Max led Kylie back to her room, where he sprawled out on the bed and browsed the television listings for something to watch while she took a bath. Her body was so stressed out, and the warm water helped so much. It significantly improved how she felt by releasing tension and working through her muscles.
Someone had left hair products, a toothbrush, a hairbrush, and other essentials.
She assumed someone had brought it specifically for her, since they weren’t there that morning. They had kept some clothes for her in a huge walk-in closet. Maya and Annie had promised to take her shopping later on. She felt almost human again after washing her blond hair, brushing her teeth (which she could not do the previous night), and shaving her legs. After the calming effects of the bath, a sense of detachment set in; the recent events seemed far away and difficult to comprehend. No matter how hard they clawed, it was as if her mind had closed the door and would not let them in.
She was pleased with what she saw when she looked in the mirror. Kylie was aware of her attractiveness. She had known about it ever since. As a teenager, she felt cursed by her blond hair and blue eyes. Getting boys was simple, especially the wrong ones. Most of her early adult life had been one long row of men because they had swarmed around her.
When she ran away from her foster home and was living dirt poor, she had given up on men. It was simpler to keep moving without becoming attached. Yes, there had occasionally been quick hookups, but she damn well made sure none of them lasted. She had found some purpose and stability after she met her brothers.
The image of Max ripping the rogues apart sent her into a tizzy. She remembered how relieved she felt when she saw him as her avenging angel. Strong and dashing, he had driven them away. Max did not strike her as the aggressive type. He was calm and in command. She like him. There was no way around it. She needed him to help her get through this. She sighed and shook her head at the reflection in the mirror. “You’ve taken chances on worse men than him, girl. Why not give him a chance now?” She told herself.
She left the bathroom, turning off the lights, to join him on the bed. He was still sprawled across it where she had left him, but the remote was inches from his grasp. His chest moved slowly up and down, and his eyes were closed.
“Max?” she muttered, but received no response. He was fast asleep.
She looked down at Max, who was fast asleep. He was snoring lightly, which made him look adorable. She climbed into bed with him, smiling at herself. Picking up the remote, she flipped through the channels until she found something she could watch before snuggling in close and resting her head on his chest. It felt like heaven. It felt secure. She was perfectly at ease, savouring every bit of the warm body next to her.
**************************
Max tried to roll to the side, but something around his waist kept him on his back. Yawning and stretching, he slowly opened his eyes.
“Hey handsome!” Kylie greeted her with a smile.
“Damm! How long did I sleep?” He said this while rubbing his eyes and sitting up.
“About an hour; you can go back to sleep. It seems like you need it,” Kylie said.
His grin widened, and he chuckled. “I can’t remember the last time I slept so well. I should sleep with more people around me.”
Kylie cocked her brow. “Are you saying that is unusual for you?” She pretended to be unconcerned about her hidden question by grabbing the remote and muting the TV.
“It has happened before.” His smug smirk was visible on his lips. “However, I don’t recall any of my previous partners putting me to sleep in the middle of the day.”
“I apologise if I bore you. If you wanted me to entertain you, you should have been more specific.” She huffed, pretended to be offended.
“What would you have done to entertain me?” He said while propping his elbow on the bed.
She purposefully held off responding until his eyes blinked from the TV at her in search of explanations during the awkward pause. Innocently rolling her eyes at him, she stretched her arms above her head while seductively biting her lip. Instantly tense, his eyes took on a ferocious, wild-eyed look of desire. Kylie paused. She had been certain for a moment that he would charge her, but he twisted his head away and exhaled.
“Fuck.” She overheard him muttering.
“Max?” Kylie turned to face him while supporting herself on an elbow, but he refused to look at her.
“Max.” She tried once more, this time with more vigour, and he slowly turned to face her. “Why is that? You’re acting really strange, and it’s freaking me out.”
He rubbed his eyes with the heels of his hands and shook his head. “I’m sorry, Kylie. I just... It’s been a while.”
“What?” She gave him a perplexed look.
“I don’t want to lose control and freak you out.”
Kylie burst out laughing and fell back on the bed. “Oh shit, Max. I thought you were going to reveal something seriously fucked up. But you were worrying about your ‘performance’”
He quickly rolled on top of her, supporting her with one hand on each side of her head and straddling her waist. He smiled sheepishly as he looked down at her from his elevated position. “Do not provoke the big bad wolf. You could hurt my pride.”
“Why won’t the big bad wolf show me what he can do?” She pushed her shoulders back to highlight her breasts as she whispered seductively.
She received a hungry look from Max, who then reached out to touch her face. When she parted her lips to welcome him inside, his thumb had gently travelled down her nose to rest there. She held his gaze while suggestively sucking his thumb. She felt there was no reason to hold back because there was an unspoken sexual attraction between them. If this were the only positive thing going on in her life right now, she would take full advantage of it.
She got a good look at his body when he took off his shirt, and it was gorgeous. He had well-defined muscles, broad, strong shoulders, and a domineering gait. His pack crest was inked across his chest and arm in a lengthy design. When he saw his thumb slipping into her mouth, his eyes completely changed to a fiery shade of passion, and his ravenous lips took the place of the thumb. He forced her lips open for his tongue to enter during the unkind kiss by placing his thumb on her chin. Kylie didn’t struggle; in fact, she was glad to open up to him and let him wander. As if he had been drowning and she had given him the few precious breaths he needed to survive, he kissed her like he was hungry for her taste. Perhaps the best kiss of her life.
She could feel his erection against her stomach as he forced her to arch towards him by slipping a hand under her back. Not only was he aroused, but she was also feeling extremely hot because of the kiss. She longed for the unique elation and exhaustion that orgasms would produce. With his thumb on her lips, Max cupped her face once more. Then she giggled and gave it a mock bite. He turned her head away while keeping his thumb in her mouth so he could have unrestricted access to her neck while a shiver ran through his muscles. She giggled even louder and tried to wriggle away as the coarse stubble on his chin irritated her delicate skin as he trailed kisses down her neck and collarbone. When the tickling got too intense, he grabbed her wrists and clasped them above her head, annoyed at her hand’s attempt to push him away.
“Mine.”
His teeth grazed her neck joint. Kylie shrieked in shock, but remained motionless beneath him. She wanted to give in to his possessiveness. She wanted him. She needed him. By the sounds he was making, he shared those feelings.
“Wait! Max, we must talk.” She muttered, attempting to escape his hold on her. She continued to look up at him in shock as his hands continued to frame her face.
“Are you kidding me, right?”
“No, it’s happening too quickly. You know nothing about me.”
She leant in slightly, feeling stressed, taking his hands in hers to free her face. He moved off her and sat on the bed, running his hand through his hair.
“Nothing has changed; you were fine just a moment ago. We are mates, as you know.”
“What about the getting to know you both phase?” Kylie asked, sitting up.
“We’ve got our entire lives to do that. Whatever I own belongs to you. You are my everything. I will never hurt you. You have nothing to fear. Are we done with the talking?” He asked impatiently.
She arched a neatly groomed eyebrow and smiled.
“I’ve had a lot of relationships with men for a lot of stupid reasons. None of them ever said that to me. You’re not interested in learning anything about me, are you?”
He turned his head towards her with an affronted expression.
“Sooo...” Max smiled slyly.
“How many?”
“What?” She gave him a bewildered look.
“What’s your body count?”
The air in the room fell silent, and he found it amusing to watch her flinch.
There was a knock on the door.