by Sam Crescent
13
Several days later
“You look different,” her best friend Faye said, her eyes narrowed as she watched Shauna curiously.
She leaned against the flower shop counter, her shirt a size too small and her huge breasts popping. That was the thing about Faye: she was everything Shauna wasn’t.
Gorgeous.
Confident.
Svelte and could have any man wrapped around her finger.
But the thing was also that Shauna didn’t need any of that. She had Maxim and that’s all she’d ever wanted, all she’d ever needed.
And I have that.
Shauna couldn’t help but smile as she started to do a flower arrangement of baby’s breath and roses.
“Oh my God. You got fucked.”
Shauna felt her eyes widen and snapped her head up, looking around the shop and fearing someone had heard. Leave it to Faye to not have a filter.
“Faye, quiet,” Shauna whispered, her face heating, no doubt red as hell. “You can’t say that stuff where I work.”
Faye grinned and pushed away from the counter. “Shit, you really did get boned.”
Shauna covered her face with her hands and shook her head. “You’re making this so much worse.” Placing her hands on the counter, she couldn’t help but laugh as she looked at Faye’s expression.
“Who took it?” Faye was moving around the counter, her voice lower now.
“Who took what?”
She was a foot from Shauna now, invading her personal space, but then again that was her friend in every way.
“Your virginity. Who was the lucky guy you finally gave it to?” Faye clapped her eyes and her eyes got huge. “Was he big? Please tell me he was packing and made it worthwhile.” She sighed and leaned against the counter again. “I don’t even remember when I lost mine, thanks to the bottle of Hennessey I drank at Matt Hershel’s party. You remember that night? God, I was trashed. Ended up putting out to Ricky Taylor in the back of his rusted-out pickup truck.” She wrinkled her nose. “I don’t remember much from that night, but I do remember he was sporting the smallest wiener I think I’d ever seen.” Faye shrugged. “And you remember how he was always bragging about how he was the best lay, how his dick was huge, blah, blah, blah.” Faye rolled her eyes. “Yeah, not even close.”
Shauna felt her face heat even further as she listened to Faye go on and on about sex and dicks, and all of that. She looked around the shop and saw only one person, but that one person looked at Shauna like she’d just sold her soul to the devil.
Mrs. Riddick, the seventy-year-old Sunday school teacher, looked like she’d just been dropped into the seventh level of hell listening to this conversation. She huffed and set down the bouquet of daisies she’d been eyeing, muttering to herself about impurities and disgraceful girls as she hauled ass out of the flower shop.
“Oh my God, Faye.” Shauna looked at her friend. “You just drove Mrs. Riddick out of here. She’s probably praying about the shit she just heard.”
Faye rolled her eyes again. “Listen, sex is a part of life. I mean we wouldn’t all be here without a little banging.” She grinned. “Now, spill it, girl.”
Shauna felt sweat start to form on her temples, her nerves making her blood rush through her veins, and her hands shake. This was her best friend, and she’d planned on telling her about Maxim and their relationship, but she sure as hell hadn’t seen it going this way.
No time like the present.
Taking a deep breath and praying no one came in for a little while so she could get this out, she stared into Faye’s blue eyes. Her blond hair was piled high on her head, but it didn’t look messy. Instead it looked perfect, like always.
“Maxim.” She said his name, that lone word on a breath. For a second Faye didn’t say anything, didn’t even move, then her friend’s eyes widened and shock covered her face.
“Maxim Romonov? Are you serious right now?”
Shauna nodded.
“You mean the mountain caveman who lives alone like a hermit and scares the hell out of everyone when he ventures down?”
She nodded again.
“You mean the same guy who is big and strong, with muscles upon muscles and makes all my girly bits tingle?”
Shauna chuckled. “Yeah.”
Faye leaned in close and dropped her voice to a whisper. “Tell me, is he as big as he looks like he’d be?”
Shauna closed her eyes and groaned. “Leave it to you to say what’s on your mind.”
“That’s what you like about me, though.” Faye grinned.
“True,” she said and burst out laughing. “So true.”
Just then the sound of the bell above the front door dinged, telling them a new customer had entered.
“Don’t think we are done talking about Maxim.” Faye wagged her eyebrows and turned to leave, Shauna standing there grinning. Yeah, she had no doubt that this conversation wasn’t over, especially not with Maxim.
14
Maxim looked over the electrical work that had been done on the animal shelter. Before he ever signed off on having more work completed or finished, he always liked to make sure that everything was done to the best of his or anyone’s ability. His company, his brand, his name, it was all part and parcel of himself. He was the best at what he did, which is why he always, without fail, got the best work.
This job, of course, was free. He was paying for the work to be done out of his own pocket.
No one else would take the job.
He’d heard several construction contractors complain that they didn’t need to waste their resources on a place for unwanted dogs.
He didn’t see them as unwanted. He saw them as dogs that hadn’t found their right place just yet.
It’s not like he was hurting for cash either.
He had a whole lot of it—and besides, he’d always been a dog lover.
Signing off on each of the kennels, he made his way into the main reception area. The walls had been up now for about three weeks, and it wouldn’t be long before they could start to plaster and to build up the room inside.
Glancing to his left, he saw Shauna’s dad touching one of the walls. Her father was as pedantic as he was when it came to building work.
“You okay, Frank?” he asked, walking up to him.
This man was going to be his future father-in-law. He needed to start playing nice.
He and Frank never had any problems before, but then he hadn’t been seeing his daughter before. That could cause a few problems, and he didn’t want to get involved in any other sticky mess.
“They did a good job,” Frank said. “This will be a damn good place.”
“Hopefully families will be more inclined to come in and adopt a dog.”
Prior to the animal shelter being ruined, it hadn’t been in the best condition. He’d driven past the place several times, and if it wasn’t for the huge ass sign right outside, he’d have never known it was for animals of any kind. Of course he’d seen people walking the animals, but he hadn’t really thought about the all-day care of them. The outside had been overgrown, large trees making it next to impossible to spot the entrance.
Then, of course, you had the actual look of the place. It had been in need of a good painter. The only problem was, with animal shelters, a lot of the money was sucked up in vet’s fees and food.
If he hadn’t come by, this place would have been shut down. As it was, he was an animal lover and he wanted to see it thrive once again.
He was determined not to see it fail.
That had been his motto throughout the whole of his life. He’d always been a quiet man, often keeping to himself. His sheer size meant a lot of people avoided him.
People had called him giant, large, huge, all the names that showcased his size. Girls never came near him because they thought he could crush them. Then, as he got older, women were the same, until they heard of his bank balance. After that, they were all over him, apart from Shauna.
She’d always kept her distance, but he saw the way she’d looked at him. The way she watched him.
It was the same way he did her all the time.
She didn’t just look at his size, she looked at more of him, saw more of him. Just thinking about her made him ache. He’d made sure not to go near her for the last couple of days because whenever he was around her, he wanted to take her, to own her, to make her his over and over again. He wasn’t a small man and she brought out all of his caveman instincts. For years he had been taunted about his size and his gruff manner. Shauna, though, only enhanced his need.
She made him hungry and that was why he’d given her a couple of days, so that the next time he took her, she was no longer sore.
“My Shauna wanted to adopt a dog once when she was a little girl,” Frank said, drawing him out of his own thoughts.
He didn’t interrupt even though he knew she’d wanted a dog.
“I wanted to give her the world, but I wasn’t home enough, and she had school. It was too much responsibility for either of us.” Frank gripped the back of his neck.
“You raised a good daughter.”
“I know, but she’s all grown up, and I can have regrets right now. She’s a good girl.”
Frank turned to look at him.
“Don’t think for one second that I don’t know what is going on with you two.”
“Sir?” It seemed like the polite thing to say to Shauna’s father. He was Frank’s boss, but he also wanted to make a good impression.
“You two, dating. I heard the gossip and I get it. She’s all grown up, and I know you’re my boss, but please know that if you hurt her, I’m going to make sure you pay, do you understand me?”
Maxim smiled. He could handle being threatened, especially by Shauna’s father. He had no intention of ever hurting her. He loved her and wanted to make her his wife, to keep her all to himself.
He found himself more often than not imagining her pregnant, stomach swollen with his child, and the thought alone was enough to turn him on.
“Sir, I promise I care about your daughter a lot. She will never want for anything in her life, and I will always be there to take care of her.”
“You’re a good man, Maxim. Thank you.”
Frank gave him a nod, a pat on the shoulder, and he knew without a doubt, he had his approval.
15
Shauna couldn’t stop grinning, not when every time she looked up she saw Maxim staring at her, desire clear on his face. He’d brought her up to his cabin an hour ago and was currently making them dinner.
She sat in an oversized chair, a roaring fire going in the hearth, the sound of steaks sizzling on the pan filling her head, the scent making her stomach growl. Staring at the fire, she watched as the flames licked over the wood. The crackle and pop, blues, yellows and reds, eating at the logs.
The hair on the back of her neck stood on end and she glanced to the left, seeing Maxim watching her once again. He had a beer bottle in his hand, and as he brought it up and took a long drink from it, his focus never wavered from her.
He’d given her a glass of wine ten minutes prior and she’d been nursing it since then. But right now she needed a little bit of liquid courage. Alcohol always seemed to tame her nerves, and although they’d already been together sexually, every time being with him felt like the first.
She felt like this anxious teenager having a bad boy that she’d been lusting after for so long finally paying attention to her. It was exhilarating.
Shauna grabbed her wine glass, finished it off, and then stood, making her way over toward him. He leaned against the counter, his beer bottle still in his hand, his focus trained on her. Shauna’s pulse increased and she felt her heart slam against her ribs.
“Your father knows about us,” Maxim said, and everything in her body stilled at those words.
“W-what?” Why was she so nervous? She was a grown adult in a serious relationship. Why was the very thought of her father knowing she was with Maxim so nerve-wracking?
“Don’t get so nervous, baby.” He had the beer bottle set on the counter and had her in his arms seconds later. She rested her head against his chest, hearing his heart beating steadily. It calmed her. “Your dad’s job is fine, if that’s what you’re worried about.”
His voice rumbled in his chest, spearing right through the center of her body. She pulled back and tipped her head up to look in his face. “I’m not worried about that.”
“What are you worried about?” He lifted his hand and smoothed it on the back of her head, pulling her in close again so she was forced to rest her head on his chest. But it was no problem, not when she felt safe and secure in his arms.
Closing her eyes and exhaling slowly, for long seconds all Shauna did was listen to the beat of his heart.
“I guess I’m just concerned that my father had an issue with it, which would then cause conflict at his job, which would be pretty shitty given the fact you’re his boss.” She didn’t move from her place, and Maxim didn’t respond right away. He kept stroking the back of her head, taking strands of her hair and gently playing them through his fingers. Chills raced along her spine.
“You don’t ever have to worry about your father’s job being in jeopardy.”
“What about if something were to happen between us, with our relationship?”
This deep sound left him.
“That won’t ever happen either.” He pulled her back again and stared in her eyes. “I meant it when I said you’re mine.”
He leaned in and kissed her deeply, passionately … breathlessly. The very air left her, her heart palpated, and the world tipped on its axis.
All over one kiss.
He broke away, turned off the stove, and before she knew what he was doing, he had her in his arms. She gasped, squealing in surprise and delight at the sudden motion. He started striding to the bedroom.
“What about the food?”
“There’s plenty of time for that, baby. Right now I’m hungry for something else.”
“Yeah?” She hummed in approval, her body lighting up, her arousal so strong she couldn’t catch her breath.
“Yeah, baby, and I’m about to get my fucking fill.” He kicked the bedroom door open and had her in the center of the bed seconds later. “I’m going to devour you.”
Yes. Yes, he certainly was.
16
After a month of dating Maxim, Shauna felt like an entirely different person. There was a spring in her step, and she was happier than she’d ever thought possible. Maxim was everything, and that was no joke either. He was sweet, sexy, kind, loving, and everything in between. Of course, he was a recluse and their times spent up in the cabin were the best.
They didn’t have to worry about any interruptions because he made everything perfect for her. With all the time she’d spent with him in the past month, she hadn’t had much time for anyone else. Other than work, she was with Maxim on several of his projects that he was working on around town.
Her father had called her several times and wanted to arrange for them to have lunch but she’d been unable to commit to anything.
It sucked.
She was arranging some of the roses that had been delivered that morning when she heard the doorbell ring.
“Now there’s my girl. I can’t believe I’ve got to visit her at work if I want to see her.”
She turned to see her father in the doorway. Letting out a giggle, she put the roses on the counter and walked toward him. Throwing her arms around his neck, she gave him a hug.
“It doesn’t have to be that way.”
“You’re busy and you have a new boyfriend. I get it. Your old man doesn’t mean much to you anymore.”
“Oh stop. You know it’s not like that,” she said.
“It’s exactly like that. I know about you and Maxim, and I know you well enough that you’re nervous.”
She and her father had always been close.
“A little.”
<
br /> “Why? If you were so nervous about it, why did you go through with it?”
“I was… I don’t know. I like Maxim so much.” Her feelings for him didn’t sound right, even to her.
“How about we go for some lunch, talk? It’s your break time, right?”
She glanced toward Roberta, who’d been busy with a customer but had clearly listened to the conversation.
“Go. I can handle it here. Bring me back something greasy please.”
She chuckled and left her father for a few minutes to grab her bag. He wasn’t waiting inside the shop but out on the street. A couple of places down was a diner that served really good food.
He took her arm, and they walked toward the place. It was nice to finally be out with her dad again. She had missed him but it felt awkward to her to talk with him about Maxim and what it all meant.
Even though it was the lunch rush, they were able to find a small table. She made sure to order the burger for Roberta before they had their own order so it would be ready for her on the way out.
Pushing some hair off her face, she smiled at her dad. “You’re not upset with me?”
“Far from it. Don’t get me wrong, I was a little upset that I heard about your dating life from other sources.”
“I didn’t mean to keep it from you. It’s just … he’s your boss and I was worried.”
“He’s not like blackmailing you, is he?”
“What? Hell no. Of course not. I know he doesn’t have the best reputation but he’s so sweet and loving, and he would never do anything like that.”
“I can see that he makes you happy.”
She nodded. “He does. So happy. It’s kind of surreal, to be honest, how happy he makes me. I never thought it could be like this, you know.”
“Do you love him?”
“Wow, you really know how to put a woman on the spot.”
“You’re my daughter, Shauna. I need to know if this is serious or not. If he breaks your heart, I got to be willing to go and kick my boss’s ass.”