Rain lashed against the car windows, wrapping the inside in a tight, charged hush. Maxine Mason was pressed flush against Braxton Payne, their movements making the old sedan rock slow. Desire bloomed between them like wildfire, unstoppable—his kisses, soft at first, quickly blazed into something hungry.

"Braxton, slow down…"

"You really think slowin' down feels better for you?" Braxton teased, never pausing his advance for even a second. "Someone's gotten way more sensitive lately."

Maxine's cheeks burned bright red. Conversation was the last thing on Braxton's mind, so he just trailed hot kisses down the curve of her neck and over her collarbone.

Much later, when the heat faded, Maxine lay limp and exhausted against his chest, his fingers still wandering lazily over her skin.

"Braxton, that's enough…" Maxine mumbled, pushing his hands away soft.

"You sure you don't want another round?" he teased, leaning in to nip gently at her earlobe.

A shiver raced down her spine, and a soft little moan slipped out, "Mmm…"

"My mom's throwing a welcome dinner for you tomorrow. Wanna go?" Braxton asked casually, his dark eyes growing darker.

"You can handle it like you always do," he said, totally unbothered.

Her legs still shaking, Maxine slid off his lap and started straightening her rumpled clothes. "Braxton… have you ever thought about gettin' married?" she asked, only holding his gaze for a split second before looking away.

His eyes went ice-cold, and he studied her hard. "No. Why d'you ask?"

"Oh, nothing. Just curious," she answered, faking indifference, even though his answer left a strange, heavy ache settled deep in her chest.

Maxine finished dressing in silence, the air growing thick and awkward.

"You're not askin' 'cause you wanna marry me, are you?" Braxton's eyes probed hers, a faint smirk of amusement playing on his lips.

Startled, Maxine laughed it off. "If I said yes, would you?"

His blue eyes stayed locked on her, unreadable, distant. After a long beat, he said, "No."

A hollow emptiness swallowed Maxine's heart, and all the color drained from her face. She'd seen it coming, but it still felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped right over her head.

Braxton's gaze grew colder, his voice sharp with warning: "Maxine, remember our arrangement. It's just physical, no strings, no emotions attached."

The truth cut deep. Their relationship was nothing more than a casual, no-strings hookup between two consenting adults. She was the daughter of a deadbeat gambler, and he was way out of her league.

From the very start, Braxton laid down all the rules. Five years ago, her dad piled up a mountain of gambling debt and sold her to pay it off. When she was terrified, about to be dragged away, Braxton stepped in and saved her.

After he brought her back to his place and let her clean up, his first words to her were: "You wanna be my companion?"

She had no other options. Refusing meant being forced into a life of indentured servitude at the casino. Staying with Braxton meant he wiped out her dad's debts and gave her a decent job.

By day, she was Braxton's secretary. By night, she was his favorite companion. In five years, they'd shared countless intimate moments in every spot you could think of—his car, his couch, even his office.

Braxton's hunger for her body only grew stronger with time, but she'd gotten tangled up in feelings she couldn't shake. She knew there'd never be a future for them, but she still couldn't bring herself to leave.

Noticing her silence, Braxton's face went neutral, all the warmth from earlier completely gone. "You don't actually wanna marry me, do you?" he asked, skeptical.

Maxine snapped back to the present, forcing a casual smile. "Don't worry, Braxton. I'm only here for your money and your skills in bed."

Satisfied with her answer, Braxton relaxed, chuckling soft. "I gotta say I appreciate the honesty, Maxine."

Even with him relaxed, Maxine felt a twisting unease growing tighter in her chest.

"I've got a meeting tonight with Grant Smith, the client leading the bid. I should go get ready." Not wanting Braxton to catch how hurt she was, Maxine slipped out of the car fast and walked away.

Through the rain-streaked window, Braxton watched her retreating back, his expression thoughtful.

...

Inside a private room of a high-end exclusive club, Maxine bent over to pick up the contract Braxton and Grant had just signed. Grant's eyes slid down her blouse, hot and lewd, and he swallowed so loud you could hear it.

"Maxine, you seein' anyone?" he asked.

Disgust curled in Maxine's stomach at his creepy interest, and she glanced at Braxton. He just stood there, impassive, his face unreadable.

Her heart sank, and she turned back to Grant with a polite smile. "No," she answered.

When he realized she was single, his interest spiked. He reached out, rubbing his thumb slow over the back of her hand, and it made her skin crawl.

Braxton's eyes caught Grant's wandering hand, and his gaze darkened—though his face stayed totally blank.

As Grant harassed her right in front of him, a bitter pang twisted through Maxine. What else did she expect? She was just his casual companion. He'd never get jealous, never step in to defend her.

A guy like him had hundreds of women throwing themselves at him; she was an idiot to ever think he'd actually care about her.

"Maxine, a pretty thing like you without a boyfriend must get lonely, huh? Why don't we go somewhere quiet tonight and get to know each other better?" Grant suggested, his eyes glued to her long legs.

Maxine frowned, but quickly stood up straight with a bright smile. "Mr. Smith, I have to work late tonight. Like you know, our company's totally swamped right now, I just don't have the time."

"C'mon Maxine, you don't gotta work that hard. A beautiful girl like you got plenty of easier ways to make money, don't you think?" Grant pressed on.

Maxine Mason tried to yank her hand back, but Grant Smith held it tight. She flicked a quick, desperate glance at Braxton Payne, begging him with her eyes to step in. If Braxton intervened, Grant would never dare pull anything with her.

"Braxton, I’m thinking of taking Maxine out tonight. You cool with that?"

Braxton’s eyes darted to the hand Grant was clamped around, and a quiet, unspoken tension coiled through him.

"Whatever Maxine wants is her call. Her personal business isn’t any of mine."

His voice was ice cold, completely detached, and it sent a sharp chill straight through Maxine. Braxton really couldn’t have cared less if she ended the night with another guy.

Maxine forced a tiny smile, tucking away the sharp ache gnawing at her chest. Her eyes burned with unshed tears, but she blinked them back and looked away.

Grant leaned in closer, his breath hot against her ear, voice thick with suggestion. “You heard him, Maxine. Braxton doesn’t mind. I promise you won’t regret spending the night with me.”

Maxine felt nothing but disgust for Grant, a man decades older than her. She’d been by Braxton’s side for years, and she’d handled creeps like this a hundred times over. But tonight? She didn’t want to say no. She wanted to see if Braxton really didn’t give a damn if she went home with another man.

If he really didn’t care… what was the point of holding onto all these stupid, secret hopes of hers?

Maxine lifted an eyebrow, and tossed Grant a teasing little smile. "Just one night, Grant? That’s all you’re offering?"

Grant’s eyes lit up like a Christmas tree, hooked by her youthful glow. "Stick with me, baby, and I promise you’ll get everything you ever wanted."

He reached to sling an arm around her shoulders, dying to drag her straight to a hotel room right that second. Maxine’s innocent beauty was intoxicating, but there was something sharp and mesmerizing in her eyes that could trap any man—especially when she smiled like that.

From the second they met, Grant had been obsessed with her, dying to get her into bed. Now that the prize was right in front of him, he could barely contain his impatience.

The whole time she toyed with the older man’s interest, Braxton never let his expression slip. But his fingers were clamped so tight around his wine glass his knuckles had gone bone white.

Maxine held Braxton’s gaze, steady. "Braxton, would you be okay if I took Grant up on his long-term offer?"

Braxton’s eyes sharpened as they pinned Maxine in place, a cold edge glinting in his dark pupils. “So this is serious, Maxine? You’re actually considering it?”

Maxine’s lips curled up into a playful smirk. “Grant’s offer is pretty tempting. It’s hard to say no.”

“You’re being serious?” Braxton’s voice was tight, barely holding back a roar of anger.

“Is Braxton asking ‘cause he doesn’t want me to be with Grant?” Maxine held his gaze, her heart screaming at him to just say something, to give her even a tiny sign. If he even hesitated, if he showed even the slightest bit that he didn’t want this, she’d dump the whole idea right there.

But Braxton was colder than she ever imagined. After a long, heavy pause, he said, completely detached, “Do whatever you want.”

Maxine smiled, but the light in her eyes died instantly. After a long, dead silence, she whispered, “Alright, Braxton. I’m going with Grant then.”

She hooked her arm through Grant’s, and she didn’t look back once.

“See you around, Braxton! Have a good night, we’ll grab drinks another time,” Grant chirped, completely oblivious to the simmering rage rolling off Braxton, his head already too full of Maxine to notice anything else.

Braxton stared at Maxine’s retreating back until she vanished around the corner, and that’s when his fury finally broke loose. He slammed the wine glass into the marble floor, and it shattered into a hundred pieces with a deafening crash.

Even Carter, Braxton’s right-hand man of ten years, jumped at the sound. “Sir, you want me to go get Maxine back?”

Carter knew exactly what was really going on between Braxton and Maxine.

“Don’t you dare touch her,” Braxton bit out, his voice like ice, molten rage bubbling just under the surface.

Carter gave his boss a knowing look. For all Braxton’s act of indifference, he cared about Maxine more than anything. If he didn’t, he never would have kept her by his side for five years—she was the first person that ever made him break his own ironclad rules.

Maxine stared out the car window at the club entrance, and when she didn’t see Braxton come barrelling after her, she let out a bitter, hollow laugh. She should have known better than anyone how cold Braxton could be, but she’d stupidly held out hope he’d chase after her.

Next to her, Grant could barely contain his excitement at having such a gorgeous arm candy. He slid his hand up her thigh, his grin downright lewd. “Maxine, what do you say we have a little fun right here? This car’s got custom tint for moments just like this.”

His touch made Maxine’s skin crawl. She subtly shifted away, pulling her thigh out of his reach. “Grant, I just remembered I have something really important I need to take care of tonight. I can’t go through with this.”

She’d only agreed to leave with him to test Braxton. Now that she knew how he really felt, there was no reason to keep up the act.

Grant wasn’t about to let his prize slip through his fingers before he even got a taste. “What could be more important than hanging out with me? C’mon, baby, stick with me and you’ll want for nothing.”

He tangled his fingers in her hair, lifting a strand to his nose and inhaling deeply, then puckered his lips to kiss her.

Watching his greasy, lecherous face coming towards her, Maxine had had enough. She shoved him hard away from her. “Grant, I said I have to go. Something urgent came up.”

Before he could snap back at her, she wrenched the car door open and ran.

Back at the villa, Braxton stood in front of the floor-to-ceiling window, his whole aura dark and threatening, his eyes a roiling storm of rage.

Carter slipped in quickly, giving a quick bow. “Sir, I found out Grant checked into a suite at the Ritz-Carlton. The front desk said he brought a woman with him.”

Braxton clenched his fists so hard his knuckles cracked, his face drained of all color, a blue vein bulging in his forehead, his eyes blazing with fury. She’d actually gone to a hotel with Grant.

Sensing his boss’s temper about to blow, Carter cautiously suggested, “Should I call Maxine and tell her to…”

Before he could finish, Braxton spun on his heel and marched for the door. “To the Ritz-Carlton. Now.”

Twenty minutes later, Braxton stood outside Grant’s hotel room, and he could hear unmistakable moans through the thick wood. The thought of Maxine in there with another man turned his rage completely white-hot.

Before Carter could even raise his hand to knock, Braxton drew back and kicked the door straight off its hinges with a brutal, deafening crash.

A loud crash sent the couple in the room jumping, cutting their frantic, heated activity dead in its tracks. Caught completely off guard, Grant Smith scrambled to yank the blanket up over himself and the woman pressed to his side.

"Who the hell has the nerve to crash my good time..." Grant started to roar, but the second he recognized Braxton Payne’s face, his tone curdled into something sickly sweet and ingratiating.

"Mr. Payne? What brings you by here?"

Despite the irritation simmering under his skin, Grant dropped straight into a submissive stance the second he was in Braxton’s presence.

Braxton ignored him completely. His sharp, cutting gaze was locked straight on the woman hidden under the blanket. His eyes were ice, his voice thick with barely contained rage. "So desperate to spread your legs for Mr. Smith, huh?"

The woman under the covers snuggled deeper into Grant’s side, her voice playing sweet and flirty. "Mr. Smith, what’s going on?"

That’s when Braxton’s anger boiled over. "Maxine, get the hell out here!" he demanded.

When the person under the blanket didn’t move a muscle, Braxton’s fury only spiked. He stormed across the room to the bed and ripped the blanket clean off.

"Ah—"

The startled woman shrieked and immediately curled herself into Grant’s chest.

When he saw the naked woman wasn’t Maxine Mason, Braxton’s frown only deepened. The tension in the room was still palpable., but a faint, unexpected wave of relief washed through him anyway.

Grant was quick on the uptake; he immediately clocked that Braxton was here looking for Maxine.

"You looking for Miss Mason?"

Braxton’s cold gaze snapped over to Grant. "Where is she?"

"Miss Mason isn’t here. After she left the party, she said she had something important to take care of and bailed."

"Didn’t Miss Mason come back to the inn with you?" Braxton’s sharp eyes narrowed, a heavy, suffocating pressure rolling off him.

"No!" Grant shot back firmly.

Even an idiot could see it now: Braxton didn’t just see Maxine as another fling.

At first, Grant had been annoyed Maxine bailed halfway, planning to get what he wanted from her another day. Now? He counted himself lucky she’d left when she did. If he’d actually slept with Braxton’s girl, he’d be six feet under by morning.

"Carry on, Mr. Smith. I won’t keep bothering you," Braxton said, the hostility melting off his posture. He gave a quick, sharp nod of goodbye before turning and striding out the door.

...

Maxine was soaking in the bathtub, and every time she closed her eyes, Braxton’s cold, indifferent face flashed through her mind. Their run-in tonight had made one thing painfully clear: where she stood with him was nowhere.

A sudden, insistent knock on the door pulled her out of her thoughts. She wrapped a towel tight around her body and pulled the door open.

The man barged right in, kicked the door shut with his boot, and pinned her flat against the wall before she could even blink.

The familiar, woody scent of his cologne made Maxine’s heart skip a little. "Braxton, what are you doing here?"

"Weren’t you supposed to be with Grant tonight?" he asked, his dark eyes boring straight into hers, displeasure written all over his face.

Thinking about her flirting with Grant earlier was what had set him off.

"Something important came up. I rescheduled with him for another day."

Braxton’s gaze darkened, and his grip on her wrist tightened until it ached. "What, am I not enough for you? You’re that desperate to climb into another man’s bed?"

Staring into his furious eyes, something stirred in Maxine’s chest. "You told me you didn’t care if I saw other people. Why are you mad now? Is it possible…?"

Before she could finish her sentence, Braxton’s hot, open-mouthed kisses started trailing down her collarbone, claiming every inch of her skin.

Panicked, Maxine tried to shove him away, but she never stood a chance—he only held her tighter.

Under any other circumstances, she would’ve leaned right into him, matched every bit of his hunger. But remembering his cold, callous words from tonight gave her a burst of unexpected strength, and she pushed him off.

"Braxton, what are you doing here this late?"

Braxton frowned, no apology for his hunger in sight. "I came to be with you."

"I’m not feeling well tonight. If you need company, go find someone else."

With that, Maxine turned to walk away.

"I only want to be with you right now!" Braxton wasn’t about to let her escape. He dragged her back into his arms and crashed his mouth against hers again, the kiss so deep it swallowed every one of her protests and struggles whole.

After their passionate encounter, Braxton’s hand wandered slowly up and down her smooth back.

"Why weren’t you into it earlier? Was I not good enough for you?"

Usually, when they were together, she’d bend over backwards to please him. But just now, she’d felt distant, detached, and it left him frustrated and unfulfilled.

Seeing Braxton still hungry for more, Maxine dropped her gaze, a heavy, hollow sadness settling in her chest.

His tenderness, his fiery passion—they only ever came out in these moments, behind closed doors. That’s all they ever would be.

Maxine was quiet for a long time before she finally worked up the courage to say what she’d been thinking. "Braxton… let’s end this."

She quietly bent to grab her clothes off the floor and pulled them on quickly. A dull ache throbbed low in her abdomen as she clutched at her stomach, probably from how rough Braxton had been earlier.

"What did you just say?" Braxton’s surprise melted fast into a frosty, biting glare.

"I said let’s end this. I don’t want to keep this relationship going anymore."

He would never marry her. And she didn’t want to just be his dirty little secret forever. She was scared if this kept going, she’d get tangled up so deep she’d never find her way out.

Braxton’s gaze went dark, a bone-deep chill rolling off him. "Why?"

"I’m twenty-five now. I want to find someone to marry, settle down."

She’d been with Braxton for five years. She wasn’t going to waste another minute of her life waiting for something that would never happen.

She was tired of living like this, always hidden, always a secret.

"Marriage?" Braxton’s eyes narrowed. "I thought you were smarter than this, Maxine. Wanting marriage from me is fucking naive."

Maxine gave a bitter, wobbly smile. "Braxton, I’m just a normal girl. It’s normal to want a marriage and kids. My youth doesn’t last forever. I can’t just be your lover forever."

Braxton’s face stayed blank, unreadable. He dressed quickly, then cast one detached, cold glance at Maxine. "I suggest you think this through carefully before you talk to me about this again."

"I already have. A man like you never runs out of women throwing themselves at you. Losing me won’t matter one bit."

Now that she’d made her decision, she’d forced herself to steel up enough to take this step. She knew if she stayed, she’d never work up the courage to walk away again.

Seeing how determined she was, Braxton’s face darkened even more, and he stormed out slamming the door behind him.

When he left Maxine’s apartment, Braxton’s face was colder than ice.

Sitting in the car, his driver could feel the tension thick enough to cut with a knife, and he glanced over cautiously, voice barely a whisper. "We not staying here tonight, sir?"

Usually, when Braxton came to see Maxine, he stayed until early morning. Why was he leaving so early tonight?

"Take me home," Braxton said, his gaze burning so hot with anger it looked like it could set the whole car on fire.

The driver didn’t dare ask another question and immediately turned the key in the ignition.

The room still smelled like them, still held the faint traces of what they’d just done. Left alone, Maxine’s mind kept circling back to Braxton, over and over.

Determined not to let him get to her anymore, Maxine changed into clean clothes and texted her friend Samantha to meet her for drinks.