He climbed in the big bed and lay on his back. The overhead fan turned silently while creating a soft breeze. Max ran his hands down his chest and played with his nipples. The pull made his cock even harder. Keeping his fingers of his left hand busy, he used his right to stroke himself.
It felt good, like it had the past several nights, but Max still wanted to experience what Cassie’s talented fingers would do to him.
He sped up his movements as he thought about Cassie climbing in bed with him. What she would feel like under him. He thrust his hips up, imagining being buried deep inside her. He craved to hear the sounds she would make while he took her. He hoped she was vocal. He enjoyed a woman who didn’t hide her pleasure.
Max pumped himself faster, already close to the edge.
Cassie had a small, compact body. She liked to wear soft cotton pants and tank tops while she painted. Even her cute painted toenails were a turn on for him.
And her mouth! God, she had a talented tongue. They’d kissed probably a dozen times a day and he couldn’t get enough of her unique flavor.
He came, biting his lip to keep from crying out as he covered his hand with his seed. He fell back onto the sheets and panted. If just thinking about being with Cassie pushed him over so quickly, he had no idea how he would handle it when he finally got to have her in his bed.
He reached over and grabbed a handful of Kleenex to clean up the mess he’d made. He tossed them in the waste basket beside the bed then rolled over, burying his face in his pillow.
Sleep started to cover him and he didn’t fight it as he looked forward to what the next day with Cassie would bring.
* * * *
Cassie dried off with a clean, fluffy towel then pulled on a pair of sleep pants and a black tank top. She ran a brush through her hair, thinking about the canvases that she needed to have picked up.
She’d told James that she would call him once she was ready for everything to be moved to the gallery, and was almost out of space. She’d avoided having her assistant out to her house since she knew that Max and Alex believed he was involved.
In the meantime, she couldn’t figure out if James was actually involved or not, she decided to just avoid the entire thing. Max let her, to a point. He still told her everything that the two Council shifters were finding out about the church close by. Apparently they were watching the church to see if any members were showing too much attention. They had reported that while the church was fully prepared to stop the showing, or to picket it, none of the members had traveled near the ranch.
Cassie felt both better and worse about that.
If the church had not been involved in the break-in, then the only suspect was James. But she also didn’t want to think about strangers being in her house.
She felt safe having Max with her while she completed the last of the new projects. Each time she was on a roll, he left her alone, just making sure that she had food or a snack close by. And if she needed a break, he would sit with her and talk with her for hours.
The stories that he told were amazing for her inspiration. She’d made sure that Max hadn’t seen any of the paintings just yet. After the show, she wanted to present them to him. She’d managed to make a series of works detailing each member of Max’s unit. She knew that they weren’t shifters, but she could take what Max shared with her and bring them to life. She’d just completed the last one.
Evan. Who Max had said was his best friend. Each time he spoke about Evan, she could pick up on the tension and sadness inside Max. She hadn’t asked, yet she was pretty sure that Evan had been killed.
If that was what had happened, it was no wonder Max had been so depressed when he’d arrived back in town.
She wanted the painting of Evan to be perfect. To reflect every feeling that Max had shared with her. The moment Max saw it, Cassie hoped that he would have a lasting, loving reflection of his friend.
Now, since she was done, she wouldn’t be able to put off calling James any longer.
She set her hairbrush down then strolled out of the bathroom connecting with her bedroom. Her soft mattress called to her, but she continued past it.
She’d been so close to finishing the entire series that she couldn’t relax until she was finally done. She really wanted to spend more time with Max, but she just couldn’t
not
work on her art. That was the way it was with her. When her muse struck, she painted obsessively then just stopped.
If she were going to have a relationship with Max—and she was going to make sure she got the chance—it was better the man learned her quirks now. So far, he had been very understanding.
She took the cover off her last canvas and let her gaze wander over the scene she’d created. The color and shading were just what she’d wanted.
There was just one more addition. She knew what it needed. She picked up her brush and chewed on the wooden tip. In her mind, she didn’t see Evan as a wolf. No, the way Max described him there would be a difference in his best friend.
Cassie had gone with a panther. A powerful, sleek, black panther.
She retrieved the paint palette and started mixing the colors. The panther crouched low in a field of brush. Its hind legs poised to jump, ready and willing to defend his friends.
Working furiously, she lost herself into her special world. She didn’t have to think, just let the image in her mind out.
As her fingers started to cramp, she returned to awareness. The fog of concentration lifted, and she stepped back, drawing in a deep breath.
It was perfect.
Elation swamped her.
The intelligence that was shining from the panther’s crystal-green eyes looked back at her. As Max had spoken about his best friend, it was this image that she’d seen. Now she could finally share her gift with Max. Let him see how she saw the world and the people in it.
Tears of pride and exhaustion prickled and she rubbed at her eyes with the heels of her hands.
She’d accomplished what she had set out to do. Turning in a circle, she took in each piece of work. The way that Max had described each man and the stories he’d shared had allowed her to see them in an animal form and turn them into their animal counterpart.
She smiled. She couldn’t wait to show Max.
But a glance at the clock on the wall showed that she had been busy. It was just after three in the morning, so she would have to wait to share her gift with him.
Now, hopefully, she would be able to sleep.
She started toward the bathroom. She turned on the water before scrubbing the dry paint from her hands and under her nails.
Clean, she shut off the faucet and stared into the mirror. Now that she was finished with the series, she could take the time to decide how to proceed with Max.
There was no doubt that they wanted each another. And it was time to let him know that while she enjoyed getting to know him, she had to have him. She flicked off the bathroom light and headed toward her bed. Just as she reached it, she heard a faint noise from down the hall.
Cassie tiptoed to the door and pressed her ear against it. A soft moan, like from a wounded person, drifted to her. Quietly as possible, she pulled the bedroom door open and peeked into the corridor. All of the lights remained off and she couldn’t sense anyone near. She paused and strained to pick up the sound again.
There! Coming from Max’s bedroom.
She inched forward until she heard him cry out. Bolting to his bedroom, she grabbed the handle, relieved it was unlocked. After twisting it open, she rushed inside.
Max laid on his side, thrashing his head against the pillow. His long legs were tangled in the sheets as he kicked. He moaned again and Cassie couldn’t stand to see him struggling in a nightmare.
“Max,” she called as she crept closer.
“No!” he cried out, still asleep.
“Max, wake up! Max!” she tried again. Her knees hit the edge of the bed and she lightly shook his shoulder. “Max.”
His hand grasped her wrist and he yanked her forward. Cassie fell on top of him but ended up trapped under his heavier bulk as he rolled. His hazel eyes popped open but were cloudy. She wasn’t sure he even saw her.
With her free hand, she cupped his cheek. “It’s okay, Max. It’s Cassie. Wake up for me.”
Although he had her pinned under his body and his hand was still wrapped around her wrist, he wasn’t actually hurting her. In fact, under any other circumstances, she would have loved being in this position with him.
“Max, it’s me,” she repeated over and over.
He grunted, easing back. His gaze started to clear, and he blinked down at her. “Cassie?”
She smiled. “Hi.”
He frowned. “What?” he asked looking around. “Oh, God! Are you okay? I didn’t hurt you, did I?”
He released his hold and sat back on his haunches.
“No,” she assured him. “You didn’t hurt me.”
Since his breathing was still a little too fast, she rubbed his chest. “You were having a nightmare.”
“Shit!” He closed his eyes. “I’m sorry.”
“Hey”—she lifted one hand to rub his jaw—“look at me.”
She smiled as he complied. “It’s okay. I finally ended up in bed with you.”
Chapter Nine
Cassie’s words startled a laugh from Max and he shook his head. He was so embarrassed that she had heard him having a nightmare, but thankful he hadn’t hurt her.
Max slowly lowered his head so that Cassie could tell he planned on kissing her. If she didn’t want him to, she could still pull away. Cassie didn’t. Instead, she lifted her head and their lips brushed.
She gasped, giving him entrance, and he took no time thrusting his tongue inside. Her nails dug into his bare shoulders as she held him tightly and moved her mouth against his. He’d gone to bed naked and knew that if he didn’t put a stop to their making out, it wouldn’t be long before he was begging to take her.
He tried to pull away, really, he did, but when she chased his lips with hers, he groaned and slanted his mouth over hers again.
She smoothed his hands down her body and under her tank. She arched into him while wrapping her legs around his waist. His cock was already hard and leaking.
It took everything he had to finally yank his head back. “If we don’t stop…”
“Don’t want to stop,” she told him, gripping his nape and trying to pull him down.
Her confession had him fighting once again for control. “We don’t have to do this right now.”
Cassie sat up and Max was enraptured by her soft expression. “You’re right, we don’t. But I want you and I know you feel the same way. We’re adults.”
Max shook his head. “I want you for more than just sex.” He needed her to understand that she meant more to him. He wanted a real relationship.
She grinned. “I know.”
He lifted an eyebrow. “And?”
“You’re not going anywhere, Max. We are going to see this to the end. And I’ve finally got you just where I want you.” She pushed at his chest and he followed her directions to lay back. She threw her leg over his waist and planted both hands on his chest. “And I am going to take care of you tonight.”
“Yeah?” he replied, trying to tease, but it came out breathless.
“You bet.” Cassie shimmied down his body until she was between his legs. She lifted his cock and he had to bite his lips as she pumped him. Already he was so close.
“I want to taste you,” she said.
“Yes,” he hissed out when she did just that.
She ran her tongue over the mushroom head while stroking the length. He gripped the sheet under him to keep from grabbing her head.
She looked up at him then she started to swallow him deeply. She was so damn sexy going down on him.
“Christ!” he growled.
Humming, she pulled back up. “I love your flavor.”
He wasn’t going to able to survive her seduction. It took every ounce of his control to not pump his hips as she went back to sucking him. He let out a long moan, as she started to cup and roll his balls with her left hand.
Cassie was expertly bringing him to the edge, so he stopped fighting it. He let go of all his tension and just closed his eyes, enjoying the pleasure she was giving him. He lifted his hips and Cassie adjusted easily to let him slide deep before backing off again.
She licked, sucked and hummed and it wasn’t long until he felt the familiar tingle at the base of his spine.
“Cassie!” he called out a warning.
She only dropped down and suckled harder. Taking that as permission, he bucked and came.
She swallowed down his seed, then popped off his cock with a smile. “I knew you would taste good.”
“Come up here,” he demanded.
She stroked him one last time, causing him to hiss again, then she complied.
As soon as her body covered his, he rolled her under him before devouring her mouth. She pressed up into him, reveling in his power. Panting with need, she begged with her body. Max wasted no time taking off her clothes as she tried to get control of herself. His hands on her body, however, did not help at all. She was drowning with her need for him. Once he had her bare and stretched out for him, he began to slowly trace over her with his tongue.
Shivering and panting, she rewarded him with moans and pleading. He plunged a finger inside her wet pussy as he lowered his mouth to her clit. She screamed and convulsed, climaxing for him.
Max lifted his head and watched as Cassie gasped for breath.
He removed his fingers and slowly rose back over her. She blinked at him, grinning widely. “Wow.”
He couldn’t have agreed more. He kissed her once again, wrapping his arms around her and holding her tightly.
They came down from their sexual high while embracing each another. Max found that he could have stayed just like that forever. He rotated their positions, lying back with Cassie draped over his chest. He buried his hand in her short hair as she petted his chest.
“I’m glad you came in here,” he said quietly.
She laughed. “I was going to wait until tomorrow, but then I heard you, and I had to make sure you were okay.”