Fear Inc

by Melinda Valentine

  “Did I do something wrong?” She looked so scared and hurt it almost broke his heart. Once again he wished he could beat Brody’s face in.

  “God, no. I don’t know how much longer I can last. I don’t want the first time to be like this. I need to be inside you.”

  “Oh.” Her smile lit up the room.

  Max pulled up his pants enough so he could walk, leaving her clothes all over the kitchen. He threw Sloane over his shoulder in a fireman’s carry. Hustling, he took the stairs two at a time. Finally, he laid her out onto his bed. He removed her bra, revealing her milky white breasts. The nipples were dark pink and still erect. Shedding his clothing as quickly as possible, he climbed onto the bed with her. Her thighs cradled his hips perfectly. He pressed his hard, naked body into her soft one. Kissing her softly, he pressed his forehead to hers.

  “I need you,” he whispered in the dark.

  “Take me, Max. Please.”

  “I don’t know how long I can last with you.”

  “We have all night.” The smile on her sweet lips was stunning.

  Max rubbed his cock back and forth against her lips, lubricating himself. He pushed his hips forward, sinking into her soft flesh. Her pussy was warm and tight. He had to work to get himself all the way in. He didn’t want to hurt her. He never wanted to hurt her, so he went slowly. Once he was seated inside her as far as he could go, Max let her body adjust for a moment. When he couldn’t take it anymore, he began moving. Sliding in and out of her slick heat. The way her tight channel sucked him back in was astounding. The tingling started in his toes, spreading up his body to pool in his tight balls.

  “Shit baby, I can’t hold it much longer.”

  “Don’t hold back, Max. Come with me. Oh God, Max. Max, I’m coming.” She screamed.

  Sloane’s nails dug into his ass cheeks as she held on, grinding her hips up to meet his. Max continued to pump into her, his thrusts intensifying in speed and strength. She came undone underneath him, washing his cock in her cream. With one more thrust, he emptied himself inside her. Spurt after spurt coated her walls. He came longer and harder than he could remember ever doing before. Rolling over so she was on top, Max held her until their breathing returned to normal.

  “That was amazing, Max.”

  “That’s an understatement.” He chuckled.

  “I don’t think that could be topped.”

  “Give me ten minutes.”

  They both laughed. Max rubbed his hands up and down her bare skin. Even slick with sweat and her hair matted to her face, she was beautiful. Beautiful and his. His cock started to stiffen inside her.

  “Already?” She giggled, sounding surprised. Hell, so was he. Usually he was a one and done for the night. With Sloane, he couldn’t get enough of her. She sat up, straddling his hips. Rocking back and forth, she preceded to ride him. Eventually Max flipped her over, covering her body, claiming her. For the first time, Max made love to a woman with his body, mind, and soul.

  It was something he would never forget.

  Chapter Thirteen

  Max

  Max woke to the sound of his phone buzzing against the side of the dresser. He was still wrapped around Sloane’s sleeping body. He hated to move away from her, but he didn’t want the buzzing to wake her either. Reluctantly he got up, searching his pockets for the annoying thing. Gutter Mouth flashed across the screen. He accepted the call, taking one last look at her angelic face before he left the bedroom as quietly as he could.

  “Yeah.”

  “Hey, man. Thought I’d give you a heads up. Petrov’s boy, Booker, was spotted two blocks from Sloane’s apartment. By the time the cops got there he was long gone. I have some more leads coming in; hopefully I’ll be able to get a bead on him soon.”

  “Thanks, Gutter Mouth.”

  “Sure, I don’t want to see anything happen to Sloane either, man. There’s something about that girl.”

  “That there is.” Max smiled, thinking about the way she looked when she climaxed above him last night.

  “Are you interested?”

  “Only a fool wouldn’t be. I’m more than interested.” He didn’t want to tell his buddy about last night. He wanted that to stay between him and Sloane.

  “What about that chick you were with the other night?”

  “Charlie,” Max sighed. “It was a mistake. One I don’t intend to make again.”

  “So she wasn’t your girlfriend? Because she sure as shit acted like it.”

  “Hell no, she isn’t my girlfriend. I needed a release, she was willing. End of story. Except I couldn’t do it. Fuck, man. I know it sounds crazy, but you’re right about Sloane. She’s special. No matter what I’ve tried to tell myself, I know, without a doubt, that I’m in love with her.”

  There was a moment of silence, then Gutter Mouth let out a loud whistle.

  “Damn, Max. I never thought I’d see the day.”

  “Shut the fuck up,” Max half joked.

  “I get it. I do. Know one thing, though. If you ever fuck up, I won’t hesitate to make her mine.”

  “Over my dead body.”

  Kasper laughed. “If that’s what it takes…I better go, I’m waitin’ for Mother to call me back about Booker. I’ll hit you up later. Give Sloane sloppy kisses from me.” He laughed before hanging up.

  ***

  Sloane

  Sloane woke up to an empty bed. Every muscle in her body was sore in the most delicious way. Except for her shoulder. That pain was real and intense. She wished Max would’ve still been here when she woke up. Spotting his t-shirt on the floor, she picked it up. Pressing it to her face, she breathed him in. She pulled it over her head before going downstairs to find him and some aspirin. She finger combed her hair on the way down the steps, trying to tame the mess. She paused in the kitchen at the sound of his voice. He was outside on the phone with someone. Just before she could walk away, she heard him whisper something that made her immediately stiffen.

  “Charlie.” Max rubbed his hand through his hair. “It was a mistake. One I don’t intend to make again.”

  Oh my God. No, this couldn’t be happening. Max made love to her all night long. He couldn’t be on the phone confessing to Charlie that it was all a mistake. Sloane couldn’t breathe. She was frozen in place.

  “Hell no, she isn’t my girlfriend. I needed a release, she was willing. End of story.”

  Pain ripped through her heart. She fell to her knees, and the cold tiles bit into her skin. She could hear his voice, but the words were completely lost to her now. She had heard enough already.

  Unwanted sobs wracked her. Brody’s betrayal hurt, but Max had successfully destroyed her. She gave him everything she had to give last night. Her heart and soul were his and she was nothing more than a willing release for him. She thought he was different. She actually believed they had something special starting. She was a damn fool.

  Pissed at herself for giving so completely, Sloane picked herself up off the floor. She felt used and dirty. She had to scrub him off her skin. Scrubbing him from her heart wasn’t going to be nearly as easy, but she knew it had to be done. Sooner rather than later. She wouldn’t waste years giving her love to a man who threw it back in her face. No. Never again. She couldn’t bring herself to enter his room again, so her bra would have to stay where it was. Sloane sent Bella a text message.

  Sloane: Need you now. Please hurry.

  The water burned her sensitive skin. She scoured every inch of herself with a loofah. She knew her stitches were soaked through, but she couldn’t bring herself to care about anything else. At least she remembered to take off the bandage before getting under the spray.

  Her pale skin looked red and angry by the time she was done. She didn’t care. Her skin could bleed and she’d still scrub him away. Dressing quickly in jeans and a t-shirt, she started filling her suitcase. She made sure she had all of her belongings, sans bra that still remained somewhere in his bedroom. She wasn’t sure what she would say to
him when they came face to face. The only thing she was certain of, was that she would not cry.

  Sloane decided that she would pretend like everything was fine. She would act like it was no big deal. Act like her world wasn’t crushed. She would not let him see her broken. That’s what she was, broken. She refused to run away again. This time she would make it clear that she was leaving and didn’t need him to look after her. Max was pouring coffee into an oversized mug when she reached the kitchen.

  “Good morning, beautiful.” He grinned at her. If not for overhearing his conversation this morning with Charlie, Sloane would have melted then and there for him.

  “Hey.” She smiled back, knowing full well it didn’t reach her eyes. Max retrieved another mug. He filled it before handing it off to her. “Thank you.”

  “So…” He crossed his ankles as he leaned back against the counter. His sexy smile never faltered. “What do you wanna do today?”

  “Oh, I’m sorry. I already made plans for today. Bella should be here any minute.”

  “Sure, no problem. I just thought we would spend the day together.”

  “That’s nice of you, but I know you’re probably sick of being cooped up here with me. I’m going to go to the apartment today. I have to get it cleaned up. I’m not sure if I’m going to stay there anymore, but regardless I can’t let the mess go any longer.”

  “You’re leaving?” He sounded surprised.

  Perhaps most women didn’t want to walk away from him the next morning. Then again, they probably knew it was just sex and nothing more before they put their heart into it. If she meant half as much to him as he meant to her, she wouldn’t want to leave either.

  “I think it’s time. We both knew this was temporary. I appreciate everything you did for me, Max.”

  “Sloane, it still isn’t safe.”

  “We don’t know how long it will take to find this guy. I can’t hide out here forever.”

  Against her better judgment, Sloane walked toward him. She took his face in her hands. Looking into those beautiful eyes, she almost chickened out. She knew that if she fell into his arms again it would only hurt even more when he was the one to end things. She could feel the tears trying to pool in her eyes. She pressed her lips to his gently once, twice, before withdrawing to meet his gaze again.

  “Thank you for everything, Max. I’ll never forget what you’ve done for me.”

  They could hear Bella honk the horn outside. Sloane placed her hand on Max’s cheek one last time before grabbing the handle to her suitcase. The wheels clicked on the tiles as she pulled it behind her. A tear escaped, rolling down her face as she descended the deck stairs. She could feel Max’s eyes on her. She refused to look back. She had to get to Bella before he could see her fall apart. She threw the suitcase in the back seat. Taking her first deep breath since coming face to face with Max this morning, she sat in the passenger seat next to Bella.

  “Drive.”

  With the house—and Max—in the rear view, she slumped in the seat, burying her face in her hands. She stopped trying to be brave. She didn’t need to hold it together any longer. Bella was here with her. She would help Sloane through this. She knew she wasn’t dying no matter what her shattered heart believed.

  The car ride to her apartment was made in sweet silence. Her cousin would want to give Sloane her uninterrupted attention when she told her sad story—Bella wouldn’t want the distraction of driving. That was just fine by Sloane.

  Entering the apartment was surreal. Glass still littered the floor in various areas and there were black smudges all over where the police had dusted for fingerprints. She had a big cleanup job ahead of her. She welcomed the distraction. First things first, though.

  “Sloane, honey, what happened?” Bella asked once they were safely locked away from the world.

  “I thought he was different. I thought we had a connection. Oh Bella, I fell in love with him. I don’t know what I was thinking.”

  “Everything seemed fine last night. Better even. Tell me what happened,” she urged.

  “We made love. Multiple times. Until we were both too exhausted to move. It was amazing. Earth shattering, mind blowing, like nothing I’ve ever experienced kind of amazing, Bella. I gave him everything. I held nothing back for the first time in…I can’t even remember.”

  Sloane’s tears continued streaming down her face. She couldn’t stop them if she tried. She dropped to the floor in front of her couch. Bella lowered herself to sit next to her.

  “That sounds incredible, Sloane. I knew you two would be perfect together. So what’s with the water works?”

  “This morning I woke up alone. Even so, I was so happy. I put on his shirt and went to find him. He was outside on his phone, Bella. He was whispering like he didn’t want to be overheard, but I heard him.” Sloane hugged her knees to her chest, rocking back and forth. She was gasping for air trying to get the rest of the story out. Bella rubbed her back, waiting patiently. She knew Sloane would get there; she just needed a minute.

  “I heard him say ‘Charlie.’”

  “Oh no!” Bella pulled Sloane into her arms. “Maybe he was—”

  “No, Bella, don’t make excuses. He told her I was a mistake. He told her I was nothing more than a willing participant for his release. I gave him my heart and I was nothing more than a warm body to him. I feel like a goddamn fool,” she yelled. Her heart was breaking all over again as she recounted the story out loud.

  “That can’t be right, Sloane. I’ve seen the way he looks at you.”

  “I had to get out of there.” Sloane ignored her comment. “I need to focus on putting my life back together. A new job, a new apartment, a new life, Bella. That’s what I need, starting right now.”

  “Well then, let’s start getting this place packed up and make some calls.”

  Chapter Fourteen

  Max

  It had been over a month since Sloane walked out of Max’s life. She moved from her apartment and changed her cell phone number. He didn’t know what had happened. Why did she walk out on him? They had just started something incredible. He felt her absence every day.

  Foster and Gutter Mouth would only confirm that she was all right. The few times he saw Bella, she scowled at him before leaving the room. That was something she had never done before.

  What the hell? Did he do something wrong with Sloane? He replayed the last 24 hours they spent together over in his mind for the hundredth time. He couldn’t think of one thing except letting her leave. Why did he let her go? After the third day with no word from her, he knew it was over. His heart ached for her. He had never loved anyone before, and he never would again.

  He tried not to think about his heartache as he entered his mother’s living room.

  “Hey, Ma.” He wrapped his tiny mother in his arms. She was small and fragile.

  Her thin eyebrows pinched together as she pulled away from him. “What is it, Max?”

  “It’s nothing, Ma.”

  “Don’t lie to me, boy. I’m your mother; I know when something is eating you. You look like you’re being devoured from the inside out, right now.”

  Max sighed, scrubbing a hand over his face. “I met a girl—it ended before it could really begin, and I don’t know why. It’s got me mixed up inside.”

  His mother looked surprised. “A girl?”

  “Yeah.”

  His mom smiled at him. “Is she pretty?”

  “Beautiful, but didn’t you hear me? It’s over.”

  Her expression sobered. “Why?”

  He shook his head in defeat. “I don’t know.”

  “I’ve never seen you like this over a girl, Max. Do you love her?”

  “Yeah, Ma, I do. I love her.” A wide grin stretched across her face. “Why are you smiling?” Max asked suspiciously.

  “It’s not like you to give up anything without a fight.”

  “She moved and changed her number. What am I supposed to do?”

  Now
the crazed woman was belly laughing at him. His own mother. She actually had tears in her eyes, she was laughing so hard.

  “What the hell, Ma?” Max was getting pissed. He came here for a little comfort, not to have his pain laughed at. Especially not by her.

  “Oh honey, I’m sorry, but you’re a private investigator for crying out loud. It’s your job to find people that don’t want to be found. What are you waiting for?”

  “I don’t know what I did to make her leave in the first place. Until I can figure that out, how can I fix us?”

  “All’s fair in love and war. Play dirty. Don’t give this girl up without fighting for her, Max. You’ll never forgive yourself. You’ll always wonder ‘What if’ and that’s no way to live. Understand me?”

  Fight dirty, she says. Yeah, he could do that. Max knew just where to start too. With his resolve in place, he kissed her forehead. “I understand. I’ve gotta go, Ma. I have an idea.”

  “That’s my boy. Now go get that girl back. I wanna meet the woman that stole my baby’s heart.”

  After leaving his mom, Max drove straight to Foster’s house. He was getting some answers this time. He walked with confidence up to the front door. Bella answered after the second knock.

  “Max. What are you doing here? Foster is at work.”

  “I know. I came to talk to you.”

  “Me? Why me?”

  Without waiting for an invitation, Max entered the house just like he had dozens of times in the past. She looked nervous and yet defiant at the same time. She was so cute; it was no wonder Foster was smitten. The wedding was rapidly approaching. Max didn’t want to face Sloane for the first time since she left at the rehearsal dinner in front of everyone.

  “Please, Mirabella. I know she talked to you. I don’t know what I did, but I can’t keep on like this,” he roared. “She just walked away like it didn’t mean a damn thing. I’ve waited weeks for her to tell me what went wrong. I need to know. That woman drives me crazy, but I can’t stop loving her any more that I can stop breathing.”