Chapter 40
HOLLIE
Sun trickles through the blinds, waking me slowly.
Sleep curls its warm fingers around me, enticing me back under but the moment Maxim moves against, I’m fully awake.
His firm cock presses against the crease of my ass but he still seems asleep despite how both his arms tighten around me when I move.
Every part of me tingles. We spent the whole day yesterday celebrating Christmas in all the places that are important to us.
Starting with my parents’, we stayed there until lunch and then visited the hospital with presents for Toto, including my deep thanks for his attempts to protect me and my family.
While there, Stu finally apologized for hitting me when we first met and I happily informed him that I forgave him the moment he protected me from Vinnie in the park.
What’s a slap between friends?
Dinner was spent with Maxim’s father, a tense affair, but the man did seem to be making an effort.
Given what I learned about his late son, I understand his urge to protect.
While the actual word sorry never left his lips, his actions give me hope that at some point, there’s a chance my baby will be born into a family without discord.
After dinner, we visited Zoe and handed out some presents to her and her family, then paid a visit to the club, which is still open even at Christmas.
After a mocktail with the girls, Christmas was almost over.
Then we returned home where, in our absence, Maxim had people decorating the penthouse to look like a winter wonderland, and it’s here I wake up, cozy among the cushiony nest created near the Christmas tree.
Cotton lies everywhere, creating the illusion of soft snow with glitter sprinkled around to add to the sparkle.
Despite the weak winter sun coming in through the blinds, the room remains cozy.
The tree still covers the walls in bright colors from the lights, the dangling decorations and snowflakes spin and drift in the heat rising from the fireplace, and the soft nest we sleep in makes the thought of leaving utterly impossible.
I want to stay here forever.
“Morning,” Maxim groans, tightening his arms further against me and pressing his face into the back of my neck. “You smell so good.”
“I smell like you,” I murmur back with a smile.
“Like I said, good.”
“No complaints from me.”
“Mmhmm.” As he cuddles into me, his cock slides against the crease of my backside and a warm shiver curls down my spine. Stretching out some stiffness in my arm from my injured shoulder, I admire the two rings nestled together on my finger.
As soon as the baby’s born, we’ll have a real wedding with a real dress, proper vows, and all my family there. I can’t wait.
Suddenly, Maxim rolls me onto my back and positions himself over me, his sleepy eyes locking with mine. “How did you sleep?” Concern furrows his brow. “I wasn’t too rough last night, was I?”
My core throbs at the memory of his cock pounding into me and I smirk. “Not as rough as I’d like.”
“You’re hurt,” he says softly. “I need to be gentle.” The hand he’s not bracing on rests against my bare ribs and the blanket shifts as Maxim fully moves over the top of me. “I don’t want to do anything that sends you back into the hospital. Plus, I’m not a hundred percent either. Yet.”
“If I got whiplash from your dick, I would be pretty happy,” I grin, reaching up and cupping his face. “Trust me. I’m fine.”
“Yes, you are.” He leans down and kisses me slowly. “I say we stay here and fuck like rabbits until New Year’s.”
“Do you really have that kind of stamina?” I run my hand down his broad chest as he leans back up, gently mapping out the continuous swirls of his tattoos and more. “What if you get limp dick?”
His hips drop down to mine and his hot cock rubs against my thigh. “No such thing.”
“Are you sure?”
“Mmhmm. I’ll fuck you so hard, our little baby will get a roommate.” His hand slides down to my belly and he caresses under my navel. “Fuck. I can’t believe there’s a baby in there.”
“Right?” I lift myself onto one elbow and stare with him. “The thing that started all of this.”
“Do you regret it?” Maxim looks at me earnestly as I caress his cheek. “How things turned out?”
“The journey wasn’t pleasant,” I admit. “But what I’ve gained? You. A stronger relationship with my parents. More confidence in what I want to do in my life. Surviving. Justice for Zoe… Everything like that makes it so worth it. And now we get to raise this little darling together.”
“I hate to think of what would have happened had you not seen me that night.” His nose brushes against mine and he kisses me, pressing me back down into the pillows. “I’m so fucking glad your car broke down.”
“Me too.” My giggles melt into the kiss, but just as I arch my body into Maxim’s and kiss him deeper, he pulls away.
“Wait, I have one more present for you. I forgot.” Maxim stretches over me to reach the tree. Discarded wrapping paper and items rustle for a moment, then he returns to my side and hands me an envelope. “Here.”
“What is it?”
“Open it and see.”
Settling back into his arms, I carefully open the envelope and out falls a letter. Unfolding it, I scan the words on the page and then bolt upright, reading them again and again.
This can’t be real, surely?
“Oh my God, Maxim, what did you do?”
He sits up with me, his laughter brushing my bare shoulder. “I bought the company that runs those private cruise liners,” he says with a grin. “Now you don’t have to give up on your dream and it will be waiting for you when you’re ready.”
“Are you insane?”
“Maybe.” He kisses my shoulder, mapping his way to my neck. “Do you like it?”
I can’t comprehend the cost, nor the grandeur, of the gesture. He heard my dream, accepted my choice, and then purchased the entire company to ensure my spot would be there forever, whenever I decide to claim it. More than that, the company is in my name.
“Maxim, this is too much!”
“No, it’s not enough.” Maxim kisses my cheek and our eyes meet.
“I can’t tell the future. I have no idea what’s going to happen, but this is yours and so is your dream, understand?
It will always be yours. And you will always have the freedom to choose.
Plus, it means we can take our own cruise whenever we'd like. I confess I’ve been fucking the CEO, and I bet she’d let us take out a liner all by ourselves. ”
I dissolve into laughter and discard the letter, wrapping my arms around Maxim’s broad shoulders. “You’re insane!”
“I’m in love.” He sweeps his arm around my waist and rolls us over until I’m back on the pillows and in his arms. “There’s nothing I won’t do for you, Hollie.”
“Oh my God.” Our mouths collide as I wrap my legs around his hips and draw him in. “I love you so fucking much, you crazy, crazy man!”
“I love you too.” He grins against me. “Merry Christmas.”
“Merry fucking Christmas,” I groan.
This life might be insane.
But it’s mine.
And I will love it forever.