Still reeling from the fact that there was one reason he was up for this, I raised my brows. “There’s another?”
“Yeah, although I didn’t realise it until I was stood in that hallway.” He palmed my face with both hands, his eyes all soft and warm. “I love the shit out of you.”
Utterly stunned, I didn’t breathe for a moment. “What?”
“I pretended it away. Not because I didn’t want something with you, but because I don’t have a lot of faith in relationships. My parents … they were solid. Tight. So fucking happy. What my mother did rocked me. But I think you can understand that, because hearing about your dad’s other family rocked you. It’s enough to disillusion a person, isn’t it? It makes you think you can’t really know people. That you can’t trust happiness, so you don’t go looking for it. And I guess a part of me felt that I had no right to look for it, because I can’t quite shake off the guilt I feel for not telling my dad about my mother’s betrayal, even though I’m not sure if telling him would have been the right decision.”
I gave his leg a comforting squeeze. “That guilt is senseless, but I do understand why you’re torn up about that. And you’re right, I do understand why your mother’s actions rocked you. I can see why your upbringing caused you to avoid relationships. I did that for a long time, though I didn’t realise it back then. It was a while before I saw that my pattern of picking one asshole after another was my way of avoiding real commitment. I subconsciously knew I’d never be happy with those men, knew I’d end things at some point, and that was why I picked them.”
“The difference between you and me is that you confronted your issues and worked on them. I didn’t do that. I kept on fucking up. Convinced myself I was fine the way I was.”
“And now?”
“Now I’m done with that shit. Fair warning: I’ve never been in a relationship before, and I get the feeling I’m going to mess up. Often. But I’m asking you to give me a shot anyway. And if you say no, well, I’ll just ignore it on the grounds that that answer doesn’t work for me.”
I felt my mouth curve. “I’m not going to say no.”
“You’re not?”
“No. I can’t promise I’ll be much good at the relationship thing. My past ones didn’t really count, and none ended well. I figure this will be a learning experience for both of us. I’m up for it, though.”
He flashed me a blinding smile. “Exactly what I want to hear.”
(Max)
Wicked fast, I lifted her from the floor, dropped her on my lap, and then closed my mouth over hers. It wasn’t a kiss. It was an all-out explosion. We ate at each other’s mouths, ravenous and frantic.
I slid my hands all over her, unable to get enough. Stroked her face. Squeezed her breasts. Pulled on her hair. Clutched her ass.
So many emotions fired through me—relief, hunger, desperation, a longing to reconnect. I’d thought she might turn me away, might find it too hard to believe I’d meant all I’d said. But she’d trusted that I wouldn’t make such a declaration unless I was one hundred percent certain, and that meant fucking everything.
We yanked at each other’s clothes. My tee disappeared. Hers was gone next. But I didn’t have it in me to wait until we were fully naked. I couldn’t even pause to whip off her bra. I fucking had to be inside her.
In a millisecond, I had her flat on her back on the sofa. I snapped open my fly to free my dick, managed to get one leg out of her jeans, yanked her panties aside, and shoved my cock into her.
Paige gasped as her entire body jerked. She grabbed my shoulders. “Max.” It was a demand for me to move. A demand I was happy to answer.
I bit her lower lip. “All mine.”
I rode her hard, plunging deep into her body. It was fast. It was intense. It was goddamn feral.
She scratched at my arms, tilting her hips to meet every heavy slam of my cock. And just when I sensed she was close to coming, she sank her teeth into my shoulder. It was pain, it was pleasure, it was more than I could take.
I spat out a curse and hammered into her harder, feeling my cock swell and throb. The moment she pulled back, I bit into her neck. Her blood flooded my mouth, and my release barrelled into me right then.
Slumped over her, I kissed her head, my breaths ragged. “Love you, baby.”
Her fingers danced over my nape. “And I love you.”
My head shot up. “Fucking good.”
She chuckled. “Yeah, I guess it is.”