28. Maksen
28
MAKSEN
I was leaning on the door frame, lost gazing into the room where Annalise was going to stay. Her personal objects were already put beautifully on the bedsides so she wouldn’t feel like a stranger here and I asked Taylor to prepare the best dishes that’ll be waiting here for her when she comes to her new home.
It was still a shock to me that Lukyan wanted to make this move, and I needed to have a talk with him to understand what could’ve possibly made him want to do such a thing.
He shot me in the leg when I tried to get closer to Annalise, and now he was just letting her move in with me like nothing happened? There must’ve been something going on and I needed to know what.
Katya had the other room prepared just for herself and Laura – I already knew that she was going to bring her here, and I wasn’t going to stop her from doing so – but it also had installed surveillance cameras so I could see exactly what she was doing. I didn’t want her to kill herself under my own roof, so I had to keep my eyes on her.
Couldn’t refrain myself from installing some cameras in Annalise’s room too, even though I had a feeling that we weren’t going to sleep in separate rooms. As soon as I heard the main door opening from downstairs, I took the phone out of my pocket and checked the camera app to see if it was working. Bingo. I could see each corner of their rooms in seconds anytime I wanted.
As I made my way downstairs, I heard someone calling for me and I knew it was Lysandre. She wasn’t supposed to leave her room now, but I wasn’t going to yell at her. I turned on my heels and gazed at her, trying to decipher what was going on inside her mind.
“You’re not allowed to leave your room right now,” I whispered as I got closer to her.
“I know,” she quickly answered and I tried so hard not to smile when I noticed how freely she was talking to me already. “I just wanted to ask you something. Did you manage to save other girls too?”
I smiled and caressed her cheek as I saw the spark mirroring in her beautiful irises.
“No, there are two girls moving in with us but they’re family,” I explained to her and she nodded. “I’ll let you meet them when the right time comes, but until then, please stay inside of your room and call Taylor if you need anything, okay?”
“I’ll order some pancakes if he doesn’t mind cooking another serving for me.”
“He doesn’t mind doing anything for you,” I replied and moved my eyes so she would understand she had to go back into her room.
She closed the door and I instantly moved faster, hopping down the stairs and once I turned left to the hallway, a strong emotion struck my nerves. She was here.
“Annalise,” I whispered and the moment she turned on her heels, she didn’t care for a second that my people would see her doing such a thing.
She ran to me and the moment our bodies glued together in a powerful hug, she wrapped her hands around my neck and buried her beautiful face in the soft material of my sweater.
My hands were wandering on her entire body, caressing her lower back and playing in circles on her waist line. I felt how my soul was flying highest in the infinite sky now that I had her in my arms.
Her scent.
Her body.
Her breath.
Everything that came with her was nourishing my entire insignificant human being. She was giving my life purpose and I knew this the moment I felt her heartbeat vibrating on my chest — that was when I felt a strange change in the way my mind worked and I simply knew what I needed to do. And that was loving her as perfectly as I could.
“I missed you so much,” she whispered softly in my ear as she tried so hard not to start sobbing.
I knew she was on the verge of bursting out crying right now by the way her tone of voice changed instantly when she spoke.
I missed her too, but I chose not to say a thing but to place a warm kiss on the side of her neck.
Fuck it.
I shouldn’t have done that.
All the moments when she would tremble when someone touched her came back to my mind and I felt like a piece of crap now that I let myself fall prey to my desires. I knew she didn’t react like that with me, but I didn’t want to make her uncomfortable in any way.
But every thought disappeared from my mind as I came to the realization that she actually enjoyed the kiss considering how she pushed herself closer to me, as if she was eager to feel my lips pressed on her skin one more second.
“We have to talk,” I said, letting my hands fall down on her lower back.
She moved away from me, still keeping her hands on my shoulders as she nodded with a light movement of her head. Her beautiful eyes were gazing at me in a way that made me feel like I was going to be hypnotized.
Get yourself back up, Maksen.
“Yes, we do.”
“Mister Brown, the food is served in the room you ordered it,” Taylor said as he came closer to us.
I tilted my head and gave him a soft smile as I grabbed Annalise by her hand and started walking towards her room. I was nervous now that she was so close to see what I prepared for her and I really hoped I made everything perfect for her.
I wanted her to feel at home in my home.
We reached the door and I opened it, letting her walk inside, and as soon as she took the first step my heart started pounding harder in my chest.
She stopped in front of the bed and I knew she was looking at all the food put on its surface. Taylor made sure to bring a wooden bed table that looked great combined with the rest of the room. There was plenty of healthy food I knew Annalise would appreciate and considering her facial expression, I knew she loved it.
“This is going to be your room from now on.”
I could feel the warmth of her body hugging me entirely now that I was so close to her.
She turned on her heels and looked me deeply in the eyes, while her mouth stretched into the most gorgeous smile I’d ever seen. I was so dumb whenever I was around her, but I guess that's what love did to me.
Love was what destroyed me, but it was also the thing that rebuilt me from scratch.
“It’s more than I could’ve asked for,” she purred and the only thing I could look at right now was her lips.
God damn those beautiful round lips of hers.
We were alone in the room, with no one who could’ve looked at us and discovered the feelings that were wandering between us. I still had Killian’s blood on my hands and heart, and she still had the trauma draining her soul. Yet we were together, and in that moment, it felt like everything disappeared into a void.
“Please, could you do it?”
Her question made me furrow.
“Do what?”
That was the moment her cheeks got caught up in a steamy fire. Did she want me to kiss her? Because if that was what she wanted, then I fucking wanted to hear it coming out of her mouth.
“You know what,” she purred again, biting her lower lip and putting her hands on my chest in the clumsiest way.
She was trembling so hard I almost wanted to grab her entire body and help her stay still.
“I don’t know what you’re talking about, Annalise,” I quickly replied and couldn’t refrain myself from grinning like an asshole. “Tell me what you want and I’ll gladly do it, no matter what you’d demand from me.”
She swung from one leg to the other and tried to avoid my gaze, but I put two fingers under her chin, making her raise her eyes to mine. She gulped, her lashes moving slower each time she blinked and I could hear the rhythm of her beating heart in the deadly silence of the room.
“Kiss me.”
She finally said it, and I couldn't wait another second. I pressed my lips against hers and I felt the freedom rushing down my veins, making my blood boil as she let her body lean on mine.
I loved her so obsessively that I felt the terrifying urge to take out my gun and kill us both just so I would make sure we belonged to each other forever. That was how much I loved her. I could’ve killed her so no one would ever touch her.
It was sick to think of the love I carried for her in that way, but it was what I felt. And that particular love was the kind of love that I couldn’t express like a normal human being, because it felt inhuman. It felt like it came from another dimension.
Her little fingers made their way to my face as she moved away from me, her eyes glistening with tears of happiness.
“I had so much to tell you when I arrived here, but now I feel like I don’t want to say anything anymore,” she rushed to speak, but the heavy breaths that were coming out of her mouth weren’t letting her do it the proper way.
I laughed and turned on my heels, walking towards the bed and as I reached the side of it, I took a seat on the little cushioned chair in front of the make-up table.
“Firstly, I want you to eat something and then we’ll talk, okay?”
She nodded and sat on the edge of the bed, careful not to throw the food off the little wooden table. It didn’t take her long until she chose what to eat as she let her gaze fall on the plate with the protein pancakes and blueberries. I knew she loved them ever since we were children. Olivia used to cook these for her.
Annalise took small bites from the pancakes and by the way she started dancing with her hands, I knew they were good. Taylor was a great cook.
“Do you have another phone like the one you gave to me then?”
“I don’t, but I’ll buy one if you need it.”
“I need it,” she said with her mouth full. “I can’t bear not talking to you again for several days when you were away with Lukyan.”
“You’ll have it today then,” I quickly replied and put my elbows on my knees.
“Thank you!” she smiled, taking another blueberry from the plate.
The tension was growing between us and we both knew we had to talk about things that weren’t making us feel comfortable in any way. It was just a matter of time until one of us would break the silence, and I had to be the one considering Annalise was still eating and avoiding my gaze.
“What happened with Katya? Where is she?” I asked and she sighed.
“She tried to kill herself, and she almost succeeded if it wasn’t for my father coming into her room and calling the ambulance,” she explained and I saw her eyebrows getting closer. “If it wasn’t for Lukyan. I don’t know why I keep calling him my father.”
“It’s okay, Annalise. You grew up calling him that, it’s perfectly normal to do it now,” I reassured her and I saw a glimpse of peace coming over her. “But why would she want to do such a thing? Has she talked to you about anything?”
“She told me something before the paramedics took her out of the room,” she said, furrowing her brows at me. “She said that the only way he could’ve let me leave was if he would’ve lost her forever,” she added and I froze at her words.
“God Damn it, Katya,” I mumbled and stood up from the chair, starting to walk in circles in the room.
“What?”
She might hate me, but she had to know the truth.
“Me and Katya came up with a plan to make Lukyan let you move into my house. He wanted her to move in with me considering we are getting married, but I wanted to have you closer to me, and she fucking tried to kill herself to threat Lukyan with her own life if he wasn’t going to let you move in. Now it all makes sense.”
“So that’s why she told me…”
“Yes,” I quickly said and grabbed my hair into my fists. “She knew Lukyan cared for her considering she was his real daughter, so she took advantage of it.”
“She almost died for me,” she said, her voice trembling with fear.
Everything started to come together, but at the same time, I was waiting for the downfall. I felt it in my bones. It was so damn close.