Eleven #2
“I know a thousand ways to break you, but you know why I’m being so civilized?
Because you’re the mother of my daughter.
I forgave the mountain of shit you’ve pulled with me and Carlo because I won’t risk even a single scratch on her peace.
I let you breathe easy, let you mouth off, and I don’t rip you apart because hurting you means hurting Aurora. ”
His grip tightens so much that breathing becomes a struggle. I place my hand over his fingers, trying to ease the pressure, and gasp, “I can’t breathe.”
With a sudden shove, he pushes me forward and lets go.
I gulp air into my lungs, my eyes trembling as I stare at him.
He sees the fear he’s sparked and clenches his jaw, his fists balling at his sides.
He turns his back to me, grabs the glass of water I’d left on the counter, and downs it in one go.
A deep line of muscle divides his sculpted back, every ridge taut and contracted.
Unlike his inked-up chest, his skin is bare of tattoos except for his shoulders.
When he turns back, he’s fully composed. The burning rage is gone.
“Do whatever the fuck you think is best.”
He takes a step toward me. When he sees my panicked flinch, he stops.
“Go ahead and fuck any bastard you want. I don’t give a fuck.”
He turns and leaves without another word.
***
Maxim is lying shirtless on the couch, legs stretched out, with Aurora sitting on his stomach.
She’s wearing yellow pajamas, her hair clipped on both sides, definitely Maxim’s doing, and she’s leaning over his chest, carefully studying the numbers inked over his skin.
After a moment, she reaches to the side, grabs a wooden block with a number on it, and hands it to Maxim.
He raises an eyebrow at her and flashing his teeth in a playful growl.
“Wrong answer!”
Aurora squeals with laughter, trying to squirm away, but Maxim wraps an arm around her and buries his face in her neck, pulling more giggles from my daughter.
She’s not afraid of his thunderous growls anymore.
Sometimes she even messes up on purpose, just to get chased by him like he’s a hungry bear.
I walk over, smiling. “Lunch is ready.”
Without letting Aurora go, Maxim growls again, “I’m eating Aurora for lunch today.”
He moves his head to the other side of her neck, growling again. Aurora shrieks with delight, swinging tiny fists at him and trying to squirm free. I smile, turning to set the food on the table. I don’t know if Maxim plans to stay for lunch, but I set a plate for him anyway.
After our fight last week, he disappeared for two whole days.
Stupidly, I worried about a man who nearly choked me during that violent outburst, a man who’s probably one of Europe’s deadliest killers.
Still, his absence weighed on me so much that I finally called Emily, tiptoeing around the subject before asking about him.
She didn’t say where he was, just that Maxim’s like a cat with nine lives and I shouldn’t worry.
Since he’s been back, he comes home late at night, spends a little time with Aurora during the day, then leaves. He’s been practically ignoring me.
Their giggles die down, and moments later, Maxim carries Aurora into the kitchen, setting her in her highchair. He sits at the table, bringing a spoonful of mashed potatoes to her lips.
Aurora eats without protest but grabs the spoon. “Me do it,” she insists.
Maxim kisses her hand and lets go of the spoon.
I still can’t believe how quickly he’s settled into fatherhood.
He’s patient, attentive, and somehow manages to spoil her without letting her turn feral.
My gaze drifts to the tattoos on his chest: a woman with flowing black hair, seemingly random dates, a liquor bottle, stacks of hundred-dollar bills, and a tiger on his wrist.
If we were closer, I’d ask what all these markings mean, but it seems Maxim only wants one thing from me, sex, which, in his words, I’m not “breaking for.”
Fingers snapping in front of my face pulls my eyes from his body. There’s a glint of mischief mixed with mockery in his gaze. I feel the heat rush to my cheeks but keep my composure.
“Need something?” I ask.
He leans back in his chair. “Emily hired a new nanny for the kids. After lunch, go with Alex to the hotel. Drop off Aurora, then head to the mall for clothes shopping.”
Alex is the young bodyguard who lives in a small room in the courtyard.
“I’m fine. I already bought what I needed the last time I went shopping with Aurora.”
“There’s a birthday party for one of the underbosses’ daughters this weekend. I want Aurora there beside me. You need to come too, to keep an eye on her. I doubt you have anything suitable for an event like that.”
He’s right, I don’t. My life’s never exactly required designer dresses because I’ve never had a reason to wear them. His tone isn’t aggressive; he’s just stating facts.
“What kind of clothes should I get?” I ask. “I mean, I’ve never been in that kind of crowd before.”
Maxim spears a cooked carrot with his fork, and before bringing it into his mouth to chew slowly, he asks with a smirk, “You mean our little crowd of gangsters?”
Aurora throws her hands in the air, mumbling through a mouthful, “Ganser!”
Maxim wipes a bit of food from her chin, not bothering to correct her. He picks up Aurora’s plate of chicken steak and begins cutting it into tiny pieces.
“Don’t be stingy when buying clothes. Get something from a top brand. The place Alex is taking you, people there can help you choose. The men and women you’ll be meeting are from the highest tier of society.”
He sets the plate in front of Aurora and turns his gaze to me, his expression serious and businesslike.
“Stick close to Emily. Don’t say a word about your past, how you know me, or our relationship. Don’t give out any information.”
He pauses briefly before adding, “They might be high-class women, but don’t forget, you’re no less than them. Disrespect to you is disrespect to Aurora. Make sure they understand that, because trust me, some of them will come at you with everything they’ve got.”
“Why? Why would they want to come after me?”
“Because you’re the mother of my daughter. You have something they’ve only dreamed of having.”
I squint, thinking it over. When the realization hits, I bite the inside of my cheek and mutter with irritation, “I get it. You were involved with one of them, weren’t you?”
He raises a brow. “A few of them.”
My jaw drops at his audacity. He’s unbelievable. I take a deep breath. “At least tell me their names so I can watch my back.”
He pops another carrot in his mouth and replies with his signature arrogance, “I don’t remember them by name. I’d need to see certain parts of their bodies to jog my memory.”
I wrinkle my nose in disgust, ignoring the mischief in his eyes, and focus on my food. After fidgeting for a moment, I finally voice something I’ve been thinking about for days.
“I want to go back to work.”
He leans back in his chair, his gaze piercing. God help my poor heart. Does he have to be so damn attractive and flaunt it in my face? He’s so big the chair looks too small for him, and his stare is so intense it feels like he’s looking straight into my soul.
“Given your new situation, you can’t work for another family, and Carlo would never hire you again.”
“Why not?”
“Because you deceived him. The only reason he lets you near his family is the connection you have to me.”
I nod uncomfortably, then bring up the second thing that’s been on my mind. “Then I need to go back to school. I can’t spend my life stuck like this.”
He places his right hand on the table, his thumb tapping rhythmically against it.
“Got a specific major in mind?”
“I’ve already taken some child psychology courses. I’d like to study that.”
He pulls the corner of his bottom lip into his mouth, staring at me for a long, loaded moment. His dark eyes flash briefly, and without warning, he says, “If you earn my trust, I’ll let you go to university.”
I blink in surprise, narrowing my eyes. “What do you mean?”
“My meaning’s clear, Ava. If you want me to grant you privileges, you’ll have to impress me.”
There it is, he’s made it obvious what he wants. That manipulative bastard. I smirk. “And how exactly am I supposed to impress you?”
The corner of his mouth quirks up. “Aren’t women supposed to know that stuff already? Or you expect me to teach you how to seduce me?”
I just glare at him, biting back my fury. It seems my expression amuses him.
“Though I’m sure you already know how. But if you ever need a refresher, I can give you some private lessons.”
“You’re abusing your power over me,” I snap. “You expect me to trade my body for my basic rights?”
His voice turns menacing. “You have no rights, my strawberry, unless I give them to you. Like it or not, your life’s different now, and it’ll never be the same again. And yes, darling, I’d happily take what you offer and, in return, make your wishes come true.”
I glance at Aurora, lost in her own world, and whisper under my breath, “Like it or not, you’re a bastard.”
His eyes turn cold, his jaw tight. He rises to his feet and takes a slow step toward me. The air shifts the second he moves closer, and I curse my big mouth. He leans over me, grabbing my chin to force my gaze to his.
“Don’t mistake my good manner for weakness. Watch your tone. Know your place, or I swear you’ll learn the hard way how careful you need to be when you talk to me.”
He squeezes my chin so tightly, the threat in his voice so real, that tears well in the corners of my eyes. His thumb, still gripping my chin, slides across my lip as he adds, “Be with me, and I’ll reward you. Give yourself to me, and I’ll make your life feel like paradise.”
He’s blatantly saying, Sleep with me, and I’ll make it worth your while. I jerk my head free from his grip and hiss, “I’m not one of your whores you can buy off with cash—”
I stop myself before I say something that’ll really piss him off.