Baring It All

“A few years ago, Alya bought me one of those ridiculous dating advice books as a gag gift, but I read it anyway. You know why?” she asked. Max shook his head. “Because the book promised to help me find The Three S’s. And two of the three are what I wanted the most—safety and stability.”

Max raised an eyebrow. “Is the third one sex?”

Humor tugged at her lips once again. It was impossible to stay serious around him. “Nope. Status.”

That answer earned a frown from him. “How did it work out for you?”

“I tried their methods and got bored.” She gave him a wry smile, adding, “And tired of ending up on dates in pubs, pretending to like rugby.”

Max didn’t smile back. He just watched her with an expression she couldn’t read. Then he sighed.

Leaning forward, he rested his arms on the table. He gave her his most serious gaze, and his voice did that sexy rumble when he spoke. “Rugby is a great sport, Natasha.”

She bit her lip, but she couldn’t resist smiling. Her eyes went to his arms, inches from hers, the muscles, the scars. Okay, maybe she liked one thing about rugby. The marks of Max’s own years in the sport definitely added to his appeal.

The point was that despite not needing to follow those rules of dating to a T, they’d solidified for her what she was after in a relationship—The Three S’s led to the exact opposite of the explosive, short-lived flings her mother had.

He reached for her, his fingertips brushing over her cheek. He was so close, and for a moment she was almost sure he was going to kiss her. But then his hand fell away, and he cleared his throat.

“Maybe it’s time to set those S’s aside for a bit...for a few days on Green Island...and let me help you focus on my favorite S, which is much more fun,” he said softly. “Maybe you’re into me because I don’t follow any of that dating advice rubbish.”

Her face heated, but she leveled her gaze at him. “Who says I’m into you?”

* * *

Max threw back his head and laughed. “I say you’re into me. But I’m very into you, too.”

He watched her closely for her reaction as he said those last words. Hell, yes, she was really considering his proposition. The longer the silence drew out, the more the charge between them built. His entire body ached for this woman; he’d wanted this for so long, but there was no way in hell he was going to push it. He had to get this right and she needed to be fully on board.

The heat in her eyes was unmistakable, but lines of uncertainty still creased her forehead. Finally, she sat up in her chair. “I’m not into animal mating videos.”

He put up his hands in mock surrender. “Hey, I’m not judging. Everyone’s got their thing.”

She rolled her eyes, but the worry in her expression was melting.

“I have my things, too,” he added, his voice huskier.

Sitting so close, the urge to kiss her was building. Just a taste. Not to sway her, just to test this attraction crackling between them. Slowly, he lifted his hand to trace the line of her jaw, the slope of her neck. Soft, warm breath came faster from her parted lips. She didn’t move. Just stared at him with unguarded curiosity. And heat.

Max slid his chair up to hers, and when he got close enough, he opened his legs around hers. Natasha’s gaze moved slowly down his body, openly studying him, chest, biceps, stomach...her eyes flicked down between his legs, and he smiled. She was definitely considering her options.

But none of this would happen tonight. Nothing that could get mixed up in the vulnerability that her disastrous date could have left. Just a hint of what they could have on Green Island. Even if his dick was already ten steps ahead, the eager bastard.

He rested his hand around the back of her neck and leaned forward. His lips brushed against hers. Her breath hitched, and she stilled, so he waited, barely touching. Her mouth was soft and sweet, and goddamn, she smelled good. Like chocolate and strawberries and temptation.

Then she rested a hand on his thigh and shifted forward so their bodies were even closer. She licked her lips, her tongue tracing the seam of her mouth. His dick responded as if that was a handwritten invitation to the party. Still, Max waited. Slowly, she leaned in. Her wet, warm mouth pressed against his, parting a little, catching his top lip first, then his bottom. So he kissed her, tasting more this time, letting his mouth linger on the tangy, seductive flavor of dessert and desire on her lips. So much desire.

A sigh. A ragged breath. Her breasts brushed against his chest, and her hand tightened on his thigh. If she slid it a little higher—no. Not tonight.

Instead Max focused on the kiss. She tilted her head for a slow, sensual dance with her mouth. He answered, using each stroke of his tongue to show her all the things he could do to her, all the ways he could please her. Then her kisses turned greedy, full of pure, unleashed want, and he groaned and went for more. Plans, even thoughts, faded, and all that was left was Natasha. His hand was tangled in her hair, pulling her closer as he devoured the taste of her. Nothing else existed, just the hot strokes and nips of her kisses.

Her hand moved up his leg, and she took hold of his shirt. His cock was begging to get in on the action. He wanted her up on his lap, straddling him so he could slide his hands under that dress, up her thighs until—no.

Max pulled back, breaking off the kiss. He took a steadying breath. Whoa. That was...intense. She looked a little dazed, and he was feeling about the same.

“I want you, Natasha. Just a couple days in paradise, no strings attached,” he whispered. Okay, he wanted more than a couple of days, but that wasn’t in the cards for them. Her body had already told him hell, yes. Now he just had to convince her mind to listen for once.

Max pressed on. “What do you think? Maybe the rules don’t apply in Queensland?”

CHAPTER THREE (#u1f0a3608-3d97-5c6c-9631-9559c5e569e4)

OH. MY. GOD.

How had she gone all these years without knowing the way good kissing made her feel? She had always thought kissing was a bit mundane, but that one had been...different. The experience shouldn’t even be called kissing. It was so much more intimate. There had been a moment when the constant commentary in her mind had stopped. Time had stopped. It was...

Ugh, was she waxing poetic about the kisses of Australia’s favorite player? Natasha resisted an eye roll. Of course Max was amazing at it. The rumors about him had to be based on some kernel of truth. And if his kisses were that all-consuming, he was definitely a good bet for a few days of relaxation and naked fun.

Maybe he was right; the rules shouldn’t apply in the state of Queensland. A few days of no-strings sex with Max Jensen on a secluded tropical island, away from inquiring minds. Yep, she was really considering this fling.

Natasha bit her lip. “What am I agreeing to?”

“You want a preview?”

“You’re not going to flash me, are you?” she asked dryly.

Max chuckled. His laugh was infectious. She was trying to keep a straight face, but it was a losing battle. So she smiled, watching him. Damn, she was in so much trouble. But what a relief it would be to stop resisting all that charm, to stop thinking about all the ways it could go wrong and just enjoy Max for a few days. By the end of those few days, perennial playboy Max would be ready to move on, and she would be sexed up enough to get back to real life.

Max’s gaze had shifted from amused toward hot.

“I’ll be working during the travel portions of the trip, but on the island I’m just there to make sure Alya’s not walking around alone. The magazine has its own security measures in place, so I’m mostly just backup support for your sister,” he said. “A couple days on an isolated island, and we’ll have time alone while Alya is working,” said Max in his deep, obscenely sexy voice. Then he waggled his eyebrows. “Plenty of time to look for your favorite kinds of fish sex.”

Natasha groaned. “I really think you have the wrong impression about—”

“Sex?” He cut her off, making the word sound obscenely hot with his deep voice. “I doubt it.”

His smile faded and his lips parted, the way they had when he was about to kiss her. Damn, she wanted to kiss him again. The kitchen was silent again, the air thick and electric. She played with the half-empty glass on the table in front of her. She could totally do this. A couple days wasn’t enough to turn her into a needy, crazy mess, à la her mother, no matter how potent his charm was...right?

She glanced over at Max, who was covering an amused smile with his hand. Like he was already three steps ahead of her, thinking about much dirtier ideas. Like he was planning.

Natasha stood up, and Max’s eyes moved slowly up her body like a long, hot lick. The effect echoed in warm rushes of pleasure. And the man wasn’t even touching her yet. Somewhere her brain was making its last-ditch warning efforts, but she buried those thoughts. Just a few days. Nothing more.

Max stood up right in front of her, the heat radiating from his body. She had never just stared at him like this. His nose was a little crooked, no doubt from his rugby days, and his eyes had flecks of gray in all that blue. His dark blond hair was tousled and his smile was dark and hungry.

“Hmm... It’s worth considering...” she conceded with a little smile.

“No one has to know,” he whispered, his words rasping in her ears. “Just you and me and all the dirty things you’re dying to try. Is that what you want?”

She bit her lip. He wanted her in a way Wayne never had. And if she were completely honest with herself, which tended not to be a good idea when it came to the topic of men, she was hot for Max in a way she never had been about Wayne.