Dirty Boy (36 page)

“I ended up loving my son.”

“Yeah, but you were fucking pissed when she admitted she’d done it on purpose.”

“Yeah, well, I would never admit what I did to Story.”

“Max, fuck, if you want her so bad, why not take a job behind the scenes at the studio? Stop being a porn star. I know this is the fucking reason why you’re losing her.”

“She always talks about compromise. I
am
compromising by setting a retirement date.”

Kelan rolled his eyes. “Fuck you, asshole. That’s not compromising. That’s you having your fucking way as usual.”

“I refuse to allow her to blackmail me, manipulate me, or control me.”

“No, fucker, you’ll do it to her. Knocking her up by fucking with her birth control qualifies for all of the above. You do realize that?”

“If I have to resort to that…” He scrubbed a hand over his face. “Yes, I understand that. If she ever discovers what I did, I’ll point out that being with me gives her a life of financial freedom. She won’t ever want or need anything.”

“Does she want children?”

“I think so. I don’t know, Kelan. I’ve never asked her.”

“Let’s play a little fucking what-if. What if she doesn’t want kids, right now, and she ends up pregnant? Story might abort it. Ever considered that?”

“Fuck no. She wouldn’t destroy
my
baby. She loves me.”

“I agree. I’d go so far as to say you love her, too. In your own fucked-up way.
However
, Story has enough self-worth to consider what’s best for herself. If terminating an unwanted pregnancy is best for her, she’ll do it.”

Would she really? He’d take a huge gamble by tampering with her birth control. His thoughts went as far as Story walking away despite being pregnant.

“Don’t destroy your relationship with dishonesty,” Kelan said. He got to his feet. “Ten minutes are up. I’m starving and I can’t wait to taste your
girlfriend’s
seafood lasagna.”

“Fuck off,” Max grumbled, his annoyance increasing at Kelan’s laughter.

“I’m stuffed,” Kelan said, leaning back against the dining room chair.

The dinner had been delicious and Max was more than ready to get Story alone. “If you don’t get a move on, you’re going to miss the tip off.”

Kelan waved Max away. “I’ve missed them before.”

“You’re welcomed to stay as long as you want,” Story said with a reassuring smile. “I have to clean the kitchen, anyway.”

“When are you leaving again?” Kelan asked before she could walk away.

Story frowned at him. “In two weeks. Why?”

“I was thinking. Max goes back to work in two weeks. Why not stay? I understand if you don’t want to work with Max since you have to live with him, but there are other adult production companies around. Why don’t you check into roles for yourself?”

“Get out,” Max snarled. “Suggesting Story fuck anyone other than me. She
can’t
do porn. I won’t allow it.”

“I beg your pardon?” Story said with an indignant sniff. “It so happens I don’t want to do porn. As well you know, Max. If I did, you’d have nothing to say about it.”

“Oh really? If you wanted to be with me, I’d have a fucking lot to say.”

For the first time ever, Story stared in speechless incredulity.

“Excuse me, but wasn’t Greta a porn star?” Kelan pressed, goading Max almost to the point of violence. “Aren’t
you
one?”

“Greta was in the industry when we met,” he said tightly. “
I
was in the industry when Story met me. It isn’t the same thing.”

“You mean you’re not a dickhead with double-standards, Max?” Story asked with sugary sweetness.

“Don’t make this into a goddamn argument. This never crossed your mind.”

“You’re right. But if I wanted in the industry, I’d take your feelings into consideration. In the end, I’d have to be true to myself, the way you’re true to yourself.”

The sadness returned to her eyes and he swore she was about to cry.

“Kelan,” he began in a low, deadly voice.

“I have a question for you, Max?” Story said in a quiet voice.

He lifted a brow.

“What happens when you’re forty and alone? Will you regret all the missed opportunities you had for meaningful relationships?”

Kelan rose. “On that note, I think I’ll leave.”

“Don’t come back,” Max ordered, stalking behind Kelan.

“If you say so,” he responded.

This wasn’t the first time Max had told Kelan to never darken his door again.

Once the interfering motherfucker departed, Max returned to Story. She hadn’t left the dining table yet, so he reseated himself. The ring weighed in his pocket. He’d been so hopeful as he’d picked it up from the jeweler this afternoon.

He thrust his fingers through his hair. “What do you want me to say?” he asked. “I’ve already told you about my retirement plans. Isn’t that compromising?”

“Max…yes, in a way it is.” She averted her eyes. “It isn’t enough. Not for me.”

“So you’d prefer to throw away these last weeks and leave?”

“It won’t be easy,” she whispered. “But you…I want you to be mine exclusively. I don’t want to share you with any other woman. I can’t be any clearer than that.”

“What do you see happening between us?” he asked, remembering Kelan’s question about whether or not Story wanted children. “If my career was off the table.”

“Then I’d see us married and having kids. Although the kids can wait for four or five years while I finished my degree and we enjoyed being husband and wife.”

“Do you love me?” He thought the question unnecessary, but he wanted to hear her say it.

“Does it matter? Love doesn’t conquer all in real life.”

“Knowing if you love me or not will help me to understand your thought process.”

She fidgeted in her seat, before she gave a small nod. “Yes, I love you, Max,” she whispered. “Do you love me?”

“Yes,” he said, surprised at the truth in his answer. “We love each other, Story. We can work through this.”

“I agree. We can. But switch this around, Max. How would you feel if I did adult movies? You’d hate it. If you’d met me already doing them, then our relationship would be different. We wouldn’t have this connection.”

Max opened his mouth to deny her words.

“Tell me I’m wrong.”

“At first your virginity annoyed me. It also intrigued me,” he admitted. “But, yes, the fact that I’ve been your only male lover is exhilarating.”

“Do you think that’s fair? I’m not judging you based on all the women you’ve been with.”

“Life’s not fair, sweetheart. By the way, in all my years of fucking, you’re the first innocent I’ve ever had.”

“We’re going around and around, and still reaching the same conclusion, Max. Let’s just enjoy my last two weeks here. There’s no use spending it arguing. I’m not changing your mind and you’re not changing mine.”

“How much do you love me?” he stormed, furious she was so determined not to listen to him. “Not enough if you won’t meet me half way.”

Instead of answering, she got up and headed to the kitchen. Max wanted to press the issue, but it would descend into a huge argument, so he stayed put while she cleaned up.

As she finished, his father called and invited him over to dinner next week. He accepted once Winston told him Barbra had returned to Dallas.

That night, for the first time in weeks, unyielding tension prevented their lovemaking.

Opening her eyes the next morning, Story became immediately aware of Max’s absence. That happened often. She was ultra-aware of his presence or lack thereof. She couldn’t imagine how it would be for her once she left.

For the briefest of moments, her determination wavered, as Kelan warned. She hadn’t even left yet, so he’d been correct in his advice that if Max caught her at a weak moment, she’d cave. When she couldn’t.

Or won’t?

The doubtful voice sneered the words and Story gripped the covers, confused. Max’s confession of love, his angry accusation that
she
didn’t love him enough, along with her own admission of her feelings, affected her.

Suppose not at least trying out Max’s way was the wrong choice? They would be a couple and if she pretended he left her each morning to go to a regular job, their relationship would work.

She thought of Max and how he looked when he was inside of her, the sounds he made, his whispered words. The world was already well acquainted with his sexual side. Sharing him any further was out of the question. If she gave an inch, Max would use that to his advantage.

“You’re awake.”

Unlike the tension from last night, Max sounded relaxed and satisfied, similar to the man she’d come to know in the past several weeks. She lifted herself to a sitting position as he sat a tray on her lap. There was toast, juice, coffee, and her birth control pill.

She frowned. “Um…” Why did this strike her as odd? Max had served her breakfast in bed before. She sipped her juice, searching her mind for answers. Then, it hit her. He’d served her pill along with her meal. He was so mistrustful, more so than she’d imagined, if he thought she’d trick him to get pregnant.

“You’re not taking the pill?” he asked, heading to his bureau and grabbing his watch.

“It isn’t time,” she answered, deciding not to mention her theory. Max seemed primed for an argument. “I have ten minutes.”

Spinning around, he glared at her. “Ten minutes won’t make a difference.”

“I wouldn’t know because I’ve always gone by the alarm on my phone.”

“Bullshit,” he scoffed. “You can’t tell me that you haven’t been five or ten minutes late from the time your alarm went off.”

“Why are you making such a big deal out of this? It’s just a stupid pill.” Frustrated that the man argued over
everything
, Story tossed it into her mouth then chased it down with her juice. “Happy, now?”

“As a matter of fact I am.”

“What? You don’t trust me? You think I’ll not take them and purposely get pregnant?”

His mouth tightened into a thin line. “So you could keep my child away from me? Or, worse, destroy it?”

She blinked at his bitter tone. All at once the reason he’d taken it upon himself to serve her the pill hit her and all her anger and mistrust melted away. “Max, I’d never keep your baby away from you. Neither would I make any decisions about aborting it without first discussing it with you.”

“Would abortion be an option?”

“I don’t know,” she admitted.

Hurt darkened his eyes, reminding her that a very vulnerable man lay beneath the contentious, control freak. He’d lost his son in a horrible manner and out of revenge.

“So it would be either or with you, right?” he asked. “Either I leave the business or you abort my kid?”

“No, of course not!” she cried, setting the tray aside and scrambling out of bed. “I’m
not
Kayleigh. Stop putting our relationship in the shadows of the one you had with her. If I chose to abort it, it would be after you and I have a lengthy discussion and
after
I gave you the option of raising it yourself.”

A gamut of emotions ran over his face before he narrowed his eyes. “So it would be abortion or handing it over to me? No thoughts of us trying to work things out to give it a stable home life? No requests for marriage?”

“Max!” Story cried. “Have you lost your mind? There’s no baby, so why are we talking about this?”

“Because anything’s possible,” he said stiffly. “Whether you like it or not, Kayleigh and her actions affected my entire life.” He sighed and brought his arms around her, too, melting her when he tangled his fingers through her hair. “Tell me now, Story, before this goes any farther. If you discover you’re pregnant once you return to Dallas, what will you do?”

“Besides freak out? I’d call you. Beyond that, I don’t know what I would do. I’d be open to every possibility.”

He pushed her away and studied her face. “If you’d be open to the possibility of being with me on behalf of the baby, then why won’t you consider it now?”

Turning away from him, Story leaned on the dresser and heaved in a breath. He was already playing dirty. Every last lingering doubt about why Max had brought her her pill fled at the question. This had been an elaborate production to make a point.

He came up behind her and pulled her to him, aligning her back to his front before bending and kissing her neck. “Answer me.”

“You’re being so unfair,” she returned in an unsteady voice, off-kilter from the conversation, shivers spiraling through her at his touch. She swallowed and reminded herself that she had to do what she had to do. “I can’t. I’ve already told you why. You’re doing you, so I have to do me.”

Story’s statement resounded in Max head as he dragged his lips along the tender skin of her neck and the curve of her shoulder. She was weakening, whether she wanted to admit it or not. He had her right where he needed her.

This afternoon, he’d purchase a pack of phony birth control to give to Story. He’d already taken the ones she kept on the bathroom counter. If she asked about them, he intended to tell her he’d brought them with him to the kitchen and couldn’t remember where he’d put them.

Story was stubborn, but, as he listened to her, he knew a baby would seal the deal. She could believe, all she wished, that any discussions between them would result in anything other than the two of them raising their child together and living as a family.

He turned her to face him before kissing her deeply. Her passionate response always undid him. What he wanted to be tender lovemaking, turned into a frantic fuck, where he just freed his cock, pushed the seat of her panties aside and thrust into her tight pussy.