by Rebel Hart
Until the two of us went limp in a heap of sweat.
I closed my eyes as Dani rested against me. I felt her heart rapidly beating against my chest as my hands trembled. My arms fell limp against the mattress. Even my legs gave way. My cock dwindled, naturally pulling out from between her legs. And when it did, a gush of fluid rushed against my skin and soaked the bed beneath me.
“Sorry,” she whispered.
I chuckled. “Nothing to be sorry for.”
“Oh, fuck yeah. That was marvelous.”
I smiled. “I’m glad you enjoyed it.”
Dani slid off to the side and I turned to wrap my arm around her waist. We shuffled out of the mess we had created before her leg slipped between mine. I held her close as we lay there, listening to the dead of night outside our motel room. With one ear turned toward the road, keeping tabs on any sound that came our way, I kept the rest of my attention on Dani.
And the way she wiggled that naked ass of hers against my tired dick.
“You might want to be careful with that,” I murmured.
She snickered. “And if I’m not?”
I spanked her thigh softly. “You might just get punished, if you don’t want to listen.”
She moaned softly. “Sounds like fun.”
I kissed the shell of her ear. “You have no idea what ‘fun’ is with me yet.”
She wiggled tighter against me and I held her as tightly as I could. I closed my eyes and drank in the moment, committing it all to memory. The smell that hung in the air. The way she’d looked taking command of my body like she did. The way her face twisted up every time she orgasmed. The way she tasted on the tip of my tongue. The way she shivered and shook, opening up to me and snuggling tightly against my body.
Still seeking me out.
Even in her tired state.
“I love you,” I whispered.
She giggled. “I love you, too, Max.”
I kissed her shoulder. “No matter what happens, never forget that. Okay?”
She paused. “Okay. I won’t.”
“Good.”
I felt her shuffling around in my arms until she twisted herself around. But her eyes didn’t meet mine. Instead, she tucked her head into the crook of my neck, seeking any way out of this situation. It broke my heart. As much of a strong front as she had up, I knew she was petrified. And all because of me.
“I promise you I'm getting you out of this,” I murmured.
She kissed my neck. “I don’t want out if you’re not at my side.”
And my fear was that she meant every word of that statement.
Because if a woman like her wanted to die at my side, it made my job harder trying to save her life.
26
Dani
Every time my heart skipped a beat, I had to take in a shaky breath. But my heart wasn’t skipping because of Max. I mean, my legs were shaking because of him. My hands were trembling because of him. The weakness I felt in my gut was because of him. Not my heart skipping beats, though.
Those were nerves.
“Breathe with me,” he murmured.
I nodded softly. “Okay.”
I felt his chest expanding against my own, so I drew in a breath through my nose. I let it in slowly, focusing on my chest meeting his in the middle. I felt our hearts intertwine. I felt his hand venture to the dip on my waist. And as he clamped his thighs down against my leg, he whispered, “Now, out.”
I heard him counting mindlessly and I followed every order. I breathed in when he did, and out on the counts he created for me. I felt my heart settle back into place, but only for a moment. Because the second I stopped the breathing techniques, it would happen again.
“It’s okay. I’ve got you, gorgeous.”
I sighed. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me. I can’t--”
He wrapped his arm around my back. “You’re nervous, Dani. It’s normal to be nervous in circumstances like this.”
Yeah. No shit.
I wondered if Max felt the same way I did. I mean, I didn't feel his heart skipping beats. But that didn’t mean he was all right. I pulled my face out from the crook of his neck and found his eyes. He winked at me, and it tickled my cheeks. Only for a second, though. I let my fingertips dance over his body. They gravitated up his torso and along his shoulder until I felt them touch down against his cheek. He felt safe. He felt like home. And the idea of having that ripped from me gave me more anxiety than I knew what to do with.
“On the count of three. Ready?” he asked.
I nodded. “Okay. I’m ready.”
“In through your nose. One, two, three. Out, two, three. In, two, three. And out, two three.”
A sound at the head of the bed startled me and I jumped. I pushed away from Max and leapt up, standing with my feet planted into the mattress. My knees were bent. My hands were up. I had my fists balled up as I started clocking all of the weapons I could see.
The lamp on the table to my right. The knife in the pocket of my jeans on the floor. The--
“Dani,” Max said curtly.
I swallowed hard. “Are they here? Is this it?”
I felt his hand against my shin. “Dani, get down here. Everything’s okay.”
“What was that sound? It was very loud. Is there someone in the room next to us?”
“Remember the plan, Dani. Your fear is clouding your mind. Push through the fog and remember.”
In, two, three. Out, two, three. In, two, three. Out, two, three.
I felt my fists relaxing as I slowly sank back to the bed. Max wrapped me up in his embrace as he sat up, his back falling against the headboard. He pulled me into his lap and pressed my head against his shoulder. And as the adrenaline coursing through my veins slowly ebbed into nothingness, I closed my eyes.
“The guys,” I murmured.
He kissed my forehead. “Exactly. The guys. Don’t be startled about sounds on either side of us. You know who’s there.”
I breathed out hard one last time before I opened my eyes. Good. The guys were here. That meant we weren’t alone. I felt my nerves abating a bit, but not much. I mean, just because some of the guys were holed up in the rooms beside us didn’t mean Benji wouldn’t come with backup. And lots of it. For all we knew, he’d roll up with an army and we’d only be six or seven strong.
Please let this work. Please let this work. Please let this work.
“Are you cold?” Max’s voice pierced my thoughts.
“What?”
“You’re shaking. Are you cold?”
I shook my head. “No. I don’t feel cold.”
He pulled the comforter over us anyway. “Here. Just try to hold still and focus on your body.”
“Kind of hard when death might greet us at the door.”
He paused. “Have you spoken with your family at all?”
“Yeah. I have. I mean, since we’ve gotten out of the hospital, yes. I talked with Dad this morning.”
“How did that go?”
I snickered. “I asked him for space and he practically cursed me for it.”
“I’m so sorry for putting you in such a bad spot with your family.”
I shook my head. “It’s not your fault, Max. I made these decisions of my own volition.”
“I’m not so sure about that.”
I peered up at him. “What do you mean?”
When he didn’t look back at me, I started moving myself. I straddled his lap. I sat up, feeling our naked pelvises pressing against one another again. I cupped his cheeks, making his eyes look deeply into mine. And as he heaved a heavy sigh, I stroked his face with my thumbs.
“What do you mean by that?” I asked.
He chewed on the inside of his cheek. “I just get the feeling that--”
“That…?”
He rolled his eyes. “Sometimes I wonder if I’ve forced you into this life with me. If maybe you thought you’d lose me if you didn’t come along with me. So you did it just for that reason.”
“What if I did?”
His face fell. “Did you?”
“I don’t want to lose you. Ever, Max. Why is that a bad thing?”
He shook his head. “I should’ve known better. I should’ve known better than to have forced you into something--”
“Now, wait wait wait wait wait.”
His eyes closed. “I forced you into this, didn’t I?”
“Max, look at me.”
“I don’t know if I can.”
“I’m telling you to look at me.”
His eyes slowly opened. “What?”
I snickered. “How did we go from me sticking by your side so I wouldn't lose you to you forcing me into this? Because I’m pretty sure the only person who’s pointed a gun at me is your father.”
I felt him tense. “My father did what?”
I blinked. “Max. He got me into a chair and tied me to it. How do you think he did that? Because he sure as hell wasn’t going to put his hands on me. Not without a fight.”
He shook his head. “You’re insane, you know that?”
“And you know you wouldn't have me any other way.”
“I’m worried that I’ve forced you into this.”
“You never once held a gun to my head and told me to make this decision or die. If anything, you’ve done everything you can to convince me that I’m better than this life. And look where it’s gotten you.”
I slid my pussy against his cock, rocking against his body. He grunted with joy, his eyes flashing with fire.
I grinned. “It’s gotten you right where I want you.”
He smirked. “Where you want me.”
“Exactly.”
I pressed my lips against his softly and his arms cloaked my back. I felt his cock slowly coming back to life beneath me as he quickly rolled me over. I giggled before his tongue filled my mouth. I felt him rake it along the roof of it, puckering every hair against my body. I wrapped my arms around his neck, feeling how ready he was to slide back inside me. And as my legs parted for him, his lips fell to my neck.
“You know, I’m not exactly the sort of guy that parents want their daughters to end up with.”
I giggled. “Who I end up with--oh--isn’t up to them. And I’m--shit.”
He nibbled my shoulder. “You’re what, gorgeous?”
I sighed. “Ready for you.”
“Uh uh uh. Tell me what you were going to say.”
He poised his cock at my entrance, but didn’t push forward. Even if I bucked, he pulled back. Teasing me. Taunting me. Hanging me off the edge. My eyes fluttered open and my nails dug into his back. His eyes blew wide with darkened desire as I licked my lips, ready to accept the whole of him again.
“I was going to say that I’m tired of living a life where every choice I have is made by me for other people.”
He kissed the tip of my nose. “So what’s your next decision, gorgeous?”
Better now than never. “I’m going to drop out of school.”
“What?”
I bucked against him, ready to make love to him once more. But he pulled away. And not just pulled away, but he sat back on his haunches, with his cock falling back into place as my words completely demolished the mood.
“Max?” I asked as I sat up.
He blinked. “Say that one more time.”
I swallowed hard. “I’m dropping out of school.”
“One more time.”
I smiled. “I’m dropping out of school.”
“That’s what I thought you said.”
I studied his face. “Why don’t you look happy with me?”
“Because I’m not, Dani. Why the fuck would you drop out of school?”
“Because I don’t want to be in HR. I don’t want to be some human resources officer or whatever for the rest of my life. Just like I didn’t want to be a pharmacist like my father.”
“Then find something else. You’re smart, Dani. Incredibly smart. Why the hell would you throw that away for something like this? For someone like me?”
Confusion washed over me in waves. What the hell was this man talking about? He looked disappointed with me, which wasn’t the reaction I was expecting. I watched him turn around. He turned his back to me and sat on the edge of the bed. And it wasn’t until he started tossing my pants and my shoes to me that I understood what he was doing.
He was getting dressed.
“Max, what in the world?”
He stood. “You’re not dropping out of school.”
I snickered. “Did you not hear a thing I just said?”
He whipped around to face me. “You’re not dropping out of school, and that’s final.”
“Isn’t this the kind of thing you pulled with Benji? Not allowing him into your crew? And look where it’s gotten him. Look where it’s gotten you!”
He pointed at me. “You’re different. You're not like him. You’re not like any of us. You can choose a different degree. You can choose any path you want.”
“Which is why I choose this.”
“Any path but this one.”
I pulled on my shoes. “Great. So I can make any decision but the one you don’t want me to make? Funny. You’re starting to sound like literally everyone else in my world.”
“Maybe they’re right.”
“And maybe you’re not the man I thought you were.”
His back straightened. “You want to try saying that again?”
I stared him down. “If you really can’t see where I’m coming from right now, then you’re not the man I thought I’d fallen in love with. You’re not a man at all. And I’d proclaim it from the rooftops if necessary.”
He blinked, but he didn’t say anything.
“I don’t want to work in HR. I don’t want to be a pharmacist. I don’t know what the hell I want to be. All I know is that this is the normal track for people. High school, college, career. But it’s not what I want for my life. All of this with you? It’s made me realize I want more than mediocrity. More than average. Meeting you made me realize I never want to settle, Max. I want to change what feels right.”
He blinked. “And what’s that? What feels right to you?”
I didn’t skip a beat. “You, Max. You feel right.”
He shook his head. “Dani, I can’t--”
I took his hands in mine. “You feel like home. You feel like goodness. You feel like every dream come true and every good future that could have ever come my way, all wrapped up into one. You are my future. You and whatever this life brings for us. And if--out of all this--you’re the only thing left? Then I’ve still gotten exactly what I wanted.”
“I can’t let you lose everything.”
“If I lose you, I lose everything. Life isn’t about degrees and societal norms and social classes. It’s not about parties and events and massive dinners and holidays. Life isn’t about any of that shit. Life is about who you love and how you spend time with them. It’s about having them in your life through thick and thin. Always. You’re my everything. Not school. Not my parents. Not some bullshit roommate who thinks she’s my friend when she really knows nothing about me at all.”
“Your family and your friends are important.”
“But not as important as you. And if you think for one second you can stop me from dropping out, you’re mistaken.”
He growled softly. “I don’t like this.”
I shrugged. “That’s your prerogative. But when all of this is done, if I still have you, I’m going to be just fine.”
“You deserve better than fine.”
“Then I’m going to be fantastic. Perfect. Set for life. However you want to phrase that.”
He sighed. “I love you too much to watch you lose everything.”
“Funny how you think I had everything to begin with.”
He shook his head before he pulled me against his body. He wrapped his arms around me, holding me tightly as my hands slid up his torso. They fell against his heart and I felt
it beating rapidly. I placed my ear against it and sighed with relief, listening to it beat with strength and fervor and passion.
Then Max kissed the top of my head.
“I love you, Dani.”
I smiled. “I love you too, Max. No matter what comes our way. Okay?”
He kissed my head again. “No matter what comes our way, gorgeous.”
27
Max
As I stood there, holding Dani in my arms, I saw lights flash against the wall. I whipped around with her still in my arms, listening as she gasped. She pulled away, but I pulled her back. I clapped my hand over her mouth as she started talking. And as my eyes peered through the blackout curtains over the window, she pulled my hand away from her mouth.
“Door. Now. I’ll stay on the bed,” she said.
I nodded as she pulled away from me. I watched her in my peripheral as she sat on the bed, away from the window and out of sight. She scooted up to the headboard, curling into a ball to try to keep from being seen. Playing right into the plan we had established.
It took a few seconds to get my feet to move.
I was worried about the fear gripping my gut. I’d never been this scared in my entire life. The idea that one bullet could end my entire future made me quake in my boots. And I had to find a way to gain control of my fears.
In, two, three. Out, two, three.
I silently timed my breathing as I reached the door. I peered through the peephole, trying to figure out what the fuck was going on. I looked back over at Dani and saw her staring at me. She looked as if she were about to move, so I held out my hand, silently commanding her to stay put.
The lights on the vehicle that drove up hadn’t turned off yet. I peeked back through the peephole, just to make sure I had my bearings. I heard the softest footsteps on either side of me, with my men prepping themselves in the adjacent rooms. It was the only thing that gave me hope as I studied him on the other side of the door. That short stature. Those broad shoulders. That ratty-ass leather jacket and those black jeans with holes in his pants.
