Page 36 of Silent Ties (Ruling Love #1)

Maxim

“ A re you getting any sleep?” Dad asks.

“You didn’t call just to ask about my sleep habits.” The black SUV sways as we move in and out of traffic.

“Would it kill my kids to realize their father cares about them?”

“Why’d you really call?”

“It’s about the Ghost.”

I press the phone closer to my ear, waiting.

“He took out the man who hurt Daisy.”

My fingers squeeze against my phone. “That should’ve been my kill.”

“You’ve got enough going on as it is.”

“I know how to organize my schedule.”

“How about you jot down a time to come see your parents?” Dad advises.

“So that’s it? You and the Ghost are on good terms?”

“I suppose it’s what’s best for the city. Ren gave him my number.”

“This the same Ren you threatened to kill last month? ”

He makes a noise in the back of his throat and I picture his shrug. “Like father, like son.”

I press down my urge to tell the driver to turn around and head for Fujimori’s. Neutral territory or not, I’ll teach Ren not to meddle in my affairs.

The memory of Russet standing in front of me asking for a divorce haunts my nights.

She spent a year taking the time to get to know me. To learn how I prefer the quiet and how I like savory desserts. She teased me and got under my skin. And she knew how important my brothers are, that’s why she wanted to learn more about them.

And in return, I learned about her love of baking and reality shows.

It wasn’t just the superficial things I wanted to know like her favorite movies and books.

I studied her face when she tipped baristas and how she always tried to protect me by never answering Elijah’s leading questions when he came over.

Life forced us together and we clung on to each other. It wasn’t always smooth sailing. My mother still deserves my fury. But we worked together. Protected each other.

Russet doesn’t like admitting it, but our unconventional marriage led to happiness.

It’s wrong to her. Marissa forced her into it and as such she should hate it.

But she doesn’t.

Dad stays on the line, studying my silence, until I end the call. The driver pulls the car into the underground garage and I take the elevator to my penthouse.

I frown before the elevator door opens.

Sailor Montgomery Smith Zimin screams her lungs out while Russet rocks her back and forth in the living room.

There’s no telling whose face is redder—hers or the baby .

“She won’t stop crying.” Her own tears emphasize the point.

It’s possible she believes this is all a fever dream. The stained shirt, unwashed hair, and mountains of baby objects littering the room point toward a rough afternoon.

She bounces the baby slightly, the shrieks unsubsiding as she stares at me.

I stretch my arms out.

She shakes her head.

“Russet, give me the baby.”

Sailor’s sucking in gasps of air, her face swollen and eyes bloodshot. I take my daughter, delicately holding her in the crook of one arm, and brush the hair off Russet’s face with the other.

“Where is Jane?” I ask.

“She had a doctor’s appointment.”

“Why didn’t you call me?”

Russet won’t meet my eye. “I can do it myself.”

“Do what?”

“Take care of our daughter,” she grumbles.

Russet asked if I thought we should get a divorce. I said no and told Ren to get the fuck away from us. Then she told me about Daisy’s last wish—to care for Sailor.

I’d already known what would happen. Sailor was ours from the moment we first visited her in the hospital. Nothing would ever change that, but Ren and her little lawyer friend presented us with the legal means.

Sailor’s been home with us for a month now.

“When’s the last time you slept, sweetheart?” I ask her.

She shakes her head.

“You need to sleep.”

“She won’t stop.” Tears gather in her eyes.

“It’s okay.” I lead her to the couch, trying not to trip on any baby toys .

She keeps shaking her head, her eyes squeezing shut as she fights back tears.

“Come on.” I force her to sit. She crumbles, unable to put up a fight. She mutters little words, but the moment she sinks into the couch, her muscles relax. I pull a blanket over her and kiss her forehead.

Then I kiss her lips. Her brow wrinkles when I bite her lower lip. She never opens her eyes, though, and I know she needs deep sleep more than anything.

“All right, you.” I stare down at Sailor. Her face remains scrunched, and her shrieks high. “Yeah, okay.”

There’s an empty bottle on the coffee table and Russet’s smart enough to know how to get a baby to burp. She’s simply unhappy about something and can’t communicate it.

Russet’s down for the count so with the baby in my arms we walk around.

The place is a mess. There’s a mountain of laundry by the washer. Bottles by the sink. For some reason, the comforter is ripped off our bed.

“No wonder you’re upset,” I tell Sailor. Her brow is still wrinkled, but she stares up at me trying to decide how she wants to act.

She scrunches her face, making noises that are almost a huff. I ignore her, walking in circles. She fusses and I walk some more.

Eventually, her eyes droop and she falls asleep.

I settle onto the floor, my back against the couch Russet sleeps on. Hair covers her face, her fists balling into the blanket.

The shadows in the room move as the sun changes position.

Russet stirs, her hand touching my shoulder. Despite wearing a shirt, my skin warms .

I feel, rather than see, her surprise when she fully wakes up.

“What are you doing home?” she rasps.

“Last I recall, I live here.”

“You told me you were studying.”

“I got done early.”

“You were watching the baby monitors again,” she accuses.

I slowly rock Sailor back and forth. She breathes deeply, her little arms above her head as she sleeps.

“We were doing fine.” When I say nothing, she adds, “You don’t always have to save the day.”

“I merely wanted to come home and see my wife and daughter.”

“You have a hero complex,” she mumbles, shifting on the couch. She hates how easily I can calm Sailor.

I lift a brow, watching Sailor sleep. Russet drives herself mad, trying to do everything.

Part of me thinks it’s guilt. She couldn’t be there for Daisy, so she tries to make up for it with Sailor.

Another part of me knows it’s all the love she feels for this small, precious thing that urges her to try to do everything herself.

I love my wife. She’s terrible at asking for help, though.

She sits up on the couch and holds her hands out for Sailor.

I carefully stand up, cradling the baby.

Russet’s eyes follow me. “Where are you going?”

“To put her to bed. And then I’m going to help you wash out the puke in your hair.”

She frowns, touching the ends of her locks.

I transfer Sailor into her bassinet, double-checking the baby monitor, before I head back through the living room.

It’s empty and I find Russet in our shower, already naked despite my own plans to strip her down myself.

I grab the bottle of shampoo in her hands. “I’ll do that. ”

“I’m not that tired.”

I ignore her, my fingers curling into her scalp. She tilts her head back, her shoulders softening.

“Do you think our daughter hates me?”

“Have you gone insane?”

Russ is quiet. “She’s always crying.”

“She’s a baby.”

My wife pouts. “She never cries for you.”

I move her body, making sure water washes out the soap suds. “You’re a good mother, Russet.”

She frowns automatically at my use of her full name, but a thoughtfulness lingers on her face.

Placing my finger under her chin, I lift her head, meeting her eyes. “I love you.”

“But I make our baby cry.”

I stop her from talking by biting her lip. Her lips part and I suck her tongue, taking her by surprise.

I know she’s still tired, so I’d planned on taking it easier, but I think she needs to get a few things right. My fingers wrap around her throat, squeezing.

Her eyes widen, her lips parting, but she can’t speak. I kiss her gently, rubbing our noses together. “Stop saying stupid things, sweetheart. You know how much I hate it.”

She jerks when I plunge two fingers into her wet pussy.

“Max,” she breathes, lifting on her toes. She’d fall forward if I wasn’t right there.

“Mrs. Zimin,” I reply. She’s exhausted and doubting herself. I’ll fuck it all away, reminding her how much I love her. This beautiful, strong woman is a killer and she’s mine.

I give her no warning, wrapping her leg around my waist and thrusting inside her tight, warm cunt. Her forehead falls into my chest.

“Look at me,” I demand, pushing into her over and over. “Look at us. ”

She blinks, her breath catching.

“Look at us,” I demand again, thrusting into her hard. She stares at me stunned, until slowly, her gaze drags down. I force her to watch my cock tear into her pussy. My fingers dig into her ass and I make it brutal, never giving her a chance to catch herself before she’s falling.

Her cunt clenches around me, my cum soaking her insides.

Water cascades over us. I hold her close, my fingers combing through the damp strands.

My wife is tired, so I make sure she’s clean before wrapping her in a towel. I’d prefer it if she slept naked, but she has a thing about wearing my T-shirts. I pull one over her head, lightly spank her bare ass and lead her to the bed.

It’s still early. Sailor will wake up for her next feeding and we’ll need dinner too. But for now, I want her to rest.

She holds out her arm, silently asking me to join her. She narrows her eyes when I remain standing. “Now, Max.”

I drop into the bed, kissing her forehead. “Anything for you, wife.”