Page 123 of Silent Ties

I stop her from talking by biting her lip. Her lips part and I suck her tongue, taking her by surprise.

I know she’s still tired, so I’d planned on taking it easier, but I think she needs to get a few things right. My fingers wrap around her throat, squeezing.

Her eyes widen, her lips parting, but she can’t speak. I kiss her gently, rubbing our noses together. “Stop saying stupid things, sweetheart. You know how much I hate it.”

She jerks when I plunge two fingers into her wet pussy.

“Max,” she breathes, lifting on her toes. She’d fall forward if I wasn’t right there.

“Mrs. Zimin,” I reply. She’s exhausted and doubting herself. I’ll fuck it all away, reminding her how much I love her. This beautiful, strong woman is a killer and she’s mine.

I give her no warning, wrapping her leg around my waist and thrusting inside her tight, warm cunt. Her forehead falls into my chest.

“Look at me,” I demand, pushing into her over and over. “Look at us.”

She blinks, her breath catching.

“Look at us,” I demand again, thrusting into her hard. She stares at me stunned, until slowly, her gaze drags down. I force her to watch my cock tear into her pussy. My fingers dig into her ass and I make it brutal, never giving her a chance to catch herself before she’s falling.

Her cunt clenches around me, my cum soaking her insides.

Water cascades over us. I hold her close, my fingers combing through the damp strands.

My wife is tired, so I make sure she’s clean before wrapping her in a towel. I’d prefer it if she slept naked, but she has a thing about wearing my T-shirts. I pull one over her head, lightly spank her bare ass and lead her to the bed.

It’s still early. Sailor will wake up for her next feeding and we’ll need dinner too. But for now, I want her to rest.

She holds out her arm, silently asking me to join her. She narrows her eyes when I remain standing. “Now, Max.”

I drop into the bed, kissing her forehead. “Anything for you, wife.”

Epilogue One

MAXIM

Two Months Later

Christmas is a family affair, void of my mom’s normal long-winded guest list. If my brothers are here, at the family house, they’ve all parked in the garage. Since we’re late, we park in the driveway right by the front door. It’s easier to get to the living room this way, instead of dragging all our stuff up the stairs and through the kitchen.

And now days there’s a lot of stuff.

I’ve already got Sailor out of the car, when Russet rounds the SUV.

“I can take her,” Russet says, her breath frosting in the night, as she holds out her arms.

I ignore her, keeping my daughter on my hip and opening the trunk. Sailor looks up to the sky, entranced by the Christmas lights and the snowflakes.

There’s an overflowing amount of presents thanks to Russet being in charge of shopping this year. Using one hand, I start grabbing things, only to pause.

Russet’s next to the open tailgate, but she’s entirely toostill in the crisp winter night. “Max, do you still hate me for going to Marissa’s?”

Sailor reaches a hand to the sky, her little fist opening and closing. The thick clouds make the night gray, but the Christmas lights do their best to make up for it.

“You think I’m upset you wanted to kill the people who pimped out a pregnant woman?”

It should be the happiest time of year, but I see it. The painful wound still raw in Russet’s chest.

Time is different when children are involved. So much has happened in the blink of an eye. But her words are a stark reminder of a recent event.