“No! I mean… I hadn’t even thought about… I mean, I don’t know enough—”
Maximus interrupts my babbling with another chuckle. “I’m just messing with you.”
“Oh.” Bastard. My tummy takes that moment to growl loudly in the silence.
“We should get you fed,” he says, dropping a kiss on the top of my head and shifting me off him.
“Could I have another quick shower first?”
“Certainly. I won’t join you this time, otherwise we’ll end up back here. I’ll go down to the kitchen and find you something to eat.”
“All right.” Part of me is disappointed we won’t be having sex again but when I move to get out of bed, my sore muscles protest and I realize it might be better to give my body a little break.
I don’t wash my hair again, instead I just lather and rinse my armpits and between my legs. My dress is still on the bathroom floor where I left it, and even though I’m loath to put it back on, I don’t have any other options. It will be good to get home so I can change.
When I enter the kitchen, Maximus is sliding a couple of toasted sandwiches onto a plate. “I hope you like cheese and tomato,” he says, pushing the plate towards me.
“I do.”
“I’d give it a moment, they’re probably hot.”
“Thank you.” The glass of water he sets in front of me is welcome and I take a huge gulp.
“Will you be all right here for a few minutes? I thought I’d shower and clean up myself up while you eat,” he says.
“Sure.”
“Your phone should be charged by now, too.”
“Thank you,” I say again. “Um… Sir?”
“Yes, pet?”
“Do you have anything for me to wear?” I indicate my rumpled dress. “Anything more comfortable?”
He grins, and I realize for the first time that he has a tiny dimple in his left cheek. “I’ll see if I can find something. Back in a few.”
I watch his broad, naked back disappear through the doorway and take a bite of my sandwich. It’s delicious, and I realize just how hungry I really was. Before I’ve even realized it, I’ve eaten both toasties and drained my water. After taking the plate and my glass to the enormous double sink, I go to where my phone is charging and pluck it from the pad.
I have a couple of messages—one from my sister, asking why I haven’t called her back yet, and one from Zeke.
You can’t hide from me forever.
What the hell is this guy’s deal? I’m more angry than afraid. Regardless of what Maximus says, I know Zeke, and his bark is way worse than his bite. Still, it’s better if Maximus doesn’t see that latest message. It will only fire up his weird overprotective streak again. Clicking the screen off, I shove my phone into my bag.
“These are probably a bit big for you but they should do for long enough until we get to your place,” Maximus says, tossing a bundle of clothing my way.
It’s a dark blue t-shirt and a black pair of sweatpants. “Thank you,” I say, stripping off my dress and pulling the t-shirt over my head. It feels good to be wearing something clean.
Maximus is watching me as I get changed, and the dark hunger in his eyes makes my lower belly clench. Will I ever not want him? The sweatpants are far too big but they have a drawstring so I can cinch them around my waist.
“Gorgeous,” he says. It’s then that I realize he’s wearing a suit.
“Are you… going to work?”
“After I’ve taken you home.”
“Oh.” It’s all I can think of to say. The wave of disappointment I feel is as overwhelming as it is ridiculous. To hide it, I indicate my bare feet. “I can’t remember where my shoes are.”
“Probably upstairs. I’ll go get them.” He can move insanely fast when it suits him, and once again I’m left alone in the kitchen, staring at my little bag on the marble counter. So this is it then. He’ll take me home and go on to the club. It’s just as well, I tell myself. I have to work tomorrow, and I’ll be no good to anyone if I spend all night with him. Even though I slept for the better part of the day, I’ll need to get at least some rest if I want to keep my job.
“Here you go.” Maximus has reappeared as quickly as he had gone, and he sets my sandals at my feet. I put them on and lay my dress over my arm. “Ready to leave?”
“Sure.” Before I follow him into the garage, I glance around the kitchen one last time, wondering whether I’ll ever see it again. Somehow, I doubt it.
“Oh, did you get your phone?”
“Yes, thanks.”
I wait for him to ask me if there were any messages but he remains silent, leading me into the garage and opening the passenger side door for me before getting into the driver’s seat himself.
The atmosphere between us has changed slightly. I can’t put my finger on how, or why, but there’s a lump in my throat I can’t deny as he pushes the remote to open the garage door and we head out into the Arizona night.
17
Maximus
Sabina is essentially silent for the duration of the drive, gazing out the window and chewing her bottom lip. I’m tempted to reach into her mind to see what she’s thinking but that would be taking unfair advantage. Sometimes, not using one’s special powers is more difficult than using them.
Once we’ve reached Club Toxic, I park and get out with her, walking her to her car without being asked. “I think Felix will be pleased to see you,” I say, trying to make conversation.
“I’m sure he will.”
She looks adorable in my clothes, even with her makeup smudged and that sulky expression on her face. “Are you going to come into the club?” I ask.
Turning to face me, she gives me a long, measured look, then indicates what she’s wearing. “Like this?”
“No, but we could make a quick stop at your place, you could get changed—”
“I have to work tomorrow. I need to get at least a couple of hours’ sleep before the morning.”
“It’s still early. You could visit the club and still get some shuteye.” I wonder why I’m so desperate to keep her with me. Why not just let her go home? As much as I want to lie to myself and say it’s purely because I’m worried about her safety, I know there’s more to it. I enjoy her too much. I don’t want to leave her side.
“No, thank you,” she says stiffly. “I’m not really in a clubbing mood. And I should spend at least some time with my cat before leaving him again.”
“Have you received any more text messages?” I finally ask the question which has been eating at me ever since she retrieved her freshly charged phone.
A tiny pause. Then, “No.”
I know she’s lying. But she’s a grown woman, and even though we’ve played, she’s not officially mine. At this point, there’s nothing I can do. Gods, but I hate feeling helpless. “Promise me you would tell me if you did? I worry about you, Sabina.”
“You don’t need to worry. I can take care of myself.”
She’s as infuriating as she is pretty. “Pet, I don’t know what I’ve done to upset you, but please let’s talk about this.” I hate feeling like I’m begging but I don’t want us to part this way. If I can’t spend more time with her tonight, I want to see her again as soon as possible.
“You’ve done nothing to upset me,” she says. Lying again. “I’m just tired.”
“What are you doing tomorrow after work? I just realized I don’t even know what you do.”
“A veterinarian’s assistant,” she says curtly. “And I don’t know. I don’t have any plans.”
“I could pick you up. We could do something.”
“I’ll think about it.”
“Give me your phone.” I use my dominant tone and she flinches.
“Why?”
“Unlock it and give it to me. I want to give you my number.”
“I can put it in myself.” She fishes her cell out of her little bag and taps the screen a few times. “Go on.”
I’m f
ully aware that she’s doing this on purpose, that she doesn’t want me to have the phone because she’s received another message, but at this point I don’t know what else to do about it. I give her my number and pray that she’s putting it in correctly.
“Thanks,” she says, fishing out her keys and sliding her phone back into her purse. “I’ll let you know.”
Unable to stop myself, I grab her shoulders and crush her lips with my own, kissing her greedily. She’s rigid for a second but then relaxes into my arms, her mouth opening, yielding to my tongue. Her little nipples harden against my chest, poking against my sweatshirt, and I catch a whiff of fresh arousal. When she lets out a moan, I wrench myself away.
“Drive safely,” I tell her. “Do me one favor and text me when you get home.”
“Why?” Her eyes have gone dark with desire but now they’re wide with suspicion.
“So I know you’re safe.” And so I have her phone number.
She lets out a little snort. “You don’t think I’m capable of driving home?”
Gods but I want to shake her sometimes. “That’s not what I said. I just… look, I’m still worried about your ex lurking around. Like I said, I know his type. Please just do that for me. One little message.”
Sabina rolls her eyes. “All right. Anyone ever tell you you’re overprotective?”
I flash her my most disarming grin. “All the time.”
She turns to get into her car, reaches to open the door, and I resist the urge to give her round ass a quick slap. Once she’s seated in her shabby old Explorer, she rolls the window down. “Have a good evening,” she says.
“You too. And think of me when you go to bed. No coming without permission.”
A flicker of something I can’t identify flashes across her eyes but it’s gone in an instant. “Good night, Maximus.” Without waiting for a response, she fires up the engine and pulls away from the curb.
I watch her car until the taillights have disappeared, a sinking feeling in my gut. I don’t know where she lives. I don’t have her phone number. I don’t even know her last name.
I don’t care about my clothes, they’re easily replaced. But she holds all the cards now. If she decides she never wants to see me again, I’ll never be able to find her, and I can’t stand that thought.
How did I allow that to happen? I’m used to being the one in control, both in and out of the bedroom. It’s like my ability to think rationally flies out of the window when I’m around her.
Suppressing a sigh, rubbing the back of my head, I make my way toward the entrance to the club. There’s the usual line of people waiting to get in and I prowl right past them, barely acknowledging my colleagues at the door.
My phone is burning a hole in my pocket as I wait for Sabina’s text. How long does it take to drive from here to her place? Did she ever say?
I should have jumped back in my car and followed her home.
But as I said: rational thought. Reason. Gone.
Several people greet me as I head down the stairs to the lower level but I only mutter curtly in reply. My thoughts are with a tall, blue-eyed girl with a Roman name and the sweetest blood I’ve tasted in a century.
“Maximus!” A flushed, willow-thin brunette grabs my arm.
I blink and slowly her face swims into focus. Gods but I’m distracted. That is not good. “Leann, what can I do for you?”
She’s a regular at Toxic, a sweetblood who’s addicted to playing with—and being sipped on by—vampires. I’ve enjoyed her myself more than once. “Do you know that guy over there?” Leann indicates a man standing in the shadows close to the bar. He’s wearing a dark suit and it’s impossible to guess his age from this distance.
“Can’t say I do,” I say honestly. “Never seen him before.”
“He’s a vampire though, right?”
“He is.” We can always sense our own kind.
“Well, I’ve agreed to play with him. Will you please look out for me?”
“Out here or in a booth?”
“Over there.” She points to the farthest public play area from us; a spanking bench with restraints.
“Of course,” I tell her. “Just let me know when you’re about to start. Come find me.”
“Thank you. It shouldn’t be long.” She turns and strides back to the man in question, her scarlet, skintight dress emphasizing her narrow hips. I can’t help but compare her boyish ass to Sabina’s plumper, rounder one.
Get a grip on yourself, Maximus. You have a job to do.
My phone vibrates in my pocket and I snatch it out, flicking it on to see a text from Sabina: I’m home safely, Sir.
Grinning, beyond relieved to at least now have her number, I text back two simple words.
Good girl.
Sabina
It’s been a long day and the sun is only now beginning to set.
Last night, after I got home, I made myself something to eat, took a hot bath, and played with Felix before dropping into bed, exhausted.
But before doing any of those things, I texted Maximus. It was against my better judgment but the reward—his reply—was instant.
Good girl.
Funny how two little words can have such an effect on a girl. On me, anyway.
When at last I dropped into sleep, I dreamed of him. I woke up wet and aching, but there was no time to do anything about it as I had to hurry to get ready for work. I don’t know whether I would have otherwise. He told me not to, and I seem to be obeying his orders for reasons I don’t quite understand.
I was distracted all day at work, my mind constantly on the tall, dark, handsome dom who makes my knees buckle when he kisses me. He did that intentionally last night, before letting me go outside the club—giving me a reminder of just how easily he can make me melt.
On my lunch break, I saw he’d texted me: I want to see you again tonight. Let me come over. My body reacted instantly to the thought of seeing him again, of feeling his touch, so like a drug. With my heart hammering against my ribs, I replied, telling him yes and giving him my address.
Only now, as I pace back and forth in my den, watching the sky slowly darken, am I second-guessing my decision.
I didn’t want it to seem like I’d made too much of an effort, so I’m wearing black yoga pants and a pale blue halter top. My nipples are already stabbing against the cotton. I showered, shaved, blow-dried my hair and put on some makeup—but not as much as I would if I were going to the club. I don’t know whether he’s on duty tonight. He made no mention of it. And even though I’ve been thinking about it all afternoon, I haven’t decided whether I’d accompany him if he were.
It’s not just because I have to get up early for work and can’t be gallivanting around until the early hours on a weeknight. It’s because of what he said about Toxic being full of vampires. The owner being a vampire. What had Maximus called him? Lucius. The sire.
Sometimes I still wonder whether I’m just dreaming all this.
Despite Maximus’s fears, I haven’t heard another word from Zeke. I’m refusing to respond to him so he’s probably gotten bored. Thank god. Him continuing to harass me would be a complication I don’t need.
Realizing that Maximus won’t be getting here for quite some time, as he likely doesn’t even awaken before dark, I go to my little kitchen and open a bottle of Merlot. Pouring myself a large glass, I take it to the sofa and curl up.
Felix jumps up to join me, his purring like the distant rumble of thunder. I scratch between his ears with my free hand as he lies down beside me.
My phone rings. It’s still on the kitchen counter, where I left it, and I curse as I scramble to get to it in time. My sister’s name is flashing up on the screen and I realize I had promised to call her.
Crap.
Feeling guilty, I slide the button to answer. “Hey Lissy,” I say.
“Are you avoiding me?”
“No! No, I promise. Sorry, I’ve just been busy.”
“You live alone.
No kids. No man. You only work until five. How busy can you be?”
I roll my eyes. Sometimes she behaves more like my older sister than my little one. “You’d be surprised,” I say drily.
“I wanted to ask whether you’re free for dinner tomorrow night. I’m having a few people over. You dumped that Zeke guy, right?”
I don’t like where this is going. This is not the first time she’s tried to set me up with someone under the guise of inviting me to dinner. It’s always a complete disaster. Either she’s trying to find me a man, or she needs to borrow money. Sometimes it’s both. “Yes, but—”
“Great, then I’ll see you tomorrow. Eight sharp.”
“Lissy, I haven’t—”
I stare at the phone. She hung up on me. I’m tempted to call her back and give her a piece of my mind but there’s no point. She’s wild, reckless, everything I’m not. She jumps from man to man, has a huge and unpredictable, colorful circle of friends, and is constantly getting herself into situations she needs rescuing from.
I’m just the idiot who cleans up her messes. It’s been that way ever since we were small. Part of me resents it. I’m the eldest, so I’ve always felt responsible. And it was fine when we were kids with no parents. But now she’s thirty. Surely that’s old enough to start taking care of herself?
I’ve just slumped back onto the couch when my doorbell makes me start.
Maximus.
Felix, always curious about visitors, trots along by my feet as I go to open the door. Sometimes he behaves more like a dog than a cat.
Maximus is standing there clutching a bunch of flowers, sinfully gorgeous in his usual suit. His intent gaze takes in my yoga pants and top and he raises a dark eyebrow. “Are we staying in?” he says by way of greeting.
“We didn’t discuss specific plans. I can always get changed,” I say defensively. “Are those for me?”
“Yes.” He hands me the bouquet.
“Thank you. Please come in.” As he steps over the threshold, I look down to find Felix so I can introduce them, but he’s vanished. “Would you like anything to drink? Coffee? Tea? Wine? I might still have a beer in the fridge. I just need to put these in some water.” I’m babbling, suddenly filled with nerves, unsettled by the way his proximity turns my core liquid.
Her Vampire Addiction (Midnight Doms Book 9) Page 12