Page 38 of Scarred Ruin

He’d already stepped on the ladder, instantly reaching out his hand for me to grasp. I was the type of woman who often refused help from anyone and this was no exception. However, the moment quickly became a lesson in his determined domination of everything and everyone.

Reaching out, he grasped my hand without asking, yanking me forward and directly into his arms. I’d known he was rock solid over every inch of his body, but when my body was firmly pressed against his, I was provided with an up close and personal experience I wouldn’t soon forget.

Someone, he managed to slip his arm around my waist, dragging me up to the deck on the stern without showing any exertion. As before, he was so close that kissing him was a temptation, one I didn’t need.

I pressed both hands against his chest to try to give myself some wiggle room. I was out of breath from anxiety and his presence alone, uncertain why I wasn’t insisting on leaving. Why I wasn’t more apprehensive.

Maybe because I was well aware he wasn’t interested in obliging. “Given the wind’s strength, I was worried you’d fall.”

“I’m just fine, Maxsim. I also pride myself in not being clumsy.” My tone was terse, which caused him to offer a slight smile. How joyful. I amused him.

When he finally released his hold, I felt a strange sense of emptiness. I certainly wasn’t myself around the man.

His yacht wasn’t large in comparison to what I’d assumed a man of his stature would have in his collection, but the moment he turned on the stateroom lights, I realized the space suited him. Yes, the cabin was luxurious with leather sofas and a custom crafted wooden bar at one end, but there was nothing ostentatious or gaudy.

Merely masculine as any man cave would be.

I stood still, stiff while looking around.

“Relax, Isabel.”

“Around you that’s difficult.”

“I disagree with you. You’ve simply made up your mind that I’m not the man you believed me to be.”

“Oh, I knew from the beginning what you were.” He was paying close attention to my reaction to his bad alpha boat.

“Before you ask, this is my one personal toy that I gifted myself.” Maxsim moved toward the bar, preparing two drinks. As he’d done with dinner. There was no asking what I wanted. He was very much the master.

“And the fancy cars?”

“The utility vehicles are owned by the business, although I do own one SUV personally, which my daughter calls our station wagon. And don’t ask me where she learned the terminology.”

“And the Fiat Spider?”

He turned with two glasses in his hand. “I call that my money pit, but she’s been with me for years.”

“She rode very nicely.”

“As with all women, she needs constant care and attention.” He moved to hand me the drink and I sensed he was waiting for a smartass comeback.

“Yes, women deserve all the finer things in life.” When our fingers collided this time, I was able to keep from reacting. “However, given I consider myself partially male, you won’t need to worry.”

My statement caught him completely off guard, his look of shock something I’d remember every time he walked into my office unexpectedly.

However, what he did next would supersede my lame attempt at snatching the reins.

After barely taking a step closer, he had me in his arms. This time as he dropped his head, he didn’t wait to see what I’d do.

Instead, he crushed his mouth over mine.

But in that moment even as a swell of desire caused a delay in my reaction, I was completely aware of what his actions should remind me of.

A predator.

A brutal, dictatorial predator.

CHAPTER 8