The Billionaire's Salvation: (The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Max)

by J. S. Scott

  Max walked out to the kitchen, stopping at the entryway to watch his wife’s sexy ass shimmy around the kitchen while putting their breakfast dishes away, her body swaying to the beat of a country song coming from his cell phone. He’d never heard the song before, and he wasn’t much into country, but damned if he’d ever forget the tune now. He might even have to get the music for the piano if there was any possibility he could watch her dance like this whenever he played it.

  Mine. My wife. My love. My life. My woman. Forever.

  Max couldn’t move, almost couldn’t breathe as he watched her. How in the hell had he managed to live without her for over two years? He could feel her allure from across the room; the need to be joined with her was constant. Mia completed him, and he’d been lost since the moment she’d left him. Now, he had another chance. Everything he’d ever needed was right here in this room, dancing around in a snug pair of blue jeans and an emerald green sweater.

  Mia’s head turned, as though she’d sensed his presence, her lips turning up in a brilliant, welcoming smile. God, he loved that about her. There was rarely a time when she didn’t look at him that way, like there was nothing that made her happier than seeing him. She reached over and switched off the music blasting from his phone, coming over to him and wrapping her arms around his neck. “I hope you don’t mind. I used your music app. I left my phone in Florida.”

  She could use any damn thing she wanted, anything he had. Hell, she could use him for that matter, in any way she wanted to, so long as she kept smiling at him like that. “You’re my everything. What’s mine is yours,” he answered simply, wrapping his arms around her waist.

  “So you don’t mind if I use your shaver on my legs?” she asked innocently.

  “Okay, anything except that,” he answered, frowning. He hesitated for a second before adding, “Oh hell, you can use that too. If the blade gets blunt, I’ll get another one.” Max decided the smile on her face was worth getting a large supply of men’s shavers.

  Mia’s laugh floated around him as she admitted, “I wouldn’t dare. I know where men draw the line.”

  “There are no lines with us,” Max answered gruffly. “Cross the line any time you want to with me. Invade my personal space.” Fill my life with love.

  He kissed her because he had to, covering her sweet mouth with his. Mia immediately opened to him, accepted him, welcomed him, and it drove him insane. She melded with him perfectly, beautifully, complying with his needs as if they were her own. Really, maybe they were…but it still inflamed him.

  He pulled his mouth from hers and buried his face in her hair, absorbing her scent, needing to be close to her. Maybe he was still afraid someone was going to take her away again, and he’d never survive it.

  “I thought we were going riding,” Mia murmured against his shoulder.

  Both of them were good on horseback. Mia had spent summers here in Montana with her grandmother before the elderly woman had passed away when Mia was in high school. And Max had spent time in Texas with an old friend of his father’s when he was alive. They’d spent a few lazy days in the last week riding and enjoying the decent September weather they were getting in Montana. But right now, he was really rethinking the type of riding he wanted Mia to do. “Maybe we need to take a different type of ride,” Max told her huskily, savoring her sweet smell as he gathered her closer.

  “I’m glad you said that, because I was thinking the same thing,” she answered cheekily. Pulling out of his arms, she took him by the hand and started tugging him toward the front door.

  Taken aback, Max followed behind her willingly, trying to figure out if she was thinking of a change of scene for their “ride.” He was more than up for anything. Literally.

  She led him to the front door and opened it with a huge smile. “Happy birthday, Happy anniversary, merry Christmas,” she said, leading him outside.

  Max squinted from the bright sunlight, and the glare in front of his eyes. His rental car was gone, and in its place sat a Ferrari 458 Spider, a car he’d considered—but had passed—on buying, even though he’d been salivating over it for a while now. “Whose car is this?”

  Mia dangled a set of keys in front of his face. “It’s yours now. I wanted to get you something for all the holidays we’ve missed together. And I know you want it.”

  Holy shit. Max’s jaw dropped and he turned his gaze to Mia as he asked, “How did you know I wanted a Ferrari?” Simon and Sam both had a Bugatti, Kade and Travis had a multitude of man toys, but all Max had ever really wanted was a Ferrari. There was something about the sleek Italian lines of the vehicle that just did it for him.

  Mia propped her hands on her hips and gave him a naughty smile. “I was already arranging it before I had to leave the second time. I went to use your laptop a few times, and the screen was up for this car. Obviously you wanted it. Why didn’t you just buy it?”

  Max drove a Mercedes, a nice sedan that had been moderately priced for that brand. “Because it’s not sensible. Why do I need another car, especially one that costs over a quarter million dollars?” He might be a billionaire, but that had never seemed to override his ingrained sense of logic and practicality.

  “Max…you can afford it. You can have things you want. You don’t have to always do the sensible thing,” she teased him softly. “Sometimes it’s fun to do something just because you want to and not try to apply any reason to it.”

  His eyes roamed over the car longingly. How long had he wanted a Ferrari but never bought one because he didn’t actually need it? It was completely impractical, and he fucking loved it. “You did this for me? How did you get it here?” he asked, still stunned.

  “With my brother’s help. Kade arranged to get it sent here. Do you like it?” she asked nervously. “I paid for it from my own funds.”

  He didn’t care whose funds she used. She was welcome to his money any time she wanted anything. In fact, he would have rather she had spent his money. He had a hell of a lot more than she did, so much that he couldn’t spend that much in a lifetime, even if he shopped for luxury products every day. It wasn’t the money that had kept him from buying it…it was the senselessness of getting one. “Hell yeah. I love it. I’ve been wanting a Ferrari forever.” He took the keys from her hand and walked over to the vehicle. It was sweet, red with black leather interior, and the top was down. It was an incredible vehicle, and he was itching to take it out on the road.

  “You’ll rent a sports car, but you won’t own one?”

  Max grinned at her boyishly, running a hand over the door of the car. “I had to scratch the itch occasionally.”

  Mia wrapped her arms around him, hugging his back as she murmured, “It’s permanently cured now.”

  Max turned and hefted her up against him. Mia wrapped her legs around his waist, bringing their faces level. “I have another itch,” he told her wickedly, ready to wait for the ride in his new vehicle. “I can’t believe you did this for me. How is it that you seem to know what I want before I do?”

  “Observation,” she told him with a laugh. “I spied this time. And you knew you wanted it; you just wouldn’t admit it to yourself. You’ve spent a lot of senseless money on me in the past, but you make different rules for yourself.”

  Max wasn’t sure, but he was pretty certain it was more than observation. Mia got him in a way he didn’t even comprehend himself. “I actually got something for you, too.” And he hoped she liked it. “And spending money on you is never senseless.”

  “What?” she asked curiously, placing a tender kiss to his lips before unwrapping her legs from his waist, her feet landing gracefully on the ground.

  Max nearly groaned aloud, the loss of having her so close to him almost painful. “I got it in Florida.” Digging in his pocket, he pulled out a black velvet box. Nervously, he opened the lid. “I didn’t know if we’d find your wedding ring again. So I got this.�
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  The ring had a platinum band completely covered in diamonds, an enormous sapphire on top embedded into a heart crafted of the same precious metal and surrounded completely by more diamonds.

  “Oh, Max.” Mia sounded breathless as she took the box, her hand trembling. “It’s incredible. But I have my wedding ring.”

  “You have another finger,” Max reminded her with a small smile. “One ring for our first marriage, and another for our second chance.” He pulled the ring from the box in her hand and slipped it over the ring finger of her other hand. “Keep me,” he demanded, not really wanting it to be a question. He was definitely keeping her.

  Her expression stunned, she looked up at him with tears on her face. “This is exquisite. It must have cost you a fortune. The sapphire is at least seventeen carats.”

  Max had forgotten for a moment that he was married to a jewelry designer who knew her gems, even though she wasn’t working with precious stones much anymore. “Cost isn’t exactly a problem. I wanted more diamonds, but Gabrielle said it would be overkill.”

  “Gabrielle. Oh, God. I knew this looked like her work. But she’s booked forever for custom stuff. How did you get her to do this so quickly?”

  Max had needed to shell out a lot of cash and do some groveling to get the famous jewelry designer to make Mia’s ring a priority, but he would have paid anything to get it, and have it on Mia’s finger as quickly as possible. After seeing the way she had mourned the loss of her ring, he would have given his entire fortune to get her another one. “Do you like it?” he asked anxiously, not wanting to discuss the price or how he’d gotten it so quickly.

  Mia touched the ring reverently, her eyes shimmering. “There isn’t a woman in the world who wouldn’t. Thank you, Max. I love it. I love you.”

  “Don’t cry.” He wiped the tears from her face gently. “It was supposed to make you smile.”

  “I am happy. It’s just such an incredible piece of jewelry. You didn’t need to do this. I already have a gorgeous wedding ring.”

  “You didn’t have to buy me a Ferrari,” he reminded her.

  “I wanted to,” she argued.

  “Ditto,” he said, grinning at her.

  “Are you planning on giving me a ride?” she asked softly, her eyes drifting to his new car.

  Oh yeah. He wanted to give her the ride of her life right now. Max was seriously considering laying her over the hood of the Ferrari naked, but Mia had already jogged to the passenger side of the car and hopped over the door and into the sports car.

  Resigned, he opened the door and sank into the leather seat, starting the vehicle and turning it around so he could head out to the highway. He drove slowly down the driveway, trying to avoid the potholes, and making a mental note to get them filled in as soon as possible.

  “Do we know where we’re going?” Max asked Mia, not certain exactly where the back highways led in the area or what his destination was going to be.

  “Does it matter?” Mia asked, her hair ruffling in the breeze as he stopped at the end of the driveway.

  Max frowned as he looked back at her. He’d never been a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type of guy. He always knew exactly where he was going, what he was doing, and why he was doing it.

  But I’m in a car I’ve dreamed about since I was a teenager, with a beautiful woman in the passenger seat—a woman who I love and thought I’d never be able to touch again.

  So no…hell no…he didn’t care where he was going, as long as Mia was going with him.

  His whole body relaxed as he looked at Mia, her face radiant and glowing, his scowl disappearing and his lips curling up into a boyish grin. “Nope. It doesn’t matter at all.”

  “You look like a teenage boy who just got his driver’s license,” Mia observed, amused.

  “I’ve had a license for a long time, woman. But I do feel like a teenager in a couple of ways,” he told her hoarsely, his mouth going dry as he looked at her.

  “How?”

  “I want to see if this vehicle really does go from zero to sixty in less than four seconds and you make me as horny as a teenage kid who wants nothing more than to get into the panties of the girl sitting beside him,” he answered, shooting her dangerous look.

  “I’m pretty easy for you,” Mia answered in low, sultry voice. “I’m your wife.” She paused before telling him sweetly, “Turn right. It’s a long stretch of pretty straight road.”

  She might be his wife, but she’d never be easy. Luckily, his woman had been referring to sex, and in that regard, he was all for her being easy…with him. Mia would also tease him, delight him, frustrate the hell out of him, and change him in ways that would always make him a better man. She’d push his boundaries, make him realize that he could shed his Mr. Perfect title and still be a man his adoptive parents would be proud of if they were still alive. He’d probably never be reckless or completely abandoned, because that wasn’t who he really was, but he was learning that everything in life didn’t have to make sense. And in fact, most of the really good things, stuff that made life really worth living, actually didn’t involve reason or logic.

  Turning his eyes back to the road, he let himself simply enjoy the purr of the powerful engine as he turned onto the two-lane highway. There wasn’t a car in sight, and there usually wasn’t until one reached the freeway. The ranch was a fairly lengthy drive from Billings, and the area was sparsely populated.

  “Zero to sixty in under four seconds,” Max said absently to himself, driving slowly as he contemplated the road ahead of him and got the feel of the new vehicle.

  “Well, let’s see it, Grandpa. Tear it up. Just watch for deer,” Mia said happily, sounding more than ready to see him speed it up.

  Max accelerated, the car responding with a roar as the powerful engine shot the vehicle down the pavement, the horsepower beneath the sleek hood making the speed climb rapidly.

  Forty miles per hour.

  Fifty miles per hour.

  Sixty miles per hour.

  “Damn, it really does,” Max said loudly enough for Mia to hear over the wind and the engine.

  His wife simply laughed, a loud whoop that kept him accelerating until he felt like he was flying. He pushed the vehicle as far as he dared with his wife beside him…but later, when he was alone, he’d test it more. But not with his entire life sitting beside him. He might be loosening up, but he wasn’t stupid. Slowing back to a little above the speed limit, he desperately wished he could find the words to say to Mia. It wasn’t the gift of the vehicle that moved him, but the fact that she wanted to make him happy.

  “Turn up here. The next right,” she instructed him excitedly.

  Max didn’t ask where they were going. He still didn’t care. He turned right and Mia directed him through a few more turns before she had him pulling into a dirt parking area.

  After he got out of the car, he caught Mia just as she was about to hop out of the convertible, grasping her around the waist and swinging her over the door, savoring the feel of her body against him. He let her lower her feet to the ground, not sure if he wanted to let go.

  “This is one of my favorite spots. I want you to see it,” Mia told him as she grabbed his hand enthusiastically and pulled him along behind her, leading him down a footpath.

  Bemused, Max let her lead, enjoying the view from behind.

  They didn’t go far before they started walking up a steep incline that ended in a spectacular view. Surrounded by evergreens, the elevated spot provided the perfect view of several mountain ranges and the feeling that one could see forever.

  Max saw the drop-off warning as he came up next to Mia, putting his arms around her waist as he looked down at a good one hundred foot vertical drop right below them.

  “I love it here,” Mia said softly. “I used to come here when I was really lonely.”

  The vulner
ability in her voice tugged at Max’s heart. “How often was that?” he wondered aloud, resting his head against her hair, hating the fact that Mia had ever been lonely. But he knew exactly how she’d felt.

  “Every day,” she admitted sadly, covering his hands that were resting around her waist with hers and sighing contentedly. “There wasn’t a day that I didn’t miss you.”

  Max tried to swallow the lump that was swelling in his throat, unable to express in words exactly how desolate he had been without her. Failing to find the right verbalization, he turned her in his arms and tipped her face up, lowering his mouth to hers with a hungry groan. She tasted like mint, mocha coffee, and sunshine, and Max indulged decadently, his tongue entering and retreating, savoring every flavor of Mia. She opened and merged her mouth with his, releasing a tiny moan that almost made Max completely lose it. Kissing Mia was like drinking, but never completely quenching his thirst.

  She’s mine.

  And Max was determined never to screw that up again. Pulling his lips from hers, he told her in a graveled voice, “I love you. I missed you so much I didn’t feel like I was alive anymore. I need you, Mia.” No more bullshit, no pretending like he didn’t crave her constantly, like he didn’t long to claim her all the damn time.

  No running away. Not anymore. Not for either one of them.

  She pulled away panting, her breathing audible. “Your kisses are dangerous,” she said in a teasing voice, skipping backward as she smiled at him.

  Mia had no more than spoken the words when the earth began to crumble beneath her feet. Max lunged, realizing she was too close to the edge of the cliff, but his hands came up empty as Mia plunged downward, disappearing before he could get a good grasp on her sweater.

  All Max heard was his wife’s horrified scream, and then she was gone.

  Mia trembled as she clung to the bush protruding from the side of the cliff, her feet precariously placed on what had to be a small ledge made of the jagged rock that formed the large precipice.