Cursed by Nicole Camden Page A

her.
    Before pulling her clothes back on, she realized that she and Max were both covered in sand. Lille could already feel grit in some less-than-comfortable places. A grin twitched her lips as Max started brushing sand off himself and made a face. Lille tried to do the same, but Max decided to help her, using his big palms to smooth the sand off her skin, focusing on her ass.
    â€œMax,” she shouted, chastising him, and he grinned.
    Sandy or not, Lille didn’t want to be caught half naked on the beach, so she pulled on her pajama pants and headed gingerly back toward where she’d left her shoes. Max dressed quickly and followed her, the two of them making their way back to Mary’s house.
    Lille wanted a shower more than anything, and sharing a shower with Max suddenly seemed perfect. He’d made her forget about all the shit that was going on, at least for tonight, and she wanted to continue forgetting; she wanted to enjoy him and ignore everything else.
    When they reached Mary’s house, Max paused, as if preparing to say good-bye to her. She caught his hand before he could speak. “Come on”—she tugged him—“let’s go have a shower and fuck again.”
    Max smiled at her, a full-fledged and boyish smile, not one she’d ever noticed on his world-weary face before.
    â€œI think that’s a fine idea,” he said, and before she realized what he planned to do, he’d bent and tossed her over his shoulder.
    â€œWhat’s this about?” she asked from her upside-down position.
    â€œYou’re walking like you have half the beach up your ass, lass.” He petted the ass in question.
    â€œThat’s what it feels like,” she agreed, and allowed herself to be carried without protest, though by the time they arrived at his door all the blood had rushed to her head and given her a headache.
    Standing her back on her feet in the entryway to his house, he dug for his keys in the pocket of his jeans and frowned at the shadows on her face that he could see in the light of his porch.
    â€œI’m sorry, lass. I forgot about your cheek.” He brushed his knuckles softly over her forehead, tucking the hair behind her ear with two fingers.
    Lille caught his wrist, feeling the braided leather of the bracelet he wore. She pressed her lips to it. “It’s okay.” And it was. It was a small pain compared to the comfort of the person with her. Lille vowed that she would think of nothing else except this man tonight. Normal life could wait until morning.

CHAPTER Twenty-three

    The dim quiet of the entryway to his house brought back memories of the last time they’d been here together, more than six weeks ago. A small gasp escaped her as she remembered how horny they’d been, how good it had felt to have him beneath her.
    This time, when he took her hand and tugged her down the hall toward his bedroom, she didn’t pull away but held on as he led her into the bathroom.
    Recently renovated, Max’s shower looked like something out of a magazine. There was no tub; the entire space was finished with small mosaic tiles in various shades of coffee and cream. It had one of those huge rain showerheads and several jets that sprayed water from all directions. A sex shower, Lille thought with a small smile, and felt her body quicken in anticipation.
    He opened the glass door and leaned in to turn on the water. Lille used one finger to trace the tattoo of the mermaid’s hair that ran up his back toward his shoulder. Broad and muscled, his back made her want to lie on him like a child, but she resisted, inhaling deeply as the water from the shower warmed and steam filled the bathroom.
    He turned around, and his eyes were hot again with lust and something else, something more unsettling—affection. “You ready to get rid of the sand, pet?”
    Pet? Lille thought, but didn’t want to call attention to the endearment. “I hope