MAXWELL

The party was wall to wall with rich assholes dressed to the nines. Fake hair, fake teeth, and fake smiles were all on display as they sampled the fruits of the good life. I should know. Most if not all of them had called my firm a time or two for representation but were turned down. They had no idea who I was, especially since my mother insisted on introducing me as Maxwell Lancaster instead of O’Neill like I’d asked her. Not that it really mattered; these were the same people who actually believed I’d just returned from boarding school at nearly thirty years of age. They could call me whatever they wanted. I wasn’t there for them. My sights were set on cornering that cocksucker Jeremy and forcing his dick-grabbing ass to tell me what I wanted to know. The party was my mother’s excuse to show off her long-lost son while playing the dutiful hostess for an evening of debauchery. The rich were so easily bored. Money and status afforded them whatever they wanted—the more forbidden, the more they craved it. As long as I stuck to my plan, by the end of the night, I’d have what I needed to leave this fucking hellhole and never look back.

I was about to make my move when one of the guests ambled into my space and started to make conversation. To everyone here, she was an attractive older woman with impeccable taste and old money. She took in my obvious lack of formal wear and overgrown hair and smiled sweetly while she engaged me. Too bad I knew exactly who and what she was before she bothered opening her mouth. Mrs. Alexander Fair had tried to hire me last year to help her out of a situation that involved being caught with a fifteen-year-old boy she had locked in her bedroom for days. She said it was all a big misunderstanding, of course, and she somehow managed to escape prosecution. I’d turned her down flat without returning her phone call. She was a slimy bitch who should be locked up right now instead of sipping champagne at a fancy party.

“So, Maxwell, are you enjoying your welcome home party? I must say I was shocked when Antonia mentioned her son was back from boarding school. I had no idea you’d grown up to be such a handsome young man.” She tried her best to flirt with me, which only caused my irritation level to skyrocket. Her very presence made me sick to my stomach, so I decided to end the conversation before I completely lost my shit.

“You can’t have my cock, so go hunt down your old-ass husband and beg for his. Now, if you don’t mind, can you fuck off?”

“I beg your pardon, young man. Antonia will hear of this outrage.”

“Good. Now eat a dick.”

“Well, I never.” She clutched the strand of pearls around her neck and took off in the other direction like her ass was on fire.

It was the first thing that bought a smile to my face that entire evening, but it quickly evaporated when I caught sight of a new guest. The vision dressed in blue had my cock hard as a rock and pressed against my zipper begging to be let loose. Heaven stood stiffly in the doorway of the mansion, her long brown hair flowed in waves down her back and accentuated her beautiful face. I thought her legs were sexy in that nurse’s uniform, but in sky-high hooker heels? Fuck me, they were perfect. I pushed away that urge to feel the pinch on the small of my back while I plowed into her tight wet pussy while she wore those shoes. Heaven was a distraction I didn’t need, especially not tonight, when I was so close to getting what I want.

“What the fuck are you doing here, Heaven? Didn’t I tell you to stay the fuck away from me?” I growled in her face and dragged her by the upper arm toward the kitchen for privacy. It was hard for her to keep up with my long, determined strides, not to mention her futile attempts at resisting my hold. I was much stronger and far less emotional about the situation. She had to leave one way or another.

“Let go of my arm, Max. You’re hurting me,” she screeched.

“No fucking way, woman. You got no business here, and I want you to leave…NOW.”

“I can’t leave, you asshole. I was invited.”

“Well, I’m uninviting you. Now, get the fuck out.”

It was cruel, but I didn’t have time to explain. I just needed her to follow my orders. Somehow, she was able to slip out of my grasp and skidded to a stop before we reached the back door. The heat coming from her eyes while she gave me the death stare was enough to singe my eyebrows. Heaven was pissed, cute as all hell but murderous. If her eyes were bullets, I would have been a dead motherfucker.

“Who the fuck do you think you are, Max? You think you can tell me what to do? It’s none of your business what I’m doing here, and I’m not leaving, so get outta my way before I punch you in the balls.” I couldn’t decide if I wanted to spank her ass or fuck the shit outta her sassy mouth. Neither option would convince her to leave, so I tried the softer approach.

“Look, Heaven, I’m just trying to protect you, baby. You don’t belong here, so leave before it’s too late.” I touched her rosy cheek and looked directly into her narrowed eyes, hoping she could see from my expression that I wasn’t trying to hurt her, only help. Her features softened slightly and she momentarily leaned into my touch. She was so fucking beautiful, she took my breath away. I wanted nothing more in that moment than to throw her over my shoulder and run out the back door. Fuck the truth. I needed her more. The dream was over when she opened her eyes impossibly wide and pushed me backwards with both hands, causing me to stumble and slam my hip against the center island.

“You want to protect me, Max? Keep me from harm?” She laughed and shook her head, but it was hollow. She wasn’t amused. She was livid, and I was about to feel her wrath.

“You want to keep me safe from the Big Bad Wolf? Protect my virginity before it’s taken away? Because we’re friends, right? Well, you’re too fucking late, Mr. Rich Man. I don’t need your help. I protect myself. Always have, and I always will.” She pointed to herself in challenge, squared her shoulders, then turned to walk away. I felt so much pride for her in that moment. She was tough as nails and stood up to my strong-armed tactics. I waited for that angry feeling to take over, that edge I needed to lash back at her for defying me. That emotion never came. Instead, I felt real desire for the first time in my life. Desire to hold on to someone instead of pushing them away, to heal instead of hurt, to love instead of hate. There was something more to the beautiful nurse, a draw. I didn’t want to use her as a way to forget, achieve the darkness I always searched for. With Heaven, I wanted the silence and not the song. I only knew one other way to stop her from making the biggest mistake of her life.

“Heaven? Will you hold my hand and run from the big oak tree? I promise to always keep you safe from the vampires, baby, trust me.” Her back was still turned, but I heard her sharp intake of breath and the moment she released it on a sob. Her tiny shoulders shook in tandem with her heavy breathing as she fought to hold herself together. My instincts were to grab her and hold her in my arms, to keep her safe from all the bullshit that was bound to happen the longer she stayed in this house. Every one of her sniffles was like a fist to the face, and I wanted it to stop, not just for her sake, but for mine. She turned to face me, and my heart shattered into a million pieces and landed right on that kitchen floor. Blotchy cheeks, a runny nose, and swollen eyes didn’t belong on this woman’s face, but there they were, and I hated it.

“I wish that were possible, Max…if only things were different, if I were different. I’ve only known you for a few short days, but it feels like a lifetime. How strange is that?” She placed a delicate hand on my chest, and I covered it with my own and wiped her tear-stained cheek with my thumb.

“One day, we’ll lie out in a meadow filled with wild flowers and soak in the sun. I’ll make a picnic lunch and wear a long white dress just for you. We’ll spend the day in each other’s arms and dream beautiful dreams. I’d feel safe knowing you were there beside me.”

“I’ll always keep you safe, Heaven,” I whispered, and she smiled. A genuine feeling of happiness appeared on her face for one fleeting moment.

“Dreams never really do come true, do they, Max? I wish we had enough time to just be—”

We were interrupted before I could respond to her soul-breaking statement. She had no idea how spot on she was. Unfortunately, my mother took that moment to interrupt and made her presence known. I had so many reasons for hating her, and that was one more to add to the already mile high list.

“Oh, Haven, dear, I’m so glad you decided to join us this evening.” Her voice was sweeter than syrup. A growl bubbled up deep from within my chest as I moved to shield Heaven’s body from my mother’s view. Her sudden change in demeanor meant she didn’t appreciate my interference and there would be hell to pay later. I gave less than a fuck about her retaliation at that moment. She could do to me whatever she wanted, but I’d be damned if I let her near my woman.

“I believe Jeremy was looking for you, dear. He’s just inside the meeting room with the rest of the guests, if you’d like to join him.”

I expected Heaven to tell her to fuck right off. Instead, she moved from behind me and made her way toward the partygoers. She stopped just before she cleared the opening and silently mouthed, “Good-bye, Max” before she disappeared from my view. I wanted to kill my mother, stab her through her black heart and watch her bleed to death on that cold kitchen floor. She had something to do with this. The smirk on her face told me as much. She’d somehow forced Heaven into Jeremy’s arms, and one way or another, I was gonna find out how. She threw her head back and laughed, like the deranged lunatic she was, and pointed her manicured finger in my direction.

“I always win, Maxie. You’ll do well to remember that, sweet boy.” Then she walked out.