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“Next time? Next. Time. Are you kidding me right now, Maxim Malone?”
He winced. He blamed his slip-up on his blood loss because, typically, he wouldn’t have made such a mistake.
“I just meant that if there’s ever trouble, which is unlikely, you’ll need my brothers’ numbers so you can call them.”
“That’s what they said too,” she muttered.
They had?
“Maxim?”
“Yeah.”
“Even if I’d had your brothers’ numbers, I still would have done what I did.”
He stiffened. “What?”
“They were at least fifteen minutes away. I was right there. You . . . you didn’t have fifteen minutes.”
No, he hadn’t. That didn’t mean he wanted his girl getting mixed up in shit that he couldn’t protect her from.
Then something else occurred to him. She’d been awake at three in the morning when she’d seen him being attacked.
“Baby, you couldn’t sleep?” he asked softly.
“No. No. Nope. You do not get to go all sweet on me now, Maxim Malone! You can’t go from telling me you’re going to spank me to speaking to me in that voice. If it wasn’t for me, you might be dead!”
“I had it handled.” Yeah, he wasn’t so sure of that. Not once they’d stabbed him.
“You did not have it handled you . . . you arrogant toad!”
Ooh, she was getting wound up. She was gorgeous when she was angry. But she still had to learn that he was in charge of her safety. And he would never allow her to put herself at risk.
“You can argue all you like, baby. You’re still getting that spanking. Because, at the end of the day, you aren’t to put yourself in danger for any reason.”
“Not even to help you?”
“No. Not even to help me.”
“That’s . . . that’s bullshit.”
He reached up and cupped her cheek, wincing slightly at the movement. Her eyes narrowed and he knew she was about to lecture him again, so he pressed a finger to her lips.
“My life wouldn’t be worth living if something happened to you, baby. I don’t ever want you to get hurt.”
She heaved out a breath, her face softening. He moved his hand back to her cheek, cupping it.
“I don’t want you to get hurt either,” she told him.
“I know you don’t. And I’m glad you care about me. But I need you to understand something. You are more important than I am.”
She gaped at him again.
“Baby? You all right?”
“Uh, yeah, just wondering what to say to that . . . that load of codswallop.”
“Codswallop?”
“Yes, Maxim. Codswallop.”
“Is that even a word?”
“Yes, it’s a word. It means bullshit.”
“Then why not just say bullshit?” he asked, deliberately winding her up.
“Because I’m trying not to swear!” She raised her hands in the air. “While still trying to impress on you that what you are saying is bullshit! I am not more important than you!”
“Baby, you are.”
“Why?”
“Because without you, I don’t think I’d want to keep breathing.”
She stared at him in shock. “Maxim . . .”
“And because I’m a Malone. And I’ve told you this: Malone men take care of their women. Therefore, you are more important than me. Your safety is important. If you put yourself at risk, then you get your ass spanked so that the next time you go to put yourself in danger, you’ll remember that spanking. And then you’ll remember the man who gave it to you. And you’ll remember that man thinks you’re the most important thing in the world. Because you are his world.”
Tears dripped down her face.
“Shit, baby. I didn’t mean to make you cry.”
“It . . . it’s too soon to say those things. Who says things like that? People don’t say them. Men don’t say things like that.”
“You think I’m going to get my man card revoked for saying things like that?”
“What? No!” She gave him a fierce look. “And if anyone tries, they’ll have me to answer to.”
He laughed, then groaned, placing his hand on his side. “Fuck, whatever drugs they’ve got me on, they aren’t good enough.”
“I’ll get the doctor. Shoot. I should have gotten him straight away instead of losing it like I just did.”
“No, you shouldn’t have. You did exactly what you needed to do. You needed to get that out, and I’m glad you did.”
“Maxim, you need to stop,” she begged. “We haven’t known each other long enough for you to say such lovely things.”
“I have to know you a certain amount of time before I can say nice things to you?” he asked.
“Yes,” she told him.
“Baby, I’ve known you for months.”
“But you don’t know everything about me. There might be things that you don’t like about me.”
“I know you, Rainbow.”
“Not everything,” she insisted.
“I know enough. Now, come here and kiss me.”
“I should get the doctor.”
“Kiss me,” he demanded.
“Your brothers.”
“They don’t want to kiss me. I don’t want to kiss them. I want you to come here and kiss me.”
