Naturally, my first reaction is to rail at Max. Ask him what the hell he's doing here and why he didn't leave me a message letting me know?

But he's naked. And a naked Max is a joy to behold.

"I thought you were going to dinner with David and what's her name," I say, my throat suddenly dry.

He lets the towel drop and takes a step toward me. "Are you sorry I didn't?" His voice is husky, too.

Suddenly that craving I had a while ago for a little physical activity comes screaming back. I don't say anything at all. I kick the door shut behind me, prop a chair against it to hold it closed, and I'm on him.

Max responds just the way I hope he will. He doesn't waste time with words either. He tears at my clothes, pulling off my sweater, fumbling too long with the zipper on my jeans. I lose patience, push his hands away, and peel them off myself.

His words are breathless in my ear. "You're so cold."

"Then warm me."

He does, with his hands and mouth. Vampire physiology is a funny thing. Sexual arousal sends heat to the skin, and in a heartbeat, I'm burning. We're on the floor, legs intertwined, my breasts crushed against his chest. My senses spin, come alive, with the scent of his freshly showered skin. I can't wait. I writhe against him, mouth seeking his, hands guiding him inside. He's ready too. He mounts me and I welcome him in, reveling in the pleasure that I feel in every cell of my head, heart and body. Since becoming vampire, I've dreaded having sex with Max. Afraid the exquisite combination of blood and sex I had with Avery would make human sexual experience pale in comparison. Avery told me that it would.

Max and I find the tempo that binds our bodies together and sends us soaring higher and higher. When Max comes, and I feel his love flow into me like warm honey, the release shatters the night around us into a million glowing stars.

And I know.

Avery was a liar.