Page 15 of Secret Confession
After my brain reminds me I’m not a child, and there’s no point continuing to hide, I pull my shoulders back, trying to appear as confident as I can whilst I walk towards him. Not at all looking like a crazy person who was just hiding behind a pillar to spy on him.
I stop in front of the pool before placing my towel down on the sun lounger I normally use. His gaze rakes over my body, slowly taking in the black string bikini I’m wearing, and when he finally makes eye contact, his glare is cold and stern.
“What are you doing here?” he snarls, though I don’t miss the way his gaze heats as he lingers on my bikini.
I cock my hip, trying to appear unbothered by his harsh tone. “I thought that would be obvious… I’m swimming,” I reply sarcastically.
“Don’t get smart with me,” he snaps. “You usually swim in the morning.”
I take slow, purposeful strides towards the shallow end of the pool, where the sloping entrance steps are, making it clear I intend on getting in. With each step I take, Maximus takes a retreating one, pushing himself further into the deep end.
“So you have been avoiding me,” I say as I step into the pool, trying not to let him see how nervous I really am.
“I think we both know there’s a good reason why I’m avoiding you. The question is…why aren’t you trying to keep away from me?” he asks, his hard stare remaining fixed on mine, like he doesn’t trust himself to look anywhere except my face.
As I lower myself into the water, I can’t help the shudder that runs through my body as the warmth makes my skin tingle. It eases the cramping in my lower abdomen, relaxing me in an instant.
I shrug my shoulders in response to his question. “I don’t see any reason to avoid you. I have no reason to run.”
Maximus lets out a dark laugh as he shakes his head. “That’s exactly what you should be doing. I’m the predator and you’re the prey, Little Lamb. You run because if I catch you, bad things will happen.”
Even though his words send a shiver of excitement—and a little fear—rippling through me, I lift my chin defiantly as I tell him, “I’m not scared.”
Despite having only just said the words aloud, when Maximus slowly starts advancing towards me in the water, I’m not so sure they’re true.
All of my nerve endings are prickling, making me feel on edge, and my heart is racing to the point it’s almost pounding out of my chest. I can’t separate what’s nervous anticipation and what’s fear.
Maximus takes purposeful strides, using his hands to help him glide through the water, and he doesn’t stop until he reaches me. I didn’t realise I’d been backing up until my spine hit the wall of the pool behind me, and Maximus uses his body to trap me in.
He leans in closer, so his lips are hovering beside my ear, his breath fluttering over my cheek in a way that makes my lower abdomen tighten for a very different reason.
“You should be scared of me. I’ll ruin you,” he whispers into my ear, making me tremble from his proximity.
I don’t bother saying anything, as not only am I struggling to form coherent sentences, I’m also not sure he’d listen to anything I have to say. As the silence stretches between us, Maximus takes a step back, allowing me to pull in a ragged breath, now he’s not crowing me as much.
The distance allows him to take me in fully, and he doesn’t even bother to hide the way his gaze roams over my body, lingering over my curves. His eyes darken when they reach the black fabric that is barely covering me.
The heat in his stare makes me feel naked, and it’s like he’s trailing fire over any part of my body his eyes touch. The warm water that was comforting before now feels too hot, my body quickly becoming overheated thanks to him.
“You better not wear this when you swim in public,” he growls, his tone taking on a possessive edge that floods fire through my veins.
“Why not?” I whisper, my voice trembling as much as my body is.
“Men should have to work hard to get even a glimpse of your beautiful body.You should make them earn it, not give it away for free.” The way he says it makes me feel beautiful in a way I never have before. He makes it seem like it’s a gift I should only give people who are worthy of it, like I’m some kind of royalty.
I can feel myself becoming flustered under the intensity of his words, and I’m not really sure what to say, so I keep quiet. Maximus is still staring at me, his head tilted, like he’s also considering what to say next.
After a couple of minutes of silence, Maximus shakes his head and sighs, sounding almost like defeat. Like he’s lost an internal battle with himself, so I’m not surprised when the next words out of his mouth sound almost resigned.
“Have you thought about me over the last few days?”
I pull my lower lip between my teeth, biting nervously as I nod, before quietly asking, “Have you?”
He lets out a harsh laugh, though the smirk that spreads across his face after makes him seem softer. “I haven’t been able to think of anything fucking else. No matter how much I wank, my cock still aches for you.”
My mouth falls open as my eyes grow wide, the words slipping out before I can stop them. “Surely one of your whore was able to help with that.”
I wince at how bitter I sound, dropping my gaze quickly as I try to hide the jealousy I can feel itching away just under the surface. I’m very aware I have no right to feel jealous, and have no claim over Maximus at all, but that doesn’t stop the green-eyed monster from plaguing me.
