He didn’t want to move. Hell, he never wanted to leave the haven that was her body, but he wasn’t a small man, and he’d crush her if he stayed where he was. Jaxon rolled to the side, taking her with him, smiling when she mumbled an incoherent protest, then snuggled closer.
***
Every muscle in Maple’s body had turned to Jell-O in the aftermath of her orgasms. Jaxon had been the perfect combination of tender and rough, satisfying every part of her with his lovemaking. His fingers traced lazy circles on her shoulder as they rested, adding to her blissful state.
Once they got up, he’d fix her shower, and then what? She’d make him dinner, but would he leave to go home afterward? Maybe it was selfish of her, but she didn’t want him to.
She lifted her head from his chest and looked up at him. The smile he was already sporting on his handsome face widened. “I don’t suppose I could convince you to stay?” she asked without preamble.
“Stay for dinner?” he asked.
She shook her head. If he said no, she’d be mortified, but she had to lay her cards out on the table or risk not getting what she wanted. “No, for the night—or longer, if you want to. I’ve only got a short amount of time here in Maine, and I’d like to spend it with you. I understand if you can’t, but I thought I’d put it out there,” she said in a rush, sounding more like a nervous teenager than the adult she was.
Jaxon looked at her for so long without saying anything that she braced herself for the rejection she was sure was coming.
“I’d love to spend the time here with you,” he finally said.
“But?”
He leaned forward and kissed the tip of her nose. “No but. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be. Can I ask you a question?”
“Sure.”
With a gentle hand, he urged her to lay her head down again before resuming the soft glide of his fingers on her skin. “It’s obvious you love it here, and you’ve already told me that you’re not in love with your job. If you have no special someone to go back to, why go back?”
Maple hadn’t expected it, but it was a fair question. “I never said there wasn’t a special someone to go back to. It’s just not a man. My grandmother lives there. She had a stroke a few years ago.”
“I’m sorry to hear that.” Jaxon’s arm tightened around her.
“She can’t live on her own and needs an electric wheelchair to get around, but she does okay. We found a great retirement home for her. Considering all she gave up for me, staying in New York is the least I can do for her.”
“She raised you, didn’t she?” he asked, his fingers never stopping the gentle caress on her arm.
“She did. She and my grandpa took me in after my parents died. And you know this how?” she asked, a little surprised that he knew more about her than she expected.
“I’ve lived around here my whole life. We went to the same school.”
She lifted her head to look at him. “We did? I don’t remember.”
“You don’t remember me? I’m crushed,” he teased before continuing. “I’m a few years older than you. It’s not like we had the same circle of friends.”
“I suppose not.”
“So why does your grandmother want to sell the place after hanging on to it for all these years?”
Maple’s cheeks burned. “She doesn’t know I’m planning to put it on the market. She signed the place over to me when I graduated from college. I guess she expected I’d come back for good some day, but that’s not possible now. She needs me, and I need the money.”
Jaxon’s body tensed beneath her. “Living in New York is expensive.”
“It is. And retirement homes aren’t cheap.” She didn’t want to spend her time dwelling on the state of her finances. She was about to change the subject when her stomach growled.
Jaxon’s chest shook with his chuckles. “Hungry?”
“Mmm. I am.” Why bother denying it? She wasn’t the kind of woman to eat three bites of salad and be satisfied, and there were two steaks waiting in the kitchen. She kissed his chest, then pushed herself up. “I better get us both fed so we have enough energy for round two later.”
Fourteen
Maple couldn’t wipe the smile off her face. She had to look like a loon dressed in her grubby clothes and going through yet more boxes of stuff that had to be sorted. She’d pulled her hair up into a messy bun on top of her head and was covered in dust. At least she’d get to shower when she was done. Jaxon had fixed it after they’d eaten their steaks two nights ago. They’d proceeded to test it out afterward, using up most of the hot water before bathing each other as it ran cold.
Her whole body was deliciously sore. They’d made love again before going to sleep, and he’d woken her at dawn with his head between her legs and her climax only a breath away. The time since had been filled with sexy playtime. She stroked the swell of her breast through her T-shirt where his teeth had left a red mark only a couple of hours earlier. The man had a thing for biting, and she found it sexy as hell.
Although the sex was off the charts, it wasn’t even her favorite part of their days. The man was sweet, funny, and amazing in every way. They talked about everything from world politics to their favorite books. She couldn’t say
