Page 38

The reminder of my friend shatters the peaceful morning. Knowing it’s not healthy, I shut down any thoughts of him, forcing my mind on something else. Anything else. Ever since losing my mom, it’s how I’ve dealt with death over the years. I don’t deal with it at all. Maybe that makes me callused. Maybe one day, all the grieving will stack up to the point that it hits all at once and turns me into a worthless pile of goo.
I’ll just have to take that chance.
A wet, open-mouth kiss is planted on my shoulder, drawing me from my thoughts. I hum in appreciation, grateful for the distraction.
Maxen’s exploration continues up my neck and behind my ear before stopping suddenly. I’m about to ask why when I hear the familiar sound of a foil packet being torn open.
Maxen grabs my left leg, lifting it slightly and pulling it back to rest it on his thigh. I arch my back so he can enter me, but he doesn’t. His hard length rests between my lips just a moment before he begins rocking back and forth.
The motion rocks the ridges of his cock against my clit over and over again. I lean forward slightly, already on my side, to intensify the contact but otherwise lie still. Maxen is running this show, and for once, I’m happy to let him.
My eyes drift closed, shutting out everything except the heat of his body and what it’s doing to mine. It isn’t long after that the slow burn of a building climax takes center stage in my awareness. I bear down, trying to hold off the orgasm as long as possible, wanting that explosion to be super intense.
At my shift, Maxen pulls my shoulder toward him, forces me to my back, and rises, positioning himself so he can slam into me. That first hard strike to my clit sets off my orgasm, sending it shocking through my whole system. I grab his ass to hold him still, as the slightest movement is now too much for the sensitive area.
Knowing exactly what I’m doing, he fights off my hold and pulls back to thrust forward just as savagely. I almost can’t stand it. I thrash around beneath him until the jolts gradually give over to the sensation of another orgasm building.
That second one hits just as hard, leaving me too washed out to fight for a brief reprieve. Maxen keeps going until one final thrust sends him over the edge. He collapses onto his elbows, pulling out of me as he does.
His cheek rests against mine as he holds his position, breathing heavily at my ear. Once he’s caught his breath, he rolls to the side and begins tracing the scar on my left shoulder.
Maxen doesn’t ask how I got it, and I don’t offer. Like him and other PMCs, we all have scars and stories to go along with them. Most of us would prefer to leave them both in the past.
I roll to my side, facing him and voice what I couldn’t say last night. “I’m glad you’re here. I know I wasn’t the best company last night.”
Maxen reaches up to push a lock of hair behind my ear. “We’ve all been there.”
I half expect him to say something about Brock, but once again, Maxen seems to be reading me pretty well.
“Your neighbor, Bonnie, is pretty cool,” he rumbles in his sleep-roughened voice.
Ugh. I hadn’t thought of Maxen possibly running into her.
“I was in the hall when she got home. I’m sure she planned to chase me out until she noticed the logo on my shirt.”
“Hmm. I can imagine. Bonnie and I are close. She looks after Gunny and me sometimes. She’s good people.”
“Who’s Gunny?”
“My bastard of a pet fish. So…How much information did Bonnie squeeze you for?”
Maxen reaches out his hand to tweak a nipple. “Come on, Sadie. I’m trained to withstand torture and still keep our country’s secrets.”
“Um-hmm. So how much information did Bonnie squeeze you for?”
He laughs and then sighs, turning serious. “She knows why I was in the hall waiting for you, why I was worried. She took the news pretty hard. It seems she was fond of Brock.”
“He reminded her of her son. Those two could play-fight like champs.”
“It sounds like the two of you were very close.”
I nod sadly. “Brock was like a fun kid brother instead of the four overbearing brutes I grew up with.”
Maxen releases my breast and rolls onto his back to stare at the ceiling.
“What’s wrong?”
“Sadie, I don’t know if I should tell you this.”