Max pulled her into his side as a brisk wind kicked up. He hurried them toward a jewelry store two doors up. Callie recognized the name. Very exclusive. Very expensive.
It wasn’t that she wasn’t used to being around money. Her parents had money. It was just that Callie didn’t. Not that she couldn’t, but from the time she’d been old enough to understand that her parents were wealthy, she’d always been determined to pay her own way. Much to her parents’ dismay.
With three fathers all dying to spoil their only little girl, Callie had put a kink in their plans by refusing to let them pay for anything.
These kinds of places made her nervous. Not that she hadn’t been in them. But they made her feel like a fraud.
They went inside, and an older gentleman in an expensive suit immediately came forward to greet Max.
“Good to see you, Mr. Wilder.”
Max took his outstretched hand and shook it briefly. “And you, Winston. Do you have them ready for me?”
Winston nodded and motioned for Max and Callie to follow him into a small room off the main showroom.
“Please, have a seat.” He gestured toward two plush armchairs in front of a highly polished executive desk. He then walked around to sit behind the desk and he opened one of the drawers.
He drew out a velvet case, much larger than Callie would have imagined. She raised an inquisitive brow in Max’s direction. He only smiled and directed Winston to open the box.
Winston complied and turned the box around, pushing it in Max’s direction.
Inside were two intricately designed bracelets. Although they were much wider than a typical bracelet. They looked more like cuffs.
Max pulled one of the pieces of jewelry out of the box and held it up. He looked at it from side to side and then made a sound of approval before picking up the second one.
“Put your arms out, dolcezza.”
She did so without hesitation. Max first clasped one around her left wrist and then placed the other one on her right wrist. The cool metal closed around her flesh and to her surprise, he took out a tiny key, inserted it into the clasp and locked it.
“I considered gold, but platinum looks more beautiful on you,” he said. “It suits you.”
He raised both hands to view the jewelry on her wrists. Satisfaction lit his eyes and then he glanced at her. “Do you like them?”
She carefully pulled her hands away from Max so she could study the intricate designs on the bands. Along the bottom of the left cuff was inscribed: Two halves of a whole. She glanced at the right cuff to see inscribed: We are one.
And on the inside in flowery script: Max and Callie.
Tears shimmered in her vision and she lifted her gaze to Max. “They’re beautiful.”
Max raised his hand dismissively, and Winston hurried out of the office, leaving Max and Callie alone. Max returned his attention to her and gathered her hands in his.
“You’ll wear these as long as we’re together. You’ll not take them off. Ever. We’ll both have a key, but know that you voluntarily taking them off will mean that you no longer want to be with me. In my eyes these are more binding than a wedding ring. They signal my possession. My ownership and your acceptance of that. Do you understand?”
She nodded, not trusting herself to speak around the knot in her throat.
He raised her hands to his mouth and pressed a kiss across her knuckles. “I love you, Callie. This more than anything else is a symbol of that love.”
She smiled brilliantly, until her cheeks ached with the effort. “I love them, Max. I’ll wear them always.”
His eyes lit up and his smile was as broad as hers. The joy in his expression made her heart clench, and a giddy thrill rushed down her spine. He loved her. She made him happy. It was almost too much for her to contemplate.
“Are you hungry? It’s getting late in the afternoon and I have yet to feed you. I’m neglecting my dolcezza.”
“Starving,” she admitted. “Being naughty is hard work!”
His laughter filled the room and he stood, pulling her up next to him. He caught her against him and tipped her chin up to receive his kiss. “You are so perfect for me, Callie.” He squeezed her one last time and then ushered her from the office and out to the waiting car.
Chapter Twenty
On the drive back to Max’s apartment, Callie battled the blanket of lethargy that settled over her. But the moment they arrived and took the lift up to his penthouse, anticipation replaced the threads of fatigue.Her body hummed with excitement as she remembered the promises he’d made for when they returned.
The doorman accompanied them up, carrying the many bags with the extravagant purchases Max had made. Max directed him to drop them just inside the door, and then the doorman made a discreet exit, leaving Max and Callie standing in the foyer.
“You may leave your clothing here,” Max said as he pointed to a coat rack and a small wicker basket placed strategically by the door.
Callie quickly undressed, hanging her shirt and skirt on the hook. She slipped off her bra and underwear and let them flutter from her fingers into the basket. When she would have discarded her heels, Max put a hand to her wrist to stop her.
“Keep the shoes. I find I quite like them on you.”
She smiled. They were killer. Total fuck-me shoes. Red stilettos with three-inch heels. They complemented her legs, making them look much longer and sleeker than they were.
He gestured for her to walk ahead of him into the living room, and she set off, the heels tapping across the polished floor.
She stopped in the middle of the room, unsure of where he’d want her. She turned to find his gaze fixed solidly on her. He seemed to be contemplating… What, she wasn’t sure, but it sent a trail of chill bumps over her shoulders and down to her breasts until her nipples beaded and puckered.
He smiled lazily. “I don’t know whether to wait and make you anticipate what is to come or whether to give in to my own impatience and begin now.”
She remained silent, watching him and waiting. She was a very impatient person—always had been—but she found with Max that she was perfectly willing to await his pleasure.
“Tell me, dolcezza, have I tired you out too much today? Do you need to rest for a while?”
Trust Max to be ever so considerate. He was always concerned with her needs even when they might contradict his own wants. She trembled under the steady weight of his gaze. Her body was alive with anticipation. No, she didn’t need rest. She needed him.
“No,” she said softly. “I need only what you want to give.”
The pleasure in his eyes warmed her straight through.