Sweet Submission: Jenny and Max Complete Series Plus Bonus Short Story Read Online Free PDF Page B

went to the farmhouse with Clara while I got our things together. I hadn’t seen Max in a while and thought he’d left again, then he suddenly appeared in the bedroom while I was dismantling the crib.
    “You can’t go back to him,” Max said.
    I looked at him incredulously. “That’s not for you to decide.”
    Max walked further into the room. His bicep muscles flexed against the sleeves of his T-shirt. “After all he put you through. Jenny, you can’t go back to that. It’s not good for Lily.”
    I was having trouble with the legs of the crib. I yanked them apart, and screws went flying everywhere. I groaned in frustration. “I’m trying to do what’s best for my daughter, and that’s for her family to be together.”
    Max crouched on the floor, helping me look for screws. This act of kindness made my anger dissolve. I sighed.
    “Todd’s changed,” I said. “He doesn’t want to lose us again. It’ll be different.”
    “You don’t really believe that, do you?” Max asked. “How many times has he talked you into staying with him? How many times has he told you that things were going to change? It’s not going to be different and you know it.”
    “But I don’t have a choice, do I?” I said, harshly.
    “You could find somewhere else,” Max said. “Take as long as you need.”
    “How very generous,” I said, bitterly. “This is none of your business. I’m going back to Todd and there’s nothing you can do about it.”
    I reached under the bed to retrieve a screw, and then felt a hard pop on my bottom. Every muscle in my body froze from the shock, then I felt the throbbing pain. Slowly, I came out from under the bed and sat back on my knees. Max’s face was red and he was breathing heavily.
    “Did you just hit me?” I asked. “You have no right.”
    “I don’t have any right,” Max said through gritted teeth. “You’re not my wife, and I don’t have any authority over you. But, I think, I want that.”
    I should run far away, I thought, but my body stayed stubbornly still.
    “What are you talking about?” I asked.
    Max took a deep breath, then spoke in a steady voice. “The husband is the head of the household, just as Christ is the head of the church.”
    “Is that the Bible?” I asked.
    “Yes,” Max said. “It’s part of God’s holy design for men and women. When I was married to Mara-“ He cleared his throat. “She answered to me. I made the rules, and she followed them. If she disobeyed, then she got a spanking.”
    I couldn’t believe what I was hearing. Was this a dream?
    “You’re not my husband,” I said. “You don’t make the rules.”
    “I know, I know,” Max said. He moved carefully towards me, then cupped his hand around my cheek. I had to fight with every bone in my body not to submit to his touch. “But, Jenny, I want to be.”
    I doubled over, tears of relief and joy spilling from my eyes. This was what I’d wanted to hear for a long time, but with this new information, I had my doubts.
    “What about Mara?” I said. “I thought it was too painful for you.”
    Max clasped his other hand to my face. “Not as painful as letting you go. I know that now.”
    “I can’t let another man control me,” I said. “That’s what I left behind.”
    “No, Jenny, this is different,” Max said. “Todd controlled you to fulfill his own selfish needs. I would set limits and rules for you because I want to protect you. I care for you. I-“ Max paused to stare into my eyes. “I love you.” He looked at me with that gentle expression I’d come to crave. When he leaned towards me, I felt like I was floating on air. He pressed his lips against mine, and nothing else had ever felt so right.
    There was so much said with that kiss, so much cleared between us. I desperately grasped at his broad shoulders, never wanting to let him go. He wrapped me tightly in his muscular arms, making me feel small. Max was nothing like Todd, and he showed me that so many