by J. S. Scott
“Sweetheart, I’m staying all night,” he reminded her.
She shook her head slightly. “That’s not what I meant. I was wondering if you could put off your business trips. Just for a little while. The media will have a field day with this, and I was hoping you might be able to stick around for a while.”
Guilt made Max’s body tense and his gut burn. “Mia, I’m not going anywhere.”
“What about work, your plan to conquer the business and political world?” she questioned, her voice confused.
Yeah, at one time he had wanted to run for political office, but those desires had completely fled. He’d wanted it for all the wrong reasons, and he’d discovered he would make a lousy politician. “I told you I’ve changed. I don’t want the same things as I wanted back then.” He released a masculine sigh as he continued, “And I’ve conquered everything I want to conquer in the business world. I don’t need to travel like that anymore.” Actually, most of the trips hadn’t been critical, but he didn’t want to think about that right now. “I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”
“It will be nice to have you home,” Mia said with a yawn. “I miss you so much when you’re gone. I need you to help me get used to all the changes that have happened. I wish my memory would just come back.”
Max could have told her that he understood the loneliness she had felt, but he doubted that she could handle exactly how much he’d missed her—during their marriage when he traveled a lot, and during the years she had been taken away from him.
“You won’t have a chance to even miss me,” he informed her playfully. In a sterner voice he told her, “You’re also going to be surrounded by security from this day forward. No arguments. No more going around unsecured. No more ducking our security. You’re being protected. Always.”
“I know I ought to disagree, but I won’t. Not now. I’m actually relieved,” she admitted, her voice sounding lost in the dark.
“And you aren’t going to be exposed to the media either,” he rumbled adamantly. “I’ll make a brief statement when the media finds out, and that’s all they’re getting.”
“I’d rather avoid them for now. At least until I remember what happened.” Mia shifted position slightly, rubbing against him as she moved, her ass flexing against his groin. “Max, are you…” Her voice trailed off, her question unfinished.
He knew exactly what she was going to ask. “Am I hard? Yep. My cock is like granite right now. Everything about you arouses me, and I’ve been without for over two years, sweetheart. So you need to quit squirming against me like that,” he answered. “Be still.”
Her body stopped shifting, but she asked curiously, “You didn’t…you never…nobody ever…” She stopped and then continued, “You didn’t sleep with anyone while I was gone?”
“Nope. And I didn’t fuck anyone either. I had no desire to screw a woman who wasn’t you,” he answered bluntly.
“But didn’t you ever want to—”
“The only thing I wanted was my wife. So I got myself off thinking of you, because there was no one else I wanted.” Max figured if they were starting again, he might as well get honest. He and Mia had never discussed sexual things this bluntly, but maybe they should have. “Does that surprise you?”
She was silent for a moment, so quiet that Max thought she had fallen asleep before she answered. “Actually, the thought of you doing that is pretty hot.” Her voice was low, husky, with a fuck-me-right-now vibe running through her words that he’d never heard before and nearly made him groan with frustrated lust. “I wish I could have watched,” she added quietly, almost as though she was talking to herself.
Her comment was candid, straightforward, and as blunt as his had been. Max didn’t think it was possible for his cock to get any stiffer, but it did. It was doing some major expansion underneath the denim of his jeans, straining the seams. They had never really flirted or engaged in sexual banter quite this blunt, and doing so now was making his whole body burn. “Go to sleep and behave yourself,” he ordered, his cock twitching in disagreement with that idea.
“Okay. Promise you’ll stay?”
It nearly killed him that she even had to ask again, but considering how he had handled things in the past, he shouldn’t be surprised. “I promise.”
Max lay awake in the dark, listening to Mia’s breathing as it evened out and got deeper. Her body went completely pliant in his arms, and he willed himself to relax.
He thought he’d never fall asleep in his uncomfortable, cramped position, but he did. And it ended up being the most restful and peaceful slumber he’d had in a very long time.
“Aren’t you ever going to stop looking and buy something?” Max commented with a smile in his voice, matching his stride to hers as they walked hand in hand around the mall. “You’ve been looking for over an hour.”
Mia had been out of the hospital for two days, wandering around their enormous home feeling lost and wondering what she really should be doing. She was a jewelry designer and she had a workshop at home, but Max had insisted she relax and not try to push herself to start working right away. Going into her workshop felt somehow “off” to her, uncomfortable, so she wasn’t feeling creative anyway. There was very little for her to do except try to figure out exactly why she felt so differently, what had happened to cause the enormous black hole she felt stretching into a huge void in her past. Everything was the same, yet she was so very different. One moment it seemed as if her married life with Max had never been interrupted, but at other times, it seemed as if there was a huge gulf between the two of them, and she could truly feel how much time had passed, how much they had both changed.
She glanced up at Max and smiled back at him, her breath hitching as she looked at him, dressed casually in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt, so masculine and so damn perfect that she wanted to just stand still and drink him in.
That’s one thing that hasn’t changed. I can still hardly breathe whenever I’m near him.
“Everything’s so expensive here,” she answered, wondering when she’d begun worrying about prices.
“I think I can afford it,” Max replied with a bark of laughter.
Mia sighed as she absorbed the sound of his laughter, something that had always made her heart skitter. Except now it seemed to make her pulse pound like a jackhammer. Somehow, every moment with Max was so much more intense now, more important. Not that her feelings for him hadn’t always been powerful, and she’d always known that her love for him was much fiercer than the way he felt about her. Oh, she knew he loved her, but Max was almost an obsession for her, a crazy love that she knew she’d never get over. Max was…well…he was Max, and he did nothing to extremes.
She shrugged as she answered him. “It just seems ridiculous to pay hundreds for a pair of jeans. Why?”
“Why, why, why? You’re still the most inquisitive female I’ve ever known and I think that’s still your favorite word.” His eyes were covetous and adoring as they swept over her, amusement in their depths.
“It just doesn’t make sense,” she said defensively, wondering if he disliked the changes in her personality. She didn’t know where some of them were coming from; she just felt…peculiar, like two different women in the same body.
Max stopped and nudged her to the side of the mall traffic. Her ass hit the wall gently as he asked curiously, “What happened to the woman who bought her clothing without even checking the price tag?” He put one palm against the wall beside her head and tipped her chin up to look at him. “I’m wealthy, Mia. Incredibly wealthy. And for that matter, so are you. Your grandmother’s trust has done nothing but grow since you’ve been gone. You never touched a penny of it.”
Mia shook her head, confused. “I know that. I don’t know why I feel the way I do. I know how I used to feel, and it was me; it was who I was. Now I don’t know who I am anymore.” She had to blink to keep the
tears from falling, feeling hopeless, like she’d never find the woman who Max loved again. “I feel like I should pretend to be the way I was before because you loved me that way.”
“I. Still. Love. You,” Max answered gruffly, the muscles in his jaw twitching and his eyes growing stormy. “Do you think I give a fuck about your shopping habits?”
Mia stared up at him, unable to tear her eyes away from his volatile expression. He looked raw and hungry, feral and dangerous. Fascinated, she watched his beautiful hazel eyes radiate with a fiery intensity she’d never seen before on the face of the man she loved. She might not feel like the woman Max had fallen in love with, but Max had changed too. She’d noticed the difference. Problem was, he was even hotter than he’d ever been.
“You dropped the f-bomb again,” she babbled, unable to think of anything else to say. Her core flooded with heat. All she wanted was for him to touch her, the need almost unbearable. Max had always been an incredible, unselfish, tender lover, always bringing her to climax before he satisfied himself. But she’d never seen him like this: he was starving and she was the only prey he wanted to devour.
He leaned in closer, so close she could feel his heated breath on her cheek. “Does my cursing bother you?” he asked in a low, husky voice against her ear, making her shiver.
“No,” she answered honestly. Really, the way he said it made her whole body catch fire, and her mind wander to images of him not only saying the word, but doing it to her. He hadn’t touched her in a sexual way in the two days she’d been home, and she had been starting to think he didn’t desire her anymore, that her slimmer body, short hair, rougher appearance, and different personality turned him off.
“Good. Then I don’t give a fuck,” he whispered against her lips before his mouth closed over hers with a force that made her gasp into his mouth as he took it.
Max didn’t kiss—he ravaged—and Mia moaned as his mouth conquered hers, winding her arms around his neck to stay on her feet as her knees turned to water and her whole body quivered. She speared her fingers through his short hair, engulfed in a passion so fierce that she wanted to wrap her legs around his waist and let him take her right here, right now. He was all barely-leashed masculine power and dominance, and she was more than willing to submit, to experience more of this raw and uninhibited Max.
One hand cradled the back of her head to keep it from slamming against the wall, while the other cupped her ass, yanking her core closer to his groin. His tongue was relentless, entering and retreating, mimicking the act that she so desperately wanted.
She whimpered as Max jerked his mouth from hers, his breath harsh and audible against her ear. “Shit. We’re in the middle of a goddamn mall and I’m ready to tear your clothes off and fuck you blind.” And he didn’t sound happy about it.
“I didn’t think you wanted to anymore,” Mia admitted softly, still stunned.
“Oh, I want to. You have no idea the things I want to do to you. I’m just not sure you’re ready for it. I told you I’ve changed, Mia. And I’m not sure I can control myself anymore.” He yanked his head back and speared her with tortured eyes.
She ran her hand along his cheek, loving the abrasive texture of his five o’clock shadow against her fingers. “Then don’t.” Sweet Jesus…if what had just happened was what was in store for her now, she’d take the raw and rough version of Max exactly the way he was, and she’d wallow in him. This was a man who could get down and dirty, and she wanted that more than she ever imagined she would. “I need you.”
Mia watched his face as he struggled with himself. She could sense his hesitation, but if the animalistic expression she saw was any indication, the desire to fuck her was winning.
He grabbed her hand and pulled her back into the mall foot traffic. “I’m losing it,” he mumbled, leading her into a trendy, moderately priced store. “Find some stuff. Walk away, Mia, before I embarrass both of us,” he ordered quietly but firmly as he let go of her hand and flopped into a chair near the door.
Mia knew he wanted distance, but she was reluctant to give it to him. She didn’t want him to gain control. What she really wanted was to explore this different Max, find out how hot he could really burn, but they were in a mall with a gazillion people around and he’d already embarrassed himself by kissing her breathless against a wall.
I wanted him so desperately that I didn’t care. I would let him take me anywhere he wanted because I forget everything when he kisses me.
Her face started to turn pink as she watched his security agents who had been following them seat themselves in other available chairs by the door.
Oh God, I forgot about them. I forgot about everybody. I was too consumed by Max.
No doubt the agents had probably turned their backs and shielded her and Max from view, but it was still a little mortifying to remember that they were being tailed—and watched—as she and Max were groping each other in a public mall.
And we’re trying to avoid media attention? Way to go, Mia. Excellent way to avoid detection. No wonder Max was trying to get a grip on himself.
Making her way to the casual clothing, Mia selected several pair of jeans and shirts, forcing herself not to look at the price tag this time. She needed to get some clothing that fit. Max hadn’t moved a thing in their house, and she still had her old clothes, but most of them were baggy, her body at least a size smaller. Frowning as she gathered what she wanted, she admitted to herself that she’d probably be able to wear them again in no time. Max was feeding her constantly, like he was trying to make up for some kind of deprivation. Obviously, she hadn’t been deprived. She was slender, but definitely not starving.
Max met her at the checkout, silently handing the clerk his platinum credit card, his mood unreadable.
Mia reached for her bags, but Max beat her to it after retrieving his card, grabbing the bags in one arm and taking her hand in his, squeezing it gently as they left the store.
“Are you upset about what happened? I know you hate undignified displays of affection in public,” she asked curiously as they strolled toward the main entrance of the mall.
“Hell no, I’m not upset. I’m pissed off,” he answered bluntly.
“Why?” Mia asked, surprised. Max rarely got angry.
“Because I couldn’t finish what I started,” he grumbled, but his tone was slightly amused. “You have no idea how close you just came to being fucked up against a wall by your desperate husband.”
“There was always the dressing room,” she contemplated, teasing him now. Having Max want her this badly was like a potent aphrodisiac that made her body ache to have him inside her. Anyplace. Anywhere. Anytime.
Max shot her a disgruntled look as he held the exit door open for her to walk outside. “Now you tell me.”
“Would you have done it?” she asked curiously, fascinated by her own husband’s desire for her.
“In a heartbeat, had I thought of it,” he told her huskily, need radiating in his voice. Taking her hand in his, he started walking toward the car, his security following at a distance behind them.
“We couldn’t have done that anyway,” Mia said regretfully. “Unless you’re carrying a condom in your pocket.”
Max shot her a perplexed gaze. “Why? We’ve never needed one before.”
Mia looked down at the pavement, shame burning her cheeks. “Because we don’t know what happened to me, Max. You have no idea what could have happened.”
“Are you afraid you were unfaithful?” Max asked huskily and hesitantly.
“No,” she murmured. “Whatever happened, I know myself, maybe better than I ever did before, and I never had thoughts about being with any other man but you. I love you the same way you love me. But we don’t know if I was abducted or…” Mia had a hard time saying the last word, but she spit it out, “raped. I can’t put you at risk, Max. Not until I know for sure exactly what happ
ened. I’ll see my doctor and get a check-up, but I need to regain my memory.”
Max tugged at her hand, stopping her beside his vehicle. “You will. Sweetheart, you know if something did happen, I’ll kill whoever did it. And it won’t make a bit of difference in how I feel about you. Tell me you know that.” His eyes were pleading and tormented.
“If it happened, it wasn’t by choice,” she said, her voice choked with emotion. “I love you, Max. So very much it hurts. It makes my skin crawl just thinking about being with anyone else.”
Max tipped her chin up to look at him, his eyes blazing with emotion. “You’ll be with me.”
“I can’t.” God, her heart ached for him. I need to remember.
“I’ll empty every drugstore in Tampa and the surrounding area of their condom supply,” he told her sincerely, giving her a lopsided grin that made her heart surge.
He was trying to take her mind off what she might have experienced, trying to draw her back into something happier…and it worked. Max was irresistible when he was playing with her, and it used to happen so seldom. She was mush in the face of his wicked grin. “Kind of ambitious, don’t you think?”
“Not at all,” he told her arrogantly. “I’m thinking I might need more flown in from other cities.”
Oh God, she loved this man, and she loved the way he loved her now. Or the way he must have always loved her, but had never shown it until recently. “Thinking about finishing what we started in the mall?”
“Yeah. And then starting it all over again,” he answered, his voice graveled, low, and sensually potent.
Remembering Max’s dominant, uncontrolled embrace, Mia blurted out, “Later. You can definitely finish it later.”
“Count on it,” Max said, his tone low and dangerous.
Mia’s core clenched, her already damp panties getting wetter. Max had always been a man of his word. If he said something, he meant it. He might be different, but Mia knew that was one thing that would never change.
