she was agreeing to be with. Who she was giving herself to. I was a ruthless asshole who didn’t hesitate to do what was needed—or what I wanted.
And that included pulling strings to manipulate Juliet without her realizing.
My obsession had been growing for a year—a year I shouldn’t have been looking at her much less thinking the things I had. A year I’d spent planning and plotting, each action and response meticulous.
A year I’d spent waiting for her.
With her body pressed to mine, her pussy in my hand and her heart beating under my other palm, I knew two things down to my bones.
It’d been worth every second.
And I was never letting her go.
CHAPTER NINETEEN
Got It Bad
Juliet
WAKING UP THE next morning, I knew I was alone because Maximo wasn’t pressed to my back like he’d been the whole night. I rolled and stretched. And then I smiled at the dull ache between my thighs.
I had sex.
With Maximo.
And it was better than my fantasies, which is saying something.
I can’t wait to do it again.
Climbing from the bed, I winced as the ache grew.
Okay, I can’t wait to take some Motrin and then do it again.
Padding across the room, I used the bathroom and was washing my hands when I looked up.
What the hell?
I leaned forward to inspect the love bites in the mirror. Bites, plural. Two more marked my neck and a dark hickey was on my breast.
This is ridiculous and immature and possessive and… Who am I kidding?
I like it as much as he does.
I finished washing up before brushing my teeth. I didn’t want to pull my dress back on, so I raided his armoire and threw on a pair of joggers and a tee.
Just like old times.
Opening the door, I didn’t bother with my stealth routine since everyone already knew. I headed for my sewing room but slowed when I saw Maximo’s office door was open. Unfortunately, he was on the phone, so I continued across the hall.
Sitting at my desk, I felt inspired. I grabbed a pad of paper and colored pencils and closed my eyes, visualizing what I wanted.
And then I sketched it. Badly.
But it would do.
I was sorting through my fabric when the door opened.
Maximo paused in the doorway. A warm, small smile pulled at his mouth as he checked out what I was wearing. Walking over, he hauled me to him and kissed me so hard, it was a wonder our lips didn’t fuse together. He pulled away but kept his face close as he studied mine. “You good?”
“Very.”
“Sore?”
“Yeah.” I hoped my meaning came across when I added, “But not too sore.”
His groan showed he got what I was saying. I thought I’d get his mouth back, but instead he gave me a stern expression. “If I’m working from home, I expect you to come kiss me when you wake up.”
“You were on the phone,” I said.
“I don’t give a damn. You can always interrupt me. I would’ve welcomed it during that call.”
Noticing the lines on his forehead and the way his jaw clenched, I asked, “Is everything okay?”
“Just the usual bullshit. Which is why I could’ve used your sweet mouth as a distraction.”
“If you want to go back and pretend to be on a call, we can have a do-over.”
He looked genuinely disappointed when he shook his head. “I was waiting for you to wake up so I could check on you, but I’ve got to run for a meeting at Sunrise.”
“Is that one of your casinos?” I was excited to get that tidbit of info.
He lifted his chin. “Sunrise, Moonlight, Star, and Nebula.”
My jaw dropped to the floor. “I didn’t realize those were yours. I’ve never been, but they’re always on the lists of the top places to stay off-Strip.”
He smirked. “Glad my PR team earns their salaries.”
Maximo owns four hugely popular resorts and I own…
Nothing.
Yeah, that’s not an imbalance at all.
Maximo cupped the sides of my head in the possessive hold. “I’m sending someone up with lunch.”
“Lunch?”
“It’s almost noon.”
“I didn’t realize it was so late.”
“You were wiped. You didn’t even twitch when I kissed you before getting up this morning.” His smile was cocky and wicked and packed with male satisfaction.
He kissed me before getting out of bed.
A bed we shared.
And now he hung around so he could make sure I’m okay.
His eyes narrowed. “You sure you’re good?”
I was better than good.
I was happy.
“I’m sure, Daddy,” I said instantly.
When we’d first talked, I’d figured the name was only for him and