walking back down it. ‘Very glad I didn’t know that, either. But now that I do...’ His fingers again reached for the zipper and tugged it down, while Annabelle scrambled to hold up the front of her dress.
‘What happened to evening up the odds?’
‘I kind of like the odds the way they are.’
‘You mean when they’re in your favour?’
Max grinned at her but took a step back and began undoing the knot of his bow tie. ‘You want even? You’ve got it.’
Not fair!
‘But I wanted to do that.’
‘It’s much safer this way.’ He pulled the tie through the starched white collar of his shirt and let it drop on top of his jacket.
‘Safer for whom?’
‘For me. And for you.’ His fingers went to the first button of the shirt.
This time she groaned. Then a thought came to her. He’d done this on purpose. If she was holding up the front of her dress, she wouldn’t be able to touch him, which meant...
That the thought of her doing so was making him as crazy as he was making her.
Well, two can play at that game, Max Ainsley!
‘Oh, Max...’ She let his name play over her tongue.
His hands stopped where they were, his brows coming together.
With what she hoped was a saucy smile, she let go of her dress, glad when it whispered down her body and pooled at her feet, instead of just staying put and forcing her to awkwardly push it to the ground.
His reaction was more than worth it. A blast of profanity-laced air hissed from his mouth as he stood there and stared. And when she started to move a step forward, he lurched backwards.
Annabelle was glad she’d decided to wear her laciest underwear ever, the red matching her dress to a tee. They rode high up on her hips and, while not quite a thong, they’d been advertised as Brazilian cut, which meant there was only a narrow band of fabric that covered her behind.
She peeled one of her gloves off in a long smooth move, and then the other, letting each of them land on top of her dress. ‘Now the odds are even, don’t you think?’ She moved forward again, and this time Max stayed put. Maybe he was just incapable of thought right now, which had been her exact intent. She pressed her palms against his chest, gratified to feel the pounding of his heart beneath her touch. ‘Let me help you with those buttons, since you seem to be having trouble.’
He still didn’t say anything as she somehow managed to flip open one white button after another, until she reached the one at the top of his cummerbund. Pressing herself against his chest and gratified to hear yet another gust of air above her head, she reached around him to find the fastening at the back that held the wide satin band in place. It too hit the floor.
Evidently, Max had had all he could take, because his hands wrapped around her upper arms and eased her away from him. ‘You’re a witch, you know that?’
‘Mmm-hmm. Be careful, or I might cast an evil spell on you.’
‘A spell? Yes. I think you already have.’ He swooped her up into his arms and dumped her in the middle of the bed, the brown silk rippling out from her landing spot. ‘Although whether it’s evil or not is yet to be seen.’
Max backed up several paces and made short work of the rest of his buttons, undoing the fastening on the front of his black trousers. And this time it was Annabelle who got to enjoy the show, as his strong chest appeared along with those taut abs. Off came his shoes and black socks.
The man made her mouth water. Even his feet were sexy.
Then he hesitated, and her attention shot back to his face.
‘What are you doing?’
His smile this time was a bit forced, the lopsided gesture she loved so much tipped a little lower than normal. ‘I’m trying to hold it together.’
Annabelle’s relieved sigh was full of pure joy. He wasn’t having second thoughts. He wanted this just as much as she did. ‘Then why don’t you come over here and let me hold it for a while?’
‘Did I call you a witch yet?’ His laughter came out sounding choked, but at least his voice had lost that weird edge he’d had moments earlier.
‘Yes.’ She leaned up on one elbow and crooked a finger at him. ‘Time to stop stalling and let me help you finish.’
‘That’s exactly what I’m afraid of, Anna: that you’ll help me finish before I’m ready.’
‘Hmm...we can take care of that on the next round.’
‘Next?’ He came forward until he was close enough for her to go into action. She sat up and scooted her butt to the edge of the bed until he stood between her thighs.
‘Yes, next.’ She said the word with conviction, reaching again for his waistband. This time the zipper went down, and he made no effort to stop her. Pushing his trousers down his legs, she let him kick them out of the way. ‘And now, Maxwell Ainsley, we’re finally even.’
They both still had their underwear on.
‘You first, then.’ Max leaned over her, planting his hands on the bed on either side of her thighs, but he made no effort to strip her bare. Instead, his lips found hers, his touch soft and sweet and somehow just as erotic as the more demanding kisses had been. She tipped her head up, absorbing each tiny taste, each brush of friction as they came together over and over. Soon, though, the V between her parted legs began to send up a protest, a needy throbbing making itself known. She pushed herself even closer to the edge of the bed, her thighs spreading further. It didn’t help.
Well, his ‘you first’ might mean she was supposed to strip him first, right? So that was exactly what she would do. Hooking her thumbs in the elastic band on his hips, she gave a quick tug before he could say or do anything, pushing them down to his knees.
‘Cheater,’ he murmured, not moving from his spot, every syllable causing his lips to brush against hers.
‘We never set any ground rules, if I remember right. And if you’ll just stand up, I’ll finish the job.’
‘I don’t trust you.’
‘No?’ She gave him a smile full of meaning. ‘Well, there’s more than one way to skin a cat...or undress a man.’
With that she lay back on the bed, kicked off her high-heeled pumps and slid her bare feet up the backs of his calves. When she reached the spot where his boxers were still clinging to his legs, she pushed them as far down as she could. Max still hadn’t moved a muscle...except for the one currently ticking away on the side of his jaw.
What she didn’t expect was for his hands to whisk up her sides and cover her breasts, the warm heat and promise of his touch making the nipples harden instantly. He didn’t stay there, however; his fingers were soon travelling down the line of her belly until he reached her own underwear and dragged them down her thighs, moving backwards as he inched them over her legs, across her ankles and finally pulled them free of her body. He stepped out of his boxers while he was at it. Or at least she assumed he did, since she couldn’t actually see him do it.
This time when he parted her legs, there was no mistaking his intent.
‘You want to play with fire, Anna? Well, you’ve got it.’
With that, he put his hands beneath her bottom and tugged. Hard. Hard enough that she slid forward to meet his ready flesh. ‘Is this what you want?’
The part of her that had been throbbing in anticipation clenched, thinking he was going to give it to her right away. Instead, he slid up past it, eliciting a whispered complaint from her. It ended in a moan when he found that nerve-rich area just a little higher.
He