Michaela ran her soft hand over his abs, and Maximās stomach tightened, his whole body aching, ready for her again. If it was only his body that was affected it wouldnāt be so dangerous, but his chest felt too full when he looked at her when he touched her. It was too much. It wasnāt what this was supposed to be about.
Maxim thought about what his father had said. About the paternity test. Michaela had even commented that if theyād made a mix-up at the lab in the first place, it was possible they had made a mistake and that he wasnāt the father.
If that were true, Michaela would be free to go back home. They wouldnāt even have to get married. Heād imagined that thought might make him feel free, that the prospect of escaping marriage might make the tightness in his chest lessen. Instead, it sent an intense
The desire hadnāt gone away. Not even for a moment. She could see from the molten heat in his eyes that he felt the same. āIāve never been playing with you,ā Maxim replied, his voice intense. āPlease know that. Iāve handled things badly, but hurting you was the last thing I wanted.ā āStill, you did hurt me,ā Michaela concluded. āWe promised we were going to talk about things, but we didnāt. You just shut me out, and I have no idea what happened to cause it.ā He raised his eyes and met hers⦠the stark, raw emotion in them shocked her. āI know,ā he said roughly. āYou canāt imagine how sorry I am. Please come with me, Michaela.ā She nodded slowly and let him lead her from the villa. When she realized where they were headed, Michaela stopped. āMaxim... No⦠I canātā¦ā āTr
He backed her across the room and turned her so that she was facing away from him before bending her gently over the surface of the dresser that was positioned up against the wall. āMaximā¦ā Michaela asked tremulously. āTrust me again, Misha,ā he grated. Maxim moved his hands up her still-slender waist, around to her stomach, and over the little bump that housed their baby. His heart jumped and he curled his hands into fists before opening them again and palming her breasts, releasing the front clasp on her bra and letting it fall open. He covered them, squeezed her sensitized nipples, drawing a low, desperate moan from her lips. Maxim abandoned her breasts to push her skirt down her hips, taking her tiny pair of panties with it. He pressed his hand against her mound, pushing one finger thr
Michaela was more than thankful for having an opportunity to get out of the palace later that day. The meeting with the men and women she was working with to organize the Carpathian branch of the MD Foundation had gone well. It had provided some much-needed distraction from the anxiety of waiting for the test results, from the stifling solitude that came from being in a huge building surrounded by people who basically never talked to her. But most of all, she needed a distraction from her earlier revelation. She didnāt want to be in love with Maxim. She was saving all her love for their child. She didnāt want to have her emotions tangled up in loving him, not when he was only going to hurt her. She didnāt want to be like her parents. Didnāt wa
Michaela ran her soft hand over his abs, and Maximās stomach tightened, his whole body aching, ready for her again. If it was only his body that was affected it wouldnāt be so dangerous, but his chest felt too full when he looked at her when he touched her. It was too much. It wasnāt what this was supposed to be about. Maxim thought about what his father had said. About the paternity test. Michaela had even commented that if theyād made a mix-up at the lab in the first place, it was possible they had made a mistake and that he wasnāt the father. If that were true, Michaela would be free to go back home. They wouldnāt even have to get married. Heād imagined that thought might make him feel free, that the prospect of escaping marriage might make the tightness in his chest lessen. Instead, it sent an intense
Looking at his expression, Michaela realized this was more intimate for him than making love. Maxim was sharing something with her that he had not shared with any other woman, any other person, period. Not even with Antonia, his wife of seven years. That did something to her. It made the most bittersweet pain twist her heart, made her stomach tighten with longing. āI would like thatā¦ā Maxim put an arm around her and took Michaelaās chin in his hand, tilting her face up so that their eyes met. āMisha⦠I want to paint ALL of you. No clothes, no barriers⦠I want to capture only you and our child.ā Realization of what that meant dawned slowly. āOh⦠I canāt do that, Maxim!ā she protested, her cheeks heating at the idea of getting naked in such
āYour belly is starting to show, Misha.ā Maxim put his arms around Michaela from behind and caressed her bare midsection. She had been examining herself in the mirror in the master suite, sucking in her expanding stomach. She gently smacked his hand. āThank you, Maxim⦠Just what every woman wants to hear from her man!ā āItās sexy⦠Youāre so sexyā¦ā He nuzzled her neck and kissed the hollow just beneath her ear. āYou must know how incredibly sexy I think you are.ā Michaela knew. Maxim had spent all night showing her just how sexy he thought she was. It had been such a wonderful revelation. Sheād discovered a whole, huge part of herself she hadnāt even known existed. A part of herself sheād spent far too long suppressing.