She wanted all of him, everything he had to give her, whatever he chose to force her to take. She wanted it. Nothing less.

Then he tore himself from her writhing body, and she let out a whimper. She felt so empty, so desolate of his possession. She craved more. Only felt complete when he was inside her, his body a part of hers. A part of her soul.

Again, the blows rained down over her ass. Faster and more furious this time as if he was every bit as driven over the edge as she was.

She gasped. Tears slid down her cheeks. And still she wanted more.

“Please,” she begged quietly, her throat raw, her voice nearly gone.

He parted her throbbing cheeks and pushed into her. No preamble. No work up. His thick length forced into her ass, and the beautiful burn was back as he struggled to make her accommodate him.

She stretched around him and she pushed back, wanting all of him. Wanting that instant moment of complete possession when her body screamed no but her heart cried yes.

His fingers gripping her aching buttocks, he shoved forward with a grunt and his balls came to rest against her pussy.

“Now, I own you, Callie,” he said, his voice filled with grim satisfaction. “There isn’t a part of you I don’t own, that doesn’t have my mark. You’re mine. Tell me you belong to me. Only me.”

“I’m yours,” she croaked out. “Only yours, Max. Always yours. Please. Take me. I’m begging. Finish it.”

He withdrew and then began a relentless assault on her senses that later she’d find no comparison for. He fucked her brutally for what seemed like forever. She lay there, submissively, taking what he meted out, never wanting it to end.

In and out, his erection so much harder and thicker than it had ever seemed before. He punished her, he loved her, he possessed her.

He dragged his cock all the way out until the head rested against her entrance. Then he’d ram forward again, opening her and stretching her to meet his demands. Over and over again, he repeated the action until she went limp, too exhausted to do more than lie there as he took his pleasure.

Then he slowed as if to prevent his own release. He wasn’t as desperate as before and instead he set a steady rhythm destined to keep him just on the brink, hovering as she’d hovered for so long.

“I want another,” he growled. “Come for me again, Callie. I won’t release you until you do.”

His words stirred her to life when she didn’t believe she had any left. Her muscles warmed and fluttered and desire coiled deep within and fanned out as flames licked higher.

Each thrust jerked her body, and her cheek rubbed abrasively against the cushion of the couch.

“Come, Callie. Let go. I’ll fuck you all night if I have to.”

Oh God.

She trembled. Her legs shook, both from the force of his thrusts and her own shattered senses. This time her orgasm rose sharp and fast, so edgy that she feared losing consciousness.

And still he pushed, fucking her with ruthless discipline she wouldn’t have imagined any man having. How could he have so much control over his body?

For several minutes he thrust, his hands holding her in a painful grip. Then his hands left her and red-hot pain slashed across her ass as he smacked her.

Her vision dimmed as she finally, finally edged over. Over and over his hand fell as his cock punished her ass, thrusting deep, opening her wider and wider with every push.

She screamed again. Cried out his name in fear. What was happening to her frightened her. Not him. Her own body. Her own complete loss of control. She fought desperately to maintain consciousness but darkness was quickly closing around her.

Her release flashed like a violent thunderstorm, so vicious, so wonderfully pleasurable, like nothing she’d ever experienced in her life. How could he do this to her? How could he unlock such a primitive response?

On the hazy edge of her consciousness she was aware of him pulling from her clenching pussy. Hot liquid spurted onto her back, onto her ass, inside her ass. Down her legs.

Then he slid back inside her ass, forcing his semen deeper into her body. For a long moment he simply slid back and forth, his entry eased by the slick liquid.

He came to a stop and held himself deep. She could feel him soften some from the turgid hardness of just a moment ago.

She closed her eyes, unwilling to continue the battle to remain conscious. Max was there. Max would take care of her.

Chapter Twenty-One

Max carefully pushed himself off Callie and pulled from her quivering body. He stared down at the beautiful woman who’d given herself unreservedly. She taken everything he had to give and asked—no demanded—more.Love filled his chest, swelled in his throat until he was incapable of speech. Something inside him cracked open at the sight of her lying there, eyes closed, exhausted from all she’d endured.

Tenderness flooded into his heart. He walked around to the side of the couch and gathered her gently into his arms. He lifted her up and carried her toward the bedroom. He set her on the bed only long enough for him to hurry into the bathroom and start the water.

He made it hot, and soon steam rose as the water tumbled out of the faucet. Leaving it, he returned to the bedroom to find Callie curled on her side, her eyes still closed.

“My dolcezza,” he murmured as he kissed her temple.

He smoothed her hair away from her face and then gathered her in his arms once more. He carried her into the bathroom and murmured her name until her eyelids fluttered open and her cloudy blue eyes stared back at him, warm with love and contentment.

“I’ve drawn a bath for you. I want you to enjoy a nice long soak.”

“Mmm. That sounds nice.”

He lowered her into the water, and she let out a blissful sigh. As soon as she was submerged up to her shoulders, she leaned her head back and fixed her sleepy gaze on him.

He palmed the top of her head and then rubbed his hand down to her nape. “Are you all right? Was I too rough with you?”

Her smile was dazzling. It took his breath away. It was like being punched in the stomach. So much love and…trust. Finally, trust.

“You were wonderful, Max. I’ve never felt anything like it. I’m not even sure I have words to describe it.”

He leaned down and pressed his lips to her forehead. For a long moment, he remained there, eyes closed as he simply savored her sweetness.

“Soak, my love. I want you well taken care of. I’m going to go prepare a snack and some wine. I’ll bring it in for you to have in your bath. Call me if the water cools. I’ll draw more hot.”

Again she gifted him with a sweet smile that tightened his gut all over again. He didn’t want to leave her. Even for as long as it would take to get her something to eat and drink.

Reluctantly he left the bathroom and went into the kitchen to make sandwiches. He cut a selection of cheeses and prepared a small fruit bowl. He’d made certain his apartment was stocked with her favorite wine, and he pulled a bottle out along with two glasses.

He arranged everything on a tray and walked back into the bathroom where Callie was dozing in the tub. He quietly set the tray down and then leaned over to run his fingers through the water.

It was warm but not hot, so he turned the faucet back on, and Callie came awake, her eyes startled and confused.

“Sorry. The water’s growing cold. I don’t want you to get a chill.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Max.”

When he was satisfied with the temperature of the water, he handed her a glass of wine and then took the platter in hand and perched on the edge of the tub.

Tenderly he offered her a bite of sandwich and then followed it with a small hunk of cheese. After she took a sip of wine, he slid a grape between her lips and listened to her low hum of appreciation as the sweet fruit burst onto her tongue.

He was content to see to her needs. He wanted her well rested and satisfied. He wanted her to feel safe and provided for. Like she was the only woman in the world who mattered to him.

She sipped lazily at the wine and yawned before shaking her head when he offered another piece of fruit.

“Had enough?”

“Yes, thank you. I feel so unbelievably spoiled right now.”

He smiled and stroked his hand over her cheek. “That’s precisely how I want you to feel. Always. Cherished and pampered beyond measure.”

She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the rim.

“Tired?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“If you’ll finish your bath, I’ll dry you off and we’ll go to bed.”

Her eyes popped open. “Only if you’re ready. It’s early yet.”

Her worry brought another smile to his face. “I can see you’re tired, dolcezza. I have no wish to exhaust you. I can think of nothing better than to go to bed and have you wrap your sweet body around mine.”

He stroked his finger down her arm and lingered over the silver cuff at her wrist. Seeing his brands of possession at her wrists fired a raw, primitive instinct deep within his soul.

No modern man should feel this possessive of a woman. And yet he did. He couldn’t muster one iota of regret for it either.

She was his. Utterly and completely his.

He looked up to see her also looking at the jewelry on her wrists. He continued to stroke one finger over the cool metal.

“Do you like them?”

“I love them,” she said huskily. “The sentiment is beautiful, Max. I swear you have a poet’s soul.”

The obvious appreciation in her voice warmed him through. He loved showering her with things. Anything to make her happy, to make her look at him like he held the world in his hands.

He had so many plans for them. He wanted to take her places she hadn’t yet been. He wanted to experience the joy in her eyes when she saw the sunset in a new part of the world.

They were truly two halves of a whole. Two drifters. Restless. Free-spirited. Never content with the same routine.

“What are you thinking?”

He blinked and realized she was staring thoughtfully at him. Then he smiled. “I was imagining taking you places you’ve never been and watching the sunsets together.”

Her eyes instantly glowed and her smile was so radiant it lit up the entire room. “There’s no one I’d rather be with than you, Max.”

“It’s a damn good thing,” he growled playfully.

She laughed and reached for the soap at the end of the tub. “Give me a few minutes to wash and then I’ll get out and you can haul me to bed. I’m not entirely certain I can walk.”

“I’ll go turn back the sheets, and then I’ll be back with a towel. Take your time, dolcezza. There’s no hurry tonight.”

Callie watched him go and then heaved a huge sigh of contentment. Her body ached. No doubt about it. Muscles she didn’t even know she had were sore. Her bottom throbbed. She was so tired she was about to fall over, but she’d never felt more happy and alive in her life.

She scrubbed soap over her body, rising up from the water to get all the girl parts and then quickly sinking down into the hot water when chill bumps danced their way across her skin.

When Max returned with a huge, plush towel, she was eager to get dried off and warm again. She stepped from the tub and into the towel he promptly wrapped around her, his arms going around her as well.

For a long moment he hugged her tight as the towel soaked up all the moisture. Then he carefully rubbed over her skin, making sure to dry every inch. By the time he finished, cold was the last thing she felt.

She was heated from the inside out. Flushed. Flames stoked. Even as her knees trembled with fatigue, she yearned for Max. Wanted his touch. His kiss. His possession all over again.

When she was dry, he tucked his arm underneath her legs and lifted her into his arms as he strode toward the bedroom. The covers were turned back, and he slid her onto the mattress before promptly pulling the covers up to her shoulders.

He puttered around for a moment, undressing and turning off the bathroom lights. He left the lamp on his side burning and then climbed into bed beside her.

As soon as he lay down, she snuggled into his arms. He held her and stroked his palms up and down her sides, over her curves, her hips, her breasts, like he couldn’t get enough of touching her.

She nuzzled into his neck and kissed him just below the ear. “Love you.”

“Love you too, dolcezza.”

“There’s so much I want to share with you,” she said wistfully.

He pulled away and stared curiously at her. “Like what?”

“My home. The mountain. All the places that are so special to me. As much of a roamer as I am, my heart will always be on that mountain. It’s a place I can always return to and know that I’m loved and accepted no matter what.”

“I can’t wait for you to share it with me. I’m looking forward to seeing the things you most cherish.”

“I’ll take you to Callie’s Meadow. It’s where I was born.”

He went still against her and his hand stopped its progress over the swell of her hip. “It sounds like a beautiful place.”