GETTING THE HEART OF THE CEO

Maximiliano softened his gaze, fixed his eyes on her, and searched his mind for the best way to express his feelings. He was going to take a chance, believing it to be the way she could free herself from those repugnant memories.

“Stefany, I love you. You know my history of why I took advantage of women. I’ll tell you again, since I fell in love with you, I haven’t been able to touch another woman. You occupy my mind entirely. You and Max are the reasons I left my life in Los Angeles, the reasons I sold my nightclubs. That night you shouted all my truths, I gave up on opening a club here. Haven’t you noticed that I come home early, and on weekends, I dedicate myself to my family?”

She bit her lower lip and blushed. Her heart jumped with excitement at each of his changes, and her mind repeated that she wasn’t the woman who could please him in bed.

“Yes, little Max is happy to have a new dad, and so am I. But understand, I can’t satisfy you as a woman, and I can’t give you children.”

“How do you know that? Let me propose something. I just ask that we try.”

“What? Having children? When I was 17, I got pregnant and didn’t know anything about it. One day, I had a strong pain in my stomach. I told my mom that I couldn’t bear it and to take me to a doctor. She just looked at me with disdain and laughed at my suffering. The next day, I bled a lot and had a fever. Those wretches, seeing me almost dying, left me in the hospital alone. The doctor told me I was 5 months pregnant, and the fetus had been dead inside me for days. He also said I had an infection in my uterus, and it was likely I couldn’t be a mother in the future. That’s when I escaped from the hospital and came to the foster home.”

The blood boiled in Maximiliano’s body. He sighed several times to calm his anger. Seeing those tears rolling down her sad face, he took a risk.

“Little one, can I hug you? It will last as long as you want it to.”

Her heart said “YES,” and her mind screamed “NO.” She was in that battle. She closed her eyes, and from her lips came, “Yes!”

He sat up on the bed, pulled her towards him, and hugged her tightly, almost sitting her on his lap, resting his head on her neck.

Once again, she didn’t feel the urge to push him away. She decided to listen to her heart, clung to his neck with strength. Maximiliano drew a smile and whispered almost in her ear.

“I want everything with you. We already have little Max as our son. Let’s leave everything to destiny. Thank you, little one, for being in my life and making me change. I love you with your traumas, your insecurities. You are perfect for me. Get out of your head that you’re broken because you’re not. You’ve pleased me more than you think, Stefany. Let me erase all the bad memories you have in your body.”

“Max! I…”

“Say yes, please. Let me teach you to love and be loved.” Stefany didn’t respond, just clung to his neck.

“Keep your eyes closed.” He removed his hands from her waist and took her hands off his neck. He could feel her heart beating rapidly, but he had to take the risk; it was the only way for her to overcome the fear of experiencing this. He positioned himself in front of her and traced two fingers along her lips. “If you feel uncomfortable, let me know.”

She nodded.

He continued tracing the corners of her lips for a few seconds, then brought his mouth closer and pressed his lips against hers, caressing them gently. He felt her trembling.

“Should I stop?”

“No!” Although fear was taking over her body, she wanted to know what it felt like to kiss and if the man she had loved for years could erase that disgusting feeling from her body.

“Can I see you kiss?”

“I’ve never kissed before. That man used to take me by force, but I always turned my face away and waited in silence for it to end, even if it meant getting a few hard slaps sometimes. I didn’t care; I just wanted it to be over.”

Maximiliano cursed inwardly. He began to kiss her gently, a feeling of happiness engulfing his heart as he saw that she didn’t reject him. He gladly accepted those clumsy movements of her jaw, delicately introduced his tongue, and played with hers. He didn’t know how long they stayed like that; he didn’t want to stop, but the lack of air and their breaths prevented him from continuing. He pulled away and pressed his forehead against hers to catch his breath.

Stefany was eager, she liked what she had experienced, especially when her mind pleaded for it not to end.

“Maxi…,” she whispered with a faint voice.

“Um…”

“I liked it a lot. I feel something,” she took his hand and placed it on her chest, “here inside, and inside me, I felt tingling and warmth, but I don’t know how to explain it.”

Maximiliano grabbed one of her hands and did the same.

“Now feel my heart that wants to jump out of my chest for you.”

“Maxi, I want you to know something.”

“What, my treasure?”

“I’ve spent years thinking about you; you’ve occupied a place in my being. But with your history and my past, I repressed accepting that I loved you and that I wasn’t the woman you deserved…”

“Little one…”

“Let me finish. I gathered the courage to tell you what I wanted to do so many times,” she stared into his eyes, “and that I wasn’t the woman you deserve in your life. But today, you’ve shown me that I can be happy. I liked this closeness between us, and if you let me, I promise to leave my insecurities behind and try to be the woman you’re looking for.”© 2024 Nôv/el/Dram/a.Org.

Maximiliano burst into laughter with happiness.

“I love you just as you are. Let’s take it slow, okay? Today, we start with kisses. If you want, we can sleep together. I promise to respect you and gradually teach you to discover sensations that you’ll see you’ll like.”

Stefany smiled and nodded.

“Sweetie, go wash your face, so we can go down for lunch. Our son is waiting for us, and then we’ll go to the movies, the three of us.”

She got up and rushed to the bathroom; she wants to put an end to her past and create a new story with the new Maximiliano.