It was on the tip of my tongue to lie when Maksim’s mom walked around the corner looking gorgeous in a black skirt and short top, paired with a tuxedo jacket. “You ready for date night?”
“Oh, you’re going out?” I asked.
She grinned. “No, we’re staying in.”
Andrei smiled wider.
“Oh. OH!” I held up my hands. “Carry on.”
Awkward. So awkward.
“Earplugs are provided, compliments of my son, in every guest room.” Andrei winked and then kissed her on the forehead.
She smacked his chest, blushing. “He’s kidding.”
“Don’t wear them and find out,” Andrei growled.
I just sighed because, really, all of our parents are literally having more sex than us; at least it felt that way. “Have fun.”
Lame.
They both laughed and walked off, leaving me confused and dripping on the floor. I decided that the best way to get him off me was to shower.
Big mistake.
Because I ended up smelling his shampoo, and it wasn’t a short sniff. I wish. No, I stood there like an idiot with water pelting my back and took a few deep sniffs with my eyes closed, set down the shampoo, then reached for the conditioner.
“You gonna sniff me too?” A rough voice said.
“Shit.” I dropped the conditioner onto the floor and covered myself as good as I could, I mean, he’d seen it all, but we weren’t together, he’d just broken up with Jenna, so it felt… wrong. “No.”
“Bummer.” He braced himself against the outside of the glass shower. Steam billowed around us. His face was hard to read, which was odd for someone like Maks, someone who wore his heart on his sleeve and basically begged you to steal it with this smile, the way he stood, the way he existed. “And here I got all dressed up for the occasion.”
He dropped his towel and opened the door to the shower. I slammed back against the wall, still covering myself. “I’ll just…”
“You can stay if you want.” His eyes seemed darker, his body more predatory like he was waiting to strike.
I frowned. “Your eyes are super dilated… are you okay?” I reached toward him only to have him laugh.
“Am I okay?” He laughed harder then slammed a hand against the glass wall making the entire shower shudder under his strength. “Don’t I look okay?”
My eyes roamed up and down his body. Of course, he looked okay. He looked like a freaking naked Greek god with his wet blond hair falling in curls across his forehead, his eyes raking over me like he wanted to lick me from the inside out then do it again. Strong thighs braced me so close that it was impossible not to feel his heat or see how much I was affecting him even after the rock incident.
Panicked, I blindly started searching behind me for the shower door, so I could escape; something told me I needed to go.
Right then.
And go fast.
His muscles contracted like he was getting ready to sprint or something, and then he shook his head like he needed to get whatever was inside it out.
Just when I found the door and was getting ready to open it, he pounced, pressing his body against mine; his nose sniffed up and down my neck. A growl erupted from his lips, or was it a purr?
What was happening?
Was he high?
On something?
His body was searing hot as I put a hand between us, pressing against his chest to get him to move away. My entire life, I’d felt safe with Maksim. He was the safe, happy guy, but right now? He was like a hybrid of Junior and Ash on their very worst days with a dose of Valerian tossed in.
Maybe it was their influence?
Had he finally snapped under the stress?
All the things I tried to think of as I slowly pushed him away.
He wouldn’t budge, just kept sniffing down my neck; his tongue followed, lining my collarbone, licking up the droplets of water that were still falling from my hair and the showerhead.
“Wait,” he rasped. “Just give me a minute.”
I was starting to hyperventilate as he kept me trapped between the door and his massive body.
He was immobile.
He shuddered and then shoved away from me so hard that I nearly fell ass-backward out of the shower by way of the door.
“Go!” He gave me his back.
“Maks, are you okay?”
“GO!” He roared this time, his entire body heaving as he leaned against the glass wall and started to shake so hard it looked like he was having a seizure. “Please…”
It was the please that did it.
That made me want to stay.
The please was Maksim.
The go was something else.
I had no clue if he’d taken something or if he was having a nervous breakdown, but I knew something was wrong, so I did what he said, grabbed a shirt and boxers from his room then came back into the bathroom to find him brushing his teeth like nothing had happened.
And that was the freakiest thing.
He seemed normal again.
“Maks?”
He looked up and grinned, mouth full of toothpaste. “Change your mind about sniffing me?”
“No.” But I was super terrified, so high five for pushing me away. “Are you… okay?”
He spat into the sink, then grabbed a glass of water, swished it around, and did the same. He had a towel wrapped around his waist. His muscles still appeared tense, like he’d put one of those TENS units on his body and hit high for a solid twenty minutes.
“Sure.” His eyes didn’t meet mine as he ran his hands through his wet waves of hair. “Why wouldn’t it be?”
“I don’t know.” Was I going crazy? “It just seemed like you weren’t yourself earlier.”
His easy smile was back; the smile that tilted up on the right was one that both mocked and seduced. “I think you’re just tired and under a lot of stress. I mean, the fire is one thing.” He walked to me and whispered. “I’m sure the magical orgasm didn’t help.”
“Asshole.” I rolled my eyes.
“Those my boxers?” He pointed.
“I have no clothes,” I ground out. “Fire, remember?”
“Yeah, those aren’t going to work. They’re my favorite pair.”
“What part of I almost ended up barbecued isn’t getting into your thick skull,” I snapped his forehead with my fingers. “I should get a free pass.”
His eyes flashed the way they had before. “I wouldn’t do that.”
“Argue?”
“Flick me.” We were chest to chest; his eyes did that weird dilation thing again the hell kind of suspense horror film was I in? It was like someone had turned off the lights making his pupils stretch.
Without warning, he picked me up and tossed me over his shoulder, then threw me onto his bed; I bounced up and tried to escape.
He pinned me down with his hands, then leaned down, biting on the waistband of his boxers and sliding them down my legs.
I wasn’t wearing underwear at all.
I was completely bare to him.
Shivering, I wasn’t sure whether to kiss him or kick him.
It was a tie.
And I was exhausted.
He stood, boxers in his mouth. I leaned up on my elbows, afraid to move. He dropped his towel.
I couldn’t tear my eyes away from his erect cock.