The Billionaire's Salvation: (The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Max) (13 page)

“He violated me. He didn’t rape me. He wanted me to suck him off...and I did. You were almost on the plane. You just needed a few more minutes. I didn’t care, Max. I would have done anything he wanted right at the moment, as long as he didn’t hurt you,” she told him desperately.

“Fuck! I would rather the bastard had killed me than to force you to do that…” Max’s voice trailed off, his face blanching, his expression slowly changing to one of realization. “The night you recovered your memory, in the shower…?”

“I still have nightmares about him. I was dreaming about it, and I woke up with my memory returning. I wanted to replace the bad memories with good ones. And I did,” she confessed.

“Shit. That had to be hard. You didn’t have
to—”

“I wanted to. I wanted to so very badly. And it
was
hard. But it wasn’t difficult,” she said with a tremulous smile, trying to dispel some of the remorse she could see on his handsome face. “I’ve always wanted to, but you never seemed to want that, so I stopped trying.”

“Oh, baby…I wanted it. I wanted your sweet mouth on me so badly that I knew if it happened, I wouldn’t be able to stay controlled,” Max told her bluntly.

“It was good,” she told him with a tiny smile. “It will keep the nightmares
away.”

“I’ll keep the nightmares away. You’ll never have bad dreams again. I’ll replace every moment of sorrow you’ve had with happiness. I swear I will,” he said fiercely, though his expression lightened.

Mia doubted that Max could force the Sandman to make all of her dreams good ones, but looking at his display of savage determination, she almost believed he could. And she certainly knew he’d try like hell to do it, even if he had to drag the fabled creature of folklore to their bedside every night to sprinkle magic sand in her eyes. Lifting her arms around his neck, she murmured, “Just love me like this forever. It’s enough.”

“I’ll never stop,” he agreed, the tension starting to leave his body. “Just promise me you won’t ever try to protect me again. Not at your own expense. I would have rather died than to let him lay a finger on you,” he growled.

Mia’s eyes filled with tears, the sincerity of Max’s statement, a re-avowal of what he’d said earlier, hitting her like a slug to the stomach.

My husband would die for me, just to avoid seeing me
hurt.

Knowing she loved him just the same, she answered carefully. “I’m not sure I can make that promise. It wouldn’t have saved me, Max. Danny still would have hurt me that day. But it saved
you.”

He brushed away her concern. “Promise,” he insisted.

“No,” she refused. “I can’t. Could you make the same promise? You said no more lies, and I won’t lie to you. I’d protect you if I
could.”

“Fine,” he grumbled. “I’ll just make damn sure you’re never in a position where you have to make that decision again. And no more running.”

She shook her head. “No more running,” she
agreed.

“If you need to run, I’m going with you,” he announced adamantly. “If you had told me you needed to disappear, I would have arranged it…for both of
us.”

“But your career, your business—”

“Don’t mean a damn thing without you. Do you think I’d give a flying fuck about money or anything else if you were in danger? I’d disappear with you, be presumed dead along with you to protect you and your brothers without hesitation.” His body tense once again, he shot her a laser-sharp, exasperated
look.

Mia sighed, shooting him back an apologetic expression. “I’ve been through over two years of counseling, and it’s still hard to believe someone can love me like you do,” she confessed. “I’ve come a long way, but I’ll have my insecure moments,” she warned him. “I’ll still find it hard to absorb that it’s finally over. That we’re all safe now.” It was hard to comprehend the fact that Max would drop everything in his life for her. Sure, she’d learned to value herself, accept herself the way that she was by working things out with a good counselor, but accepting Max’s love was the hardest thing she’d ever done. What had she ever done in this life to deserve
him?

“Take all the time you need, baby. I’ll convince you eventually,” he uttered quietly, his eyes unrelenting as they connected with hers, the love shimmering and flowing white-hot between the two of them, making Mia’s pulse
hammer.

Stroking his hair, she told him, “You’re amazing, Max Hamilton.”

“Did you think so when I was smacking your ass?” he asked with a wicked
look.

“Yes. It made me want to be naughty all over again,” she answered truthfully.

“Sweetheart, I want you to let me know if I ever scare you, or push your boundaries,” he warned her dangerously. “My control when it comes to you isn’t exactly reliable.”

“I’m not afraid of you, Max. And I never could be. I know you’d never hurt me. You make me feel safe.” Mia knew she’d never be frightened of Max, no matter how hard he pushed her with his bossiness. The man was an incredible mixture of arrogance and vulnerability, dominance and tenderness, and it fascinated the hell out of her. But she’d never be nervous about any of those qualities. Every part of Max turned her on. He wanted to protect her, and he’d give his life for her. She could never be afraid of
that
kind of
love.

“You’re safe now, and I’m going to make damn sure you stay that way,” he grunted.

They were both silent for a moment, drinking in the pleasure of being together before she asked curiously, “Did Travis kill
Danny?”

Max’s eyebrows narrowed as he replied, “Probably. It was technically an accident, but Travis was there. Is the fact that he’s dead bothering
you?”

“No. It doesn’t bother me personally that Danny is dead. He deserved it, my family is safe, and it means he won’t be around to terrorize anyone else. But poor Travis already put Danny in jail. I hate that he might have had to kill someone for me to be free. He does have a conscience, but he’s always done whatever it took to protect me and
Kade.”

“You know he was the one who put Danny in jail?” Max asked, stunned.

“Of course I knew. Does he really think I’m that stupid? He shows up in Virginia, sees what’s happening, and Danny is suddenly going to prison? I knew Travis had done it. What actually happened to kill Danny?” she asked
softly.

“When Travis finally located Danny, he went to talk to him. Danny fled in a vehicle and Travis took off after him. Danny ended up going down a very high ravine in Colorado after he lost control during the chase. And believe me, I doubt that Travis felt a twinge of remorse after what the bastard had done to you. When he had verification that Danny was dead, he arranged to bring you home, but apparently never got a chance to talk to you about it because you were gone when he got home from his meeting. Why were you at the picnic anyway?” Max asked, confused. “You had just gotten back to Florida.”

“I knew you’d probably be there. I saw the invitation at Travis’ house. I knew you’d probably hate me for what I’d done, but I wanted to see you. I couldn’t help myself. I kept moving closer, but I didn’t think you’d recognize
me.”

“No chance of that. I could sense you,” Max answered, disgruntled. “But the disguise was good enough that no one else did. Did you cut your hair that
day?”

“No. I had it done about a year ago. My long hair was used as a weapon too many times. I did it to feel better. It was kind of like therapy. It felt good,” she told
him.

“He pulled you around by your hair?” Max snarled.

That was putting it mildly, but Mia didn’t tell Max that. Her father had done the same thing. She simply answered,
“Yes.”

Lethargy and exhaustion tugged at Mia’s body. Yawning, she closed her
eyes.

“Tired?” Max inquired.

“Very. I didn’t sleep last night. I wanted to savor the feeling of being together one last time, even though you were three sheets to the wind,” she teased. “I can only imagine the whopper of a hangover you must have had this morning. Do you even remember last
night?”

“Not much,” Max admitted reluctantly.

“Do you want me to fill you in how you accused me of being with another man and how you wanted to hate me?” she teased with a grin. “And why did you bring Tucker? I’m assuming my brothers left and took Tucker with them, but I thought you and my dog barely tolerated each other.” Mia knew that wasn’t true anymore, but she wanted to hear Max actually admit that he had become buddies with her
dog.

“I did think you had a boyfriend. I didn’t exactly get the whole story before I laid into your brother. All I heard was that he’d been responsible for taking you away from me. We didn’t talk much after that.” Max repositioned her so they were lying face to face on the couch, covering both of them with the blanket and wrapping his arms tightly around her. “And the only thing I have in common with that ugly canine is the fact that we both love you. I couldn’t leave him at the house alone. I was being humane. He’s still a pain in my
ass.”

“Do you talk to him? Tucker’s a good listener,” Mia cajoled
him.

“He’s judgmental. I hate that in a dog,” Max grumbled.

She sniggered as she realized that Max was actually talking about Tucker as if the dog were a person. Yep. They had definitely bonded, even if it was an antagonistic relationship. “You adore him,” Mia accused.

“He irritates the hell out of me. Blames me because you went away,” Max
argued.

“You could have dropped him at the neighbor’s house,” she reminded him. “They love Tucker.”

“He wanted to come,” Max said grudgingly. “He was whining. He missed
you.”

Obviously Max wasn’t quite ready to admit that he loved Tucker and that the dog had become incredibly attached to him. So she asked, “Did you make peace with Travis?” She stroked her fingers lightly over the black-and-blue mark under his
eye.

“Yeah. We’ve agreed not to kill each other,” Max said with a
grin.

“And
Kade?”

“I still owe him for laughing at my hangover,” he replied menacingly.

Mia cringed. “Was it
bad?”

“Bad enough to make me want to be a teetotaler. I’m not sure I can ever drink another drop of alcohol again,” he answered unhappily. “Now I know why I’ve never gotten drunk. I had some sense before I met you,” he teased. “The thought of you betraying me and happily living your life somewhere else made me crazy. I remember how I felt before I got
drunk.”

Mia sighed. “I can’t believe you’ve never been drunk. Not even in college?”

“Nope. I studied while everyone else was partying.”

“Oh God. You really are perfect,” Mia said with mock disgust. “And there could never be anyone else, Max. I even had your name tattooed on my ass,” she reminded him jokingly.

Max rubbed the marking possessively. “Yeah. You did. And it’s fucking beautiful.”

Mia laughed. “I forgot that you curse now, so I guess you aren’t perfect.”

“I always cursed. I just never did it in front of you. My dad never swore in front of my mother,” he replied remorsefully.

“Feel free to let it fly,” Mia replied with a smile. “I have two brothers. I’ve heard every profanity in existence and like to use a few occasionally. But since you never swore, I tried not to let one
slip.”

“Christ, we really were pathetic. I’ve always adored you, but I’m not sure we ever really knew each other. No, I take that back. My heart knew you, but the rest of me was a damn idiot,” Max answered despondently. “I’m sorry I wasn’t there for you when you needed me. You shouldn’t have needed to run to Travis. You should have been able to come to
me.”

Mia put a finger on his lips to shush him. “I didn’t allow it. And I wasn’t there for you either, Max. But I think we’ve both changed. Can we just start over again? I’d like to be a real wife to you
now.”

Max cocked a brow and gave her a bemused look. “Did you really think there was ever any question about it? You’re not going anywhere, sweetheart.”

Her arrogant and possessive Max was back, and hotter than hell. Mia sighed and squirmed, trying to get closer to him, as close as she could possibly be. She closed her eyes, totally exhausted, but not wanting to miss a moment of this intimacy with him. “You belong to me too, you
know.”

“Baby, I’ve known that from the moment we met,” he told her seriously, still stroking her tattoo absently.

Mia’s heart soared at those words. “Me too,” she confessed, knowing that she had started falling for Max at the very beginning, the first time she’d ever seen him
smile.

She fell asleep a few moments later, secure in Max’s love, in his strong arms. Max sat stroking her tattoo for quite some time with a contented, relieved smile, before he joined her in slumber.

T
he next week at the Montana ranch house turned out to be the happiest days of Max’s entire life. He and Mia were getting to know each other again—or maybe actually for the very first time. And even as he cherished each day, each new discovery he made about his wife, he still mourned for the wasted years during which he could have really known her, but never did. She was still the sweet, incredible woman he had married, the woman he loved with an intensity that nearly killed him, but she was so much…more. She was complicated and insightful, mysterious and bewildering, and the challenge of figuring out the way her mind worked intrigued the hell out of him. She had shown him the designs she was creating now with her jewelry, and her skill and passion still amazed him. The things she’d never told him in the past because she was afraid he’d be repulsed actually made him admire her strength. His wife was a survivor, a woman who had been through hell and had come out of it stronger and wiser. She might laughingly call herself a “work in progress,” but to Max, she was perfect. She always had
been.

He sat on the bed and pulled on his hiking boots, a purchase he’d made, along with a bunch of casual clothes, on a trip into Billings. Grinning, he laced the boots, thinking about how seldom he and Mia had even made it out of the house in the last week. But honestly, he didn’t think she minded much. She seemed to flash that damned tattoo of hers way too often, and protested very little when he made good on his promise to fuck her every time he saw
it.

His cock sprang to life, pressing hard against the denim of his jeans.
Shit. I can’t even think about her without getting hard. I don’t have to see the damn tattoo to want
her.

Max felt nothing but relief that he didn’t have to hide anything from Mia anymore, or worry about not being the man she wanted. Apparently, she wanted him exactly as he was, and her constant affection, the way she opened herself to him, soothed his
soul.

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.”

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.