The Only Way is Up

Part Forty One

Chapter Forty One

They'd barely made it on foot at a half run to the end of the street when Nicole stopped and pulled Max into her arms, as she smothered him with kisses she murmured words he could barely make out.

"So sexy...never before...can't believe you..."

Suddenly needing clarity he clasped her head in his hands and stared at her, dragged her eyes to his, "what are you saying?"

Nicole smiled, "I said that I've never seen anything as hot as you winding up my mother, and I've never had anyone stand up for me like that...it's very sexy."

His eyes widened, "it is?" When she nodded, biting her lip a little nervously, he pulled her into his arms, "well why didn't you just say so?"

This time he devoured her, the demons of his family, the anger at hers, the pride in her strength, they were all combining into the greatest surge of passion he'd ever known.

He felt her hands on his chest; she was trying to push him away. But his hunger was making that hard to protest.

"Maxim," she wrestled her lips from his. "We can't do this in the street."

Finally he lifted his head and stared at her, she was right, another few moments and he'd be tearing at her clothes, groping her outside her parents' home.

"You're right." His voice was almost a croak, his lust so powerful, and as her eyes flared, her cheeks flushed, he knew that she'd heard that to. "We need a taxi."

Dragging her to the end of the street he thrust his arm hopefully in the air, but it was a while before a cab appeared on the horizon.

Sat in the back seat he looked at Nicole beside him and she smiled, "thank you, for tonight."

He grinned, reaching to run a thumb along her cheek bone, "I hate how they are with you..."

"...but you defended me."

He shrugged, "I'm not so sure."

"I saw my mother's face, she was terrified of you."

He gave a brisk laugh, "they don't call me the Devil for nothing."

"You threatened her?"

Suddenly she seemed scared, he shook his head, "no, not really. I just told her to get the fuck out of my face with her threats...in a nice way."

"She threatened you?"

He could see that shocked her, despite everything that they said or did, how they treated her, she still didn't want to think that her mother could do that. "She can see through me, knows that I'm not good enough for you."

As he looked at her face truing to process that, he knew it was the truth really, she was good, he was still dark, black, and he had a family tree that would make Al Capone look like Ronald McDonald.

"Oh you are TOO good for me Vladelets Chertov, I told you that earlier."

He groaned, "you really do not know what you are hinting at saying that Miss Stark."

She rolled her eyes, "is that another empty promise?"

All his Christmases were threatening to come at once. The thought of Nicole giving into his every desire turned him on beyond belief, because whilst sex with her was amazing, more than that, she hid behind her inhibitions; she still viewed herself through others' eyes, her bastard ex husband's eyes.