"So where is he?" Her face is full of concern and I feel bad for not bringing him back with me.
"If I'm honest with you Liss, I think he just wanted some time alone. He said he'll call when he's ready and I really believe that he will, but only when he's ready. I know he shuts you out, but maybe that's what he needs. Just a bit of space and time to think."
"What he needs is for people to be there for him. To show him that we care." She snaps and Heath puts a comforting arm around her.
"I'm not saying to leave him forever. Let him have some time alone, and then if he's still being distant, that's when we strike and take action."
"Now I'd love to see any kind of action from you, angel." My head snaps up at the sound of his voice. He looks a little better, but only a little. His eyes are still red, and his whole body language oozes sadness. I really wish I could take his pain away from him. He's already been through enough. It's just not fair.
"What are you doing here?" Melissa asks, her voice full of shock. Her eyes are wide as if he'll disappear at any moment.
"What do you think I'm doing here? I've come to collect what's mine."
"Huh?" She says and Heath laughs beside her.
"Come on you, we're going. If you're sleeping anywhere then it will be with me."
"And he's back." I look at Melissa and smile. Yes, I think he is. My loveable rogue is definitely back, or at least on his way.
"I'll call you tomorrow?" I shout back to her over my shoulder as Max scoops me up into his strong welcoming arms. Oh, how I've missed the feel of those around me.
"Don't worry about it. You two take all the time you need."
"Are you okay?" I finally ask, trying to break the silence that is filling the car. Max hasn't taken his eyes off the road, but his hand is pressed firmly on my thigh, while he gives it a light squeeze from time to time.
"I am now that you're here. I never imagined in a million years that you would fly back over here. I really thought I’d never see you again."
"You came back for me, didn't you?" I remind him.
"I'll always come back for you, angel. It tore me apart when I left, but I couldn't do it. I couldn’t stay there with all this shit going on in my head. Fuck, when I saw Josh I just lost control. I knew that I couldn't be like that around you. The way you looked at me. Fuck."
"I won't lie Max. It was a shock coming into the office to a scene that you only see in the bloody movies. I couldn't give a rat’s arse about Josh. Surely you know that by now? I was more concerned about you and what would happen if he were to press charges."
"Angel, the mind frame that I'm in right now, if he'd pressed charges, he would have been a dead man fucking walking."
"Exactly. That's what I was afraid of. Now that I know what happened, I don't blame you for lashing out. To be honest, you've done me a favour. The prick had it coming to him for a long time. I just feel bad that Amelia had to witness it all."
"Don't you fucking dare feel bad for her. She's had a part to play in this too. Anyone who fucks you over; fucks me over and I won't stand for it. There's only so much a guy like me can take."
"I know, but it's done with. What matters right now is you. I'm here to be with you Max. Just promise me something." I ask
"Anything." I wait until he shuts down the engine and he turns to look at me.
"Just promise me that next time you feel like running, no matter how hard it is, promise you'll talk to me first?"
"I'll try. That's all I can promise right now Jess. I'll do everything that I can to fucking try. But right now, you need to get to bed. In our bed, right where you fucking belong."
There's no way in hell that I'm about to argue with him. I've needed sleep for a long time, and having him beside me is the perfect end to a horrendous couple of days.
"This place has been horrible without you Jess." Max says as he opens the door for me.
"I highly doubt it's been horrible Max. This place is beautiful beyond anything that I have ever seen."
"Without you around, it's nothing to me. I guess you've made your mark on not just me, but my only place of comfort too."
I get a sudden warm feeling in my chest and I reach up and kiss him. "You've fast become my main place of comfort too Max. Stop with the walking away and then none of us will be miserable."
"What the fuck did I do to deserve you? You'll be the death of me one of these fucking days, angel."
"Well, I plan to keep you for as long as possible."
Max
If anyone would have told me three months ago that my life would turn out like this, I would have laughed in their fucking face. Gone is the man who thinks with his dick, well almost but that's only when it concerns Jess. Gone is the man who thought he never needed anyone. If these past couple of months have taught me anything, it's that to rely on someone else isn't a goddamn weakness. It's about finally being comfortable to allow that special someone into your life. Someone that you want to spend all of eternity with. Loving someone is what makes you a man. Loving someone is actually what brings you the most happiness, and Jess fucking Townsend; she's my everything, and so much more. Every time that I've tried to push her away, she's proven time and time again that no matter how much I do it, she will only come back fighting for me, for us, and she will always make us stronger.
Now that's a girl that guys need in their lives, their very own fucking personal cheerleader and I can't stop looking at mine. If she's prepared to fight for you, no matter what you've been through and no matter how you've treated her, to try and protect her, then you need to hold on fucking tight, because you ain't ever going to get anyone like that again.
I sit here watching here sleep peacefully. She looks so angelic the way the lighting is causing a dim glow on her face. How the hell did this happen to someone like me? How, after everything that I have been through, did I end up with someone as perfect as Jess?
The minute her head landed on the pillow, she was out. All I wanted was to jump in beside her, to feel her soft warm skin against me. But I stopped myself, knowing too well that if I were to do that, she wouldn't be getting the much needed sleep that her body demands. Instead, I fight against every male instinct in my body and sit back and watch her. I watch how her chest slowly rises and then falls with each breath and I can't help but smile as she moans my name in her sleep. It's too fucking much. One thing that I am sure of though is that Jess is for keeps and one day, I'm going to fucking marry her.
"How are you doing, dear?"
I walk into the kitchen and Martha is busy making dinner. This woman never stops, but I guess this is what I hire her for, after all.
"Still feel pretty shit, but I'm sure with a bit of time I'll get over it."
"I noticed that Jess is here." I can't help but fucking smile at her name. Yes she is, and this time I'm not going to shut her out. I know deep down that I can get through anything if I have her by my side.
"Yeah, she flew in before so she's just getting some rest."
"You've definitely found yourself a good one there, dear. Hold on to her and make sure you hold on tight."
"Oh, don't worry about that. I fucking plan too." That woman isn’t going anywhere ever again, and I’m sure as hell not going to let anyone come between us.
Jess
I feel so much better after I've finally slept. By the looks of things, I missed most of last night and some of this morning too, but my body feels refreshed and I'm ready to face the day.
I notice Max out on the patio as soon as I enter the kitchen area. He has his back to me, and I can't help but take in his beauty. He's beautiful and perfect in every possible way. Part of me wants to run over to him, to be held in his strong, protective arms, but another part of me holds back. If this is going to work, I need to give him the space that he needs to think. I don't want him to feel like I'm suffocating him as that will only lead to him shutting me out again, and that’s the main thing that we’re trying to avoid here.
He must sen
se me staring at him, as suddenly he tilts his head to the side to look at me. All my worries are erased with just one look. His huge, cocky, sure as hell grin lights up his whole face and he nods his head for me to come over.
"Morning angel."
"Good morning." I say while placing myself in his lap. How I've missed waking up knowing that he's here with me. I don't ever want to go through that again. If it happens again, I really don't think that I'd survive it. I lower my face to his, and gently kiss the tip of his nose. "I missed you."
"I fucking missed you too. I was so tempted to wake you up, but I held back."
"You did? You should have woke me, you know I wouldn't have minded." I turn around in his lap so that I'm straddling him, and I can feel him stir to life below me. A wicked grin dances on my lips and I suddenly feel superior. Superior knowing that I am the one that does this to him. I take his lips in mine again and eagerly seek out his tongue with mine. Being away from him has done all sorts of crazy shit to my body and I'm desperate to be close to him again. I rock my hips back and forth in a steady motion, slowly building up my pace to get some much needed friction between us. Max doesn't waste any time, and soon his hands are exploring my body like he has been deprived of my body for ages. Well, I guess he has going off our standards. It looks like neither of us deal with separation well.
"You want to do this here?" He asks, a little shocked.
"Uh huh?" I moan back at him as his finger lightly skims my nipple over the thin fabric of my vest top. Every cognitive thought escapes me as Max once again takes over my body and utterly consumes me. The feel of his against me, mixed with his heavy breathing causes me to go into overdrive. His tongue slowly works down from my neck to the peak of my breasts where his mouth closes over my nipple. His tongue slowly licks and sucks, which causes an explosion of euphoria to ripple through my body. Unable to wait any longer, I pull my shorts to the side and lift myself up above him. Taking hold of his hot, solid length, I position myself over him and slowly slide down on to him.
"Fucking hell Jess. What are you doing to me?" He moans against my chest.
Once he has completely filled me, I stay still for a moment, allowing my body to adjust to him and enjoying the sensations that take over my body. With my hands fisting his hair, I slowly work my way up and down. I keep my eyes locked firmly onto his and watch how my body is making him feel. He comes completely undone before me, and I don't have words to describe what that does to me. This connection that we have is like nothing I have ever experienced before and there's no way that I ever want it to be broken.
"I'm so fucking glad you're here, angel." He breathes against my neck, while his hands hold my hips firmly in place as he thrusts deep inside of me. Max is a man that likes control and who am I to stop him from doing what he does best. As I get closer and closer to my release, I feel him quicken underneath me. With one hand still gripping his hair, my other holds onto his shoulder, more for support, as he plunges in and out of me with a passion. He stills beneath me as we both ride out our climax. With the hot sun beating down on us, it's safe to say we're both thoroughly fucked and a sweaty mess to prove it, but I don’t think either of us would have it any other way.
Deciding that we didn't need to go into the office today, we ended up relaxing by the pool while I caught some much needed vitamin D. The weather here is far too nice to stay inside, and I guess when you both own the businesses that you're working on, it would be rude not to take advantage of some of the perks.
I'm half awake, half asleep when I hear someone knocking on the patio doors. The first thing that goes through my mind is thank god I've kept my bikini top on. Lifting my head up and squinting a little, I try to make out the person in front of me.
"Oh you've got to be fucking joking." I mutter to myself while pure hate runs through my veins. Even though my sight is blurred from the brightness of the sun, there's no mistaking the vividness of that auburn barnett. Why does she always show up and fucking ruin everything?
"Can I help you?" I snap out, loud enough to make her jump. Her eyes grow wide when she sees me and for a minute she looks like she's lost for words. Now that would be a fucking first.
"Jess." She says as she makes her way towards me.
"What do you want Stella?" No fucking way am I about to make small talk with the queen bitch.
"I was looking for Max. Is he around?" I follow her line of sight as she looks back into the house.
"You've got his number, no? Surely you don't need to make personal visits to see him."
"Jess, what can I say? I'm so sorry."
"You are?" I ask and I don't hide my shock at her sudden confession. "I've gotta admit, I'm pretty surprised you didn't just choke on that word. I can't imagine that it passes your lips often."
"I shouldn't have acted the way I did. It was completely out of order. I can see that now."
Woah. Has this bitch been on drugs recently? No way would the Stella that I know go out of her way to apologise to anyone. "Too fucking right you shouldn't have. What are you actually doing here though? I'm guessing you've got an ulterior motive. That's normally the way you play, isn't it?"
Stella remains quiet for a moment and I can't help but feel amused by her discomfort. It almost makes me feel a little sorry for her, but only a little. Until I remember what a conniving little bitch she really is.
"I, erm... Well, Max sacked me and I wanted to know if he'd reconsider. Like I said, everything just got out of hand. One thing led to another and well, you know the rest."
"He did? He actually sacked you? Well, what do you know? There's actually some fucking justice in the world after all." I feel like running right inside the house, just to dive on Max. I'm so fucking happy with this news. She's had it coming for a long bloody time, and finally, ding dong the bitch is gone.
"I said I'm sorry, Jess. I don't know what else you want me to say."
"There's nothing left for you to say, Stella. You got off pretty lightly in my eyes. No matter what you might think, I'm not stupid. I know that you've been gunning for me since you first saw me. I guess it looks like your little plan of coming between me and Max didn't work, if anything it probably brought us closer together. Not to mention the fact that you actually went out of your way to try and sabotage my career in the process. I'll take my hat off to you though; it must have taken some fucking passion to continue with your little vendetta. Especially when you knew what would have been on the line when you got caught. The funny thing is though Stella, people like you always get caught."
"Jess..."
"I really hope all of your efforts were worth it, Stella. You made it your personal mission to try and turn me into nothing, but look at you; you're nothing now. Isn't karma fucking amazing?"
The silence and the look on her face finally tell me that she bit of more than she could chew with me. Am I sad that she no longer has a job? No, because people like that will always find someone to leech off. Max is mine and will always be mine. I'll make sure that no one ever takes the piss out of him again.
"Could you please let Max know that I stopped by?" She pleads.
"I think Jess has said everything that needs to be said." Max says and his voice is stern.
Max comes waking out of the patio doors, making his way straight past Stella and he crouches down next to me. "You're not welcome in my life anymore Stella. Nothing that you do will ever change that. For you to mess with me is one thing, but for you to deliberately go out of your way to hurt my angel, the only woman that I have ever loved is fucking unforgivable. You’ve made your bed and now it’s time for you to sleep in it.
“Goodbye Stella." I shout after her. “Thank god she’s out of our life forever.”
“I’ll never let anyone come between us again, and that’s a fucking promise, angel.”
I smile at my loveable rogue and for the first time, I just know, deep down that we’re going to be all right.
One year later
"Quit fucking messing,
will you? I snap out on a whisper to Heath. "If you keep it up, you're gonna fucking break it, man."
"It's not staying on straight. What the hell do you expect me to do? Stand here and look like a complete douche? Oh, I get it. You want me to look like a twat so you can laugh at me later? I'm fucking on to you, Wild."
"I'll make you look like a goddamn twat in a minute if you don't fucking quit it."
My hands are clammy and my legs are shaking. The last thing I need is this prick pissing around next to me. Part of me has been dreading this day for most of my life, yet the other part of me is happy, but nervous as hell.
I slowly look behind me and see heaps of people, patiently seated while they wait for this celebration to start. Nausea consumes me as the anxiety kicks in when I realise that today is the day when I finally hand over my balls. Today is the day that I lose all rights to have my say. Well... On second thoughts; not all my rights, but most.
The music kicks in around us and I take a look at my best friend, my side kick and he's facing the alter while still messing around with his suit. When he catches my eye, a huge mother fucking grin spreads across his face. The little fucker knows that I'm struggling here, and he's loving every goddamn minute of it.
"Breathe, man." He laughs, while patting me firmly on the shoulder. I swear, if we weren't stood at the alter right now, I'd knock him clean out.
The hairs stand up on my neck and a cold chill runs through my body. I don't need to look behind me to know that Jess has just entered the building. I can feel her eyes penetrating my back. Like anything where Jess is concerned, I always give in. I chance a quick look over my shoulder and my breath catches in my throat as soon as I see her. No matter how much time I spend with her, I'll never completely get over her beauty. She pulls me up short every goddamn time.
"My perfect fucking angel." I smile to myself, knowing exactly how much of a lucky son of a bitch I am. Shit, I've pushed her away, I tried everything to keep her away from me so that I can keep her safe; but she's always fought through the barriers that I've put up. She's always fought for us, and I'm never letting her go. Not now, not ever.
Down Under Complete Trilogy Box Set Page 49