She shuddered beneath the heat of his breath. "I had on my gardening clothes before," she teased, humor a subtle note in her tone.
A soft kiss against her cheek, his chest vibrating with soft laughter against her back. "Ah, so that’s how you sullied yourself. You’re such a dirty woman, Alice."
Her laughter was in harmony with his, the morning enjoyable and bright, until the threat of storm clouds rolled in.
Max squeezed her shoulders and kissed her again before stepping away to cross the room towards the door.
Calling to him, Alice asked, “What are your plans for today?”
It was a simple question, one she’d asked a handful of times before, but for a reason unknown to her, Max’ expression darkened at the innocent inquiry.
“I’ll be in the basement. You should find something to do for a few hours because I’ll be down there for the rest of the day.”
A sigh blew over her lips, she wondered why he spent so much time in such a filthy place. Although she’d never been down there to see it for herself, Max had warned her time and time again about the weak spots in the stairs and floors, about the dim lighting and hazards that could trip her and cause her to fall. She worried about him on the days he spent hours working in those conditions.
“Try not to hurt yourself down there,” she replied, intentionally keeping her tone pleasant despite her concerns.
Inclining his head once in response, Max made his way down the stairs.
Alice went about her day as she normally would. Everything in the house was already immaculate and clean, but she found chores anyway, sometimes dusting a table that didn’t need it or polishing a vase that already shimmered clean in the light that flowed in from the stained glass windows.
While in the kitchen, Alice stood by the island with a rag in hand, stepping up on her tiptoes to rub the cloth in circles over the granite. It had already been cleaned after they’d eaten their breakfasts that morning, but with nothing better to do with her time, she decided to wash it again.
Struggling to reach across the counter, she pushed up higher on her toes, her arm extended out as far as it would go when her body was caged against the granite, two large hands slamming down on the black surface as a heavy weight pressed against her back.
She yipped in surprise, her breaths coming out in panting gasps just as a soft mouth pressed down against her ear.
“Did I scare you?”
The weight pressed against her more and the bones of her hips ground against the edges of the hard counter.
“Yes,” she breathed out, instantly recognizing the voice of her husband. The masculine notes of his cologne wafted beneath her nose and she relaxed beneath him. “And you’re hurting me as well.”
Mistaking her husband for being playful, she attempted to wriggle out from beneath him, but his body slammed down on her harder, pain shooting along her bones that were now jammed against the hard granite edge.
“Max…”
His hand wrapped over her mouth, his fingers digging into her cheeks so hard that the inside of her mouth cut against her teeth.
“Shut up, you stupid, little bitch. I’m not here to listen to your whiny voice.”
Her eyes rounded in surprise, instinct taking over that made her struggle against him harder. He laughed when she attempted to push back at him, the sound dark and disturbing as his other hand ran up the back of her leg, closed over the waistband of her nylons and tore the tight fabric away.
Alice couldn’t speak, couldn’t complain or tell him to stop. Her only option was to relax beneath him in hopes he’d remove some of the weight.
However, instead of easing up on her body, he pressed against her more. Alice struggled again when relaxing didn’t work, but the more she fought against him, the harder his breathing became. The bastard was enjoying the pain and fear he was forcing through her, his finger slipping beneath the silk of her panties to slip inside her body.
His lips traced the line of her jaw until his teeth caught the lobe of her ear. Biting down hard enough to make her cry out against his palm, his chest vibrated with laughter as he shoved her against the granite even more, her pain now radiating over the width of her hips.
Tears sprang from her eyes as he pumped his finger inside her, his movements becoming faster and more erratic as he forced her off the ground. Using his knees, Max knocked her off balance and spread her legs apart. Alice teetered on the edge of the counter, her eyes clenched shut in anger and pain when Max laughed one more time and told her, “I suggest you hold the fuck on.”