With gentle hands, he washed her body, paying special attention to the areas he was hardest on. She was warm and sleek in his hands. And so very willing.

He scraped his mouth across the mark on her neck, and then he lapped it with his tongue. “You’ll wear many reminders of my possession tomorrow.”

She smiled and arched her back, the spray bouncing off her breasts and belly as she reached to curl her arms around him.

“I can still feel your marks,” she murmured. “Your fingers on my skin. Your mouth on my neck. I’ll go to sleep tonight remembering what you felt like.”

His body tightened at the sultry, seductive words.

“You’ll go to sleep tonight feeling me, not remembering me,” he corrected.

Her smile grew broader, and she rolled up on the balls of her feet so she could kiss the corner of his mouth.

“I don’t think I’m going to be able to walk by the time we go back home.”

He slid his hand over the curve of her behind and squeezed lightly. “If I had my way, dolcezza, you’d never walk again.”

Chapter Seventeen

Max was awake at dawn. He’d never owned an alarm clock in his life. His internal clock had never let him down. Even with the many time zones he crossed in his travels, he had an uncanny knack for knowing what time it was and he rarely slept past sunrise.Except for those magical days with Callie in Europe. He’d allowed himself latitude he rarely gave. He became lazy and unmotivated. Or rather his motivation changed from the moment he met her.

She was draped across him like a warm blanket, her legs tangled with his. It was a very possessive gesture. One he delighted in. He might be the more dominant one in their relationship, but she was mighty possessive of him in her own right.

He fingered a strand of her dark brown hair and listened to her inhale and exhale. Her breath blew over his neck, a sensation that pleased him.

Yes, his motivation had changed when he’d come face to face with the woman he’d tracked across three countries. A seduction and courtship that was supposed to have lasted a week had turned into three weeks he’d never forget.

Before he met Callie, his family was the single most important thing in his life. There wasn’t anything he wouldn’t do to take care of them, protect them, make them happy. Damn the cost or consequences.

Callie had changed all of that.

How could he keep his promise to his family and his promise to Callie that he’d never hurt her? The simple answer was that he couldn’t, and he’d known it from the beginning. He’d chosen Callie. His promise would go unfulfilled, and he was making his peace with that choice.

His gut twisted and some of his satisfaction melted away. He couldn’t change the past or what his primary motivation had been when he’d made sure his and Callie’s paths crossed, but he could make sure she never found out. What mattered was what his motivation was going forward.

She stirred against him, and he tightened his hold on her, simply wanting the reassurance of her warmth. She raised her head and stared at him with sleepy, contented eyes.

“Good morning,” she said on a sigh.

He kissed her. More savagely than the moment called for, but some of the darkness still hadn’t receded.

She went soft against him, accepting the carnal heat of his mouth. He rolled her underneath him, his knee between her thighs. With a quick nudge, she was open and accessible. He was inside her before he took his next breath.

He was instantly at peace. She did this to him—for him. For a long moment he remained lodged within her, staring down into her eyes, absorbing her acceptance. Soaking in her love.

She raised her hands and cupped his face then stroked lightly over his cheekbones as if to tell him everything would be all right. As if she knew the dark turn of his thoughts.

He closed his eyes and took in deep breaths as her fingers stroked over his face. Then he turned so her hand slid over his mouth and he kissed the inside of her palm.

She pulsed around him, her heat surrounding him, inviting him deeper—into the very heart of her soul. He withdrew slowly, opening his eyes to watch the play of emotions dance across her face.

Her eyes darkened, and she sucked in a quick breath as he pushed forward again.

He’d fully intended it to be a quick, rough fuck. He’d wanted to take. To be selfish. But now as he watched her, he tempered his movements, going slow and more gently than he imagined he could.

He wanted to wrap her in silk, protect her from every bad thing in the world—including himself.

Slowly, he lowered his mouth to hers and kissed her with all the tenderness he was capable of.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured even as he pushed inside her again. “I was rough with you last night. I should have been more careful this morning. You must be sore.”

She smiled and curled her arms around his neck. She kissed him sweetly, covering each tiny part of his mouth before sliding to his jaw and then to his ear.

He shivered as she nipped delicately at his lobe and then sucked it between her teeth.

“I’m okay,” she whispered into his ear. “I love waking to you inside me. It’s a beautiful way of reminding me I belong to you.”

Dear God. Her words slid over his skin and soaked deep into his heart. His chest ached and became so heavy he could barely breathe.

“I love…you,” he said in a voice he didn’t recognize. “Just you.”

Her eyes widened in shock and then filled with tears. The sight nearly undid him. How could she be so surprised? Had he held back so much? Had she doubted… Stupid question. Of course she had. He hadn’t given her any reason to believe she was anything but a holiday fling.

How he hated what he’d done to her confidence. And he’d done nothing to allay those fears when he’d returned. He hadn’t come back and said, “I love you.” He’d come back and said, “I want you.”

He kissed away the tear that slid over her cheek. “I do love you, dolcezza. I’m sorry this is the first time you’ve heard the words. I’m sorry that this is the first time I’ve given them to you.”

She squeezed him and lifted her hips to take more of him. So characteristic of her. Always giving. Always willing to take more from him.

“I only care that you’ve said them,” she said in an aching voice. “I love you too, Max. So much. I’ve missed you…”

She broke off as another silver trail slid over her cheek. He hushed her with another kiss. “I missed you too, Callie. Never doubt it. Say it again. Let me have the words again.”

“I love you.”

He’d never considered himself an overly emotional man. He was always in complete control of himself and his actions—his reactions. But Callie… That she loved him, that she was willing to forgive, willing to give of herself so freely after the way he’d hurt her.

The knot grew more uncomfortable in his throat. He kissed her again, not knowing what else to do. He couldn’t speak. He didn’t trust himself not to give way to the building tide of emotion in his chest.

Thank God. Thank God she still loved him. That she wasn’t holding back after all he’d done. He couldn’t—wouldn’t allow her to know just how far he’d been willing to go to keep a promise to his family. It would destroy her.

“Are you with me, dolcezza? Are you close? Tell me what you need.”

She sighed again and her smile was so dazzling that it spilled sunshine all over him.

“You, Max. Just you. Love me. I’m always with you.”

Her words unleashed his tightly held control. He thrust deep and started coming before he was even at full depth. She arched into his arms and wrapped her legs tightly around his, their bodies woven together in a beautiful tapestry.

Max and Callie. Callie and Max.

She buried her face in his neck and then sank her teeth into the column of his throat as she came apart. Her body tugged relentlessly at him, pulling him deeper, and then went liquid around him, bathing him in intense, sweet heat.

For the longest time he lay atop her, their legs and bodies meshed together as he pulsed inside her. It was hard not to imagine his seed taking root. For a moment he fantasized about her big and round with his child.

He wanted these things. He wanted her unreservedly. Her submission, her love. He wanted all of her. He wanted children. Lots of girls with her indomitable spirit, her sassy smile and those gorgeous blue eyes. He wanted boys who were as strong and as resilient as she was.

“Are you still on birth control?” he asked a moment later.

“Yes.”

He couldn’t help the stark disappointment that surged through his body.

She pulled away, a frown curving her mouth downward. “Why?”

He smiled then, wanting to ease her worry and not put a damper on what was otherwise an incredible moment for him.

“I just had this image of you. Pregnant with my child. Of feeling your belly, big and round. I liked it. I liked it a lot.”

She relaxed and then grinned. “You’re going to have to wait a while for that, I’m afraid. I have way too much I want to do and see before I start popping out a brood of children.”

He lifted an eyebrow. “A brood?” He was teasing her, because suddenly the idea of being surrounded by a pile of kids was completely pleasing to him.

“I always imagined that I’d have a lot of children,” she said wistfully. “Eventually. Not right away. But when I was ready. I love having a large family. I loved growing up with three older brothers.”

He pushed himself up and off of her, carefully withdrawing from the delicious heat of her body. He settled beside her and pulled her into his arms until their noses nearly touched.

“Tell me of all these things you want to do before you settle down and have babies.”

She snuggled against him until their legs were once more entwined.

“I love to travel. I like to just…go. Whenever I get the urge. My mom has always said I was born with my head in the clouds and my eyes always looking toward a place I’d never been. She’s probably right. I have wanderlust. There’s nothing quite like just packing up and going. Seeing new places, meeting new people, seeing the sun rise and set in a different place each day.”

“I want to show you those places. I want to see them with you. I’ll show you the world, Callie.”

Her eyes shone and glistened again, but he was determined not to make her cry. No more. He wanted to make her happy.

“I love you, Max. So much.”

Would he ever grow tired of hearing those words? He couldn’t imagine such a thing. If anything, he worried she’d grow tired of his need to hear them.

“I love you, dolcezza. I need you to know that.”

She smiled. “I do now.”

He kissed her again, long and leisurely, as he should have done earlier when she was just awakening. He apologized now as he gently fed at her lips and savored each touch and taste.

And then he held her, until the soft even tempo of her breathing signaled that she’d drifted back to sleep. He smiled and slid his leg more firmly over hers, until her body was completely sheltered by his. Shopping could wait.

Chapter Eighteen

Shopping with Max was a decadent experience. Callie loved to shop. She had all her girly tendencies intact. But shopping with Max?From the time they walked into the upscale stores, Callie was pampered, catered to, fawned over and draped from head to toe with beautiful, expensive clothing.

Through it all, Max kept a close watch. He never seemed to tire as Callie tried on outfit after outfit. He’d stand back and study for a moment before simply nodding or shaking his head, and then the salesperson would hurriedly divest Callie of the outfit and either toss it in the discard pile or whisk it away to the to-be-bought pile.

And he had impeccable taste. He knew exactly what looked good on her, what flattered her and what didn’t. No expense was spared.

He even insisted she model the lingerie he chose, although he was very clear that no one but he got to see those particular modeling sessions.

She felt…beautiful. A little devilish and very sexy. She watched his eyes, saw the way he looked at her, and she ate every single moment up.

She loved being spoiled by Max. She’d gotten a taste of it in Europe, but now that he’d made his feelings clear for her, his lavish treatment took on a more endearing quality.

Behind the dressing screen, she grinned as she pulled on a particularly scanty pair of panties and a matching bra. They didn’t leave much to the imagination, and the panties…had a little surprise that she was eager to show Max.

She poked her head out and his gaze immediately fixed on her. Then she shyly stepped out in the daring high heels she’d donned just for this outfit.

His eye smoldered dark as his gaze traveled up and down her body. She strutted forward and straddled his lap until he was forced to lean his head back to look into her eyes.

Emboldened by his response, she reached for the fly of his pants and slid her hand inside as she unzipped him. His cock jumped in response when her fingers curled around his length.