Total pages in book: 154
Estimated words: 148220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 741(@200wpm)___ 593(@250wpm)___ 494(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 148220 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 741(@200wpm)___ 593(@250wpm)___ 494(@300wpm)
“I’m up for it,” she says quietly, then drags in a deep breath and sets down her knife and fork. “I’m sorry. We’re supposed to be a team, but I’m obviously the weak link right now. Emotionally, I just… I feel like I’m all over the place.”
“Don’t you be sorry. Come here.” I draw Maxine out of her chair and sideways onto my lap, loving the way she settles in so trustingly against me, her face buried against my throat. “We’re here on a mission, but we’ve got this suite for a couple more days. So here’s the plan—we aren’t going to give a shit about anything Blowback sends us for a little while. While we’re here, we’re going to fuck each other stupid and watch all the Die Hard movies and eat cake or whatever the hell we want to do. That sound all right?”
With a shuddering breath, she nods against my neck. “Though I feel bad.”
“Why do you feel bad?”
“Because it’s almost the holidays, and you seem so close to your family, and the longer we take to find Papa…you already missed Thanksgiving.”
“Yeah, and I missed a hell of a lot more when I was deployed. We all survived.” Though maybe it’s not me who needs to be surrounded by family when Christmas comes around—even if it’s new family for her. “But I’ll tell you what. Unless we’re right on Papa’s ass, we’ll head home for a few days so we can open presents and be merry and shit. How about that?”
Another nod against my neck, then she tenses up. “Are you sure they’ll want me there?”
“Why wouldn’t they? You’re part of the family now.”
“But…your sister knows what I did to you.”
“You didn’t do shit to me. If you’re thinking about the way Anna reacted at the cabin, she knows better now. And remember what I said about their big hearts? They’re going to love you, Maxine.”
Just like I do.
“Okay,” she whispers.
Good. “And I want you to promise me something, all right? When we’re done with all this, you’re gonna see someone. A therapist.”
She starts giggling.
“I’m serious, angel. The shit you’ve been through, no wonder you’re feeling all over the place. Any Marine or soldier will tell you that going home doesn’t mean the shit goes away. Some things only need time to heal, but other things don’t heal on their own.”
“I know you’re right,” she says softly, and then sighs. “I just want to be tough and angry.”
“Yeah, I tried that, too. It didn’t work so well.”
She huffs out a laugh before going quiet again. “I always fucked up when I got angry, anyway. First when I tased Tusk—”
“Hold up. You did what?”
“After Tusk killed Lissa, I got hold of Victor’s stun gun and zapped his balls.”
Shit. That was the root of all the fried ball jokes the other fighters were telling? “Don’t kill me for laughing, angel, but that’s pretty fucking amazing.”
“Except I realized after that I could have used it on Victor. Maybe freed us all. And then when I had to give your reward, I got so angry again.”
“As you should have.”
“But I shouldn’t have taken it out on you.”
“Nah, that was pretty fucking amazing, too. The only good part about that whole fucked-up situation was seeing you so angry. Otherwise I never want to see you on your knees like that again.”
She doesn’t say anything for a second. Then, “Is that why you never made me suck your dick in the cabin?”
Pain clutches my chest at the mere thought of making her do that. “Yeah, it is. I won’t ever ask it of you.”
“What if I want to get on my knees?”
Christ, she kills me. “If you really want to, Maxine, you can touch me however and whenever you want.”
“Okay,” she says huskily, then slides off my lap and onto the floor, and gives me a hot look from beneath her lashes. “Though I’m not angry now. Do you think you’ll still like it?”
“If I try real hard, I bet that I can drum up a little interest,” I tell her, my voice already hoarse with need, my dick already bulging thick behind the heavy material of my sweatpants.
She grins and moves in, fingers curling around the waistband and letting that greedy fucker spring free. “Aw, look how happy it is. I really like your big dick, Stone.”
That makes me laugh but all that comes out is a groan. “My big dick really likes you, too, angel.”
“I’m glad.” She rubs her soft cheek against my rigid shaft while looking up at me. “If I had you tied up instead, what would you beg me to do?”
My fingers dig into the arms of the chair. “To suck me,” I rasp out. “To suck me real hard and deep.”
And this fucking girl. With an impish little smile, Maxine turns her head and teases my cock with the lightest flicks of her tongue, the softest kisses from her lips, the faintest touches of her hands. Over and over again. So that by the time she starts sucking the way I’m begging her to suck, I’m already about to come. And my dick, Christing hell—‘like’ ain’t the word. My dick loves this girl.