Confused, Lexie glanced down, and her heart sank when she saw what he was looking at.Bruises.Deep, angry marks that covered her arm, stark against her pale skin.She had forgotten, but now the sight of them brought it all rushing back: Enzo’s hands gripping her, pinching her, his cruel fingers digging into her flesh.
Max’s hand moved to her face, and Lexie flinched slightly before remembering her cheek.The slap.Her hand shot up instinctively, her fingers brushing against the faint but visible bruise on her cheek.
“He did this to you?”Max’s question came out in a snarl, his control slipping slightly as fury bled into every word.His entire body seemed to radiate a cold, dangerous rage, and Lexie took a small step back, startled by the intensity of it.
“Yes,” she admitted softly.“But I’m okay,” she added quickly, hoping to calm him.
Max’s eyes burned into hers, dark and unreadable, but his voice dropped, chillingly controlled once more.“He willnevertouch you again.”
The promise sent a shiver down her spine.There was no hesitation, no room for argument.It wasn’t a declaration.It was a fact.And despite the complicated swirl of emotions inside her, she couldn’t deny the relief she felt.She even managed a small smile, though it faltered when he turned abruptly, taking her hand in his.
“Thank you, but—” she started, but he cut her off, his tone firm and absolute as he led her to the table.
“There are no ‘buts,’ Lexie,” he raised his voice slightly as he spoke over her.“I have solved your problem.”
His words were delivered with such conviction that it left her momentarily speechless.He pulled out a chair for her, his movements smooth and precise, and stood waiting for her to sit.
Lexie hesitated, her mind racing.“Max, I—”
“Sit,” he ordered, the command unmistakable.
She sank into the chair without further protest, feeling both comforted and unsettled.Max’s calm words reverberated through her thoughts, and the meaning behind them suddenly hit like a freight train.
“You… watched the videos?”she whispered, her question barely audible as horror clawed its way up her spine.
Max set his coffee cup down with deliberate precision, his movements smooth, unhurried, and utterly composed.His dark eyes locked onto hers, and for the first time, she felt truly exposed, as if he could see every raw, vulnerable inch of her laid bare.
“Yes,” he replied, his tone maddeningly casual, as though he were discussing the weather.“Every single one.”
Her stomach twisted violently, and she suddenly felt like she might be sick.She gripped the edge of the table, her knuckles white as she tried to steady herself.“Why?”she choked out.“Why would you—?”
“Because I needed to know, Lexie,” he interrupted smoothly, his gaze never wavering.“I needed to see what he had done to you.What he had stolen.”
Her skin prickled, and a shiver ran down her spine.She had expected anger, maybe even disgust, but what she saw in Max’s eyes wasn’t either of those things.It was something deeper—possessive.
Her voice trembled as she tried to regain her footing.“You didn’t have to… towatchthem!You could have just deleted them!”
Max leaned forward slightly, his elbows resting on the table as he laced his fingers together.“And let someone else stumble across them?Let some hacker pull them out of the ether to use against you later?”He shook his head, his tone unrelenting.“No, Lexie.I had to be certain.Those videos are no longer on Enzo’s phone.”
The matter-of-fact way he said it sent a wave of heat and shame coursing through her.She felt raw, stripped bare not just by the videos, but by the fact that Max—Max—had seen them.It wasn’t just about Enzo’s violation anymore.It was about Max witnessing something so intimate, so private.
“You had no right,” she insisted, her voice shaking with anger and humiliation.
Max’s eyes narrowed slightly, a dangerous gleam sparking in their depths.“No right?”he repeated, his voice low and measured, sending a chill down her spine.“The moment you walked through my door last night and asked for my help, you gave me every right.I protect what’s mine, Lexie.And whether you like it or not, youaremine.”
Her breath hitched as his words sank in.She opened her mouth to protest, to deny his claim, but the intensity of his gaze stopped her cold.He wasn’t just saying it.He believed it—believed it so completely that it left no room for argument.
The maid’s sudden return startled her, and she flinched as a steaming mug of herbal tea was placed in front of her.The woman hurried away, clearly sensing the tension radiating from the table.
Lexie barely noticed the tea.Her focus remained on Max, her emotions a tangled mess of humiliation, anger, and something else she couldn’t name.“You had no right to watch me like that,” she said again, her voice softer now, almost pleading.
Max leaned back in his chair.“I did what was necessary to protect you,” he said, his voice carrying a note of finality.Then, as if the conversation were over, he added, “What would you like for breakfast?”
Lexie stared at him, her mind reeling.Breakfast?How could he ask such a mundane question after dropping such a bombshell?Her lips parted to speak, but no words came out.She felt trapped, cornered by his calm dominance and her own overwhelming emotions.
The realization hit her like a cold slap: Max wasn’t just helping her.He was pulling her deeper into his world, his control.And the terrifying part?A small, traitorous part of her wasn’t sure she wanted to fight it.
Lexie caught the unexpected heat in Max’s eyes as he looked at her.It wasn’t just intensity; it was something deeper, something that made her breath catch and her skin tingle with awareness.That heat seemed to burn straight through her defenses, shattering the barriers she’d spent so long building.She had fought to stay away from him, fought her feelings for the past year, telling herself she was better off without him.But now, under his unrelenting gaze, she felt the tension of that fight drain away, leaving behind a disconcerting sense of relief.
