Max met her eyes and smiled as she and Cara finished their call. Once Cara hung up, he quickly entered Annie’s number. Then he began typing something else. A moment later, the phone in her back pocket buzzed. Pulling it out, she saw that she had a text. A swipe brought it up and she found herself smiling even brighter.
Now you have my number, too. Max Santi
Annie made a sudden, impulsive decision. “Yes, Maximus Santi, I’d like to have dinner with you.”
She could not explain what drove her. She had promised Jenna she would return quickly so her sister could go out drinking with her friends, leaving Annie home alone once more. For the moment, she didn’t care about what her sister wanted. She wanted to learn more about Maximus Santi and his family.
She would deal with Jenna’s ire later. For now, she needed to be away from the dark, dreary basement room that had become more of a prison than a refuge for a little while longer.
As she walked with Max through the store to pick up the bag of rags he had come for, and then check out so they could go eat dinner, Annie pushed down her desire to go back and claim Spike. She would come back tomorrow for the panda.
* * * *
After spending three hours eating and talking and laughing with Max, Annie forced herself to end their dinner. He walked her to Jenna’s SUV and once there, she kissed his cheek and received a hug that had her wishing she was brave enough to forget about going home. Staying wrapped in his arms for a century or two sounded like a really good idea. She blinked back tears when he kissed the top of her head before releasing her.
She climbed into the driver’s seat and closed the door. She had to go home. No doubt Jenna was beyond pissed because she had not returned the car when she was supposed to, thus keeping her sister from yet another night out with her friends. Annie did not watch Max as he climbed on his motorcycle, but heard him start it and drive away a moment later.
Taking a breath, she started the engine, but then turned it off again as she looked across the parking lot. The thrift store lights were still glowing bright, and her heart demanded she go back and get Spike. Pulling the keys from the ignition, she climbed out and hurried across the parking lot. A clerk was just approaching the door as she opened it.
“I’ll be one minute,” Annie said, earning herself a sigh and a nod.
Racing through the store, she smiled when she saw that Spike was right where she’d left her. Picking the black and white bear up, Annie returned to the register as fast as she could. The clerk looked surprised that she had kept to her word and even gave her a discount on the sale.
“Thank you,” Annie said as she picked Spike up from the counter, not waiting for the clerk to bag her up.
She heard the click as the front door locked as soon as it closed behind her. Holding Spike close, she hurried to the SUV. As she drove to Jenna’s home, she hoped her sister wouldn’t yell at her too much for being so late, though she knew better. At least now she had someone to talk about Max with, even if Spike didn’t talk back.
Chapter Three
Max was home emptying his pockets when he pulled out a second cellphone. It was red and glittery, not at all the sort of phone a badass bike mechanic would own. He smiled fondly as he remembered that he had taken it away from Annie after it began ringing every few minutes while they were sitting in a back booth at the restaurant. He had taken it away from her, silenced the ringer, and slid it into his own pocket so she wouldn’t fuss with it.
It took only a few minutes on the internet to find out where Jenna Paul lived. After mapping a route online and memorizing it, Max headed out. Annie needed her phone if he was going to call her in the morning and ask her for a real first date.
The address was in one of the older neighborhoods in town. He drove slowly down the street, pulling over and parking when he saw a figure sitting on the porch steps of an older two-story farmhouse. Turning off the engine, he climbed off.
He ambled across the yard, wondering if she was just enjoying the night, or if there was a problem. He was nearly to the porch when he saw a battered suitcase and a large plastic garbage bag on the porch next to her.
“Annie?”
She didn’t respond for nearly a minute. Then she blinked and looked so sad all Max wanted to do was pick her up and hug her as she had the animals.
“Apparently not returning Jenna’s car on time got me evicted,” she said softly, staring at the floor. “I’m not sure how she did it so fast, but she’s even changed the locks. At least she packed up my stuff, and didn’t just throw it all out.”
Max pulled his phone out of his pocket and called a familiar number. “Laz? I need you to bring me a cage.” After giving his brother the address, Max hung up before he could ask any questions. Sliding the phone back in his pocket, Max slowly approached Annie.
She continued sitting there, looking lost and sad as she hugged a bear that looked like the one they’d met over at the thrift store. When had she gone back for that?
“Come on, ladybug, let’s go sit over here until Laz gets here,” he said gently as he pulled her to her feet.
Wrapping an arm around her shoulders, he guided her across the porch to a wooden swing. He sat down in the center of the swing then lifted her to sit across his lap. She curled into a ball around the panda bear before dropping her head to rest her cheek against his shoulder. She did not fight him when he loosely wrapped his arms around her before putting the swing in motion.
He wondered if it was shock, depression, or something else that made her so pliable. “You’ll come home with me,” he said gently. “I’ll help you get back on your feet. Okay?”
She did not respond, but that did not surprise him. Instead, she pulled in a shuddering breath and held it a moment. She then released it on a sigh and relaxed fully into his embrace. He had a feeling she needed time to tap into the infinite reserves of strength women seemed to be born with. When she shivered against the cooling night air, he tightened his arms around her, but continued to push the swing back and forth.
Eventually, a big black pickup pulled into the driveway and parked. A moment later, his brother stepped out. “Over here,” Max called softly as his brother looked around the neighborhood.
Laz approached in the same lackadaisical way he did everything. His laid-back personality made him a great bar owner because nothing ever fazed him, but in this moment, Max wished he would hurry up and get there already. For such a big man, Laz moved with the grace of a dancer in slow motion.
“Whazzup, brother?” Laz asked once he climbed the three steps to the porch.
Max released his two-armed hold on Annie long enough to dig his keys out of his pocket. “Take my bike. I need the truck.”
With a shrug, Laz exchanged key rings with him. “Need any other help?” he asked, looking around as he threaded his fingers together and cracked his knuckles. Laz was the easygoing Santi, until it came to someone threatening the family. Then he was first to throw a punch, and usually the last one standing.
“No, we’re good,” Max said, though he had a feeling he was lying to himself as well as to his brother.
“Okay then. I’m headed back to the bar and will drop your bike off after closing.”
Max dropped his chin once in agreement, then watched Laz amble away, down the steps and across the front yard to the street. A moment later, his motorcycle rumbled to life and Laz made a U-turn in the middle of the road before roaring out of the neighborhood.
He and Annie remained on the swing until the cooling night air began to bother him. “Ready to roll, ladybug?” he asked softly as he rubbed a hand up and down her arm.
“I have nowhere to go,” she whispered in response. Her voice was a flat monotone, telling him she had descended into a state of shock.
“You’re coming home with me,” Max said. “All you have to do is relax and let me take care of you, okay?”
Annie took a deep breath and sighed, “Okay.”
Once she agreed, Max adjusted his hol
d on her, sliding one arm under her knees and the other around her back. Standing, he carried her to the truck. After opening the passenger’s door, he set her on the seat. He wrapped the seatbelt around her middle and secured it before he said, “Give me your sister’s keys. You won’t be coming back here anymore.”
Annie opened her fist, revealing a key ring. He took it and returned to the front porch. He hesitated a moment until he saw the mail slot low on the door. Bending, he pushed the keys through the hole. Once he heard them clink on the floor, he turned away. Grabbing Annie’s suitcase and plastic bag of belongings, he loaded them into the bed of the truck before climbing into the driver’s seat and starting the engine.
He looked across the cab to check on his passenger, not surprised she had shifted in her seat to face him. The back of her head rested against the window. She watched him with dull, distant eyes. He wondered if she really understood what was happening.
“Annie? Are you sure you’re okay with this?” he asked. She was, after all, an adult, and he didn’t want her to accuse him of kidnapping her in the morning.
Her eyelids dropped slowly and when they opened again, her gaze had sharpened and focused on him. “Where are you taking me?”
“You’re coming home with me. I have a guest room you can stay in for as long as you need to,” Max said gently. “I don’t want to force you into anything. I’m a controlling, overprotective SOB, and won’t promise not to be overly helpful while you get your life straightened out.”
Annie pulled in a slow, deep breath, then sighed. “I don’t want to be a bother,” she said softly as her eyes drifted closed.
Max patted her knee before putting the truck into gear. “I don’t think you could be a bother if you tried, Little one.”
“Okay, then,” she murmured, her words slurring together as she drifted off to sleep.
Max kept a close eye on her as he drove them across town to the Kinky Saints MC compound. Once through the front gate, which slid open and then closed in response to the remote clipped on the truck’s visor, he drove down the lane that wound through the thousand acres the club owned. He did not stop until he pulled into the driveway of his home. It wasn’t far from the main gate, but the copse of live oak trees that surrounded it made the house seem more secluded than it really was.
Looking across the front seat, he saw Annie was still asleep. Instead of waking her, Max left her where she was. He carried her belongings into the house and quickly prepared the guest room before returning for her. Opening the passenger door, he released her seatbelt, and easily lifted her into his arms. Kicking the door closed with a booted foot, he shushed her when she jumped at the slamming sound.
“Shhhh, ladybug, everything’s all right,” he murmured as he carried her toward the house.
Once inside, he nudged the front door closed with his hip to keep the cool air and night bugs out. He headed down the hall to where light spilled out of the guest room. He had turned on the light and made the bed on his first trip to the room. Now he crossed to the side of the bed and laid her down gently. Slipping off her shoes, Max wondered if he should strip her down further, but hesitated.
“Annie,” he said as his hands went to the waistband of her jeans.
“Max,” she breathed with a half-smile as she turned her head in his direction. She did not open her eyes.
“Ladybug, I’m taking your pants off, so you’ll be more comfortable while you sleep, okay?”
“Mmmm, okay,” she sighed.
Gritting his teeth against his erection pushing painfully at his own zipper, Max released the button and lowered the zipper. A deep breath to keep himself focused and on course, and he worked her jeans over her hips and ass. He left her panties in place. Once her jeans were down around her thighs, Max went to the foot of the bed and pulled them off her legs.
Annie rolled to her side and curled around her stuffed friend while he folded her jeans and placed them on the dresser. Once that was done, he pulled the covers over her and her new friend, tucking them both in. She looked so small and innocent in the center of the queen-size bed, sound asleep and clutching Spike to her chest. He was half-tempted to crawl in with her to protect her from anything that might go bump in the night.
Instead, he leaned over the mattress and brushed a kiss on her forehead. “Good night, ladybug. Sleep well and I’ll see you in the morning.”
Looking at the bear, who watched him with unblinking eyes, he said, “Keep her safe, Spike.”
After making sure the nightlight in the en suite bathroom was on, he turned out the overhead light in the bedroom and walked out of the room.
He did not close the door all the way so he could hear if she had bad dreams, or called out in the night. After visiting the kitchen for a shot of whiskey to try and settle his wound-up body down, Max forced himself to walk past the guest room to the master suite. Once in his room, he stripped down before heading to the shower. Standing under the hot water after washing off the day’s grime, Max gave in and wrapped his hand around his cock.
The vision of a naked Annie standing in his bedroom with her hair in pigtails and the panda bear under one arm had him gripping his cock tight and sliding his hand up and down fast. He locked his jaw to keep from crying out as his orgasm powered through him, hard and fast. His spunk coated the shower wall in streaks before he watched it wash down the drain by the shower water.
Once his knees stopped wobbling, Max turned off the water, dried off, and staggered to his bed where he face-planted and was asleep in seconds.
Chapter Four
Annie woke slowly, feeling well rested for the first time since the fire. Nightmares of her business and apartment burning to the ground had not cycled through her brain, waking her several times through the night as they normally did. Without opening her eyes, she stretched fully, then frowned as she rolled over and stretched some more.
Something was wrong.
This was not the hard, lumpy, almost as old as she was twin mattress she had been sleeping on in her sister’s basement. Opening her eyes, Annie looked around, her stomach clenching with nerves when she realized she had no idea where she was.
The room was beautiful even if it wasn’t familiar. The walls were a pale peachy-gold color with white trim around the hardwood floors and doors. The drapes, duvet cover, and wingback chair across the room were burgundy. A large black plastic bag filled the chair’s seat, and the suitcase she’d bought at the thrift store, to keep the mice that also lived in Jenna’s basement out of her things, sat in front of it.
Frowning, Annie shifted around and took a physical inventory. She felt better than she had since before the fire, and not sore from bedsprings or mattress lumps poking at her. Running her hands down her body, she found she was wearing her bra and panties under her T-shirt, but her jeans had disappeared.
It took a moment for her to remember sitting on Jenna’s porch swing with Max Santi. Someone had come and talked to Max, but by that point she had pretty much disconnected from the world and floated in the shocked gray fog she had been in and out of since the fire. The last thing she remembered was Max strapping her into a truck and closing the door.
She needed to find Max. He would have the answers she needed.
Climbing out of bed, Annie took a few minutes to work through the morning stretches she did every morning to keep her muscles, joints, and tendons limber. It was an abbreviated version of the hour-long yoga routine she had learned in college, and served her well to keep her moving, no matter how badly she slept the night before.
Though tempted to take the time for a shower, Annie needed answers more than she wanted to be clean. She hoped to also find a cup of coffee. She allowed herself to enjoy a single cup in the morning to get her going. Otherwise, she would be dragging ass all day long. And today especially, she needed to be on the top of her game in order to fast track getting her feet back under her now that she was homeless.
She could not stay with Max long term. He was too perfec
t, and she was, well, her. Not perfect, barely even passable. No sane man wanted a grown woman who slept with a teddy bear. Or at least that’s what Jenna kept telling her as she lectured Annie about everything she should be doing to be an adult, instead of living her dream. Owning a store that catered to people who created with yarn and fabric and creating quilts and clothes and animals made her happy even if she wasn’t getting rich quick.
Climbing out of bed, Annie used the bathroom that was part of the guest suite. She washed her hands and face and used her finger and the small tube of toothpaste on the counter to brush her teeth instead of searching her belongings for her toothbrush. Feeling more awake, she found the jeans she had worn the night before neatly folded and sitting on the dresser. For a moment, she wondered who had put her to bed. She didn’t remember Max mentioning whether he was single or married, but then why would he? He’d brought her home to be nice, to help. No doubt any woman in his life would be just as nice as he was.
They had talked about everything under the sun, except his marital status. She had assumed he was single, but maybe her sometimes not-so-cute naiveté had struck once again. Assuming things about other people always got her in trouble when she least needed it, mainly because she thought everyone would be as nice as she tried to be.
Pulling on her jeans, she then slipped her feet into her sneakers before stepping into the hall. Looking left and right, she decided to head away from the closed door at the end of the hall. As she walked, she sniffed the air. The combined scent of bacon, coffee, and pastry grew stronger with each step. At the end of the hall, she found herself entering a beautiful open living space.
The living room was in front of her with large leather furniture and a huge flat screen over a stone fireplace. The fuzzy white rug that covered the wood floor before it made Annie wish she was staying. She could so see herself lying there, designing her next quilt or a tapestry or a stuffed creature that she would make for her store, once she reopened.
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