Page 168 of Unorthodox
“Look at me.” Max’s cold words draw my gaze back to his.
“I really don’t know—”
“I know you want to leave here in one piece,” he interrupts me. “I know you don’t want to be used for the rest of your life. But you understand that if you were planning on doing something like running, or turning me in, or otherwise fucking me over, I’d make Colton’s death look peaceful compared to Danik’s? And yours?”
I feel that familiar anger returning, under the fear. Under the desire to find something good in Max. Underneath the little fantasy in my head of what he might feel for me. Two broken souls, both fucked from the beginning. For a moment there, I thought that could make us something.
That could make us a force.
Together.
But Max is too caught up in his own pain to give a fuck about mine—past or present. And as far as my future is concerned, he wants to be the cause of all the pain there.
“It doesn’t matter,” I tell him, and I see the surprise in his face as he raises his brows. “You’re going to sell me anyway.” The finality of that is a loud roaring in my ear. No matter what I guessed about him, no matter what he admitted to me, that’s never going to change. It doesn’t make it hurt any less though as I stare at his chest, unable to hold his gaze. “You’re going to let terrible things happen to me. Why does it matter if you do them, or someone else does?”
He lets go of one wrist, tangles his fingers in my hair and presses his brow to mine. I inhale, trying to catch my breath, but I can’t smell his familiar scent anymore.
It’s just the alcohol. Just the one thing that broke him down, but even that’s temporary. There’s no drug in the world that could get Max Bennett to show his heart. Not for long.
“And if you could choose—me, or the man I’m going to give you to—who would you choose, Addison?”
There’s no use in even entertaining this question. What if I did choose Max? What if he did decide to fuck his greed for once in his adult life and keep me instead? What would become of me?I’d forever be a puppet on his strings.
That’s not a life at all.
“No one,” I tell him softly. Truthfully. “No one.”
His steel and sky eyes, slivers of darker grey blended with shards of lightest blue, are startlingly beautiful contrasted against the look of pure evil on his face.
Gone is the Max from a moment ago, willing to let me hold him.
Instead, he wraps an arm around my back, slipping it under my shirt, and his tone is chilling as he speaks. “I want you to know, Addison,” he says quietly, “that you are so goddamn beautiful.”
His words make me feel sick. I push my palms against his chest, trying to get some space between us, but his grip is firm, holding me steady.
“I want you to know, too,” he continues, never letting me go, “that as much as you hate being here…I kind of like you in my house.”
“Max—”
“Doesn’t that make you happy?” he interrupts me. “Because you don’t look very happy right now, Addison.”
I swallow down the lump in my throat, dig my heels down into the floor and I try to push off of him.
He doesn’t budge. Instead, he tips my chin up, so I’m forced to look at him again, and I see his eyes search mine. “Aliens?” he says, and I frown, momentarily giving up my futile fight. Glancing behind me, he continues, “Conspiracy theories? That stuff makes you happy too?”
My face heats with his words, confusion and warning ringing in my ears. “Max, where are you going with this?”
His fingers are gentle against my face as he keeps my chin lifted, staring down at me. “You’re cute, love.” His words are soft. “You’re goddamn adorable.”
Before I can take my next breath, his hand comes to my throat and he spins us around, shoving me against the wall beside his windows.
His fingers hurt as he curls them around my throat and he asks, “And when was your fuckingadorableass going to tell me that you were planning to run off into the sunset with your brother, with the help ofmy fucking maid?”
My blood runs cold while my face flushes hot. I open my mouth, but nothing comes out. I don’t know what to say.
But I know what I need to do.
Mamie wasn’t stupid.
