Max's house was turning out to be quite an engineering feat.

Not only was most of it perched on a cliff with its foundation apparently drilled deep into the rocks, its integration into the natural landscape shielded it from the world. The top floor was all living space. The floor below it was a recreational area with a home fitness center, a billiards room, a home theatre and the vast infinity pool that looked out to the ocean. There was a recessed level above the main floor that Max called the 'attic' which I could really only see from the edge of the deck, looking back into the house. Many of the tech, climate and security controls were based there. And the best part of it all was that whether you go down a steel and stone staircase or the elevator, you could access the private beach and the modern cabin that was literally steps away from the shore. It was an all-glass facade just like the main house but with more casual furnishings inside. There was an outdoor shower area, an assembly of surfboards and paddle boards lined up next to it and a small enclosed storage space where Max said he kept his jet skis. He had a small yacht anchored just off the edge of the narrow wooden dock. Just off the front porch was a cozy gathering area with several adirondack chairs circling a large fire pit. Other than some marker lights, there were a few torch holders scattered around the property as well.

It felt like your own secret beach paradise and I could only imagine how magical it would be in the evening under a blanket of stars and the silver moon.

I shook off the regret that I might never find out as I only had an afternoon with Max.

I was determined to enjoy what little I could have with him and that meant having the balls to go into the water with him.

"We'll go slow. Just teaching you the basics today," Max told me as he started rubbing sunscreen all over my face. I'd started feeling more like a normal human being again after he'd given me a brand new toothbrush and let me take a shower shortly after the items he'd ordered for me were delivered by someone from his security team.

"We'll get you on the board on the sand first just to show you the concept and when you feel more comfortable, we'll get you on the water and you can just paddle for a bit," he added.

I was tempted to point out that since we weren't doing this again, there would be no use learning the basics. Because no one was dragging me to the beach on a surfboard other than Max. But he seemed so pleased with himself that I didn't have the heart to do it.

"Can you tie my board to the dock? Can I wear a life vest?" I asked as I fussed with my new wetsuit. I wasn't used to having something fit me like second skin that I might as well have been naked. I had a slender build and my usual problem wasn't squeezing into something. It was more like having enough to show in a tight fit. Due to the summer temperatures, Max didn't get me a full wetsuit. It was sleeveless and the bottom part followed a boy-leg cut which was flattering for my conservative figure. It was mostly black except for the bright coral panels on each side that he teasingly said would help him spot me better in case I drifted out to sea. I did NOT appreciate that comment.

"No and no," he said with a laugh, before cupping my ears to put some sunscreen on them too. I never imagined ears to be erogenous but they sure felt sensitive under the gentle ministrations of his fingers. "Be a little brave, baby. I've got you."

And Max didn't let me go just as he'd promised.

After the dry run on the sand, things started to make sense in my head. I grew a little more confident after we repeated the positioning, the coordination of moves to swim out, pop up and get up on my feet. He wasn't ruthless but he kept on me with surprising discipline.

Even as I screamed at him and cursed his name after flipping on my board and falling into the water countless times that afternoon, he didn't give up on me. He laughed, gently encouraged me and got me back up on the board before I had time to say 'I quit' through a mouthful of sea water.

Little by little, it started to become fun.

Especially after I managed to stay standing on the board for about thirty seconds and Max snatched me up over to his board which he'd been sitting on so he could plant a big, hard kiss on my mouth.

When he finally let me float on my board to rest near the shore, I watched, amazed, when he went to ride wave after wave for what seemed like forever.

It was like he commanded the surf, compelling the water to curl and thrash for him as he wove his way through it, his powerful build confident and competent, his footing never unsure.

And despite the slight blur of distant objects to me, I couldn't miss the expression on his face when he rode the final wave over to me—it was sheer happiness. Not the slightly bored, resigned kind I'd see on his face those nights he would be out at the bars and clubs.

No.

At this moment, he looked young and free and perfectly happy.

"You're the sexiest thing I've seen on a surfboard," I blurted out.

He laughed and hopped off his board, wading over to me and placing his hands on my waist. "I could say the same thing about you."

He pulled me off my board until I dropped into the water and pressed up against him.

My hands glided up the hard, sculpted planes of his muscular chest, hidden as they were by his wetsuit. I eventually wound them around his neck, the water boosting me up so I could climb up and wrap my legs around his waist. Max locked his arms around me, smiling as he let me undo the elastic that held his hair together at the nape of his neck. I slipped the elastic over my own wrist, my fingers raking through his wet tangled hair as I pulled his head down toward mine.

"You're wreaking havoc on me, do you know that?" he growled low before he took my mouth with a punishing force that stole my breath away like a strong tide did earlier. His fingers wrapped around my ponytail and with jerky grace, pulled at it just hard enough to angle my face so he could deepen the kiss. He tasted of sea salt and the tangy beer we'd sipped before heading into the water.

He curled his tongue around mine, his hands moving up to cup my breast, his thumbs strumming the stiff peaks that were pressing hard against my suit.

"Max." His name escaped me on a gasp as I leaned back with eyes closed, my body throbbing with need as he shaped and molded it with his hands.

"Aiko," he said my name against my throat where he softly sucked on a spot, his hands sliding down to squeeze my butt and press me closer against the thick hard ridge inside his wetsuit.

"I have no right to want you but I do," he rasped before returning to greedily plunder my mouth again. "I want you so damn much."

I opened my eyes to look straight into his. Despite the glaring halo of the sun bouncing off his golden hair, I could see the dark storm brewing in his gaze. "You can have me if you just stop fighting it."

"I don't want to hurt you."

I had some remaining presence of mind to acknowledge that that line was often used by people who proceeded to do exactly that but I couldn't turn around and run anyway. No, I wanted to be right here, just like this, with Max.

"I'm already hurting, Max," I said, my hand cupping the side of his face, feeling the rough texture of the day-old stubble along his jaw. "Make it stop. Make it more. Just... do something about it. Please."

"I will. I will," he murmured against me. "God help us but I will."

With me still straddled around his hips and clinging on to his neck, he waded toward the shore, his hands tugging both our boards along until they anchored into the wet sand.

He dropped me back on my feet by the outdoor shower and turned the water on.

"Turn around."

I did and stood still while he worked my zipper down and without even a thought as to who might possibly see us, I stripped down and tugged my bikini off until I was completely naked.

Max sucked in a harsh breath as I slowly turned back to face him.

He'd peeled his own suit halfway down, offering me a glimpse of his broad, sun-bronzed chest. I somehow found some courage even in my nakedness to smile at him. "Don't change your mind now."

"I'm not. I won't," he said as he reached out to touch his fingertips down the valley between my breasts. "We'll be worse off afterwards but I can't... I can't walk away now. It's not possible."

As if hypnotized, Max stripped down until he, too, was completely naked.

And he was a splendid sight.

Ripped muscles, a broad, powerful frame, tanned skin everywhere with a light sprinkling of pale golden hair. And it would seem that his shaft was perfectly proportionate to his size because it was... big. Lots of length, lots of girth, lots of everything.

"Don't change your mind now," Max teased, seeing what must be a stupefied expression on my face.

I narrowed my eyes at him. "You'd hesitate too if you're the one about to be split in half."

Max laughed out loud before yanking me close and lathering our hair up with some shampoo, rinsing the rest of us under the shower pressure. We were butt-naked and sudsy under the streaming water but none of it seemed silly to us.

It was all very serious. Life-altering kind of serious.

"Are you absolutely sure about this, Aiko?" he asked as he gathered my hair to one side, brushing the wet locks away from my eyes.

"Yes," I said simply, leaning close to press my lips on his chest just beside where his heart pounded. "I want to do this with you, Max."

With a low groan, Max wrenched the shower shut and swept me up into his arms. We dripped all over the floor of the cabin until he was able to grab a giant fluffy white towel and wrap it around both of us. Well, the towel was wrapped around Max and he was wrapped around me.

The moment he dropped the towel to the floor, his mouth swooped in to claim mine at the same time his hands seized me by the waist and carried me over to a large day bed that was only sectioned off for privacy by sheer white floor-to-ceiling curtains.

Max lowered me onto soft white sheets before hovering over me like a golden god intrigued by a mere mortal. I somehow expected him to pounce on me, lion that he was, but he held his distance. I didn't feel abandoned in that moment though because the way Max was looking at me, with heated fascination in his eyes, told me that he was taking in every detail, savoring every new discovery as if this was as new to him as it was to me.

"You can touch too, you know," I teased, my laugh sounding a little nervous.

Max smiled, his hand coasting down the slope of my shoulder to settle over my breast. "Oh, I will. I'll touch you."

He eased down to brush his lips against my collarbone, his hand squeezing the soft round weight in its grasp. "I'll map out your body until I find every spot that drives you wild."

I gasped when his lips anchored on the hardened tip of my breast, his tongue circling around it while his other hand went to pluck the other with his fingers.

"I'll trace my way to each one with my tongue," he murmured before blowing softly against my wet skin where he'd sucked, sending jolts of pleasure straight down between my legs.

"I'll use my mouth." He drew the other nipple between his lips, his teeth lightly grazing my sensitized skin. "I'll use my hands."

As his tongue licked and lavished at my breasts, his hands slid down my waist and around the slight curve of my hips before dipping between my legs.

My eyes rolled back shut as I bit my bottom lip hard at the sensation of his slightly rough skin tracing the seam of my entrance. I was aching and wet down there and my body arched up of its own accord, seeking more contact, more depth to his touch.

"I'm going to take you here, Aiko," Max murmured hoarsely as he slipped one finger deep into the slick folds, stroking up a rhythm until a second one followed to stretch me slightly.

"You'll take me here..." he said, the motion of his hand picking up speed, his fingers plunging deeper into me as his thumb started to press down on the taut nerve bundle just above where penetrated me. My body clenched from the inside out, trembling with so much need and a building pressure that my legs were starting to thrash sideways.

But Max didn't let up. He bore down on me, his strokes and strikes where I felt the most raw and greedy shoving me right to the edge of something I'd never felt before.

"And I'll take you over and over again," he gritted out just as my entire body ignited in a flash of heat and light. "And God knows who's taken everything when this is all over."

I felt ejected from my own body, hurtling through a climax so acute I cried out his name like it could save me.

But there was no saving me.

I was changed.

My eyes fluttered open just long enough to catch Max's tempestuous gaze as he surged up to kiss me hard.

Snagging me by the waist, he twisted us around until he was beneath me, his hard, hungry shaft a mere inch or two away from where I wanted him to fill me in truth.

He stretched an arm down to grab the jeans he'd discarded on the floor earlier after we changed into our suits and whipped out his wallet.

"Put it on me," he said as he handed me a foil pack. After I took it, he folded his arms behind his head and took a deep, shaky breath. "Take your time. Learn what you need to learn until you get comfortable."

I started to carefully rip the condom pack open before pausing to glance at him. "But you're better at this than—"

"I can't touch you right now," he interjected with a firm shake of his head. "If I do, I'll lose what little control I have. And I need that control if I'm to make your first time the best it can be under the circumstances."

I watched the magnificently naked man underneath me who was perfectly capable of physically taking what I was already offering but visibly wrestling with himself for control over his primitive instincts to claim and conquer.

Max knew how to care. He'd just made deliberate choices not to.

And why is the question I'll have to ponder on later.

"Fine," I said on a sharp exhalation before holding the condom pack in front of me. Without my glasses, the world was a little blurry, especially tiny fine print. "Are there instructions here?"

"One and only step—put the damn thing on," Max said in a voice thick with frustration.

My eyes widened as I made out the words on the fine print. "It's an extra-large! Max, what the hell are you pile-driving into me?"

Max groaned and snatched the packet from me. "There won't be anything if you don't get to it right away and I explode before I get inside you."

He unceremoniously pulled the transparent rubber out of the pack and tried to jam it on top of his shaft with near frantic hands.

"Here, let me do it before you rip the thing into pieces. I don't want to miss out," I said as I pushed his hands away from the base. Carefully, I pinched the lubricated rubber between my fingers and gave it a quick stretch to position it over the crown.

Yeah.

An extra-large was going to be snug on Max and I was more excited than terrified.

There's a certain allure to absolute ruin.

As quickly and deftly as I could, I pulled the condom over his impressive erection, letting my hand linger at the base before letting it stroke up and down the length.

Max groaned and closed his eyes. "Aiko..."

I looked up, struck by the sheer surrender on his face. "Yes?"

His eyes lifted half-open, imploring me with startling intensity. "I need you."

For someone who'd never been needed this way, the feeling of ultimate power was heady.

Intoxicating.

And incredibly addictive.

I rose to a squat and positioned myself upright over his shaft, the crown kissing me right where I was pulsing with need.

I was too short to lean down and kiss him from this angle so for reassurances, I clutched his narrow hips and slowly eased myself down.

Gasping at the sudden pressure, I paused, squeezing my eyes closed as I tried to sink down over the crown without rending myself in two.

"I c-can't..." I muttered unintelligibly as my fingers dug into Max's hips in frustration. "It's too much."

"Relax, baby," he murmured softly, reaching out to rub up and down the side of my legs. "Take a deep breath and try again."

I did and stopped at the sharp pinch. Tears stung my eyes, mortified as I was more than anything.

How did people do this the first time?

It was awkward and painful as hell.

"Maybe it won't work," I rambled, feeling even more disheartened as I took in the tender patience on Max's face even though his shaft was straining so hard against my entrance. "Maybe we have to—"

He lifted himself up to a sitting position without moving away from where I needed him to be and gathered me in his arms.

"It's okay, love," he said, pressing butterfly kisses along my collarbone. "It's okay."

I rested my forehead against his, sighing deeply. "No, it's not."

He rubbed my back with one hand and lifted my face with the other. "Do you still want to do this?"

"Yes," I insisted. "But I don't know... I can't stop thinking about how this can't possibly fit without hurting like hell."

Max smiled gently. "It won't be painless but it can fit. It's harder when you're thinking about it too much."

I scowled. "Well, what am I supposed to be thinking about when I'm trying to shove you inside me?"

"Nothing," he said before kissing me. "You should be thinking of nothing at all."

He kissed me deeply, his one hand tracing all the curves and hollows on the small of my back while the other dipped between us to press down and rub on my clit with his roughened thumb.

My limbs started to melt at the combination of the reckless lust he was rousing and the possessive sensuality of his kiss. I jammed my hands through his hair, seeking more of him to take.

And then I felt it.

A slow, steady pressure was pushing up against me but Max's kiss wouldn't let me move my head away to see what was happening. His thumb wouldn't let up either until I started to shake from the coming onslaught of sensations.

"Do you trust me?" he asked in the space of a breath.

My eyes squeezed shut. "Yes."

He kissed me hard again, his strokes increasing in speed, his shaft pressing on.

I cried against Max's mouth just as another climax started to blaze through my body. He held me tight and the moment my body yielded to the pull, he clamped on my hips to yank me down just as he arched up to thrust more than halfway into me, swiftly ripping through my virginity.

I gasped at the hard sting but I held myself still, breathing through my mouth and death-gripping Max's shoulders.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry," he murmured against my hair, both of his hands rubbing my back in soothing circles. "I figured it would be easier if—"

"I know," I said, kissing the bridge of his nose lightly. "I think I'm going to be fine. Just give me a minute."

"I'm as hard as a rock even just halfway inside of you," he said with some amusement. "I'm not going anywhere so take your time."

I smiled at him and slowly slid my arms around his neck again, leaning close so that my breasts pressed up against his hard chest. My fingers raked through his disheveled hair, my hips shifting slightly around our tight fit until the angle felt more comfortable.

"I didn't think you'd be so patient," I said, pressing a kiss on the corner of his mouth.

"I'm usually not." He gave me a wry smile. "But I want it to be good for you. I hope it can still be good for you."

"Getting there," I said, tilting my hips down and finding only a dull ache. Yes, I felt unbelievably full but not nearly as miserable as I was a few minutes ago.

After a stretch of time, I slowly started to rise just a little so I could sink back down another inch or two. Max kept still, letting me temper the pressure and set the pace. After several more minutes, I started to slide up and down his length more easily, my speed gradually picking up.

"How are you doing?" he asked with an obvious effort to not move even when I started to bounce up and down his lap.

"Better," I said, leaning to brush my lips against his as I smiled. "Move with me, Max."

He was slow and careful at first, his hands lightly clutching my hips just to keep me lined up. Then he started flexing his hips, thrusting up to fill me more and more.

"Oh, God," he groaned when I finally slid over the last inch left of him. He wrapped his arms around me and just held me still for a moment. He softly bit into my shoulder. "I'm so deep in you, Aiko. I'm so fucking deep."

He was.

Deep into my body.

Deep under my skin.

Deep into a strange, new place inside of me.

I leaned in to take his mouth and the act seemed to break the chains on Max because he kissed me wildly just as he flipped us over without breaking contact in both places where we were joined.

With some fraying control, he pistoned in out of me, keeping his strokes deep and hard without fully withdrawing. It was actually better this way because shallow thrusts would focus the friction by my entrance where I still felt a bit raw. This way, there also wasn't a moment I didn't feel so full of him.

It took no time at all for both of us to spiral into a dizzying frenzy—breaths erratic and harsh, hearts trying to pound their way out of our chests—as we took and gave with our bodies.

"Max!" My body seized up with a mindless kind of pleasure as Max slammed into me one last time, his body rippling as he groaned out his climax with deep, shuddering breaths.

We were silent beyond our ragged panting, unmoving except for the slight tremors still running through our bodies.

I was sore and tired and filthy with sweat but I broke into a grin.

And then I laughed a little, exhilarated and liberated at the same time.

Sex is fucking glorious.

Max tipped his head up and shoved back his hair, his blue-gray eyes clear and somewhat amused. "I'm glad you're laughing. I hope it's because you actually enjoyed it and not because I've driven you mad."

I smiled and reached up to touch his cheek. "It was incredible. Thank you."

Max turned to kiss the center of my palm. "You're welcome."

He eased back to his heels on the bed, very carefully pulling out of me. Even after his release, he was still quite thick and I winced as he touched past the parts that were sore.

"I think a warm bath will help," he said as his hand covered his shaft to pull off the condom. "I'll start filling the tub then I'll be back to clean you up."

He padded into the bathroom and I heard the water running. I pulled myself up over the pile of pillows and glanced down at the mess between my legs.

He hadn't spilled inside me but it was still a little messy. There was a tinge of pink in the wet smudges on the inside of my thighs.

Sex in reality wasn't fluffy or glamorous as romantic fiction would have you believe. The raw, almost animalistic nature of the act was a siren call to our baser instincts, after all. So yes, it could be wild and primitive.

And with the right person, it could be more.

Max surprised me.

No. It wasn't that he was mind-blowingly good at sex. We all knew that. I, for one, was grateful for the first-hand experience.

It was how considerate and reassuring and tender he'd been with a rambling, over-analytical virgin like me that had caught me off guard.

"Let's take care of you," Max said as he emerged from the bathroom with a damp cloth. "This is hopefully the first and last time it'd hurt."

He sat on the bed and gently nudged my legs apart.

All of a sudden, I felt shy and tucked them tighter against each other.

He gave me a look before dropping a kiss on my knee. "Come on, love. It's just me."

Yes.

Just Max.

I relented and eased my legs apart, sitting still and silent as he carefully wiped the warm towel between my thighs. Such large, masculine hands doing such gentle ministrations.

"The bath should be almost full," he said as he got up to his feet and rounded to my side of the bed. I offered no protest when he scooped me up and carried me to the bathroom where a large soaking tub was happily gurgling with more water.

"It's a heated tub so you can soak in for as long as you want to and the water will stay warm," he said as he carefully lowered me into the water. There was no soap in it so nothing stung my privates and the warm temperature instantly relaxed my muscles.

I sighed and happily leaned back.

Smiling at him, I extended my hand. "Care to join me?"

"As the lady wishes," he teased before pressing a kiss on the back of my hand. He clambered into the bath, splashing water around including on my face that I couldn't help but laugh.

He turned off the tap before dragging me over to his side, settling me between his legs and against his chest.

"You feeling okay?" he asked, kissing the curve of my neck softly.

I nodded and yawned at my sudden exhaustion. "The best I can remember."

My eyes fluttered close, drifting deeper into the most delicious lull.

"Thank you," Max murmured against my hair.

"For what?" I sleepily mumbled, inhaling the steam of the water and the smell of the man holding me close.

"For letting me be your first," he said, brushing a kiss on my temple.

I smiled, too far gone to remember that I shouldn't be wishing for him to also be my last.

***

So, what do you guys think?

I know this is chapter is pretty much just a sex scene but I feel like between the lines, it's more. Max is showing a different side than anyone would probably expect of him. He doesn't just take what he wants. It's more for her than it is for him, no matter how badly in need he was. I also like that Aiko is just no-filter when it comes to this semi-momentous event in her life. Yes, she's a bit of a nervous virgin here (cue the eyeroll from anyone who isn't a big fan of my virgin leads, LOL) but I wouldn't say she was shy. She wanted it, she went for it. And yes, some of us are over-analytical in real-life and had the same dilemma in her head in this exact situation. Sorry.. was that TMI? Haha! 

Anyways, hope you enjoyed this chapter. It's early because I'm off to church quite early tomorrow and I just don't know how I feel about going straight to mass after posting this kind of chapter. So yeah.

XOXO,

Ninya

P.S. I'm so obsessed with this song. I love Jon McLaughlin. He's so underrated. And this song is kinda perfect for them. This is a big step for them and I think it signifies more than they realize at the moment. Duh.

♪♪♪ Chapter Soundtrack: I Want You Anyway by Jon McLaughlin ♪♪♪

I gave up a long time ago
Trying to find love
TV told me it was like the movies
But it never was

I couldn't beat it or join it
So I just avoided it
Come what may
Then you came

And I wanna hold you in my arms
I wanna let you break my heart
I wanna feel the way it feels to make you stay

And I know you'll bring me to my knees
I know you're way out of my league
I know I can't afford the price I'm gonna pay
But I want you anyway

It's so self-betrayal of me
I'm about to say all the things
Swore I'd never say
But my heart's in my mind
Drawing lines I can't erase

And all of a sudden
All that wasn't
So beautifully is
When we kiss

And I wanna hold you in my arms
I wanna let you break my heart
I wanna feel the way it feels to make you stay

And I know you'll bring me to my knees
I know you're way out of my league
I know I can't afford the price I'm gonna pay
But I want you anyway