“Sorry. The water’s growing cold. I don’t want you to get a chill.”

She smiled. “Thank you, Max.”

When he was satisfied with the temperature of the water, he handed her a glass of wine and then took the platter in hand and perched on the edge of the tub.

Tenderly he offered her a bite of sandwich and then followed it with a small hunk of cheese. After she took a sip of wine, he slid a grape between her lips and listened to her low hum of appreciation as the sweet fruit burst onto her tongue.

He was content to see to her needs. He wanted her well rested and satisfied. He wanted her to feel safe and provided for. Like she was the only woman in the world who mattered to him.

She sipped lazily at the wine and yawned before shaking her head when he offered another piece of fruit.

“Had enough?”

“Yes, thank you. I feel so unbelievably spoiled right now.”

He smiled and stroked his hand over her cheek. “That’s precisely how I want you to feel. Always. Cherished and pampered beyond measure.”

She sighed and leaned back, closing her eyes as she rested her head against the rim.

“Tired?”

“Mmm-hmm.”

“If you’ll finish your bath, I’ll dry you off and we’ll go to bed.”

Her eyes popped open. “Only if you’re ready. It’s early yet.”

Her worry brought another smile to his face. “I can see you’re tired, dolcezza. I have no wish to exhaust you. I can think of nothing better than to go to bed and have you wrap your sweet body around mine.”

He stroked his finger down her arm and lingered over the silver cuff at her wrist. Seeing his brands of possession at her wrists fired a raw, primitive instinct deep within his soul.

No modern man should feel this possessive of a woman. And yet he did. He couldn’t muster one iota of regret for it either.

She was his. Utterly and completely his.

He looked up to see her also looking at the jewelry on her wrists. He continued to stroke one finger over the cool metal.

“Do you like them?”

“I love them,” she said huskily. “The sentiment is beautiful, Max. I swear you have a poet’s soul.”

The obvious appreciation in her voice warmed him through. He loved showering her with things. Anything to make her happy, to make her look at him like he held the world in his hands.

He had so many plans for them. He wanted to take her places she hadn’t yet been. He wanted to experience the joy in her eyes when she saw the sunset in a new part of the world.

They were truly two halves of a whole. Two drifters. Restless. Free-spirited. Never content with the same routine.

“What are you thinking?”

He blinked and realized she was staring thoughtfully at him. Then he smiled. “I was imagining taking you places you’ve never been and watching the sunsets together.”

Her eyes instantly glowed and her smile was so radiant it lit up the entire room. “There’s no one I’d rather be with than you, Max.”

“It’s a damn good thing,” he growled playfully.

She laughed and reached for the soap at the end of the tub. “Give me a few minutes to wash and then I’ll get out and you can haul me to bed. I’m not entirely certain I can walk.”

“I’ll go turn back the sheets, and then I’ll be back with a towel. Take your time, dolcezza. There’s no hurry tonight.”

Callie watched him go and then heaved a huge sigh of contentment. Her body ached. No doubt about it. Muscles she didn’t even know she had were sore. Her bottom throbbed. She was so tired she was about to fall over, but she’d never felt more happy and alive in her life.

She scrubbed soap over her body, rising up from the water to get all the girl parts and then quickly sinking down into the hot water when chill bumps danced their way across her skin.

When Max returned with a huge, plush towel, she was eager to get dried off and warm again. She stepped from the tub and into the towel he promptly wrapped around her, his arms going around her as well.

For a long moment he hugged her tight as the towel soaked up all the moisture. Then he carefully rubbed over her skin, making sure to dry every inch. By the time he finished, cold was the last thing she felt.

She was heated from the inside out. Flushed. Flames stoked. Even as her knees trembled with fatigue, she yearned for Max. Wanted his touch. His kiss. His possession all over again.

When she was dry, he tucked his arm underneath her legs and lifted her into his arms as he strode toward the bedroom. The covers were turned back, and he slid her onto the mattress before promptly pulling the covers up to her shoulders.

He puttered around for a moment, undressing and turning off the bathroom lights. He left the lamp on his side burning and then climbed into bed beside her.

As soon as he lay down, she snuggled into his arms. He held her and stroked his palms up and down her sides, over her curves, her hips, her breasts, like he couldn’t get enough of touching her.

She nuzzled into his neck and kissed him just below the ear. “Love you.”

“Love you too, dolcezza.”

“There’s so much I want to share with you,” she said wistfully.

He pulled away and stared curiously at her. “Like what?”

“My home. The mountain. All the places that are so special to me. As much of a roamer as I am, my heart will always be on that mountain. It’s a place I can always return to and know that I’m loved and accepted no matter what.”

“I can’t wait for you to share it with me. I’m looking forward to seeing the things you most cherish.”

“I’ll take you to Callie’s Meadow. It’s where I was born.”

He went still against her and his hand stopped its progress over the swell of her hip. “It sounds like a beautiful place.”

“Oh it is,” she breathed. “It’s always been special to the family because it’s where my mom gave birth to me. But over the years it somehow became mine. My refuge. My dream place. One day I’m going to build my own house there. I’ve designed it in my head so many times that it’s become real.”

“And where do I fit in to this dream?”

She pushed up on her elbow, her hair falling over her breasts as she stared earnestly down at him. “Where do you want to fit in, Max? I’m winging it here. I have no idea what your plans are. You say you love me. I love you. For most people that means they’re going to try to have a relationship. A serious relationship. But we’ve not talked about it at all. I have no idea what you have in mind.”

“You’re mine,” he said simply. “What that means is that you’re going to be with me. Whether it means a lifelong commitment or marriage on paper. I don’t care. Those things aren’t as important as your promise to belong to me, to submit to me, to accept our relationship and to wear the brands of my possession.”

“But what does that mean?” she asked softly.

Her heart was thumping so hard, she feared it would beat right out of her chest. She hated moments like this. She wasn’t versed in being all subtle and coy. She was too blunt. Too demanding. Too damn honest for her own good.

“Where will we live? I assume you want us to be together. I don’t want to leave my life, my family. They’re too important to me. So tell me, Max. What does that mean for us?”

He hushed her with a kiss, and for several long seconds, neither of them spoke as he kissed her over and over until she nearly forgot what she’d asked.

“It means you’re mine and I’m not letting you go. It means that your happiness is the most important thing in my life. I’ve promised to take care of you. To place your needs above mine. To cherish your gift of submission. That doesn’t mean that I’ll fly in on weekends so we can have a quick fuck before we go our separate ways. It means you’re going to spend every goddamn day in my arms, in my bed, underneath me, me inside you as many times as I can get there.”

She could barely breathe for the hope burning like a torch in her soul.

“We’ll stay on your damn mountain if that’s what you want, Callie. I’m not going to take you away from the place and the people you love.”

“Oh Max.”

She threw her arms around him, nearly sending him rolling from the bed in her exuberance. She landed atop him, arms and legs sprawled as she peppered him with kisses.

He laughed and tried to ward her off but she persisted until he put his hands up and begged for mercy.

“Lord but you get crazy when you’re happy, Callie.”

She grinned, straddled him and stared down as her hands gripped his shoulders. “You make me happy. I don’t think it’s possible to be happier than I am right now.”

“I sincerely hope you’re wrong,” he said softly. “For me, I can only imagine how happy we’ll be on our wedding day. On the day you give birth to our first child. Our fourth child. Or our fifth. Or maybe when you look at me in fifty years like you’re looking at me right now.”

“You have to stop,” she choked out. “You’re going to make me cry again.”

He reached for her and pulled her down into his arms. “We can’t have that. I don’t like it when you cry. It makes me feel helpless, and I hate feeling helpless.”

“Let’s go home tomorrow,” she urged. “I know you wanted us to spend a week here, but we have all the time in the world. I want you to meet my family. I want you to see all the things I love.”

He hesitated a moment as he ran his hand over her hair. Then his chest heaved as he sighed. “All right. We’ll go back tomorrow. If we’re going to build our future, it’s important that I meet your family and see the things that are precious to you.”

Callie wrapped her arms around him and hugged him close. “You’ll like my family. They can be overbearing, but they love me and I love them.”