was nervous.
She covered one hand with both of hers. “Whatever it is, Max, just say it. Nothing’s going to change how I feel about you.”
He shifted on the couch, darting a quick glance her way. “His mother is Anna Sue Watkins. We were friends in high school. Not like boyfriend and girlfriend, though. Just friends.”
She nodded and waited for him to continue.
He turned his hand over and laced their fingers together. “We met our junior year and just kinda clicked. We were both on the outside, trying to find a way to fit in. It wasn’t the best of times, but we survived. She helped me pass science. I helped her with math.”
He took a deep breath as though steeling himself for the next words.