Tears glisten in her eyes. “You lied about who you are. You shipped me off like I was nothing after weeks of… after making me feel wanted and?—”
“I know.” My voice drops. “And I remember every second. The way your tight little pussy clenched around my cock when I told you who you belonged to. The way you moaned my name when I took you slow and deep after. None of that was fake. It was the only genuine part of my life.”
She bites her lip, fighting the pull between us. The chemistry is still there, crackling even in this sterile cafeteria. “Ben’s furious at both of us.”
“He has every right. But I told him the truth—I love you. I want a real future. No more contracts. No more secrets I can avoid. I’ll explain the Kedrov side as much as I safely can. Just… let me prove it.”
She doesn’t answer right away, but she doesn’t pull away when I reach across the table and take her hand. Her fingers tremble in mine.
“Come back with me tonight,” I say softly. “Or let me stay near you. I’ll sleep on Alex’s couch if I have to. I’ll grovel for as long as it takes. Flowers, explanations, whatever you need. You’re not my sugar baby anymore. You’re the woman I’m going to marry if you’ll have me.”
Her breath catches. The spark in her eyes, the same one from the auction night, flickers back to life beneath the hurt. “I don’t know if I can trust you yet,” she whispers.
“Then let me earn it. Starting now.” I lift her hand and press a kiss to her knuckles. “Please?”
She hesitates, but then nods.
Real hope settles in my chest, but I know the battle isn’t over. I still have to explain the Kedrov world and rebuild what I damaged with my fear.
But I’m no stranger to playing the long game, and this time the stakes are higher than ever, but I’m never letting go of her again.
CHAPTER 11
SYDNEY
The cafeteria air lacks oxygen after Max’s words.
His hand still holds mine across the table, warm and steady, that familiar possessive grip that makes my body remember everything, even as my heart hesitates. My mind spins as it tries to process all the information.
Ben is awake. Max spoke to him. And now this…confessions in a sterile hospital basement while Alex’s enforcers hover discreetly nearby.
“I don’t know if I can trust you yet,” I whisper again, but my fingers curl tighter around his anyway. The chemistry hasn’t died. It crackles under my skin, pulling me toward him like it did that first night at the auction.
“I will earn back your trust, I promise.” Max’s dark eyes lock on mine, intense and unyielding. “Come home with me to our home. No more hiding. No more secrets.”
I should say no. I should demand more time, more explanations. But the exhaustion of the last few days, the relief of Ben wakingup, and the aching emptiness I’ve felt without Max win out. I nod.
The drive back to the penthouse is quiet, charged. Max keeps one hand on my thigh the entire time, thumb stroking possessive circles.
When we step inside, the familiar space hits me hard. The windows overlooking the city, and when I enter the bedroom to drop off my bag, the bed where he claimed me night after night.
Max follows steps into the room, cupping my face with both hands. “I was a bastard for sending you away the way I did,” he says, voice rough. “I was terrified, Sydney. Terrified they’d hurt you to get to me. And terrified of how much I love you. I panicked. I’m so fucking sorry.”
Tears slip down my cheeks. “You made me feel like all those nights where you made me feel… everything were just a transaction.”
“I know.” He rests his forehead against mine. “Let me remind you what’s real.” His kiss starts tender. Soft lips explore gently, like he’s afraid I’ll pull away. But when I melt into him, it deepens, and I can feel the hunger burning inside him. How much he wants to claim me.
His hands slide down my body, pulling me flush against him. His I erect cock pushes hard against my belly. The familiar heat floods between my legs. “Max…” I breathe against his mouth.
“Tell me you want this,” he murmurs. “Tell me you’re still mine.”
“I’m scared.”
“I’m here. All of me.” He lifts me effortlessly, carrying me to the bed and laying me down like I’m special to him, precious.His eyes never leave mine as he strips off his shirt, revealing the muscled chest I’ve traced with my fingers and lips so many times.
He undresses me slowly, reverently, kissing every inch of skin he exposes. When I’m bare beneath him, he pauses, drinking me in. “So fucking beautiful. This body has haunted me every second you were gone.”
His mouth descends on my breasts, sucking one nipple deep while his hand palms the other. I arch into him with a moan.
