The Only Way is Up

Part Twenty Four

Chapter Twenty Four

Max had been concerned when he didn't get a response from Nicole, he'd over thought things that was sure, but then the previous night he'd shared a part of himself with her, wasn't it his fear that people who got to know him would change their mind, judge him? That was partly why he hid his deeper self.

He was stalking her, he knew that, just turning up at her house again, but then he didn't care what that made her think. He just needed to know that she was safe. Her face appearing at her window made his heart literally leap out of his chest.

He could hear her scurrying to the front door, and when she opened it he fell inside and straight onto her. It wasn't planned, if anything he meant to show control, decorum, but that didn't happen. Instead he was powering over her, flattening her against the wall, kicking the door closed behind him as he devoured her lips with a hunger he could barely fathom. If there was a hint of resistance then he'd had stopped, pulled back, controlled himself, but she was immediately clawing at him, it as she that thrust out a tongue, teased his. She made him breathless.

One of her hands was in his hair; the other snaked up his arm, and moving he entwined their fingers, gave her hand a squeeze.

And that was met by a groan, and his brain took a moment to realise that it was a groan of pain, not one of pleasure. It was painful to drag his lips from hers, to separate their bodies, but he had to, had to look at her.

"What's wrong? Did I hurt you?" his eyes searched hers as she tried to evade his gaze. As she bit her lip, he knew she was hurt and hated that he might have hurt her. "Nicole?"

Eventually she looked up at him but he could see tears in her eyes, "I'm fine. Honest."

"What hurts?" For a moment he wondered if it was more than a physical pain, but whilst she shook her head denying anything did hurt, she pulled her hand free of his. Reaching for it, he lifted it, her lips pursed as though she was going to say something. Then he looked at the hand that was between them.

"What the fuck happened?"

Her wrist was shades of green and blue, if it hadn't still looked so slim, he'd have worried that it was broken.

"Have you fallen?"

She nodded, but there was a moment of hesitation that made him realise that that wasn't the case.

"Nicole?"

She sighed, "I saw Vincent...earlier."

The pulse in his ears was immense, he could barely hear her speaking for the din, her ex hurt her. The too familiar red curtain of rage threatened to fall, he couldn't lose control. Not now.

"Maxim, Maxim...please."

He heard her voice, could see her lips move as she spoke, but it was difficult to focus.

"I hurt him too..."

With that she lifted her other hand and showed him a set of bruised knuckles. She'd hit him! Shaking his head for a moment, he tried to concentrate, "you hurt him?"

She nodded, then a grin of pride escaped her lips, "I smacked him in the jaw. I thought he was going to cry."

As she started to laugh, an emotional insecure laugh, he wrapped one arm around her, then lifted the hand with the bruised knuckles to him lips and kissed each one.

"I am SO proud of you."

That made her smile increase in its intensity, "really?"

Grinning back he slid his other arm around her, pulling her up against his body, and hovered his lips over hers, "like you would not believe."