Page 74 of BillionHeir
“She was first diagnosed in my second year at uni. She completed treatment and has been in remission for the last year and half, but she has been unable to work. I send her every penny that I can scrape together to help her get by. She has been feeling under the weather lately, so she went in for an early scan. That is when they found another tumor. I got the call on Saturday, at your house, just after I went inside.”
“That is why you left so suddenly,” Maxwell says as he begins to fully understand the situation.
I give him an apologetic look. “I know it was terrible timing, but I was already upset when she called. It felt like the right decision.”
He seems to take all this information in stride, never mentioning our relationship or the fact that we haven’t talked things through yet. “What can I do to help?”
“I am afraid there isn’t much unless you are secretly an oncologist. We are still waiting to hear back from the hospital about the latest round of lab results. Until then, it is just a waiting game.”
Maxwell nods but looks distracted, like he is trying to solve the problem in his head.
“I can see why you have been so upset,” he says, pulling me into his lap and wrapping me up in his arms. I don’t fight him. Instead, I curl into him, leaning forward and resting my head against his chest, soaking up his intoxicating scent.
I don’t know what is going on with us, or where we stand. All I know in this moment, after hearing about my mom, is that I really need the comfort he is offering. And it is probably true that I could, and should, be seeking this comfort from someone who is more suited to me. But if I am being honest with myself, even after everything we have been through this week, Maxwell is the only person I want.
It is as though he can read my mind when he pulls me in a little tighter and rubs his hands up and down my back soothingly. I lift my head up to look at him as he leans forward.
Just when I expect him to kiss me, he surprises me by aiming higher and planting his lips on my forehead.
“Let me take care of you,” he murmurs against my skin.
I don’t have the energy to fight him. All I can do is nod my head.
Without any warning, he tightens his arms around me and stands, lifting both of our weight effortlessly. Confidently, he strides across the spacious suite directly through a bedroom with an enormous fluffy bed and into the bathroom.
He sets me down on the marble countertop and walks over to a clawfoot tub, turning on the tap and plugging the drain. Then he pulls out a basket filled with an assortment of the most expensive bath products imaginable. He removes some type of scented oil in a fancy bottle and pours a hefty amount of it into the water that is quickly starting to steam up the bathroom.
He turns and faces me when he is done, and I can’t quite read the look on his face. He looks pensive and determined. I am not sure that I have ever seen him behave like this.
But I think I like it.
He walks back up to me, and I think he is going to kiss me. But again he kisses my forehead, leaving me practically pantingfor more contact. When he pulls away, he has a solemn look on his face.
“I don’t want tonight to be about sex. I want you, don’t get me wrong,” he says, giving me a look before gesturing down at his very obvious erection tenting his pants.
I giggle a little as I meet his eyes again.
“I am always like this when you are around, if you hadn’t noticed already,” he says, laughing in spite of himself. “But back to what I was saying. As much as I want you, so badly want you, what I want even more is to take care of you.”
I start to object, but he won’t be swayed. He presses one of his fingers to my lips sweetly, then reaches down and lifts the hem of my shirt, not stopping until it is over my head and discarded on the floor.
He helps me off the counter and gently removes the rest of my clothes, then turns back to the nearly full bathtub.
“Perfect,” he says, leading me over and helping me into it.
“You are not going to join me?” I ask as he turns off the tap.
“As much as I would like to, I am afraid if I get in there with you, I won’t be able to keep my hands off of you. Besides, this is for you. Enjoy.” He smiles and walks away, leaving me dumbfounded.
I can’t believe the man I am seeing tonight. He is a totally different person. It is a little hard to wrap my head around, honestly.
When he comes back into the bathroom, my fingers are just on their way to pruney, and I am no less clear on what I should do about my relationship with Max. I don’t know how to reconcile the man who said such nasty things about me with the man who is going to such lengths to make me happy.
His eyes search mine as though sensing my shift in mood, but he wisely chooses to stay quiet, offering his hand to help me out of the bath without slipping. I take it and do my best to gracefully step out without splashing water everywhere.
Maxwell is ready with a prewarmed towel that he pulls out of a device next to the bathtub. The luxury in this hotel is miles above anything I have ever experienced in my life. It is quite lovely.
I follow him through to the bedroom where he has a pajama set laid out on the bed for me.
