Max (7 Brides for 7 Brothers Book 5) Read online

  When she could form a thought, she turned to look at him. He stood and picked up his shirt, and little alarm bells started ringing in her head.

  “Where are you going?” she asked, her voice hoarse and almost unrecognizable to her. Wow, how had that happened?

  His chest rose and fell as he blew out a breath. “No condoms, Ellie. Best I go to my own room.”

  “Max Brannigan, you’re an adorable idiot,” she said, rolling over and yanking open her bedside table. When she found the box of condoms, she took them out and threw them at him. “I’d really like you to stay.”

  He caught them, his eyes widening in surprise.

  “A girl should always be prepared. I’ve had those for about three years now, but they aren’t expired for another two years, so there.”

  He arched an eyebrow. “So you’ve known the date on these condoms for the past three years?”

  She dropped her gaze as fresh heat rolled through her. “No. I checked them a couple of days ago.”

  “A couple of days—” His voice choked off and he ripped the box open and took out a strip, tearing one off and handing it to her. The rest he laid on the bedside table. Then he kicked out of his jeans. He was wearing black briefs with a white band, heaven help her, and his cock bulged up and to the left. The tip poked out of the top of his briefs, and Ellie swallowed. When he pushed the briefs off, she nearly moaned in anticipation.

  “Put it on me,” he told her, and she tore the package open. When she reached for him, he was hot and hard and smooth. He wasn’t small either. The little groan that issued from his throat when she rolled the condom on gratified her.

  She already knew what he did to her. It was nice to know she could do something in return.

  He came down on top of her, yet he was careful not to crush her into the mattress. Instinctively, she lifted her legs and wrapped them around his hips. And then she felt him, so big and hard, and a little current of panic washed through her.

  It had been a long time, and she didn’t know how this was going to feel. Not really. She hoped, sure. But what if it was awful? What if he was too big and it had been too long and it hurt?

  “Ellie.”

  She snapped her gaze to his.

  Gray eyes studied her solemnly. “Breathe, honey.”

  “I am breathing.” Her voice was small, tight, as if she were holding her breath.

  He held himself up on his elbows, his thumbs glided along her cheeks, and he smiled softly. “Not going to hurt you. It’ll be good, I promise.”

  Impossibly, she believed him. “I know.”

  He pressed inside her then, his body invading hers, filling her so full she thought she couldn’t possibly take another inch. And then he was there, deep inside her, and her fear subsided. He moved slowly, carefully, and her passion came to life again, her body responding, opening. If she’d felt good before, she felt even better now.

  He kissed her, and the world melted away. There was nothing in this bed, nothing between them but skin and heat and passion. It didn’t take long for the spark to flare again, and she found herself rising to meet him, pushing her hips up to his as every nerve ending in her body raced toward fulfillment. He moved faster then, harder, and the flame rose higher.

  She felt as if she were flying, as if her entire life depended on what happened between them right now. The tension inside her wound tighter than before, so impossibly tight that she thought surely she would explode when it snapped this time.

  And then it broke in two and she couldn’t breathe as her body dissolved into one long wave of intense pleasure. It rolled over her and through her, and she cried out, gripping his shoulders with her fingers and his waist with her legs.

  He didn’t stop moving, didn’t stop driving her higher and higher, so impossibly high that she thought she’d never come down. With a last hard thrust and a groan, he spilled himself into her, his body quivering as his release crashed over him.

  She didn’t quite know what to expect as they floated back to earth. She didn’t do casual sex, not usually, but she certainly had tonight.

  And, oh God, she’d do it again in a heartbeat if he wanted to. Which was dangerous and stupid and the epitome of a bad idea, if she was honest with herself.

  Max Brannigan already owned her farm. Now he might just own a little piece of her heart.

  14

  Max had died and gone to heaven. He was buried deep inside a beautiful woman who still trembled with the force of her orgasm, and he’d just had a pretty amazing release himself.

  He hated to move, but he had to. He kissed Ellie softly as she arched into him and kissed him back eagerly, then he rolled off her and went to deal with the condom. He looked at himself in the mirror and frowned at what he saw. He was naked and satisfied, but at what price had he taken that satisfaction?

  Ellie was a hardworking, decent person who didn’t need his kind of shit in her life. If he was honest with himself, he knew he wasn’t going to force her to sell. He’d give her time, and then he’d sell the farm when he had the authority to do so.

  He’d even give her half the profit, though James would yell he was a fool, no matter if her year was up. Because she needed it if she was going to keep breeding and training horses somewhere else.

  So if he knew that, what was he still doing here? He could call Ian back, take the offer to fight in Acamar, and be on a plane out of the US by the day after tomorrow.

  But a part of him rebelled at the thought. That was the part that wanted to go back into Ellie’s bedroom, climb into bed with her, and hold her all night. And keep holding her every night from now on, at least until this flame between them flickered and died.

  He didn’t know what he was going to do in the long run, but he could do what he wanted for tonight anyway.

  He walked back into her bedroom, uncertain what he might find. Would Ellie be covered up to her chin with the sheet, or would she still be lying naked and exposed in the rumpled bed? Would she want him to get out, or would she want him to stay?

  She was lying on her side, her eyes closed, her knees curled up tight. He’d nearly forgotten how tired she was, and his chest ached at the sight of her. Was that tenderness he felt?

  The covers were a mess—and she still wore the black bra he’d never fully removed. He glanced around her bedroom, taking it in for the first time since he’d carried her in here. It wasn’t frilly or girly like he might have expected, but plain and neat. Her covers were white, her sheets were white, and her curtains were a pale blue. Her furniture consisted of a bed, a dresser with a mirror, and two night tables. There was a blue chair in one corner and precisely six pictures on all four walls.

  It was no surprise the pictures were of horses. There was a faded ribbon hanging on one wall, along with a photo of a horse and rider, and he went over to read what it said. First place, Kentucky State Fair, World’s Championship Horse Show. But it was dated 1980, which meant it couldn’t be hers. Her mother’s, most likely.

  A wave of tenderness rolled through him at the thought of Ellie preserving this memento in her own room when she had a whole house to do so in. She was complicated and sweet and fierce, and he realized in that moment that he admired her very much.

  She didn’t quit when many would. When the odds were stacked against her, she kept on going. It’s what a warrior did, truth be told. And Ellie was definitely a warrior.

  “Max,” she murmured, and he turned and went to her side. He climbed into bed beside her and indulged his desire to pull her into his arms. He also unsnapped the bra and gently tugged it free, dropping it over the side of the bed.

  Ellie was warm and naked in his embrace, and his dick started to harden again.

  She snuggled up to him, pressing her cheek to his chest, and sighed. “Sleepy,” she said. “Sorry.”

  He stroked her hair and then kissed her forehead. “Sleep then. I’ll be here when you wake.”

  “Promise?”

  “Yeah, I promise.”

&n
bsp; At least this time he would be. But not for much longer.

  Waking naked in bed with a man was a new sensation for her. Or an old sensation she’d forgotten that was suddenly new again. She and Dave had never actually lived together, and the nights they spent with each other were typically at his place. He’d stayed here too, but not as often. Momma hadn’t said anything, but Ellie always felt strange having her boyfriend in her room in the same house as her mother.

  At first she didn’t want to move for fear of waking Max, but when she glanced up into his face, his eyes burned as they stared back at her.

  “Morning, Ellie.”

  “Morning.”

  Now what?

  Thank you for the amazing orgasms last night, or Hey, that sex stuff rocked the house—can we do it again?

  She settled for running a hand down his bare side, over his hip, and around to cup his firm ass. Lord have mercy, what a fine behind it was too.

  His cock jumped, and she sucked in a breath at the evidence he was already hard. She threw a leg over his hip and brought herself closer. Just so there’d be no doubt what she wanted right then.

  He growled a little as he cupped her breast and dipped his head to take her nipple between his teeth. Her fingers curled into his skin as lightning streaked through her.

  She’d thought maybe last night was a fluke, a one-off, but her body didn’t seem to think so at all.

  He reached behind her and grabbed the foil packets. She took them from him and tore one free, sheathing him as quickly as she could manage. He flipped onto his back and let her take control, which surprised her, but then as she positioned herself and sank down on him, she was glad he’d done so.

  She was a little bit sore. Okay, maybe a lot sore. In a good way, of course, but if he’d been the one in charge… Well, it might be a little unbearable until she found her rhythm.

  But Max knew, somehow, and he let her be the one to set the pace. He gripped her hips and his eyes flashed fire as she rose and fell, rose and fell. She moved slowly and he didn’t try to make her go faster.

  And then he reached down and found her clit, flicking it with his thumb, and a shiver snaked up her spine and down into her toes as she gasped.

  “I think you like that,” he murmured.

  “Don’t know what gave you that idea.” Her nipples were tight little points, and the pressure gathering in her core made her move a little faster.

  “You’re beautiful, Ellie. So fucking sexy.”

  He lifted himself off the bed and sucked a nipple into his mouth. His thumb didn’t stop and the pressure inside her grew until she had to move faster to keep pace with it.

  “I don’t want to come yet,” she gasped—but it was too late. Her release tore through her, rippling from her core out into her toes and fingers, making her moan and gasp as she rode him frantically to the very end.

  When she would have collapsed on him, he stroked into her harder and faster—and the fire ignited again. He took her over the edge once more, thrusting up inside her as she clung to him helplessly, and then he followed her into beautiful oblivion.

  She was panting, but so was he. She pushed off him and onto her back, letting the air cool her. He got up and went to the bathroom. When he returned, she took a moment to admire the long, beautiful lines of his body. She thought he might crawl between the sheets again, and she looked forward to lying against him and feeling his skin next to hers.

  But he reached for his clothes instead. “Horses to take care of, babe,” he said when she would have protested.

  She picked up her phone and looked at the time. A quarter past six. “Holy shit!”

  She jumped from the bed and fumbled for her clothing, and Max laughed softly. “Relax, I heard Miguel’s truck almost an hour ago.”

  She was hopping on one foot, trying to tug on her panties and failing miserably. She stopped and gaped at the sexy man in her bedroom. “You heard him? And you didn’t wake me?”

  “You needed sleep, Ellie. You’ve had some long days lately. Miguel can handle feeding horses.”

  She wanted to argue, but he was right. Miguel could handle it, and though she felt guilty she’d let him feed alone, there were mornings when they each had to take up the slack for the other. She hadn’t been sick in over a year, but the last time when she’d gotten the stomach flu and went down for a week… Well, that had been bad. Poor Miguel, and poor Lacey.

  And poor Ellie, because without lessons that week, she’d lost money.

  “I still need to get down there and help.”

  Max came over and took her by the shoulders. “I know. But how about you take a moment for coffee and some breakfast first?”

  She loved the way his hands rested on her shoulders and the way warmth flowed through her because of it. She could get used to this…

  No.

  Because he wasn’t staying. He’d already said so.

  “Are you fixing the coffee?” she asked.

  He grinned. “Yeah, I’ll fix it. And breakfast too.”

  “I’m fresh out of Pop-Tarts,” she teased.

  “Woman,” he growled. “I can do better than that. How’s toast?”

  “Oh, so hard,” she said.

  He lifted an eyebrow. “You still referring to the toast?”

  Flirty? She did not do this kind of thing. Until now. Until Max. “Unless you’ve got something else for me.”

  “I’ve definitely got something else for you, Ellie. You just let me know when you want it.”

  “As much as I’d like to say right now, I think it’ll have to wait until tonight. But I definitely want it.”

  He backed away from her, his clothes held casually in a fist, his penis more than half hard. So, so beautiful. She could stare at him for hours. Maybe she’d ask him to take his clothes off tonight and just wander around the house that way…

  “Get your ass dressed and get downstairs,” he told her. “Breakfast and coffee. Then we work.”

  He disappeared through the door, and she had to stand there and just breathe for a few seconds. Max Brannigan had spent the night in her bed. In her bed. She was in so much trouble… and she couldn’t wait to tell Lacey all about it.

  When Ellie came down for coffee, Max had fixed toast and eggs. Because he knew how to take care of himself and cooking was, while not one of his best skills, a skill.

  Ellie looked beautiful, but when didn’t she? She’d pulled her hair into a ponytail, and she wore what he now knew were her work jodhpurs and a T-shirt. She smiled as she came into the kitchen, and he thought he could see that smile every morning for a good long while yet.

  A dangerous thought, but there it was.

  “You made eggs.”

  “Never said I couldn’t cook, babe. You assumed.”

  She picked up her plate and started to eat where she stood. He knew her well enough to know she never slowed down, and when she thought she was late to the barn… Well, she wasn’t slowing down for sure.

  “Mmm, these are good.”

  “Better than Pop-Tarts?”

  “Definitely.”

  “You have lessons today?”

  “One at ten, yes. And I have to work Champ this morning. There’s a show next weekend in Tennessee that I plan to take him to.”

  Her sunny disposition seemed to cloud up for a second. Max wanted to know why. “Is that a bad thing?”

  “No, not at all—but it’s his debut, and so I worry a little bit.”

  She seemed like she worried a lot, but he didn’t push her. “I’m sure he’ll be spectacular.”

  She nibbled her lip and a shot of pure desire went straight to his groin.

  “I have so much depending on this, Max. I know what I’m doing—but the ring is a special place. You can do everything right every single day. And then you go in there and it all falls apart because you’re nervous and you communicate that to the horse. Or maybe he’s having a bad day. A kid jumps on the bleachers just as you go by and he breaks stride—right in fr
ont of the judge. So many variables.”

  “Every person in the ring has the same variables, right?”

  She nodded and set her plate down, finished with the eggs. She picked up a piece of toast. “They do.”

  “Then nothing you can do except your very best. It’s the same for all of us, Ellie. Let your training take over. Do the job and let everything else fall away for those few minutes.”

  “You’re right.”

  “I know I am.” Because for him, it was a matter of life and death sometimes. Oftentimes.

  He handed her the go-cup of coffee he’d made and captured her lips in a kiss. “Get down to the barn and help Miguel before you explode.”

  Her fingers wrapped around his where they held the cup as she kissed him back. “I could get used to this,” she said softly. “Breakfast and coffee, I mean. And hot sex. Definitely that.”

  He laughed. “You’re babbling, Ellie.”

  “I am, aren’t I?”

  “Don’t worry, I knew what you meant. Neither one of us is talking about picket fences here.”

  “Picket fences are for amateurs,” she said, laughing. And then she went out the door and down the steps, walking across the field toward the barn. He went over to the window and watched her. She strode with purpose and determination. She pulled her phone out of her pocket and put it to her ear. A second later, his phone buzzed. He’d given her the number a few days ago when they’d been dealing with Lacey and the restraining order.

  “Miss me already?” he asked and then wanted to kick himself for it. Why was he flirting with her? Carrying this any further than it had already gone? Sex was one thing, but flirty fun that hinted at emotions was quite another.

  “Maybe,” she said, and warmth flowed through him. Dammit. “I forgot to tell you that the books are in my office. Down the hall from the kitchen, third door on the left. You’ll find it. They’re in the top right-hand drawer. They aren’t exciting, but everything is there.”

  He felt like an asshole all of a sudden. “It can wait until you’re ready to go over it with me.”