by Emily Bex
He smiled and relaxed for the first time all evening. “Whatever you wish for is yours, my angel. Tomorrow is perfect. I’ll make it a perfect day for you. I'll meet you at the gym. We’ll leave from there. I can't wait to be with you again. I hope you feel the same.”
“Of course, Max, I’ve just been waiting for the perfect time. Alec thinks I’m heading into New York City for a fitting for the wedding dress. How ridiculous is this affair? He thinks I’ll be gone day and evening, he won’t notice my absence. He’ll be too busy, but we must be careful, Max. He still has those baboon warriors watching me. I never see them, but I know they’re there. So, meeting me at the gym is perfect, that is a normal place for my car to be seen. Oh, Max, I’m so excited to just be free of all this and be with you.”
“I have so much to show you, my angel. Until tomorrow then. I love you, Rissie. I hope you know how much I love you, and what I can give you he can't. Sleep well, dream of me. And I’ll dream of you.”
“Yes Max, sweet dreams, until tomorrow.”
Hanging up with Max, she quickly dialed another number and set the plans in motion for the potion to be stolen tomorrow. It had been an hour since Alec had gone down to his office. It was time to work her magic on him.
Knocking as she opened the door, Rissa approached his desk. “Alec, I don’t wish to interrupt, but I’d like to go to New York City tomorrow. I just finished talking to the designer. He has sketches and fabrics ready for my approval and I need to check them to have the dress ready in time. May I please go tomorrow, Daddy? Baby girl wants to be beautiful for you on our wedding day.”
Alec cringed as she called him 'daddy'; it was a name he only expected to hear when she was on her knees with her ass in the air. He suppressed his anger as he growled back at her, “Go. By all means, go”
She cringed at his tone. Oh, don’t you think I won’t! “Thank you, Alec.”
She fumed off to bed. Oh, I will definitely have the time of my life tomorrow, in the sun, sand, and water, and anything else I damn well please.
72
As the sun came up, Max teleported into the gym parking garage, ready to meet Rissa. With any luck, this would be a one-way trip and he’d keep her with him forever. He saw her in her car, waiting for him as he touched down. He walked to the driver's side window and tapped lightly. “Ready, my angel?”
Rissa had been waiting impatiently, wishing he would hurry. She was so anxious to be away from everything here, including Alec. The tapping on the window made her jump slightly. Turning her head, she saw Max, gorgeous, rugged, the opposite of Alec in every way. Jumping out of the car, her eyes scanned the parking garage before she answered him. “More than ready, Max. Do you have the potion? I can’t take chances.”
“My angel, I'm not in the habit of carrying a glass of Midnight everywhere I go. As soon as we get to my island, you can drink, and you’ll be safe. I assure you. Now hang on to me, and let me show you what can be yours.”
She grabbed Max around the neck and cuddled into him. She couldn’t remember ever teleporting much with Alec. She reveled in being in Max's strong arms as they surrounded and protected her. She could feel how much he loved her. His body felt so warm against hers. “Let’s go, Max. Please take me.”
Max chuckled. “Oh I intend to take you, my angel, in more ways than one.” He teleported them from the garage and out of the hustle and bustle of D.C.’s traffic and honking horns, and away from the throngs of tourists. It didn’t take long before they were out over the Chesapeake Bay, then across the Atlantic and straight to the Caribbean and his own private island.
“Look down, my angel. That’s mine. It can be yours as well, to visit, to live there, whatever you wish.”
As they sailed easily over the Caribbean, she looked across the sky and its smog-free splendor, the dolphins jumping in the waves below, and wondered what the hell she ever saw in D.C. Looking down to where Max pointed, she took in the lush tropical vegetation and the white sand beaches surrounded by pure blue waters so clear she could see the coral reefs beneath the surface.
“That’s yours, Max? Put us down! I want to run in the sand!” Laughing, she kissed him.
“Patience, my angel, we have all day, or the rest of our lives, your choice.” He landed outside his home. It was an ultra-modern design, all steel and glass, so there was a view of the ocean from every room.
“And this, my angel, could be your home, one of many, of course. I wouldn’t subject you to the schedules of Congress. We could go where we want, whenever we want. Do you like it? If not, I’ll tear it down and build whatever you want.”
Her eyes took in the luxury. She saw nothing but beautiful skies and ocean in every direction. She heard nothing but the songs of tropical birds and the waves crashing on the beach. She turned to look at him. “Max, tell me I’m not dreaming?”
“Come inside. See your home. It’s all for you, my angel. This is the living room. You can open the window wall, just slide it, and you will always feel the ocean breeze in your hair. You’ll have staff to wait on your every need.”
The room was all white and reflected back the beauty of the light, and the floor to ceiling windows allowed the ocean view to take center stage. As she took in the view, he poured them both a glass of Midnight and added the potion. He joined her at the window and handed her a glass.
He clinked the edge of the glass in a toast. “To us, my angel. To an eternity of us.” He watched as she smiled and drank down the glass of wine and potion.
She quickly swallowed down the wine then slid the massive doors open, leaning out and breathing in the sweet, ocean air and feeling it blow through her hair. Closing her eyes, she imagined being here forever and her heart sang. Spinning on her heels, she ran to him and wrapped her legs around his waist, kissing him deep and long. “Max, I love it here! I love it.”
He relished her happiness. It was what he’d been waiting for. Hell, he could have saved himself that nightmare of battle in D.C. and just brought her here in the first place.
“Come with me. Let me show you our bedroom, where we’ll sleep and make love, when I’m not making love to you on the beach.” In the bedroom, where the window wall was already open, the sheer white canopy danced in the breeze that blew across the bed.
Alec never took her anywhere like this. He never did anything romantic. Sitting on the edge of the bed, she stared out at the ocean and felt as though her life choice had been the worst decision she’d ever made. She had left Max a long time ago, and perhaps that was the biggest mistake of her life, walking away from him. He truly loved her, always had and now she thought of all the years she wasted when she could have been as happy as she was in this moment. “Max, when did you do all of this?”
“I did this for you, angel. When I knew I’d made a mistake by letting you go. I know you don't understand, but turning, it’s not to be taken lightly. I’ve never turned a mortal. It’s an awesome responsibility, and the mortal doesn’t always survive the turning. In hindsight, I can see my error. But at the time, I felt it better to let you go. But make no mistake. I never stopped loving you. I thought you’d leave my world... find a mortal husband. But then, when you went to Alec, it almost destroyed me. I’ve regretted the decision every day, and I can't go forward without you. Not another day, my angel.” He took her hand and led her out onto the open balcony. “Look, right outside your window, we step out into our own paradise.”
His words mimicked her thoughts and she wondered if they truly were meant to be together. She tried desperately not to think of what could happen if she chose Max over Alec. But Max would never make this an easy choice for her, and there were things that pulled her to Alec. That blood bond couldn’t be broken, even in death, and she had bonded herself to both of them. Max offered her everything Alec couldn’t, the gentleness and the romance her heart craved. He would hold her and love her, and expect nothing in return. But would he still allow her independence?
No master ever let their mate have complet
e independence, but Alec gave her more than most. She didn’t think Max would be so generous. He would insist on having her around, knowing her whereabouts. Squeezing his hand, she turned and laid her head on his chest and sighed.
“Max, I never knew it could be like this. I knew you loved me, but when you refused to turn me, I thought you didn’t love me enough.”
He led her back inside the house and through the bedroom.
“I’ve always loved you. I know the position I’ve placed you in. I just hope that, in your heart, you know where your true happiness lies.” He was well aware of her inner conflict.
“I love being in your arms, Max, they make me feel safe. I love how I feel right now as if nothing bad could ever touch me and I’m just happy and free. I want to feel like this every day.”
“Every day, my angel, I’ll protect you above all others. Now change. I assume you brought a swimsuit? If not, no worries, there is no one here to see you other than me.”
Kissing him, she stepped inside the bathroom and quickly slipped into a black bikini. Strolling out, she saw him staring out at the ocean. He was her strong, rugged, warrior master, the ultimate dream for any immortal woman. “Your angel is ready.”
Max turned and took her in. She was his now. This would be their life. This is what a warrior fought for. He reached out to her and she walked to him. Max lifted her in his arms and carried her outside to the beach that lay at their doorstep. “Your own private paradise.”
He set her down gently on the sand. “I have more to show you, my angel. Before you go running off into the surf.” But the words were hardly out of his mouth before she ran for the water and lay down in the surf line, letting the waves crash over her. He laughed with joy at her happiness.
As he approached, she stood in the surf and splashed him then took off running, throwing her head up to the glorious sun, laughing as if she’d just found her wings.
Max chased after her, letting her run ahead, watching her hair fly and listening to her laughter. He caught up to her, reached out and grabbed her arm, spinning her around so she faced him. He placed his hands on either side of her face, her blue eyes gleamed in the sunlight, and he lowered his mouth to hers, kissing her as she deserved to be kissed. Not with savagery, but with love and passion.
She felt the kiss from Max in her heart. She returned the kiss and it made her body sing, ache for him. She remembered the long nights of making love, how sweet and gentle he was with her, how he adored just touching her, and she loved him. She never thought she’d love another.
“Max, I love you. I forgot what this felt like, to be kissed for no reason, to be loved for being me.”
She said the words he’d been waiting to hear. He knew she’d not forgotten how it was with them. He picked her up and she wrapped her legs around his waist as he walked with her into the ocean, letting the waves wash over them, and feeling the heat of the sun on their shoulders.
“And I love you, my angel. This will be our life every day. This will be our life.”
She was lost in the moment, lost in him, thinking of a life she craved, and she pushed Alec and D.C. far from her mind. She didn’t care about tomorrow; she just wanted this, right now, here with Max. She fought the pull of her heart that told her this was wrong, and was a betrayal to her mate, her maker. Max was here and now.
“Max, I wish this had happened before, this feeling I have now, I wish I had known we could be like this, that you loved me like this, but I didn’t know.”
She leaned back into the water with her legs still wrapped around his waist. She untied her bikini top as he watched, feeling his eyes burn into her, but it was Alec she felt in her veins.
Max watched as she let her body float on the surface with the soft rise and fall of the waves. He watched as she tossed her bikini top aside. He felt himself grow hard for her, and he slid his hands up her back, supporting her body as her hair fanned out in the water. She slowly lifted herself upright and wrapped her arms around his neck. He carried her back toward the seaside cabana he’d built just for her, where they would make love for the first of many times today.
With her lips at his throat, her tongue slid across the soft pulsing of the veins in his neck, running her hands in his long wet curls, tugging softly on his hair. Her breasts were wet and slippery against his chest as the sun beat down on her back, firing her body.
“Show me what’s in my future, Max. Show me what every day will be like.”
Max carried her up the steps of the cabana and into the small bedroom. He slid off his wet clothes and she pulled the small thong bikini down her hips and let it drop to the floor. “I’ll show you, my angel.”
He picked her up and laid her on the bed as he crawled over her, his hair hanging down around her face. “I’ll show you everything.”
He leaned down and kissed her, feeling her arms slip around his neck as her legs went around his hips, pulling him down. He felt her hunger, her desire. “You’ll never want again, my angel. You’ll know you’re loved every day.”
He was so unlike Alec and she remembered how it once was, how she spent every moment wanting him, needing him and he gave her back everything she needed except eternity. She wanted him to show her again, this was for her, and he wasn’t using her to gain more territory or power, not some ulterior motive like molding his public persona.
She pulled him to her, her hands stroking his wide muscular back, his arms so hard with muscle. His abdomen was toned and sleek, and his face was rugged beauty. His dark curls hung down and dripped droplets of water on her face, and she licked the drops as they fell. His male musky scent was animalistic, and his skin was sun-kissed. Letting her nails slide up his chest, she drew a heart with her nail over his left nipple and then slid her tongue in the heart shape her finger just etched and felt him growl softly, passionately.
Max closed his eyes and took a deep breath, willing himself to go slowly, but she made it difficult. With his weight on his elbows, he lowered himself on top of her, ran his hands through her hair, letting her feel the hard steel between his legs as it pressed against her soft belly. He lowered his head to hers, and kissed her lips again, soft kisses, biting at her, drawing her bottom lip into his mouth, licking at her lips, teasing both of them as he drew out the moment.
She could feel him hard against her. She was already wet and ached to have him buried deep inside her. She wasn’t used to this foreplay and she struggled to control the urge to go faster. She wiggled beneath him, pushing her hips upward to him in agonizing want and need. “Max, please. Such sweetness and I need you.”
He felt her body move beneath him, and he slid one hand from beside her face and let it trail over her shoulder, and across her breast, her slender waist and her rounded hip, where he squeezed hard, but not enough to cause pain. She wouldn’t feel pain from him, but he squeezed hard enough to claim her. Hard enough to communicate, this is mine now. He rolled off of her and moved his mouth from her lips to her breast, where he sucked her sweet nipple into his mouth, rolling his tongue over it, feeling her arch her back. He slid his hand between her legs, to find her wet and waiting, and he slipped his fingers inside her and listened to the moan that escaped her lips. “Angel, my angel. Tell me what you want.”
For Rissa, the pleasure he gave her was in some ways more painful than what Alec inflicted on her. The sweetness of it melted her. His lips and soft beard felt like heaven against her breasts, it tickled and tantalized her even more. She knew he wanted her, to be inside her and he was holding back. She wanted to feel him pounding her hard and sweet, showing her how much he wanted her.
“Take me, Max, show me. I want to remember...” Grabbing his ass, she sank her nails deep while she bit into his shoulder hard enough to draw blood. She licked the small beads of blood that rose to the surface of his bronzed skin and her body felt electric as his blood hit her tongue and she moaned so loud the walls seemed to echo with her need. Taking his blood was the ultimate betrayal. Alec might be convinced to
forgive her for the sex, but he’d never forgive her for taking his blood, and eternally bonding herself to Max. “Max!”
He lifted himself over her, pushing her thighs farther apart with his knees as he slid his hand under her waist, lifting her hips up to him as he sank his cock deep inside her with a single stroke. He heard her gasp, and he moaned with the pleasure of that sweet tight grip around his cock. His head thrown back, his eyes closed, he focused on the feel of her as he began to rock his hips against hers. She matched his rhythm, slow at first, letting his cock glide its full length in and out of her. He felt her hands slide down his back and grip his ass, her nails biting into his skin. She wanted to be ridden and ridden hard. He pulled at her thighs until she wrapped them around his hips. He slid both arms beneath her and crushed her to his chest as he thrust hard into her. He lowered his head so it was beside her face and growled deep from his chest. “I love you, my angel. Stay with me. Cum with me. You’re mine now. Mine.”
He knew how to pleasure her. She gripped a fistful of his curls and pulled him to her neck as she came hard with him buried inside her. She screamed loud, holding nothing back.
She was lost, for she could no longer feel where she belonged, or who she belonged to. Her heart splintered into pieces. She knew she would lose one of them as her body shook from the violence of the orgasm. Rissa pulled him to her neck, turning her head to the side, giving him full access to all of her. It was the final betrayal of Alec, letting Max drink her blood, that sacred union of one mate to another.
Max sank his fangs deep into her and drew deep, tasting Alec and taking in the power of a rival masters’ blood, swallowing the blood as his cock responded and throbbed deep inside her, releasing into her, filling her, as he rode her harder. He unlatched and threw his head back and growled as he heard her screams, and every bird on the island took flight. The cabana rocked with the motion of their lovemaking, and his cock emptied completely into her. He collapsed forward, kissing her gently before rolling off of her, lying beside her, his heart pounding, and gasping for breath. He ran his finger down her forehead and nose, and across her lips, to her chin. “My Rissie. It’s just like it was before, and how it will be again.”