Protecting What's Mine: A Security Romance Collection

by Apryl Baker

  There was a moment of silence, then Gutter Mouth let out a loud whistle.

  “Damn, Max. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Max half joked.

  “I get it. I do. Know one thing, though. If you ever fuck up, I won’t hesitate to make her mine.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  Kasper laughed. “If that’s what it takes…I better go, I’m waitin’ for Mother to call me back about Booker. I’ll hit you up later. Give Sloane sloppy kisses from me.” He laughed before hanging up.

  ***

  Sloane

  Sloane woke up to an empty bed. Every muscle in her body was sore in the most delicious way. Except for her shoulder. That pain was real and intense. She wished Max would’ve still been here when she woke up. Spotting his t-shirt on the floor, she picked it up. Pressing it to her face, she breathed him in. She pulled it over her head before going downstairs to find him and some aspirin. She finger combed her hair on the way down the steps, trying to tame the mess. She paused in the kitchen at the sound of his voice. He was outside on the phone with someone. Just before she could walk away, she heard him whisper something that made her immediately stiffen.

  “Charlie.” Max rubbed his hand through his hair. “It was a mistake. One I don’t intend to make again.”

  Oh my God. No, this couldn’t be happening. Max made love to her all night long. He couldn’t be on the phone confessing to Charlie that it was all a mistake. Sloane couldn’t breathe. She was frozen in place.

  “Hell no, she isn’t my girlfriend. I needed a release, she was willing. End of story.”

  Pain ripped through her heart. She fell to her knees, and the cold tiles bit into her skin. She could hear his voice, but the words were completely lost to her now. She had heard enough already.

  Unwanted sobs wracked her. Brody’s betrayal hurt, but Max had successfully destroyed her. She gave him everything she had to give last night. Her heart and soul were his and she was nothing more than a willing release for him. She thought he was different. She actually believed they had something special starting. She was a damn fool.

  Pissed at herself for giving so completely, Sloane picked herself up off the floor. She felt used and dirty. She had to scrub him off her skin. Scrubbing him from her heart wasn’t going to be nearly as easy, but she knew it had to be done. Sooner rather than later. She wouldn’t waste years giving her love to a man who threw it back in her face. No. Never again. She couldn’t bring herself to enter his room again, so her bra would have to stay where it was. Sloane sent Bella a text message.

  Sloane: Need you now. Please hurry.

  The water burned her sensitive skin. She scoured every inch of herself with a loofah. She knew her stitches were soaked through, but she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything else. At least she remembered to take off the bandage before getting under the spray.

  Her pale skin looked red and angry by the time she was done. She didn’t care. Her skin could bleed and she’d still scrub him away. Dressing quickly in jeans and a t-shirt, she started filling her suitcase. She made sure she had all of her belongings, sans bra that still remained somewhere in his bedroom. She wasn’t sure what she would say to him when they came face to face. The only thing she was certain of, was that she would not cry.

  Sloane decided that she would pretend like everything was fine. She would act like it was no big deal. Act like her world wasn’t crushed. She would not let him see her broken. That’s what she was, broken. She refused to run away again. This time she would make it clear that she was leaving and didn’t need him to look after her. Max was pouring coffee into an oversized mug when she reached the kitchen.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” He grinned at her. If not for overhearing his conversation this morning with Charlie, Sloane would have melted then and there for him.

  “Hey.” She smiled back, knowing full well it didn’t reach her eyes. Max retrieved another mug. He filled it before handing it off to her. “Thank you.”

  “So…” He crossed his ankles as he leaned back against the counter. His sexy smile never faltered. “What do you wanna do today?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I already made plans for today. Bella should be here any minute.”

  “Sure, no problem. I just thought we would spend the day together.”

  “That’s nice of you, but I know you’re probably sick of being cooped up here with me. I’m going to go to the apartment today. I have to get it cleaned up. I’m not sure if I’m going to stay there anymore, but regardless I can’t let the mess go any longer.”

  “You’re leaving?” He sounded surprised.

  Perhaps most women didn’t want to walk away from him the next morning. Then again, they probably knew it was just sex and nothing more before they put their heart into it. If she meant half as much to him as he meant to her, she wouldn’t want to leave either.

  “I think it’s time. We both knew this was temporary. I appreciate everything you did for me, Max.”

  “Sloane, it still isn’t safe.”

  “We don’t know how long it will take to find this guy. I can’t hide out here forever.”

  Against her better judgment, Sloane walked toward him. She took his face in her hands. Looking into those beautiful eyes, she almost chickened out. She knew that if she fell into his arms again it would only hurt even more when he was the one to end things. She could feel the tears trying to pool in her eyes. She pressed her lips to his gently once, twice, before withdrawing to meet his gaze again.

  “Thank you for everything, Max. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.”

  They could hear Bella honk the horn outside. Sloane placed her hand on Max’s cheek one last time before grabbing the handle to her suitcase. The wheels clicked on the tiles as she pulled it behind her. A tear escaped, rolling down her face as she descended the deck stairs. She could feel Max’s eyes on her. She refused to look back. She had to get to Bella before he could see her fall apart. She threw the suitcase in the back seat. Taking her first deep breath since coming face to face with Max this morning, she sat in the passenger seat next to Bella.

  “Drive.”

  With the house—and Max—in the rear view, she slumped in the seat, burying her face in her hands. She stopped trying to be brave. She didn’t need to hold it together any longer. Bella was here with her. She would help Sloane through this. She knew she wasn’t dying no matter what her shattered heart believed.

  The car ride to her apartment was made in sweet silence. Her cousin would want to give Sloane her uninterrupted attention when she told her sad story—Bella wouldn’t want the distraction of driving. That was just fine by Sloane.

  Entering the apartment was surreal. Glass still littered the floor in various areas and there were black smudges all over where the police had dusted for fingerprints. She had a big cleanup job ahead of her. She welcomed the distraction. First things first, though.

  “Sloane, honey, what happened?” Bella asked once they were safely locked away from the world.

  “I thought he was different. I thought we had a connection. Oh Bella, I fell in love with him. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Everything seemed fine last night. Better even. Tell me what happened,” she urged.

  “We made love. Multiple times. Until we were both too exhausted to move. It was amazing. Earth shattering, mind blowing, like nothing I’ve ever experienced kind of amazing, Bella. I gave him everything. I held nothing back for the first time in…I can’t even remember.”

  Sloane’s tears continued streaming down her face. She couldn’t stop them if she tried. She dropped to the floor in front of her couch. Bella lowered herself to sit next to her.

  “That sounds incredible, Sloane. I knew you two would be perfect together. So what’s with the water works?”

  “This morning I woke up alone. Even so, I was so happy. I put on his shirt and went to find him. He was outside on his phone, Bella. He was whisperi
ng like he didn’t want to be overheard, but I heard him.” Sloane hugged her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. She was gasping for air trying to get the rest of the story out. Bella rubbed her back, waiting patiently. She knew Sloane would get there; she just needed a minute.

  “I heard him say ‘Charlie.’”

  “Oh no!” Bella pulled Sloane into her arms. “Maybe he was—”

  “No, Bella, don’t make excuses. He told her I was a mistake. He told her I was nothing more than a willing participant for his release. I gave him my heart and I was nothing more than a warm body to him. I feel like a goddamn fool,” she yelled. Her heart was breaking all over again as she recounted the story out loud.

  “That can’t be right, Sloane. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “I had to get out of there.” Sloane ignored her comment. “I need to focus on putting my life back together. A new job, a new apartment, a new life, Bella. That’s what I need, starting right now.”

  “Well then, let’s start getting this place packed up and make some calls.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Max

  It had been over a month since Sloane walked out of Max’s life. She moved from her apartment and changed her cell phone number. He didn’t know what had happened. Why did she walk out on him? They had just started something incredible. He felt her absence every day.

  Foster and Gutter Mouth would only confirm that she was all right. The few times he saw Bella, she scowled at him before leaving the room. That was something she had never done before.

  What the hell? Did he do something wrong with Sloane? He replayed the last 24 hours they spent together over in his mind for the hundredth time. He couldn’t think of one thing except letting her leave. Why did he let her go? After the third day with no word from her, he knew it was over. His heart ached for her. He had never loved anyone before, and he never would again.

  He tried not to think about his heartache as he entered his mother’s living room.

  “Hey, Ma.” He wrapped his tiny mother in his arms. She was small and fragile.

  Her thin eyebrows pinched together as she pulled away from him. “What is it, Max?”

  “It’s nothing, Ma.”

  “Don’t lie to me, boy. I’m your mother; I know when something is eating you. You look like you’re being devoured from the inside out, right now.”

  Max sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I met a girl—it ended before it could really begin, and I don’t know why. It’s got me mixed up inside.”

  His mother looked surprised. “A girl?”

  “Yeah.”

  His mom smiled at him. “Is she pretty?”

  “Beautiful, but didn’t you hear me? It’s over.”

  Her expression sobered. “Why?”

  He shook his head in defeat. “I don’t know.”

  “I’ve never seen you like this over a girl, Max. Do you love her?”

  “Yeah, Ma, I do. I love her.” A wide grin stretched across her face. “Why are you smiling?” Max asked suspiciously.

  “It’s not like you to give up anything without a fight.”

  “She moved and changed her number. What am I supposed to do?”

  Now the crazed woman was belly laughing at him. His own mother. She actually had tears in her eyes, she was laughing so hard.

  “What the hell, Ma?” Max was getting pissed. He came here for a little comfort, not to have his pain laughed at. Especially not by her.

  “Oh honey, I’m sorry, but you’re a private investigator for crying out loud. It’s your job to find people that don’t want to be found. What are you waiting for?”

  “I don’t know what I did to make her leave in the first place. Until I can figure that out, how can I fix us?”

  “All’s fair in love and war. Play dirty. Don’t give this girl up without fighting for her, Max. You’ll never forgive yourself. You’ll always wonder ‘What if’ and that’s no way to live. Understand me?”

  Fight dirty, she says. Yeah, he could do that. Max knew just where to start too. With his resolve in place, he kissed her forehead. “I understand. I’ve gotta go, Ma. I have an idea.”

  “That’s my boy. Now go get that girl back. I wanna meet the woman that stole my baby’s heart.”

  After leaving his mom, Max drove straight to Foster’s house. He was getting some answers this time. He walked with confidence up to the front door. Bella answered after the second knock.

  “Max. What are you doing here? Foster is at work.”

  “I know. I came to talk to you.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  Without waiting for an invitation, Max entered the house just like he had dozens of times in the past. She looked nervous and yet defiant at the same time. She was so cute; it was no wonder Foster was smitten. The wedding was rapidly approaching. Max didn’t want to face Sloane for the first time since she left at the rehearsal dinner in front of everyone.

  “Please, Mirabella. I know she talked to you. I don’t know what I did, but I can’t keep on like this,” he roared. “She just walked away like it didn’t mean a damn thing. I’ve waited weeks for her to tell me what went wrong. I need to know. That woman drives me crazy, but I can’t stop loving her any more that I can stop breathing.”

  Max raked his hands through his hair. He didn’t mean to yell at her, but he couldn’t help himself. A tear slid down his cheek when he raised his head to meet her eyes. She looked shocked. Why did everyone think it was so unheard of for him to feel something for someone? Sure, he never had before, but that’s because he didn’t know Sloane before. She was everything he never knew he’d wanted.

  “I’m sorry, did you say love?”

  “Yeah, I did.”

  “Whoa. Stop right there and let’s take this step-by-step. When did you fall in love with my cousin?” Bella put her hands on her hips and waited for him to answer.

  “When? I don’t know, exactly. I knew I wanted her the moment I saw her. I knew for sure, without a fuckin’ doubt, before I took her to my bed though. I don’t know if Foster ever mentioned it, but I don’t bring women to my house. There are definitely no overnight guests, ever.”

  “Why is that?” She sounded sincerely intrigued.

  “Someday when I settle down, I don’t want my girl to have to wonder how many women were in my bed, or if I took them on the couch or kitchen floor. I wanted every experience to be new and special.”

  “Then why, Max? Why did you pick Sloane?” Tears were freely flowing from Bella now.

  “Because I love her.”

  “No, Max. Why did you tell Charlie that Sloane was a mistake, that she was just a release to you?” she yelled at him.

  “What the hell are you talking about? I haven’t talked to Charlie since she left the club that night with you guys.”

  “The next morning Sloane heard you on the deck. You were whispering on the phone with her.”

  “I was talking to Gutter Mouth. To answer the other question, I wasn’t talking about Sloane, I was talking about Charlie. Gutter Mouth has the hots for Sloane. I told him Charlie meant nothing, that I was in love with Sloane.”

  Max stood up and paced back and forth. He couldn’t believe it. After what they shared that night, she actually believed he felt nothing for her. Was she blind?

  “Call him and ask him if you don’t believe me, Bella. I need her. Please help me.”

  ***

  Sloane

  Sloane had been in her new apartment on the opposite end of town for a few weeks. She had been working ridiculous hours as a waitress at Sully’s, a trendy bar and grill. It was tiring being on her feet all the time, but it kept her mind busy. The less time she had to think about Max, the better off she would be.

  She had thought time would make the memories bittersweet, but time didn’t always heal. Every day she missed him more. She had to stop herself from wondering what he was doing. Or who he was doing. Her heart couldn’t take the answer.

  Tonight
would be a madhouse. A huge fight was playing on the television screens. She didn’t know the names of the guys beating each other’s face in; however, she knew her tips would be improved because of them. The crowds were already filling in. Normally she welcomed the chaos, but this damn flu was kicking her ass this last week.

  “Hottie alert at your table seven, Sloane.” Donna grinned as she walked past.

  “Great,” she mumbled. The other girls got excited when good-looking guys sat in their areas and flirted with them. Slone only compared them all to Max. Every one of them she found wanting. A lone man sat at table seven. With the menu concealing his face, she began her rehearsed speech to get his attention.

  “Good evening. My name’s Sloane. I’ll be your waitress tonight. Can I get you something to drink to start with?”

  The man slowly lowered his menu. Staring back at her were the same whiskey eyes that haunted her dreams each and every night. She was stunned.

  “Max?” she barely whispered.

  “Yes, you can start by sitting down and talking with me,” he said smugly. Bastard.

  “I’m working, Max. What do you want?”

  Sloane was getting impatient as he sat there smiling. What was he doing here? How had he found out where she worked? Did he just happen to come in here today for dinner by chance? Was he meeting a date here? That last thought soured her stomach.

  “We need to talk, Sloane. Now. I’m not waiting anymore. I’ve given you more than a month. That’s all you’re getting.”

  “I’m not doing this.”

  Sloane turned to walk away. Donna could take his table. She would most likely be in his lap with her tongue down his throat before last call. That’s what usually happened on Fridays and Saturdays with her. The thought made Sloane’s stomach churn even more than some random date showing up…He didn’t want her, but she still loved him.

  She couldn’t sit and watch him with someone new, especially not someone Sloane worked with. She felt the bile rising. Max grabbed her arm, spinning her quickly to face him. Too quickly. The whole world spun along with her. The burning sensation filled her mouth at the same time as her saliva glands decided to work triple time. She threw up on the floor in front of them.