by Reana Malori
“Turn it off, Kiana.” His voice was clipped and short. Not understanding what his issue was, she cut her eyes at him as she went to turn off the music.
Pressing the button on her phone to stop the music, she turned to him with a smirk. “Happy now?”
“Yes,” he returned, a snarl in his voice.
“I swear, I’m not in the mood for your shit tonight,” she said under her breath as she walked into the kitchen. Giving herself an internal scolding, she knew Max only behaved this way when something serious was bothering him.
Sighing deeply, she began making their dinner plates. No need to bite off her nose to spite her face. She was hungry, so she was going to eat. Plus, since it was his home, she might as well feed him as well. Setting both plates on the dining room table, she re-entered the kitchen to grab her wine and him a water.
“Did you say something as I walked to the bedroom?”
Max’s voice sounded behind her, scaring the shit out of Kiana. She jumped, spilling wine on his floor.
“Damn, Max! How do you always sneak up on me like that? I swear, you’re part cat.” Setting her glass on the counter, she grabbed some paper towels and wiped up the excess. “Your dinner’s on the table if you want to go ahead and sit down. I’ll grab you some water.”
“Don’t worry about it, I got it.”
Not moving from where he stood, Kiana knew he waited for her to answer his original question. The man was like a dog with a bone. Since she knew exactly what she’d said as he left the room, and didn’t necessarily want to repeat it, she feigned ignorance.
“Did you need something, Max?”
Staring at her with those chocolate brown eyes, he waited a few more seconds before answering. “I thought I heard you say something when I went in the back to change.”
“You did? Oh, hmmm. I don’t think so. Maybe I was just humming the song.” She didn’t want to argue with him tonight. She’d had a very long week and with the way he came into the house barking orders, maybe his day hadn’t been so great either. They didn’t argue very often. Not very much at all actually, which was interesting since they both had such strong personalities. He pushed her buttons all the time, and she’d push his right back.
When they did fight, it was usually because he was being too damn obstinate about things. Like what she wore when she went out with friends, or if she didn’t contact him for a couple of days when things were hectic. Then again, when they did fight, the make-up sex was mind-blowing. Turning her gaze to him, she eyed his gray sweatpants and white T-shirt. Maybe a good argument was what she wanted after all.
Before she could set her plan in motion, he made a noncommittal sound as he turned toward the dining room. “Come eat, the food’s going to get cold.”
This man is going to drive me crazy, she thought to herself as she watched him walk away. Shaking her head, she followed behind him.
An hour later, they sat on the couch watching a movie. Her head lolled to the side as she fought to stay awake. It was too early to go to bed, and she didn’t want to be a party-pooper. Max’s body shifted again, his chest rising from another deep breath. Lifting her head to stare at him, Kiana lifted her hand, placing it on his jaw.
“Hey baby. You okay?”
He didn’t move for a few seconds before glancing down at her. “I’m fine.”
That was a lie. “Babe, you can talk to me. Everything at work going all right? You came in tonight like you were pretty stressed.”
“Kiana, I’m fine.”
Rubbing his upper thigh, she waited a few seconds to see if he’d say anything more. Not that he was a big talker, but he usually said more than those two words, especially if she pushed a little.
He tried to keep things to himself most times, but with how close they’d gotten over the past six months, he’d opened himself to her more and more.
“Okay, if you say so,” she said, shifting her body back toward the television. She knew he’d tell her when he was ready. She felt him take a few deep breaths, as if gearing himself up to talk. Not daring to interrupt, she lay there quietly waiting for him to speak.
“What we have, I’ve never had this before. I told you about my childhood already. My dad leaving us when my baby sister was born. How hard it was on my mother.” He rubbed one large hand down his face. “My mother, she told me how in love they were. That she thought my father hung the moon, but he didn’t feel the same. At least, when he left her, it was the only explanation she was willing to accept. He just didn’t love her enough.”
Kiana stayed quiet, but turned her body so she was looking at his face. Didn’t matter that he was looking off to the side, staring at the wall. Whatever was on his mind, she wanted to see his face as he shared it with her.
“I told myself I’d never do that to myself, or to a woman. I’d never make her think I l-…cared for her more than I did, only to walk away when she needed me.”
He looked down at her with soft eyes, something she rarely saw from him. His thick fingers caressed her face before his expression hardened and he looked away again.
“Walking in here tonight, seeing you laughing, singing, just being you, as you waited for me to come home. It was more than…” He stopped talking again, taking a few breaths.
After more than a few seconds, Kiana decided to say something. “Max—,” she began, but before she could get more than a few words out, he put a finger over her lips.
“No. No more talking. I need you.” His hands grabbed her up, shifting her to straddle his lap.
Kissing him softly, she gazed into his brown eyes. “You have me.”
“Do you even realize what you do to me? How different my world is now that I’ve met you? That what I see for my life, my future, is different than what it was less than four months ago? I know you think I’m bossy and overbearing and too damn demanding.”
At her soft laughter, he kissed her softly on the lips. She moaned, pressing her body closer to his. Max grabbed her hair, pulling her head away and looking into her eyes.
“I don’t think that’s what you are.” Well, she did, but he was so much more than that. There was so much more to the man than the image he put out to the world.
Shaking his head, he smiled at her. “Yes, you do. It’s okay, sweetheart. I know who I am. What I am. I’m all those things and more. I don’t apologize for who I am. But I need to know that you accept all of me. The good parts along with the ugly.”
Shaking her head, she stopped him.
“You don’t have any ugly parts. Yes, you’re demanding and bossy and way too overbearing sometimes,” she laughed, “but those are the things I…” She paused, knowing instinctively he wasn’t ready to hear the words just yet. “It’s why I’m so attracted you. Why you make me shake and quiver every time you take me. When you make me moan and beg and scream your name. There’s nowhere else I’d rather be than right here with you.”
His hands grabbed her ass, pressing her close to his thickening member underneath her. She moaned as he pulled her close and slowly pressed her hot mound against his body.
“Seeing you here with me like this…” He briefly closed his eyes. When he opened them, his mouth had curled up in a snarl. “No one will take you from me, Kiana. I don’t know what this is between us. I’m not ready to put a name on it. I also know that I’ll never let you go.”
“Doesn’t matter what we call it, as long as we’re both here,” she responded in a breathless tone.
His voice deepened, as if forcing the words out. “I won’t give you up. With every fiber of my soul, I know you belong with me. I’d kill anyone who tried to come between us. You need to understand that, baby.”
She did the only thing she could, she nodded. “Yes.” Leaning down, she kissed him on the side of his mouth. Kiana didn’t really pay attention to his words. If she had, she might have questioned him a bit more.
Grabbing the bottom of his shirt, she lifted it from his torso,
over his head, and tossed it behind her. Rubbing her hands along his sculpted chest, she couldn’t believe the words coming from his mouth, but was damn glad to hear them. His hands grabbed at her own shirt, lifting it from her body, baring her to his gaze. She never wore a bra on nights like this, when it was just the two of them relaxing.
When he’d removed her shirt, her naked breasts came into view only inches away from his mouth. Lifting his head, he smiled at her.
She giggled.
That look meant only one thing. Dipping his head, he licked one nipple, wetting it with his tongue as his hand kneaded the other. After a few seconds, his entire mouth wrapped around her breast, suckling deeply. Her stomach clenched in need as he used his tongue and lips to bring her pleasure.
Switching to the other side, he first gave a little bite and tug on her nipple. Her thighs clenched against his and her mouth fell open in a gasp. Her pussy began leaking cream, slickening the way for his thick cock, which she knew would be inside her soon.
Releasing her other breast, he kissed the skin on her chest right above her heart. Tears pooled in her eyes. Biting her bottom lip to stop from speaking, she shook her head back and forth. If she tried to speak, she knew her mouth would say things her heart wasn’t ready to share.
Max may not say the words, but she knew he felt so much more for her than he was ready to admit. He lifted his hips from the couch, pressing his thickness against her, causing her channel to pulse in need as desire rushed through her.
“This dick is the only one that’ll be inside you from now on. The moans coming out of your mouth are for my ears only.” Using one hand, he pulled her head down to his, kissing her roughly, his tongue pushing inside her mouth, claiming her as only he could. Once he broke the kiss, he bit her bottom lip, refusing to let her go.
Looking into his eyes, Kiana saw an emotion reflected at her that she’d hoped to see one day. Her world revolved around Max. Some would say it was too soon, that she didn’t know enough about him or his world. The man had a background, and he’d be the first to admit he wasn’t an angel. None of that mattered to her.
One time he’d told her people compared him to the devil. Claimed he’d come to accept his lot in life. That since he had to live in this world, this was the life he’d been given.
She’d laughed it off at the time, but now she wasn’t so sure. Something about him pulled her in. Even when she should walk away, she couldn’t. The things he said to her should turn her off, make her pack her shit and walk out the door.
“Take off my sweats. I need to fuck you, baby.”
Not only did she pull down his sweats, but her pants as well. As she stared at his throbbing cock staring her in the face, she looked into his eyes. His brown eyes looked black, his nostrils flared as he took in deeper breaths, and his hands clenched on his bare thighs.
With a seductive flick of her tongue, she licked the pre-cum leaking out. Bringing the clear liquid into her mouth, she moaned at the sweet and salty taste of him. She was fucking addicted to him.
“Get your beautiful ass up here,” he growled, lifting her by the arms.
As she scrambled over his lap, he pressed against her, his thick shaft sinking inside her body as they both groaned. Once she was fully seated, he held her still. His hands were on her hips, but he wouldn’t allow her to move. His hands clenched and unclenched around her soft skin. Sweat glistened on his brow but his gaze never left hers.
“No matter what happens, I belong to you. Just like you belong to me.” She tried to lean down and kiss him, but he spoke again. “I need you to say yes, baby. Say you’re mine. I need to know we’re in this together.”
Grabbing his face in her hands, she nodded as tears began to fall. “Yes. I belong to you, Max. And you belong to me. Whatever this is, we ride it out together.”
He closed his eyes, gritting his teeth as his cock pulsed inside her, stretching her wider. A long moan wrenched from her as she forced her body not to move until he was ready. Something in her knew this moment was too important.
“You say you have ugly parts. Well, I’m not afraid of your ugly parts, Max. I know those are the parts of you that will fight for me. Protect me. I can take all you have to give. I won’t break, Max, and I’ll never leave.”
“You are too fucking good to me,” were the last words he said before he unleashed his passion.
One hand spread across her lower back pushing her body closer to his. The other grabbed her hair in a tight grip, pulling it taut so he could control her head. Bringing her down to kiss him, he fucked her as if his life depended on it. Releasing her lips, he grabbed the skin on her shoulder with his teeth, biting down hard.
Screams of pleasure filled the room, filtering out onto the quiet street. Her ecstasy flowed out of her like a water fountain. Growls and grunts were the only sounds coming from Max, with the occasional whispered word she couldn’t understand. His hips pistoned up and down so fast, all she could do was sit there like a rag doll and enjoy the sensation of her man claiming her body.
He was in complete control, and she loved it. Not only did he control her body but her heart as well. Pure power flowed through his veins. Some people were afraid of Max; she knew this. She paid attention to the things happening around her. No one would ever call her naïve.
When they’d first started dating, she questioned if she could straddle both worlds. Within weeks of wining, dining, amazing sex, and quiet nights with just the two of them, any doubts she had were gone. She’d fallen in love with someone who’d been rumored to take care of the competition by any means necessary.
Did she care?
Not one fucking bit.
Tears fell from her eyes, her mouth opened in a silent scream, and her nails clawed at his skin. Kiana’s body began convulsing from the intense feelings she couldn’t contain inside. Her vision blurred. Stars filled the room.
Rotating her hips, her arms tensed, pulling her body closer to his. Her orgasm rushed through her, coating Max’s shaft with her essence as he thrust his hips, forcing his thick cock deeper inside her body as her channel clenched around him.
“Yes, baby, that’s it. Come for me. Come for Daddy. I’m gonna fill you up so fucking good. You’re mine, Kiana. All mine.”
Her scream of release rent the air at the same time he roared out his own completion. Then her world went black.
CHAPTER THREE
A few days later, Max stared down at the man sitting on the chair in front of him. He’d been caught trying to steal from Max, and had been feeding information to some people who didn’t really care for Max. That shit was never a good thing, so he had to pay.
“Boss, you shouldn’t be here,” his right-hand man called out to him.
Looking over his shoulder at his second in command, he lifted one eyebrow. Nicholas ‘Nico’ Mitchell had been by his side since the age of fourteen. Both had been little punks running the streets at the same time they were running pockets.
Nico was his brother. If not by birth, then by blood, sweat, and murder. There was no one he trusted more. The man had saved his life more times than he could count. Even taken a bullet or two on occasion. He only called him boss when the other guys were around, and probably because he knew Max hated that shit. They were partners, always had been. Max was just the designated face of the operation.
Max knew it could have just as easily been Nico calling the shots, except Nico had no desire to be the head of the spear. His longtime friend preferred to be the one using the power of the spear to rip motherfuckers apart.
“Yeah, I know. But I wanted to see the face of the piece of shit who thought to turn against me.”
Kicking the man who sat there resembling the loser of a fight with a champion mixed martial arts fighter, Max felt the urge to put a bullet in the guy’s brain for fucking GP.
“Look at me,” he yelled at the bloodied man.
When no answer was forthcoming, he called out to his right-hand
man. “What’s his name, Nico?”
“Tommy.”
As he raised his face to look at Max, the man called Tommy began to cry. Which just pissed him off even more.
“Listen, Tommy. Don’t bitch up now. You were man enough to turn on me. There were no tears then.” When the man continued crying, Max motioned to one of the guys standing around. “Shut him up.” Turning away, he began walking toward Nico, who was standing off to the side.
Blocking Nico’s smiling face from everyone else, Max couldn’t help but crack a smile himself. All that crying bullshit was enough to wake the fucking dead. Good thing they were in a secluded spot with reinforced walls.
“Stop laughing, Nico. This motherfucker is getting on my damn nerves. I’m ready to put a bullet in his head just for the hell of it.”
“Told you to leave. You know I’m more used to this than you are.” Shrugging his shoulders, he looked over Max’s shoulder. “Shit doesn’t even bother me anymore.”
“Dude, he pissed himself,” he loudly whispered. “What the fuck is that?” Rolling his eyes comically, Max almost wanted to laugh. Motherfuckers were nothing like in the good old days. Back then, if you got caught, you went out with your chin up, eyes promising retribution, and cursing the man’s mother.
Nowadays, the ones claiming to be the hardest dudes on the block were the main ones begging for mercy. Pleading with them not to kill them because of how sorry they were. Took all the damn fun out of it.
Then again, maybe he’d become too damn cynical after all these years.
He should be angrier at the situation, but the only emotion he could conjure up was boredom, until the guy started crying and pleading. Then the shit had turned funny. Looking down at his watch, he noted the time. He had a date with Kiana tonight that he didn’t want to miss. He caught the tail end of Nico’s comments.
