VANNAH
Thirty-ish minutes later I’m back on Maxim’s yacht. Only this time I’m tied up.
I don’t know what is worse. Being hunted by the East Syndicate or being a prisoner to Caveman Novak. In his defense at least Maxim isn’t trying to throw me overboard.
Maxim plops me down on a bench toward the back of the yacht. It’s night time so the only source of light is from the full moon and a few spotted lights dotting the pier. I tug at my bindings but it’s no use. “What do they do? Send mafia men to knot tying school?”
Maxim turns from saying something to his right-hand man and flashes me a devilish grin. “The more you struggle the tighter the knots. Settle down. I’ll untie you after we cast off and I can give you my full attention.”
“Is this necessary? I thought we were all good. I didn’t exactly try to jump out of your SUV.”
“I can’t have you running off with a precious package on board.” He looks pointedly at my abdomen.
I smirk, quietly biting at my lip. “You’re really sure of your swimmers, huh, cowboy?”
He prowls over to me and taps the end of my nose driving my irritation through the freaking roof. “If I was a foot taller and a couple of hundred pounds heavier, I would slap that smirk off your face.”
He huffs. “That would be fun. And then I would take my revenge out on your pussy.”
I want to stomp my foot but I take the higher road and stab him with my hardest glare.
He taps my nose again and I slap at him. It only makes the arrogant ass smile more. “Novaks are known to be potent lovers. It’s why I have twelve brothers all vying for my spot as head of the Novak family. Then there are my sisters.” There’s a haunted look in his eyes that has my eyebrows climbing in curiosity. I file that away for later. Apparently, we will be spending a lot of time together.
At least now I understand why he is all about the baby talk. He needs to solidify his place at the head of the family and the only way to do that is an heir.
Insert the drowned rat–me–and bata bang…problem solved.
“Is that all I am good for? A breeder for your bloodline? Is that why you hunted me down?” Hurt slips into anger and morphs into a beast of pain I don’t recognize.
Maxim passes a clipboard of something or another to Gray and comes to kneel beside me. Alone with nothing but the moon as our witness his expression turns purely serious.
“You’re the siren who showed up like magic. The woman I can’t get out of my head. I don’t fucking know what you are but I’m not letting you go until I get answers to a lot of things. And I didn’t have to hunt you down. I spent the last week conducting my business as I watched over you.”
That closes my mouth. “You watched over me?”
“Do you think you actually got away from me?”
Kinda.
He laughs warmly and takes my tied hands in his. He leads me upstairs to the second level where there’s a large leather-covered couch rounding the edge of the sunken pool I’m familiar with. He draws me to his side and I let him. His words roll over in my head and for the first time in my life, I question the meaning of destiny and fate.
Miles of water absorb my silence as we cruise into the murky distance.
I must have fallen asleep surrounded by his warmth and comfort because we arrive at a private island just as the sun rises. Maxim cradles me to his chest and I stir awake instantly in shock.
“Oh my God. Is this real?” Any second now I’m going to see a mermaid’s tale splash out of the water or a freaking unicorn run along the endless beach stretching out before us.
Maxim shrugs his eyes drinking in every detail of my face. “The dent in my bank account says this place is very much real. You see that dot?” Maxim places me at his feet, wrapping an arm around my shoulders. I don’t miss the possessive feel of his touch. Like he cannot go without having a part of him on a part of me.
Oddly enough, I don’t mind.
“That tiny dot is your friend’s island.”
“Serenity?”
I turn to see Maxim nod.
“She’s told me about it so many times but I never got to visit despite so many invitations.”