I imagine him frowning. "Why would I mind?"
"I don’t know." Because I'll cramp your sexual prowess? I wish I could see his face. His body is tense behind mine and his breaths have become more exaggerated. "You were so angry when you saw me with Aurora," I press.
"I was. I am. It has nothing to do with you."
"Well, it seems to have hadeverythingto do with me... Are you fighting with your brothers or something?”
"No, Little One."
I drag my fingernails up the curve of his bicep, making him twitch. "Wanna talk about why you're mad?"
"Nope."
I huff. "Why not?"
"Don’t be pushy or I’ll bend you over this couch."
I press my knees together and try not to wince.
Max must have sensed my discomfort, though, because he caresses my outer thigh and then cups a hand between them. "Are you in pain?"
I'm familiar with muscular tearing—fatigue or throbbing of overworked muscles, and this feeling is no different. "I'm fine...Max?"
As he gently strokes between my legs, he says, "Yes?"
I draw in a breath for courage. "Why can’t we–"
"So, how’s your dickhead mate, Toni?"
I can't help but laugh. "Ladies and gentlemen, I introduce the Master of the Subtle Transition."
He slides his hand inside my shorts and continues to tenderly caress the swollen valley between my lips. "I like the master part."
I try to ignore his touch, but it's soothing and sensual and I don’t want him to stop. "He isn’t a dickhead. He's my best friend."
"Great friend."
"What makes you say that?"
He pulls his hand away. "He left you in heat while some dickhead was trying to get inside you."
I twist on the daybed to glower at him. "Firstly... not in heat. Secondly, he isn’t my keeper."
His face tightens. "Right."
"I'm a big girl." I turn a little farther toward him. "I can look after myself."
"Not from where I'm sitting."
"Well, sit somewhere else then!" The air around us thickens. His teeth grind. For a second he looks like he wants to punch a wall.
But then he slumps down and grins. "Nah."
I twist back around towards the main house. "You aren't so good at this ‘getting to know you’ stuff, are you?"
"Nope."
"Master of the Single Word Responses."
