"Max! I got a page." Xander's voice shakes.
He growls, thrusts two more times, and then crawls off me. His erection squeezes out from between my thighs and slides across my leg. I whimper at the feeling of being so empty and unsated. Rolling over, I sit up straight in his bed and watch him move around the room. Grabbing his clothes, he tugs them on. I'm breathing so hard and wild. I'm so wet and needy, but I wait frozen for him to acknowledge me.
I think I whisper his name. "Max?"
Finished dressing, he closes the miserable gap between us and kisses me quickly on the lips. "I'll be back soon."
Then he's gone.
I blink at the closed door he has just rushed through. My belly fills with unease. I want to run after him and beg him not to go, not because I'm clingy, but because nothing good can come from whatever they need to do in the middle of the night on a Wednesday. Closing my eyes, I will the anxieties away. It'll just be family drama. He'll be fine.
The "Family" drama...
Shuddering, I pull the covers up over my body even though I'm not cold. After several minutes alone in his room, I decide to see if Toni is still awake. Retrieving my phone from the bedside table, I find his name and hit dial.
The ringing drops and his lovely voice sings through. "So apparently, we don’t do Toni and Cassidy Series Night anymore because you're too busy getting humped by Max Butcher. I haven't gotten a boner for Uhtred, son of Uhtred of Bamburgh, for weeks now and that's all on you."
I laugh, but it's a little weak. "I'm sorry. I'm sure he'll get bored of me soon."
"Right. You remember when I said you won't marry and have annoying little brats with the first guy you sleep with? Well, you proved me wrong, Golden Girl."
I place my phone on speaker and shimmy off the bed to retrieve my knickers. I usually sleep naked, but I don't feel comfortable completely bare unless Max is beside me.
"Oh my gawd, Toni. Stop it. We are just..." I hesitate.
"In love. You can say it."
The truth is undeniable. Concrete. I know how I feel. My heart is in a constant frenzy because I am so fricking crazy in love with Max Butcher. There is no other word that comesclose to describing this feeling, so that one will have to do... Love. I step into my underwear and pull them up. "He'snot."
"Oh, okay," Toni says dubiously.
"He's not. Stop it. It's not fair on me for you to say that when you don’t know if it's true."
He scoffs. "I do know it's true. He'sobsessedwith you. You spend every free moment together."
I smile to myself as I slide back beneath the sheets and look through the large, full-length window. "I'm obsessed with him."
"Yeah. I bet you guys look great fucking. You should film it."
My palm meets my face. "Stop it. How's Braidy?"
"He's good. We're good. We're good at it. I like it." I can hear his smile.
"Aww, I like hearing you happy. How are you guys handling his journey from the closet into the bright lights of Gay Land?"
"It's been bright and gay." He laughs. "On the surface, it appears like everyone has accepted us. The only problem is that his parents adore me, so ya know, something must be wrong with them."
"Toni D’Annunzio! Liking you is not a defect."
"You have to meet them. They would love you! And every time I go there, they tell me I'm too skinny and try to feed me." He sighs. "It's really good for my soul.Oh, we should double date!"
"Ohyeah," I mock. "Let's get your cop lover and my less than reputable boyfriend together and see what happens. Let's just see how crazy stuff can get."
"Oh my giddy aunt. I haven't thought of that. How are we going to work this sitcho?"
"I honestly have no idea."
"So where is Prince Not Charming?"
