Page 25 of Maxim (The Syndicates #12)

S omething is wrong with Maxim.

I could tell the moment he walked through the door. He usually has a smile on his face for me as he asks me how my day has been.

Not today.

Whatever happened today, he needed time alone, and that scares me. He came in, dropped a quick kiss on my lips, then went to take a shower.

I heated up the casserole I prepped earlier in the day and waited for him to come out. When he does, I’m relieved to see that he seems a little better.

“Thank you for making dinner, Сонечко,” he says as he drops a kiss to the top of my head.

“Of course. Go sit. I’ll make you a plate,” I tell him.

“You don’t have to.” He starts to protest, but I wave him off.

“You had a hard day. Let me take care of you the way you take care of me,” I tell him.

He looks conflicted but nods.

I make up two plates and bring them to the table. Then I go back into the kitchen to grab two glasses of water. When I settle at the table next to Maxim, he reaches out and grabs my hand.

“Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

We eat in silence, the only sounds being the silverware on the plates. Once we are both done, I stand and grab our plates, taking them to the sink.

Maxim follows me. “Let me clean up.”

I shake my head. “You look tired. Go get ready for bed. I’ll be in soon.”

He sighs. “I don’t know if I like you bossing me around.”

I cringe. “I’m sorry. I don’t mean to. You just take such good care of me and…”

I’m cut off by his lips on mine. When he finally pulls back, he lets his forehead fall to mine.

“It was a joke, Olena. Only a joke. I’m sorry. I’m just fucking up today.” His eyes close as he holds me close.

I breathe in his scent of Italian bergamot, neroli blossom. and fresh vetiver. It calms me.

“I’m sorry too. I will be better,” I promise him.

He cups my cheek. “I want you to be who you are. To me, there is nothing better.”

When he says words like this, it makes me think that I can trust him. I can believe the words he says. I still have a long way to go, but each day with Maxim makes me feel like everything is going to be okay.

“Let’s wash these together and get ready for bed together. Okay? I want to be close to you,” he admits.

I nod, unable to speak.

I want to be close to him too.

Quickly, we wash the dishes and put away the remaining food. Once the kitchen is wiped down, he grabs my hand, leading me toward the bedroom. We separate, each grabbing our sleep clothes. He waves me toward the bathroom, indicating I can change in there.

He’s so considerate. He never makes me change in front of him, even though I no longer am afraid of it. In fact, the closer we get, the more I want to explore the things that used to scare me.

Once I’m changed and freshened up, I head to bed. I smile when I see he is already in it without a shirt. I climb in beside him, cuddling up on his chest, my ear against his skin. The sound of his heart thumping is so soothing. It is my favorite sound.

His hands fall to my hair, caressing it softly.

“Do you want to talk about it?” I ask gently.

“I don’t want you to look at me differently,” he admits.

“I could never,” I reassure him.

“You say that, but you have once before. You can again. I can’t risk that. We are moving forward, and I don’t want anything to ruin that.”

“That was before I knew you. I know who you are now. You are a good man. You do what you say you will do. You treat me well. There’s nothing you can say that will take that away.”

“Even if I tell you I had to take women to your father today for auction?”

His voice is so small. So unlike the strong, confident man I’ve come to know and love.

Love.

I think I do love him.

I hate that he had to take women to my father. It’s not something that I would condone, but he feels guilty about it. That’s what makes him different from my father. He has a moral compass. He doesn’t want to be doing this.

“Are we any closer to taking him down?” I ask.

“I don’t know. I can’t talk to my people. Alexei keeps telling me to stick with the plan, but our code only goes so far. I can’t ask him if they are rescuing them. I don’t know if they are ending up with some abusive asshole who might kill them. I’m in the dark, and I hate it.”

Looking up at him from my position on his chest, I cup his cheek. “You are helping them in the long run. Taking my father down will save hundreds, if not thousands.”

“At the cost of my soul.”

He’s hurting. I hate that he’s hurting, and there’s nothing I can do to help.

“Tell me what I can do to help ease your burden,” I tell him.

He shakes his head. “I would never put this on you. It’s mine to bear.”

“Then tell me how to help you bear it.”

“Be you. Be here. Be with me.”

“I’m here.” I sit up, leaning over to press a kiss to his lips. “I’m right here with you.”

His eyes tear up as he grips my face. “Don’t leave me. Never leave me. Please.”

His tone is desperate as he pleads with me.

“Never.”

It’s the truth. I never want to leave him. I love him. I’m not sure I know what love is exactly, but the way I feel for him has to be it.

He pulls my face to his, kissing me roughly.

I kiss him back, matching his energy. When he flips me onto my back, settling over me, I open my legs willingly, ready for his body against mine.

I love the pressure I feel when he lies on top of me.

It’s like a weighted blanket, yet it’s my favorite person.

He kisses me deeper, holding himself up over me. I wrap my arms and legs around him, pulling him into me so I can feel his skin on mine.

“I’m too heavy,” he whispers.

“You’re perfect.”

My hands explore his bare chest as I lose myself in his kiss. My hips rock against him as the familiar tingles start to spread in my body.

“We should stop,” Maxim tells me.

“I don’t want to.”

“Сонечко, I don’t want this to go too far.”

“You told me that we do this at my pace. I’m ready, Maxim. Please show me how it’s supposed to feel. What it’s supposed to be like,” I tell him.

He eyes me. “Are you one hundred percent sure?”

Am I?

I love him.

I am beyond ready to feel what it would be like to be with the one I love.

“Are you one hundred percent sure?” I ask.

My heart is thundering in my chest. I want her so bad, but I refuse to push her into something before she is ready.

I already know I want her for the rest of my life. When I bought her, I thought I was saving her, but the truth is, she saved me. She gave me a purpose I’ve never had before. Someone to truly devote myself to.

I won’t fail her.

By the time this is over, I will have her siblings and we will go wherever she wants to go. I will not leave her side.

I stare into her eyes as she contemplates what I asked. I can see the confidence in her when she gives me her answer.

“Yes.”

“You tell me if you need me to stop,” I tell her.

She nods.

Leaning in, I kiss her again, only this time, I won’t be stopping.

My tongue tangles with hers as I unbutton the pajama top she has on. I don’t know what made me pick this pair out, but I’m grateful for it now as I spread it open, pulling away from her to look down at her breasts for the first time.

She is so fucking beautiful.

“I’m going to worship every inch of your body, starting with these,” I tell her, leaning down to suck her right nipple into my mouth.

Her back arches as I lightly pinch it with my teeth as I flick my tongue against it.

“Oh, Maxim,” she moans out, her body withering.

I smile against her, moving to her left breast to repeat the motion.

I love to hear her soft mewls and moans as she gives in to the pleasure. I want her to have the best possible first time ever. I never want her to look back with regrets.

Moving on from her breasts, I kiss down her stomach until I’m at the top of her pajama pants.

“Lift up,” I tell her.

She does as I ask, lifting her ass so I can pull the pants from her legs. Once I do, I start at her ankle, alternating from leg to leg as I make my way up to her pussy.

When I get to her inner thighs, she shivers.

“You okay?” I ask.

“More than.” She looks down at me, her eyes glazed.

I smirk up at her before using my fingers to open her lips. She is fucking glistening. That’s not enough, though. I need her dripping fucking wet. I want her to be so lubricated that the pain she feels when I pop her cherry is so minimal that she barely remembers it.

I don’t want her regrets.

I want her forever.

Pushing my arms under her thighs, I pull her closer to me. Then I lean in and get my first taste of heaven. I hum with approval as I lick her from taint to clit, savoring how sweet she is. It’s like she was made for me.

I know without a doubt that this woman is it for me. I can never look at another woman the same again.

“That feels weird, but good,” Olena says out loud, as if she is surprised.

“Did you think it wouldn’t?”

“I don’t know. They didn’t show us this in the class. I have seen it in the porn they showed us, but I didn’t understand what the purpose was. How it would please a man.”

“Oh, trust me. It pleases me very much. I could spend the entire evening between your legs, Сонечко. If I were to start and end each day with this, I would die a happy man.”

“Is it that pleasurable for you?” she asks.

“You taste so fucking good. Here, taste.”

I slide my finger through her wetness and bring it to her lips. She sucks my finger into her mouth without question. She considers it a moment before looking down at me.

“It isn’t bad, but I wouldn’t say it’s good either.”

“Good.” I lean in and lick her again, making her gasp. “More for me.”

Without waiting for her response, I use my thumb to rub her clit while I lick her opening. I slowly add more and more pressure before I push my tongue inside of her. She clenches against me, her legs tightening against my shoulders.

“Maxim, I’m coming,” she calls out.

I didn’t need her to call out, though. I can feel her orgasm as it flows through her body. She releases even more cum, making her wetter than before.

As she comes down, I slowly slide one finger inside of her. It’s a tight squeeze, but I take it slow, letting her body learn to accept it. Once she is fully relaxed, I add a second, and she hisses out in pain.

“Do you need me to stop?” I ask.

“No. It burns a little, but it’s a good burn if that makes sense.”

It does, but I need to be careful. That good burn can turn bad really quickly.

I continue to slowly thrust and spread my fingers inside of her as I speak to her.

“This is going to hurt. When I break your hymen, it will cause you pain. I will try to keep it from being too bad, but it will hurt,” I warn her.

“I’m ready for it, Maxim. Stop trying to talk me out of it.”

I slide a third finger inside of her, watching her as she winces a little, but she doesn’t try to stop me.

“I don’t want you to have regrets. There’s no going back once we do this.”

“I don’t want to go back. I want to be yours.”

Those words hit a spot inside of me. It makes me feel like I just won a million dollars. I’m a damn lucky man to have Olena.

“You are mine as I am yours.”

“Then prove it. Take me,” she demands.

For someone who never used to speak up to me, she is coming into her own. I don’t think she will ever lose that shyness of hers, but I’m glad that with me she is finding her voice.

Pulling my fingers out of her, I reach into the nightstand and grab a condom. I bought them after the last time we got this close. I didn’t want to assume, but I wanted to be ready for her if she ever got there.

I’m glad I did.

“I’m clean, but I’m wearing a condom because a child is not something either of us can consider in this moment.”

“I agree. Thank you for considering that,” she tells me.

“I will never put you in danger, Olena. Even if it’s a pregnancy you may or may not want yet.”

I quickly unroll the condom on my cock. I’m already primed and ready. I don’t know how I am going to last inside of her, but I refuse to come before she does.

Climbing between her legs, I help her sit up and strip her of her top. When I lay her back down, I rub my cock between her lips, gathering enough of her wetness before I press inside of her slowly. She whimpers, making me stop.

“Are you okay?”

She nods. “Keep going.”

Reaching down, I thumb her clit as I continue to push inside of her. She feels like a fucking vise. I could never squeeze my cock as hard as her pussy is right now. I swear I see stars behind my eyes, but I can’t give in to the intense pleasure in my body.

Instead, I focus on Olena. She is obviously in discomfort, but she’s unsure how to handle the pleasure mixed in. I keep pressing into her until I hit her barrier.

“A sharp pinch, then it’ll be over,” I tell her.

“Okay.”

I jut forward, breaking her hymen, hating the way she cries out.

There are tears in her eyes as I look down at her, holding myself inside of her until she adjusts to my size.

I continue to play with her clit, hoping the pleasure outweighs the pain.

It’s not as quick as I want, but I can see the change in her.

Her body relaxes, and her eyes clear up as she moans.

I keep playing with her clit as I slowly start to rock against her. The more I move, the more she responds, her own body reacting to mine.

Before long, she’s rocking against me, chasing her second orgasm. When she finally comes, I let myself go as well, jerking inside of her.

I keep myself inside of her the whole time, kissing her face as she comes down.

“Are you okay?” I whisper.

“Perfect.”

She sounds so blissed out that it wipes my guilt away a little.

“Let me clean you up.”

Pulling out of her, I run to the bathroom and wet a cloth. Coming back, I clean up the blood between her legs.

“That was the best I have ever had. I need you to know that it was an otherworldly experience. It’s not normally like that, at least not for me,” I tell her.

“It was amazing. I only have one question.”

My heart stops in my chest. “What?”

“When can we do it again?”

I chuckle, throwing the cloth to the floor before cuddling into her side. “Tomorrow. Tonight we rest.”

As she snuggles in close to me, I can feel her drift off to sleep.

In the silence of the night, I whisper the words I’ve felt for too long now.

“I love you, Сонечко.”