From her perch on my shoulder, she is laughing now, pulling back my sleeve and looking very proud of her puny bicep. I also pretend to be impressed, which makes her laugh harder.
“There you go. You are MMA fighter.”
I let her topple down into my arms and I like the way she looks up at me now through her eyelashes, her arms wrapped behind my neck. “Thank you for that,” she whispers. “I had no idea living with you was going to be so fun.”
“I am very fun guy,” I say, pretending to be offended.
She giggles again and lets me kiss her and my heart nearly pounds out of my chest.
Whitney is my heaven. I wasn’t even looking, but I found her.
And I am never leaving.
Neither is she.
5
Whitney
It’s weird that Maxim hasn’t tried to sleep with me again since last night.
Mostly because he has a pretty noticeable erection. At all times.
Instead of touching me like I sense he wants to do, he tells me more stories about Russia on the way to my apartment. I’m kind of hoping Scout will magically be there, but she isn’t. So I quickly pack a suitcase of essentials, including the script for my upcoming audition, before Maxim quickly loads me back into his SUV, as if someone is going to swoop in and steal me away. Although, after last night, that kind of thing doesn’t sound unrealistic anymore.
It’s almost time for my phone call with Scout when we get back to Maxim’s house. I rush through a shower, blow out my hair and put on a light, pink dress that brushes the tops of my thighs. Now I pace nervously, phone in hand. Maxim arrives from his own shower smelling fresh and masculine and minty…and commences pacing behind me.
At one o’clock on the dot, the phone rings.
With a sucked in breath, I answer. “Scout. Are you okay? Where are you?”
“Me? Are you okay? The Madman himself carried you out of the arena after giving Banner a concussion and no one has seen you since!”
“I’m fine! This call isn’t about me!”
“It can be about you sometimes, Whit.”
I roll my eyes, but they’re full of moisture, because I miss my sister like hell. We haven’t spent a day apart since we were kids and all of a sudden, it feels like we’re on two separate planets. “Just tell me what’s going on. Is Easton Brawn with you now?”
She sounds funny when she answers. “Yes.”
In other words, she can’t speak freely. This is why I need to see her live and in person.
“Has he hurt you?”
“No.”
“Are you allowed to leave?”
“Hard no.”
“I’m in a similar situation,” I say carefully, cutting a look toward Maxim. “I need to see you. Soon. Will you try and convince Easton?”
“Of course I will.” She sniffs. “I miss you.”
“I miss you, too.”
“I had sex, Whit,” she whispers dramatically.
In the background, I hear a very male, very exasperated sigh.
“Um. Me too,” I say, heat climbing my neck. “We’ll have to compare notes soon.”
“Okay. Bye for now.”
“Bye Scout.”
When I hang up the phone, I find Maxim leaning against the nearby couch, arms crossed. “You will compare notes. What does this mean, Whitney? You will speak to her about the way we have sex? Details and such?”
I stutter through an explanation. “We…I mean, yes. We tell each other everything. This won’t be any different.”
“It is different.”
“Why?”
A muscle leaps in his jaw. “I don’t want her to know I fucked you like a wild animal your first time. She might convince you I am not good man. Make you leave me.”
“Maxim…” I rear back in confusion. “Is that why you haven’t touched me again?”
He grunts. Looks down at the floor.
Or whatever amount of the floor he can see around his erection. It’s still going strong.
“I loved what we did,” I say, going toward him. “A lot.”
“Your pussy is all red and puffy, kotik. I don’t like seeing your pain and knowing I am responsible. Pain is what I deliver to men. Opponents. Not my sweet girl.”
I stop in front of Maxim and lock my arms behind his neck. “Maxim, you are…large. I was a virgin. I don’t think there was any way around it. Throw in your month-long sabbatical…”
“I also jacked off on you while you were sleeping last night.”
“Oh.” God help me, I just want to laugh. “And now you feel guilty?”
Another grunt. But this time he wraps his arms around my waist and yanks me up against his hard body, inhaling with gusto in the crook of my neck. “I am very worried I will fuck this up. Make you angry or sad.”
I could fall in love with this man.
Whoa.
Deep breaths. “I think the fact that you’re worrying means everything will be all right,” I whisper, lifting up on my toes to press our mouths together. Maxim groans, his tongue demanding entry to my mouth, his hands already sliding up beneath the back of my dress to capture my bottom, his blunt fingertips exploring the line of my G-string. Between us, his hard-on extends, curving behind the zipper of his jeans, and I rub my belly against it, producing a harsh, panting sound from his mouth. “Can Daddy come out to play?”
“Yes, little kitten—” His cell phone starts to ring in his pocket. “Fuck.”
“You should answer,” I murmur, kissing his chiseled jaw. “It could be about Scout.”
“No,” he says, looking at the screen. “Is my manager. He has been trying to reach me all morning.”
“Why didn’t you take the call?”
Maxim looks at me like I’m crazy. “I was busy thinking about you, kotik.”
He starts to toss the phone aside, but I stop him. “This could also be important. Especially after a big win.” I cut off his protests with a slow, meandering kiss. “Come find me when you’re done.”
His chest shudders up and down. “I will be very quick.”
I can feel his gaze on me until I turn the corner out of the room. As soon as I’m in the hallway, I let the hot shiver pass through me. Who knew my life could change so much in a matter of days? I met a man who makes me feel…happy. Safe. Confident. Sexy. Very sexy. And my sister is all right for now. I’m not going to rest until I confirm in person, but I know her voice and she’s not hurt or scared. Now all I have to focus on is my acting audition at the end of this week. If I do well and get cast in the play, I’ll be able to afford a chunk of Scout’s tuition.
God knows my father won’t be able to pay it after the loss he sustained last night.
He’d put a fair bit of money on Banner.
Not to mention his second-born daughter.
Where is he today? And what about Banner? Is he angry?
Surely he won’t try to pursue me any more. Not now that Maxim made his intentions clear to the entire population. No. He definitely won’t.
Reassured, I head to the bedroom and take out my script, intending to practice my lines until Maxim can join me. But I’ve only scanned the first page when my MMA champion appears in the doorway. He licks the corner of his mouth when he sees me, his attention dropping briefly to the script.