“What’s wrong?” Denora asked.
“Let’s take a shower,” he said, taking her hand.
She stood up, a slow smile spreading across her face. “Let’s.”
Later that night, Denora was fast asleep in his bed, exhausted and sated from their lovemaking.
Unable to fall asleep, Max got out of bed and retrieved his tablet from his briefcase. He walked over to the desk and briefly scrolled through his emails. He quickly replied to some work mail and then glanced at the time, wondering whether he could sneak out of the room to call Charlotte. But he couldn’t risk Denora walking in on him. Besides, it was early morning in Ireland and Charlie normally slept late during the weekend.
Max finally went back to bed but he tossed and turned all night, unable to fall asleep. He glanced at her from the corner of his eye. Her silky soft hair was in disarray and spread across his pillow. For some reason, she seemed even more beautiful in her sleep. There was a guarded look in her eyes when she was awake. It was almost as though she’d been deeply hurt before.
Stop it. He clenched his fists and took a deep breath, willing himself to tear his eyes away from her. She’s the enemy. She comes from one of the most dangerous criminal families in the United States. She’s part of them.
“Damn it,” Max said through clenched teeth. He pushed off the covers and walked barefooted to the balcony. He quietly opened the door and stepped out. Dawn was just breaking over the horizon. The hotel was right next to the beach and he drank in the cool, salty air as he recalled the night when he’d gotten the news. It must have been around midnight and the shrill ringing of his mobile phone had woken him up.
“Hello?”
“Hello, Mr. Greenheart, I’m terribly sorry to wake you up. I’m actually calling from the hospital.”
He sat up at once, recognizing the groundkeeper’s voice. “What happened, John? Are you alright?”
“I am fine, sir. However, there’s been…an accident. I came down here straightaway. I didn’t want to wake you until…”
“John, what is it?” Max snapped, wide awake now. “What happened?”
John hesitated and then spoke again. “It’s your twin sister, sir. And her husband. I’m afraid they’ve been in an accident. Someone’s tampered with the brakes. We believe it was David James and his men, sir.”
An accident that he’d orchestrated. David James. Denora’s father.
Max wasn’t aware that he was digging his fingernails into his palm until the sharp pain lanced through his body. He mechanically looked down at his hand, hardly noticing the deep indentation. In his mind’s eye, he saw her again. Her body was cold and still in death.
Her face was covered in cuts. The nurses had cleaned her up and her head was covered in thick bandages; later he would see the pictures from the autopsy. He would see how her skull had caved on the concrete. He would read about how her heart had been pushed to the right side of her body from the impact.
Fresh resolve surged in Max as he turned around and slipped into the bathroom again. This time, it was far easier to ignore how innocent and beautiful Denora was in sleep. He clenched his fists, a satisfied smile spreading across his lips. He might have temporarily lost his resolve but he had her right where he wanted. She was naked in his bed and she was undoubtedly falling for him. Exactly as planned.
Max combed his fingers through her hair as he leaned over to kiss her. She let out a loud groan and covered her eyes with her arm.
“Go away,” she mumbled.
“Wake up, baby,” he whispered in a silky voice. “I want to make love to you.”
Denora smiled and opened her eyes. She pulled her body in a lazy stretch and brushed a lock of hair out of her eyes. He smiled tenderly at her and cupped her cheek as he kissed her again.
“Mmm…that’s a nice way to wake up.”
“Come take a shower with me.” He pulled the sheet down to reveal her gloriously sculpted body.
She followed him into the massive bathroom and he quickly shed his boxer shorts before stepping under the crashing water. She stood on tiptoes and wrapped her arms around his neck as their lips met in a languorous kiss. Something dark and intense unfurled in Max as the kiss deepened, their tongues and teeth clashing.
A gripping mixture of rage and lust exploded from deep within him and he let out a loud growl as he slammed her to the wall. His body was aching for this woman, and yet he was almost consumed with loathing for her—for everything that she reminded him of. He needed to punish her with his body. He needed to be buried deep inside her and own her pleasure.
“Max…” She gasped as he pinned her arms above her head and buried his face in her throat, biting sharply on the wet, delicate skin. He moved slowly downwards, bruising her skin and marking her body as his. She trembled in pleasure as he roughly sank his fingers in her breast and brought it up to his mouth, drawing the plump tip into his mouth. His teeth scraped her nipple as he sucked on it and she whimpered in response, pushing her lower body into his rapidly growing erection.
“Turn around,” he hissed. He didn’t want to see her face when he took her.
She whimpered as he spun her around and slammed her front to the tiled wall. He lightly wrapped a hand around her throat as he positioned himself between her legs. He penetrated her in one rough move, burying himself to the hilt within the warm, moist confinement of her body. She clenched her muscles around him, drawing him deeper. Max groaned as she clenched and unclenched her pussy around his cock, pushing him closer to the edge.
“Give it to me, baby,” she mewled, undulating her full bottom as she brought herself back and forth across his erection.
“Hell, you’re so tight,” he groaned, grabbing her hips as he quickened his pace, fucking her in deep, rough strokes that sent her spiraling into a torrid orgasm that ripped its way down her body. Helpless against the pulsating muscles of her pussy, Max let go with a deep primal croon as he ejaculated deep within her body.
“Holy shit,” she moaned, slacking against the wall as he pulled out of her. “That was…”
“Wonderful,” he finished, kissing her shoulder. “You were wonderful.”
“Can we really spend the weekend here?” She looked up with a happy grin.
Max returned her smile and held her close. It was hard to believe that someone as sweet as Denora could have such a dark, treacherous past.
“Of course, baby. Anything you want.”
Anything to avenge my sister’s death, you two-faced bitch.
Chapter 7
“So, I’ll see you this afternoon, then?” Darren gathered up his papers and stood up.
“Absolutely,” Max said as the other man left the office.
He sat back in his chair and took a sip of his water. They’d just been discussing Denora’s promotion and a plan was quickly forming in his mind. He didn’t know why the thought of hurting Denora was starting to get to him but Max firmly shoved those feelings away. David and Denora James deserved everything that was coming their way. David had murdered his twin sister and he would destroy his only daughter in return.
He took another sip of water to calm down and glanced at the clock. There were still a few hours to go before the meeting.