Pat

Shaking her head obstinately, Pat felt stupid because she knew what Max must be thinking. As much as it shouldn't matter what he thought about this scenario, she didn't want anyone to think for a moment that she wasn't over her asshole ex-husband. Because she was. Absolutely over him.

"I told you." She wiped at her tears as he let go of one side of her face, but his other hand still cupped the other side of her face. "I've been over him for a long time."

"Then why you crying over him? And why'd you answer his call if he's such an asshole?"

Feeling her face scrunch again just thinking about, Pat couldn't even look at him now. "It's so humiliating."

"What's humiliating?" Max asked, sounding a little hot.

"Am I really that bad?" she squeaked, feeling so weak, but it was something she wondered for so long. "It's no secret many think me difficult." Max's expression changed to a softer one, but she wasn't trying to guilt him. She just needed him to understand the real reason for these stupid tears. "Charles risked everything because I was that hard to live with. For the longest time, I've had to live with the fact that the man preferred to risk ruining his life than have to live with me."

"What do you mean ruined his life?" Max's concerned eyes searched hers. "He had an affair, baby. Lots of men—"

"He lost his license to practice law forever." Pat attempted to speak clearly even through her sniveling. "Something he'd worked so hard to get. He was a brilliant prosecutor with such a promising future, Max. He didn't just have an affair either. He had a child with her and married her while he was still married to me. He was living a double life, and he knew what the risks were when he embezzled money from my father's campaign funds to finance his other life, because I wasn't enough woman for him. Between the embezzlement and bigamy charges, he could've done some hard time. His marriage to the other woman was invalid since he was already married. He knew it, but apparently, she didn't. So, he knew the risks he was facing. In the end, he lost her and custody of his child as well. But it was still all worth the risk just to get away from me as often as he did."

Her face scrunched up again, and it felt almost impossible to talk for the boulder lodged in her throat now. This time Max hugged her, and it wasn't until that moment in his strong arms pressed against his big hard body and she'd calmed, that she gave any thought to him calling her baby. The distraction of that relieved a little of the discomfort she was feeling from her aching throat, but the knot she was feeling in her belly was for an altogether different reason now.

"I like that you're uptight, Patricia." She sniffled against his chest, feeling her heartbeat speed up. "Suits you well. It's hilarious how worked up you get over things. Some guys . . . lots of assholes full of themselves, get a hard-on juggling more than one woman." He pulled away to look at her and wiped some of her tears away. "How brilliant can this douche be not to see what he had? You're the brilliant one, and on top of that, you're fucking beautiful, babe." He kissed the top of her head then the side of her face as Pat's heart continued to pound away. "Fuck everybody who labels you difficult. It's what makes you, you. Just because you were too much woman for him to handle . . ." Their eyes met, and he held her gaze for a moment. "I wouldn't change a thing about you."

His eyes dropped to her lips and then he kissed them, softly, gently, and with such tenderness that, despite her qualms about anything happening between them, Pat knew she was a goner. Everything she'd said about this being out of the question flew out the window with that one kiss. Giving into it, because she was so done missing out on life just because she never took risks, she inhaled deeply in between kisses and wrapped her arms around his neck.

Pat had always suspected that, despite his obnoxiousness, given Max's smug personality, the man was likely a good kisser, and boy had she been right. She could only imagine him in bed. After spending a single day with him, she'd since upgraded her assessment of him from attractive to sexy-as-hell, but also someone she could easily fall for—and shouldn't. It's why this day had begun with her being completely against allowing anything like this to happen.

Now she didn't want this to end. As he'd so blatantly displayed earlier, and he'd now admitted outright, Max was definitely attracted to her. The hard evidence of that pressed against her waist as he continued to kiss her, long and deep. Bringing a hand down from behind his neck, Pat slid it down his big hard shoulder and arm then down to his waist and hip. She was so ready for this. The stuff she'd told him about her dating since her divorce wasn't a lie. She really had been on a few dates since. She just hadn't slept with anyone, and her lady parts throbbed now in anticipation. Moving her hand a little lower, she slid it over his massive bulge, gripped it, and moaned.

Max moaned back against her lips, gasping as their kissing became more frantic. Then just as it started so unexpectedly, it ended when he pulled away suddenly. She moved her hand away from his still rock-hard erection, and they both struggled to catch their breath.

"I'd been dying to do that since yesterday," he said, still breathing erratically but continued to pull further away. "Didn't mean to take advantage of your emotional state. I just—"

"It's okay." She shook her head. "I enjoyed it." A little embarrassed now, she chuckled. "Obviously, and at that moment, I needed it."

"Yeah, that's what I figured. It's why I stopped." Unlike most of the times he spoke to her about anything, there were no smirking or wisecracks. Instead, he seemed . . . unnerved. "Didn't want you to do anything you might regret later."

Her face warmed and she nodded. "I guess I did get a little carried away for a moment there."

He smiled, but nothing like she expected from Max Romero after the moment they'd just had. It was a bit strained somehow and so unlike him. Clearing his throat, he took a few steps back. "I think I should get going."

Surprised and not sure if she should feel insulted, Pat was at a loss for words as he started out of the kitchen. She didn't want to protest or question this very unexpected turn of events. As desperate as she'd felt just moments earlier and despite her still throbbing lady parts, she certainly wasn't about to beg.

"You should take your leftover pizza," Pat said, breaking up the awkward silence as he picked up his toolbox from the front room. "This is way too much for me."

He walked back into the kitchen. "I'd probably be doing Manny a favor by leaving it. His ass could do without all the extra calories. But if you're not gonna eat it—"

"I'm not." Pat took a few slices of the Guinea pie and added it to his meat lover's box as well then closed it. "Even the leftovers of mine are way too much."

When she glanced up at him, he was staring at her, as he had just before he kissed her. "Any man would be lucky to have you, Patricia. I can guarantee you this asshole regrets losing you every day of his life."

She began to nod, refusing to get emotional again as Max leaned in and pecked her lips. She pecked him back, and he did it again until he was kissing her long and deep again, and she was helpless to protest. But then, as he had before, he pulled away inhaling deeply. "I need to go."

Beginning to understand what felt too much like rejection, Pat nodded. "I get it."

"No, you don't," he said, grabbing the box of pizza, and headed out.

She wanted to ask him to explain it then. Why he needed to leave if he so obviously wanted this as much as she did now. Was he that afraid she'd demand a relationship? Had her tears spooked him into thinking she might turn into a blubbering cling-on? But her pride wouldn't allow it, because a part of her knew that might not be too far from the truth. Not the clingy part, she'd die before she'd beg any man. But as much as her head insisted she could do the friends-with-benefits thing with him, her heart knew better. She'd never admit it now, but despite so vehemently swearing anything with him was out of the question, after just a day and a half and a few amazing kisses from this man, she'd already begun to fall for him.

He turned before walking out with a visibly forced smile so unlike him. Pat didn't bother forcing a smile and said nothing. She stood there hearing the sound of his opening and closing car door or trunk outside. She waited to hear the engine start up and for him to drive away for very possibly the last time.

Had her doing something so out of character backfired on her ass again? Before she could wrap herself around that exasperating thought, there was a sound at the door, and she gasped when Max burst back in with conviction.

"Are you really over him?" he asked as he stalked toward her.

"I am."

He cupped her face again as soon as he was close enough and searched her eyes. "Did you have a moment of insanity just now because of your emotional breakdown? Is that why you let me kiss you? Is that why you—?"

"No." She shook her head as adamantly as she could, given his hands were still cupping her face. "I gave into the kissing because it was amazing. I wanted it."

"You really think anything between us is impossible?"

"You tell me. You're the one that doesn't do relationships."

"Forget everything I said about that." He kissed her softly before pulling away and looking into her eyes. "You were right. I was dating the wrong women." He kissed her again deeper this time, and she groaned when he pulled away again. "And the only reason you answered his call is really just because you wanted to ask him why he'd risk so much?" She nodded, feeling a little stupid now for getting so damn emotional about it. "What did he say?"

"I never asked him. I changed my mind."

"Good. The asshole doesn't deserve to know it bothered you that much." He continued searching her eyes as if looking for something but said nothing for a moment until he took a deep breath before exhaling big and spoke quickly. "Patricia, the reason I walked out just now is because I didn't know it until I kissed you that I'll need more than what I thought might be happening. I need to know you're not just doing this now on a whim. I know this is fast and we can take it as slow as you want. I'll even keep it to myself until your ready to tell anyone. I just wouldn't be able to deal with hearing about you and your ex or anyone else for that matter. Most important, I need to know you're really over him."

"I'm completely over him, Max. I swear to you." She chuckled, squeezing his big forearm. "As much as I actually toyed with the idea of stepping out of my comfort zone and considering the possibility of something as spontaneous and wild as a meaningless fling"—she rolled her eyes with a smirk— "who are we kidding? If I do this, there's no way I'd be able to handle hearing about you with anyone else either."

That smile she didn't even realize she'd been slowly falling in love with replaced the concerned expression Max wore as he'd laid it all out for her. "So that's a yes?"

Pat nodded, still barely able to believe she was doing this. But then his lips were on hers again, and he kissed her so deeply her entire body burned with anticipation. Hell, yeah, she was doing this.

Max pulled away and reached for her hand. "Come on," he said, pulling her toward the garage door.

"My bedroom's that way." She pointed the other way as he turned to look at her.

That evil smirk he loved to torment her with was back. "I said I can only do this if I know you're mine and only mine, Patricia. But trust me. If stepping out of your comfort zone is something you wanna try, we'll be stepping way out—a lot.

Surprised her heart rate could speed up anymore, Pat's mind raced, wondering where he was taking her. They walked into her garage. "I had vision of bending your ass over that dryer when you were making love to that damn strawberry earlier, but I have a better idea now." He pulled her to him when they got to the washer and indulged her with even more of his heavenly kisses then pulled away, gazing at her with those bedroom eyes. "I don't suppose you have any toys, do you?"

"Toys?" The moment she said it she knew what he was talking about and her face heated.

Before she could say more, he was kissing her again, a little more frantic this time, and her body was going crazy now. He started down her neck and her shoulders, pulling the straps down her arm. "Tell the truth," he said between kisses. "Did you wear this today because you knew it would drive me crazy?"

"No," she said breathlessly, her body yearning for him now. "But I'm glad it did."

"I take it that was also a no on the toys?" He started undoing the buttons on her one-piece. "I do actually. One."

He stopped and looked at her, before grinning sinfully. "Then you know how this works."

Like someone who knew exactly what he was doing, and before she even had a chance to gasp, he had her stripped down to nothing and picked her up onto the washer. Pat didn't know whether to question the lack of time for modesty or be thankful for it.

He sucked her breasts as he fidgeted with the washer controls. Looking up at her as her ass started to vibrate to the spin cycle, the evil gleam in his eyes spiked her senses even further. "Think of this as one giant toy."

Sliding a finger deep in her, Max pulled it out and slid it up and down her slit as Pat arched her back in reaction. "This is gonna be fast, Pat." He unzipped his pants, and Pat nearly gasped at the length he pulled out. "I can already tell, but don't worry. We'll move things to your bedroom where I'll take it slow the rest of the day."

Rest of the day?

She gulped as the adrenaline rush from barely believing she was letting this happen had her heart racing like crazy. Between that, his magic fingers, and the vibrating washer under her, Pat was glad about his warning about this being fast. The moment he plunged into her with a purpose, stretching her but hurting so good, she knew she'd be just a few thrusts away from exploding. She gasped as her sex began to implode and then it happened. Maybe it'd been too long. Maybe because she was going so against the grain doing this or maybe it was just the damn spin cycle. But it was hands down the single most incredible orgasm she'd ever experienced.

Her crying out had him burying himself deep in her with a groan. With the washer still going, it felt like she came several times as she held on to him for dear life. Mercifully, he hit the stop button, and the washer finally stopped vibrating under her.

They held each other as they both came down from the magical climax. With their breathing finally calming, Max pulled away to look at her. To Pat's surprise, he didn't smirk or even smile playfully. He looked . . . nervous? Pat searched his eyes. Did he regret it now?

Before she could ask, he lifted her chin and kissed her softly. "There's no going back now, Patricia. I hope you're ready for this."

"I am," she said softly.

Because she really was. Time to finally really live, and if this was living, she was all in.

"Good. Let's take this to your room."