Page 69 of Lust and Honor

No matter how hard I tried to deny it, no matter how far I ran, my body, my heart, they only see him. They only want him. He’s the only one who holds the key to everything inside me. The only one who sets me on fire.

His deep kisses and the soft caress of his hands start the heat all over again. I run my fingers down his hard chest and slip my hands under his boxers. He groans into my mouth and leans in closer. But just as I’m about to grab his hard cock I hear a voice.

“Mama!”

We both freeze.

Our heads whip toward the door in panic. Not seeing Aurora, we both breathe a sigh of relief, until her cry comes from the baby monitor on the table.

Maxim swears under his breath and pulls away instantly. I’m too dazed from that orgasm to react. He comes back with a towel and gently lifts me, wrapping it around me like I’m precious.

He kisses my lips and leans in to whisper against my ear, “The rest will have to wait, my hot little strawberry.”

Fourteen

Maxim

A slap to the face jerks me out of sleep. My fist clenches, ready to swing at the intruder, but my brain processes the familiar scent filling my nose in a split second, reining in my instincts. I open my eyes to my daughter’s beautiful face hovering over mine.

I smooth my thumb over the faint frown between her brows and ask, “What’s wrong, baby girl?”

“I’m hungry.”

I glance at the clock. Eight in the morning. “Where’s Mama?”

“Sleeping.”

I roll out of bed, throw on some sweatpants, and scoop Aurora up with one arm. Passing through the hallway, I catch sight of Ava, still wrapped in the bath towel I draped over her last night, sprawled across Aurora’s bed. Guess Aurora couldn’t sleep last night.

I head downstairs, set Aurora in her high chair, and pour chocolate cereal with milk into a bowl, placing it in front of her. She gives me and the bowl a look, like I’m the dumbest guy alive and grumbles, “I want pancakes.”

She’s definitely going to be one of those people whose brain doesn’t fully boot up till noon. I snatch the bowl away before she hurls it at me. After digging through a few cabinets, I find the pancake mix and, following the directions with all the grace of a guy defusing a bomb, manage to cook something edible. I slide the plate onto her table with a victorious smirk, eyeing her proudly. She frowns at it again and says like a queen giving orders, “Put honey on it.”

I drizzle the honey without a word, expecting at least a thank-you. Instead, she holds out her hands. “You didn’t wash my hands and face!”

This time, I can’t help it, I burst out laughing. I scoop her up, ignore her squeals and protests, and give her a long, noisy squeeze before washing her up. Then I let her go back to destroying my hard work, smearing pancakes and honey all over her cheeks.

After pouring myself a glass of milk, I check my phone. One missed call from Carlo. I call him back, and he picks up on the second ring.

“Hey, boss.”

“Maxim. Set up a meeting with Rosa for tonight.”

“Something up?”

“We’ll talk in person.”

That means something’s serious enough he can’t risk discussing it over the phone.

“You got it, boss. I’m planning to take Ava to Ivan’s club tonight. You cool with Aurora staying at your place late?”

I don’t mention I’ll pay the nanny a fat stack to keep the kid tucked in until I’m done with Ava. But Carlo’s too sharp to miss my angle.

“The girl gave you the green light to mate, and Aurora’s cock-blocking you, huh?”

I shoot a sideways glance at Aurora, blissfully smearing pancakes, and mutter, “Dead on. I love my kid, but tonight, I don’t want to see her face.”

“I get that. I feel the same about my boys sometimes. Though saying that to Emily would probably get me a bullet.”