Over the next few days, Mia settled into a comfortable routine with Max and Jeremy. Her husband would go to work in the morning, always either leaving her a note taped to her door, or giving her a kiss on the cheek before he walked out, a gesture she loved more with each passing day. He didn’t expect anything from her, and for that, she was equally grateful, though it didn’t stop her from planning something anyway.

In the evenings, they would watch movies or whatever was on TV. Max laughed a lot, something that seemed to surprise Jeremy every time he heard the booming sound. Mia occupied her days with reading or hitting the punching bag in the gym until her arms gave out on her. Max was right. Every day, a bit more of the old Mia fell away, revealing the woman she truly could be underneath, and for the first time in years, she could genuinely say she was happy. Life was good. She taught herself to cook, surprising Jeremy and Max a few nights in her second week there with gourmet meals they had the decency to attempt to eat before she told them they didn’t have to. They’d ordered pizza and quickly tossed out her pasta with glee.

“Whatever,” she pouted from the couch as she picked up another slice. “It wasn’t that bad.”

Jeremy choked on his food and Max gave him a helpful whack on the back. “Right, not bad at all, Mia. Though I think you should stick to simpler meals or muffins. You make fantastic muffins.”

She chucked a piece of crust at him. “Those came out of a box!”

“Yes, and they were delicious,” he proclaimed before popping the crust in his mouth.

Max rolled his eyes but grinned widely. There was no other sight she looked forward to more than seeing that grin appear on his face. She grew used to his cursing, but his vulgarity was curtailed, for the most part. Not that he had to say anything anymore. One touch of his hand on hers or a hungry glint in his eyes told her exactly what he wanted. She wanted to tell him the good news, but there were still a few details she needed help figuring out and was unsure of when she would get that chance, if ever.

Wednesday evening rolled around, nearly two weeks since she had been with Max, and she leaned over on the couch to check her cell when it chirped. Jeremy was at the door with his hands full. “You could’ve knocked!” she called out as she hurried to open it.

“I like to be difficult,” he said as he stepped inside.

“What is all this?” she asked, laughing as she closed the door behind him. “Where’s Max?”

“He has to stay late at the office so I took it upon myself to ensure you had company for the evening.” He handed her a bouquet of dark red daisies. “For you, my dear, from your beloved husband—with his apologies, of course.”

Mia held them and sniffed their soft petals. “That man is full of surprises.”

“You’re telling me. I’ve known him for years and I’ve never heard him laugh so much in my whole life.” He pulled out a paper-wrapped package from the box and handed it over as well before he unloaded takeout containers. “Thai alright? It smelled good on the way home.”

“Sounds good to me,” she said distractedly. “What is this?”

Jeremy winked. “Another surprise. Open it!”

Biting her tongue in excitement, she hurried to tear the paper and drew out a leather-bound journal, a set of fountain pens, several books of poetry, and a stack of brochures. “What is all this?” she asked on a laugh.

“You mentioned the other day about not being able to finish school and missing your poetry, so Max thought it was high time you got back on that horse,” Jeremy announced. “Right, who’s hungry?”

Mia ran her fingers over the journal as tears filled her eyes. When was the last time she had written anything down? It had to be a year at least, around the time she met Keith. The books were a few of her favorite poets and the brochures were for some of the finest colleges within driving distance.

“He did all this for me?” she whispered.

Jeremy nodded earnestly. “I told you, he’s a changed man because of you. Well, minus the cursing and sharp tongue, but that won’t ever go away, I’m afraid.”

“Probably not,” she agreed. “Can I ask you something?”

“As long as we can talk and eat. I’m starving,” he said as he hopped up on the counter, picked up a container of noodles, and dug into them with a fork.

She set the books down and picked up another container. “What happened to him?”

“What do you mean?”

“He was hurt before, wasn’t he? It’s why he doesn’t laugh or smile, and I have a feeling it doesn’t have to do with his scar.”

Jeremy sighed and set his food down. “Not all his bitterness, at least. He was with a woman a long time ago. He thought she was the one, swore to me up and down he would marry her and be the happiest man alive, but the accident happened and… well, you saw the scar on his face. I told him he looked more dashing with it.”

Mia rested her hip against the counter, remembering the first night she’d seen Max. “I didn’t even notice it at first.”

“I told him most people wouldn’t, but his girlfriend—she was a piece of work. It was bad enough that she cheated on him while he recovered from the car accident, but she ridiculed him for his deformity, as she called it. Told him she could never be with a man who was so ugly.” Jeremy stabbed his fork into his noodles. “It ripped his heart out, it did. He was never the same after that.”

Silence settled between them as Mia went to the fridge and pulled out two beers, wondering how best to broach her next question.

“He told me about you—or at least enough to understand what happened,” he said quietly.

“I expected him to,” she said, not upset at all. “It’s getting easier with him and you around.” He batted his lashes and clutched a hand to his chest. “Look, there’s something I want to do for him… with him, but I… uh, I want it to be perfect, and I know this is completely cliché, asking the gay friend to help, but…” Her face hot from embarrassment, she gulped her beer and wondered what the hell she was even trying to ask.

“Are you wanting to do the big thing with Mister Maxwell Ward?” he supplied.

She laughed as she said, “Something like that, yeah, but I don’t have anything sexy to wear and I—damn, Jeremy, I’ve never been romantic a day in my life. Help a girl out here.”

“That I shall do. Let’s go,” he said and scooped up his keys from the counter.

“Where are we going?” she asked and slipped into her flats before following him to the door.

“We are going shopping, my dear. Max won’t be home for at least three hours, and that should give us plenty of time,” he announced. “To the elevators!”

Butterflies filled her stomach as she rode down to the lobby with Jeremy and realized that after tonight, if all went according to plan, she would finally know what it felt like to be loved by a man who actually wanted her.

* * *

Max yawned as he shoved his key in the lock and staggered inside. It was nearly midnight and he expected Mia to be passed out already. Jeremy had texted earlier to say all was well and he’d delivered the presents as requested. Mia loved them all, and he hoped she would seriously consider going back to school. In the short week and a half he’d been with her, she’d changed so much he hardly recognized her as the woman he’d carried up to his penthouse that first night.

She, in turn, changed him into a man he swore he would never see again when he looked in the mirror. It felt good to laugh and smile, to come home at the end of a long day and not feel the need to drink until he passed out, or find whatever woman would take him to bed for a few seconds of bliss.

He set his keys on the table and stepped around the kitchen to see a trail of flower petals on the floor. Max scratched at the scruff on his face as he followed them slowly down the hall. His bedroom door was open just a crack, and the petals led him through the doorway. He pushed it open and stepped into the room lit by candles covering every surface. Quiet music played in the background, and lying in the middle of his four-poster bed, wearing nothing but a red lace bra and panties, was Mia.

His throat thick with arousal, he managed a grunt in greeting, his pants straining against his quickly growing erection at the sight of her beauty and the smile that finally reached her shining eyes.

“How was work?” she asked casually, resting on her side so he had a full view of her from head to toe.

“Good,” he rasped before he cleared his throat. “Long day.”

“Yeah? Well, if you’re too tired…”

“Fuck, no,” he growled, and her lips turned up in a wicked grin. “You did all this for me?”

“For us,” she corrected. “I want you, Max. I’m ready and I came to you like you said.”

She sat up, and his eyes failed to focus as he tried to see all of her at once. The first time she was naked, splayed out before him, all he could think of was what it would be like to claim her, to make his mark on her. Wearing that red lace, he realized she wanted the exact same thing—except to do it to him. Her fingers trailed between her breasts and lower to her stomach as he watched. He took a slow step forward, wanting to soak in this moment since it could very well be their only time. He sure as hell hoped not, but sex was not part of their agreement. He didn’t expect anything from her.

“You’re sure?” he asked, clearing his throat and having to ask again as he moved even closer.

“If I wasn’t sure, I wouldn’t be here, waiting for you,” she purred. She bit her bottom lip in the way that drove him insane as she cupped her breasts firmly in her hands and gave them a good squeeze. “Max, you showed me what pleasure is, but I want you right there with me. I want to see you squirm at my touch.” She slipped her fingers into the lace cups and pinched her nipples. Max groaned, his hands aching to shove hers aside and take their place. “I want you inside me.”

He reached the bed in two steps and took her hand, dragging her body against his as she knelt before him. He smashed his mouth against hers, digging his fingers into her back, needing her to be as close to him as possible. His tongue demanded entrance to her mouth, and she parted her lips on a sigh. As his tongue sought hers out, rubbing and stroking, he fumbled for the hooks of the bra, wanting to see all of her again.

He’d barely freed the hooks when he paused and forced his mouth away from hers. “I don’t know if I can control myself with you,” he confessed.

She gripped his shoulders hard in her hands. “You won’t hurt me.”

“How do you know? I’m used to hard fucks, not taking my time, not being gentle.”

Mia licked the shell of his ear and he squeezed the ends of the bra harder in his hand. “I don’t need you to be. I trust you, and maybe a good, hard fuck is just what the doctor ordered.”

This was not the same Mia he’d brought home nearly two weeks ago. She had been timid, scared of stepping out of her shell. This woman he held in his arms was strong and hungry for his touch. Her eyes glimmered with the promise of what was to come if he went through with this, and as his erection throbbed in his pants, he was hopeless to resist. He wanted her, plain and simple, wanted to fuck her until she screamed his name over and over, until she begged for more, until he couldn’t see straight. Her grey eyes found his blue ones and they stared at each other for a solid minute as a rush of raw emotion erupted within him.

With her eyes still on his, he tugged the bra free of her arms and tossed it aside before leaning her back over his arm and ravishing her breasts. She pressed him closer as she whispered his name. Max licked and kissed, reached for a nipple, and pulled it into his mouth. He nipped and tugged while she pushed herself closer to his body. Max was used to the feelings of lust pouring through him, but the irrational instinct rising to protect this woman and keep her in his life was new. The moment he kissed her, he was at risk of losing so much more than a few days alone. He was married to a woman he wasn’t supposed to fall in love with, but that was exactly what he was doing. Each kiss of his lips on her bare skin, each stroke of his hands down her back until he gripped her ass and squeezed it hard, was about more than simple pleasure with her. He wanted more than a night, and if he played this night right, he could very well convince her of the exact same notion.

Max found her mouth again with his, sucking her tongue into his mouth and running his hand through her shorter hair. He would never control what she looked like or what she wore. He would never stop her from chasing her dreams or beat her down for what she wanted to do. How any man could have done so in the first place was beyond him. He was going to love this woman in his arms, love her well enough that she would realize she never needed anyone else in her life.

And at the end of four years, she would still want to be married to the brute whose heart she stole.

* * *

Heat wasn’t even close to describing the warmth surrounding her body as Max held her. The first time he’d given her such pleasure in his bed, he’d prevented her from doing the same for him, but not this time. She would see what other pleasures could be shared with a man while in his strong, protective arms. His hands massaged and kneaded the flesh of her rear, and all she could do was hold on tight as his scruff rubbed against the mounds of her breasts.

“Max,” she whispered, “what am I supposed to do here?”

“What do you mean?” he panted against her chest.

“I’ve never done this before, remember? What… what do I do to get you all… you know.”

Max chuckled, the sound low and deep in his chest, vibrating through her body. “You, love, don’t have to do a damn thing.” He took her hand and pressed it flat against his groin. She gasped in surprise at the hardness of his considerable length. He let go of her hand, and she rubbed it against his massive member, unable to pull away when he let out an animalistic groan and his hips bucked against her.

“Is this okay?” she asked.

“More than okay, love,” he grunted as his eyes rolled back in his head.

Mia pushed her tongue against her lip as she shifted her hand to his belt, quickly undid it, and unbuttoned his pants so she could slip her hand in.

“Fucking hell.” His hands gripped her ass even harder as Mia held him in her hand and slid down the fullness of him, amazed and a little worried about what would fill her soon enough. Would he even fit? She remembered what her mom had always told her about sex, about it hurting, and she stilled.

“Mia? What’s wrong?”

“Nothing,” she said and faked a smile, but he hugged her against his hard chest and kissed her. Breathless, she stared deep into his blue eyes and frowned. “I was always told that sex… hurt, and you’re… well…”

“Big?” he supplied with a crooked grin.

“Just a bit,” she said, laughing nervously. “My mom told me the only way to get through it was to lay there and wait until it was over.”

His hands glided up her back, more gentle than she ever thought possible for this man, until they slid gracefully around her front and held her face. “You know the other day? When I made you scream?”

“Yes,” she whispered, her thighs clamping shut as the throbbing need for him grew.

His eyes darted down at the movement and his grin widened with promise. “Times that by ten. That is what sex is supposed to be like if the man cares for you, and I care for you, Mia. I won’t lie, the first time is a bit rough, but afterwards, you’ll be begging me to spread your thighs and penetrate you.” He rubbed his beard scruff against her cheek and licked the lobe of her ear. “You’ll be ready for me—all of me—and when I stretch you, you won’t believe the pleasure I’ll give you.”

Mia believed every word he told her as her hand cupped his package. “Is that right?”

She ran her hand up his length again, her other hand joining the first as she squeezed and teased, but she wanted to see him. She worked his slacks over his hips and let them fall to the floor so he bobbed free in front of her eyes. He was impressive, to say the least, and her panties were soaked instantly at the idea of that within her, driving her further over the edge than the last time he’d touched her.

Licking her lips, she lowered her body to the bed and ran her tongue around his crown. He muttered something, but she missed it. His hands occupied themselves with fondling her breasts as she held him steady and drew him into her mouth—as much as she could—and sucked harder with each pull. In response, he tugged harder on her nipples, and the sharp twang of desire shot to her sex, making her grow even wetter. She worked around his swollen erection, licking and sucking as much of it as she could, wanting to hear him fall apart in her hands, but suddenly, she was yanked away and lay on her back on the bed.

“I wasn’t finished with that,” she argued.

“Too much more, and you would’ve put me out of commission for a while, and that’s not what I want right now.” He shrugged out of his dress shirt and stood at the foot of the bed, completely naked. His sculpted muscles told her of the years he’d spent perfecting every inch of his body since there was nothing he could do about his scarred face.

He breathed deeply, and with each rise of his chest, Mia found another angle to admire his body from, or another tribal tattoo that covered his shoulders and sides. The candlelight flickered across his skin, making him appear even taller and broader. Instead of being scared, though, as she used to be in Keith’s shadow, an overwhelming sensation of safety overcame her and a need to share herself with this man who opened up his home and his life to her without any expectation of receiving anything more than a fake wife with fake love.

He pressed his knee against the bed and climbed up to join her. As he reached for her hips, she wasn’t sure what to expect, but he rolled her onto her stomach and traced her spine, his lips following and kissing every vertebra on his way down. Her hands dug into the sheets, wanting to hold him, but his touch was too good to interrupt. His teeth tugged at the edge of her panties, and she shivered as he dragged them over her ass and down her body to free her. Both hands massaged back up her thighs to her ass and spread her legs gently as he raised her a little off the bed. Mia, guided by his touch, closed her eyes and soaked in the sensations coursing over her skin. Max’s hands slipped to the inside of her thighs and one moved against the wet, swollen lips aching for his presence.

She gasped as he palmed her, pressing hard between her legs as he lowered his mouth to her shoulder and neck, kissing and nipping as his free hand found her breast. The second he tugged on her nipple, his fingers spread her folds and thrust inside, stretching and spreading. Her body shuddering, she rubbed herself harder against his hand as he stroked her clit hard, his fingers thrusting in a steady and hard rhythm. Mia’s hands tugged hard on the sheet, her chest heaving as the torrent of ecstasy built within her. Blind with desire, she reached for his hand, and unsure what she was doing, she dragged his finger into her mouth and sucked hard as if it was his cock. His reaction was exactly what she hoped for, and his hand increased its pace, plundering her depths as she sucked and licked his hand, nipping his palm and kissing each finger in turn before she drew it into the wetness of her mouth. His thumb pressed further back against a place she never thought men liked to touch, but it was tentative until he did it again and she lifted her ass higher for him.

“You’re going to be the death of me, love,” he grunted a she cried out, so filled by this man, and they were barely getting started. “I want to taste you. I don’t think I’ll ever get enough of that sweetness.”

Already on the brink, Mia whimpered when his hand slipped from her mouth and her quivering sheath and was replaced with his mouth. His tongue was hot as he dragged it up the length of her and drove it within. He sucked her lips and her clit mercilessly. There was no more controlling her body. Her hips moved on their own, lifting with each pull of his mouth and stroke of his tongue against the sweet bundle of nerves.

“Max… please,” she whispered.

“Please what?” he replied, kissing the soft curves of her ass as his hands massaged her thighs.

She lifted her head and glanced over her shoulder at him, deadly serious, and said, “I want you to fuck me.”

His eyes darkened. He rose over her body. She glanced down at his tip, craving to suck the drips of pre-cum present on the head. He spread her legs wider, grabbed her hips, and rubbed his full length against her wetness. He was huge and she worried again he wouldn’t fit, but Max would never hurt her. The first time would have some pain, everyone knew that, but once that was over, he would give her pure ecstasy, more than she could ever dream of handling. That was what she believed and waited for. His tip angled upwards, and she gripped the bed, bracing for the pain as he rocked forward gently.

“Relax, love,” he soothed, running a hand down her back then up, calming her.

Mia nodded and took a deep breath, letting it out as he spread her lips and penetrated her. She stretched around him, the sensation foreign and familiar all at once. He drew back out, still running his hand down her back before he pushed in further this time. There was no pain, not yet, and she moved back to meet him on the third thrust, taking him in deeper as he filled her. She wanted all of him and this was taking too long. Ready to embrace the pain when he thrust again, Mia moved back and gasped as his body met her ass and he settled completely within her.

“Damn it, Mia,” he growled, ready to pull out, but she reached around and dug her nails into his thigh. “We were supposed to take it slow. I don’t want to hurt you.”

The pain throbbed, but alongside it was such immense satisfaction, it subsided as quickly as it came. “You didn’t,” she assured him and rocked forward before pushing back against him. A grunt fell from his lips and she grinned. “Well?”

He didn’t have to be told twice and drew out slowly before he thrust back home. Mia’s body trembled each time, grabbing whatever she could to hold onto. Her nipples rubbed against the sheets, and she closed her eyes as the pleasure built. Then he pulled out and flipped her over onto her back.

“I want to see your face,” he growled as he spread her legs. As she watched, he filled her body.

Mia’s hands moved to his arms, holding them as he thrust. His massive body covered hers completely. He lowered his mouth to her nipple, flicking it and sucking hard as her head fell back and her back arched off the bed. It was impossible to feel this good, it had to be, but she was ready to come apart at the seams because of this man. Never leaving her, he adjusted them again, lifting her off the bed and holding her up with his arm. The angle shifted and Max swallowed her cries as the orgasm exploded through her body. He thrust harder and faster before his bellow of release joined hers. He tossed his head back and they clung to each other as the orgasm rippled through them. Mia felt it, her inner muscles clenching him, felt him swell to an impossible size inside her as he twitched and shuddered. They fell to the side, but he remained within as if he never wanted to leave.

She never wanted him to. He tucked her against his chest, kissing her forehead and letting his lips move to her cheeks as he pushed her hair from her face. The sweat from their bodies mingled and she waited for him to leave her and hop into the shower, and avoid staying and cuddling with her, but he didn’t move a muscle.

“That was not what I expected,” she whispered.

“Better or worse?” he questioned. He moved his hips back, sliding from her, and they both shivered as another aftershock of pleasure hit them both.

“Definitely better.” Propping her head up on her hand, she traced the tattoos she could see on his shoulders and tried to picture a life without this man in it. She enjoyed their routine: her playing the doting wife for her husband when he came home from work. She’d found a friend in Max and didn’t want to mess that up, but there was more to the two of them than she’d first let herself believe.

“What’re you thinking about so hard?” he asked, his hand resting casually on her hip.

“I wanted to thank you for the present,” she replied. “The journals and books. They’re perfect, really.”

“And the other thing with the present?”

“The brochures? You think I should go back to school?”

“If you want. I’m not going to stop you, and I’m pretty sure you’ll have plenty of funds to do it.” He tilted her chin up and kissed her sweetly. “Don’t let that asshole hold you back anymore, love. You’re your own woman. Do what makes you happy.”

She wasn’t used to having support from a man, and her heart swelled with it. The night was far from over, though, and she wanted so much more of Max before the sun came up. As her hand trailed down his chest to search for him, she whispered against his lips, “So I should do you?”

He laughed. “You won’t find any complaints here.”

“Good, because I’m just getting started.”