by J. M. Madden
Lacey cried out and convulsed in his arms, her orgasm ever so more beautiful because he had caused it. Her smooth tummy clenched and her legs shifted as the driving tension eased. Max gave her a couple of minutes to catch her breath, then eased over top of her. As her hazy, languorous gaze caught his, she gave him an exquisite smile.
Emotion made Max pause at her entrance, feeling as though he was on the edge of something momentous. He inched forward, wanting to etch every moment on his memory. In spite of what he wanted, as her tight, slippery heat pulled him in, he lost all sense of himself. Rocking forward, he basked in the sensations coursing up through his body. Euphoria like he’d never felt before overwhelmed him, making him surge harder. Within just a few heavy plunges, he was at the edge of orgasm.
Max stilled, panting into her hair, trying to maintain some sanity. Lacey moved beneath him, peppering kisses up his neck to his jawline. Max tilted his head just a little to meet her hungry mouth and the enthusiasm she showed him cranked his own need. Without even moving, his orgasm loomed closer.
Then she raised her legs higher on his hips, rocking into him, and every thought of restraint left his head. Surging deep and sure, he took what she offered.
The orgasm struck him hard. He’d denied himself for so long. As the pleasure consumed him, he arched his back and cried out, unable to curb it. Then came the spasms, involuntary as he emptied himself into her, but delicious. Lacey echoed his cry as another orgasm consumed her as well.
Lacey’s arms were clamped around his body and she was pressing kisses to his jaw when he finally caught his breath enough to look up at her. She arched her brows at him. “You okay?”
Max nodded, too overwhelmed for words. She gave and gave with her mind and body and soul, and she was asking him if he was okay. “I’m beyond anything I can express. I truly think that was the most perfect thing I’ve ever experienced.”
The words were true. He’d had sex many times before, but something about Lacey and him together felt totally different. No one else had pulled the emotion and need from him that Lacey had. And the appreciation.
The appreciation was a little confusing. Was he so wrapped up in her because she was the only one who had seen through the drugged-out mess to the man beneath? The thoughts were too deep to think right now.
Lacey stroked his back, just at the edges of the scar. He was conscious of where her hand was, but no longer anxiety-ridden about what she thought of it.
Though he regretted pulling away, he had to dispose of the condom. As soon as that was done though, he pulled her back into his arms.
Lacey woke to kisses being planted down her spine and a heavy shape looming over top of her. She glanced over her shoulder, brow raised.
Max looked up at her and grinned.
She giggled. “Again? Really?”
Though she teased him, her body began to respond. Just the thought of his sex made her center go liquid. They’d loved all through the night but she was ready to go again.
Max laid her flat but propped her hips up a little. Lacey arched, knowing he was coming in from behind. As she planted her hands against the mattress, the head of his dick breached her opening.
“I don’t think I was the only one ready for another round this morning.”
She chuckled as he glided deep in her moisture, then moaned. They fit together like they’d been built for each other. As he began to rock his hips into her, Lacey began to pant.
“Fuck, you feel so good this way,” he gasped. “I’m not going to last.”
Neither was she. As he seated himself deeper and deeper with every surge, rubbing over that bundle of nerves at the front of her pubic bone, the tension in her lower belly wound tighter and tighter until it couldn’t tighten any more. She shattered. As the orgasm rocked through her, prolonged with every plunge of his body, she wondered if she could stand it. Max responded to the clutching of her body, heaving deeper as his own orgasm caught him in its grip. He slammed into her, spasming over her back, crying out. Lacey arched harder, extending his pleasure, until he finally collapsed on top of her. He forced his heavy shoulders to the side so that he wasn’t crushing her and panted into her ear. “I don’t know where the hell you learned to do that, but you need to do it again.”
Lacey laughed, swiping her sweaty bangs away. “I wasn’t taught to do it but it felt right.”
“You’re not kidding,” he murmured.
She could tell he was falling asleep. His arms tightened around her and they ended up spooning. Lacey’s own eyes drifted closed.
When they woke a little later, they were both famished. They stumbled to the kitchen, intent on filling their bellies. Lacey wanted an omelet loaded with as much crap as she could get in it, so that’s what she started. Max wanted the same but with toast. When everything was ready, they sat at her little dining room table across from each other.
“I haven’t been this hungry in forever,” Lacey murmured around a mouthful of ham and egg.
Max leered at her. “I’ve been starving for a long time.”
Lacey chuckled, knowing he was referring to sex. “How long has it been?”
His eyes sobered. “Well, I got injured in February, but we’d been in and out for months before that. I haven’t been involved with anyone for more than a year and a half.” His dark brows furrowed into a frown. “Damn, that sounds bad.”
Lacey grinned, shaking her head. “It’s been longer than that for me. More like a couple years.”
Max scowled. “I can’t believe nobody’s snatched you up. You’re sexy and incredibly smart. Sane.”
She gave him a narrow-eyed look. “Well, normally I avoid military men. When you live just a few miles from the largest Naval station in the world though, that becomes a little difficult.”
“I can see that. Why do you stay here?”
Lacey looked at her plate for a long minute. “Well, not sure exactly. I guess because it’s what I’m used to. I love the feel of a military area.”
“But you don’t want to be connected to the military?”
Frowning, she shook her head again. “I was burnt out dealing with all the trauma that came through Walter Reed. I loved it there, but I had to have counseling when I left because I would wake up crying, dreaming of the next trauma rolling in. I still don’t sleep right all the time. When I saw you, I knew exactly what you were going through. And the help that you needed.”
Max set his fork down. “I’m sorry I took so long to convince. When I walked into your apartment that night and saw that bloody towel against your head, I almost threw up. I knew I had to change if I had any kind of chance with you.”
Lacey’s eyes teared up. “I knew you didn’t mean to hurt me, but I’m kind of glad it happened if it got your butt moving in the right direction.” She brushed her eyes with her hands.
Max stood and circled the table to kneel at her side. He took her hands in his. “You mean a lot to me, Lacey Adams. I have a feeling I’d do just about anything for you.”
Those damn tears blurred her vision again and all she could do was wrap her arms around him, loving the feel of him wrapping himself around her.
“Do you have family?” he asked.
She shook her head. “Not close. My mom lives in Florida but I don’t talk to her much anymore. She’s always been a little more involved in being her than taking care of her kids. I have a brother in design at New York University. A few cousins here and there. Nobody very close.”
“I’m kind of the same. Parents were in London last I heard, but that was a few years ago. My lifestyle was too reckless for them, they said. No other close relatives. Grandparents on my mother’s side died years ago, but my grandfather on my father’s side is in a nursing home in Florida.”
“Do you get to see him very often?”
Max shrugged. “Every once in a while. It’s been a couple years though. He’s got dementia and doesn’t remember who I am.”
“Hm. That’s hard.”
Th
ey talked all through the night, comparing childhoods and schools. All of the miscellaneous things couples talk about early in their relationships that they had missed out on while Max was gone. It was the best night of Lacey’s life.
They settled into an easy relationship. Too easy, Lacey thought sometimes. Max moved back into his apartment. The woman had been the relative of one of the guys from his old team. She’d been in town for business for a week and had needed a place to crash.
Lacey was glad the woman was gone. She’d had some crazy thoughts about her being Max’s ex or something, moving in to rekindle a relationship.
The only reason she’d been thinking that way was because she was insecure.
Max greeted her as soon as she got home, sometimes even jogging down to give her a kiss in the parking lot and carry her things. He continued to go to counseling, to a guy Eric had suggested in town. Again, they avoided the VA and got more immediate treatment, which was better for all involved. Yes, he still struggled with flashbacks and anxiety attacks, but for the most part he stayed on an even keel.
Lacey was amazed at the change and humbled that he credited her with setting him on the right track. She didn’t like wondering what would have happened if they hadn’t hit that wall that night. Or the floor, as it were.
The only thing that wasn’t working for them were their careers.
Max’s medical disability paperwork came through and he was in a funk for days. Being a Navy SEAL was truly a calling, and when he couldn’t do what he’d loved most in the world, it hurt. His old team had moved on to other missions, calling only when they were back in town. And even then they couldn’t share what they’d done or where they’d been.
“I don’t know what to do with myself,” he murmured, lying in bed with her that night. “I watch the clock waiting for you to get home. I’ve looked at school and I guess I can do something I just have no idea what.”
Lacey propped herself on his chest, hands stacked beneath her chin. She’d been thinking about something for the past couple weeks, but didn’t know how he would react. “What do you think about moving?”
Max cranked his head around to look her in the eye. “Where?”
Lacey shrugged a little. “Away from the military that we can’t be a part of anymore. Away from all the reminders. I know we haven’t talked much about where we are going,” she wiggled a finger between them, “as a couple, but it may be an idea.”
Max looked at her as if he were debating a problem in his head. “My life is a mess right now. As crazy as I am about you I don’t know if it’s fair to tie my life to you when I’m floundering.”
Lacey looked away, swallowing hard. “I understand.”
She rested her head on his chest and listened to his pounding heartbeat, but tension had crept between them. They’d lived together for the better part of two weeks now, so the thought of him not being around made her chest ache.
Max shifted, sitting up in the bed cross-legged. Lacey sat up as well, adjusting her sleep shirt. Max ran a hand through his dark hair. “This feels like something big we should talk about. If there’s one thing I’ve learned from the hundreds of hours of counseling I’ve done in the past couple of months it’s that you open your mouth and speak up to get things settled. Talk to me.”
Lacey knew he was right, but she didn’t want to pressure him to do anything he wasn’t ready for. She looked into his golden eyes, wondering if she was about to send her SEAL running. “I think in order to keep my sanity I need to change some things. And I have an idea for you, but I need to make a phone call. It may not pan out, but it’s been niggling at me for a couple of weeks.”
Max pressed a hard kiss to her forehead, then craned down to reach her lips. “I trust you implicitly. How can I not? I love you. You’ve never led me wrong on anything.”
Lacey reeled back. “Wait, you love me? Where did that come from?”
Grinning, Max shrugged his muscular shoulders. “It just seemed like the right time to tell you. I’m kind of surprised you didn’t know.”
She shook her head, dazed, but elation began to fill her. Lunging forward, she tackled him to the bed, giggling. “I love you too, damn it. I can’t believe you told me like that. I thought you were breaking up with me!”
“Why the fuck would I break up with you?”
“You just said you didn’t think it was fair to tie your life to mine.”
“I know,” he admitted softly. “But I don’t think I can ever give you up.”
She giggled as he nibbled kisses down her sensitive neck.
“That’s good,” she gasped. “Because I don’t think you could force me away now. I’ve been freaking out over telling you I love you for weeks.”
His eyes sobered. “Weeks? Really?”
She nodded, dropping a kiss to his chin. “At least. I fell in love with you when you sent me the yellow roses.”
Max wrapped his arms around her, holding her tight. “Thank you,” he told her softly, leaning up for a kiss. “I never imagined I could be this happy after the past year I’ve had. You really are the best part of me.”
“I think we bring out the best in each other,” she whispered.
Relaxing into his hold, she set out to show him again why they were so great together.
Epilogue
‡
Max looked at the piece of paper Lacey handed him three days later. “What’s this?”
“Your interview time and address.”
Duncan Wilde, Lost and Found Investigative Service.
She handed him a narrow folder. “And your plane ticket.”
Max shot her a narrow-eyed look, peering in at the ticket. “Colorado? Really?”
She nodded, hands clutched together in front of her.
“This is the phone call you had to make?”
She nodded again. “Duncan was a patient of mine years ago. Actually, I know all three partners of LNF. When they were in the hospital they got the idea to create the company.”
As cool as the guy sounded, there was one big issue. “I’m not an investigator.”
Lacey smiled that chiding, encouraging smile she had. “No, but you could be.”
He mulled the idea over, more interested than he would have expected. “And what would you do?”
Lacey grinned. “There’s a great VA out there. I asked around and they’re always looking for experienced nurses. I could be helping vets but not be drowning in the emergencies and critical care that I did at Walter Reed.”
Max narrowed his eyes on her excited face, surprised at the animation he saw there. Hell, if a job in Colorado could do this much for her spirit he’d haul trash or clean sewers. “Why don’t we both go out?”
Her blue eyes widened with surprise. “Well, I could maybe.”
“Why don’t you call out there and try to set something up? If we’re going to do this we may as well jump in with both feet.”
Max laughed as she disappeared into the living room, task in front of her. The two-hour time difference worked in her favor. She caught one of the nursing supervisors before she went off shift and set up an interview for four days from then, on a Friday. When she hung up the phone, she did an excited little dance and jumped into his arms.
Laughing, he held her against him. Lacey was a level-headed woman, but this had definitely motivated her.
On the plane two days later, she vibrated with excitement. “Oh, it’s so pretty,” she sighed as they caught sight of the snow-capped mountains below them. Max had to admit they were gorgeous. And as they drove through town in their rental car they found more and more things that they enjoyed. There were exercise trails everywhere, which appealed to him. No, he didn’t have his air lung capacity like he used to, but the more he worked out the better it got.
They drove by the well-kept VA in the center of the city and found the entrance she was supposed to use for her appointment. Then they headed toward the north side of the city and drove past LNF. Looking up at the glass buil
ding, Max got a good feeling about being there.
They ate at a popular chain restaurant, lingering over dessert afterwards.
“So, what can you tell me about Wilde?”
Lacey set her fork down. “He came in with terrible injuries but the man is strong. Not just physically. He has one of the strongest spirits I’ve ever seen. You’ll see what I mean tomorrow.”
They decided they would go together to the appointment. Lacey hadn’t seen Duncan for years and she desperately wanted to.
When they walked into the reception area of Lost and Found Investigative Services, they didn’t expect to find a man in a wheelchair holding a woman in his arms and spinning circles with her. The petite, curly haired woman was giggling and clutching his neck. “John, you have to stop,” she gasped. “There are people coming.”
The man laughed but looked up and slowed when Max and Lacey stepped into the room. The woman’s eyes got saucer-wide with embarrassment and she scrambled from his lap.
Lacey recognized John Palmer immediately, but he got a funny look on his face, like he’d seen something that befuddled him. She stepped forward and raised a brow at him. “I’m not wearing scrubs but I don’t look that different, do I? Come on, Gunny.”
The confusion cleared and John pushed forward with a whoop. “Lacey!”
She leaned down to loop her arms around his neck. “Still as sexy as ever, I see,” she whispered in his ear.
The big man laughed out loud, shaking a finger at her as she pulled away. “I remember what you told me that day.”
Lacey giggled. “I told you fuck you. And then I told you that there was some one out there that would love you, warts and all.” She glanced at Max. His brows lifted over his eyes because she didn’t normally speak like that.
John lifted his hand to the woman he had been spinning. “Lacey, I’d like you to meet my girlfriend Shannon Murphy. Incredibly, she doesn’t mind my warts. Shannon, this is the best damn nurse at Walter Reed. She took my abuse and gave it back to me the same way.”
