Page 38 of Tide and Seek (Dr. Maxwell Thornton Murder Mysteries #8)

Royce (Again)

We kissed and fooled around a little in the shower, but I wanted to wait to have Max in the bed. That would feel more intimate, which I craved in that moment. I dried him off, kissing his warm, damp skin, and he smiled at me, looking relaxed and happy.

My heart raced as we climbed in the big, soft bed. Our bodies found each other wordlessly, skin against skin. The hunger in Max’s eyes made my breath catch. His lips met mine with a gentleness that belied his desire. I felt his restraint in the trembling of his hands.

Our kisses deepened, grew urgent. The silence of the room was broken only by our breathing and the whisper of bare skin against cotton. Max started to turn over onto his stomach, but I stopped him.

“No, I want to look in your eyes as I fuck you, future husband.” I smiled, stroking his erection.

He sighed, watching my hand slide up and down his shaft. “I like seeing my ring on your finger. It turns me on.”

“Yeah?” I kissed him. “You want to be my husband, Max?”

His eyes were dark and serious as they met mine. “Yes. I want that so bad. I never thought it would happen for me, but I want that with you, Royce.”

“Good, because I was never going to let you get away.” I smiled and kissed him again, only this time I slowly pushed my tongue into his warm mouth.

He groaned and opened willingly to my searching tongue, arching into me. His skin was almost feverish against mine, and we feasted on each other’s mouths until we were both breathless.

“Need you inside me,” he whispered against my lips, parting his sinewy thighs in invitation. His dark hairs tickled my fingers as I stroked his legs, gently pushing them wider.

I grabbed the bottle of lube on the pillow and slicked my fingers.

Leisurely, I pushed one finger inside his tight hole, and he gave a chest-deep groan.

His muscles were tight and resistant at first, but then, with a gasp, he let me in.

I took my time, waiting until he was relaxed before adding another finger, and then another.

When his gasps and moans turned to pleas, I positioned myself between his thighs.

He groaned as I entered him, electricity sparking down my spine.

His fingers gripped my hips while we found our rhythm together.

The heat of his body beneath mine, the soft sounds escaping his lips—these were treasures I’d never take for granted.

He was mine. Forever mine. My future husband.

“Royce.” My name on his lips sounded like a prayer.

Words failed me. I could only nod. The tight heat of him surrounding me brought waves of pleasure that threatened to overwhelm.

Emotions crashed through me: vulnerability, strength, love so fierce it hurt.

I couldn’t imagine life without him. The knowledge that we belonged to each other, sealed by his ring on my finger, was intoxicating.

I quickened my pace, losing myself in sensation.

Nothing existed beyond our connection, the perfect friction of our bodies joined.

I pressed my forehead to his and we stared into each other’s eyes as I thrust inside him, over and over.

Our mouths were close, lips touching as we shared ragged, desperate breaths.

“Oh, God, Royce,” he gasped, body tensing.

He wrapped himself around me, legs clamped around my hips, arms clasping my waist. Our bodies were pressed so tight, it was hard to breathe, but at the same time, his passion was intoxicating. If there was such a thing as a soul mate, I’d found mine in Max.

“Love you, Max,” I whispered, my hands on either side of his face. We looked into each other’s eyes, moving as one. His pupils were black and dilated, and his breathing jagged.

“Jesus,” he whimpered. A tear escaped one of his eyes, and his body trembled. I was so deep inside; the hot squeeze of him made me dizzy with pleasure. His moans were almost feral as I thrust faster and more desperately.

He lost control first, arching his back and dragging his nails down my spine, crying out as he spilled warm seed between our bodies.

His muscles seized and his lips parted as his climax shuddered through him.

It was the most beautiful thing in the world to watch him come, knowing that he loved and trusted me completely.

There’d been times when I didn’t think he ever would. But he did.

Once he was completely satiated, I surrendered to the pleasure, a groan tearing from my throat as ecstasy pulsed through me.

Beneath me, Max shuddered as my release filled him, his body clenching around me.

Aftershocks of pleasure rippled between us as I held him close, our breathing gradually slowing in unison.

Little delicious shocks of pleasure lingered, tingling through my body.

As our breathing calmed, he trailed his fingers down my spine, kissing the side of my neck.

His breath was warm and I felt drowsy and contented.

We stayed like that for a long time, intimately joined, then I gently pulled out of him and we cleaned up.

Shooting me a guilty glance, Max said, “Sorry I worried you and made you think I wanted to break up.” He tossed the used tissues into the little trash bin near the bed. “I bungled the proposal.”

“No, you didn’t.”

“Yes, I did.” He laughed sheepishly. “I was so nervous I felt a little nauseous. It made it hard to keep my train of thought. I had everything planned out, but when the time came, I couldn’t remember a word of my speech.

I just blanked. And when you didn’t notice the ring tied to the bottle, I got all flustered. Then the rain started.” He groaned.

“It all worked out.” I smiled, my gaze dropping to the ring on my finger. “You have great taste, Max.”

“You like the ring?” His smile was a little shy.

“I love it. Can’t wait to get the other ring on your finger.”

His expression became very serious. “And I can’t wait to wear your ring, Royce. I want to belong to you for real.”

“You already do, Max.”

“You’re right. I already do,” he said softly.

I kissed him and then said, “You know what? We need more champagne.” I climbed out of the bed and went into the bathroom to grab the bottle. Then I climbed back under the covers with Max, and we drank the rest of the champagne, talking about the future.

At one point, a tipsy Max insisted on calling Girdy so she’d be the first to know. I could hear her excited squeal from where I sat next to him. She even put Grumpy on the phone so he could hear my voice, but all I got on my end was a lot of sniffing and whining.

“You should call your mom,” Max said after hanging up with Girdy. His voice was slightly slurred, and his cheeks rosy from the booze. “It’s fun telling people.”

I grimaced. “I think I’ll call her tomorrow, when I’m sober.” I didn’t want to call her with Max listening in because I knew she’d be less enthusiastic than Girdy had been.

His face fell. “Does she hate me? Will she be upset about the engagement?”

“Nah, she doesn’t hate you, Max.” I sighed, taking his hand in mine. “She’s just a protective mom, and she worries about me too much. We had that little hiccup with Thanksgiving, and because she doesn’t know you, she’ll be wary. But she’ll come around when she meets you. I’m sure of it.”

He winced. “Or I’ll fumble so horribly, she’ll really hate me.”

“Impossible.”

“You saw how horribly I handled the proposal.” His eyes flickered. “Can you even imagine the disaster I’ll be when I have to meet your mom?”

I chuckled. “It’ll probably be awkward at first, but then it’ll all go okay. Once you relax, you’re pretty likeable, Max.”

“If you say so.”

I shrugged. “You do realize even if Mom says she doesn’t want me to marry you, I’ll still marry you, right?”

“I hope so,” he said softly.

“It’s a fact.”

He exhaled roughly. “You know what? I’m not going to worry about it right now. This is a celebration. Let’s drink some more. I’m hungry too. I have a frozen pizza in the freezer. Should I go cook it?”

“Sure. That sounds perfect. I don’t want to go out. I just want to stay here with you.”

He smiled. “Same.”

We ended up spending the whole day in bed, eating frozen pizza and drinking some of Max’s expensive wine.

Max was in such a good mood he didn’t even comment on the high sodium content of the pizza.

I drank way too much, spurred on by how happy I was, knowing full well I’d regret it in the morning.

But I was just so danged contented I didn’t care about the consequences.

However, the next morning, I cared a lot. As expected, my head was pounding like an elephant was dancing the polka inside my skull. Max didn’t seem to be as hung over, which didn’t seem fair, but then again, I had gone a little crazy with the champagne and the wine.

Freshly showered, Max sat on the side of the bed as I helped myself to some pain medication. I lay back down onto the fluffy pillow with a groan, and he gently stroked his fingers through my hair.

“Should I stay here with you and nurse you back to health?” he asked softly, looking guilty. “I can call C.J. and tell her I can’t make it.”

I grimaced. “No, don’t do that. There’s nothing you can really do for me. I’ll just stay hydrated and sleep. I’ll be fine in a few hours. I forgot that champagne can give me a headache.” I gave a wry smile. “Especially when I drink almost a full bottle by myself.”

He laughed. “Hey, I helped.”

I pressed my fingers to my throbbing temples. “Not enough, it would seem.”

He touched the rose-gold band on my finger. “I can’t get over how much I love seeing that on your hand.”

I smiled, examining the jewelry. “Can’t wait to get my ring on your finger too.” I especially looked forward to James seeing my ring on Max’s finger.

Asshole.

“Me too.” Max stood. “Well, if you’re sure I should go, I’ll probably only be a couple of hours, unless C.J. wants to go to lunch or something. Then it might be more like four hours.” He gnawed on his lip, watching me. “You’re sure you don’t want me to cancel?”