Page 105 of That Conflicted Feeling

“I’mon birth control.”

“Oh, that’s exciting.”Heruns his hands down my thighs. “AndI’mclean.”

“Metoo.”

“Thenyou shall have me,” he says with a smile and a flick of his eyebrows as he slides down the tub and lies back, pulling me on top of him.

Ipause for a moment with his tip resting at my entrance, reveling in the moment right before he’ll be inside me, skin on skin, for the first time.

AsIease myself onto his length, he fills more than that most intimate part of me.Hefills my heart, my mind, my soul.We’rejoined together in a heady combination of lust, love, and mutual respect, andIknow we’re one and the same.We’rehard workers who love our families and want the best for them.Andnow we want the best for each other too.

Wavesof bubbles slosh around us as we rock against each other.

Heleans down and captures one of my rock-hard nipples in his mouth.Agasp bursts out of me asIarch into him.Thenhis finger is on my clit, andI’mgone.Lostin the sensation of him moving inside me, his teasing tongue and teeth, and the circling of his finger.

I’mvaguely aware of water washing over the edge of the tub as he climbs toward the point of no return with me.Myfingers dig deep into the muscles of his shoulder, his into my butt as he pulls me hard against him while wave after wave of pleasure build within us, until we burst and explode together.

There’sjust me andMax, the fireworks shooting through my body, and the future that lies ahead of us.

Themovement of the water gradually slows as we come down from our high and catch our breath.

Istroke my wet fingers over his forehead, down the sides of his temples, over his perfect cheekbones and around the outline of the lipsIwant to kiss forever.Theyslowly turn up a little at the corners.

“Ilove you,” he whispers against my fingers.

Thosethree little words cause a surge of something within me thatI’venever felt before.ComingfromMax’slips they have such power, such weight, that they fill every pore of my being, every empty cornerIdidn’t even know was there.

Irest my forehead against his and gaze into the blue twinklers that had me from the first momentIlifted my head from the sidewalk and looked into them.

“Ilove you too,”Itell the manIonce tried my very hardest to hate, and brush my lips against his.

Maxpulls me into a deep, tender kiss.

Butthe meaning of the moment is shattered by frantic bleating that gradually gets louder.

Ipeel myself offMaxto look in the direction of the commotion, and find a little black and white face peeping around the bathroom door.

IsuspectedLaceywould escape the makeshift enclosure we'd made for her in the laundry room.Atleast we'd found a use for the untouched hampers, ironing board, and drying racks.I'mpretty sureMaxdidn't even know they were there.

Hechuckles and scoops more bubbles onto the tip of my nose. “It’salways going to be like this, isn’t it?”

“Hopeso.Iwouldn’t have it any other way.”

“NeitherwouldI.”Hesqueezes my butt. “I’mabout to say somethingInever thoughtI’dsay to the woman of my dreams who’s just made mind-blowing love with me in my bathtub, but…go tend to your goat.”

Iease myself off him and grab a giant fluffy towel from the rack next to the tub asIstand up. “IsupposeIshould take her out for a walk.I’venever kept a goat inside overnight before, but that seems like a sensible thing to do.”

“Okay.”Maxmakes a big splash as he sits up and kisses my thigh. “Yougo be the eccentric lady walking her goat along aManhattanstreet.Ihave a couple of calls to make.AndI’llfill up your glass for when you get back.”

31

MAX

“Thisis a long way to travel in a bus.”Ishift in the passenger seat and look over my shoulder. “Especiallywith a goat in the back.”

Pollyslaps me on the arm. “She’sbeen so good.Andshe’s been asleep for ages.”

“Yeah, that hour of bleating must have been exhausting.”