Fallen Down Under (Down Under #2) (9 page)

"I've never been more serious about anything in my whole entire life Jess. Fuck, I'll move back to London if that's what it takes."

"Don't be so stupid Max. There is no way that you're coming back to London, ever. Mal's finally settled here and I thought that's what you wanted."

"It was, it is. Shit, I just don't know any more Jess. All I know is that I need to be with you, wherever you are. I just can't bear the thought of you walking out of my life never to return again."

His hands are still cupping my face and I'm rendered speechless. For all of his beauty, he clearly has no fucking brains. I highly doubt he even knows what he's saying right now.

"You haven't known me long enough to drop everything Max. One day you will wake up and realise that it was the biggest mistake that you have ever made."

"No day with you could ever be a mistake angel, only the ones that I spend without you by my side."

Jess

I look over at the clock on my bedside table and it's just past midnight. No matter how hard I try I just can't settle. The anxiety that has been eating away at me since the afternoon has me on edge and I have no idea why. Admitting defeat I slowly put my feet down in the floor and pull myself out of bed. Coffee. Coffee solves everything so I make my way in that direction to the kitchen.  Judging by the clothes that are scattered here and there, I think it's safe to say that Heath is currently occupying Melissa's bedroom. The kinky bitch.

As much as I wanted to stay with Max last night and as much as he pleaded for me to do so I surprised myself by staying strong and just about resisted his charm. After his sudden declaration and proposition all I wanted to do was clear my head and there would be no chance of that if I had taken him up on his very tempting offer. I also didn't want to jump back into
us
again with my eyes closed. Instead I quite proudly told him "if you want this to work, we need baby steps. One day at a time and we'll see what happens." Needless to say, in true Max style, he didn't take it well at all. It took half an hour of me pleading with him to see my reasons behind it until he finally stopped spitting his dummy out. If Max is going to be with me then he needs to get used to hearing the word no. I know it's not going to be easy but I guess nothing really is. The bloody stubborn man. In a way I've done nothing but punish myself really because had I not have been so stubborn myself I know that right now I would be either having hot wild sex or deep in a slumber from said hot wild sex. As soon as I finish my coffee, I go back to my room and await the sleep that I need to overtake me.

There's no sign of Melissa as I finally come waltzing into the living area just after midday. There is also no living proof that Heath was here either. I'll give it to them both, they know how to clean up after themselves. Before I leave, one thing is for certain. If Melissa and Heath are as into each other as they make out then she's going to have to tell Max. It's not fair for them to keep this from him. Maybe if they're upfront with him he won't fly of the handle as much when they tell him. If Heath makes her happy then I really don't see the problem. We're all adults here.
Men
. I don't think we will ever really understand them but with that being said, do we really want to?

As soon as my coffee is freshly brewed I pull up at the island and pull out my phone hoping to see a message from Jen or George to relieve me from feeling so homesick. Swiping over the screen all I see are my apps. No missed calls, no emails, Nothing. She's probably a little occupied with Luke, still I decide to send her an email. Maybe she can read it when she's not attached to his man piece.

Hey bitch,

How are you? I'm missing you like crazy here and you can't even be bothered to call or send me a quick text. Paradise just kind of turned perfect. Me and Max are going to give it another go and see what happens. Baby steps, definitely baby steps this time. He explained what happened with that psycho wench, yes I know, I know, I actually allowed him to talk. I'm still shocked at my kindness too.

How are things with Luke? You've been a bit quiet lately so you're either constantly at it or something has happened that you're keeping from me. I swear to god it better not be the latter because you know I will hunt you down.

Well, call me when you can. Love you xx

"I love how you look when you have just woken up, but it should be my bed where I first see you." My head snaps up at that voice instantly. The voice that can cause feelings within me that no other can.

"You shouldn't be here. We've been through this already and I thought that you had agreed." I point at him, yet secretly pleased that he has turned up out of the blue. I just pray that he doesn't decide to have a strop again. I don't think I can cope with two in twenty-four hours.

"If I remember correctly, I agreed to whatever made you happy and right now I'd say your face looks pretty fucking happy."

"I'm happy..." I begin but I'm swiftly cut off as his mouth reaches mine, his stubble lightly grazing over my skin as he devours me whole and consumes me in every way. Mind, body and soul. He tastes of sun, coffee and Max which is a lethal combination and has me hungry for more, almost instantly. I pull back remembering my words from last night and I push half-heartedly against his chest, which in turn causes his hands to tighten within my hair a little bit harder.

"I've missed you angel."

"You need to stop doing this." I whisper as soon as I pull myself fully out of his grasp. A frown forms across his face as he tries to figure out my meaning. "Trying to overrule everything I say."

"But angel, that's what I do. You say one thing and you know that I'm going to do the complete opposite. It’s who I am."

Max

My eyes trail her every move as she steps around the kitchen. I'm not going anywhere without her no matter what she says so I have made myself comfortable on the barstool. I can Wait all day if I have too. She knows I'm not leaving until she is ready and she's taking her sweet arse time about it too. Who am I to complain with a view that fucking good? She really is something else and I fucking love the effect I have over her. Fuck if only she knew what kind of effect she had over me. I have to push myself down to ease the fucking throb that she's caused by prancing around in shorter than short pants and her nipples fully erect through her skin tight vest top. I feel like I'm about to combust just from fucking looking at her. It's no good, I'm left with no choice but to try and re-arrange myself as she teasingly walks past me. Reaching out I grab hold of her waist and draw her in so that I can feel her perfect warm flesh against me.

"Don't even try to persuade me Max." She laughs as I hold her tighter. I grab her hand and place it firmly on my crotch.

"You see how you fucking affect me woman? You drive me fucking crazy and if I wanted to persuade you angel, you'd never have a chance to get away."

"Jeez. Put the poor girl alone Max. I'm all for a bit of PDA but I don't need bodily fluids all over my kitchen guys." I instantly feel Jess try to pull away at Melissa's words but I keep a firm hold on her.

"Calm down Liss anyone would think you were a prude." The snort that comes from Jess at my words is so fucking cute. What the hell is this woman doing to me? I'm well and truly fucked.

"Okay, okay, let me go so I can get dressed. You happy now?" She asks as she turns to glare at me.

"Very." More than you will ever know Miss Townsend I think to myself. “Be sure to pack your bikini.” I shout after her.

"What's with the secrecy?"

"Hey?" I ask knowing full well what she means.

"Don't play dumb with me Wild, where are you taking me?" Her perfect button nose wrinkles from the brightness of the sun and she looks so god damn good. I need to convince her and myself that this is what we need and we can do this, as long as we are in this together.

"Patience angel. You'll soon see." I lean in and kiss her edible lips, lips that I could never tire of kissing and savouring. I can tell she's distressed, her posture is stiff and a scowl passes over her face. I've worked out that she hates the unknown, but with me that's something she's going to have to get used to and pretty fast. I don’t do things by the books. Never have and never will.

We walk for another fifteen minutes or so down the beach until we finally reach our destination. I cannot wait to see her face when she finds out what we'll be doing. You can't possibly come to the gold coast without experiencing this.

"Here we are Miss." I say as we pull up to an information desk.

"I'm completely lost here Max. What's going on?"

"Have you ever been scuba diving Jess?"

"Oh god no. Max I can't do this, please, please don't make me do this." She pleads. A look of pure terror on her face as a wicked one graces mine.

Jess

"I mean it Max. There is no bloody way I'm going in there." He thinks I'm joking but this really isn't going to happen. Ever. I can't think of anything worse than swimming deep under water with only a tank to keep you breathing. I panic at the best of times but this? "What if I forget to breathe? What if my tank doesn't work? Shit are you trying to kill me off?" He bursts out laughing at my panic and I can feel myself getting more and more worked up as time passes.

"Angel, don't be silly. Do you really think I would let anything happen to you? I thought it would be romantic." He says as he gently runs his fingers through my hair, trying his best to calm me down.

Instantly my heart sinks as I realise he has put quite a lot of thought into this little adventure for us. Even calling it romantic is quite a big step for Max. Maybe I should at least try. "Would you mind if I snorkelled? I'll happily give that a go."

"You can do whatever you like. This trip is for both of us to try and relax and enjoy each other's company without any added pressure." He leans in as he runs his thumb along my jaw while looking directly into my eyes

"Oh I like the sound of that, that sounds like fun. So what do we need to do now?"

"Well you won't be needing any beginners training for snorkelling so we can head straight to the yacht if you like, unless you want to do something else?" His face is so passive. What the hell, it's not like every day I get the choice to board a yacht. To be honest, I don't think I've even been on a boat since I was five and that was a family trip to Ireland. I can't keep the smile from my face as he leads the way.

"You look happy. I love it when you look happy."

"Yeah, I am. It must be all this vitamin d that I've soaked up into my body. That’s about as exciting as this trip is." I'm rewarded with a swat to the arse for my cheek before he takes my hand and leads the way.

As soon as we reach the yacht I can't help but let out a massive "WOW." I've only ever seen a boat like this on MTV cribs. This stuff just doesn't exist in my normal day to day life. "Jeez Max, it’s a beast. Is everyone else on board already or do we need to wait?"

"The only people that will be on this yacht will be us two. No way will I be sharing you with anyone. Not today, not any day."

A shiver of excitement runs through my body at his words. I hope that I never ever get my fill of this man. "I can't imagine what it must feel like to own a yacht. How do people possibly find the time to use it?"

"You want it angel then it's yours. Anything that is mine is always yours to do as you please." My hands find themselves in his hair as I stand up on my tiptoes to thank him with a kiss. Oh how I want so much more, but for now a kiss will have to do.

It's surreal to know that Max has his very own yacht. What doesn't this man own? I guess I could say me but I don't think that counts as a prized possession. The weather is perfect for our little trip. Nice and sunny with a subtle breeze and I'm glad I decided on cut off shorts and a vest top.

"Here you go." I look up to see Max standing over me with two pairs of snorkels in his hands. "I hope these are sufficient enough for you Miss Townsend?"

"Yes sir." I laugh and take in his body. He stands before me in just a pair of loose fitting swim shorts that fall just below the knees and expose his happy trail and that v shape that I struggle to resist so much.

"You ready to go in?" He asks, but I think I could sit here and admire his beauty all day and never get bored.

"What, now? I don't have any other clothes to change into."

“Did you not hear me call after you to pack a bikini?”

“Erm, no sorry.” I was beaming with excitement to even contemplate anything else going on around me at his unexpected arrival this morning.

"Who said you need clothes to jump in anyway? It's just you and me out here angel."

"Ha, nice try Mr. I'm not going further than my underwear or I'm staying here."

"Deal. But I can't promise that you'll come back out wearing anything." The wicked glint in his eyes gears me up for that challenge and before I can change my mind I quickly get up and jump overboard.

The water is bloody freezing and I my skin feels like it's being attacked by a thousand needles as soon the impact hits my body. I feel something grab my hip and I scream out in a panic. Fuck what if it's a shark? Oh god, I’m going to die.

"It's me." The sound of Max's voice calms me a little but I'm still a little shaken.

"You little fucker. Don't ever do that again. I thought it was a shark about to eat me alive.”

"You're the crazy loon who decided to fucking jump in without warning." He laughs. If we weren't in cold water and I didn't feel like I had to hold onto him I'd wipe that cocky smirk off his bloody face, but I think he’s fully aware that I need him right now. Before I know what's happening I'm being taken back to the yacht as I hold onto him as tight as I can. As soon as we reach our destination I'm pinned up against the ladders as Max takes full control over my body. It pointless fighting it, I've been holding back for too long and it's too exhausting so now, I finally allow my body to react and submit to his touch. I've never been intimate with anyone in the ocean before so this is definitely a first for me.

"I've missed feeling you against me Jess. So fucking much." A soft moan escapes my lips as I feel him press against me just where I need him to be. I try to pull him in closer to me but as soon as I do he pulls back and looks at me with a knowing smirk on his face.

"I'd love nothing more than to take you right here, right now but I promised you a romantic snorkelling trip and I’d hate to break my promise to you." The bastard. He knows exactly what he's doing, working me up into a frenzy to then leave me hanging on.

"Max you can't do this to me. That's just cruel."

"Good things come to those who wait angel." I wait for the punch line that doesn't come. Shit he's actually being serious. Well two can play that game, I think to myself as I reluctantly take the mask and snorkel from him.
Good things definitely do come to those who wait and Max wild is going to find he will be waiting for longer than he thought possible.
Who am I kidding, I’d be a fool to think that I could resist him.

I must admit that I actually enjoyed snorkelling with Max. He stayed by my side throughout it all and even though he must have seen all of this in its beautiful glory a million times before he took an interest and joined in my excitement every time I found something wonderful and new and I’ll always be grateful to him for that.

"Are you hungry?" Max walks over to me in just a towel as I stand drying myself off. Why does he have to look so goddamn hot all of the time? How is a girl supposed to think around here with such a beautiful distraction?

"A little bit. I'm sure I can wait until we arrive back though."

"Throw this on and follow me." His demand is plain and simple followed by a look that dares me to argue with him. After the effort that he's put into all of this today, who am I to argue? Now that he's mentioned food my stomach grumbles in agreement that it would like to be fed. I look at the garment that Max has just thrown to me and I'm surprised to see it’s a basketball shirt. I'm thankful for the size as it's long enough to cover my secret parts and look like a dress. I leave my hair down, still slightly damp and follow Max out of the room. As soon as I arrive back on the deck I see that a picnic has been placed before us. Max waits for me, now he has replaced his towel with some more shorts. He looks fresh from a cover shoot and I have to pinch myself that I'm actually here with him.

"Do you use this often?" I ask, signalling my surroundings. If I had a yacht, Jen would be inviting the whole of England to come and party on it weekly if not every other night. She's going to freak when I fill her in on this little tidbit of information.

"Not as often as I used to, or as often as I would like. Why'd you ask?"

"I just wondered since you have clothes and toiletries on board."

"Everywhere I go Jess, I always have a spare toothbrush and a change of clothes." He says vaguely as he digs around in the basket for our feast.

"Oh." Is all I say and my mind whips back to when he pulled out a night bag from his car when he stayed over at mine. Obviously this must have been his little love boat and old habits die hard I guess. I try not to let it bother me. I have no right to be bothered about anyone before me as I didn't even know him back then, but it still niggles away at me.

"What's wrong Jess?" He must sense the change in my mood. I can't tell him that I'm suddenly overcome with jealousy at the thought of him with other women and that I'm pissed off that he would bring me to somewhere he uses for casual stuff.

I try my best to smile at him but he sees straight through it. "Nothing, I'm fine."

"Jess, one thing that's gonna piss me off real quick is if you start lying to me. If you want to say something then say it. I can't fucking read your mind."

"Did you used to bring other women here?"

"What? Where's that suddenly come from?"

"I don't know." I whisper suddenly feeling like a scolded child. "I just thought I would ask. I’m curious I guess."

"I would never bring you to a place that I have shared with another woman Jess. You mean far too much to me to do that to you."

"What about the clothes? The toiletries."

"I told you. I always carry spares." He looks at me as if I have suddenly grown two heads, completely unaware of what I am getting at.

"But why? Why would you carry 'spares' all the time? Do you just go out and if it happens it happens?" I can't help myself now. My backs up and there's no bringing it back down until I get an answer, no matter what it may be.

"You think I carry spares in case I get off with someone? Shit Jess no. That's not what it is at all. I've always carried spare clothes on me since me and Liss were young. We never knew where we would end up from one day to the next. We moved around... A lot. Sometimes we had nowhere to go and that's when the supplies came in handy. I've never took a single day for granted since and I guess it's my comforter to know that I have it if ever I should need it again then I have the essentials to get me through."

Wow. Well now I feel like a complete heartless bitch that jumps to conclusions that couldn't be any further from the truth. I knew something must have happened to him when he was younger, I just didn't know that it was bad enough to leave such deep scars. "Max I'm sorry I shouldn't have pried into your personal business...”

"Don't apologise for something you don't know about Jess. I'm good it's just habit that’s all and like they say, old habbits die hard. Now if you've finished with your questions for at least half an hour maybe we could eat?"

"Perfect, sounds like a plan to me." I crawl over to him to prevent any void from taking place after that little discussion. Today has been perfect so far and I’d hate to cause any issues that don’t need to be there.

The sun is still out and it’s a nice temperature with a subtle breeze, where I lie sunbathing. All that swimming has completely worn me out. As soon as Max begins to rub oil into my shoulder I feel that relaxed that I could quite easily take a nap. Max slowly and gently kneads the muscles in my back and then slowly brings them around down the side of my breast in delicate circular motions. Almost instantly I can feel a dull ache begin to build up in my core. Unable to take the pressure, I push back against the palm of his other hand that is busy kneading my arse and try and ease the ache.  I roll over onto my back so Max gets better access to my front and where I really need him to be.”

“If you stayed we could spend most days like this together. Just you and me, secluded where no one else could interrupt us.”

“I like the sound of that.” I’m unable to concentrate as Max expertly explores beneath my bikini bottoms, teasing and rubbing me in a perfect rhythm. My hips begin to move as he picks up the pace and just as I can feel my release getting closer and closer, his warm mouth closes around me as he stokes me on the inside and teases me with his mouth and tongue on the outside. My legs stiffen around him as I feel the assault of ecstasy take over my body and I begin to pant his name while gripping tightly onto his hair. Shitting hell this man is utterly perfect in every possible way.

When he finally comes back up and looks at me, he slowly leans down against me and I curl into him, holding onto him as tight as I can and silently thank him for such a perfect day.