Page 114 of Catching Trouble

I might’ve laughed if it hadn’t felt so damn good. He really was Poseidon incarnate, completely at one with the water. I already knew he had incredible breath control. He’d retrieved my sea glass, after all. But this? This was next level.

As another scatter of his breath tickled against my nerves, I sucked in a breath. I wasn’t sure if I’d describe this as invigorating. More a mixture of talent and water sorcery.

What next? Would he summon dolphins? Start whirlpools?

He continued for what seemed like forever, bubbles and kisses on repeat, until finally, he surfaced. By that time, I was an absolute wreck. I relaxed against him, my fingers at his chest. Maxime looked wild and wicked, water dripping from every surface.

I sighed. Why had I ever thought the two of us were a bad idea?

He went on for what felt like forever—bubbles, kisses and the soft torment on repeat—until at last, he surfaced.

By then, I was a wreck, and I melted into him, fingers grazing his chest. Maxime looked wild and wicked, water dripping from every inch of him.

I sighed, utterly undone.

Why had I ever thought the two of us were a bad idea?

“I had no idea you were soinnovative. Where the hell did you come up with that?”

He cocked a brow. “A tiny beach near Marseille circa 2005,” he murmured, brushing his mouth against my neck. “I was young and looking for fun.”

I sank into him, greedy for the press of his skin. “And now?”

Maxime stilled. His mouth hovered near my ear. “Now I’m older, wiser. And completely in love with the most incredible woman. I don’t need to look for fun. I’m here to provide it.”

He brought his lips to mine, his warm breath at my mouth. “I have all I need right here.”

His words curled around my heart, and I slid my hand down his stomach, searching and finding him hard and ready. Something flared inside me.

“So do I,” I whispered. “And I don’t want to wait. I need you. Now.”

Maxime blinked and water dripped from his lashes, his mouth, his chest, and holy hell if I didn’t lose all my dignity. “Please?” I begged, hating the wobble in my voice.

He didn’t torture me. Instead, he raked his eyes over my face, placing his hands at my waist. The fire that burned within them was darker and heat coiled low in my belly. Playful Maxime had well and truly left the room.

A rough breath rasped from his throat ashe lifted me fromthe pool, placing me gently on the sun-warmed edge. I blinked. Damn, he was strong.

Then, with a low growl, Maxime moved towards me, nudging my legs apart with the sheer size of his shoulders. I shifted on the stone, but he clamped his hands around my thighs.

“Stay.”

Just one word, yet it held so much intent. I had no plans to do anything but obey. I relaxed, leaning back to rest on my hands. With a tight smirk, he locked onto my gaze, drilling into mine as the warm stone kissed the back of my thighs.

“Let me taste you first.”

The breath of his voice glanced against my skin. When he moved his thumbs higher, I knew it was pointless to resist, though there was no reason I would even try. I couldn’t think of anything I’d like more.

I nodded, and something in the air shifted, pulsing in the shimmer from the pool. The moment stretched between us, quiet and charged.

Then Maxime leaned in.

The moment his mouth found me, I tipped my head back and closed my eyes. The contrast was dizzying. The cool water still clinging to my body and the heat of Maxime’s mouth moving against me. Had I died and gone to heaven?

And then he pulled me open, his hands anchoring, his fingers seeking more. I dragged in a shuddering breath. It was the signal he needed to move faster and harder.

He knew my body already. He knew exactly what to do, how to please me. I felt it all at once. Need, surrender and a slow unfurling bloom of something too big to name.

“Maxime,” I whispered, not even sure what I was asking for.