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.

“Are you actually gonna end things with Braxton Payne?”

Maxine Mason swirled the coffee in her mug, pausing a beat before answering. “Yeah. I’ve already made up my mind.”

Her best friend Sam dropped an excited hand on Maxine’s shoulder. “Finally! It’s about damn time you came to your senses! You should’ve dumped his ass ages ago. That whole ‘no strings attached’ crap is just his cheap excuse to dodge commitment!”

Maxine forced a wobbly little smile, but the grief in her eyes gave her away. “Why are you this happy about it?”

“I’m happy for you! You’re finally getting out of that toxic mess!”

Maxine pulled off another weak smile, but the sorrow lingering in her gaze couldn’t be hidden.

“Max, you good?” Sam asked, worry creeping into her voice—she’d always seen how deep Maxine’s feelings for Braxton ran.

“Yeah, I’m fine,” Maxine answered, forcing a small smile and staring down at her shoes to hide the ache of loneliness gnawing at her. “I’m just gonna run to the bathroom.”

When she stood, a wave of dizziness crashed over her. Everything went black, and the last thing she registered was Sam’s panicked voice calling her name.

...

When Maxine woke up the next morning, Sam’s voice wrapped around the quiet hospital room. “Thank God you’re awake! You scared the hell out of me!”

“I’m okay. I’ve just been overworking lately, haven’t been sleeping right. I’m sorry I worried you.”

She tried to swing her legs over the edge of the bed, but Sam gently pushed her back against the pillows. “Don’t you dare move! The doctor said there’s a miscarriage risk—you have to stay off your feet.”

“Miscarriage?” Maxine blinked, confusion clouding her face. “What… what are you talking about?”

“The doctor said you’re pregnant—about six weeks along,” Sam explained, her face soft with concern.

Maxine’s heart stopped cold. It took her several seconds to remember how to speak. “I’m… pregnant?”

Braxton had always been so careful. He’d never skipped protection, specifically to avoid exactly this. The only time it’d slipped up was that one night he’d gotten way too drunk and things had gotten out of hand. He’d even brought her emergency contraception the next morning, stood there and watched her take it.

She still ended up pregnant anyway. How was that even possible?

Noticing her silence, Sam pressed gently, “What are you gonna do? Are you gonna tell Braxton? It’s his kid, after all.”

“I can’t let Braxton find out about this.”

She knew his dismissive, cynical nature. He’d just assume she was trying to trap him with the baby, that she was using the pregnancy to claw her way up his social ladder. There was no point in giving him that excuse.

“So what are you gonna do about the baby? Keep it, or…?”

“I’m gonna quit Payne Corp first. After that, I’ll go to the clinic with you to take care of it.”

Maxine pressed a light, trembling hand to her abdomen, her heart heavy as lead. She knew Braxton would never let her keep this baby. She couldn’t keep it anyway—if she did, she’d never be able to cut him loose and move on.

“Okay. I’ll be right there with you, whatever you need,” Sam said, squeezing Maxine’s hand and letting out a quiet, sad sigh.

Maxine turned her face away, biting down hard on her lower lip to hold it together as tears burned the backs of her eyes.

Just then, her phone rang. She answered it, and her colleague Lee’s urgent voice came through the line: “Max, where are you? Your dad’s at the office cornering Mr. Payne, screaming that you’re his girl.”

Maxine’s mind went completely blank. “Lee, stall him! I’ll be there as fast as I can!”

She hung up, ripped the IV out of her arm, and bolted out of the hospital. A dull ache throbbed in her lower abdomen, turning her face paper-white, but she didn’t slow down—she headed straight for Braxton’s office.

Braxton sat behind his desk, calm as you please, a filled-out check already sitting right beside his hand.

Maxine wouldn’t meet his eye, yanking her father David out of the office as fast as she could. “What are you doing here? Let’s go outside to talk.”

Once they were on the rooftop, David wrenched his arm out of her grip. “Why’d you drag me out here? I came to talk to Mr. Payne.”

“What do you want from him?” Maxine asked, forcing her rage to stay locked down.

“Money, obviously. If you won’t give me money, I’ll get it from my future son-in-law!”

Her dad was a lifelong gambler. Every time he lost and dug himself into debt, he showed up at Payne Corp shaking Braxton down for cash. She’d warned him a hundred times to stop.

“What the hell are you talking about? Braxton and I are just coworkers! And I don’t have any money to give you!” Maxine fought to keep her voice from shaking.

David scoffed. “Bullshit! You’re his mistress, you must be rolling in it. Starting now, you’re gonna give me a hundred grand a month, or I’ll keep showing up here and embarrassing you.”

The word “mistress” hit Maxine like a slap to the face. She froze solid.

“I told you I don’t have any money! Even if I did, I wouldn’t give you a single cent!”

David jabbed a greasy finger right in her face, yelling loud enough for the whole building to hear. “How dare you talk back to me? You think you’re all grown up now, you can disobey me?”

“For years you gambled nonstop, and every time you lost you’d beat Mom and me. Mom’s covered in scars from you. You even tried to sell your own daughter to pay off your gambling debts. How dare you stand here and ask me for money!”

If Braxton hadn’t stepped in all those years ago, she’d have been sold to a brothel before she even turned eighteen.

David’s face turned red with rage, his voice booming. “Are you gonna give me the money or not?”

Maxine stared him down, jaw set. “I said no.”

David’s eyes burned with fury, then suddenly a nasty smirk spread across his face like he’d just come up with the perfect plan. He grabbed her arm hard enough to bruise. “If you don’t have the money, I’ll just sell you to the casino owners. As Braxton Payne’s girl, you’d pull in thousands a night!”

Maxine shoved him away as hard as she could. “David, have you no shame at all?”

She stumbled back a step, the cramping pain in her abdomen spiking sharp enough to make her gasp, her face draining of all color.

“You little brat! You dare lay a hand on me? I will sell you to a brothel myself!” David snarled, lunging forward to drag her away by the wrist.

Suddenly, a big, strong hand clamped down hard on David’s wrist. He spun around, and came face to face with Braxton’s ice-cold glare.

David flinched back, his whole demeanor melting into groveling subservience. “M-Mr. Payne…”

Braxton’s eyes were colder than winter, and his whole body radiated a deadly, chilling aura as he spoke low and dangerous: “Who gave you the balls to threaten someone on my turf?”