Page 99 of Maxim

Surprises have never been good for me, but he is changing that. First it was the sweets, now this. He is spoiling me.

“Yes, now come on.”

“Okay. What should I wear?” I ask as I go to the dresser.

“There’s one of those casual dresses in the closet. Put that on.”

I nod and head into the closet. This whole situation reminds me of the daydream I had of the future the other day. How crazy is that? When I reach the bedroom, I head to the closet and strip. I find the dress easily enough and slide it on. At the last second I decide to take off my panties too.

I mean, I’m probably not going to need them anyway.

I pick up my clothes and drop them into the clothes hamper before heading to the bathroom. I apply another layer of deodorant and then start messing with my hair. It looks fine down, but I want to do something a little different. Quickly, I rifle through the drawers and find a clip.

Perfect.

Carefully I run my fingers through the sides of my hair until they meet in the back and then place the clip on the back of my head. Half up, half down. Then I pull two pieces right in the front free to frame my face a little.

The sudden urge to chop my hair off hits me like a freight train. While I like it, Father was always adamant that I keep it long. Maybe it’s time to cut it. They say hair holds memories, right?

Then I think about how Maxim loves running his hands through it. Do I really want to cut it so he can’t do that?

“Olena, you almost ready?” Maxim shouts.

“Coming,” I yell back.

I’ll sit on the idea of cutting my hair until Maxim has handled my father once and for all.

Exiting the bathroom, I slip on a pair of sandals and head toward him.

“Ready,” I say when he comes into view.

Maxim looks up and smiles, making my heart race. “You look gorgeous.”

“Thank you.”

When I reach him, he leans in and kisses me softly. I can’t help but sigh when he pulls away much too soon.

“Come on,” he says as he moves us toward the back door.

“What’s that for?” I ask, pointing to the blanket in his arms.

“In case you get cold.”

I come to a halt when I see the yard in front of me. “What? When? How?” I ask breathlessly.

To be honest, I haven’t looked at the backyard since he brought me home. The yard was nothing to be impressed with, so I never looked again. Tonight, though, it’s been transformed. There is a pergola set up with lights strung all around. In the middle is a bistro-style table with two wine glasses and a basket of bread. There is even soft music playing, setting the mood.

First all the different types of bread he brought home, and now this. It’s too much.

“Well, I wanted to take you out, but then realized that really isn’t an option right now. It wouldn’t be safe for either of us. This is still a risk, but less because of the privacy fence. I have monitors all around the exterior so if someone gets close, I can react. Besides, I don’t think your father is looking at me suspiciously anymore. It’s worth the risk. As for when, I did it this afternoon.”

“Wait, you mean you didn’t leave? How the hell did you accomplish this without making a ton of noise?”

“Actually, this thing is pretty cool. All the pieces just slotted together. I technically did leave because I didn’t stay inside with you.”

“Maxim…this is…” I say as my emotions get the better of me.

A tear slips down my cheek. Quickly, Maxim swipes it away.