Chapter 35

Ella reached across the bed in search of her mate. When her fingers turned up empty, she opened one eye and looked for him.

"Max?" Ella called to him, half asleep.

When Maksim didn't answer her, she turned around and picked up her head.

"Max?" Ella called his name again.

"I'm in here, Ell," Maksim called from the living room.

Ella sighed as his voice made her feel warm and fuzzy. She rolled onto her back and slowly sat up. Holding the sheets over herself she swung her legs over the side and slowly stood up. Ella caught her reflection in the mirror as she picked up Maksim's shirt and pulled it over her naked body. Her hair was a mess and her cheeks were flushed. She quickly ran her hands through her hair to try and tame it when she noticed the dark blue and purple marks on her neck and shoulder. Taking a step closer to the mirror, Ella touched the hickies on her skin. She bit down on her lips to keep in a laugh as she remembered the night before.

Maksim was on the phone as Ella walked into the living room. He looked up and immediately smiled. Ella let her eyes run over his bare chest as she took the hand he held out for her. Maksim pulled her closer and sat her down on his lap. He listened to the other person on the line as he pressed his lips to her cheek.

"Yes, I follow," he said to the person as he ran his nose along Ella's face. "No, don't worry about that."

Ella felt her heart flutter as his breath tickled her. She leaned into him and lowered her head on his shoulder as Maksim held her with his arm around her waist.

"How soon can you have this ready?" Maksim asked.

Ella heard the voice of a man on the other line but she couldn't make out what they were saying. She patiently waited as Maksim focused on the conversation and sighed.

"Alright, I think everything you're saying works out. Let me know when everything is ready."

And with that Maksim hung up the phone and pulled Ella closer.

"Good morning, kitten," he whispered into her ear.

"Good morning," Ella dug herself farther into his arms. She picked up her legs and brought them to her chest. Maksim cradled her and kissed her forehead as his hands traced circles on her legs.

"How are you feeling?" he asked her.

"Fine......just a bit tired."

"Sorry for keeping you up so late,"

"I didn't say I minded," Ella blushed.

"I love you so much," Maksim placed his hand under her chin and lifted her face. He spread his hand over her cheek before leaning forward and kissing her. "You complete me."

"I love you too," Ella smiled into the kiss.

"You look breathtaking in my shirt," Maksim looked down. "But I think my favorite is when you wear nothing at all."

Ella pulled herself back and looked into his eyes. The brown in them were almost gone as his pupils dilated. Ella placed her hands on his shoulder and swung her legs on either side of him. Maksim's hands slid down from her arms to her hips as she picked up the hem of the shirt she was wearing and pulled it over her head.

"Better?" Ella asked as Maksim watched her sitting naked on his lap.

"Much better," he said, his voice deep and sexy as he leaned forward and placed a kiss on the center of her chest. "I want more."

Ella's stomach tightened from his demand. She felt his hands glide to her bottom as he cupped her cheeks and moved his lips to her neck.

"I want to keep you in bed for a very very very long time," Maksim whispered into her ear. "You make me lose all my senses."

His words stirred the desire in Ella as she locked her arms around his neck and whimpered in anticipation of what was about to come. With each world Maksim said to her, she felt her body become more and more awake.

Pretty soon, Maksim rose from the sofa as Ella wrapped her legs around his waist. Their lips united as he carried her into the bedroom and laid her down on the messy bed.

"Does it hurt?" Maksim asked as he moved against her body.

"No," Ella shook her head. She was sure she had been a bit sore in the morning, but with all her blood rushing down to the most sensitive part of her body, she felt nothing but the need to have Maksim in her.

But just as Maksim's hands began to move down her stomach, his phone rang in the living room. Ella pulled back as Maksim looked over his shoulder.

"Ignore that," he said as he went back to kissing Ella's lips.

The phone on the sofa rang and rang before going into voicemail. Ella was lost in the feel of Maksim's lips and his touch when the phone rang to life once more.

"Baby, no," Maksim protested when Ella tried to pull back.

"It could be important," Ella said.

"Not as important as this,"

"Max," Ella laughed as she pushed him back. "Go check. I'm not going anywhere."

"I don't want to," Maksim said as he licked Ella's neck and bit down playfully.

"Max...." Ella said breathlessly.

Just as Maksim's phone stopped ringing, the hotel telephone on the nightstand rang out.

"Jesus Christ," Maksim groaned. Ella began to laugh as he lifted himself off of her and reached for the receiver.

"Hello?" Maksim almost growled.

Ella laid against the pillow as she watched Maksim's face twist from irritated to angry. She grew concern and as he held the phone out for her.

"It's for you," he said.

Curiously Ella took the receiver and brought it to her ear, "Hello?"

"He's still being stubborn, I see," Mavi sighed on the other line. "He won't even pick up my calls."

Ella quickly pulled the sheets up and covered herself as she sat up in bed. Maksim sat in front of her with a deep scowl on his face.

"He.....he's a little cranky this morning," Ella lied.

"But the least he can do is take our calls. We're all so worried about him," Mavi said, making Maksim snort. "He's listening, isn't he?"

Ella didn't know what to say as she lifted her gaze to her mate. The scowl on his face grew deeper and deeper as Ella stayed on the call with his mother.

"Mackey, baby," Mavi spoke to her son, knowing he can hear her. "I love you so much. Please don't hate us. I need you to understand that your actions have consequences. We had to make you see it now before it was too late. Your Paws wants you to be the best version of yourself when you take the throne. I want you to be the very best. Please, just go to Juniper so you can get away from everything for a while and get your head in the right place. Ella is there with you. You two can spend some tim-"

Before Mavi could finish, Maksim took the phone from Ella and hung up.

"Max!" Ella shrieked. "Why did you do that?"

"I don't want to listen to what she has to say."

"But that's rude," Ella frowned as she reached for the phone again. "I'm going to call her back."

"You two planned this, didn't you?"

Ella froze as she turned around to look at the boy in front of her, "Max...."

"Were you supposed to get me to sleep with you and then take me to Juniper?"

"Max, that's enough," Ella frowned. "I know what you are doing. Stop it."

"Who came up with the plan, Ella?" Maksim narrowed his eyes at her. "My mom or my grandfather? Who told you to get me into bed with you?"

"Stop it!" Ella jumped up from the bed. She wrapped the sheet around her body as she felt her eyes water. "What the hell is wrong with you? No one told me to do anything? They didn't even know when I decided to come here."

Maksim didn't say anything as he stared at the phone. His jaw was tensed as Ella stood by the bed glazing at him.

"You really think I would do that?" Ella asked. "You think I would sleep with you to trick you?"

Maksim felt his head start to turn towards his mate as he heard the heartbreak behind her words. When his eyes saw the tears running down her face and her lips trembling, he wanted to bang his head against the wall.

"I did it again, didn't I?" He said, his eyes wide with concern. "Ella, I'm so sorry. I didn't mea-"

"I don't want to hear it," Ella said as she headed for the bathroom.

"No, babe," Maksim followed her please. "I'm sorry."

"Save it, Maksim."

"Ella, no. Don't say that," Maksim's heart began to twist. "I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot. I didn't mean to sa-"

"But you said it," Ella turned to face him. "I don't care if you didn't mean it. You said the words, Maksim. We.....we had something special last night and then you just turned it into something ugly."

"No," Maksim took a step forward. "Baby it's still special. I love you, I'm sorry."

"I need to shower," Ella took a step back and began to close the door. She watched the hurt and fear in Maksim's eyes as he begged her not to close the door on him.

Ella knew he regretted his words. But she didn't have the energy to let it go just yet. His words still stung her and she wanted him to reflect on how his impulses to lash out wasn't always going to fly. It was that very action that got him kicked out. Ella wasn't always going to be around to save him. He needs to learn to save himself.

With the bathroom door locked, Ella stood under the hot shower letting the water wash down her body. She turned her head and saw the shadow of her mate pacing the floor outside. Her heart tugged in her chest. She wanted to ease his mind, but she knew he needed to stay in the dog house for a little while longer.

As the water ran down and she lathered up her soap, Ella washed her body with all the time in the world. She felt her mind began to relax as her muscles unlocked and her body woke up. After several minutes, she turned off the water and grabbed the towel.

Maksim sat on the bed with his head in his hands as Ella walked out of the bathroom. He looked up immediately and stood up.

"Ell," he took a step towards her, but she quickly disappeared into the closet.

"Baby," Maksim reached for her hand.

"Don't touch me, Maksim," Ella pulled back as she started to go through the shopping bags. Her heart sank a little bit when she saw the hurt on Maksim's face in the mirror. But she bit down on her jaw and gathered her clothes.

Maksim followed her out of the closet like a lost puppy. He didn't know what she was doing or where she was going but he stayed a step behind her at all times with an unrealistic worry that she would leave any second.

"Stop following me," Ella said as she headed back for the bathroom. She shut the door in his face and locked herself in again. She heard Maksim lean his head against the door and sigh.

Ella sat on the little stool next to the tub and unwrapped the towel from her hair. She sat still, not knowing what to do as Maksim waited for her outside. The only time he moved was when the doorbell rang and the hotel staff brought breakfast. She heard feet shuffling in the room and knew housekeeping was cleaning up. Quickly, Ella dressed in her gray long sleeve sweater and buttoned her black shirt. She tossed the wet towels in the laundry basket and stepped out of the bathroom.

Maksim stood in the middle of the bedroom as the hotel staff cleaned. He watched them remove the white sheets from the right before and pick up their scattered closest. As Ella walked out of the bathroom, his eyes followed her.

"Where are you going?" He asked in a panic as she picked up her coat.

"I need to go for a walk."

"I'll come with you,"

"No."

"Ella, please. Please, stop. I'm begging you," Maksim walked up to her and cupped her face. He was surprised when she didn't push him away or take a step back. Feeling a little brave, he took a step closer. "I'm so sorry. I'm an idiot and I never think before I never think before I speak."

"You hurt me, Max," Ella said as she lifted her eyes.

Maksim opened his mouth to speak, but his eyes moved to all the staff in the room. He quickly grabbed Ella's hand and pulled her into the closet door. After sliding the door close, he turned to look at her.

"I'm so sorry,"

"You already said that," Ella looked down at her hands.

"Tell me what to do and I'll do it," Maksim begged.

"That's not going to help every time," Ella said with irritation. "You can't keep doing this and then expect to keep getting more chances."

"It won't happen again, I swear," Maksim pleaded. "Don't give up on me, please. I need your help."

"Max...." Ella shook her head not knowing what to say. She felt her eyes water again as words started bubbling out. "I trusted you with something very important for me. I willingly took a step forward yesterday because I love you and you just put such a disgusting accusation on me. How can you even come up with such a thought? I am not here to play some mind games and manipulate you. I'm here because I love you, but you....you just.....I don't think you understand what your words meant. You could have slapped me across the face and it would have hurt less."

Maksim flinched from her words. Everything she said was true. Not a single lie in those tears or words. He was always fucking things up and she was always left to clean up after him. He would have made a deal with any devil if he could go back a few minutes and take back everything he said. He would hold Ella and keep his mouth shut and let her scent calm his anger. She didn't deserve any of this. She was a saint for having the patience to deal with him.

"Say something!" Ella stomped her feet when Maksim stood still as a rock, staring at her.

"You're right," Maksim said quietly. He dropped his gaze, letting his shoulder hang. "I'm messed up. I keep screwing everything up with you and it's not fair to you. You deserve so much better. Not just some moron who can't control his temper."

Ella let the tears run down her face freely as she sobbed. The hotel staff did their work and left, but the couple remained in the confined space of the closet. Maksim stood listening to Ella cry as his mind ran circles. He was scared to do anything, fearing he would make things worse.

After sometime, Ella whipped her face and ran into Maksim. She wrapped her arms around him and buried her face in his shirtless chest. Surprised by her action, Maksim pulled her closer and hid his face in her hair.

"You drive me insane," Ella cried. "You are so reckless and so impulsive. I tell myself not to get hurt from your words but they still hurt."

"I'm sorry," Maksim's heart shook. "I can't do this without. Please. I promise I'll do better."

"I need you to do better," Ella said. "For us."

"Anything for us," Maksim said as he squeezed her against his body. "I promise, baby."

Ella nodded as she let him kiss the top of her head. She stayed in his arms and leaned all her weight against him. Maksim pushed the closet door open with his feet and carried Ella out into the room. He sat her down on the sofa and then kneeled in front of her. With trembling fingers, Maksim wiped her eyes and kissed her hands.

"Don't leave," he whispered. "I can't function without you. There is nothing without you."

"Where am I going to go?" Ella asked with a sigh as she pushed her hair back and wiped the back of her hand over her cheeks. "I gave up the whole world for you."

"You are too good for me, Ell," Maksim looked up at her. "I don't deserve you."

"So what are we going to do about that?"

"I'm going to be better for you," Maksim said. "I'm going to become the person you deserve. I promise. I won't let you down anymore."

"Max," Ella sniffled. "You have to mean it."

"I do, baby," Maksim said as he held her face. "I mean every word of it. You believe me, don't you?"

"Not yet," Ella shook her head.

Maksim frowned, but he understood. He got off the floor and sat down beside his mate on the sofa.

"I'll do it right," he said to her. "I promise."

Ella stayed silent for a while as she thought about his words. She knew he was sincere, but she needed to see more action from him and not just talk. Her heart raced along with him and she knew the fear she felt in her heart was his. After some time, Ella nodded her head.

Maksim let out the breath he was holding as he cautiously tugged at her hand. He wasn't sure if she would let him hold her but as Ella moved closer to him and laid her head upon his shoulder, Maksim knew there was still a little hope. He held her close to his heart and kissed the top of her head. Ella sighed and lifted her legs onto the sofa. Maksim leaned back and laid her down on top of him.

For the rest of the morning, the couple stayed silent as they took comfort in each other's embrace. Ella let Maksim play with her hair as the tension in his body slowly left. Around noon, he began to sit up and pulled Ella up with him.

"What's wrong?" Ella asked looking up.

"You didn't eat anything today," Maksim frowned.

"You didn't' either,"

"The breakfast is probably cold," Maksim looked at the food cart. "Do you want me to order you lunch?"

"No," Ella shook her head. "I don't want the food to go to waste."

"Okay," Maksim nodded as he got up and brought the food over.

Ella watched him as he moved around the room. He stole glances in her direction every now and then to ease his eyes and tell himself she wasn't going to jump up and run out of the room. They ate in silence before the staff came and cleaned up once again.

"Do you want to stay in today?" Maksim asked as the maid cleared the table.

"Why? Did you have something planned?" Ella asked. She was emotionally exhausted and didn't feel like making much of an effort to do anything.

"I did," Maksim confessed. "But it can wait."

"What did you plan?" Ella asked curiously.

"It's nothing really," Maksim shook his head.

"Tell me," Ella urged.

"The phone call this morning," Maksim sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. "It was with a real estate agent. I.....I kind of started to look for a place for us."

"What?" Ella asked as she lifted her head from the back of the sofa.

"Yeah. It's just..... We've been in this hotel room and I noticed you didn't have everything you needed. I thought it would be nice for us to have a little place to ourselves."

"Oh,"

"But I haven't finalized on the deal or anything yet," Maksim explained quickly. "If you think it's too soon then I'll tell the guy no. We don't have to. We can stay here."

Ella didn't want to sour his mood but she knew the question she was about to ask was important.

"What about Juniper?"

Maksim reached for his cold coffee as he kept his face calm, "What about it?"

"Everybody expects you to go there in a few days," Ella frowned.

"Ella," Maksim took in a deep breath. "Answer me honestly. Do you think I will be better in Juniper?"

"I....I don't know,"

"Or do you think I will be better with you. Here. Where we can do work for the people and start our life together."

"I don't know," Ella shook her head. "Paws thinks..."

"Paws think Juniper will help because it helped mom," Maksim rubbed his jaw. He struggled with his words. He wanted to be very careful with what he said. The last thing he needed was to say something stupid again and upset Ella.

"What are you thinking?" Ella asked as she waited for him. She saw him weigh his words back and forth as he rubbed the back of his neck and ruffled his messy hair.

"I want to stay here," Maksim confessed. "With you. Not because I want to defy my parents or challenge them. But because I think I can be better here."

Ella listened to his words patiently as her eyes scanned him. She didn't understand why everyone was so adamant about him going to Juniper. They never explained.

"I want to stay here with you and look into this school for the blinds," Maksim continued. "I want to get involved with more projects and see what we can do to help children. I can't do that sitting ducks in Juniper."

Ella reached across the space between them and took his hand. She felt him sigh as she got up and moved closer to him. With a gentle hand, Ella moved his hair back and guided his eyes to her.

"Is that really how you feel?" she asked.

"Yes," Maksim nodded.

"And you won't fly off the handle?"

"I'll try my best not too," Maksim frowned. "It's not going to vanish overnight. And I'm so sorry. But I will work on it harder."

Ella took a deep breath as she slowly nodded her head, "Okay..... We will stay."

"Yes?" Maksim looked up with a small smile.

"Yes..... but you need to show me you are serious about making a change."

"Anything, Ell. Just tell me what to do and I will do it."

"Call your mom," Ella said slowly. "She's worried about you. So is your dad. And Clare and Cleo. Clare loves you so much. She was the one who made me realize I needed to be here. Call them and talk to them. Tell them what you just told me. They are your family. They will listen to you."

"You think so?"

"Yes," Ella nodded. "You are so lucky to have such an amazing family. Don't push them away."

Maksim smiled as he pulled her onto his lap. His hand held her face as she lowered her forehead.

"They're your family too," Maksim said. "They will gladly take you over me."

"No one can replace you," Ella gave a short laugh.

"I love you,"

"I love you so much," Ella closed her eyes and sighed. "Please call home."

And so Maksim did. He pulled his phone out and dialed his mother. With the phone on speaker, he spoke to her in front of Ella as she sat on his lap. Every time Maksim felt his irritation flare up, he thought about Ella's tear filled eyes. The words that wanted to come out of his mouth felt a little less necessary as he took long deep breaths and bit down on his tongue.

Ella saw him struggling and sat quietly. She knew he would do much better if she touched him or kissed his cheeks to calm him down, but he needed to do this on his own. She would not be around him twenty four seven. He needed to learn how to have a handle on things.

After a long exhausting conversation, Maksim hung up the phone after his parents told him they needed to think about what he was saying. He swallowed the snarky replies and thanked them for listening to him.

When he was done, Ella threw her arms around his neck and gave him a quick kiss. He did lose his temper a few times, but she knew he held himself back for the majority of it for her sake.

"Slow and steady," she said to him as she placed a kiss on his forehead.

"Slow and steady," Maksim sighed.  

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