To the Max (39 page)

Before she could answer anything, Max silenced her with a hard, angry kiss that left her breathless and achy deep inside.

“You don’t date other guys while you’re fucking me. You don’t primp yourself up for anybody but me.” Then he ripped her dress’s bodice in two.

She gasped, covering herself. “Max!”

“What? Too primitive for you? You prefer more sophisticated treatment? Because normally I can give it to you as you want, but today I’m having difficulty seeing past all this…bling,” he finished as he unraveled her hairdo and then turned her to look at the mirror. “Even if the bling wasn’t intended for me. Then again, I’m not big on bling.”

And he tore the rest of the dress, yanking it down, the sound of the fabric shredding damn loud in her ears. She tried to turn around and wrench away, but she couldn’t.

Fisting her hair, he pulled her head backward, his hold constraining but gentle nonetheless, and fell upon her exposed neck. The bite of his teeth on her skin was exhilarating. His erection was throbbing against her ass. The fury rolling off him in waves. The lust too. It was all making her short of breath.

“Max…”

His growl was savage. “Did you let him touch you?”

Her spine cracked. “You think I did?”

“Answer me.”

“Let go,” she demanded, trying to get away from him, but he tightened his embrace. “You’re acting like an asshole.”

He studied her as she stood in only thigh-highs, heels, and her undies, covering her breasts. Her lipstick was smudged, her eyes big and shiny and she was panting, her chest rapidly raising and lowering. “Maybe, but this asshole is turning you on.”

Yes. Much to her dismay and shame, he was.

“I told you to walk back upstairs. You still can.”

“I can handle you,” she retorted defiantly and, staring at his reflection, lowered her hands, exposing her breasts. “You don’t intimidate me.”

He placed his thigh between her legs, widening her stance. “Show me how you jack off.”

Annie faltered for a second but regained her composure right away. She could play that game too.

“You make me come,” she replied, pressing her ass against his already hard cock and parting her legs a bit farther.

He ripped the undies from one side, his voice raspy and hard. “That’s not a difficult thing to do. Your inner thighs are soaked already.”

Arrogant bastard.

She glared at him, ignoring her rising trepidation, his harsh stance, and the way her insides convulsed at the sight of the underwear dangling from her leg, and straightened her back haughtily.

He cupped her core, and Annie did her damnedest to swallow her moan, but her body was already responding to him. Her clit was throbbing, her folds flooding, her breasts heavy and achy.

There was a very tense vibe around them, and although she didn’t like all the macho tripping Max had going on, she couldn’t deny she was excited.

He fingered her, working her pussy with ruthlessly efficiency.

She locked her legs. No way was she giving him the satisfaction of seeing her coming undone for him, but he knew how to touch her and her body was obeying him. Then she felt the head of his erection against her opening.

“You are getting my cock.” He didn’t move, just waited. She knew he was, in a weird, totally screwed-up way, asking for permission. That was her out.

She didn’t want out.

She pressed against him.

Gripping her hips, he thrust, and without giving her time to adjust, pounded inside her, pulling her against him every time he plunged while she braced herself on the mirror and withstood his onslaught, her whole body moving forward at his savage strokes.

“Push back. Fuck my cock.”

Max ordering her around, his dick impaling her, it was too much. Her orgasm rose inside her, unstoppable.

“Give it to me, now,” he growled, slamming against her.

She would have loved to deny him, but she couldn’t. Her body couldn’t.

As a last act of defiance, she closed her eyes and came in as much silence as she could.

She was still in the middle of her orgasm when suddenly she was airborne and he was pulling her down on the sofa nearby. He turned on his side, taking her with him, her back to his chest. He hooked his elbow around her knee, forcing her leg up and her core open, his other hand holding her breast, immobilizing her. Asserting his dominance.

“My turn.”

It was as if a dam had broken. He surged into her as deeply as possible, taking full possession, his hard, fast tempo prolonging her orgasm. Whatever little measure of control she’d had while standing was long gone. She was completely at his mercy, but he wasn’t hurting her. Even when Max was being rude, controlling, and, generally speaking, an ass of the highest order, he did it for her.

He buried himself to the hilt and, with a roar, came, his cock jerking as it filled her with cum.

When she drifted back and regained the use of her brain, Annie tried tentatively to move and realized the tight grip he’d had on her was gone. She was no longer restrained. She turned around to face him. He was on his back, his hand over his face.

“Happy now? I’m glad I could help you work your stress out,” she spat as she gathered the pieces of her dress and left the basement.

Asshole.

Annie dashed to her room, threw on a T-shirt, picked up her bag, and indiscriminately started dumping clothes in. His semen was dripping down her inner thighs, but she tried to ignore it.

She wasn’t sure what pissed her off more: him behaving like that, or her coming undone for him. Man, she was such a moron. She’d walked right into it.

Busy as she was, fuming and packing, she only recognized his scent a second before he wrapped his arms around her from behind.

“Don’t,” she warned him, attempting to wrench away from him.

Fat chance. He didn’t budge an inch. He didn’t talk either. He just held her until she ran out of steam.

She could feel his lips on the top of her head, his warm breath against her hair. Now that she’d calmed down, she noticed the fine tremor of his tense body, the regret pouring out of him.

“Did I hurt you?”

She was giving him the silent treatment. If he didn’t want to let her go, fine, she’d wait him out.

“Please, answer me.”

The crack in his voice got to her, and her anger deflated. She let out a deep breath and shook her head.

He shuddered something that sounded like “thank God” against her hair.

When he released her, she rushed to the door.

“Don’t go,” she heard.

She faltered and turned to him. He looked distraught.

“I’ve never had someone I couldn’t live without. Now I do. I’m having trouble adjusting,” he admitted, sitting on the bed.

Annie was rooted in place, torn between wanting to storm out and wanting to go to him. “Of course I didn’t let him touch me. How could you think I would?”

“I’m so sorry, baby. I was so fucking jealous. I saw you with him and I went crazy. I wasn’t thinking straight. I was afraid I was going to lose you.” He propped his elbows on his knees, his head hanging forward. “I know you’re out of my league. It terrifies me.”

Her? Out of his league? What the hell was he talking about?

“You’re rich. Highly educated. You may think you don’t fit in with those socialites, but you do. I saw you with Sebastian and the first thing that came to my mind—well, after I barely squelched the need to punch him—was that you two are a perfect match. From the same world. I love you more than anything, but I know I’m not the best for you. The most suitable choice. Still, I can’t let you go.”

He was insecure. She couldn’t believe her ears.

“Max, I went to dinner with Sebastian because there were things we had to discuss, and given my company’s involvement, I preferred to discuss them outside the office,” she said, taking a tentative step toward him. “That wasn’t a date. There’s nothing for you to worry about.”

He didn’t look at her.

“I don’t give a rat’s ass about suitability,” she told him, moving closer. “I know men like Sebastian; I grew up around them. There’s always another venture to conquer, another big deal to close. They don’t marry the women they love; they merge with their families. They don’t spend Friday nights watching old sci-fi reruns. They don’t have time for hammocks or trampolines. Those men are for a certain type of woman, and I’m not one of them.”

“What kind of woman are you?”

“The kind that stays home, in pajamas and without makeup, watching old reruns, playing with guinea pigs, and torturing her man with puzzles rather than going out to parties all dressed up.

“If I’d wanted someone like Sebastian, I would have found him long ago. Not because I’m so dashing and irresistible, mind you,” she joked, cherishing Max’s smile, “but because of my last name. Hell, Charlene has a list of suitable candidates she updates for every event. But I don’t want any of them. I want you.”

“You sure?”

She took a final step and reached him. “What am I going to do with you?”

He lifted his gaze to hers and held it, a silent plea shimmering in his eyes. “Love me? I’m a simple man, Ace. I don’t ask for much.”

She kneeled in front of him and cupped his face. Kissed him softly. “I already love you, silly. I’ve loved you for a long time.”

Max encircled her in his arms, a shudder going through him. “Fuck, baby. And when were you going to tell me?”

“I’m uncomfortable with the number twenty-seven. I was waiting for you to reach thirty.”

“Still stuck on that?”

She shook her head. “No, not really. If you’re okay with the age difference, who am I to disagree?”

“That’s my girl.”

“Can I ask you something?” She nodded, and he continued, “Would you still love me if I weren’t a Bowen? If I didn’t have that great family behind me? If I had spent my life in that trailer with drunks and losers?”

The insecurity in his voice broke her heart. “Of course I would have fallen in love with you, Bowen or no Bowen. And you would not have spent your life in that trailer, because you’re strong. You would have found a way out of that trailer park.”

Max kissed her, slowly, sweetly. A total contrast to the man who had taken her so roughly and made her come explosively minutes ago.

He traced the marks his fingers had left on her. “Please forgive me. I never meant to be that rough. I was angry, afraid I would lose you.”

She blushed. She’d come. She’d liked it. “Rough worked for me. Everything you do works for me. But you need to trust me. The same way I have to trust you when you go on your trips.”

There was hurt in his eyes. “I’ve been telling you I love you for months already. Since I’ve been with you, I haven’t looked at another woman.”

“I know. And I trust you.”

* * * *

Max entered the diner and went straight to the table at the far end. He still wasn’t sure he was worthy of Annie, but she’d made herself clear. She wanted him. Loved him. And he was going to work his ass off for the rest of his life making her happy. Starting with setting the record straight with the baby’s father. He sat down and looked at the man in front of him.

Luigi was a good ten years older than Max, and even dressed for comfort like now, not a single hair was out of place. Max had no clue how Luigi had found his number. Then again, there were not many Max Bowens in the greater Boston area.

They sat in silence for a long second.

“Can you tell me why I’m here?” Max asked.

“I was curious. I wanted to see what kind of man you are. After all, you will be raising my daughter.”

“You still going to bail out?”

“I don’t like that term, but yes. I’ll most probably be disentangling myself from the situation. But seeing her pregnant belly, finding out it’s a girl made everything that much more real.”

Max ran his hand through his hair and sighed in impatience. “Let’s be clear: with Annie comes the baby, which I’m one-hundred percent okay with. With the baby comes you, which I’m not so thrilled about. But I’ll put up with you happily, without a single complaint, if you want to be in your daughter’s life.

“That said, Annie is my woman. She will be in my house and in my bed. Her baby will live with me too. I’ll love and defend them. I’ll have their backs no matter what. If you decide to stick around, you better behave like an exemplary father where your kid and Annie are concerned. I would never put a hand on Annie or the baby, but I have no qualms whatsoever about kicking the living shit out of you if you hurt them.”

Luigi chuckled. “Fair enough.”

“You find something funny?”

“No. I just wanted to make sure I’ve left my daughter in capable hands. I’m not an asshole, and even though the last thing I want in this world is children, that doesn’t mean I won’t make sure she ends up with a good life.”

“Fair enough,” he repeated.

“I will be waiving my paternal rights,” Luigi said as he stood up.

Max watched him leave, and a sense of sadness overwhelmed him. Max had a lot of defects, but he considered himself a good judge of character. Luigi didn’t strike him as a bad person. There was a big chip on his shoulder, but that wasn’t Max’s problem. One man’s loss was another man’s gain, right?

He’d meant every word he’d said to Luigi. Every single one, down to the beating the living shit out of him if he hurt them. Somehow, though, Max didn’t see Luigi causing trouble. Luigi hadn’t needed to contact him. Hell, he hadn’t even needed to contact Annie. A call to the Vaughan matriarch would have set him up for life.

That might have been the last time they’d see Luigi, but if it wasn’t, he and Annie would deal with it together, as a team.

Chapter Twenty-Three

Max was watching his students when he saw Annie coming his way. He held his hand out to her, and she took it, a big smile breaking over her face. He brought her to him, kissing her.

“Didn’t we agree that you weren’t going to lift anything?” he gestured at the empty box she had with her.

Annie was over seven months pregnant. Some mornings she couldn’t get out of bed without help. She was in no condition to move boxes around.

“I won’t. I swear. I’ll just go to my condo, fill it up, and let you carry it. Okay?”