Page 108 of Seducing the Knave

Seeing right through him, she barely managed to stop herself from smirking right back as she rose to her feet and strode purposefully to the window. Throwing the drapes wide, she gazed out at the night and said, “I belong out there. In a world of sunlight and shadow, of struggle and hope. Where life is complicated but rewarding if you know enough to look for the beauty within the hardship.” She spun around to find Max standing directly behind her. Lightning shot through her as she looked into his darkly shadowed face. “I belong with you, Max, whether you like it or not,” she added stubbornly.

Stepping into her, he looped his arms around her and pulled her roughly against him. His heart thundered against hers and, as he looked into her eyes, his pewter gaze shone with the satisfaction of a man who’d just gotten exactly what he wanted. And in that moment, Elle suddenly suspected he’d been guiding things to this point all along.

Her gaze narrowed. “You don’t seem surprised by my declaration,” she noted.

His smirk slid into a grin.

“You knew,” she accused.

When she would have pulled away from him, he tightened his hold and lowered his chin to look intently into her eyes. “When it comes to ye, luv, I’m fair certain I don’t know shite,” he muttered heavily. “But I do know the one thing ye want most in the world.”

Confusion filtered through her frustration. “And what’s that?”

“A choice.”

Elle’s heart nearly burst even as a rush of righteous anger rose in her blood.

That’s what this whole thing had been about?

She narrowed her eyes. “Are you saying you sent me away just so I’d choose to come back to you?”

Max shrugged. “Ye needed to know ye had options. That yer old life wasn’t lost if ye wanted it back.”

“I don’t want it,” she replied quickly and vehemently.

He flashed his teeth in a wily grin. “I was fucking hoping ye’d come to that conclusion.”

“But what about what you want?” she asked intently, her heart filling her throat.

He scoffed with a cocky tilt to his lips and adjusted his embrace to grasp her buttocks in his strong hands, pulling her hips close so she could feel his unmistakable hardness between them. “I made me choice long ago, luv.”

Feeling a sudden lightness unlike anything she’d felt in ages, Elle released a sigh and slipped her arms tightly around his neck as she rose up to her toes. Placing her lips within a breath of his, she rolled her body against him, loving the way his eyes flashed and his jaw clenched.

“Is this all you feel for me then, Max Owen? Will this new arrangement between us be based on lust alone?”

A terrifying darkness flickered across his raw and handsome features, thrilling Elle to her toes. He gave a slow negative shake of his head. “Not a chance, luv. I’ll be having yer complete loyalty and unending love, as well.”

She had to fight every instinct inside her to resist the smile that threatened. She wasn’t quite finished with him yet.

“Shall I expect the same of you?” she asked. “Lust, loyalty...and love?”

His intent gaze answered her question before he spoke. “Already yers.”

Elation flowed through her, but she limited her response to a short nod of approval. “Then there are a few additional terms I must insist upon.”

He chuckled warmly, the richness and vibration rolling deliciously through her body as he adjusted his grip on her bottom to lift her off her feet. The voluminous material of her nightgown easily allowed her to wrap her legs around his hips as he walked them back toward the bed. “I’m listening,” he murmured, dipping his head to place a kiss to the side of her neck, just below her ear.

Ignoring the delicate shiver coursing over her skin, Elle forced a firmness to her voice. “If I return with you, I insist upon having full access to your life. All aspects,” she clarified before a gasp stole her breath as he dropped her back onto the bed, following her down to settle atop her.

He felt so good! His weight and strength. The way he fit so wonderfully between her thighs and the protective shield he created with his shoulders when he braced himself on his elbows to look down at her. His expression was difficult to read, but one thing she saw for certain...was love. Unspoken but undeniable.

Though her heart was singing and all she wanted to do was kiss him with the biggest smile on her lips, she maintained a stern countenance. “No more rules about where I can and cannot go. I want to know about you, Max. I want to be a part of everything you do.”

He arched a brow at her demand and gave a rough snort. “Ye busted all me rules to pieces long ago,” he said with a half smile before he shifted to one side and reached down to drag the length of her nightgown up to her hips. Wasting no time at all, he slid his hand between her spread thighs to cup her heated sex.

His possessive touch and the low, rumbling groan of pleasure in his chest sent ripples of desire through her. Her lips parted on a throaty sigh.

“Fuck, princess,” he breathed heavily, dragging his fingers along her slick folds. “Yer already so fucking wet fer me.”

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