55. Nat

Aclicking sound wakes me and I sit up to find Max in my living room. He's not supposed to be here. Am I dreaming?

The quilt falls off my legs and I rub my eyes. Although I eventually managed to drift off to sleep, it wasn't a very restful sleep. My back aches and my head hurts.

"Why are you here?" It belatedly occurs to me that a better question would be, how did he get in? He didn't mention he has a key. I probably should be concerned about that but right now, I'm too tired to care.

"Because I want to be." He scoops me up and carries me into the bedroom. Because he's with me, I'm not scared or even thinking about red paint dripping down the wall.

He places me on the mattress and ducks back out to grab the quilt and pillow. I'm half-asleep by the time he returns, but the sight of him stripping off is enough to perk me back up again.

He smells of perfume and smoke. Presumably from the work thing he mentioned. If this was Rick, I would be second-guessing whether he'd been with another woman because of the perfume, but I trust Max.

On that issue at least. I'm definitely not sure I trust him in other areas. Not after what Mickey told me.

But that's a conversation for another day.

I curl up on my side and he wraps his huge frame around me. I'm the little spoon and he's the big spoon. He's hard against my ass but surprisingly, he doesn't try anything. Instead, he just murmurs good night in my ear, kisses my neck, and relaxes with his arm across my hip.

The man is kicking out more heat than a furnace, but it's a comforting kind of heat and in no time at all, I'm fast asleep.

I'm lying on the sofa again, the quilt wrapped around my legs. There's a noise, the sound of something breaking. I try to move but a heavy weight pins me down.

My eyelids are glued together but I force them open. Only I can't see a thing. The room is pitch black. There's not even any light filtering in through the sliding doors. Why is it so dark?

Fingers brush across my cheek, a skittering sensation. So light I feel like I've imagined it. I flinch, once again trying to move, but the weight over me has me trapped.

A man laughs, the sound jarring.

"Who's there?" My voice is reed thin, threaded with fear. Where's Max? I thought we were in bed. He was wrapped around me like a blanket. Has he left me already?

The voice laughs again, this time a bit louder. Why can't I see anything?

"Who are you!" Rough hands grab me, groping my breasts. I can smell cologne. It's the scent Rick always wore. One I never liked all that much because it was too overpowering. Is Rick here? My heart pounds in my chest and I break out in a cold sweat.

My legs are forced open and I thrash about. "No! Stop!"

"Baby, wake up!" Max's voice cuts through the panic and I gradually come back to myself. The sheets are all twisted up and my skin is slicked with cold sweat. He pulls me into his arms and strokes my back in a gentle soothing motion.

"It was just a nightmare, you're safe."

"I thought you'd gone," I whisper against his chest.

"No, malyshka. I won't leave you." He leans down and kisses me, sensing that I need to get out of my head or the nightmare will linger. It's already fading but the emotional hangover remains, leaving me with a sense of dread.

The kiss deepens and he pulls me closer, teasing me with his tongue. Fear turns to lust and my legs part as he pushes me on to my back. I moan softly when his big hand cups my breast, squeezing gently.

"Please," I whisper. "I need more."

"Do you need my cock, baby?"

"Yes, fuck me, please!"

I can feel him, pulsing between my legs. My silk shorts are soaked. He reaches down and tears them off me, the delicate fabric ripping like rice paper. I ought to be angry - the set was expensive - but I don't care.

He's on me, in me, sliding inside slowly, taking his sweet time. The heavy weight of him pressing down on me should feel suffocating, but instead, it feels perfect. My soft curves mold around his hard planes. We fit together like we were made for each other.

"Fuck, you feel so damn good," he pants in my ear. "So fucking tight and hot around my dick."

I dig my nail into his back and he chuckles. "Tell me what you want, malyshka."

"Harder, deeper!" I'm not usually demanding but tonight, I need him to fuck me hard enough to make me forget everything.

He growls when I sink my teeth into his pectoral. With one hard thrust, he slams into me and I scream but the sound is swallowed by his mouth.

Every powerful thrust takes me higher until I can barely remember my own name. I grip his shoulders, clenching around him until finally, I shatter into a million pieces and the fear is washed away.

All that's left is pleasure. White-hot, blinding pleasure that leaves me boneless.

Max follows me over the edge with a long, low groan. I feel him pulse inside me, hot and wet, and then he slips out and falls to the side, pulling me with him.

The covers are a mess and the sheet is damp with sweat and cum but I don't care. My nightmare is forgotten and I sink back into sleep.