Possess(The Syndicate: Crime and Passion 1)(46)

“I love you too, Maxim. But I’m not the thing that matters right now,” I said.

He nodded, and then reached into his pocket to retrieve a piece of paper. He extended it to me and I reached for it. It was frayed on the edges, folded into four equal sections, and from the heavy creases, I could see it had been folded and refolded countless times.

I took the paper from him, shivering when my fingers brushed his, and as I unfolded the sheet, my heart, which still pounded against my chest, moved even faster.

I recognized it immediately, had spent more than my fair share of time looking at the very same thing. It was the baby’s first sonogram.

I looked up at him. “How did you get this?” I asked. I should have been angry at the revelation, but I was too busy thinking that this showed he cared, something I hadn’t been sure of.

Maxim did something he seldom did. He smiled, and I couldn’t stop myself from doing the same.

“Stupid question,” I said and then I sobered. “Here’s a better one. Why do you care?”

Maxim walked closer to me, wrapped his arms around my waist until my body was flush against his. “Don’t ever say that again,” he said.

“Why not?” I replied, voice breathy as I waited for his response, wondering why he would be upset at my question. His care was never a certainty, and I was well within reason to question it.

“Because you know it’s not true,” he said.

“How do I know that, Maxim? Because you saved me?” I said.

“You know it because I’m telling you now. And you know it because of what I’ve done. Senna, I don’t care about you, I love you. I need you. You give my life meaning,” he said.

“You let me leave,” I whispered.

“I was trying to give you what you wanted,” he said.

“And now?” I replied, looking up at him.

“And now, I’m done. I have no experience giving people what they want, and I’m not going to learn with you. You’re coming back with me, Senna. You and me and the baby. Together. The way it should be.”

My heart leaped into my throat, disbelief warring with the joy I felt. “You’ll give me everything?” I asked.

“Everything. My heart, my soul, it belongs to you, Senna,” he said.

Then he kissed me, but soon broke our embrace and carried me to my bedroom, the one that had felt so empty and cold without him.

We peeled each other’s clothes off slowly, his hands moving over my body slowly as if he were seeing me for the first time. I did the same, touching him as I had always dreamed of, touching him in the way I had so sorely missed.

And when he entered me, his hardness filling me in a way only he ever would, I knew I had found my forever.

Later, when I lay beside him curled in his arms, he kissed my forehead, looked at me with eyes that were more kind, more open than I had ever seen.

“You think I saved you, little flower,” he said, kissing my forehead again.

“You did,” I said.

He shook his head. “No, you saved me. Before I saw you, I never cared for anyone or anything but myself, my ambition. But even though I didn’t realize it at the time, the goodness I saw in you has shaped me, kept me from becoming even more of a monster than I am.”

“You’re not a monster, Maxim,” I said.

He threaded his fingers through my hair, traced my cheek. “Only because you keep me from it. I love you, Senna.”

“I love you, Maxim.”





Epilogue





Maxim



“Are preparations complete?” I asked Sergei, leveling a glare at him.

He nodded. “The adjacent properties have been purchased, and I’ve started the process to acquire two others.”

“Good. Finish quickly,” I said.

“Yeah,” he said. Then he flashed a smile that was genuine and looked at me knowingly. “So only a few more weeks, huh?”

“Senna hopes it’s not nearly so long,” I said, allowing myself a smile of my own.

This was still unfamiliar, speaking about the baby, knowing that he was soon to arrive, but I couldn’t stop the warmth that bloomed in my chest. That warmth that increased as Senna turned into the room. She moved slowly, a bit more stilted by the prominence of her rounded stomach.

I’d never seen anyone or anything more beautiful.

The warmth in my chest deepened, curled around my heart. Before, I would have rejected the feeling, tried to fight it, but no more. I loved Senna, loved our baby, and I couldn’t allow myself to pretend otherwise.

Senna lifted her eyes to mine, and I could see my own feelings reflected back at me. She gave me a full, warm smile and then turned to Sergei.

“Are you staying for dinner?” she asked.