Fuck.

That’s even better.

“Most beautiful thing I’ve ever had in my life, Ana.”

“Max,” she cries out, clutching my arms. “I love you, oh God, I love you.”

Happiness, fear, emotion and joy swell in my chest as my balls draw up and I explode into her. “Fucking love you too,” I bellow as spurt after spurt explodes from my body.

I drop my forehead to hers, panting and sweating. She looks into my eyes and we stay like that for a long time.

“Max?” she asks, when our breathing evens out.

“Yeah, baby?”

“Can I keep you forever?”

I grin. “Fuck yeah you can.”

And that’s exactly how I found the girl of my dreams.

CHAPTER TEN

NOW – ANABELLE

I pace by the front door. I’ve tried to ring Max four times, trying to go back on my word, but he didn’t answer. Now I’m nervous. I am worried about the choice I made while my body was still hot for Max. It’s stupid; I need to spin him around as soon as he arrives. I don’t want Pippa to know he’s here. God, what the hell am I thinking?

The pounding at the door makes me snap out of my thoughts and the panic sets in harder. Shit. No, this can’t be happening. I’m a damned fool.

I put my hand on the door handle, taking a deep breath. Just tell him you don’t want it, tell him to leave, tell him that you can’t do this and it’s best for everyone if you just stay apart. I square my shoulders and swing the door open.

I don’t get one single word out because Max steps in, leans down, scoops me into his arms and slams his mouth against mine. All my thoughts fly out the window as he kicks the door closed behind him and kisses me with everything he has. Fuck it. I’ll tell him tomorrow. I kiss him back, hungrily, and he starts striding towards the hall and then stops. “Where’s your room?” he growls.

“Second left.”

He walks to the door, shoves it open and then kicks it closed behind him, freeing one hand to lock it. He walks me over to the bed and drops me down on it, bringing his massive body over mine. He keeps kissing me, grinding his hard cock against my core as he devours my mouth. He rotates his hips, knowing exactly what I like, knowing me better than anyone else.

“Stop, we need to . . .”

He doesn’t let me finish; he takes my hips in his hand and tilts them up, rubbing his jean-clad cock harder against my aching sex. Fuck. Dammit. Screw his skill.

“You got something to say, Blue Belle?” he grunts into my ear.

“F-f-f-fuck you.”

“Oh, you will be, baby.”

He starts rotating his hips again, stopping any argument from escaping my lips. I whimper and thrash against him, trying to stop the friction but loving it so damned much at the same time.

“You never could say no to me,” he rasps in my ear as he grinds against me.

My pride and determination jump forth. His words, instead of turning me on, make me irrationally angry. He’s assuming that the moment he comes running, I can’t say no. And dammit, he’s right. The moment he talked dirty to me, I gave in and forgot about everything else. I close my eyes and clench my jaw, ignoring the way his hard cock rubs over me so precisely. He knows exactly how I need it.

“Being stubborn won’t help you,” he murmurs into my ear, lifting my leg and tilting my ass so he can grind faster.

I say nothing, trying to keep my breathing steady as his picks up and he starts panting. It feels good for him; I know it does. He runs his lips over my jaw and I shiver, but I refuse to let him get the better of me. I won’t come, even if it kills me. I think about the most awful things I can, and I fight to stop the pleasure rising hard and fast inside me.

“Fuck, I need to taste you.”

He moves quickly, lifting his big body off mine. Before I know what’s happening, he’s got me bare and exposed before him. He kneels on the bed, staring down at my pussy. His jaw is tight, his fists are clenched, but his eyes are lusty. “Fuck, I’ve missed that. Best pussy I’ve ever seen—so sweet, so full, so fucking wet.”

At his words I contract, but I press a hand over my face, covering my eyes. If I don’t look at him in all his glory, he won’t turn me on. I wait for him to lower and devour me with his mouth, because I know that’s what he wants to do, but he doesn’t. After a few minutes, I lift my arm and see him staring at me, fully naked now, hard cock in his hand. It was dark earlier tonight, so I didn’t get a good view of him.

Now I can see it all.

Tattoos cover his big chest and run down his left arm and halfway down his right. He’s got one under his belly button, and a few on his thighs. Holy shit, he never had this many. He always loved them, but I didn’t realize he had gone so crazy since I left. He’s got two nipple rings, which I didn’t notice earlier, and his cock is exactly as I remember it, long and thick, hard and jutting.

He looks like the meaning of danger, kneeling on my bed, stroking his dick. His eyes are black and his jaw is so tight I can see the thick, corded muscles there. I can’t help but take him in, putting a new picture in my memory bank to add to the countless ones I have of him. I stare, trying to see the man I married, trying to see the boy I fell in love with, but this man, he feels like a different person.

Yet I still want him more than I’m willing to admit.

“Why were you covering your eyes?” he says, his voice low and thick, full of lust.

“Because if I can’t see you, then I don’t have to accept that I’ve really allowed myself to be so weak by letting you in my bed. I shouldn’t want . . .”

My words are cut off, because Max backs off the bed. Then he surprises me because he does something I don’t expect—he actually flinches and his eyes flash with pain. Holy shit, my words hurt him.

“I didn’t . . .” I try to say but he jerks his jeans on, hands trembling.

Oh my God, he’s hurt.

I sit up quickly and scurry off the bed. “Max, I didn’t mean it like that, I just . . .”

He puts his back to me. Fuck. Shit.

“You know what?” he says, his back to me, his voice icy. “You can go and get fucked.”

I flinch. “Max,” I choke out. “I didn’t mean it like that.”

He spins, glaring at me, but I don’t miss the glassy look his eyes have got, or how they’re slightly red at the sides. Full of emotion.

“Didn’t you?” he spits. “Fuck me, I don’t know why the hell I came back here. What did I honestly expect from you?”

“You can’t possibly mean that,” I say, my voice trembling. “Jesus, Max, do you honestly think I would just forget everything you did to me?”

“Because you’re so fucking perfect, aren’t you?” he roars.

I take a shocked step back. His voice is loud and terrifying.

“I did what I had to do . . .”

“No.” He laughs bitterly. “You gave up on your husband and hid his child from him.”

His words shock me so much I just stand there, speechless.

“Yeah,” he grunts. “But you’re so fucking perfect aren’t you, Blue Belle?”

“You told me you didn’t love me . . . you were drinking and gambling and you shut down . . .”