Chapter 13
MAX
Icould still taste her when I pulled away. Sweet like watermelon.
She had melted into me. No resistance. No hesitation. Just heat and want and something deeper I hadn’t dared hope for. That hadn’t been a kiss. I had fucking imprinted my entire soul into her body.
Her hands were still tangled in my shirt, like she wasn’t ready to let go either. Her lips were swollen from my kiss. Her cheeks flushed pink. Her eyes were wide, stunned, glassy with need, looking up at me like something wild had been unleashed.
My hands were still tightly around her waist, holding her as if I needed the reminder that she was real—that this had just happened. She needed me to keep her grounded. I could see a faint veil behind her eyes as she drifted into her thoughts.
I was never going back now.
She was fucking mine. And I was hers.
She pulled away, forcing my hands to drop like I was laying down a weapon I didn’t want to part with.
My fingers ached from the restraint. My body shivered with adrenaline.
I pushed my hands into my pockets before I snapped and roughly dragged her into the woods, tearing all her clothes off in a heated frenzy.
I caught Jackson’s face, and holy hell, that motherfucker was seething. His jaw locked, eyes burning holes through us. The sight lit me up.
Good. I wanted him to choke on jealousy.
I slung my arm around Mackenzie’s shoulders, pulling her in close, making damn sure he saw exactly who she belonged to. My grin stretched slowly and sharply, the kind that begged for a fight.
Fuck off, Kenswick, I thought.
I didn’t want him angry. I wanted him gutted and hollowed out. If I could tear his guts out with my bare hands, I would. I wanted him to know she’d never be his again, and that the sight of us together was the closest he’d ever get to her.
If he wanted to take a swing at me, I’d welcome it. Hell. I hoped he would. Because I’d swing back, and I wouldn’t stop until he was on the ground, choking on his own blood. Maybe I’d kill him. Perhaps I’d like it.
I took a breath. Honestly, I was a little shocked at my own thoughts.
A feral monster had been unleashed from me with that kiss.
The monster was ugly. But I didn’t give a damn.
I was a fucking lunatic for Mackenzie now.
Possessive. Territorial. Obsessive. Call it what you want.
She was the oxygen I needed to breathe. And anyone who tried to take that from me… I’d bury them.
I didn’t speak as we walked back toward the cabins. I couldn’t. My head was a warzone, and my pulse hadn’t slowed since her mouth touched mine. I still had her hand in mine, and the thought of letting go made me feel like I wouldn’t last long without touching her again once we got inside our room.
By the time we reached the porch after climbing the two steps, I had already decided that her shirt and shorts were the first to go, but I’d take my time with her underwear.
She’d object at first, saying we were moving too fast. But I was done pretending. Honestly, I didn’t even want anything in return; I just wanted to touch her, pleasure her, and obsess over her. I was picturing the whole thing in my mind when a syrupy voice hammered into my skull.
“Hey, Max.”
I stopped and turned to see Heather leaning against the porch railing like she’d been waiting for us. Her tits were straining for attention in a red bikini top, her shorts half-buttoned, her ponytail high and glossy, makeup heavy.
I blinked, thrown off guard, and Mackenzie slipped her hand out of mine.
“Uh… Hey,” I managed, my voice flat, my brain still wired on Mackenzie and her beautiful freckles sprinkled across her nose.
Heather sauntered closer, eyes dragging down my shirt. “That shirt looks really good on you.”
My chest tightened when I saw Mackenzie stiffen next to me. My autopilot took over because I had no idea what the hell to say. My whole system was crashing under this much attention, and I honestly didn’t know how to respond. There was only room in my mind for one girl, and that was Mackenzie.
“Uh… Thanks, you look good, too, I guess.”
The second the words left my mouth, I knew I’d fucked up. Mackenzie’s body froze, like ice in the air.
Shit.
Heather smirked.
“We’re heading down to the waterfront later. A couple of us are swimming if you want to come.”
I opened my mouth to answer, but Mackenzie cut in, casual on the surface, sharp underneath.
“He’s busy,” she said, stepping a little closer. Not clingy—just there. Her voice didn’t need volume; the possessiveness in it did the work. “Right, baby?”
I nodded once. “Yeah. Plans.”
Heather lifted her brows like she wasn’t buying it. Her hand skimmed my forearm, fingertips brushing the edge of the Saniderm under my sleeve. I flinched before I could stop myself.
“Oh—damn, did you get a tattoo?” she asked, pulling her hand back.
“Yeah,” I said, adjusting my sleeve so she’d stop touching the wrap. “Still healing. I can’t get in the water, yet.”
“Looks good,” she said, letting her eyes linger for a second too long. “I’ve got a thing for tattoos.”
She didn’t touch me again. But her gaze slid to Mackenzie, waiting for a reaction.
She got one. Mackenzie’s jaw tightened, eyes dark with something territorial. It was subtle enough that Heather wouldn’t name it, but I felt it like a hand around my throat.
Mackenzie smiled, but it didn’t reach her eyes. “Good for you.”
Jealousy looked good on Mackenzie. Too good.
“Well, if your plans get boring,” Heather said with a shrug, “you know where we’ll be.”
Heather walked off, and I didn’t even have a second to think before Mackenzie turned on her heel and walked towards our room without waiting for me. My stomach dropped.
“Trouble, wait—”
“You flirted back with her.” Her voice was sharp, clipped.
“I did not!” I hated how pathetic I sounded.
“You just stood there and let her touch you like she wasn’t two seconds from sucking your dick?”
Her cheeks were flushed, her eyes burning. She looked furious, but underneath it, hurt. That gutted me more than her anger ever could.
We had finally broken through to each other, and I had fucked it up.
I stepped forward. She stepped back. My chest hurt. Like, really fucking hurt when she did that.
“Trouble, listen, I wasn’t trying to hurt you. I didn’t even realize she was flirting.”
Her jaw set, hard. Resolve was written all over her.
“You know what? I have no reason to feel this way. I told you. You can screw whoever you want outside of our appearances.” She tugged her braid loose, her brown hair spilling over her shoulders in waves.
It was cruel, how beautiful she looked while she cut me open.
“Go ahead. Don’t let me stop you. Thank you for the kiss. You did your job for today.”
Rage ripped through me.
“Are you fucking serious right now?” My voice snapped sharply, angrier than I meant. But I couldn’t reel it back.
She wouldn’t look at me. She just stood there with her arms crossed, acting like she hadn’t gutted me.
She was a fucking butcher. Ripping me open vertebrae by vertebrae with every single word.
“Fuck, Trouble.” I dragged a hand through my hair, pacing the room before whipping back to face her. “You really think I want Heather? You think I care about anyone else after that kiss?”
Her jaw tightened. That silence was enough.
“You want me to fuck whoever I want?” I stepped in close, my voice low. “Repeat it. Say it like you mean it.”
Her eyes snapped to mine then, wide. But she stayed silent.
“I’m not touching Heather. Or anyone else. Not because I’m some good guy or because I give a fuck about your stupid rules. I won’t because I can’t. I’m locked in. To you. Only you. You’re fucking mine. I’m yours.”
I let the words cut between us.
Her arms crossed tighter across her chest, like she was holding herself together, but her voice cracked. “She wants you. She had her hands all over you. She can probably give you what you want. She’s more… experienced.”
My jaw dropped open. This girl was delusional as fuck if she thought I wanted anyone else but her. I was obsessed with her. I was fucking hacking into her cell phone and becoming a raging lunatic just to be near her.
She turned, moving into our bedroom, and I closed the door as soon as we both walked through the threshold.
Within seconds, I had her pinned against the wall, grabbing her waist to keep her from falling over.
My heart was beating a mile a minute.
“I’m going to say this one more time, and I’m never repeating it after this, okay? I don’t want Heather. The only person I want is you. Stop being so fucking stubborn.”
She looked at me like she wanted to claw my skin off or climb inside it. I could see the battle in her eyes. She wanted to tell me to fuck off, to go screw myself, but her body was telling me something else.
“I can smell how wet you are,” I whispered in her ear. “You know you want me, too.”
She licked her lips and shook her head. That fire I loved returned to her eyes.
Her body pressed against mine, and I could feel the weight of her presence, the heat radiating off her like it was daring me to lose myself. She tilted her head, green eyes flashing, lips just close enough to mine to make my teeth ache with want.
“I’m sorry. I think I have a little bit of a possessive crush on you,” she whispered, a soft, teasing smile on her lips.
The groan I let out was loud enough for her to hear.
She smiled. “You know. You’re cute when you try not to lose it around me.”
“Cute? I’m not cute. I’m tough like Batman, I’m—”
What the fuck was I saying?
Her fingers brushed along my chest, up my arm, tracing the edge of the wrap where my tattoo was. I shivered, trapped in her pull.
She leaned in, brushing her nose against mine. She was just a breath away, and I could feel the slick tension of anticipation coiling through me. My hands tightened on her wrist. Every muscle was straining, every thought consumed with her. Her. Not anyone else.
Only her.