AllFreeNovel
Share Us
In moments, he had two plates on the butcher block-top island, bowls of fresh salad along with them.
“Eat,” he said, waving a finger at the dishes, talking around his first bite of burger.
They ate in companionable silence, enjoying one another’s company, and then he cleaned up the dishes. It was full black outside, and her belly was contentedly full now.
“Thank you, Uncle Max. That was… really good.”
“Since you complimented the chef, I’ll let that slip. Once.”
She planted her palms on the island countertop, leaning over it at him, waggling her eyebrows. “And what happens if I say it again?”
He drained the last of his water, then glared at her a long moment, before dropping his glass in the sink. He strolled out to the living room, slowly shaking his head.
She followed in his wake, surprised he hadn’t called her bluff. “I’d like to know something. Why don’t you like it when I call you Uncle Max? You’ve never told me why.”
He stopped at the threshold to the living room, but didn’t look back at her, his arms reaching for the ceiling as he stretched them. “I don’t think I need a reason.”
“What do you mean? Of course you do!” She put one hand to her side, idly stroking herself, drumming her fingers along the countertop as she leaned against it. “I’ll bet it’s because it makes you uncomfortable.”
Then he did turn back toward her. He wasn’t smiling. “Reading my mind isn’t your strong suit.”
“Being fair isn’t yours,” she shot back. “I was right, wasn’t I?”
What the hell are you doing, Kelsey?
He stalked back into the kitchen then, much slower than he’d left it, his hands on his hips, the posture making the breadth of his shoulders look approximately as wide as the entire country. Heat pooled between her thighs as he came closer.
“Fairness isn’t something I value when it comes to certain things. But you wouldn’t understand that.”
“Try me,” she said, sniffing. “What things? When do you think you don’t need to be fair?”
“Hmm, you’re barking up the wrong tree here.” He cracked a sly grin. “Don’t ask questions you don’t want the answers to.”
“I want to know.” She took a step toward him, her hands on her hips, mirroring him. She was close enough to sense the change in air pressure caused by his proximity, and it made a shiver cascade down her spine.
His nostrils flared. His nose was strong and straight. A trifle large for his face, but not in an unattractive way. Quite the opposite.
“My woman, for instance.”
She tilted her head, trying to hide her surprise. “Your woman?”
“Yes.” He took another step closer. “Fairness doesn’t factor in.”
“It… doesn’t?” The defiant note was draining from her voice as he drew nearer. “What… do you… mean?”
Then he was right in front of her, towering, imposing. The heat from his body was a caress against her skin.
“I mean… when it comes to my woman, fairness doesn’t matter. The only thing that matters.” He reached up, brushing a lock of her hair from her temple and tucking it behind her ear. “Is her doing as she’s told.”
Oh, my God.
She was so wet now, new panties were definitely going to be needed soon. But she wasn’t about to back down. “You didn’t answer… my question. What happens if I say it again?” She peered up at him. “Uncle Max.”
His big hand gripped her throat, not brutally so, but firmly enough to make her gasp. She backed up, frantic, pushing along the island countertop to find purchase, but he moved with her every step of the way, keeping her off balance, his eyes boring into her, the brilliance in his gaze alluring—and a little dangerous.
Then her ass collided with the cold metal of the refrigerator, something inside falling with a muted thunk. He pressed up to her, pinning her against the stainless steel, letting her feel the hard length of his erection, jutting against her belly.
She pushed at him, but it was a weak, almost symbolic resistance, and he immobilized her wrists in one of his hands, holding them against her chest, between her breasts.
