*Somewhat R18*
*Note, green-eyed monster refers to jealousy*
"That's it?," Lucy wondered out loud, giving Max a side-eye look.
"What can I say? I'm a simple man. Give me a beach and a beautiful woman to share it with and I'm happy," he smiled.
Lucy smiled shyly, "You big sap!"
Max entwined their fingers and after a low chuckle, said, "You bring it out of me despite my best efforts."
She nudged him with her upper arm and then leaned against him with her head on his shoulder. He moved his arm so that Lucy could get comfortable as he held her, and they stayed that way for the rest of the trip.
They only spent one day in Athens before flying to Rome, Italy. Once there, the first thing Lucy did was contact her friend, Rajat. Max wasn't sure how to feel seeing her texting him. He just knew he felt uncomfortable given that they had only recently confirmed their feelings for each other as a couple.
Rajat replied immediately and they set up a time to meet for lunch the next day. Max and Lucy had planned to stay in Rome for three days and explore as much as they could before leaving for Florence. They would then visit there for two days before moving on to one of the smaller towns, although they hadn't decided yet which one.
Seeing Rajat's text come in and the exchange going so quickly, Max remarked, "That was fast."
Lucy replied, "Hmm? Oh, yah. I've been keeping Rajat updated on our plans so he knew we'd be arriving today."
"Oh," was all Max said in response, which made Lucy wonder what he was thinking but she was too tired to ask.
After resting for a little while at the hotel, the first day in Rome was spent touring the National Archaeological Museum and visiting St. Peter's Basilica. Lucy had Max take a picture of her touching St. Peter's toe, because she had read in her guidebook that that was something everyone who visited the cathedral did and so, of course, she had to do it too. Max just shook his head in amusement as he took the picture.
After dinner, they went to the Trevi Fountain and threw coins in it. Lucy liked that throwing a coin into the fountain meant that they would one day visit the country again. The evening ended at the Spanish Steps where locals and tourists were gathered. There was a man playing guitar and everyone was singing along to Green Hot Chili Peppers' slower songs, one of Max's favorites.
Lucy didn't want the evening to end and smiled the whole walk back to their hotel. Holding hands, she turned to look at Max and asked, "I didn't know you liked Green Hot Chili Peppers. Do you generally like that type of music? I know we talked about music before but I don't remember, sorry."
"Uh-hmm," Max nodded. "I like hard rock best, but I've been known to like other genres too."
Lucy smiled, "I like some hard rock, but I gravitate more toward pop music."
"I know," Max chuckled.
They spent the rest of the walk talking about their favorite songs and singers. When they arrived at the hotel, Lucy got a text message from Rajat asking to change their plans. He couldn't meet up the next day, but he could do the one following. Lucy asked Max if they could switch their plans around and Max nodded before heading into the bathroom to shower and change for the evening.
When Lucy came out of the bathroom, she was only wearing a towel around her as she had accidentally left her pajamas on the nightstand. She found Max sitting on the bed with his head hanging down as he stared at his clasped hands.
"You okay?," she asked as she stepped forward.
Max looked up at her and she saw a hunger in his eyes that she had not seen yet. He quickly shortened the distance between them with a few big strides and wrapped his arms around her. One hand was behind her head as he devoured her mouth, while the other grabbed onto her lower back.
Lucy was taken by surprise but leaned into him, feeling his passion seep into her, almost as if by osmosis.
He removed the belt on his robe and quickly shrugged the whole thing off. As his robe fell to the floor, Max pulled off Lucy's towel and flung it down. He grabbed her and lifted her up so that she was straddling him.
"Whoa!," she exclaimed. "Slow down. We have all night if we want."
In between kisses, he growled, "I can't wait. I want you now." They both fell on the bed with Max on top of her.
Lucy wasn't sure what was happening as Max seemed to be a different person. This was not how they usually made love. He seemed almost desperate to hold her and kiss her. The way he was clinging onto her felt as if he was afraid, she would disappear.
The last coherent thought she had before she was lost to the pleasure his hands and lips were giving her was, "I don't really mind this though."
Max didn't consciously know he was acting out of jealousy, but it was clear by his actions that he was. Their previous love making had included nibbling and little nips here and there that occasionally left light marks, but what he did that night went far beyond that. By the time they were done, hours later, Lucy's body was covered in hickeys and bite marks.
The next morning, Lucy woke up sore. Max was still asleep when she headed for the bathroom. This was also the first time they had both slept naked next to each other, so Lucy was shocked when she saw herself in the mirror. She turned this way and that, trying to get a better look at all the marks on her. "It's as if I was attacked by a monster," she thought. Then she remembered how she got the marks, and her face became flushed. She slapped her cheeks with her hands and said, "Snap out of it!" to herself.
"I wonder what possessed him?," she thought as she put on her shower cap so she could take a quick shower.
Max was awake, but still lying on the bed, when Lucy came back from the bathroom. He was on his phone, so Lucy asked, "Are you working?"
"Yah," he replied. "Just taking care of a few things, but I'm done now." He put the phone on the nightstand and then reached his hand out, indicating he wanted her to sit down next to him.
Lucy obliged him when she saw the worry on his face. Before she could ask what was wrong, he took her in his arms and pleaded, "Please don't be mad at me."