by Liz Fox
With a final shudder, I collapse, falling beside her still trembling body.
I press gentle kisses to her forehead and wrap my arms around her. My treasure. My dream. The woman I always wanted, but never knew existed. An angel with a body that makes me want to sin.
“Max?” she whispers, running her hand along my arm. Letting her body sink into mine, her resistance gone.
“Yes, angel?”
“About the kittens being yours.” She turns to look at me, sapphire eyes sassy and satisfied. “You might have to share one of them with Paige. I think she’s fallen in love with the black one.”
That’s my girl. Always challenging my authority.
What Sloane needs to know is that I’m never going to let her go. From this moment on, she belongs to me.
Chapter 10
Sloane
“You seem happy today,” Penny says as soon as I walk in the door. After Max gave me the day off, I decided to put in a few hours at my other happy place, Penny’s Pups. I would have enjoyed spending more time with Max—more time and more orgasms—but he had some work to do.
I grin at her obvious invitation to spill the tea. Instead of giving it to her, I smile coyly and say simply, “I am.”
“I can tell by the smirk on your face that your lips are sealed. Go on, get your happy self to the back and take care of those dogs.” She waves me away with a laugh as I sashay my way to the back room.
I go through my routine, making sure all the animals have fresh food and water and clean cages. I may or may not be humming the entire time and daydreaming about how it felt this morning—not just the sex, though that was amazing, but to open myself up to Max. To allow myself to be vulnerable, to trust someone else so completely. Who knew when I took the job with him as a favor to Liam that I would find the person who could look past my shy exterior and appreciate the woman underneath?
I’m about to take one of the dogs on a walk to work off some pent-up energy—mine, not the dog’s—when I hear a familiar voice in the front room.
“Hello, is Sloane available?”
“Who’s asking?” Leave it to Penny to sass one of the most powerful men in the state.
“If she isn’t here, do me the courtesy of telling me immediately.” That’s definitely my Max. I shiver with pleasure at his stern tone that reminds me of the way the scissors slid across my bare skin, cool and sharp. Making sure the crate is still secure, I return the leash to the hooks on the wall and start down the hall to the front.
“You must be Max. I’ve heard about you.” I can hear the playful teasing in Penny’s voice and already know Max won’t appreciate it. “Aren’t you the guy who donates to nonprofits? We could certainly use a little help around here.”
Dread crawls up my spine as I hear Max’s icy response. “Pardon me?” Shit. He’s gone full uptight professional. That’s a bad sign.
I hurry to the front, trying to stave off a disaster, but knowing I might be too late.
In the reception area, Max stands just inside the front door, looking out of place in his fancy suit against the backdrop of Penny’s shabby-chic decor. Penny shoots me a regretful glance from her spot behind the counter, seeming to have realized she made a mistake.
I walk toward Max with a tentative smile on my face, hands outstretched in front of me. “Max, I’m so glad you’re here.”
“I’m sure you are.” He surveys me with cold, brown eyes. In all the times we’ve been together now, he’s never looked at me like this. Like I’m a wad of gum stuck to the bottom of his shoe. “It seems I was wrong about you, Ms. Sullivan. You are not unique after all.”
“Wait, Max. Let me explain.”
“Explain what?” If possible his voice gets even colder. “That you’ve deceived me? It’s hardly a surprise. I suspected all along. You’re obviously a deceitful, greedy opportunist. Just like all the others. You aren’t special, Sloane.” His expression twists into a painfully dark smirk. “I have to say, though… I am mildly shocked that you went so far as to fuck me to get your way.”
I barely hear Penny’s gasp over the rush of noise in my ears. Pain and anger fill me in equal measures, fighting each other for speaking rights. Anger wins.
“Get out.” If Max’s voice is ice, mine is fire.
“Don’t presume to tell me what to do. You work for me. You are a paid employee whose entire value is in the services you provide for me.” Frozen flames burn in his eyes. “At least you excelled at cleaning my toilets.”
His words feel like a knife to my heart. I finally put myself out there, and he’s throwing me away without a thought or concern. There’s a reason I’m shy with everyone. There’s a reason I surround myself with animals who will love me unconditionally.
I took a risk opening myself up to Max, and now I’m paying the price. But there’s no way I’ll let him see the pain he’s causing. I have to protect myself that much.
“You’ll have to take care of any services by yourself. I quit.” Spinning on my feet, I walk to the back room with as much dignity as possible. Unfortunately, I’m unable to stop the tears from flowing down my cheeks.
Chapter 11
Max
My phone rings, interrupting my brooding. I’ve been sitting in my home office with no lights on, drinking straight from the bottle for an hour. Even the damn kittens couldn’t cheer me up.
I check the screen. It’s Grayson. Thank god. The one person I won’t eviscerate on sight.
“Maximillian here.”
“You really screwed up this time, old boy.” Grayson jumps immediately into the meat of the conversation, reigniting my fury.
“I did not ‘screw up,’ as you say. I simply made the decision that was best for the company.” My words are so sharp they could cut through steel.
“Oh sure. It was for the company,” he says, his skepticism obvious. “Tell me, did you gather all the pertinent information and consider all the factors before making this decision?”
“What information?” I demand.
“Were you aware, brother, that Sloane went out with some friends the other night?” he asks. “And that those friends included Paige, Penny, and Lily?”
“Lily?” I blurt out, surprised.
“That’s right. According to my source, Sloane expressed some concern about your trip to the community nonprofit. She was worried about your intentions. My source also reports that neither Sloane, Penny, or Paige expressed any interest in receiving your financial attentions.”
At this point, I can’t help rolling my eyes at his use of the word “source.” It’s obvious the source is his wife, Lily. “Let’s be clear, Grayson. Are you saying Lily is the one who told them about our family tradition?”
Grayson loses his reporter persona, thank god. “Yes, Max. That’s what I’m telling you. Sloane had nothing to do with sharing our private information. She also doesn’t want your money. But you’ve certainly kicked the hornet’s nest. Lily has been on the phone for hours getting the complete story.”
Groaning, I pinch my nose.
“Max,” he says, voice soft and heavy. “Tell me you didn’t imply Sloane was a whore.”
Fuck. This time when my temper erupts, it’s myself I’m angry at.
“I bloody well can’t tell you that, Grayson.” I’m practically yelling into the phone. I slam my hand onto my desk. “Fuck. I made a mistake.”
Grayson adds his own curses, while I run a hand roughly through my hair. I need to fix this.
My god. I can’t believe I said those things.
Fuck. Yes, I can.
I’m an ass. Yes, I’m aware of what people call me, and it never bothered me. I’ve always had everything I could ever want. Name calling doesn’t hurt me, even if it’s somewhat deserved. But this time, my behavior could have consequences I’m not able to live with.
My mind races, searching for a solution but coming up empty.
“Grayson.” I set my pride to the side with the person I trust the most. “How do
I fix this?”
He takes a deep breath, obviously considering his response. I can almost see him rubbing his chin in thought. “Fuck if I know, brother. You royally screwed up.”
“That’s not helpful.” I growl into the phone.
“Well, it needs to be something big.”
“Big? Like what?”
“Max, you need a fucking, like, Titanic-sized epic grand gesture.”
He’s right. I don’t even know if it’s possible to get out of the hole I dug for myself. It might be too deep, even for someone as generous as Sloane.
“What’s important to her?” he asks.
“That’s a good question. Let me think.”
For the next thirty minutes, Grayson and I strategize my desperate, last chance effort at saving something special. When we finally hang up, I get straight to work. I’ve never backed down from a challenge. This is just a different type of negotiation, and this time I’m putting everything on the table.
◆◆◆
The next morning, I knock on the door of Sloane’s house. A truly massive man opens the door, powerful arms folded across his chest. It’s her father. While hints of grey sprinkle his hair, it doesn’t look like age has slowed him down at all. It takes a concerted effort not to back down from his glare.
“Greetings, Mr. Sullivan.”
His eyes narrow. “Are you the reason my daughter cried last night?”
“Yes, sir. I came here to apologize.”
He grunts and looks me up and down. I’m pretty sure he’s considering whether or not he should beat me to a pulp. My heart pounds as I wait for his response.
“Sloane is in the backyard with Rosie. I’ll be watching. If you hurt her again…” He lets his sentence end, but it’s easy to fill in the blank. If I hurt Sloane, her father is going to fuck me up.
And I would deserve it.
“Follow me.” He leads me around the side of the house through a gate in the fence. He gestures for me to go through first. As he probably intended, I’m uncomfortable having him at my back.
As we round the back corner of the house, I come to a halt at the beautiful sight in front of me. Sloane faces partly away from me where she sits on the lawn slightly downhill from the house. Her long hair covers her face as she pets the black tuxedo cat in her lap.
“Baby girl.” Mr. Sullivan’s voice easily projects over the distance. “This man says he came here to apologize. I can toss him out or you can hear him out. It’s up to you. If he stays, I’ll be right here on the porch.”
Sloane looks at me. For a minute, I’m lost in the sadness of her sapphire eyes. I have no idea what my expression is, but after a minute of searching my face, she gives a small nod.
“I’ll be right here, baby girl.” Her father points to the porch with a supportive smile. His expression changes when he leans into my face and hisses. “Don’t screw this up.” I hear the “or else,” and stumble forward as he slaps his hand on my back, pushing me in the direction of his daughter.
I sit down on the grass in front of her, not caring if my suit gets ruined. She keeps her head down, petting the cat and silently waiting for me to begin.
“Sloane, I made a terrible mistake. I apologize.”
She still doesn’t look at me, but I see a tear run down her cheek.
Shit. It’s not enough. Internally, I’m topsy turvy. This is the first time I’ve ever apologized to someone and I’m fucking it up. But a lifetime of proper behavior and protecting myself creates habits that are difficult to break. In desperation, I fall back on my default persona—asshole.
“Your brother, Liam, called me. He’s a bit perturbed. However, I was able to mollify him somewhat when I explained my intent to come here and apologize.
“Paige refused to come to work today, even though we’re already behind schedule.
“I reached out to Penny earlier today. She accepted my regrets, as she should.”
That one gets a response. She doesn’t look up, but she asks, “You reached out to Penny?”
“I did. We had an interesting conversation. I believe her mother was also there when I called.”
I hear a tiny puff of laughter from behind the veil of hair. Apparently, Sloane has some familiarity with Penny’s mother and both of their tempers.
I wait for a response, but continue on when she remains silent. “Actually, it was a very productive interaction. Not only did I call to express my regrets, but I decided to adopt the kittens.”
Sloane’s head raises in surprise at my admission.
I allow a small smile as I continue. “The adoption rate Penny quoted was a tad bit higher than I expected. One bit of good news she shared—she now has plans to expand her services.”
Sloane’s lips quirk up on the side. When she notices, she immediately looks away as if remembering she doesn’t want to share her smiles with me, not anymore.
“We also came up with some plans to raise money for local animal shelters and rescue centers.”
She doesn’t look at me, but the tilt of her head tells me she’s listening.
“The Hawthorne Group will host an annual charity fundraising event. The tentative name is Sloane’s Charity Pet Date Auction. Every year, the most prominent families in Oakwood City will come together to bid on a date with a rescue animal. We’re still figuring out the details, but Penny has already volunteered her Aunt Camila to organize it.”
Sloane has still barely acknowledged me. Sweat gathers on my brow and fear gathers in my chest at the thought that I might lose her. That my epic grand gesture might not be enough.
“I know you don’t care about my money, even when it goes to your beloved animals. I understand that now. But that’s not the only reason I decided to arrange an annual event.” A hint of pleading enters my voice as I realize she needs more than my asshole persona.
“I know Lily told you about the Hawthorne tradition, but she probably didn’t share the whole story. My grandfather started the family business and became quite successful, eventually creating the Hawthorne Group. However, what most people don’t know is his story before his success.
“At one point, he was actually living on the streets. As he told it, on a cold night, a kind man—who didn’t look to be much better off—gave my grandfather the jacket off his back and a five dollar bill. When my grandfather asked the stranger what he owed him, the stranger said that when he was able, he should help someone else in need. That five dollars was the seed money for the business I run today.
“Within a year, my grandfather had some financial success and started the Hawthorne Group tradition. Each month we find a deserving nonprofit or community organization and pay it forward.”
Finally, she’s looking at me, piercing me with her big blue eyes. I continue, not wanting to lose her attention at this point.
“It wasn’t until my brother held me accountable yesterday that I realized that in my effort to build the business, I may have lost sight of the true purpose of the tradition.”
“May have?” she asks, eyebrow raised.
“Okay, yes. I messed up. But that’s when I realized I wanted to start a new Hawthorne tradition. Something that shows we care about the community. Something that expresses how much I care about you.
“Sloane, you are the most beautiful woman I’ve ever known, inside and out. I never imagined meeting someone with your generosity of spirit. You remind me of the goodness in people and in myself. Yet, you're not a pushover by any means. In fact, your stubbornness rivals my own. Except, where I’ve used my hardheadedness to make more money, you dig in your heels to take care of the people and animals that you love.”
Tears roll down her cheeks. I think I see a tiny flicker of hope in her eyes. Time to put all my cards on the table.
“I’m falling in love with you, Sloane. I know I hurt you, and I probably don’t deserve you. But I promise, I’ll spend the rest of my life making it up to you.”
She lifts her hand, gently cupping my cheek with her palm.
One touch is all it takes for me to lose it. I cover her hand with my own, making sure to keep contact. At the same time, I lean forward, stealing a kiss from her plump, pink lips.
Moisture still pools in her eyes, and her lips begin to smile.
“Max,” she whispers.
“Yes, angel?”
“How much did you give Penny for the kittens?”
Her eyes sparkle with mischief and the tension in my shoulders disappears. Unexpectedly, I find myself laughing out loud with relief.
“More than I expected, but less than they were worth.” I grumble, but I can’t hide my wide grin. “I was happy to pay it, Sloane. I needed to offer some restitution. Besides, I’m falling in love with those kittens, just like I’m falling in love with you.”
This time, Sloane leans forward to kiss me. Her lips gently resting against mine, like a gift from heaven. It takes a sinful man like me to fully appreciate being forgiven. I’ll never take it, or her, for granted again.
Epilogue
Sloane
A year ago today, Max ordered me to clean his toilets. I still enjoy teasing him about that. Thankfully, these days the only place Max orders me around is in the bedroom. It’s because of that bedroom time that Paige and I are decorating this room.
It’s a surprise for Max and took a lot of planning. I never could have done it without her, though I’m a bit nervous about his reaction.
“Paige, are you about done?”
“Yep, just let me adjust the curtains.” She tweaks them and stands back with a smile. “All done.”
“Let’s go. Max is going to be home from work any minute and I don’t want to ruin the surprise.” I close the door behind her as we exit the room.
Paige rolls her eyes. “When it comes to Max, I don’t think there’s anything you could possibly ruin.”
She’s right. A few months ago, Max stood by my side as I hosted the first annual Charity Pet Date Auction. He may have been glowering at everyone in the audience, but I know he was proud. But Penny cried when she found out how much money we’d raised with the full support of the Hawthorne Group behind us.
