He snorted. “Stop making me out to be more than I am. I don’t care about anyone or anything. Not even myself. I only went after you because I wanted my snowmobile back.”
The lie tasted bitter on his tongue, but he couldn’t take it back. He needed to stop this madness before she took it too far. He wasn’t that person. He couldn’t be that person. If she ever learned the truth about him, she’d turn tail and run.
And Max knew he wouldn’t be able to bear her rejection. He needed to get rid of her. Before he fell even harder.
She deserved so much better than him.
Jennie sighed and turned away. “You can try to convince yourself of that, Max, but you’ll never convince me. Never.”
* * *
He read Jennie’s reply and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. His plan was working much better than he’d hoped. Jennie said she would meet him at the bridge at midnight if he promised to free Emily.
He snickered.
He would do no such thing, of course. Stupid bitch. Did she really think he’d trade his biggest collateral for her? Emily was the only hold he still had over Max.
What if it wasn’t Jennie responding to his email, but Max? Pretending to be Jennie?
Nah. He dismissed that thought. Max wouldn’t beg and plead. He’d demand. He knew Max well. The arrogant prick. But he’d beaten Max down pretty good over the past three years, if he did say so himself. Soon he’d see Max crumble.
Had Jennie read the email before Max? Or had Max had been too stunned to respond? He shrugged, deciding he didn’t really care why or how Jennie had responded.
As long as he got her back.
And he would.
Tonight.
And then he’d punish her for escaping. If she showed up alone, he’d keep her alive a little longer, torture her a bit more. He liked torturing her. Hearing her screams of agony.
If she brought Max with her, he’d have to kill her.
If all went well, he’d have both women under his control again. He would have Max completely by the balls. There would be no cops. Max wouldn’t dare bring them. Not if he wanted to ever see Emily again.
He chuckled. He quickly typed a response to Jennie’s email, confirming the time and location. He’d be there all right.
Waiting.
It was time to bring Max to his knees.
Time to break him.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Max avoided Jennie for the rest of the evening. He wasn’t hungry enough for dinner, and apparently neither was she. She went in his den and stayed on the computer for hours. He hoped she started to remember soon. Hoped she got the hell out of his life before…
He hitched in a breath.
Before he fell in love with her.
Max heaved out a sigh. Who was he kidding? He was already halfway there.
He thought of Emily again, as he had every other thought for the past few hours. He’d think about Jennie and what she’d said. Then he’d think about that photo of Emily and his heart would clench, he’d struggle to breathe. How would he get her back? How would he free her from that bastard?
At one point, he’d actually considered giving Jennie to the guy in exchange for Emily. He’d immediately dismissed the thought, ashamed of even thinking it. He couldn’t do that. He knew in his gut the man would kill Jennie if he got his hands on her again. And he doubted the man would release Emily that easily. The guy obviously wanted Jennie back and was using Emily to bait Max, to get him to give her up. Jennie’s escape had forced the man to reveal he had Emily. How much longer would he have kept Emily hostage without Max knowing if Jennie hadn’t escaped? Jennie’s escape must have messed up the guy’s plans. Whatever they might be.
Jennie had said the man knew Max. Had called him by name. If that was true, then who the hell was he and how did he know Max? Max didn’t know any of the people who lived on the other side of the river. Several of the homes were just summer homes or cabins that were vacant this time of year. Was it really possible that someone was holding his daughter captive just on the other side of the river?
Max sighed. His mind was spinning with all these crazy thoughts. He had to figure out a way to free Emily without sacrificing Jennie. But how? Where was Emily being held? Where had Jennie escaped from? How had she gotten his car?
Max groaned and pulled at his hair again. What the hell was he going to do? He wanted to rush across the river and search for Emily, but only a complete fool would venture out in this weather. The temperature had dropped even more when the sun went down. It was now thirty below zero.
He didn’t know how long he sat there in turmoil. An hour? Two?
Jennie appeared in the doorway. “I’m going to bed,” she said softly. “Goodnight.”
Max glanced at the clock. It was nearly midnight. Hell. He should be exhausted. But he wasn’t. His mind was spinning. He was going frickin’ insane.
He didn’t say anything. He just watched as she walked away.
Though the television was on, Max hadn’t been watching it. He cranked the volume up, flicked through the channels. Tried to find something to get his mind off of the turmoil that was tearing him up inside. He finally settled on an old John Wayne western…
Max jolted awake sometime later. Lucky was standing on his hind legs, his front paws on Max’s thighs. Whining.
Max rubbed a hand over his eyes. “What is it, Lucky?”
The dog whined again. He climbed down. He turned toward the hallway, then glanced back at Max.
Shit. “I hope you’re not having another clairvoyant moment. It’s dark outside. I’m not going out there.”
Then Max heard it. What sounded like…a zipper zipping up. It came from near the back door. Near the coat closet.
He leapt out of the chair as Jennie’s words from earlier came back to him: Give me up. Maybe we can negotiate with him to get him to free Emily.
And his response: If I hand you over, he’ll kill you.
Her reply: I know.
Max let out a soft curse.
He recalled the guilty look on Jennie’s face when she’d wandered into the kitchen earlier...guilt because she’d been planning on sneaking out.
That little fool! She was going to give herself up in exchange for Emily!
His heart clenched as he realized what she was willing to do. What she was willing to give up.
For him.
The breath caught in his throat. Damn her! He couldn’t let her do that. He wasn’t worth it.
Max raced across the room and around the corner in time to see Jennie tiptoeing toward the back door. She was bundled up in the coat, hat, boots and gloves he’d loaned to her earlier. Her back was to him, so she didn’t see his approach. Max knew she probably wouldn’t be able to start the old snowmobile, but he wasn’t willing to bet on it. If she did succeed in getting it started, he’d have no way to go after her.
And she knew that.
He inched forward quietly.
Her hand reached for the key ring on the wall.
Max snagged her around the waist and yanked her against him. Jennie gasped and squirmed, flailing out with her arms and legs. The hat fell off her head, landing on the floor at Max’s feet. Her gloves quickly followed suit.
“Let me go, damn you!”
“Not on your life,” he whispered in her ear. “I’m not letting you do this, Jennie. We’ll find another way.”
“There is no other way!”
He held her while she continued to squirm and fight against him. Finally she let out a sob and went limp.
“I wanted to save Emily,” she whispered. “I sent him an email and told him I’d meet him at the bridge at midnight. Please Max, let me go get her. For you.”
His breath hitched. “No. You really think he’ll just let her go? He’ll kill you, Jennie! He has no intention of letting her go. He just wants you back. The son-of-a-bitch can wait at the bridge all night for all I care. He can freeze his ass off. I’m not letting you do this.”
He had to believe the man wouldn’t punish Emily when Jennie failed to show. He had to.
Max set Jennie on the floor and turned her to face him. How could he ever have been suspicious of her when she was willing to give her life for Emily, a girl she didn’t even remember? Willing to do it for him?
His chest constricted. He closed his eyes.
“What if he punishes Emily now? What if he takes it out on her? Max, I have to do this.”
Max shook his head. “No. I’m not letting him have you.”
“Why Max? Why won’t you let me? You don’t even want me here.”
He opened his eyes and stared down at her. His throat clogged with emotion. “Because I can’t lose you,” he said hoarsely.
He crushed his mouth on hers.
She made a soft, whimpering sound in her throat. She leaned into him, kissing him back. Her hands clung to him, grasping, trying to get closer. He yanked the coat zipper down and pulled the coat back, shoving it off her shoulders. She kicked it aside and came back to him, her mouth eagerly meeting his. Her small breasts pressed into his chest.
Max groaned. He walked her backwards until she pressed into the wall near the back door. Cupping her face in his hands, he kissed her again. And again. She tasted like heaven. Like everything he’d ever wanted but had been too afraid to ask for. Too afraid to hope for. She tasted like freedom.
Her hands slid inside his shirt, her fingers stroking up and down his chest, over his hard nipples, across his stomach. She pulled at the top of his jeans. Unsnapped them. She slipped her hand inside.
He sucked in a breath.
She gently stroked him, up and down, up and down, until he saw stars.
Ah God.
His hands dropped to her waist, then slid around to cup her ass. Squeezed. She whimpered, withdrew her hand from his jeans, and pressed her hips against his.
“Jennie.”
Max slanted his mouth over hers again, lapping at her lips, his tongue delving deep inside. He wanted her. Now. She moaned, pressed even closer, kissing him back, and rocked her hips against his again. God, she was like a fever he couldn’t fight. No woman had ever made him lose it like this before. He’d never experienced passion like this. Ever. He wanted to strip her naked, run his lips all over her skin, bury himself inside her. Make her his. And never let her go.
He jerked back, breathing heavily, and stared down at her. Jesus! What was the hell was the matter with him?
Her eyelids fluttered open. She sagged back against the wall, her chest rising and falling as rapidly as his. “W-why did you stop?”
He ran a hand over his face. Holy Christ! He’d almost taken her against the frickin’ wall! Disgusted with himself, he turned away from her, swallowing hard.
“I’m sorry,” he rasped out. “I don’t know what came over me.”
“Don’t you dare apologize.” She marched around him and slapped a hand against his chest. “Do you think I didn’t want you to touch me? That I haven’t been aching for you to do that ever since I came here?”
“Jennie.” He took a step back.
“What are you so afraid of?” She glared up at him, her eyes sparkling with tears. Eyes so beautiful a blue they made his chest ache.
Max swallowed hard. He looked away. “You’ll be going home tomorrow.” He said it almost desperately.
“The hell I am! I’m not leaving until we get Emily back.”
Shock and disbelief warred inside him. No way. His gaze skittered back to hers. Was she serious? She was really going to stay? His heart squeezed. He choked out a breath.
“Max.” Her voice softened. She cupped his cheek in her hand. “I won’t leave unless you tell me to. If you want me to go after we get Emily back, then fine. I will. But until then, you’re stuck with me.”
His chest tightened even more, making it difficult to breathe. Could she truly care about him? He desperately wanted to believe it, but no one had cared about him for so long…
“Jennie.” He breathed in deeply. Sighed.
She leaned up and kissed him. So gently, so tenderly his heart pinched.
“I don’t know why you think you’re so unlovable,” she whispered, leaning back. She took his hand. Tugged. “Come on. Let me show you something.”
Max hesitated. “Where are we going?”
She kicked off one boot. Then the other. Pulled on his hand. Dragged him down the hallway. “You’ll see.”
She paused outside of the guest bedroom. Max hesitated again. “Jennie.”
She leaned up and kissed him until he felt his resistance fading. She walked backwards, dragging him in the room with her.
“Jennie.” He drew back. The blood pounded in his veins. He had to stop her. Before she dragged him completely under.
“Stop fighting it,” she whispered. “Let me show you how lovable you are.”
The breath caught in his throat. “Jennie,” he tried once more. “Please.” But he wasn’t sure what he was asking for. All he knew was that he was falling for her. And he wanted her, fiercely, even though it would rip his heart out when she left.
She kissed him again, slowly, deliberately, and pulled him toward the bed. She turned him. Then gently shoved him backwards.
He fell back onto the mattress. Jennie followed him onto the bed, kissing him, touching him, driving him insane. He could feel the tenderness in her kisses, the love in her touch. No one had ever touched him with such tenderness before. With such love.
Max surrendered. His arms went around her. He pressed her against his throbbing erection. He moaned when she pressed back. She yanked the sweatshirt over her head and tossed it aside. His nostrils flared at the small, pert breasts that were bared before him. Beautiful breasts. Of course she didn’t have a bra. She hadn’t had one when he’d rescued her. He reached up and gently stroked one perfect breast, then the other, cupping them in his palms. She closed her eyes and leaned into his hands.
“Max,” she whispered.
He swallowed hard. He jerked his gaze to her face, watching her expression as he gently stroked, cupped, kneaded.
She moaned. “Max.”
He loved the way she said his name. Loved that he could make her feel like this. His hands went to the waistband of her sweats and tugged them down. She lifted her hips, wiggled free. Kicked the pants aside.
He inhaled sharply. Even thin from abuse, she was still beautiful. Breathtaking. All woman.
She clawed eagerly at his jeans and he allowed her to remove them, lifting his hips from the bed and letting her pull them down. Then she grasped at his shirt. He yanked it over his head and tossed it aside. She stared at him, her hungry gaze roaming up his torso, then down, scorching him.
“God, you’re sexy,” she whispered.
An answering heat blazed through him, shooting straight to his groin.
She climbed on top of him.
Max held his breath as she settled against him. She was so small. And he was so frickin’ big, throbbing against her soft thigh. He was afraid he might hurt her. But she leaned down and kissed him again, dragging him under, pulling him in deep. He finally gave in and let himself go, let himself feel. He completely lost himself in her.
For the next several hours, she loved him like he’d never been loved before.
And as much as it was going to hurt when she left, Max could no sooner stop their passion than he could stop the storm raging outside the window. But still, he held a part of himself back. He kept his heart locked securely inside his chest. He may have given in to his weakness and shared his body with her.
But he’d be damned if he was going to give her his heart just so she could break it.
CHAPTER TWENTY
He waited at the bridge until 12:30 for Jennie to show. The cold started seeping through his coat. He shivered as the wind whipped through the pines, chilling him clear to the bone. It was 30 below out here. Too fucking cold to be waiting for that bitch.
Fuming, he finally headed home. He was done with Jennie. Do
ne with her games. It was time to get serious. His desire for revenge against Max was quickly paling in comparison to his urge to punish Jennie for screwing up his plans yet again. She was royally pissing him off. He wanted her back with an obsession that ate at him.
He slammed into the house, tossed his winter clothes aside, and headed for the basement. If he couldn’t punish Jennie, then he’d have to punish Emily. Someone was going to pay. And this time that someone would have to be Emily.
* * *
Max didn’t want to get out of bed. He wanted to stay there all day with Jennie in his arms. Forget about everything but her. They’d made love not once, not twice, but three times last night. A smile touched his lips. The first time she’d loved him so thoroughly, so tenderly, she’d taken his breath away. The second time he’d taken control, exploring her body with his mouth, his hands, loving every single gorgeous inch of her. And the third time…they’d gotten a little frantic and crazy, like they had out in the hallway, urgency driving them on. He didn’t think he’d ever get enough of her.
He felt human again. Alive. His chest squeezed. He didn’t know if it was possible to fall in love with someone he’d only known for three days, but Max knew the emotion that filled his chest whenever he thought about Jennie was deep and powerful, unlike anything he’d ever felt before. He and Laura had shared an adoring affection, not an all-consuming, powerful connection like this. Was this love? He’d thought he’d loved Laura. And he had. But it hadn’t been this deep, this powerful. What was this? For the first time in his life, he felt whole. Complete. All because of Jennie.
But a part of him was still in denial. A part of him refused to admit he loved her. Refused to admit she now owned his heart. She couldn’t have it. Damn her. He wouldn’t let her break him. He’d never felt so happy and so vulnerable at the same time.
Abducted (Unlikely Heroes Book 2) Page 15
