Romance Summer Ice

Mary still wasn't sure what she felt about that. She hadn't told Rebecca about it and didn't even want to talk about it with Max. He was upset about the game and the series, but he was also excited to get home to see his friends. For now, Mary decided she could focus on her work and forget at least for one shift about Max leaving.

"Mary!" Max's voice called from the front end and Mary met Rebecca's eyes with a weak smile.

So much for that, Mary thought as she walked out of the staff room with her friend.

There was Max standing near the end of the counter with a smile on his face. Pete was over by the till, counting something, and shaking his head but Mary didn't spare him another thought.

"Come on, let's go," Max said with a little wave at Mary.

She blinked as she walked up to him. "What are you talking about? I just got here."

"I know and I asked Pete if you could have the rest of the day off so we can hang out," Max replied as he reached for her hand. "I leave tomorrow, you know." This he said with a hangdog expression that often had Mary melting in a puddle.

Today, however, Mary was tired, and confused about what was happening, and she didn't feel like indulging her desires - or his - at the moment.

"I can't leave, Max," she told him with a frown. "I have to work. I've already missed so many shifts because of the games, I don't even know what groceries I can buy this week."

Max drew back, startled. "I'm sorry, Mary. I didn't know."

Mary shook her head, feeling the color creep into her cheeks. She glanced up at Rebecca and Pete, who weren't looking at them, but she didn't want to have this sort of conversation with them in earshot. She took hold of Max's hand and led him outside. It was warm but cloudy and there were a few people moving along the sidewalk on the way to their jobs.

"I didn't mean to sound bitchy, Max," Mary said. "I'm just tired and I can't afford to keep missing work."

Max nodded but she could see the hurt in his blue eyes. "It's all right. I just wanted to spend the day with you. I'm going to miss you when I go."

Nodding, Mary had to agree. Whatever she might be feeling, she was going to miss Max, her friend, more than anything else.

"I think I have an idea," Max said after another minute. "Why don't you move into my place tonight?"

"What?" Mary exclaimed. "I haven't even decided that I'm going to stay there."

"Well, why not? I need someone to take care of the place while I'm gone and you need somewhere that has food." He looked so pleased by this that Mary almost couldn't get upset with him. Almost.

"Max, I don't want you to do that," Mary said, trying to keep from saying something worse.

"Do what? The food is already there, I just haven't eaten it all," Max replied with a grin.

Mary shook her head, all her feelings of confusion and hurt rising up to the surface. She felt tears sting her eyes and tried to swallow the lump in her throat.

"Mary, babe, what's wrong?" Max asked and cupped her chin in his hand, drawing her face up. He frowned when he saw the tears in her eyes.

"I don't want your charity Max."

He drew back as though she'd hit him. "I'm not... that's not what I-"

"Then what?" Mary asked, jerking her chin out of his hand and taking a step back. "You're just trying to make yourself feel less guilty about leaving?"

Max said nothing, just stared at her with his mouth hanging open. Mary could see the confusion in his eyes but couldn't stop herself. All her insecurities and feelings of inadequacy came roaring to the forefront.

"I know we've had a good time these past few months and that's great," Mary said, wiping angrily at the tears that slipped free of her eyes. "But don't try to give me a house or groceries and think that that will make it all right."

"Make what all right, Mary?" Max asked, shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but I don't understand."

Mary gave a short, harsh laugh and clapped a hand over her mouth to stop it. Neither do I, she thought but didn't say it out loud.

"You're mad because I'm going?" Max tried again, still frowning. "I asked if you wanted to come with me but you'd signed up for a class already. I offered to pay so you could get out of it but you didn't want to." His scowl deepened as he looked over at her. "Maybe I should be mad that you don't want to come."

"Are you?" Mary asked, her heart in her throat. She wanted to know. When she'd first said she couldn't go, he'd been so excited to have her house-sit instead that she'd been hurt.

He shrugged. "I guess I'm sort of disappointed, but I still don't know why you're so mad."

Mary shook her head and turned away. "I should go back to work."

"Mary, wait. We need to talk about this. Do you want to come to Montreal with me?"

"I do, more than anything," Mary answered in a low voice.

"Then let me pay for your course and come with me." Max took hold of her arm and tried to turn her around.

At his words she spun around to face him, shaking his hand off. "Stop trying to throw money at me!"

"You're mad because I've got money?" Max asked after a second of bewildered silence.

Mary shook her head, knowing if she said much more, she'd burst into tears.

"Mary, don't you want to be with me?" he asked in a soft voice.

Nodding, Mary managed to choke back the tears that flooded her eyes again at his low question.

"Then why won't you come to Montreal?" he asked as he moved closer.

Mary lifted her head and met his gaze. The tears spilled over her cheeks but she couldn't stop them now. "Why do I have to be with you in Montreal?" she asked, instead of answering his question.

Max didn't have anything to say to that, and Mary used the opportunity to pull out of his arms. "I have to go inside," she murmured and walked into the coffee shop, leaving him standing on the sidewalk.

She hurried past a worried looking Rebecca and shut herself in the staff room until she could get control of herself again. After a short while, she heard a knock. Pulling herself together, Mary stood up and walked to the door. Rebecca stood on the other side with a kind smile on her face.

"Are you all right?" she asked.

Mary nodded and said she just wanted to work. Rebecca nodded and together, they went back to the front end. Pete said nothing and soon, Mary was able to disappear into her shift, serving customers and cleaning tables until the end of the day. Afraid that she'd have to face Max if she went home, she asked if she could spend the night with Rebecca. Her friend agreed and they left together after dark, not speaking, something Mary was grateful for. She hardly knew what she was thinking, let alone how she could articulate it to her friend.

When the time came to catch his flight the day after his argument with Mary, Max didn't even know what he was supposed to pack. He hurriedly threw his clothes into a suitcase, grabbed his wallet and headed out the door, deciding that anything he'd forgotten, he could pick up along the way.

All night he'd tried to call Mary, calling her apartment and driving around her block. She didn't answer and it certainly didn't look like she'd come home. He should have seen her at some point. He wished he had her friend Rebecca's phone number because if he had to guess, he'd say she'd gone there instead.

He didn't understand what had happened. He thought she'd be all right with his leaving. He never dreamt that she'd be angry with him for offering to take her along. The words she'd said replayed like a broken record in his head until he didn't know what he thought anymore.

At last, he boarded the plane and flew to his hometown. On the other end, his parents picked him up and he was able to forget about Mary for a while.

Until his friends took him out for drinks that night and Guy asked him where this gorgeous girlfriend of his was.

"She takes classes at the local college and had a summer course starting in a couple weeks," Max replied and chugged his beer.

"That sucks," Guy replied, watching his friend drink with raised eyebrows. "I was looking forward to meeting her."

Max nodded. He'd been looking forward to showing her off to his friends and family. He didn't miss the implications of it either, having never brought a woman home before.

Plus, he just missed his friend.

"Well, I guess we'll just have to come see you in Calgary," Guy said with a smile. "Then we can meet her."

Max snorted. "If she's speaking to me again by then," he said before he could stop himself.

Guy's eyebrows shot up to his hairline and he leaned closer as Max flushed. Thankfully the rest of the group didn't seem to have heard.

"What did you do to tick her off?" Guy asked with a smile.

Max rolled his eyes at his friend and punched him in the arm.

"You can't blame me for asking," Guy said with a shrug, still smiling. Max knew he wasn't trying to be hurtful. He was just trying to make Max smile, which is what his friend had always done. "You can be a dumbass most of the time."

"I know but I don't know what I did this time, Guy," Max replied and ordered another beer. For now, he wanted to stop talking about Mary and just have fun with his friends. Guy let it go and, together with the rest of the group, they drank, laughed and reminisced about the 'old days.' Max succeeded in putting Mary out of his mind.

Until he dreamt of her soft and responsive body, groaning at the aching need that gripped him when he woke up in the middle of the night. As he lay there staring at the dark ceiling, he let his thoughts run wild, recalling her sparkling smile and bright laughter. That more than anything had him biting his lip with desire. It hurt not having her close. He didn't get a lot of sleep that night, or in any of the following nights.

"What happened between the two of you, Mary?" Rebecca asked four days after Max had left.

Mary looked over at her friend and shrugged, turning her attention back to the television. They were in Mary's apartment, trying to decide on a movie to watch and apparently Rebecca had decided to quiz Mary on her argument with Max.

"I saw you fighting outside the coffee shop the other day," Rebecca went on, setting her glass of water down on the table and facing her friend. "Then he left for Montreal the next day and I know you two haven't spoken since then. So what happened?"

"We argued about me going to Montreal with him," Mary said, which was true. It wasn't the real reason she'd been so upset with him but now, four days later, she was having trouble understanding what she'd been upset about.

"So why didn't you go with him?"

"I have my summer class," Mary replied, not meeting her friend's gaze. In truth, after her argument with Max, she'd contacted the college and found out there'd be no penalty for dropping the class now. If she'd waited another week, there would have been a charge but she'd met the deadline, so she was free of the class, with no charge.

"That's not a reason," Rebecca scoffed and tossed her dark hair over her shoulder. "You could have missed one or two classes to at least go with him for even a couple weeks."

Mary said nothing. She hoped that Rebecca would drop the subject and they could pretend that everything was all right.

No such luck.

"When does your class start?" Rebecca asked after another couple minutes of silence.

Flushing, Mary glanced at her friend before looking away again. She hopped up from the couch and hurried to the kitchen. "You want some popcorn?"

"Mary," Rebecca said her name with a warning tone. "What is going on?"

With a sigh, Mary faced her friend with a sheepish smile. She explained about her class and Rebecca smiled.

"You know what this means, don't you?" Rebecca asked.

"What?"

"You can go to Montreal now!"

Mary laughed and shook her head. "I can't afford to go to Montreal. I could barely afford to pay my phone bill this month."

Rebecca didn't seem to be listening to her. She walked away from the kitchen waving her hands in the air excitedly. "This is perfect!"

"What are you talking about?" Mary demanded, following her friend.

"I wasn't going to tell you until later, but it's a sure thing now," Rebecca said and grinned. "I've been accepted to a school near Pittsburgh and I have to leave this summer sometime to get all set up."

Mary's mouth dropped open and tears filled her eyes. "You're leaving Calgary?" she asked quietly. "You're leaving the country?"

The smile left Rebecca's face and she hurried to her friend to give her a hug. Mary accepted it and struggled to keep from crying.

"It's a temporary thing, just one year, but I've been trying to get into this place for two years," Rebecca told her. "Don't you see how this is perfect for you?"

"Not really," Mary mumbled as she pulled away.

"We can drive to Montreal and you can see Max. Then I'll drive on to my school from there."

"Rebecca, I can't drive to Montreal," Mary replied once she got over her shock.

"Why not? You just told me you have no classes. I was going to drive east anyway and you have some holiday time saved at work that you can use. We'll split the costs along the way and you'll get to see Max."

"Rebecca, I don't even know where I'd find him," Mary replied with a laugh. "I don't know his phone number or where his family lives or anything."

Now Rebecca blushed and walked over to her purse. "Max came into the coffee shop the day he left and wanted to talk to you," she told Mary as she fished around in her purse, producing a small slip of paper. "He left this with me and said it was the phone number of his parent's house in Montreal, where he'd be staying."

"He came to the coffee shop?" Mary asked, taking the piece of paper from her friend and staring at it.

"He wanted to talk to you but couldn't wait to see you before he had to catch his plane," Rebecca explained. "He was sorry he couldn't see you."

"He told you that?" Mary lifted her eyes to her friend's face.

"He didn't have to, Mary."

For a long moment, Mary stared at the numbers on the paper and wondered if she could do what Rebecca was suggesting. She found herself nodding along before she knew it and then Rebecca was shrieking in excitement, grabbing her for another hug. After a minute, Mary laughed and hugged her back, feeling her heart pounding harshly within her chest.

Am I going to do this? Mary wondered as she stood there. Can I really go to Montreal and surprise Max?

A new thought occurred to her as Rebecca took off to her bedroom to start her packing.

What if he doesn't want to see me? she thought.

"Don't be ridiculous, Mary," Rebecca said when Mary repeated the question out loud. "He never would have suggested you go with him to Montreal if he didn't."

Mary smiled weakly as she agreed and tried to convince herself it was the truth.

What if I find him with someone else? she thought next and shuddered, every deep fear and anxiety coming up as she pondered the question. Try as she might, she just couldn't erase the memory of the hurt caused by Bohdan. She was terrified that Max had a woman waiting for him in Montreal and he'd never really wanted Mary after all.

As it turned out, the trip was a load of fun for the two women. Rebecca drove most of the way, with Mary relieving occasionally. They stopped at motels along the way whenever they got too tired, eventually reaching Montreal after three very long days. Mary didn't feel up to locating Max their first evening in Montreal, so they found a hotel and checked in, falling asleep early.

In the morning, Mary showered, dressed and screwed up the courage to call the phone number Max had left with Rebecca. Her French was very rusty but the woman on the other end of the line - Mary assumed it was Max's mother - began speaking English as soon as she realized Mary wasn't French.

"I'm a friend of Max's," Mary said. "Can I speak with him?"

"He's not here right now," the other woman replied. "I think he went to the deli with his friends."

Mary politely asked for the name of the place and got directions as well. Rebecca waited with an impatient look on her face as Mary listened, taking notes on the hotel paper pad. Mary hung up and relayed the information to Rebecca.

"Well, let's get going," Rebecca said in a very matter-of-fact tone that made Mary smile, in spite of her erratic rapid heartbeat.

"I don't know, Rebecca," she murmured as her friend bustled around the hotel room gathering their things.

"Oh please, we're here now," Rebecca replied with a grin. "We're going and you'll see him and it's going to be fine."

Mary didn't know if she agreed but she followed her friend outside and dutifully got in the car beside her. They got a little lost on their way to the neighborhood deli where Max's mother had said he was having lunch with some friends. Rebecca said she'd wait in the car until Mary had a chance to speak to Max alone. So Mary got out and walked up to the little restaurant, her heart beating so hard she thought it might come right out of her mouth.

Then she spotted Max through the window inside and felt some of her tension ease. She opened the glass front door and walked in.

Just in time to see Max put his arms around a beautiful blonde woman and embrace her.

Max hadn't wanted to go out for lunch, but Guy and Charlie wouldn't let him say no. So he went and they met up with a few other friends from his school days, including Rachel.

"Guy told me that you've got a girlfriend back in Calgary," Rachel said from one side of Max when the rest of the group was engrossed in a discussion about soccer.

Max smiled at his old friend and nodded. "She's great."

"Why isn't she here?"

Max patiently explained that she had school and that he'd wanted her to come, but she couldn't give up the class.

"That's too bad," Rachel replied. "I would have loved to have met the girl who made you settle down."

Max rolled his eyes at her. "I'm hardly settling down, Rachel."

"Well, commit, be exclusive, or whatever you want to call it," Rachel said with a grin. "I'm happy for you, Max."

"Are you?" Max asked, eyeing her. He recalled his conversation with Guy before he'd finished the playoffs and he wondered if Rachel was still thinking there was a chance to start something between them.

"I know what you're thinking," Rachel said with a lopsided smile. "I've been seeing a guy named Henry for months now. I don't think I've ever been happier."

Max relaxed at her words. He was happy for her and told her as much.

"Thanks, Max. So now you understand that I can be happy for you? I honestly wish your girl was here so I could give her a big hug and thank her for making my friend so happy."

"I wish she was here too," Max replied with a sigh and he sipped his drink. He started to tell Rachel about their fight the day before he'd left Calgary and his friend listened with a kind smile on her face.

"Wow, sounds like you screwed up bad, Max," Rachel said when he was finished.

He scowled at her. "How did I screw up?"

"Mary sounds like a very independent woman, Max. Yet you offered to pay for something every time she mentioned it. She wasn't asking for that from you, she was just venting. I bet she was hurt that you'd rather come to Montreal than spend time with her, now that your season is over."

Max nodded at her words. He'd guessed that Mary was hurt about his leaving but he'd never considered that his offers of paying for her class or groceries would offend her. He thought of what his reaction would be if someone did the same thing to him and he flushed in embarrassment. Rachel noticed his expression and grinned.

"It's not all your fault, Max." Rachel reached over to pat his arm. "She should have told you what she was feeling." Pausing, Rachel considered something for a moment before speaking again. "You know, there's got to be something else bothering her too. Maybe something you didn't even think about."

"Like what?" Max was becoming more and more baffled at the way women's minds seemed to work. He thought he'd known so much about Mary but he was beginning to wonder after talking to Rachel.

"Well, has she ever been badly hurt in a past relationship?"

Oh crap Max thought, his mouth falling open.

Rachel nodded when she saw his expression. "Thought so. You leaving probably brought up all those memories. Maybe she's afraid you're doing the same thing to her."

"Jeez, I never even thought of that," he murmured. There he'd been, all excited to get to Montreal to see everyone, never once considering that the last time a guy had left Mary, it had been to return to a fiance.

"Well, don't worry," Rachel said with another broad smile. "You'll go back to Calgary and make it up to her."

"I will," Max replied firmly and then he grinned at his friend. Reaching out, he pulled her close for a hug, barely hearing the bell over the front door of the deli ring at that moment. "Thanks Rachel. You're a great friend."

"Yeah, yeah," Rachel replied with a pat on his back. "I know."

Max pulled back with a laugh and saw Rachel looking over his shoulder. Turning his head, he saw someone standing just inside the restaurant entrance.

"Mary!" he exclaimed and bolted from his seat, almost knocking Rachel over in the process. He tossed an apology over his shoulder as he rushed to Mary, sweeping her off her feet in a bear hug.

"Mary," he breathed her name as he breathed her in, savoring his favorite scent of her shampoo and dryer-fresh clothes. Mary held on to him loosely and he realized after a second that she wasn't embracing him back. He pulled his head back, still smiling and noticed her eyes fixed on a point over his shoulder. He turned his head and saw Rachel and the others watching them.

"Uh, you mind if we go outside to talk?" Max asked, drawing Mary's gaze to his face.

She nodded and he released her, taking her hand in his and leading her outside to the bustling sidewalk in front of the deli.

"What are you doing here?" he asked first. "I mean, I'm so excited to see you but I can't believe you're here!"

Mary nodded, still glancing back at the deli. Max followed her gaze and blinked as he realized what she must have thought when she'd walked in. He took hold of her shoulders and leaned down so he could look directly into her eyes. He had to make her believe him when he spoke.

"Mary, that was my friend Rachel," he said in a soft voice. "Just my friend. Not my fiance, not a former girlfriend or ex-wife or anything."

Mary's eyes lifted to his face and his heart nearly split in half when he saw the glistening tears in them. He pulled her close and kissed her, his arms going around her back to hold her tight. He kissed her lips, then slid his mouth across her cheek and planted kisses on her nose, forehead and closed eyelids.

"Please believe me, Mary," he murmured into her hair where he had his lips pressed to her head. "I never wanted to hurt you and I hope you can forgive me for the way I've treated you."

Mary still said nothing and Max was really beginning to worry as he released her. He stared down into her face and brushed away the tears that had slipped out.

"Mary, say something, please," he begged, his heart aching.

"Max, I'm so sorry," she murmured and he crushed her close in another hug.

"What do you have to be sorry for? I'm the one who acted like an idiot."

"I did, too," she said and pulled back to look up at him. She gave him a tearful smile and he kissed her again. "I should have told you what I was thinking instead of yelling at you and making you feel bad for leaving."

"I'm sorry I left!" Max replied with a laugh. "I should have stayed and made sure you were all right."

Now it was Mary's turn to laugh. She touched his cheek as she shook her head. "I'm not a child, Max, that you need to take care of."

He cringed, remembering his conversation with Rachel. "I'm sorry about all that, too. I know you can take care of yourself." He grinned and dropped a light kiss on her forehead. "But I like to take care of you."

"I know," she said and smiled back. "I like it, too."

For a long minute they just held each other, grinning like a couple of fools in the middle of the sidewalk.

"Mary, I love you," he blurted and blushed as soon as the words left his mouth. He watched Mary's face and saw the shock in her eyes. "Did I just ruin our relationship again?"

"Ruin it?" Mary asked with a breathless laugh. "Again? What are you talking about?"

"Well, the first time was when I first kissed you," Max said, still hot with his blush.

"Max, I told you then that you didn't ruin anything," she replied and stood on her toes to give him a hot kiss.

He leaned over her, his hands firm on her waist as her tongue slid tentatively between his lips. He kissed her back, taking over the kiss and making her moan seductively in the process. After a minute, she pulled away and Max grinned when he saw the bright color high in her cheeks. Lifting a hand, he brushed his fingers over the blush and kissed her where he touched.

"You just keep making everything better," Mary told him. "I love you too."

Max whooped in excitement then and swept her into his arms, spinning them around in a circle. Mary shrieked and clung to his shoulders until he set her back down. He sealed their lips together in a deep kiss, holding her face in his hands and making sure she knew how much she meant to him.

"Now that you've made a spectacle out here," Mary spoke first as they parted, her face pink. "Why don't you introduce me to my friends?"

"Sure," he said. "But you have to tell me; how did you get here?"

"Oh, Rebecca and I drove out together," Mary explained and turned to wave at a vehicle parked just across the street. Sure enough, there was the pretty brunette and she waved back.

"Great!" Max exclaimed. "Go tell her to come in with us."

Mary nodded and hurried across the street to retrieve her friend. Max went inside and was greeted by the curious expressions of his friends.

"I hope that's Mary," Rachel spoke up and Max laughed, giving her a warm hug.

"Looks like we both got our wish," Max replied.

By the time she was able to settle into her bed at Max's family house, Mary was exhausted. It had been a full day, no doubt about it. She had met all of Max's friends, including the gorgeous blonde she'd seen Max hugging. Rachel was a lot of fun and one of the nicest women she'd ever met. Max's parents were amazing as well, welcoming both Mary and Rebecca, and insisting they both stay in their house. The two friends agreed and were set up in the spare rooms. Rebecca was planning to leave in the morning, even after Max had repeatedly tried to persuade her to stay and do some sight-seeing.

"I think you and Mary need this time together," Rebecca had insisted with a smile. "Besides, I don't feel like being a third wheel."

It was the first time Mary had wondered about Rebecca's single status. She'd spoken privately with her friend earlier in the evening until Rebecca was able to reassure her.

"I'm not lonely," Rebecca had assured her. "Sometimes I am, but right now I'm just excited to be going to school."

Mary had relented after making Rebecca promise to email every day and call once a week to make sure she was doing all right.

Finally, Mary was alone in her room and she gratefully slid under the covers to get some sleep. It had been such a whirlwind week and all the traveling had tuckered her out. Apparently, Max wasn't ready to let her sleep. He tapped quietly on her door not five minutes after she'd turned the light out.

"Did I wake you?" he asked with a sheepish grin as she let him in.

"Not yet," she replied. "You can't be in here. Your parents gave us separate rooms for a reason, you know."

His grin got wider and Mary felt that familiar fluttering in her stomach. Bolts of electricity shot all through her body as Max reached for her and she felt the moisture gathering between her legs. From the look in his blue eyes, she knew he knew it too.

"Damn you," she whispered and let him carry her to the bed.

"I still can't believe you're here," he replied in a soft voice as he lay her down and slipped her night shirt over her head, leaving her naked to his roving gaze.

Blushing, Mary tried to cover herself with a pillow, but Max wrenched it from her grasp, tossing it over the side of the bed. Mary stifled a laugh and gave in, reaching for his boxers. Since he was wearing nothing else, they were naked together in seconds.

"Have I mentioned how much I missed you?" Max asked as he dropped kisses down the side of her throat and along the curve of her collarbone.

"No," Mary replied and sighed when his lips brushed over one taut nipple. She was holding his shoulders and had her eyes squeezed shut as he explored his body. Lord, how she'd missed his hands and mouth on her.

"Well, I did. I missed this nipple," he told her and sucked it between his lips. Then he switched to the other one. "And I missed this one too."

Mary laughed breathlessly and clung to him as he continued to tease her.

"I definitely missed your stomach," he said as he smoothed a hot palm down between her breasts and over her belly.

"Well, there's a lot to miss," Mary remarked in a dry tone.

Max lifted his head and scowled playfully at her. "You're beautiful, Mary. All of you, and I don't ever want to hear you say otherwise."

Mary felt tears prick her eyes and she bit her lip as she nodded weakly. He nodded as well and then kissed her, sweeping away all thoughts with that single, heated kiss.

His tongue danced around hers, stroking softly and then pressing firmly. Meanwhile his hands slid up her sides and cupped her breasts. He ran his fingers over the tips of her nipples, making them pucker even more until she moaned into his mouth.

"Ssh," he admonished her, drawing back from her lips.

He was close enough that they were still breathing the same air and Mary just couldn't breathe him in enough. She wanted more of him. Somehow, at the beginning of this sweltering season, he still had a hint of the ice to him and she wanted to lick him all over, tasting as much of him as she could. He just wouldn't let her. He kissed her again, letting his hands wander down her body until he was parting her legs.

Then he pushed his fingers up inside of all her wet heat and she had to bite down on her lower lip to keep from crying out his name. He kissed her lip, easing the sting of her bite but she could feel the upward curl of his lips and knew that he was pleased by her reaction.

"Damn you," she breathed again and he chuckled.

His fingers moved inside her, stroking her until she was writhing under him, gasping in each breath. He told her that she had to be quiet or his parents would hear them. She wanted to reply that this was all his fault but he slipped down her body and gave her sensitive core a long lick, from bottom to aching top.

A strangled sound escaped her as he did it again and she pressed her hands over her mouth to keep the noises from growing. Max slid his tongue between her wet folds and flicked the tip upwards, making her hips lift right off the bed. He licked her again, deeper and then moved his mouth up to that one spot while he slid his fingers inside her. Sucking, he swirled his tongue over the tip and thrust his fingers upward.

"Oh God," she breathed, unable to stop the words from escaping. She could only pray that they weren't loud enough to wake his parents.

Max kept stroking her and licking and teasing her until she turned her face to the bed, smothering her cry of pleasure as he undid her.

Then he lifted himself over her and brought their bodies together while she was still humming from the inside out. Mary looked up into his eyes and watched the intensity that crossed his face. He was breathing hard and a fine sheen of sweat lined his forehead.

"Max," she hissed out his name from between clenched teeth as he drew back and then pushed deep. "I love you." She pulled his face close for a kiss.

His eyes softened at her words and he met her kiss as his pace increased. He pushed hard and fast and Mary lifted her knees, cradling him closer with legs and arms. His strong arms slid around her shoulders and he brought their bodies closer. All the while, he kissed her, passionately exploring her mouth until she was trying to wrench her lips away, just to catch her breath.

His lips and tongue slid across her cheek and he sucked her ear lobe into his mouth as he thrust into her. Mary lifted her hand and placed her palm against his cheek, smiling as his blue eyes opened to stare hazily down at her. Then her mouth fell open as the coiling pressure burst within her. Max felt it and his pounding body tensed over her as he came too.

Mary pressed her open mouth to his shoulder and stifled her scream of pleasure as Max pushed into her. They rode the wave together and Max collapsed on top of her. She ran her palms up and down his back and turned her face to kiss the side of his neck.

"I love you, Mary," he said as he lifted his head and brushed her hair out of her face with gentle hands.

"I know," she replied. And she did, all her doubts and insecurities gone for good. He'd erased them and melted her heart all over again.

They held each other close and slept in one another's arms, neither of them caring if anyone found them that way in the morning.​