by T. S. Ryder
She was wandering aimlessly now and didn't see Vanessa until she bumped into the elderly woman. Scarlett felt heat rush to her face and stepped back, muttering an apology.
"Are you looking for Max?" Vanessa's thin, strong fingers closed around Scarlett's wrist.
"I was, but I'm not sure I am anymore," Scarlett whispered back. "I…"
If she was going to tell anybody she was pregnant, it would be Max. Whatever he was, he was still a man with feelings, and she wasn't going to make him find out about this second-hand. He deserved better than that.
"He's not here. He had a business meeting." Vanessa peered at her closely. "Are you afraid of him?"
Scarlett hesitated. Was she? "I… I don't know. I am frightened."
"But not of him?"
"I don't want to be. But he's not human."
"He's the same man you got to know before you found out his secret. I've known him since he was a baby. He would never hurt anybody he loves. And he does love you, even if he won't admit it yet."
Scarlett shivered. "I don't think that helps."
Vanessa nodded. "You have a right to know, though. But if you need time to come to terms with what you've learned…"
Scarlet nearly bit her pinky nail but caught herself just in time. She folded her hands together. "And if I leave, just so I can figure out how I feel about this, will he feel like I'm abandoning him?"
Vanessa's gaze was steady. "How would you feel in his place?"
"I just… it's too much," Scarlett blurted. She gulped in a deep breath. "I don't know how I feel or what to think. I need some time. But I'm going to come back. I just need a couple of days to sort out my thoughts. I hope that's all I need. Just to really think, without worrying that he'll see my face and wonder if…"
"I understand." Vanessa sighed. "Do you have somewhere you can go?"
"Maybe. I have a friend I can call."
Vanessa nodded. "I'll help you pack."
"No need. Nothing here is mine. It's all things Max bought. I'll be fine. Thank you for your offer, though."
"Of course." Vanessa squeezed her hand. "Please come back. He's always been afraid of people finding out for this reason. Please don't give him more reasons to close himself off from the world."
There really wasn't anything Scarlett could say to that, but she nodded and tried to tell herself that she would only be gone for a few days.
She made sure that she cleaned out her bathroom garbage, unwilling to leave behind any evidence of her pregnancy, then she wrote a note to Max explaining what she was doing and promising she would return. It seemed very cowardly and not at all what a gentlewoman would do, to leave a note and disappear into the city. To make up for it, she made sure to give him her phone number in case he wanted to get in touch.
As soon as she was in the cab headed away from the mansion, she phoned Hao, hoping that he would answer quickly. To her relief, he did.
"Scarlett, I did not expect to hear from you. How is your engagement proceeding? Are you calling to ask me to walk you down the aisle yet?" Though Hao's voice was upbeat and teasing, there was a note of seriousness in it.
There was an unspoken rule between the two of them that they only called each other if there was a serious emergency, like when she had attempted to relieve Ken Madoc of his excess wealth and found two bodies shoved in his safe instead. She had called the police, which led to an investigation, but that hadn't stopped Madoc from searching for her. Well, searching for the Gentlewoman Thief. Scarlett still didn't know how he knew it was her that had tipped off the police; she hadn't told them who she was. If he learned her identity…
She shook her head, shaking off the macabre thoughts. "No, it's nothing like that. I just… something has happened and I need a place to stay for a couple of days until I can figure out what my next move is going to be. I was hoping that I could stay with you."
A pause. "Why can't you get a hotel?"
"I'd rather not be alone."
"Hmmm." Hao's voice took on a shrewd, knowing tone. "Then yes, you can stay for a few days. I have a couch you can sleep on."
Relief washed over Scarlett. "Thank you. I'll be there soon."
She directed the cab driver to Hao's address, and it wasn't long before she was stepping inside his apartment. Her mentor was waiting for her. He added some spices to a soup when she walked in, not looking at her.
"Sit down and we'll talk while you eat," he said.
"I'm not hungry." Truthfully, she felt a little nauseous and wasn't sure that she was going to be able to stomach whatever Hao had put in his soup. He could get very creative in the kitchen, and some of his more colorful dishes were hard to choke down when she was feeling at the top of her health.
"It will help with your morning sickness."
Scarlett sat, pinching the bridge of her nose. "How do you know that?"
"It's a recipe my father used to make for my mother."
"I mean, how do you know that I'm pregnant?"
Hao dished her up a bowl of the steaming soup and set it in front of her. It had a pleasant, nutty scent to it that Scarlett thought she could possibly stomach. As she waited for it to cool she stared at Hao, hoping that he would answer. He sat across from her and shook his head.
"You are with a man who any blind person could see you are attracted to, and then suddenly you have to leave him to wrap your mind around something? You're pregnant, and you're not certain if you want to carry to term."
"No." Not keeping the baby had never crossed her mind. "That's not it at all. I am going to carry to term, I just…"
Hao narrowed his eyes. "Don't know if you want to keep Mr. Barnes in your life? Don't know how it will affect your career?"
"Something like that," Scarlett muttered. "I guess I just thought a little space would help me think more logically. Without emotion."
"There is nothing wrong with emotion, as long as it's not the only reason for making a decision." Hao stood. "I have an engagement tonight. Don’t wait up for me. But Scarlett, the life of a thief, even a gentlewoman thief, is no life for a parent. If you are going to keep the child, you may need to consider retirement."
Scarlett nodded, though that again was the last thing on her mind. She had the feeling that once she decided what to do about Max, everything else would fall into place.
But what was she going to do about Max? She had no idea.
Chapter Seven
A couple of days went by and Scarlett heard nothing from Max. She was worried that he was angry with her, or that those men had returned and killed him and Vanessa. Mostly, though, she thought that this meant he didn't want her in his life anymore. Eventually, she called him, just to make sure he was all right. They didn't talk for long, but Scarlett promised to call him again soon.
She didn't.
Instead, Max showed up at her door. Given that Hao had conveniently gone 'shopping' less than ten minutes before Max arrived, Scarlett guessed that he told the billionaire where to find her. Scarlett had to admit she was relieved to see Max and thrilled that he had come after her. Their time apart hadn't made things any easier to think about. She hadn't been entirely certain how to go back to him after leaving the way she did, but that he came to her was enough. She knew as soon as she saw him that she wanted to return to live with him again.
Now she just had to find a way to tell him that.
"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked awkwardly, twisting her hands. The small apartment seemed even smaller with Max's bulk in it.
"No, thank you. I won't stay long. I just came because I needed to talk to you face to face." Max's expression was emotionless. Too emotionless, like he wasn't entirely certain how he was meant to feel, and so had settled on nothing.
Scarlett knew how that felt. She sat down across the table from him and nodded. "We do need to talk."
Max cleared his throat. "So…"
"I'm pregnant."
Max swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I know. Vanessa found a positive
pregnancy test in your bathroom."
"I thought I’d thrown them all away." Scarlett ran her fingers through her dark hair. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have found out like that. I should have told you. I should have told you before I left. I shouldn't have left at all, but it was especially wrong of me to just leave the way I did, and I'm sorry."
"I understand why you did it." Max paused. His hand crept towards hers, and Scarlet closed the distance between them. He let out a deep lungful of air, visibly relaxing. "I was angry. I might still be a little angry because you didn't tell me. But I understand. You needed space to decide what to do."
Scarlett shook her head. "Not about the baby. I'm going to keep it. I just needed to figure out how I felt about… what you can do, and figure out where that fits in my life now. But I am going to keep the baby, Max, and I want you to be a part of our lives. I want him or her to grow up knowing about your heritage, and have someone who understands there to help out."
Max swallowed again, this time also blinking rapidly. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."
Until he said that, Scarlett hadn't realized that she had feared his reaction. She smiled at him, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. Tears actually pricked her eyes. "It makes me happy that you're happy. I know that it's an unexpected pregnancy, and I… I was a little afraid you wouldn't want to be part of the baby's life."
"Is that why you left?"
Scarlett hesitated and shook her head. "No. I left because you turned into a gorilla and beat a man to death in front of me. It frightened me, even though you were protecting me."
Max flinched. "I'm sorry that I frightened you. I wasn't thinking when I attacked them. I only knew that I'd die before I let either of them lay a finger on you. You have to understand, I haven't turned in years. I have tried to pretend I’m a normal person. But it never works. Having to keep such a huge part of my identity a secret always destroys my relationships. But when that monster threatened you—"
"I know."
Silence fell between them. They were still holding hands across the table and Scarlet absently rubbed his knuckles with her thumb. She liked the feeling of his hand in hers.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"I know. And I wish I could say I was over it but the truth is, I'm not. I might need therapy."
Max coughed, although it sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
"I'm not scared of you," she whispered, growing serious again. "And I promise you, I will never tell anybody your secret. I’d just never seen anybody die before and to see someone as gentle as you...."
Max looked at the table. He looked so ashamed that Scarlett circled the table, sitting next to him so he could see that she meant what she said, that she wasn't afraid of him.
"I wish I could say I had never killed anybody before. But when I was in the Marines…"
"I understand."
"I don't know if you do. It weighs on you. It’s like carrying a backpack of bricks. The only thing that makes carrying those bricks worth it is the ones you love. The ones I love," he corrected, his voice going soft. "I love you, Scarlett Brenan. I'm not saying that just because you're pregnant. I love you. I've never wanted anybody to know who I am more than you. I—"
Scarlet cut him off by pressing her fingers to his lips. Her heart pounded shallowly and she felt like she was dancing among the stars. When Vanessa had told her that Max loved her, she had been too afraid to believe it. But hearing it from his own lips lit a realization in her own mind.
She, the Gentlewoman Thief who abhorred the rich, was in love with Maximillian Barnes, the billionaire.
"I love you, too."
Max's eyes widened. "What?"
"I love you."
Max trailed his fingers down her cheek. He stared into her eyes as he moved in, brushing his lips against hers. Apparently, it wasn't enough for him, because he came back, harder, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lifted her easily as they continued to kiss. Scarlett cupped his face, sucking on his lower lip as he carried her to the couch.
"You're so beautiful," he moaned, laying her down.
"You are, too," Scarlett replied, mindful of her manners. "So, so beautiful."
His sculpted torso felt wonderful under her fingertips. Max buried his face into her neck, kissing and sucking on her sensitive skin. It sent tingles throughout her body, making her flesh tighten and heat. Max's hands grasped her voluptuous hips while he gently rocked against her through their clothing.
Scarlett let out an eager, mewling moan. This was exactly what she wanted, what she needed, after everything that had happened: to find her relationship with the father of her child again. She dug her fingers through Max's curly brown hair, reveling in the texture between her fingers. His mouth moved to her clothed breasts, making her moan again. Heat spread up her arms and legs, filling her, making her eyes brighten.
Max popped the buttons off her shirt, tracing the line of her lacy bra with his tongue while a hand worked at her jeans, and Scarlett threw herself into the sensations, letting her animal instincts take control.
She snarled, tearing at her lover's clothes. She rolled, bringing them both heavily to the floor and trapped him under her body, thrusting her tongue into his mouth while she yanked his jeans off.
"Careful," Max moaned, his eyes dark with lust.
"You be careful," Scarlet laughed huskily, as she found him with her hand. "Or you might end up stuck with me forever.”
His eyes slid shut and he arched up to her, whispering her name.
Some part of her brain reminded her that it was most ungentlewomanly to make love in an apartment where she was a guest, but she didn't care. Her body called for Max's to join her, for them to share the build of heat and passion, that feeling of turning from two to one, moving in sync and knowing every physical vulnerability they shared with one another.
Max grabbed her hips, flipping her onto her back once more. He smiled as he thrust into her and Scarlet forget to think as their bodies pulsed and writhed in perfect harmony.
Chapter Eight
Scarlett relaxed in the tropical breeze. A giant floppy hat, a pair of polarized sunglasses and SPF 40 sunscreen shielded her from the bright sun that blazed overhead. The hammock she lay in swung gently from side to side, while overhead Max sprawled over a tree branch, one hand dropping lazily towards her. His fingers were slightly curled, knuckles wide and flat. His bright blue eyes looked strange peering out at her from a gorilla's face.
"Your fur is softer than I expected," Scarlett mentioned, reaching up to brush her fingers through the hair on his overly long arms.
Max grunted in reply, made a small hooting noise and closed his eyes in contentment. They had flown out to his private island only a few days earlier. It was the only isolated place where he could take his gorilla form free-range. Here, there were no cameras, no paparazzi searching for some juicy tidbit to give to the newspapers. It was peaceful, allowing Scarlett to get used to him shifting seamlessly from one form to another, and to get used to being with him while he was in his gorilla form. It was a chance for him to reclaim that part of his identity, as well.
"Does it hurt when you change?" she asked.
He shook his head and rolled up, signing slowly towards her. Since gorillas did not have the vocal cord configuration humans had, and so couldn’t speak, he was teaching her American Sign Language. It was through his use of signs that she learned his mother had been Deaf. Max had a lot of great stories about his parents, especially his mother.
"It feels good?" Scarlett guessed, watching his hands as he signed. It had only been a few days since he had started teaching her and she was just learning words beyond the basics.
He shrugged and slipped from one form to the other. It was so quick and seamless that he might as well have been replaced, rather than shifted.
"It does feel good," he said, his feet swinging over her. "You know that feeling when you just step out of the shower and towel off, and you're still slightly da
mp but you feel clean and cool, so you just want to walk around the house naked?"
Scarlett laughed and shook her head. "A gentlewoman does not walk around the house naked."
Max rolled his eyes and climbed into the hammock next to her. "You know, for a woman who is eager to call out sexism in the media, you seem very concerned with how to act like a lady."
"Wrong, sir," Scarlett contradicted, emphasizing her Southern accent. "Completely wrong. A lady exists to be pleasing to men and is limited to the actions that would make her an object to be admired. A gentlewoman is only restricted by the same rules as a gentleman. Tell me, would a gentleman walk around the house naked? Is arrogance attractive in a gentleman? A gentleman does not lie, nor does he vomit in public, and so neither does a gentlewoman."
"You have a point there, madam," Max said, putting his own Nebraskan accent on more strongly. "But, if I may challenge you further, perhaps I will point out that you still base your behavior on men. Is that not elevating them to the pinnacle of good grace, and leaving your own gender's inclinations as secondary?"
Scarlett opened her mouth to refute it, but couldn't think of how to respond. She inclined her head in defeat. "Sir, you do best me."
Max laughed. He rolled from the hammock. "To the victor goes the spoils!"
He scooped her up. His naked chest was hot with the sunshine, and Scarlett giggled, putting her arms around his neck. This was something that she was never going to get used to, the ease with which he carried her. It had never particularly bothered her in the past that her size meant that whatever lover she had wouldn’t be able to carry her like this, but now that she had been proven wrong, she liked it.
He carried her back into the little house–really, more like a cabin, with nice, large windows and a wraparound patio–and took the stairs to the bedroom two at a time. Scarlett nuzzled into his neck, her heartbeat increasing with desire.
Max set her down on the bed and removed her hat as he pressed a deep kiss to her mouth. Scarlett moaned, holding him closer. To her disappointment, he pulled away.