Gripping the edge of my chair, I forced myself to sit still.
He pushed the cards toward me, jerking a nod. “Your deal.”
Gathering the pile, I shuffled the cards and dealt again, and while I could’ve stolen his move and ditched my bra, I flipped the first three cards instead. His sudden change had caught me off guard, and I wanted to let it play out.
Ineededto see what he’d do next.
He set his cards down.
My breathing hitched, and when he rose from the table, a tumult of emotions played across his features. But once he stood at full height, he shuttered his expression.
He gripped the waistband of his sweatpants, and my mindandmy heart raced.I wanted to be smart about this. But Max Dread was about to take off his pants in front of me.
It wasn’t like I hadn’t seen it before.
Hell, that was part of the problem.
I knewexactlywhat came next.
But trying to process what this meant, why he was doing it, utterly distracted me. I’d wanted him from the minute I laid eyes on him in the Round Tableau, and even when I’d tried to deny it, that need had only grown.
I searched his face, my eyes jumping between his gaze, his exposed skin, and the outline of his cock in his sweatpants.
Blood flooded my cheeks. It rushed past my ears as he tugged his pants down.
His black boxer briefs hugged every inch of him, the bands gripping tight around his thighs. I sent prayers up that, this time, the straining threads finally snapped.
Without bothering to sit, he dealt the next hand.
As soon as I put my chips in the pot, he folded and reached for his boxers.
I blurted his name before I shut my foolish, foolish mouth.
“Max?” Staring up at him, anticipation and anxiety swirled in my belly. “What are you doing?”
Instead of removing the barrier, he palmed his cock over the fabric. His voice lowered, growing huskier as he stared down at me. “You tell me.”
“W-what?”
His soft chuckle pulsed a wave of desire through my body. “You heard me.”
I darted my gaze around the room, as if that might help me figure out his intentions. My eyes raced back and forth as my mind flew through the possibilities.
He was reacting. That was what I’d wanted.
But his tone made me suspicious.
“I don’t understand.”
“Then, I’ll tell you.” He stared me down. “Come here.”
I blinked, struggling to process what he’d said. “What?”
Pointing at the ground in front of him, he repeated, “Come. Here.”
With a deep swallow, I accepted my fate. I’d started this, and I planned to see it through. As I stood up slowly, I scrutinized him before I walked over.
He patted a spot on the surface.Right in front of him.
