What Maxi Needs (Leave Your Shoes On) Read online

  While she tried to get her breathing under control, he went to the wet bar, discarded the condom, and tidied up. He zipped his suit pants, buttoned them, and worked the fastening of his belt. Left his dress shirt open though, which Maxi found damn hot. It gave her more of a chance to really study all of those glorious muscles of his. The hard pectoral ledge covered with smooth, tanned skin that held the slightest sheen of perspiration.

  She’d definitely gotten him worked up.

  Her gaze swept lower to his ripped, six-pack abs, the grooves of which she suddenly yearned to lick. His obliques were well defined and tapered inward to disappear behind the waist of his pants.

  Maxi did not regret what had just happened between them. She did, however, greatly regret that they hadn’t gotten full-on naked. Because she was suddenly desperate to see this man in all his glory. Knowing the visual would be astounding.

  As the sparks ignited again, she refreshed their drinks to help distract her. She handed over Ryan’s glass. She clinked her rim to his and said, “This is probably one of the most bizarre first day of work anyone has ever experienced.”

  He grinned in his sexy way. “I concur.”

  “You’ve definitely given all-new meaning to the term it’s a pleasure to meet you.”

  “I had help with redefining that greeting. And I appreciate your open-mindedness when it comes to proving theories.

  Her stomach flipped. “I can’t quite recall what we were trying to prove. Though apparently, we give substantial credibility to the idea of opposites attract.”

  “I’m still quite intrigued by your stance on sexual chemistry.”

  “Yes,” she said with a teasing smile. “I like that one as well.”

  They sipped in silence for a few moments. Maxi thought that all of the electrifying bolts ricocheting throughout her body should be fully vanquished by now. Those three orgasms had been stellar ones, after all. Totally taking the edge off.

  Now was the time to get back to work. To focus on the strategies the team had begun to brainstorm, thanks to Ryan inspiring their creativity. Freeing them from the paralysis of presumed imminent failure.

  They could all function a bit better now that there was hope on the horizon. Kudos to Einstein.

  Of course, they weren’t out of the clear yet. As with everything about this peculiar day, his conjectures were just that. All based in theory. Sure, he had the stats and data to back up his claims for success, but until they dug deep into the weeds—again employing that practical application Maxi was such a fan of—they still faced an hourglass, with the sand running out before their very eyes.

  She stole a glance Ryan’s way and found his jaw set and his gaze fixed on his scotch. He was deeply lost in thought. Most likely contemplating the same things she was. They’d had a crazy bit of escapism exploring their attraction, but there was an entire company at stake. No room for error. No time for losing focus or momentum.

  She jiggled the cubes in her glass as she contemplated the current predicament.

  Maxi had waited a long, long time to meet a man like Dr. Ryan Donovan. No, he wasn’t the type she’d ever imagined herself getting involved with; maybe that was why she’d not tempered her craving for him, innately believing the reverse of her ideal might be to her advantage.

  She’d always dated guys who rode motorcycles and fixed things with their bare hands, not their brains. Guys who had names like Nick, Jake, and Kev, and made ridiculous promises along the lines of tattooing “Maxi” over their heart or on their bulging biceps…or around their ring finger.

  She groaned inwardly. Christ, she’d actually fallen for that last one. What a sucker she’d been. And how foolish was she being now, letting her attention slip from work to sex?

  She drained her glass and turned to Ryan. “So, we have a lot of problem-solving ahead of us.”

  He glanced up from his drink. “I was just thinking that. Staci hired me to help you get things back on track, and I promise to do just that, Maxi.”

  Now, that was a smart promise to buy into. But to do so, she had to play her part.

  Setting her tumbler aside, she considered her options. Then said, “I have absolutely no qualms about what happened between us today. Tonight. But Staci hired me to do a job too. This mission is important to all of us, and we need to dedicate ourselves to it.”

  Her gaze involuntarily swept over his hunky body and her insides sizzled. She gnawed her lower lip a moment as her breathing shifted once more to that shallow cadence she knew belied her intense arousal.

  He said, “We both know that whatever’s happening between us has to take a backseat to what we’re tasked with doing.”

  She nodded. “Naturally. Completely. I so agree.”

  And yet the burning spread from her belly upward to her breasts, tightening her nipples. Downward to her clit, making it tingle. Deeper to her core, causing a dull ache of need.

  Her eyelids fluttered closed for a few seconds as she absorbed all the sensations Ryan evoked—without even touching her.

  Worse, she knew exactly how it felt to have his mouth on her breasts, to feel him thrusting vigorously, exactly the way she needed it.

  Her legs squeezed together as the burst of fire at their apex caught her off guard.

  Okay, so, rationally speaking, she’d obviously spent too many years not getting what she needed from other men. So that when she finally came across one who knew what the hell he was doing when it came to pleasuring a woman—not just sexually, but emotionally and, yes, even intellectually—because honestly, he not only stimulated her body but also her brain—she’d instantly become addicted to everything Ryan had to offer.

  Not a big surprise, she surmised. Just really, really, really bad timing.

  Yet perhaps there was a way to get Einstein out of her system. She shot him a coy look. Moved from her spot on the far end of the sofa and crawled on all fours toward him. He deposited his glass on the end table. His brow crooked.

  “You’re stalking me?” he quipped.

  She smiled. “I like that you have a sense of humor. I never would have guessed.”

  “Most women who look like you don’t give me the chance to prove I have one.”

  “We’re a silly species.” She flattened a hand over his abs and felt the muscles flex beneath her touch. Her smile turned flirtatious. “So I was thinking…”

  He let out a low groan. “This is about to get dangerous, isn’t it?”

  “There’s absolutely nothing wrong with dangerous, Ryan. As long as it’s containable danger.”

  “Oh, really?” he deadpanned. “There’s such a thing as ‘containable danger’? I’ve yet to hear of this fascinating notion of which you speak.”

  “Then allow me to elaborate, Dr. Donovan,” she said in her best scholarly tone.

  Her fingers grazed his hot skin, up to his chest. Her nail scraped a small nipple, and his body jerked. She held her gloat in check. “You see, we both are of the same mind that business is first and foremost our main priority. Therefore, until we’ve resolved the shoe travesty we’re dealing with, we really ought to keep our hands to ourselves.”

  “Hmm. I see that’s working out so well for us.”

  She laughed softly. “Let’s call it a night of weakness. And we swear we’ll do better tomorrow.”

  “Tomorrow?”

  “Yes.” Her head dipped and the tip of her tongue toyed with his hard nipple. Then she blew a warm breath over the now-moist point. He let out a primal growl that turned her on even more. “Let me be Scarlett O’Hara for a few minutes. Because, Ryan…” She stared deep into his eyes. “I need you to make me come again.”

  “Ah, fuck. Maxi.” He gripped her upper arms and hauled her against his rock-hard chest. His mouth crashed over hers and he kissed her with searing passion, lighting her up like a Fourth of July night sky over Baltimore Harbor.

  His tongue tangled with hers, and Maxi gave herself over to the kiss. Ryan hitched her skirt up, the material gathering
around her waist once more. He yanked the thin strand of her lace thong over one ass cheek. His hand skated around to the front of her, and his fingers slipped behind the swath of material. He rubbed her clit with determined timing and the perfect amount of pressure.

  Breaking the kiss, she murmured against his lips, “You are seriously amazing.”

  “You bring out the animal in me.” He kissed her again. His other hand slid along the cleft of her ass, back and forth, increasing the need within her as he teased her. Just when Maxi thought she couldn’t take any more of the torment, he plunged two fingers into her pussy from behind and stroked quickly.

  Her mouth tore from his. “Ryan!” He worked her skillfully. Her nails pressed into his muscles, dragging across the skin at his collarbone. “Oh, God. I am burning up.”

  “I want you even hotter,” he told her, his tone dark and edgy. “I want you even wetter. Dripping, Maxi. And so ready for whatever I next do to you.”

  “Oh,” she said on a sharp whimper. “Oh, God, yes.”

  He massaged her clit while his fingers slid along her inner walls. A thrilling, breath-stealing anticipation mounted. She was close to coming. So very close…

  But Ryan clearly had more in store for her. He shifted the hand between her legs and ripped the side of her thong, the flimsy lace shredding instantly under his forcefulness. That alone sent her pulse off the charts. Then he swept aside the fabric and pressed her against the ridges of his abs with one hand on her hip.

  Her slick folds glided over his supple skin and ridged sinew, which provided a different texture and topography that felt fantastic against such a sensitive spot. And the fact that she was coating his stomach with her cream, that he wanted her to use his body for her own personal pleasure, pushed her even higher.

  His two fingers inside her continued to stroke. His other hand left her hip, and he brushed aside the material of her unbuttoned blouse. He tucked one lacy cup of her bra under her breast and drew her hard nipple into his mouth, sucking deep.

  Excitement shot through Maxi. Her entire body quivered and quaked. The tension inside her built to a nearly unbearable degree.

  Ryan’s free hand shifted to her ass. He collected some of the moisture in her cleft and then circled the rim of her anus. Slowly. Tantalizingly.

  A hint of apprehension closed in on Maxi. That had always been a forbidden spot for her. Kev had expressed interest in anal sex—she’d adamantly refused him.

  Somehow, this was different.

  “Just relax,” Ryan murmured.

  His smooth, circular motion was almost hypnotic. The easy rhythm felt unbelievably good as it coalesced with the sensation of her clit rubbing against his corrugated grooves, his fingers pumping into her and his tongue flittering over her nipple. He literally created sensory overload. And when his finger dipped into that small, tight hole, she cried out in sheer ecstasy.

  Her hips pressed down, so that she rode his stomach, her swollen clit and dewy folds rubbing vigorously.

  “Oh, Christ, Ryan.” She lost all touch with her surroundings, with her previous worries. Nothing existed except for this man—and the incredibly wicked things he did to her body. “Oh, fuck, yes. God, I’m going to come.”

  Hard. She knew it innately. To the depths of her soul.

  He worked his finger into her ass, up to the knuckle. She rocked against his abs, absorbing the sinfully delicious, searing sensation in her backside, and the increasingly sensual touch against her clit. Then he jacked her internal temperature higher by easing a third finger into her pussy and pumping heartily.

  An electric current surged from the erogenous zones he claimed, mastered, possessed. Maxi’s pulse raged. Her heart pounded. She blazed from the inferno Ryan incited.

  “I love how crazed you get,” he said against her bare breast. “Come for me.”

  “Ryan,” she said on harsh pants of air. “Oh, God. Ryan!”

  She couldn’t have held back if she’d wanted to. Every single sensation within her collided and erupted. Burst wide open. She screamed as the inferno consumed her, losing herself completely in the heat and intensity and the firestorm she’d tried to explain to him earlier in the day.

  The powerful orgasm roared through her. Her body shook violently. Her inner walls squeezed tight, prolonging the climax. A perfect, sizzling, erotic climax.

  It took forever for Maxi to return to herself. To realize her face was buried in the crook of Ryan’s neck, her mouth open, her teeth pressing against the thick cords of his throat, his slightly salty flesh against her tongue.

  Her fingertips were curled into his shoulders. His fingers were still deep inside her.

  “Oh, God.” She moaned. Dazed. Breathless. Brimming with a satisfaction the likes of which she’d never known. Not just the sort that came from sexual completion. This ran so much deeper. She felt molten. Languid. Thoroughly cared for and oh so sated.

  An unfamiliar, euphoric feeling seeped through her veins. Oozed down her spine. One she couldn’t decipher, dissect, or fully rationalize. Except to say that Ryan had just given her exactly what she’d needed for far too long.

  He’d done it despite the high stakes they’d admitted to facing when it came to the company. He’d done it without asking for anything in return—not even wondering aloud if she had more than one condom so that he could get his afterward. He’d acted selflessly, and that warmed Maxi’s heart as much as his scorching orgasms flamed her body.

  It took a few minutes for her to regroup. He seemed in no particular hurry to get her off of him. He slowly, carefully withdrew from her. She watched as though from outside herself as he reached into his pants pocket for a handkerchief and wiped his hands and abs. Then stuffed the cloth away. His arms slid around her.

  Maxi melted against him.

  This was not what she’d ever imagined from an impulse-fuck.

  She cringed inwardly. That was definitely not the appropriate term to use. Despite Maxi’s natural propensity for being direct and straightforward about situations such as this, she couldn’t deny that every single second with Ryan did not feel impulsive. It didn’t feel like a fast fuck. And neither one of them was making a quick exit.

  Honestly, she could have stayed snuggled against his chest for all of eternity.

  Definitely not a feeling with which she was familiar. Nor had she ever been in a post-coital situation where her lover gently stroked her hair while one arm was draped around her waist. Holding her to him as though he was no more interested in letting her go than she was in leaving.

  So strange.

  Yet so obvious. So palpable.

  Again, so all-consuming.

  Maybe too all-consuming. It suddenly occurred to Maxi that she wouldn’t have heard her cell ringing over the sound of her moans and Ryan’s sexy growls. She hadn’t given a single thought to incoming texts or e-mails since her last meeting had wrapped and Ryan had started massaging her feet.

  She had no idea what time it was. No concept of anything except…Ryan. And his hot and hard body beneath her.

  “Damn,” she mumbled as she forced herself to sit up, while still straddling his midsection. Her gaze skated over his handsome visage. But as she took him in, her stomach plummeted and her jaw slackened.

  “What?” Ryan asked, his voice as low and hoarse as hers. His gorgeous brown eyes were warm and seductive, almost making her forget her sudden alarm.

  She didn’t allow herself to get caught up in his glowing irises. Her gaze moved back to his neck, his broad shoulders, his collarbone.

  Remorse lanced through her. “Ryan,” she said as she lifted a hand, about to gingerly place it on his chest. But she couldn’t bring herself to do it. “I—I’m so sorry.” She took in the extent of marks she’d left on his body, and shame hit her hard. “Shit. I can’t believe I did that to you. God, I’m so very sorry. I didn’t mean to actually claw at you. I—”

  “Maxi.” He sat up slightly, with her still in his lap. He surveyed as much of the damage as
he could, then let out a low chuckle. “Well, I’ll be damned. Look at that.”

  “Ryan!”

  He laughed heartier. “Maxi,” he countered. “They’re just scratches. You didn’t even break the skin.”

  “I bit you!” she declared as she stared at the slight indentation of teeth marks on the lower portion of his neck.

  “I think I’ll survive. Unless you’re a vampire. In that case, you really should have warned me upfront. It’s the courteous thing to do before you suck someone’s blood.”

  Swatting at him, she said, “You’re impossible.”

  “And you, Maxi Shayne, are a tigress.” His arms caged her waist, and he kissed her soundly, temporarily derailing her thoughts and her guilt. “I think it’s sexy. You’re damn sexy. And you proved your point from our lunchtime discussion, so congratulations.”

  “You continually astound me,” she said. “And I think you’ve tapped into some primal part of me I didn’t know existed. I’ve never actually maimed someone in the heat of the moment.”

  “Do you hear me complaining?” he asked with a pointed expression. “And for the record…I’m happy to know I brought out those carnal urges in you.”

  “So why aren’t you looking triumphant?”

  His brow furrowed. “Maxi, this isn’t a competition. It’s not a who can make who surrender while the other remains in control kind of thing. What just happened between us—that’s the way it’s supposed to be, right? Giving and receiving pleasure. Not keeping score. Not holding anything against the other. Not using sex—”

  “As a weapon,” she finished for him. Maxi climbed off Ryan and hastily fixed her clothing. How long had she lived the cliché? Probably since her first time, when she was eighteen. His name had been Reb. He’d been the start of a long and undistinguished line of users.

  She told Ryan, “You’re exactly right. You’re precisely right. You’re metaphysically, viscerally, cerebrally, algebraically correct. Totally.”

  They stared at each other.

  Maxi felt an emotional storm brewing within her—and saw the same in Ryan’s glowing irises.