Chapter Six
A re you sure?
Soft kisses brushed my cheeks. My nose. My lips. Hands cradling my face, he closed his eyes.
Tell me.
I’m ready. I’m yours. I ? —
* * *
I bolted upright. My heart thundered in my chest.
And I couldn’t breathe.
“Morning, Princess.”
Blinking away the memories I had no intention of reliving, I hardly believed what I saw through the open French doors.
“Do you like your eggs scrambled?”
Max Dread stood in the kitchen, wearing a lilac apron and asking me how I preferred my eggs. I rubbed my eyes. But he didn’t disappear. He came around the bar holding a frying pan.
“Fried? Poached? Hard-boiled?”
I blinked a few more times. “Scrambled, please.”
“You got it.” He turned back to the stove.
And I saw why he had the apron on when he served me a brief glimpse of his perfectly sculpted ass.
“Max, what the hell!”
I flopped back on the bed, throwing the blanket over my face. Groaning as loudly as possible, I tried to scrub the image of his rock-hard, tan, and completely bare ass from my brain.
“Oh, don’t get your panties in a bunch.” He laughed, pulling things out of the fridge. “I’m not on the menu this morning.”
Telling my lady bits to calm the fuck down, I whined, “Then, why are you naked? Seriously, I know you own pants. Please tell me you packed some.”
“Of course I do. Lots of gray sweatpants, too.”
I growled.
He chuckled. “Now, go do your thing in the ladies’ room. Breakfast is almost ready, and we’ve got a lot to do today.”
Flipping the covers back over my head, I glared at his stupid, smirking face as he stared at me from over the bar. “What do you mean?”
“We’re going out. Wear comfortable shoes.” He waved me toward the bathroom. “Now, go on. You don’t want your breakfast to get cold.”
He turned around again, and I quickly moved my ass off the bed. I darted to the bathroom. If only to avoid staring at how his muscles coiled and tightened as he moved in the kitchen.
Fucking hell.
After a cold, cold, cold shower, I was on edge and liable to snap. But I didn’t trust myself to take care of things so soon after seeing him half-naked. The things that would come to mind couldn’t be helped, and no way did I need anything else working against me.
Or trying to lure me to the dark side.
With no idea what to expect for the day, I opted for a pair of jean shorts, a white tank top, and a saffron button-down shirt that I cuffed at the elbows and tied in a knot at my waist. I slipped on socks and my sneakers.
After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I stared at my hair. My scalp tingled as I tugged on a few strands, and my stomach twisted into knots.
Even with the drugstore hair dye Gia had helped me use, hints of red still peeked through the brown. She’d warned me it might not completely cover the scarlet, but at the time, it had been better than doing nothing.
I braided my hair, starting at the crown of my head down to the nape of my neck, carefully tucking and concealing as much of the tinted strands as possible. When it was mostly hidden, I felt better. I still had the bruises on my neck, but my entire body didn’t need to be a walking billboard that advertised Landon Scott Was Here!
Dabbing some concealer on my neck and under my eyes made me feel almost as good as new. I still had the angry red claw marks and a bruise on my cheek, but Vivian hadn’t dug in as hard as she could’ve, so even those looked a little better.
I didn’t cover them.
For healing, of course.
And because I didn’t mind Max having to face what his Maiden had done. He got extra growly whenever he saw them. It made me feel all warm and fuzzy inside, imagining how much that would bother Vivian.
Heading back out to the living room, I was relieved—and okay, slightly disappointed—to find Max did own pants and knew how to put them on all by himself.
While oddly casual in his jeans and white T-shirt, his designer sneakers classed up his outfit. Aviator sunglasses on his shirt and a black jacket slung over the barstool beside him gave a James Dean vibe that he somehow pulled off.
Annoyingly well, too.
He seemed equally pleased with my appearance, his dark gaze running down my body as a smile lifted the corner of his mouth. Taking his time over my bare legs, he scrubbed his jaw. “Fuck, Princess…”
I plopped on the couch ungracefully to cut off his view. Throwing a blanket over my lap, I hid my bare skin and my goose bumps—surely caused by the chill in the room.
Max huffed a laugh and brought two plates over to the couch. He set one in front of me before sitting in the oversized chair. I eyed him warily as he took a bite of his food, still trying to put my finger on his angle.
He leaned over and stabbed a bite of my scrambled eggs off my plate, making a show of putting it in his mouth and swallowing. “See. Not drugged or poisoned.”
I rolled my eyes, snagging a bite for myself and putting it right in my mouth. “Were you even listening to my appeal? I read the by-laws, Max. Drugging me so I fail the challenge doesn’t count against me, and it gets you and your Maiden eliminated. You might look like a dumb jock, but I know you’re not that stupid.”
“Aw, gee. Thanks, Princess.” He frowned at his plate. “That was smart, by the way.”
“Aw, gee. Thanks.”
“That’s it?”
I sighed. “What?”
He arched a brow. “No nickname? Just thanks?”
“I’m not giving you a nickname.”
“I could order you to, you know?”
“That tracks,” I mumbled around a bite of my eggs.
They were annoyingly delicious.
Max leaned back in the chair, his body nearly taking up the whole thing. “Hmm…maybe My Lord?”
I nearly choked on my breakfast.
“Or…Master?”
“Hard pass.” I glared at him. But then, I snickered, thinking of the most obnoxious nickname I could. “I’d rather call you Maxie like your darling V does.”
“Don’t,” he snapped, his grip tightening on his fork. “Don’t fucking call me that. That is an order.”
He got to his feet and grabbed our plates. I almost protested since I’d barely eaten anything, but the way he stormed into the kitchen stopped me. He tossed the plates in the sink, and I jumped when the ceramic broke.
Cursing, he gripped the counter. His back rose and fell with heaving breaths as tension radiated up his triceps.
I had no idea what nerve I struck by using his Maiden’s nickname for him, but it wasn’t one I wanted to strike again.
When his breathing leveled out, he stalked back into the living room, grabbing his jacket off the barstool and slipping his glasses off his shirt to put them on his face.
“Let’s go.”
He didn’t wait for me to respond, leaving the cabin in a maelstrom of dark and wild energy. I gathered my clutch, using my inhaler for the day before heading out the front door.
In the driveway, Max, still seething, sat behind the wheel of the pickup truck from yesterday with the engine running.
I walked up to his window.
“Get in,” he barked.
I shook my head. “I’m not driving with you when you’re worked up like this.”
“It wasn’t a request.”
“And I’m still not doing it,” I snapped back.
He flicked his glasses down his nose, eyeing me over the top with a condescending gleam I didn’t particularly care for, but chose to ignore. “Do I need to pick you up and strap your ass in myself?”
I balled my hands into fists at my side. “If you want to be an asshole who triggers me because you’re pissed off, sure. Go right ahead. I’d love to take a chunk out of your face as you try.”
He narrowed his eyes. “What the fuck do you mean? Triggers?”
Seething, I stood my ground and said nothing.
His anger deflated. “Fine.”
Hopping out of the car, he forced me back a few steps. He jumped up into the truck bed and sat with his back against the cab. His hand came over the side of the truck and tapped.
“Come sit down,” he ordered, but his tone had softened.
“Excuse me?”
He released a heavy sigh. “Just get in the damn truck, Quinn. I won’t drive anywhere until you’re ready.”
I frowned at his use of my name, and growing more suspicious, I walked over slowly.
He had his head pressed back against the truck, but with his glasses on, I couldn’t tell if his eyes were opened or closed. His slow breaths came out a little shaky.
He was trying to calm down.
I stepped on the back tire and hoisted myself over the side. When I sat beside him, he shuffled over to make room.
Crossing his arms over his chest, he rested his head back again as I settled in. “I’ll share mine, if you share yours.”
“Not a chance.” I leaned my head back like his. “We’re not even close to the swapping traumas stage, especially this early in the morning and without alcohol.”
“Noted.”
“But thank you. For not forcing the issue.”
He nodded. “This may come as a shock to you, but I happen to believe consent is important when it comes to swapping traumas?—”
“Don’t say it.”
“—and DNA.”
I exaggerated my groan, pulling a laugh from him and, reluctantly, from myself. He smiled broadly, his dark and serious face wholly changed by it. Shaking my head, I dug in my bag for my sunglasses and shielded my eyes.
The beam of his expression felt dangerous, like flying too close to the sun.
* * *
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
Once Max chilled out, he drove us away from Pendragon and its surrounding cabins. He said most of the pairs hung out close by, if they weren’t spending the whole time inside.
A thought I didn’t want in my head.
It took too much willpower not to wonder if Elaine’s wildest dreams were coming true. If Landon had followed through on what he’d said he’d do for his part of this challenge. Maybe he had her tied to the bed, seconds away from?—
Getting away sounded ideal.
But I hadn’t expected Max to take me somewhere quite so beautiful.
The mountains around Mosaic Falls held more than I expected, having had little time to explore them since I moved to town last year.
Max had parked near a nature trail surrounded by tall trees and rocks before he led me on a short hike.
As I stared out at the view from the outcropping he’d stopped at, it felt like we’d entered a new world. He sat on the rocks’ edge and patted the space beside him. I didn’t even put up a fight before sitting down, too.
“It’s called Widow’s Crown.” He pointed off into the distance at a few other outcroppings. “There are spots like this all around the lake. Lady’s Leap, Old Man’s Peak. Most of them are low enough that you can jump into the water, but this one has always been my favorite.”
Far below us, I counted at least three waterfalls. Where they crashed into the lake below, clouds of white-water mist rose above the surface and glittered with rainbows from the sunlight.
I couldn’t keep the awe out of my voice, admitting to him honestly, “It’s beautiful out here.”
He nodded, staring off into the distance. “There are caves hidden down there.” He pointed at a few spots near the waterfalls. “Most of the peaks around this area have them…We can come back before the six days are up and explore a few.”
“What?” Curiosity piqued, I wanted to start exploring right then. “Why not today?”
Huffing a laugh, he smiled at my eagerness. “No time. Lots to see and do.”
I pouted. But if the other stops on our agenda were as surprising as this, I wouldn’t complain. “Do you come out here a lot?”
“Whenever I can get away.”
He didn’t expand, so I didn’t press him. We sat in an unexpectedly peaceful silence for a while, both of us lost in our heads. The seclusion made it feel like our own secret place.
Deflecting from that thought, I forced a laugh. “This isn’t where you guys come to hide bodies, is it?”
I said it as a joke, but I accidentally struck another nerve.
Max’s jaw clenched, and a myriad of emotions played over his face. “No, that’s a different nature park. Someone did die in one of the caves, though.”
He wiped his hands on his jeans and stood up, heading back toward the car.
Pushing to my feet, I scrambled after him.
“Wait, what? You can’t just say something like that and walk off.” I reached the truck and followed him into the cab. “What happened? Was it the girl everyone keeps whispering about? The Maiden from last year?”
He nodded.
“I thought…” I wasn’t sure I wanted to know, but couldn’t stop myself. “Everyone says Landon was involved. Is that?—”
Max scoffed. “People fucking love to exaggerate about that guy. The good and bad.”
My brow furrowed, unsure if that confirmed or denied Landon’s involvement in whatever had happened.
“He could’ve saved her.” Max’s hands tightened on the steering wheel. “She died because he didn’t intervene. As far as I’m concerned, that’s as good as drowning her himself.”
“Oh.” I sat back in my seat, my head tilting as his features shifted and his jaw clenched at the memory. “Is it—That’s why you hate him, then?”
Their hatred for one another—I still couldn’t understand it. But if Max blamed Landon for something as terrible as a girl’s death, whether it was his fault or not, it made a little more sense.
I couldn’t help but wonder if they’d ever get past it. Even though I had no business having thoughts like that at all.
Fortunately, Max growled and pulled my attention back to him. “I hate your Golden Boy for a lot of reasons, Princess.” He locked eyes with me, an admission in his eyes I couldn’t let in completely. “But that’s in the top five.”
I wanted to ask more questions. I wanted to say he wasn’t my anything anymore. But I needed Max calm if he planned to drive. Unable to stop myself, I reached out.
As my hand hovered over his forearm, anger emanated off him like heat waves, growing hotter the longer he stewed. Whatever had happened between him and Landon, it simmered beneath his skin.
But when I touched him, his body relaxed.
He cleared his throat. “I’ll share mine, if you share yours?”
I shook my head, even though I wanted to understand what happened to the girl and the fierce hatred between the two of them.
“I don’t want to talk about Landon Scott.” I slid my hand back to my lap. “At least, not right now.”
He stared at me for a few seconds, his eyes searching mine before falling to my neck. When he glared at the bruises, my hand went to cover them reflexively.
“It’s not what you’re thinking. He didn’t mean to hurt me.”
“Doesn’t matter,” he growled. “He still did.”
My heart faltered as that statement resonated in my chest. “Yeah.”
Pulling in a deep breath, I turned away from Max to face the window. I feigned being deeply absorbed in the scenery, but I still felt his eyes on me.
He started the car, not saying anything else as music came on the stereo. As he drove us away, he rolled the windows down.
I stuck my arm out, letting the wind sail through my fingers before resting my head on my arm. Sunrays peeked through the trees as we drove under the branches. They crossed over the road, meeting in the middle to create a beautiful canopy of leaves and light.
How long we drove, I wasn’t sure.
But slowly, the lingering pain in my chest faded.
* * *
We spent the rest of the first day exploring the area.
The next morning, two days into resisting temptation, Max unhappily informed me that twenty-six days had gone by since The Quest had begun.
It was time for another Camelot Court party.
Max’s displeasure over this stemmed from a general dislike of people and social activities. I had other reasons.
Tonight, I’d have to see Landon. And he’d be with Elaine, doing his duty as a Knight. Working hard to seduce her.
The mere thought made me feel sick, and the idea of witnessing it? I wanted to hurl.
“Do we really have to go?” I complained unrepentantly over breakfast. “Can’t you say you’re busy trying to seduce me or whatever?”
Max, who’d barely tried to seduce me other than just accosting me at random with the sight of his naked body, shook his head. “If there was a way out of these bullshit parties, trust me, I would’ve found it by now.”
He set a fluffy chocolate chip Belgian waffle topped with strawberries in front of me. After setting butter and syrup by my plate, he returned to the waffle maker to start on his. I got up and opened the fridge, rummaging through its contents.
He came up behind me. “What are you doing?”
I rose on my tiptoes and rifled through the top shelf, but I couldn’t reach or see the back. “Whipped cream. It’s a staple for a healthy diet. Please tell me we have some.”
Reaching over my head, he pulled a canister from the back of the top shelf. He patted my hip and nudged me toward my seat. “I’ll do it. I’m not sure I can trust you with this.”
I scowled at him but took my seat, staring expectantly as he sprayed a dollop of whipped cream on my waffle. When he stopped, I gestured with my hand for him to continue. He added another small dollop.
When I gestured again, he arched his brow.
“Don’t be stingy!” I grabbed for the bottle, but he held it out of reach. “I need my calories for all the dancing we’re going to do tonight.”
Max’s eyebrow rose higher, but he didn’t respond to that, which meant I might actually convince him to dance with me if I needed to work off any unpleasant feelings.
Like blind rage.
After covering my waffle until I said when, he flipped his out of the waffle maker. He added a bit of the whipped cream to his plate but opted to slather his breakfast with butter and syrup first.
To cut off my critique, I shoved my fork in my mouth.
I moaned around the bite of chocolate, strawberry, whipped creamy goodness.
“Stop that.”
“What?” I put another bite in my mouth, letting out another moan. “Holy shit, this is so good.”
“Princess…”
“Hm?”
“I’m trying very hard to be a gentleman here. But if you keep making those sounds, I’ll torture you until you beg me to bend you over this counter, and then I’ll give you something to moan about.”
I gulped, swallowing down my last bite and making no noise whatsoever.
“That’s what I thought.”
He cut into his waffle and took a bite. On the next one, he added a bit of whipped cream. I hid my smirk behind my next bite when he moaned at the taste of it.
“Fuck me, that’s good.”
He took another bite, humming appreciatively and glancing at me from the corner of his eye. Pointedly refusing to think about what he’d said, I ate my waffles happily and as quickly as possible.
When I finished, I got up to wash my plate in the sink. He followed shortly after and set his plate in the soapy water beside mine.
Grazing a hand along my arm, he pulled away and leaned down to whisper in my ear. “Only thing that could’ve made that taste better was if I’d eaten it off your naked body.”
I dropped the plate in my hands. It clattered in the sink, making me jump.
Max huffed a laugh. “But making a mess of you would be too easy. What I’ve really been thinking about is you in that tub. Scrubbing every inch of your body. Soaking with you in the hot water. Feeling it splash around us as you rode my cock.”
My breathing hitched.
“I’d get you nice and clean just to explore your darkest, dirtiest fantasies.”
I whimpered. Gripping the edge of the sink, I forced my breathing to steady while my heart raced.
“You should relax today before the party tonight. Maybe I can draw you another bath later.”
Shaking my head, I squeaked, “No.” I cleared my throat. “No, thank you.”
“Well, the offer stands, Princess.”
He left the kitchen and disappeared into the bedroom.
My hands, my whole body, shook as I finished the dishes. I splashed water on my neck and finally calmed down.
And then, I went to hunt for new panties.