Page 19

CHAPTER

NINETEEN

MAX

A t first, the sound doesn’t register—just an underlying noise buried in whatever dream my subconscious has conjured. Soft but insistent.

Then it comes again. Sharper. More familiar.

A cry.

I blink slowly, confusion settling into my bones as my brain catches up. My body is warm and heavy with sleep. The soft glow of the Christmas lights still glimmers in the corner of the room, casting streaks of color across the walls.

I shift slightly, and that’s when I feel her.

Delaney.

Tucked into my chest, her leg tangled over mine, her hair spilled across my shoulder like silk. The blanket has slipped down to our waists, exposing bare skin now slightly chilled. Her back rises and falls with steady breaths, and for a second, I almost forget what woke me.

Then the cry sounds again.

Caroline.

I groan under my breath—not from annoyance, but from the ache in my muscles. Every inch of me is sore in the best possible way. My hips, my thighs, my lower back—all ache.

I glance at the clock on the mantel. 7:03 a.m.

Of course it is. Caroline is more punctual than any alarm clock.

Delaney stirs beside me. A soft sound escapes her lips—half sigh, half protest.

“Is that…?” she mumbles, voice hoarse with sleep.

“Yeah,” I say, scrubbing a hand over my face. “That’s our girl. Right on schedule.”

We don’t move for a beat, suspended in this cocoon of warmth, tangled limbs, and quiet satisfaction. But the crying grows louder, more urgent. And just like that, the real world rushes back in.

Responsibility. Routine. Parenthood.

I press a kiss to Delaney’s shoulder before slowly slipping out from under the blanket. My body protests as I move, sore and sleep-deprived, but there’s something peaceful about it all.

Last night happened so fast, and there’s so much to unpack. A conversation needs to be had—but now isn’t the time.

She groans as I stand. I glance down, grinning at the way her face scrunches into the pillow.

Delaney reaches for the blanket and pulls it back over her shoulder. Her lips are still puffy from hours of kissing. Her lips—the sight of them and of her lying here wrapped in nothing but a blanket over that sexy-as-hell body—brings back every moment from last night.

I can’t believe it was real. It felt like a fantasy come to life. I’ve imagined what it would be like to be with Delaney more times than I can count. I figured something would happen the day after I went into her room and helped her climax. But I left the ball in her court.

And nothing.

For an entire week, she didn’t say a word about it, which led me to believe she didn’t want it to happen again.

As hard as it was, I stayed in line—not making a single move that could make her uncomfortable.

I wanted Delaney more than anything, but I’m man enough to take a hint.

She had to want me, too. And it was clear she didn’t… or at least I thought it was.

Her shift last night gave me whiplash. I didn’t see it coming, but the second those words were out of her mouth, I was more than happy to oblige.

Still, if I’ve learned anything over the past week, it’s that I’ll need to be the one to initiate the conversation—because I don’t think she will.

“She doesn’t care that we had a long night, does she?” Delaney murmurs.

“Nope.” I chuckle, grabbing a pair of sweats from the nearby armchair. “Not even a little. She’s a punctual girl. You taught her well.”

Delaney gives me a lazy smile. “I’ll get the bottle.”

“Sounds good.”

As I pad toward the stairs, I hear Delaney murmur something that sounds suspiciously like, “Worth it.”

And damn if that doesn’t make me smile all the way to the nursery.

We had a short practice today. Coach must’ve been feeling generous for the holiday.

I’m grateful because I loved having an easy day with Caroline.

The next week consists of a grueling schedule—all road games.

Playing in other arenas has never been my favorite; a home crowd is always the best. But I used to enjoy traveling and visiting new locations.

Now, I just want to be home. Every time I come back after being away for a couple of days, Caroline has visibly grown. Having missed the first four months of her life, I hate missing even a second more.

I took bedtime duties again tonight. She loves the whole routine—from bath to book to bottle and then sleep.

It’s one of my favorite parts of the day.

I think back to my first couple of weeks with her and how I didn’t know if I’d survive.

Now, with Delaney’s help, we’ve built an incredible rhythm that keeps us all happy.

I’m so grateful for her and everything she’s done for us.

Besides waking up naked beside Delaney, the rest of the day has been surprisingly ordinary. No awkwardness and no discussion of last night. But that’s going to change because as soon as I step out of this nursery, I’m initiating that conversation.

I take a final look at my sleeping girl, then quietly pull the door closed behind me.

I barely make it a few feet down the hallway when Delaney appears, placing a hand on my chest and pushing me against the wall. Her energy is nothing like it’s been all day.

“Uh…” I start to ask what she’s doing, but the words die in my throat when she drops to her knees and tugs my sweats down to my ankles.

Within seconds, her hand wraps around the base of my dick, and then her lips are on me—soft, wet, divine.

“Holy fuck, Laney,” I groan, eyes falling closed as I lean my head back against the wall.

Her lips and tongue work me with expert precision. My toes curl as the pressure builds, that familiar heat coiling tight in my core, ready to snap.

Hands on her shoulders, I gently push her back. As incredible as it would be to come in her mouth, there’s only one place I want to be.

My voice is rough. “I need a?—”

She presses a foil packet into my palm before I can finish.

I rip it open and slide it on as she strips, and we move in sync until her back hits the opposite wall. I lift her leg, open her wide, and slide into her in one deep thrust.

She moans my name as I drive into her again and again, hard and deep—just the way she likes it. My mind is blank except for her. Every moment with Delaney is bliss. It feels like she was made for me.

We’re all heat and sweat and desperate sounds, our bodies chasing release. When it hits, we come together, clinging to each other as waves of pleasure roll through us.

I rest my forehead against her neck, soaking in the moment.

Once I’ve finally kicked the damn sweatpants from around my ankles, I take her hand and lead her to my room. If last night was any indication, tonight’s just getting started—and I want her in my bed where I can touch every inch of her properly.

But first… I need some clarity.

By the time we reach my bedroom, she’s naked again, crawling onto the bed like a vision I’ll never get over. I halt her hand as she reaches for me.

“Wait,” I say, my voice unsteady. I clear my throat. “We need to talk.”

She kneels, leaning in to kiss me, but I hold her back gently.

“No, seriously.” I chuckle. “If you keep doing that, I’ll never get this out.”

“Okay, fine.” She scoots back against the headboard and pulls the blanket over her, covering her breasts. “Talk.”

I sit at her side, turning to face her. Taking in her expectant stare, I’m at a momentary loss for how to start. “Um, I guess... let’s start by filling in some blanks.”

“Okay.”

“So, a week ago, I went into your room—and we both know how that ended. I told you to tell me if you wanted to do it again. A week passed and… no mention.”

“You didn’t mention it either.”

“Okay, yeah, but that’s because I was leaving the ball in your court. I made the first move by going into your room and sticking my face between your legs to begin with.” Her cheeks turn a rosy pink at that comment. “I kinda needed you to dictate what happened next.”

“Well, I was waiting for you, and you didn’t say anything all week.”

“And you became frustrated?” I ask.

“Yeah, I was frustrated and horny as hell, and I guess my emotions got the best of me last night… and, well, you know how we resolved that.”

“So you wanted to have sex all week?”

She nods.

“When it didn’t happen, you became annoyed?” I seek clarification.

She nods again.

“Okay…” I bite my lip. “Let’s get this straight. You wanted sex, but you didn’t want to ask for it—even though I had made it very clear that I was all about it?”

She throws her hand up with a smile. “Yes, okay. I didn’t want to ask, but I wanted you to offer. Last night, my need came to a boiling point, and I couldn’t take it anymore. Are you always this talkative before banging some chick?”

The last question throws me, and I furrow my brows. “That’s the thing, Laney. You aren’t just some chick.”

“You know what I mean,” she says.

I shake my head. “No, I don’t. See, that’s where I’m confused.

Obviously, we have insane chemistry—and while I felt like my desire wasn’t one-sided, I couldn’t risk it.

It needed to come from you. I hope you know how very important you are to me, to us—me and Caroline.

I would never do anything to jeopardize that. ”

She sighs. “I don’t want a relationship, Max.”

I wasn’t necessarily alluding to a relationship, but now that she says it, I’m wondering why. “You don’t?”

“No. You’re my boss. I’m your employee. And I suppose we’re a family of sorts. I adore it here with you and Caroline. We have such an easy chemistry, and I don’t want to jeopardize that, either. But I’m not looking for a relationship.”

I wasn’t expecting those words to sting the way they do.

I wasn’t looking for anything serious either, yet when I really stop to think about it, Delaney is perfect for me.

I didn’t see myself settling down for years—but as of two months ago, I didn’t think parenthood was part of my near future either. Life changes.

“What are you looking for?” I ask.

“Well, it’s clear that we have this chemistry. And… I don’t know.” She shrugs. “People have needs, right? So we can just keep going as we have been during the day, and at night, we can have fun.”

“So friends with benefits.”

“Exactly.”

“That could get complicated.”

Her tongue peeks out, licking her lips. “It doesn’t have to be. Sex can just be sex.”

Her words ring true—at least, that’s how it’s always been for me. I’ve been with a lot of women, but I’ve never had anything serious. I suppose Delaney doesn’t have to be serious, either.

“You don’t think there’s a weird power dynamic with me being your boss and all? I just don’t want to mess anything up.”

She huffs out a laugh. “No. I was the one so feral for you last night I couldn’t see straight or act normal.

If we’re talking about power dynamics, I’d say I’m calling the shots—which lets you completely off the hook.

We just have to be honest with one another.

If this stops working for either of us, we voice it, and it’s over. No harm done.”

“You’re saying you want to be my nanny… with benefits?” I raise a brow.

She smiles. “Whatever you want to call it.”

“Have you ever done this before?”

“You mean, sleep with the dad of the kids I watch? No. You’re my first.”

“You’re my first too.”

She pulls back the covers and crawls toward me. “You don’t say,” she teases. “In the two months you’ve been a dad, it means the world to me that I’m the first nanny you’ve slept with.”

“You know what I mean. This situation—living and working with someone who I also sleep with—is a first.” My laugh gets lost in my throat as she trails her palm down my chest.

“That’s good,” she whispers against my skin as she kisses my chest. “But I’m not looking to sleep much tonight. I’m much more interested in fucking.”

I let out a groan.

A small warning sounds in the deep recesses of my mind, but at this moment, I’m way too turned on to listen.