Chapter Seven
A couple of days went by and Scarlett heard nothing from Max. She was worried that he was angry with her, or that those men had returned and killed him and Vanessa. Mostly, though, she thought that this meant he didn't want her in his life anymore. Eventually, she called him, just to make sure he was all right. They didn't talk for long, but Scarlett promised to call him again soon.
She didn't.
Instead, Max showed up at her door. Given that Hao had conveniently gone 'shopping' less than ten minutes before Max arrived, Scarlett guessed that he told the billionaire where to find her. Scarlett had to admit she was relieved to see Max and thrilled that he had come after her. Their time apart hadn't made things any easier to think about. She hadn't been entirely certain how to go back to him after leaving the way she did, but that he came to her was enough. She knew as soon as she saw him that she wanted to return to live with him again.
Now she just had to find a way to tell him that.
"Can I get you something to drink?" she asked awkwardly, twisting her hands. The small apartment seemed even smaller with Max's bulk in it.
"No, thank you. I won't stay long. I just came because I needed to talk to you face to face." Max's expression was emotionless. Too emotionless, like he wasn't entirely certain how he was meant to feel, and so had settled on nothing.
Scarlett knew how that felt. She sat down across the table from him and nodded. "We do need to talk."
Max cleared his throat. "So…"
"I'm pregnant."
Max swallowed, his Adam's apple bobbing. "I know. Vanessa found a positive pregnancy test in your bathroom."
"I thought I’d thrown them all away." Scarlett ran her fingers through her dark hair. "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have found out like that. I should have told you. I should have told you before I left. I shouldn't have left at all, but it was especially wrong of me to just leave the way I did, and I'm sorry."
"I understand why you did it." Max paused. His hand crept towards hers, and Scarlet closed the distance between them. He let out a deep lungful of air, visibly relaxing. "I was angry. I might still be a little angry because you didn't tell me. But I understand. You needed space to decide what to do."
Scarlett shook her head. "Not about the baby. I'm going to keep it. I just needed to figure out how I felt about… what you can do, and figure out where that fits in my life now. But I am going to keep the baby, Max, and I want you to be a part of our lives. I want him or her to grow up knowing about your heritage, and have someone who understands there to help out."
Max swallowed again, this time also blinking rapidly. "You have no idea how happy that makes me."
Until he said that, Scarlett hadn't realized that she had feared his reaction. She smiled at him, feeling a weight lift off her shoulders. Tears actually pricked her eyes. "It makes me happy that you're happy. I know that it's an unexpected pregnancy, and I… I was a little afraid you wouldn't want to be part of the baby's life."
"Is that why you left?"
Scarlett hesitated and shook her head. "No. I left because you turned into a gorilla and beat a man to death in front of me. It frightened me, even though you were protecting me."
Max flinched. "I'm sorry that I frightened you. I wasn't thinking when I attacked them. I only knew that I'd die before I let either of them lay a finger on you. You have to understand, I haven't turned in years. I have tried to pretend I’m a normal person. But it never works. Having to keep such a huge part of my identity a secret always destroys my relationships. But when that monster threatened you—"
"I know."
Silence fell between them. They were still holding hands across the table and Scarlet absently rubbed his knuckles with her thumb. She liked the feeling of his hand in hers.
"I'm sorry," he said again.
"I know. And I wish I could say I was over it but the truth is, I'm not. I might need therapy."
Max coughed, although it sounded suspiciously like a laugh.
"I'm not scared of you," she whispered, growing serious again. "And I promise you, I will never tell anybody your secret. I’d just never seen anybody die before and to see someone as gentle as you...."
Max looked at the table. He looked so ashamed that Scarlett circled the table, sitting next to him so he could see that she meant what she said, that she wasn't afraid of him.
"I wish I could say I had never killed anybody before. But when I was in the Marines…"
"I understand."
"I don't know if you do. It weighs on you. It’s like carrying a backpack of bricks. The only thing that makes carrying those bricks worth it is the ones you love. The ones I love," he corrected, his voice going soft. "I love you, Scarlett Brenan. I'm not saying that just because you're pregnant. I love you. I've never wanted anybody to know who I am more than you. I—"
Scarlet cut him off by pressing her fingers to his lips. Her heart pounded shallowly and she felt like she was dancing among the stars. When Vanessa had told her that Max loved her, she had been too afraid to believe it. But hearing it from his own lips lit a realization in her own mind.
She, the Gentlewoman Thief who abhorred the rich, was in love with Maximillian Barnes, the billionaire.
"I love you, too."
Max's eyes widened. "What?"
"I love you."
Max trailed his fingers down her cheek. He stared into her eyes as he moved in, brushing his lips against hers. Apparently, it wasn't enough for him, because he came back, harder, wrapping his arms around her waist. He lifted her easily as they continued to kiss. Scarlett cupped his face, sucking on his lower lip as he carried her to the couch.
"You're so beautiful," he moaned, laying her down.
"You are, too," Scarlett replied, mindful of her manners. "So, so beautiful."
His sculpted torso felt wonderful under her fingertips. Max buried his face into her neck, kissing and sucking on her sensitive skin. It sent tingles throughout her body, making her flesh tighten and heat. Max's hands grasped her voluptuous hips while he gently rocked against her through their clothing.
Scarlett let out an eager, mewling moan. This was exactly what she wanted, what she needed, after everything that had happened: to find her relationship with the father of her child again. She dug her fingers through Max's curly brown hair, reveling in the texture between her fingers. His mouth moved to her clothed breasts, making her moan again. Heat spread up her arms and legs, filling her, making her eyes brighten.
Max popped the buttons off her shirt, tracing the line of her lacy bra with his tongue while a hand worked at her jeans, and Scarlett threw herself into the sensations, letting her animal instincts take control.
She snarled, tearing at her lover's clothes. She rolled, bringing them both heavily to the floor and trapped him under her body, thrusting her tongue into his mouth while she yanked his jeans off.
"Careful," Max moaned, his eyes dark with lust.
"You be careful," Scarlet laughed huskily, as she found him with her hand. "Or you might end up stuck with me forever.”
His eyes slid shut and he arched up to her, whispering her name.
Some part of her brain reminded her that it was most ungentlewomanly to make love in an apartment where she was a guest, but she didn't care. Her body called for Max's to join her, for them to share the build of heat and passion, that feeling of turning from two to one, moving in sync and knowing every physical vulnerability they shared with one another.
Max grabbed her hips, flipping her onto her back once more. He smiled as he thrust into her and Scarlet forget to think as their bodies pulsed and writhed in perfect harmony.