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Fine. We could stare at each other in stony silence.
You don’t scare me, bully.
Her beautiful face remained mildly amused, immune to my glower. I didn’t bother mirroring her nonchalance. I didn’t hide behind false smiles. I met bullies head-on. Strength was the language they understood best.
After an interminable period of time, Max’s harsh voice punched through the silent tension that’d built between his sister and me. “Jesus, Bambi.”
His long fingers wrapped around my wrist, and my skin tingled where his callouses brushed against my highly sensitized nerves; I’d been on full alert while sparring with Francesca, and his sudden grip shattered my outwardly thorny demeanor.
“Max!” I released his name on a gasp, stumbling after him as he yanked me away from his sister. He pulled me close to his side and tucked me beneath his strong arm. I wasn’t sure if he was shielding me from her or if he was simply intent on dragging me somewhere to berate me privately.
“Let’s go,” he rumbled, pulling me along as he strode away from his family home.
“It was lovely to meet you, Allie!” Francesca called after me, that singsong lilt ending in a delighted giggle.
I stopped resisting Max’s strength and did my best to match his long strides, grateful to get away from his bitchy sister. Withstanding her cruelty had tapped out the little emotional reserves I had left after suffering through so many sleepless nights. I blew out a heavy sigh and relaxed into Max, allowing him to whisk me somewhere far away from his awful family.
Chapter 10
Max
“Where are we going?” Her voice was breathy from the exertion of matching my longer strides, and I couldn’t help but imagine what it would sound like if she gasped my name.
Over the long nights that’d passed since I’d saved her from getting hit by that car, I’d obsessively thought about our moments together: her flashing eyes, those long legs, her desperate grip on my arms as I checked her for injuries.
Fuck, I hadn’t realized the depth of my fixation until I pulled her away from my cruel sister. Now, I was playing out the fantasy again in real time. I had her slight body tucked against my side, carrying her away from danger. Protecting her.
“Somewhere far away from my sister,” I bit out, frustrated with the direction of my thoughts. I should be furious with her for daring to show up at my family home, but instead, I was furious with myself for craving her. “I can’t believe you told Francesca you’re my girlfriend.”
Something hot and possessive burned in my chest, and I pulled her closer. I gritted my teeth and shoved that possessiveness deep down. I had no business feeling possessive of Alexandra Fitzgerald. It was pathetic that I would even react to the idea that she said she was my girlfriend.
I’d spent far too much time obsessing over her, just because she was the first woman I’d touched in years. It was time to cut that shit out. My fixation was bad for us both. Especially since she’d forced her way back into my life. How was I supposed to forget about how soft and delicate she felt in my arms when she gave me no choice but to hold her?
“You really are insane, Bambi,” I ground out. “What the hell were you thinking?”
She stiffened, but I continued to hustle her along, driven to put as much space as possible between her and my sister. If Francesca found out who she really was—Fitzgerald’s daughter—there would be hell to pay.
I had to get her far away from my family, for both our sakes.
“I need to talk to you,” she insisted, as though that wasn’t completely crazy. “You think I wanted to go to your father’s house? I didn’t have a choice.”
I glared down at her. “Of course you had a choice. I promised to leave you alone, and now you’ve decided to come looking for me?” The woman must have a death wish. “How many times do I have to tell you how dangerous I am?”
“Don’t bother,” she retorted breezily, seemingly oblivious to the fact that she’d just put herself in the crosshairs of a criminal syndicate. “You can say it as many times as you want, but you’ll be wasting your breath. I won’t let you scare me off when you’re a threat to my dad. I came to your house to show you something important.”
Her steps faltered, but I refused to stop moving. I had to get her away from my family. They couldn’t know who she was or what I’d done to her. If I’d succeeded in getting the information from her that I’d wanted, I would’ve been celebrated by my family. But I’d failed, and I’d risked us all by pulling Fitzgerald’s precious daughter into this. If my father found out the reckless risk I’d taken, I would definitely draw his ire rather than his respect.
