The Billionaire's Salvation: (The Billionaire's Obsession ~ Max) (14 page)

“Do we know where we’re going?” Max asked Mia, not certain exactly where the back highways led in the area or what his destination was going to
be.

“Does it matter?” Mia asked, her hair ruffling in the breeze as he stopped at the end of the driveway.

Max frowned as he looked back at her. He’d never been a fly-by-the-seat-of-his-pants type of guy. He always knew exactly where he was going, what he was doing, and why he was doing
it.

But I’m in a car I’ve dreamed about since I was a teenager, with a beautiful woman in the passenger seat—a woman who I love and thought I’d never be able to touch
again.

So no…hell no…he didn’t care where he was going, as long as Mia was going with
him.

His whole body relaxed as he looked at Mia, her face radiant and glowing, his scowl disappearing and his lips curling up into a boyish grin. “Nope. It doesn’t matter at
all.”

“You look like a teenage boy who just got his driver’s license,” Mia observed,
amused.

“I’ve had a license for a long time, woman. But I do feel like a teenager in a couple of ways,” he told her hoarsely, his mouth going dry as he looked at
her.

“How?”

“I want to see if this vehicle really does go from zero to sixty in less than four seconds and you make me as horny as a teenage kid who wants nothing more than to get into the panties of the girl sitting beside him,” he answered, shooting her dangerous
look.

“I’m pretty easy for you,” Mia answered in low, sultry voice. “I’m your wife.” She paused before telling him sweetly, “Turn right. It’s a long stretch of pretty straight
road.”

She might be his wife, but she’d never be easy. Luckily, his woman had been referring to sex, and in that regard, he was all for her being easy…with him. Mia would also tease him, delight him, frustrate the hell out of him, and change him in ways that would always make him a better man. She’d push his boundaries, make him realize that he could shed his Mr. Perfect title and still be a man his adoptive parents would be proud of if they were still alive. He’d probably never be reckless or completely abandoned, because that wasn’t who he really was, but he was learning that everything in life didn’t have to make sense. And in fact, most of the really good things, stuff that made life really worth living, actually didn’t involve reason or
logic.

Turning his eyes back to the road, he let himself simply enjoy the purr of the powerful engine as he turned onto the two-lane highway. There wasn’t a car in sight, and there usually wasn’t until one reached the freeway. The ranch was a fairly lengthy drive from Billings, and the area was sparsely populated.

“Zero to sixty in under four seconds,” Max said absently to himself, driving slowly as he contemplated the road ahead of him and got the feel of the new vehicle.

“Well, let’s see it, Grandpa. Tear it up. Just watch for deer,” Mia said happily, sounding more than ready to see him speed it
up.

Max accelerated, the car responding with a roar as the powerful engine shot the vehicle down the pavement, the horsepower beneath the sleek hood making the speed climb rapidly.

Forty miles per
hour.

Fifty miles per
hour.

Sixty miles per
hour.

“Damn, it really does,” Max said loudly enough for Mia to hear over the wind and the
engine.

His wife simply laughed, a loud
whoop
that kept him accelerating until he felt like he was flying. He pushed the vehicle as far as he dared with his wife beside him…but later, when he was alone, he’d test it more. But not with his entire life sitting beside him. He might be loosening up, but he wasn’t stupid. Slowing back to a little above the speed limit, he desperately wished he could find the words to say to Mia. It wasn’t the gift of the vehicle that moved him, but the fact that she wanted to make him
happy.

“Turn up here. The next right,” she instructed him excitedly.

Max didn’t ask where they were going. He still didn’t care. He turned right and Mia directed him through a few more turns before she had him pulling into a dirt parking
area.

After he got out of the car, he caught Mia just as she was about to hop out of the convertible, grasping her around the waist and swinging her over the door, savoring the feel of her body against him. He let her lower her feet to the ground, not sure if he wanted to let
go.

“This is one of my favorite spots. I want you to see it,” Mia told him as she grabbed his hand enthusiastically and pulled him along behind her, leading him down a footpath.

Bemused, Max let her lead, enjoying the view from
behind.

They didn’t go far before they started walking up a steep incline that ended in a spectacular view. Surrounded by evergreens, the elevated spot provided the perfect view of several mountain ranges and the feeling that one could see forever.

Max saw the drop-off warning as he came up next to Mia, putting his arms around her waist as he looked down at a good one hundred foot vertical drop right below
them.

“I love it here,” Mia said softly. “I used to come here when I was really lonely.”

The vulnerability in her voice tugged at Max’s heart. “How often was that?” he wondered aloud, resting his head against her hair, hating the fact that Mia had ever been lonely. But he knew exactly how she’d
felt.

“Every day,” she admitted sadly, covering his hands that were resting around her waist with hers and sighing contentedly. “There wasn’t a day that I didn’t miss
you.”

Max tried to swallow the lump that was swelling in his throat, unable to express in words exactly how desolate he had been without her. Failing to find the right verbalization, he turned her in his arms and tipped her face up, lowering his mouth to hers with a hungry groan. She tasted like mint, mocha coffee, and sunshine, and Max indulged decadently, his tongue entering and retreating, savoring every flavor of Mia. She opened and merged her mouth with his, releasing a tiny moan that almost made Max completely lose it. Kissing Mia was like drinking, but never completely quenching his
thirst.

She’s
mine.

And Max was determined never to screw that up again. Pulling his lips from hers, he told her in a graveled voice, “I love you. I missed you so much I didn’t feel like I was alive anymore. I need you, Mia.” No more bullshit, no pretending like he didn’t crave her constantly, like he didn’t long to claim her all the damn
time.

No running away. Not anymore. Not for either one of
them.

She pulled away panting, her breathing audible. “Your kisses are dangerous,” she said in a teasing voice, skipping backward as she smiled at
him.

Mia had no more than spoken the words when the earth began to crumble beneath her feet. Max lunged, realizing she was too close to the edge of the cliff, but his hands came up empty as Mia plunged downward, disappearing before he could get a good grasp on her sweater.

All Max heard was his wife’s horrified scream, and then she was
gone.

M
ia trembled as she clung to the bush protruding from the side of the cliff, her feet precariously placed on what had to be a small ledge made of the jagged rock that formed the large precipice.

Breathe, Mia. Breathe. You aren’t dead…yet.

Trying to shake off the momentary paralysis caused by the terror of the fall, she tried to assess the situation. And it wasn’t easy. Hanging perilously, with very little between her and a very long, deadly fall, didn’t exactly help her to clear her
head.

“Mia!” Max’s tortured bellow brought Mia back to reality.

Slowly tilting her head, she could actually see Max’s head above hers, the proximity of him comforting. His anguished gaze met hers as she carefully let go of the bush with one hand and reached out her arm. Max lowered his body and reached for her, but there was still too much distance between
them.

So close, but not close
enough.

“Fuck. I’m coming down,” she heard Max say harshly.

Panicked, she gripped the bush again. “No, Max. Go for help.” The vertical drop would kill anyone who fell. She’d looked down on this view enough times to know there was nothing but rock beneath them. There were very few decent handholds on this rocky cliff, and she was clinging to one of them, the rocks beneath her feet unsteady. “You can’t climb down. You’ll go down. Please.”

Mia no longer cared if she plunged down the cliff, but she could not bear to see it happen to
Max.

“Like hell,” Max replied rigidly, swinging his lower body over the edge. “You can’t hang on that
long.”

No…she probably couldn’t. The bush was the only thing keeping her on the face of the rocks. The ledge under her feet merely took some of the weight from her arms. “Max! Damn it. Stop.” Seeing him start to carefully descend made her heart skip a beat, the organ stopping for a torturous moment as he found unpredictable footholds.

“You’re not fucking dying here, sweetheart. Not today. Not on any day. I just got you back,” he replied, his voice guttural and
raw.

She couldn’t see his face, but he was determined, and at the moment she was cursing his tenacity. “This is crazy. We’ll both
die.”

“Nobody. Is. Dying,” Max grunted, moving slowly down beside her, grasping another small branch hanging from the rocks as he came level with her
body.

Mia gasped for air, her fear getting the best of her. Max was barely clinging to the rocks, his grip even less stable than hers. Her terrified eyes met his, and his hazel eyes held a liquid fire—a driven, feral, and resolute look that she’d never seen before on his handsome face. “Max. Please.” Tears streamed down her face, her whole body quivering from the knowledge that Max didn’t give a damn whether he died trying to save her sorry ass. She’d gotten them into this situation by stupidly stepping too close to the edge, but Max hadn’t hesitated to come after her. “Stubborn, pigheaded man,” she whispered desperately. “You’re supposed to be the cautious
one.”

“Not when it comes to you,” Max answered grimly. “You’re going up, sweetheart.”

“Max. You
can’t—”

He put a hand under her ass and hefted her body upward, moving to take her place as he pushed. “Climb, dammit,” he demanded, spotting her from underneath her
body.

She wasn’t far from the top, and Max’s stern voice made her scramble to find a hold above him to keep him from falling. One final mighty push from beneath her sent her upper body over the top of the cliff, and she clawed her way over, panting and breathless as she collapsed on solid
ground.

She swung her body around awkwardly, hanging her head over the edge of the cliff and gasped as she spotted Max just as the foothold she had been standing on gave way, collapsing beneath his foot. He’d put too much weight on the wobbly rocks when he’d shoved her over the edge, and his body swung insecurely for moment, the longest moment of Mia’s life, until he found purchase
again.

Please. Please. Don’t let him
die.

She nudged her upper body slowly over the ledge, trying to get closer to
him.

“Get your ass back over that edge now,” Max commanded gratingly, finding another handhold and inching his powerful body
upward.

Mia inched back, but not much, determined to help Max. “You can grab my
hand.”

“Just. Move. Back.” Max’s voice was rough, his powerful body moving up the cliff from pure male strength and stubborn
will.

Realizing that her immovable husband wasn’t going to risk pulling her over, Mia moved sideways, leaving him space to launch himself over the edge as he found a foothold to help him mobilize. She grabbed the waistband of his jeans and tugged with all her might as his upper body hit the rim of the
cliff.

She gasped as he grabbed her around the waist and rolled, protecting her with his body as they moved away from the edge of the jagged rock wall. He didn’t stop until they hit grass, coming to rest against the trunk of a tree, her body sprawled on top of
him.

He got up and pulled her to her feet, his eyes shooting fire. “Are you okay?” he asked abruptly, his hands everywhere on her body at once, checking for injuries.

Mia expelled a pensive breath, her body still shaking. Max was scraped and scratched, but he was all in one piece. “I’m fine. I was just afraid you’d kill yourself. What were you thinking?” she asked, adrenaline firing through her body as she shot him an angry look. “That was a stupid, risky thing to do. Don’t you ever do that again, Maxwell Hamilton. You took at least twenty years off my life and scared the shit out of me.” She punched him in the shoulder. And then did it again, relief coursing through her that she was punching the solid muscle that was
Max.

Max picked her up calmly as she continued to punch at him, carrying her flailing body down the incline, stopping about halfway down and setting her gently on her feet. He captured her wrists and pinned her against an enormous tree, subduing her with very little
effort.

Her adrenaline still high, she stopped punching at him and started to sob, her fear overtaking every one of her emotions. “What would I do if something happened to you, Max? I couldn’t stand
it.”

“I know. That’s how I felt for over two years when I thought you were dead, baby,” Max answered, his voice coarse and
raw.

Mia stopped struggling, the truth of the hell Max had really been through hitting her straight in the gut. She’d had a few minutes of agony, wondering if Max was going to die. He’d had over two years of not knowing, thinking she was already dead. She’d been lonely, mourning Max, but at least she’d known he was still alive. “I couldn’t have borne it. I’m sorry. I’m so sorry.” The full force of what Max had suffered filled her with remorse, anguish, and
grief.

“I don’t care about the past anymore, Mia. I care about us now. If I have you now, nothing else matters. I get that you were trying to protect me. I get that you didn’t know what else to do. I contributed to the whole mess with my own fucked-up way of handling everything. Let it go. Right now I need to be inside you,” Max growled, grasping the bottom of her sweater to pull it over her head. “We’re alive, we’re together.”

“I can’t believe you came down that cliff after me,” she told him, still stunned.

“It doesn’t matter where you are—I’ll always come after you,” Max vowed gruffly.

She looked up at Max’s crazed, anguished, and yearning expression, and her entire body went up in flames. Max was feeling the rush of adrenaline too, but his needed to be vented in an entirely different
way.

Mia’s core flooded with heat, her need answering his, and they were suddenly clawing at each other to get naked, get closer. Clothing hit the ground as they disrobed each other in a frenzy, both of them perfectly aware that they could have just died and never experienced this closeness
again.

“Be still,” Max told her harshly, pinning her hands over her head against the tree when they both were finally
naked.

Mia was panting heavily, her pussy flooding at the command in Max’s voice. She complied immediately, her body relaxing as she looked up at his fierce expression with feminine longing. Her husband might have been reluctant to admit his alpha tendencies toward her, but there was no mistaking the possessive, protective, and insanely covetous look on his face right now. All of the dominant emotions were there in glorious abundance, contained in her hot, muscular male standing directly in front of her, the testosterone seeping from every pore of his sculpted
body.

His skin was scratched and sweaty, droplets of perspiration rolling down his face as he pinned her with a hungry look. “I need you to need me,” he said huskily, one hand gripping both her wrists as the other caressed one of her breasts, circling the nipple with his
thumb.

Mia whimpered, both nipples hard and incredibly sensitive, the slightest touch jarring her nerve endings. “I already do. Fuck me, Max. Please.”

“Do you know how I felt when you went over that cliff, sweetheart?” he asked gruffly as his fingers moved to the other breast, pinching it lightly before soothing it with his fingers.

“Yes,” Mia cried out. “The same way I felt when I saw you hanging
there.”

“I felt like you were dying all over again.” Max’s hand moved slowly between her breasts and down her quivering belly. “And I died for a moment
too.”

His voice was harsh, but his touch was gentle as it moved between her thighs, tenderly parting her folds and stroking lightly.

It wasn’t enough, and Mia’s body started to protest, her hips moving forward, needing more pressure,
more Max.
“I need you,” she said longingly, moaning as his fingers brushed her clit, teasing
her.

“You’re wet for me, sweetheart. But I want you needier,” he said quietly against her ear, nipping at the lobe and running his tongue along her flesh. “I want you to come for me. Because I know that once I’m inside you, I won’t last. Not this
time.”

Mia moaned, needing his touch more than she needed anything else on earth. Max wanted her to be satisfied, and he was putting her needs first. But she wanted him inside her, needed to be connected to him. “Then make me come. Because I have to have you inside me now,” she shouted at him, not caring who heard
her.

Max shuddered, as though he had lost control, and took her mouth, his fingers playing between her thighs like he played the piano: strong, confident, and absolutely perfect. He searched and found the engorged bud that needed his attention, sliding over it with powerful strokes as his tongue plundered her mouth, never letting up on the pressure until she detonated, her whole body shuddering as her climax hit her with an explosive intensity that shattered her completely.

Pulling his mouth from hers, Max unshackled her wrists and cupped her ass. “Put your arms and legs around me,” he ordered, not even letting her take a breath before he buried himself inside her with a masculine groan. “Nothing between us this time. You feel incredible. So damn
good.”

Mia obediently wrapped her legs around his waist and put her arms around his neck, gasping as he plunged inside her, burying himself to the balls. She knew he was trying to keep her back off the tree to keep from hurting her back, but she couldn’t have cared less if she got a few scrapes. The feeling of having him deeply embedded inside her was all-consuming and she was too impassioned to care. “Yes,” she encouraged him, running her tongue over his neck and nipping his skin, glorying in his savage growl of approval as he pulled back and entered her again. Harder. Stronger.
Deeper.

Mia gasped with every powerful stroke of his cock, his groin pumping against her sensitive clit as he hammered her with thrust after thrust, every forward movement more frantic and furious. She felt her orgasm rushing up to meet her, raw and forceful, so overwhelming that she screamed, “I love
you.”

Max groaned and shuddered as he pumped his hips desperately inside her, the walls of her channel clenching his cock, milking him as she came helplessly.

Mia grasped his head and kissed him, moaning into his mouth as her body exploded in a blast of heat that felt like she was combusting. She was delirious and drunk with pleasure as Max’s tongue met hers, entwining and joining them together in every possible way, their bodies rocking as they stayed locked together in a world that belonged only to the two of
them.

Max lowered them to a patch of grass, keeping her on top of him, their lips still touching and tasting as he speared a hand into her hair and kept the other possessively on her ass, absently stroking over her
tattoo.

Completely spent, Mia rested her head on Max’s shoulder, murmuring softly, “You scared the hell out of me. Don’t do it again.” She tried to put some kind of conviction in her voice, but she was too
tired.