Chapter Fourteen-Max
CHAPTER FOURTEEN-MAX
T he line for the ATM was longer than I expected.
An elderly couple tried several times to type in their pin, and normally, I would have been annoyed, but all I could think about was how sweet they were together.
Since when did I call anything sweet? Was that what love did to a man?
Shit. Love?
I didn’t even have to think about it. My evil surged, and I knew the feelings I had for Penelope were more than just animal attraction.
The seed of love had been sown by the Fates and meeting her had triggered its growth.
“Sorry about that, son. With the help of my Sue, I got it now,” the old gentleman said and winked as he placed his weathered hand on his wife’s back.
“No problem, sir. You two have a good night,” I replied with a nod.
“Oh, we will, son.”
The old man winked, and his wife giggled like a schoolgirl. I laughed out loud and shook my head.
It wasn’t often I felt sentimental, but I sure did then. Penelope was such a gorgeous woman. Curvy and soft, with a smile that was pretty as a shiny new penny. I wondered if that was why her parents had picked that name.
It was perfect. But so was my nickname for her. Sugar plums were my favorite seasonal fruit. I didn’t mean the candied nuts and dried fruit concoction. Rather, the sweet little plums that I could only get for about a month during the summertime.
Fucking delicious. Just like her.
The taste of Penelope’s kiss lingered on my lips.
I couldn’t wait to feel my mouth on hers again.
Hell, I was so revved up, my dick was hard and pulsating against my thigh in my snug pants. And it was all for her.
Amazingly, I could still stand straight. But I wondered how much longer that would last.
Didn’t matter. I would endure blue balls for as long as it took my promised to come to terms with all this.
But should I bed her before I told her the truth?
That was the real question. I was already determined to never let her go. So really, I supposed it didn’t matter.
Who was I kidding? It would definitely matter to her.
Fuck. Morality sucks.
And I was as much a stranger to that as I’d been to farming and ranching.
With thoughts of how to do right by Penelope deep in my brain, I started the process of inserting my debit card and typing in my own pin number.
The hair on the back of my neck rose, and it was like something was trying to get my attention. The wind shifted and with it I scented something I should never have scented anywhere near my first date with Penelope.
I smelled Wolf.
“What the fuck are you doing here?” I growled deep and low.
“Just checking up on you, Boss,” Emmet said, his voice no more than a hushed whisper.
We could hear each other fine. It was one of the perks of being a supe.
“Didn’t take you for a movie fan, Max.”
“Where’s the rest of the Crew?” I asked, knowing if one was here, chances were they were all somewhere in the vicinity.
“Oh, they’re here and there. Looking out for their Alpha who conveniently forgot to announce to everyone that he found his mate,” Emmet growled.
Shit.
“Look, I wasn’t hiding it, but you know, I only saw her once before. When I went to get the cupcakes. What if I was wrong?” I asked him honestly.
I had nothing to hide. Well, not from them.
“She’s human,” Emmet stated the fact.
“She is, and she doesn’t know anything about us,” I said.
“Are you going to tell her who you are? What you are?” Emmet asked.
“I don’t think I have any other choice.”
“Bullshit, Max. She’s a fucking normal. Just bang her and get her out of your system?—”
I turned and snarled, the sound too animalistic to be human. I had my hands around the Wolf’s throat faster than he could blink.
“She’s mine.”
Possessive instincts I’d been trying to keep a leash on surged to the surface at my Beta’s words. I thought maybe this was it, the truce and peace I’d found at Motley Crewd Ranch was over.
But then he smirked. The fucker. He was testing me and my resolve.
“Easy, Alpha. I meant no disrespect,” Emmet said, eyes averted.
“Sorry,” I grunted, releasing him before any normals saw us.
“You shouldn’t fuck around about her, Emmet. Penelope is my mate. And my inner Devil is close to being fucking unhinged where she is concerned.”
“I figured as much, which is why I’m here. She can’t find out about you when you’re this amped. Humans are fickle. She’ll bolt.”
“Fuck. That’s what I’m afraid of,” I admitted.
“But you can’t keep it from her for long. Your Devil will want to claim her.”
“I know. Look, I’m going to tell her everything, but she’ll need time,” I told him.
The Wolf nodded, turning his head behind him.
“Uh, I think your mate might need your help. But just so you know, me and the guys are gonna stick around,” Emmet said, and I nodded.
Cockblocking asshole.
But he was right. I sniffed the air and discovered Penelope’s natural cinnamon scent was growing more potent with her anxiety.
I frowned and took my money from the machine, shoving it in my pocket as I hastily turned towards the stand where I left her.
“Be cool, man. We’re here if you need us,” Emmet said before disappearing into the crowd.
I watched his gaze as it flicked over to the concession stand. The Wolf clear in his eyes. Whatever he saw, it didn’t look like he was happy about it.
My Devil scratched against my skin, and a growl started to build inside my chest as I neared the line of people.
There was a man, a pissant of a man, but still a man, crowding my woman.
Fuck. No.
Blood thundered inside my brain, and I couldn’t really hear what was being said. Just the odd word or two, but it was enough to know this guy needed a lesson in manners.
But first, I had to comfort her.
My promised one.
My fated mate.
One of the perks about being fated for a supernatural was my woman would never have to know the sort of discomfort this piece of shit was currently exposing her to.
Not on my fucking watch. My chest rumbled and my inner Devil clawed to get out.
But turning into my red-skinned monster in front of all these people was a no go. Besides, I could wait to get my vengeance.
Right now, Penelope was tense and obviously upset, and I didn’t like that. Not one little bit.
“Easy now, Sugarplum,” I sidled up to her, murmuring in her ear.
I put my hands on her hips, tugging her backwards against my body.
“Max,” she said my name, and I felt her body lose some of its tension.
We might have just met as far as her human sensibilities were concerned, but this was a significant sign. Even if it was subconscious, her body recognized mine.
“Did you place our order?” I asked, hoping to distract her from whatever this small-dicked asshole had said to upset her.
My voice was deeper than usual. That was my Devil, of course. But it couldn’t be helped.
Darkness filled my vision, and I was so close to fucking losing it. But I breathed in her scent and squeezed her soft body in my hands, reassuring myself she was safe and whole.
This asshole upset her. But she was not hurt, which was good for him. Well, for now, anyway. I wouldn’t kill him. At least, not yet.
“Yeah, um, yes, I ordered,” she replied, and pressed her body even more heavily against mine.
I rumbled and dropped a kiss on her neck. I liked her leaning on me. It was like she trusted me, and I needed her to know she could.
Penelope could depend on me for anything.
“Good. I hate to ask, but would you mind paying with this while I introduce myself to this person?” I asked her, cupping her neck and forcing her eyes to remain on mine when she would have turned her head otherwise.
Dick move, maybe, but I wanted her attention on me. Not the fuck who was bothering her.
“Oh, you don’t have to,” she started.
I didn’t want her shutting me down, so I kissed her lips instead.
Fuck. She was so good. So sweet.
I almost lost myself to the desire to claim her here and now. Then, the soon-to-be-hurting asshole muttered something, and I remembered I had a job to do.
His affronted gasp made me want to snarl, but I ignored him. I smiled at her, giving her nose a nuzzle before I stepped back.
“Okay, I’ll go pay,” she whispered, and I was hard pressed not to kiss her again.
Something about her easy submission to my request made me want to pound my chest, toss her over my shoulder, and take her to the nearest private space. I wondered if she would be submissive in bed.
And I smiled, knowing I had a lifetime to find out exactly what she liked and didn’t.
Oooh, she didn’t know it yet, but she had me. All of me. Lock, stock, and barrel, I was hers.
And I meant all of me.
Penelope had a monster on her side now.
I patted her on her soft, round ass, earning me a delighted squeak from her lips before she turned away.
“Penelope? Who is this person?” Asshole asked, but Penelope didn’t acknowledge him.
That’s my girl.
I approved of the way she dismissed him, turning her back. But before she left, I whispered in her ear.
“Good Girl,” I praised her, memorizing the way her breath caught in her throat and her scent changed from upset to aroused.
My mate liked praise. I could do that.
“Don’t forget the salt and butter, Sugarplum.”
She nodded and bit her lip. I watched for a moment longer, ignoring asshole’s huffing and puffing.
Then I turned to the dickless wonder, and I pinned him with my stare. Now, having been on the other side of a Jersey Devil’s ire a time or two, I can tell you it wasn’t pleasant.
This guy had the nerve to speak to my woman as if he were worthy of her attention. And that made me fucking furious.
“I don’t know who you think you are, buddy. But I am her husband and we were having a discussion,” he began.
“Not here,” I growled and nodded away from the throng of people waiting for their snacks.
I trusted the douchebag to follow, and the moron did not disappoint.
He smelled like wheatgrass, sour yogurt, and some fruity shit that stunk like BO that he probably drank in a smoothie.
Like a teenaged girl.
What a fucking pussy .
“Look, pal, what goes on between a man and his wife is none of your business. Having your hands all over her in public, it’s disgusting! And her, a figure in this town! Oh no. I don’t think so. I am going to tell the lawyers about her behavior,” he began.
Now, I only half-listened to him, stuck on some of his word usage. I wasn’t known for my patience. But this asshole had used the word husband and wife, I was not having that.
We neared the tall chain-link fence at the end of the lot, some thirty feet away from the concession stand, and I pivoted on my heel before I came into contact with it.
Dickhead startled, almost tripping, and I stepped right into his space, my hand gripping his collar.
Oh, I wanted to hit him and worse. The sounds of chuffing and snorting caught my attention, and I knew Kian was close. Dante, too.
My Crew was here, and they had my back. But even more important, they kept my Devil from taking over.
I did not have the presence of mind to think too hard on it right then. But I knew later, I would appreciate their efforts. Outing the supernatural community was not on the fucking agenda tonight.
Looking down at the man with an angry snarl on my lips, I shoved him away from me.
“Oh, you are in trouble now, mister! I will file a complaint against you with the authorities for manhandling me,” he threatened.
“Yeah, you can try that, but I assure you it is not in your best interest. Now, let me explain what you are going to do from here on out,” I growled.
“Do you know who you are talking to? I am a highly respected surgeon in this town!”
Yeah, I knew who he was. And I knew he was grossly exaggerating.
I’d spent the days apart from Penelope looking up everything I could find on her and her asshole ex.
“I know you, Burt Downs, plastic surgeon. I hear you’re not a very good one. Aren’t you being sued by several clients for your subpar work?” I asked loudly.
Burt swallowed and looked around. Good. let him be embarrassed.
“In fact, aren’t your partners trying to get you kicked out of their firm?” I asked, but it wasn’t a question.
I knew they were. His fellow surgeons were right now in talks with their attorneys to get him removed from their business. Of course, I might have had one of my personal lawyers offer them help with that.
Pro bono, of course .
But that was his work life.
In his personal life, Burt the Dirtbag , as Avery called him, was much worse.
He’d used Penelope throughout their seven-year marriage. Draining her bank account to pay for his schooling, and other activities, such as weekends with his mistresses, partying and gambling away her hard-earned cash.
Their divorce settlement was a joke.
He’d taken everything. The house, their meager savings, and the fucker had been squirreling away his own income for years in offshore accounts, hiding it from Penelope and her lawyer.
He recently got remarried to his nurse, who was one of his former mistresses. I would have thought he’d forgotten his first wife.
But nope. The dick just wouldn’t leave her alone.
Now, Burt was claiming he was entitled to half the earnings from Penelope’s bakery.
As if I was going to let that happen.
Burt the Dirtbag was a real piece of shit, and I was about two seconds from permanently rearranging his face.
As if he could read the turn of my thoughts, he visibly paled and swallowed. That ridiculously large Adam’s apple of his bobbed up and down and back again.
It was dizzying. And a little grotesque.
“L-look, I don’t know what Pigpen told you,” Burt said, and my anger rose to untold heights.
This motherfucker.
“That’s not her name, dickhead, and you won’t use it anymore, understand?” I snarled.
“W-what?”
“Your ex-wife’s name is Penelope. Not that you need the reminder, because after today you aren’t going to contact her anymore. Not ever,” I snarled.
“That’s really none of your business,” he stuttered, pushing against the hand I now had wrapped around his collar.
Hell. I didn’t even realize I’d grabbed him again.
We were garnering attention. I felt Emmet, Dante, Kian, and even Zeke surrounding us. Their animals were hyped, ready to defend me, and I was touched. But I had this.
Using my magic, I sent a suggestion to the folks watching to ignore us. A small nothing to see here kind of cast.
Then I lifted Burt off the floor and allowed my Devil to bleed into my gaze. My snarl was animalistic. Demonic, even.
As for Burt, well, he might have peed a little.
I growled angrily at the thought of the man’s urine getting on me. I held him further away.
“Penelope is my business,” I corrected his earlier statement.
“B-but?—”
“This is your final warning. Don’t come looking for her anymore,” I said before tossing him away from me.
Burt fell backwards, landing on his ass on the hard gravel. People were staring at him now, including the ingrate’s new wife.
My Crew shuffled their feet, and I could almost hear them questioning what was going to happen next through our Crew bond. It was still too new for that kind of thing, but the possibility of it filled my soul.
No, I couldn’t exact the revenge I really wanted to on Penelope’s ex. But the facts that my Crew was here to back me up and that I’d been able to deliver a warning were both enough for now.
No bloodshed here. Not now.
“Burt! Are you okay?” His wife asked.
My Devil was barely content to let me walk away, but I had one more thing to add.
“Don’t come after her bakery. As a matter of fact, don’t touch anything that is hers ever again, or you will deal with me.”
I left him sitting there, whining. I didn’t have a lot of experience with belonging to a Crew or defending someone important to me, and having felt both at the same time, well, it was hard to express.
I glanced at Emmet, nodding at him before I forced my feet to move. The second my Devil understood where we were going, well, I moved in faster, heading towards where Penelope was chatting with the woman at the concession stand.
“Here, let me take that,” I said, reaching for the tray that held our sodas and snacks.
“Thank you,” she said, biting her lip nervously. “So, what was that about?”
She was no longer upset. If her scent didn’t give her away, it was her raised eyebrows and the velvet brown eyes beneath them, dancing with mirth.
“That? That was nothing. Just a friendly chat,” I said, nodding my thanks to the woman behind the counter who looked like she was trying not to laugh.
“Friendly, huh? So, why is Burt scrambling to get off the floor?” Penelope asked.
“No idea. Must’ve lost his footing. Did you get salt and butter on this popcorn? I’ve been dying to taste it,” I said, changing the subject.
She nodded and slid her hand through my arm, and I felt about a million feet tall when she did that.
Oh, this woman had my attention. One touch, and I was a slave to her desires.
Only, well, we’d have to tamp down on our desires since my Crew was in the area. Worse than that. They were practically sitting with us.
I frowned as I noticed Emmet’s beat up truck parked two cars down from mine.
Fucking hell.
Trying not to pay any attention to those four assholes, I grinned at my promised and handed her the tray and pulled down the tailgate, pressing a button that rolled the cover back and tucked it inside some secret compartment.
“Hold that one sec,” I murmured, hoping she liked this next part.
It was a lot darker outside now than it had been when we arrived. Just right for the string of solar lights I’d hung on the sides of the truck bed to kick in, highlighting my efforts to make tonight’s date special.
“Wow.” Penelope breathed the word, her hand on her chest as she took in the scene, and I wanted to high five myself.
I resisted, of course. Barely.
Not wanting to be too obvious about the pleasure I felt at watching her reaction, I bit my tongue and just savored the joy on her face.
“Shit. Let me take that,” I murmured, and took the tray of snacks from her hands, putting it down on the lowered tailgate.
It had taken the better part of an hour to set up the back of my truck to make the ideal drive in movie date. And that was after hours of researching what I could do to step this thing up a notch on the internet.
I mean, I was used to showing off in front of dates. Taking them to fine restaurants with reservations available only for months in the future, or getting tickets to sold out shows, that kind of thing.
This was the first time I actually worked on trying to impress a woman myself. And she was not just some woman. She was my promised. My fated mate. And this fucking mattered.
I thanked the gods when she tilted her head back to look at me, and I saw happiness on her face. So, it looked like all my efforts weren’t in vain.
Even if they were. I’d have tried again. I’d do anything for her. My chest squeezed, and I moved closer without realizing it.
For the first time in my life, someone else’s happiness meant more to me than mine. And that changed everything.
It wasn’t just about marking and claiming her. It was about showing her how I felt. Oh, I had plans to ravish her. Hell. It was all I could think about. But not with my Crew a few cars down. Their supernatural senses would grant them too much access to things that were mine and mine alone.
Like the way she sighed when our lips touched.
The moans she’d make when I got my hands on her.
The way her cinnamon scent increased with her arousal.
Oh, no. Those pleasures were for me alone. I wasn’t sharing her with anyone. And fuck them for being cockblocking douches.
“Upsy daisy, Sugar,” I growled, putting my hands on her hips and lifting her up easily.
“Oh, wow. Did you do all this yourself? Max, this is amazing,” she said, crawling across the foam mattress to get to the pillows and blankets I’d set up for us.
“Uh, yeah. I did this,” I mumbled, but damn, it was hard to talk.
Her ass looked mighty fine as she moved, and I had to swallow the snarl that teased my lips at the sight she made on all fours like that.
Fuck. Me.
I was nervous. Shaking like a leaf, as I hopped up and crawled next to her, bringing our snacks with us.
Penelope found the bed tray I’d brought and opened it, allowing me space to put our drinks and popcorn and candy down.
“Thank you,” I murmured, and moved to sit beside her.
I adjusted the FM radio I’d packed so we could hear the movie and tuned in to the right station. Then I wrapped my arm around her and pulled her close, more than happy when she didn’t resist.
“Thank you. This is perfect,” she said, beaming at me, and she was right.
Well. Almost right.
I lowered my head, giving her plenty of warning as to what I was about to do. No, I wasn’t going to get to do all the things I planned not with my Crew so close. But I could kiss her.
After the way I’d manhandled Burt, I wasn’t sure if Penelope was going to shove me away or what. Maybe I turned her off or scared her with my aggression? I could only pray she wouldn’t.
I leaned closer. Our breaths mingled, and my pulse raced. I needed her so damn badly.
She didn’t resist.
Thank fuck.
My inner Devil raged inside me like the monster I was, rejoicing at having found my mate.
I kissed her then, plundering her mouth, ravaging her lips, stamping myself all over her in this small way.
“Now, it’s perfect,” I growled against her mouth.
Mine.