What a Girl Needs Read online

  Every thrust made her more exhilarated, every drugging kiss racking up the smoldering heat. When her orgasm hit, it stole her breath, but Max didn’t stop. He kept up the lethargic rolls of his hips, keeping her pressed tight against the wall, taking her mouth with his. With his hands in her hair, his tongue in her mouth and his erection lodged deep inside, he owned her. Every part of her. That thought sent her over the edge again.

  * * * *

  Having Georgia naked, in his arms and in his bed eased him more than anything he could remember. Her breathing was deep, feathering across his pecs on the exhale and filling him with purpose and warmth like nothing else. Now she was with him, finally, everything he’d feared for the last few months – hell probably since his mother died – was put in perspective.

  She stirred, smiling lazily up at him and his heart swelled.

  ‘Hey,’ he said, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear.

  ‘What time is it?’ she asked, then yawned.

  He checked his watch. ‘Almost midnight.’

  ‘I should probably go home.’

  She made to move but he held her tighter. ‘Stay. Spend the night with me.’

  Her frown spiked his adrenaline, or maybe that was fear. She opened her mouth but he cut her off. ‘Your friends know where you are, you text them. They must approve, since I haven’t heard your cell go off.’

  Georgia bit her lip, like she was hiding something and wasn’t sure whether to tell him.

  ‘Spill it.’ She released her lip and he smoothed the flesh with his thumb. ‘You can tell me anything.’

  ‘Will you tell me anything, if I asked?’ She met his eyes with curiosity and challenge.

  Max waited for the feeling of panic to come, but nothing did. Letting his honesty shine through, he said, ‘Yeah. I won’t lie to you. Ever.’

  She nodded. ‘Shey doesn’t approve. She thinks I’ll end up getting hurt. Eloisa wants me to go after what I want. She thinks that’s the only way I’ll be happy.’

  The idea he would hurt her made it feel like icy fingers were constricting his heart. ‘What do you think?’

  She threw a leg across his hips, then shifted so she straddled him. Her warm, soaked core – a reminder of all their earlier orgasms – made it hard to concentrate. Especially as blood arrowed south, thickening his too-eager cock.

  ‘I’m swaying toward agreeing with Eloisa.’

  A wicked smile curved her lips as she rubbed her core the length of his cock. The tease. In one quick move he shifted their positions so she was trapped below him, completely at his mercy.

  ‘Don’t make me restrain you. You might not like it.’

  Her eyes flashed with undiluted lust and he almost groaned. Of course she’d fucking like it. If he believed in fate he’d believe she was his other half. His soul mate.

  ‘Max, will you tell me something?’

  Her voice, so breathy and sexy, tugged at his wavering control. ‘Anything.’

  ‘You said you dreamed about me. Was there… anything in particular you wanted to do when you had me?’

  He grinned down at her, pinned her arms above her head in one hand, and kept his other on the bed for support. Grinding his hips so his dick slid across her clit send a shiver of heat down his spine. ‘How long have you got? It’s a long list.’

  Georgia’s eyes darkened. ‘What’s at the top?’

  He hesitated, wondering if that would freak her out, but he’d promised to answer. ‘I want to claim you, every part of you, every way I can.’

  Her eyes widened.

  ‘But we don’t have to do that tonight. We don’t have to do that ever,’ he added, trying to reassure her.

  ‘I’m not ready for… that. I’ve never…’ Her cheeks turned pink.

  ‘I know.’ He dropped a kiss on her lips, wishing he hadn’t fantasized about having her every way he could. Wishing he could possess her body that way when it obviously made her uncomfortable. ‘Want to know my second?’

  She nodded.

  ‘I want to tie you up, make you come so many times with my lips and tongue and fingers until you beg me to stop.’ Just thinking about it made his cock throb.

  ‘That’s hardly fair to you.’

  He grinned. ‘I’ve been having orgasms since I was thirteen. It’ll take a while for you to catch up, but I’m up to the challenge.’

  Georgia lifted her head and he met her mouth halfway, drowning in the feel and taste of her. She pulled away too quickly, a little smile curving her lips.

  ‘I believe you are, but right now I just want you inside me. Wild, hot and crazy.’

  Max didn’t have to be asked twice. He fucked her with abandon, relishing in the clench of her body every time she came. By the time the sun came up, he’d had her five more times in all the positions he could get her into. As they lay wrapped in sweaty limbs drifting out of consciousness, he knew he could spend the rest of his life doing this with her. In fact, he’d never wanted anything more.

  * * * *

  Almost a week had passed since Georgia had decided to throw caution to the wind, and hell if it didn’t feel sore. She spent most nights with Max and it showed in the perma-smile she couldn’t get rid of. Shey had warned her to be careful, but was ultimately happy that she was.

  And to make things even sweeter, Max had given her free reign in the store again. They had a dinner to attend that night and she’d picked up a dark-emerald dress that matched her eyes and couldn’t wait for him to see her in it.

  Eloisa helped with her hair, pulling it into an elegant twist, while Shey gave her a manicure that perfected the look. There were no nerves waiting for Max to pick her up this time and when Eloisa buzzed him up Georgia didn’t insist on meeting him outside.

  ‘Be nice,’ she warned them both, but knew they’d give him the inquisition of his life. It’s why she loved them.

  Shey rolled her eyes, a small smile on her lips. Eloisa’s look was intense and made Georgia feel like she was on the stand or something. When she raised her eyebrows in question, her friend shook her head, ruffling her auburn curls.

  Before she had time to worry what was going on, Max knocked on the door. She almost skipped down the hall and pulled it wide. His eyes grew huge as he took her in from head to toe.

  ‘You’re stunning,’ he said.

  Georgia eyed the black well-tailored suit he wore and her eyes snagged on the emerald tie. She grinned. ‘We match.’

  His lips kicked up at the corner. ‘I kept tabs on what you bought so I didn’t clash with you. I hear girls hate that.’

  Her smile grew wider as she heard Shey and Eloisa laugh.

  Max offered them a nod, then his eyes were back on her. ‘Are you going to invite me in?’ he asked, low enough so it was only her who heard.

  She stood aside to let him enter, then followed him down the hall. After introducing him properly and dealing with a few mild questions from them both, she wanted to get out but then Shey had to ruin it.

  ‘You know if you hurt her, we’ve got a rusty knife in the drawer just waiting to be introduced to your balls.’

  Georgia scowled at her, remembering when Eloisa had made a similar threat to Calvin. It wasn’t fair she was taking it out on Max.

  He responded by wrapping an arm around Georgia’s waist. ‘If I hurt her I’ll take it to my own balls.’

  She swallowed hard against the lump in her throat. The love that swelled through her was too terrifying she couldn’t even take pleasure in her friends’ stunned expressions. ‘We’re going to be late,’ she said, tugging his arm.

  Max did the goodbye thing while she was too busy fighting for composure. She’d gone and done it. Fallen in love. With a man who’d never love her back.

  ‘You okay?’ he asked when they reached the lobby, tugging her hand gently to stop her.

  Fighting the turmoil inside, she met his eyes and forced a smile. ‘Why wouldn’t I be?’

  His frown told her he didn’t appreciate the evasion, but he di
dn’t push.

  ‘We’re going to be late,’ she said again and headed for the glass doors.

  Max followed, keeping a hold of her hand, but she felt no comfort touching him now. She was too cold. Terror crept in as her future flashed before her in startling HD. She was in love with a man who’d never love her back. She’d given her heart to someone who’d never treasure it like he should.

  And leaving him… Pain stabbed through her chest as sharply as a knife. Yeah, leaving him would tear her apart.

  Chapter 11

  Georgia was anything but fine. Her hand was cold and clammy in his and she’d gone into some kind of autopilot as they mingled with his designers. Max’s stomach shifted uneasily. After what he’d done today, refusing to renew Marcello’s contract, he’d counted on her being as open with him as she had been all week, so when she found out she wouldn’t think he’d been using her.

  He led her through the restaurant to the table where most of them had gathered. His space was at the head, where his father normally sat, and he’d made sure to save her a seat to his right. Pulling out her chair, he shot her a worried look and she smiled a little but didn’t meet his eyes.

  Fuck, had she found out already? He should have told her, especially since it was likely to come up tonight. Taking hold of her hand, he slid into his chair and ignored every other person in the room. Georgia made small talk with a French woman who he’d just signed to replace Marcello’s evening-wear line. His heart thumped uneasily as he realized she could give him away, before he had a chance to explain.

  The first course arrived but the chatter didn’t die down. What would be hot on the runway at Fashion Week was the topic of the night, and since some of his designers had sets, Max should be spurring them on. Ass-kissing like his father did. Having men and woman that talented signed to only showcase their work in Briggs Department Stores put them ahead of the game, but none of that mattered when Georgia pushed her food around her plate.

  She had to know, and he should have been the one to tell her.

  ‘Georgia,’ he said quietly. ‘Come to the terrace, we need to talk.’

  Glancing around, she could see what he could. Everyone was so engrossed in their conversations they wouldn’t notice. They slipped away, walking side by side until he parted the French doors and let her walk out ahead of him. It was already dark, and he didn’t know if there was a chill in the air or if it was the impending conversation making him cold.

  ‘What’s up Max?’ she asked, forcing a smile that seemed to strain her lovely face.

  His heart pounded painfully. ‘I have something to tell you. I didn’t want you to hear from someone else.’

  * * * *

  A million bad-case scenarios ran through her mind, tightening her throat and making it hard to speak. She just stared at him, waiting for the swift and final kick that would put her on her ass. Since she realized how she really felt, a dark cloud had settled over her. A feeling that this was the beginning of the end. Sort of like when she found out her mom was sick.

  Georgia didn’t think she could go through it again, even with her support system.

  Max ran a hand through his hair and blew out a breath. ‘I fired Marcello.’

  She opened her mouth to respond but couldn’t speak. If that’s all he had to say, he wouldn’t look so agitated. Shifty, even.

  ‘Before, when I wanted to ask you to pretend to be with me, it was a cover.’ He paused, trying to let his words sink in, but her mind was numb. ‘Georgia, that’s not how it is now. It’s not why I wanted you, why I still want you. I don’t want this to drive a wedge between us.’

  Her heart took off, right on cue with her anger. ‘You… used me.’

  He shook his head. ‘No. I asked you to pretend so I’d be able to fire Marcello and make sure the other designers didn’t think I did it out of revenge. They’d then start to talk, wonder if it was worth renewing contracts with Briggs now that my dad’s out of the picture. But I do care about you, Georgia.’

  His lies, her feelings, all the turmoil, all the spilling her guts to him when even now he never spoke about what really mattered to her, screwed with her head. She backed toward the door to the restaurant. Max grabbed her around the waist, pulling her so close she could feel the frantic beat of his heart against hers.

  ‘Georgia talk to me, don’t fucking leave.’

  The desperate plea in his voice didn’t melt her anger, it only made it hotter. She pushed at his chest but he didn’t budge. ‘You made me fall for you on a lie.’

  His jaw dropped. ‘No, we were never a lie. I’ve always told you the truth.’

  She shook her head, mostly to try and clear it. ‘A lie by omission is still a lie.’

  Her voice broke and her eyes stung. Where the hell was rage when she needed it?

  ‘Shit, Georgia. Don’t be upset. I’m sorry. I should have told you.’

  She pushed at his chest again, but he crushed her to him. ‘Believe this.’

  His lips were on her before she could take a breath, desperate and hungry. Her traitorous body responded, warming, heating, opening, for him. When his tongue forced its way into her mouth, tears streamed from her eyes and she’d done what she’d swore never to do. Fallen for someone who couldn’t love her, couldn’t even be honest with her. She was crying, sobbing, and wishing things were so different. But she knew what she had to do.

  Anger at herself for being so weak pulsed through her. She bit his tongue as hard as she could and he flinched away, muttering a curse.

  ‘I never want to see you again!’ She backed away to the door while he watched her with that shuttered expression she hated.

  Forcing back a sob, she turned and pulled the door open. Georgia ignored the fact that all eyes were on her. She grabbed her bag and made her way to the front of the restaurant, asking one of the waiters to call her a cab. She was outside, breathing through her nose to hold back the pain when he caught up with her.

  ‘What the fuck was that?’

  Georgia whirled, not caring if he saw how angry and upset she was. His face paled. ‘That was me saying it’s over. That was me telling you I’m not working for Briggs anymore. That was me showing you I can’t be with you the way you want me to be.’

  ‘Georgia think about this. What we have—’

  ‘We have nothing! I can’t deal with loving someone who lies to me, someone who uses me, someone who can’t love me back!’ She didn’t even care that the people on the streets could hear. Some part of her noted she was crazy, and losing more of her mind every second she waited on the damn cab.

  He stepped closer but she held her hand up. ‘Don’t, just don’t. I can’t be near you, Max. It hurts too much.’

  A yellow cab pulled up in front of the building and she slipped in, not looking back. Clutching her aching chest, she mumbled her address to the driver and told him to hurry. She needed her family and she needed to move on with her life for good. No looking back and no more taking chances.

  * * * *

  Max didn’t know what time it was when he pulled up outside his father’s apartment. He hadn’t seen him for days, but had no one else to turn to. His heart was possibly broken. Every ounce of energy in him had been drained out, and when he rested his head against the leather seat, his eyes slid shut.

  A knocking woke him up from the nightmare. Shivering and soaked through, he almost sighed in relief until he saw Jen through his windshield. It hadn’t been a dream, then. Georgia had really left him and going by the early morning light he’d fallen asleep in his car.

  He got out, shaking his head at Jen’s worried expression. Vaulting the steps two at a time, he let himself into his father’s home and headed straight for the bedroom. A clattering in the kitchen caught his attention and, frowning, he made his way toward the sound.

  His father was mixing stuff in a bowl when he reached the room and Max’s jaw dropped. He looked stronger, a little healthier around his face and nothing like the skeleton he’d taken everyth
ing out on not even a week ago.

  ‘Dad?’ he asked, making sure this wasn’t another dream.

  ‘Just in time for pancakes. Remember your mother used to make them with chocolate chips? I’ve almost perfected the recipe.’ His father dumped a bag of chocolate bits into the mixture then kept on whisking.

  ‘What’s going on?’ he asked.

  Maxton turned to him with a smile, which froze in place as his gaze reached his son: ‘What happened? You look like hell.’

  He raked a hand through his hair, still damp with sweat. ‘And you don’t.’

  Leaving the bowl on the granite counter, he slid into a chair at the table. ‘Sit. Talk to me.’

  Looking down at his father, he couldn’t get his head around the difference. Maxton didn’t just look healthier; he’d put on much-needed weight. In four fucking days, he’d bounced back. Sure, he was still thin but this was more than he could ever hope for.

  ‘What’s going on?’ he asked again.

  Maxton’s eyes brimmed over with tears. ‘I miss her, Max. So much it’s hard just to get out of bed in the morning, but last week was the wake-up call I needed.’

  He winced, remembering every hateful word he’d slung.

  ‘Don’t regret what you did. It’s what I needed to hear. I’ll get to be with your mother again one day, but I have others I care about here. Others who need me.’

  Max slumped into a chair across from him, his head supported on his hands, covering his face. ‘I’m sorry. I was so angry. Selfish. I shouldn’t have—’

  ‘Son, I was the selfish one, and I shouldn’t have doubted you knew what you were doing with the business. I know it’s going to take more than an apology to put things right, but I’m going to try.’

  Max lifted his head and all he saw was sorrow and honesty. He wanted to smile, wanted to reassure, but fuck if he could move a muscle. His face was numb while his emotions tore him in two.

  ‘Max, talk to me. You look like your life’s just ended.’ There was no escaping the worry in his father’s eyes, and no holding in the truth.