by Rebel Hart
The second Max took off on his bike, we followed in pursuit. We raced through town, cutting corners and ducking down alleyways to avoid random stoplights. My heart leapt into my throat as we raced out of there, trying to get ourselves to safety and away from those goons.
“You’re a crazy bitch, you know that?”
I grinned at Rupert’s words. I wasn’t sure why they brought me such pleasure. But they did. I giggled as I drew in a sobering breath, feeling my adrenaline rush slowly coming out of the clouds. My head felt a bit more stable. My hands were no longer shaking. And as I gripped the bloodied neck of that damn wine bottle, I sighed.
Because the fear that had been clawing at my insides finally had a chance to rise up.
The fear and the adrenaline mingled. They met in the middle, forcing me to be aware of my surroundings. It felt like I could hear everything. Smell everything. I felt each breath of wind whipping around my body. I felt more alert than ever before. Something strong took hold of my soul, guiding me through that entire ordeal. Never had I felt so powerful before. So in control of my own destiny.
With every breath I took, I became more aware of myself. More aware of my mind. Of the beating of my heart. Of the way my blood rushed through my ears and how comforting it felt to ride on the back of someone’s bike. I loved every part of it.
But I knew I wasn’t going to like the scolding Max had in store for me.
Not like you have many options now, anyway.
I’d take whatever he dished out, but in the back of my mind I was confident in my decision. Had I not intervened, there was a chance those men would’ve taken him down. Possibly even out. And then they would’ve come after me without him to prevent them from doing so. Even with Rupert’s help, Max would’ve been incapacitated before he got there. It wasn’t even as if Max was fully healed from the last encounter.
No, I was confident in the decision I had made to get up and help defend the life of the man I loved. Even if he didn’t agree with it. Even if Rupert didn’t agree with it. I agreed with it, and that’s what mattered. And if Max really wanted me at his side, he’d have to start trusting my intuition. Trusting the moves I decided to make.
Just like I trusted his.
16
Max
I shook with fury. I felt my nostrils flaring with every breath I took. I paced up and down the driveway. Fuming. Hell, had it been any colder, I probably would’ve been steaming. Literally. What the fuck was Dani thinking? She could’ve gotten herself killed! She didn’t listen, and it almost backfired.
It didn’t backfire, though.
I shoved the voice away. I didn't need a reason. What I needed was for Dani to fucking listen to me. I cracked my neck as I finally heard Rupert’s engine off in the distance. I cracked my knuckles as they came careening around the corner. I twisted my back, cracking it into place as they pulled up the driveway.
And the second Dani slipped off the back of his bike, I ripped that bloodied bottle neck from her hand.
“What the ever-blessed hell were you thinking?”
I watched her eyes widen as she leaned against Rupert’s bike.
“You were reckless at best. You disobeyed my order, and you almost got yourself killed for it!”
I slammed the bottle neck into Rupert’s chest and thumbed over my shoulder. Commanding him to take it into the house and dispose of it.
“You used a weapon that could’ve left evidence behind for police. You almost killed a man tonight with your reckless actions. You almost got yourself killed, you almost got me killed, and you almost created a scene none of us had the capability to clean up! Do you even get how bad this was, Dani?”
I saw the fear in her eyes. I saw the reflection of my fury in her big, doe eyes, and the only thing I could do was pat myself on the back. Good. If that’s what kept her from ever pulling a stunt like this again, then so be it.
Because if I lost Dani due to all of this, I wasn’t sure I’d ever forgive myself.
“When I give you an order, I expect you to be like my men. You follow it to the letter, and you don’t deviate for any reason. You hear me? If I needed you, I would’ve called you. Simple as that. But I didn’t need you. I had things under control. There’s a reason I had you call Rupert. There was a reason, you get that?”
I expected her to start crying or shaking. Or turn away from me and run until she couldn't run any longer. But instead, the fear in her eyes turned to anger. They narrowed into slits and she balled her fists up at her sides.
“Are you done yet?” she asked.
I blinked. “Excuse me?”
She took a step toward me. “You heard me. Are you done yet?”
I slowly peeked over my shoulder and saw Rupert standing on the porch. With my brother. The two of them were sipping beers while watching the show.
Fucking hell. “What could you possibly have to say right now?”
She snickered. “Well, I can start with the fact that I saved your ass.”
“You what?”
“You know I did, and yet you’re angry about it. If I hadn’t intervened with those guys, who knows what would’ve happened?”
I gritted my teeth. “You would’ve gotten hurt. That’s what would’ve happened.”
“Except it didn’t.”
“Well, it could have. And that’s the fucking point.”
“No, the fucking point, Max, is that I didn’t listen. And you don’t like that. I don’t listen to your every word and take it as gospel, and you take issue with that. Which sounds like a personal problem to me. You’re not fully healed. At your best? Yes, you would’ve been fine. But tonight, you weren’t. And Rupert wasn’t going to get there on time.”
“You don’t know that.”
She nodded. “Yes, I do. I was on the damn phone with him, Max. Watching you get pounded by two dudes who wouldn't stop coming at you.”
I glowered. “We’re going to talk about this later, you and me.”
“No, we’re going to talk about it now. You want to know why?”
I heard the guys chuckling behind me and I wanted to slit their throats.
“Fine. I’ll tell you anyway. We’re going to talk about this now because you warned me this might happen. And now that I’m all in on this, you’re the one with cold feet? You’re the one telling me to stay out of trouble when I just told you back in that damn club that I was with you, come trouble or high waters? Fuck you, Max. Fuck you for wanting to control me. Because you should know by now that you can’t.”
She went to brush by me, but that shit wasn’t happening. I gripped her arm and spun her around, with my body now facing the guys on the porch. Her eyes glared up at me. She wrenched away from my grasp. But I didn’t care. No one talked to me like that.
No one.
“You think I’m a hypocrite?”
Dani snickered. “If that’s the only thing you’ve latched on to, then we might need to go through this one more time.”
I pointed in her face. “Woman, I swear to God--”
She smacked my hand away. “Don’t you dare chastise me like my parents. Or like my roommate. You're neither. You're supposed to be better than them. Be better than them, Max. Don’t be the damn hypocrite you became tonight.”
I gripped her shoulders. “I swear to fucking hell, Dani, if you so much as touch me in anger like that again--”
“You’ll what, Max?”
She shoved my hands off her shoulders and took a step back from me. I searched her eyes, watching them twinkle in the night with fiery rage behind them. I’d never seen that look on her face before. The determination. The anger. The hostility. The brazenness.
It was the sexiest thing I’d ever seen in my fucking life.
“Come here,” I growled.
I fisted her arm and drew her into me. My lips crashed down against hers as the hairs on the nape of my neck stood on end. Her hands shoved at my chest and beat against my shoulders. But soon, they slid around my neck, clinging t
o me as I wrapped my arms around her and picked her up off her feet. My tongue invaded her mouth while I walked her over to the porch.
John and Rupert chuckled at me.
“I think that’s our cue,” my brother said.
Rupert snickered. “Hungry? I want some wings after tonight.”
“Fine. But we’re taking my car.”
“You can follow me on my bike. I’m getting the hell out of this nastiness about to take place.”
My brother chuckled. “Mind if I crash at your place?”
“You know you’re always welcome.”
It was the last of their conversation I heard before I closed the damn front door on them with Dani’s back.
“Oh, Max.”
I grunted as I kissed down her neck. I sucked patches of skin between my teeth and marked her as she whimpered for me. Our clothes came off in a flurry. We left a trail of them from the front door all the way into the kitchen. I gripped her hair, pulling her head back as I raked my teeth down her neck. And as I sat her naked body on the kitchen counter, I forced myself to take a step back, marveling at the beauty of the one woman brave enough to hold her ground with my anger.
17
Dani
When Max stood in front of me, I let my eyes linger on his body. I grinned at the chiseled nature of his muscles. I marveled at the colors swirling around his tattoos. His chest and the tops of his arms were covered in them. He walked over to the fridge, pulled the door open, and reached for something, his eyes studying my naked form.
When he pulled out the strawberry syrup, I giggled. “Where do you think you’re putting that?”
He quirked an eyebrow. “Wherever the hell I want.”
The pop of the cap made me jump. The fridge fell shut as he walked back over to me. He spread my legs and squeezed the bottle. I gasped as the sticky syrup hit my breasts. It dripped down my stomach and slid between my legs, and I felt Max’s eyes following its path.
Once I was covered how he wished, he sat the bottle off to the side.
“Time for dessert,” he murmured.
His lips went to my nipple and he sucked it between his teeth. I groaned as my legs spread further, and the syrup trickled against my lower lips. He lapped it up, kissing my body and marking me as his own. Cleaned me of the sticky mess as he sank lower against my body. My core heated. My pussy was wet for him. My entire body pulsed for one thing, and one thing only.
“Max, fuck.”
He nipped at my thigh. “Spread those legs for me, gorgeous.”
The second his tongue hit my slit, my head fell back. His moans and growls made my skin pucker as he bent over, cleaning up the mess he’d made. I rocked against his face and tugged at his hair. I felt myself climbing that precipice as my juices dripped against his cheeks.
“Yes, Max. Yes. Oh, right there. Oh, right there. Oh, right--no, no, no, no. Come back. Please!”
He chuckled. “You’re mine tonight, Dani.”
He scooped me off the kitchen counter and carried me into the living room. In a flash, he bent me over the couch, kicking my legs out as my hands planted into the cushions. I felt his cock slapping my ass cheeks. His leaking tip slid up and down my wet slit. My walls fluttered for him. My lips puckered in anticipation. And when he finally dove into my depths, I groaned into the cushion I fisted in my hands.
“Fucking hell, you’re so damn tight for me.”
His movements were relentless. My tits jumped against the piece of furniture as my body lurched with his movements. His cock grew against my walls. My legs shook before my knees buckled. His hands gripped my hips, holding me up as he continued to fuck me. As he continued to bury himself inside me while the sounds of skin slapping skin filled the space around us.
“Max, oh my God. I can’t--it’s--I’m so close. Please, don’t--oh, no, please.”
He pulled out from between my legs. “Not where I want to finish with you, you sexy fucking thing.”
I whimpered. “I was so close. Why did you--?”
“Come on. There’s more where this came from.”
He picked me up, and for the life of me I didn’t know how he had the strength. I felt like a limp rag in his arms as he carried me through the damn house. I didn’t know where we were going. I didn’t know what part of the house we were in. But the second my back fell against a mattress, the familiar smells of his room filled my nose.
He tossed my legs over his shoulder.
“Yes, yes, yes. Please. Please don’t stop this time.”
I felt his cock at my entrance. “Don’t worry. I’m not stopping until we’ve both had our fill.”
He slammed into my body and my back arched. He rested against the backs of my legs, pinning me to the mattress as he fucked me senseless. Groans fell from my lips. My eyes rolled into the back of my head. My toes curled and my hands slapped his forearms as he stroked me perfectly, grinding his pelvis against my throbbing clit. I panted his name. Fireworks burst behind my eyelids as that coil in my gut wound tighter. And tighter.
And tighter.
“Max, don’t stop. Max, don’t stop. I’ll do anything, just don’t stop. Please.”
He growled. “Anything?”
I nodded quickly. “Anything, if you’ll let me come. Anything. I swear. Please. Just--I need it. I need you. Please.”
He swiveled his hips as his fingers slipped between my pussy folds.
“Then, come for me, gorgeous.”
“Oh, fuck yes!”
The second his thumb slid against my clit, it was game over for me. The world spun around my head while the room tilted, causing me to feel dizzy. My body locked out. My walls trapped his cock. I felt my body pulling him in deeper as groans and grunts fell from his lips. I wrapped my hands around his forearms, feeling his muscles pulsing as his cock emptied itself into me. And as my pussy massaged him for all he had to give, he collapsed against me.
With his dick still sheathed in my warmth, his face fell into the crook of my neck. Our intermingled fluids ran down my ass crack, wetting the bed beneath me. I didn’t care, though. Not when I was with Max. As I slid my fingertips up and down his spine, counting the divots I felt, I smiled to myself.
I knew, without a shadow of a doubt, that I loved this man.
And I hoped, one day, he’d come to feel the same about me.
18
Max
I didn’t want to move. Her entire body had molded to me, and I’d never felt more safe in my entire life. Not that I’d admit that to anyone. Ever. But, it didn’t stop how I felt. I kissed the crook of her neck as her pussy walls clamped down against me. And as I groaned with pleasure, I heard her giggle.
That soft, sweet, innocent little giggle Dani had.
“You okay down there?” she asked.
“I’m fabulous. You?”
She snickered. “A bit hard to breathe. But other than that, I’m good.”
I pushed myself up. “That better?”
Her eyes fell to my chest tattoo. “Much.”
I grinned. “Why don’t I go get us some water?”
“Will you tell me more about your tattoos when you get back?”
“I’d love to.”
She smiled. “Okay. Thank you.”
Her voice was so soft. So sweet. Laced with nothing but good intentions. It was torture, peeling myself away from her. Watching her gasp as I pulled my dick out made me want to shove myself back in. Over and over, until she reached her pleasurable heights again. But she was sweaty. She glistened with stickiness I hadn’t gotten with my tongue. So I figured some water was in order.
Before we both slipped into the shower together.
“Oh, shit,” she said.
I stood to my feet. “What’s up?”
“Do you know where my phone is? I have to text Hannah.”
“Uh, I can search for it as I’m getting water.”
“Will you? Please? I just have to text her so she doesn’t freak out on me again. Doesn’t really make for
a nice rooming situation if your roommate’s constantly pissed at you.”
“She sounds a bit high strung.”
“She is. But that’s beside the point. Will you look for it?”
I grinned. “I guess I can.”
She smiled. “Thank you.”
I found her entire purse by the door and figured it was in there. I also found my phone, which was on the floor by her pants. I scooped up our clothes and everything else before grabbing each of us some water from the fridge. I carried our shit in my arms before dumping it out on my bed, and I quickly tossed Dani her purse.
“Thank you so much. This shouldn’t take but a… few… small… there. Text sent.”
She showed me the confirmation screen on her phone before tossing it back to the floor. Which made me chuckle.
“Nothing else pressing to do?” I asked.
She grinned. “Not unless you’re the pressing thing.”
I licked my lips. “I can definitely be that.”
“Well, then hand me a bottle of water and let’s get this show on the road!”
I laughed as I tossed it to her and she caught it. She leaned against the wall behind my bed, the sheets slipping away from her body and revealing her luxurious curves to me as I climbed back onto the bed. She cracked her water open and took a few long pulls, giving me ample time to study the crevices of her body I hadn’t seen just yet.
Like the soft scar in the crook of her waist. And the faded pock marks on her left upper arm. And the slight crookedness of her pinky as she held it out while downing her bottle of water.
I couldn’t take my eyes off her.
“So your tattoos.”
Her voice pulled me from my trance. “What about them?”
“I really like that sunset.”
I grinned. “It’s my favorite part of the tattoo.”
“Do all of the guys have a sunset like that?”
I shook my head. “Nope. That’s unique to me. I got it after John stepped down and made me president of the club.”
