Brothers in Blue: Max

by St. James,Jeanne

  The showpiece of the house was the immense fireplace spanning from floor to ceiling in the two-story living room. Built from mountain stone, it was flanked by the large windows she had seen from outside. Amanda imagined herself lounging in front of a roaring fire on a frosty winter night, gazing through those tall windows at the fresh-fallen snow clinging to the huge old pine trees.

  What was she thinking? Snow? She hated the cold.

  Miami. Heat. White beaches. Warm water. Sexy bodies in skimpy bathing suits. Color. Culture.

  That’s what she should be thinking about. Not snow. Did she really want to spend another winter here in this desolate town? A clatter from the kitchen broke into her thoughts.

  This was never going to work. Max was a man from Manning Grove. Small-town cop. She was a woman from Miami. Big city…what? Big-city party girl? She didn’t have an answer. She just didn’t know anymore.

  In Miami, she’d had no direction. She had just lived for the moment.

  Now, she had the responsibility of her brother. She finally had a purpose. Maybe a path she had not or would not have chosen for herself, but a direction nonetheless.

  A louder bang came from the kitchen. Then a muffled curse.

  Leaving her thoughts behind, Amanda moved toward the kitchen area. “Need help?”

  Max was leaning over the sink, intently shaking something. “No. Go away. I’ll call you when I’m ready.”

  “Where do you want me to go? This house is like one big open room. And I’m definitely not going upstairs again; that should be marked off as hazardous.”

  “Why don’t you take a walk outside around the deck? It goes all the way around the house. Dinner won’t be long now.”

  “Okay. It better be worth the wait.” She grabbed his jacket by the front door and slipped into it. The sleeves were so long on her that she couldn’t even see her hands. Pulling the jacket tighter around her, she opened the nearby French doors and stepped outside to give him some peace. She plunked down in an Adirondack chair to wait.

  Five minutes later, Max popped his head out the door. “It’s ready.”

  Her stomach growled noisily in response.

  The crinkles around his eyes were evident in the late afternoon sun. Amanda realized that those creases really stood out when he was pleased. Not to mention relaxed.

  He stepped close and offered her a hand out of the chair. As she stood, he pulled her into his arms. He framed her face with his hands and placed a soft kiss across her nose. “We could skip dinner.”

  “You worked too hard. Let’s go eat. I’m hungry.” Her empty belly complained again.

  “Me too. Just not for food.” He took her hand, led her back into the house, and then helped her out of his jacket. She was surprised when she saw the rough-cut table. It was set beautifully with stoneware dinner plates; glowing candles illuminated the settings. A pair of oversize glasses of red wine twinkled in the candlelight.

  Amanda was touched with the effort he’d taken. She was sure this was a rare occurrence—Max making a romantic dinner. He even pulled out a chair for her.

  Amanda threw her napkin across her lap, then wondered why, since she was wearing old boxer shorts. She tossed it next to her plate instead. “What are we having?”

  “Squirrel stew.”

  “What?”

  “Just kidding. I made a couple of venison steaks, baby red potatoes, and a salad.”

  Amanda frowned. “What’s venison?”

  Without meeting her glance, he said, “It’s like beef.”

  He uncovered the dishes and served her, then himself. He lifted his glass of wine. “Let’s make a toast.”

  Amanda followed suit by raising hers.

  “To—”

  Amanda started as the front door crashed open. Marc bounded in, dropping his patrol bag by the front door with a thump.

  “Hey, Max! Why are all the lights off— Oh.” Marc stopped in his tracks. With a smirk, he took in the scene in front of him. “Sorry, I didn’t know that…” He shrugged helplessly. “Oops.”

  Max put his untouched wineglass down with exaggerated care.

  Amanda watched various emotions cross his face before he spoke. His words were drawn out very slowly. “I thought you were on second shift today.”

  “I was. The chief sent me home early. Dunn wanted some OT.” Marc stepped up to the table and looked down at their plates. “Are those the steaks from my buck?”

  “Buck?” Amanda didn’t think she’d heard right.

  “Yes,” Max answered his brother.

  “What’s a buck?” She shot a probing look toward Max, who abruptly found his wineglass very mesmerizing.

  The explanation came from Marc instead. “A male deer.”

  “Do you mean you were going to have me eat a deer? Like Bambi?” She looked at both men in disbelief. “Marc, did you shoot Bambi?”

  “No, I shot Bambi’s dad.”

  “Oh please, let’s not get into a debate about hunting. Now’s not the time.” Max stood up and grabbed his brother by the arm, steering him away from the table. He said through clenched teeth, “Get lost.”

  Marc laughed before saying loudly, “I guess I’ll go take the ATV out for a ride.”

  “Make it a long one.”

  “How long?” Marc nudged his older brother. “You shouldn’t take too long—”

  Max growled, “Marc.”

  “Okay, okay. I’m out of here.” Marc gave Amanda a parting glance. “By the way, nice outfit. Your boxer shorts are gaping.”

  With a sharp intake of breath, Amanda shifted the enormous tee over her lap. Max shoved Marc toward the door.

  “All right! I’m going. Jeez.”

  Max held out his hand.

  Marc eyed it cautiously, facing his older brother from the entranceway. “What?”

  “Your house key.”

  “What!”

  Max refrained from saying anything and just jiggled his hand.

  “Hell.” Marc dug in his pocket, pulled a key off his key ring, and dropped it into Max’s palm. “How am I going to get back in?”

  “I’ll unlock the door when it’s…safe.”

  “So, what am I supposed to do—”

  Max slammed the door shut and twisted the lock. He returned to the table and settled back into his chair. He gave Amanda a rueful smile. “Sorry. We won’t be disturbed again. At least for a while.”

  “You didn’t have to kick him out. He lives here too.”

  “Only due to my generosity, which I’m not feeling right now. So let’s eat.”

  “I don’t know,” she said, eyeing the now lukewarm steak on her plate as if it was road kill. She had no problem eating meat. She loved meat. She could never be a vegetarian or a vegan, even though most of her friends back in Miami were. Not her, she loved a big, juicy burger. But deer? That poor four-legged, adorably sweet, big-eyed…

  “Amanda, just try it. I promise you’ll love it.” He lifted his wineglass back up. “But first, let’s finish that toast.”

  Amanda lifted her glass in response.

  “To a truce.”

  Yes, Amanda could agree with that. “Okay.” The glasses rang as they tapped their rims together.

  He nodded at her to try the meal.

  Amanda picked up her steak knife and tentatively dug in. Placing a small piece on her tongue, she chewed carefully, critically. Surprised how lean but tender the steak was, she had to admit that it was delicious. And she was starving.

  Max watched her warily as she ate, but visibly relaxed when Amanda finished off the meal in record time. “Well?”

  “It was okay.”

  “Liar.”

  “Okay, it was great. But I still don’t know if I’m comfortable knowing what I ate.”

  “If you liked that, wait until you try deer bologna.”

  “I’ll wait.”

  Max chuckled. The low rumble sent a shot of warmth through her. Every time he laughed or smiled or just grinned, it surprise
d her. Normally he seemed so serious about everything. It was refreshing to see him lighten up.

  He took a sip of wine before asking, “So how’s Chaos?”

  She gave him a crooked smile. “I know you’ve been there to check on him. One of the vet techs told me you’ve stopped by a few times.”

  “Have you taken Greg?”

  Amanda shook her head. “I don’t want to upset him. I give him updates, and he’s looking forward to Chaos coming home.”

  “I’m sure,” he murmured. “Do you have an idea when?”

  She ran her finger around the rim of her wineglass. “No, I wish I did. Greg asks multiple times a day. He’s like a broken record.”

  “Do you want me to pick him up when he’s released?”

  Amanda regarded the man across from her. “Why would you want to do that?”

  He reached across the table to cover her hand with his. “I just want to help.”

  His thumb brushing back and forth over her knuckles distracted her. “I can handle it. I’ll pick him up when Greg’s at day care so Chaos is settled in before my brother gets home.”

  “Well…if you need help…”

  Max wanted her to need him. She could see it in his face. “Thanks. But we’ll be fine.”

  It was nice of him to offer, but again, he was putting himself into the mix when this was something she could handle on her own. She needed to prove to herself that she could handle these responsibilities. Even though the accident a few days ago made it clear she still had a ways to go. But if she let Max constantly help her, she’d never move forward. She didn’t want to rely on anyone anymore.

  Not even the cop across from her.

  As she got to know him better, she really couldn’t imagine him in any other field. But then the apple usually didn’t fall far from the tree, and he was definitely following in his father’s footsteps. As were his brothers. Except for the settling-down part, that is.

  “Did you become a cop right after the Marines?”

  “Yeah. I enlisted while I was in my senior year. I helped my parents on the farm the summer right out of high school, then went to Parris Island for boot camp.” He grimaced. “It was the hardest thirteen weeks of my life.” His gaze got distant as if he was remembering what he’d had to go through.

  “Did you ever want to quit?”

  “Never.” He squeezed her fingers.

  She couldn’t imagine this man would quit anything in his life.

  “I didn’t go there to just quit. My father was a Marine. And I damn well was going to be one too. Plus I knew that was my brothers’ path as well. I had to set an example.”

  He seemed the type of guy who wanted to lead by example. He’d probably make a good police chief one day.

  “Were you deployed?”

  He blinked. Maybe he was surprised that she was even interested. Or maybe he didn’t want to talk about it. “Yeah. I did a couple tours in Iraq.”

  “Was it scary?”

  “It certainly wasn’t a vacation. I did my four years and I was out. Unfortunately, my brother keeps going back. His leave at Christmas was way too short. He’s done his time, and I’m not sure why he doesn’t get out while he’s still alive.”

  “The way your mom talks, she worries about him a lot.” When he gave her a curious look, she realized she’d almost blown it. “I mean she seemed to worry about him a lot when he was home at Christmas.”

  “We all do. Being in the Middle East has changed him. I guess it changed Marc and me too, but not like it has changed Matt. He has a good job waiting for him. Not sure why he’s not taking advantage of it.”

  Max cleared his throat and got back on track. “So when I got out of the Marines, I took a couple weeks off until the next municipal police academy class started in Harrisburg.”

  “How long was that?”

  He looked at her curiously. “This isn’t boring you?”

  She shook her head.

  “Twenty-four weeks. It was cake compared to Parris Island. I couldn’t believe the whining I heard from some of the cadets.”

  “Is it something I could get through?”

  Max released her hand and sat back. Mixed emotions crossed his face before he said, “The academy? Sure. You’d get through it. Do you want to become a police officer?”

  “Oh, hell no. I’m just messing with you.” But she couldn’t miss the rush of air from his lungs as he relaxed.

  Did he really feel like she could make it through the academy, or was he just being possessive and overprotective by not wanting her to become a cop?

  Max pushed his chair back and stood. “C’mon. Help me clean up.”

  Amanda rose and followed him into the spacious kitchen, carrying a load of dirty dishes. As she started rinsing them, Max went back and brought them their wineglasses. After topping them off first, of course.

  She reached out a sudsy hand to accept hers and took a long sip. Then she returned her attention to her task, handing the rinsed dishes to Max to load into the dishwasher. When they were done, she washed her hands. She turned in place and Max was immediately there, handing her a towel.

  “Thanks for dinner…and for earlier.” She gave him a tentative smile and took another long sip of her wine.

  Max reached out, taking her glass from her. “Let’s get our thanks out of the way.” He lifted one of her hands and kissed the palm. “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “You’ll see.” He reached out, curving his hand behind her neck under her long wavy hair, pulling her closer. He leaned down so he could stroke her lips with the tip of his tongue, tasting the tart, fruity residue. “I think that the wine tastes better on you.”

  “Let me try it,” she said, huskily. She studied his every move as he raised his glass to take a sip, leaving a trail of wine glistening over his lips. She stood on tiptoe, stretching her body against him, feeling his every male angle. Amanda covered his mouth with hers, licking and stroking. She pulled back slightly, their breath mingling. “Mmm. You’re right.”

  He refilled their glasses once again before leading her across the living room into the master bedroom. The only light was the sun setting through the windows, giving the room a rosy hue.

  He drew her to the bed, urging her to lie down. Max knelt on the mattress to slowly slip off the old T-shirt and the boxer shorts she was wearing, making sure his fingers, knuckles, and arms brushed her here…and there. When Amanda was naked, he sat back on his heels to study her.

  Amanda brought up her arms, an ineffective shield. “Don’t.”

  One eyebrow rose. “Why?”

  “You’re still dressed. That’s unfair.”

  “I can remedy that.” Max climbed off the bed and took his time baring his body for her, making sure she didn’t miss a thing. Not one hardened plane, rough angle, or smooth surface. When he was done, he stood proudly, fully aroused, a fact Amanda found hard to ignore. She bit her lip. He was finely chiseled and very, very hard to resist.

  But she already knew that.

  Max grabbed his wineglass from the nightstand and said, “Lay back. I want to enjoy some more wine.”

  He tilted the glass over her navel and filled it to the brim. He caught the overflow with his lips, stroking the tender skin of her belly with his tongue. He then dipped a finger in her navel and drew the warm liquid over her body like finger paint. Every line Max created, he erased it with his tongue.

  Amanda felt pinned in place, not wanting to move, as she watched him with narrowed eyes. She could barely stand the torture. But she resisted reaching for him, fought off demanding he fill her up. She wanted the torment to last a little longer. Just a little more…just to the edge.

  Max was having a difficult time holding back, as was evident by his nostrils flaring as he fought for air. Amanda felt him trembling slightly as he attempted to restrain himself. His fingers explored her warm, wet spots while his tongue painted pictures over her heated skin. He nuzzled her breast with his cheek and turne
d his face just enough to pull her nipple into his mouth. He tugged gently with his teeth until she cried out.

  Her panting and whimpers made him move quicker, more urgently until he couldn’t wait any longer. Until she couldn’t wait any longer.

  He rose over her and drove himself home.

  He gave her what she had wanted in the shower earlier. Not that she was complaining. He was skilled with his tongue, lips, and fingers. But there was nothing like the pressure of his body against her as he filled her emptiness with long strokes. She tilted her hips to take him deeper, matching his movements thrust after thrust.

  She grabbed his ass, the tight muscles flexing under her fingers with every pump. Every brush of his pelvis against her clit made her cry out, made her pussy bloom with wanting more, wanting him deeper, if that was even possible.

  She bucked harder against him.

  “You’re so open. I can feel you pulsating around my cock,” he rasped. “You’re driving me mad.”

  Me as well, she thought. She couldn’t get enough of him.

  Normally, they were oil and water; tonight they were fluid together. Meshed.

  He gently nipped the fleshy part of her breast, then soothed it with his tongue. Worked his magic over both breasts, nipping and licking, avoiding the hard nubs of her nipples. She wanted his mouth on them; she whimpered and wiggled against him, trying to get his mouth closer.

  He propped himself up on his arms and looked at her. Really looked at her. She couldn’t pull her gaze away. His eyes were dark, unreadable. A shudder ran through her.

  She couldn’t want this man any more than at this moment.

  He finally relented and sucked a nipple into his mouth, teasing it with his tongue, plucking at it with his lips.

  A jolt shot through her core, deep through her belly, and into her pussy.

  She gasped as she felt the waves start. “I’m going to come.”

  He grunted and picked up the pace even more. He gyrated against her, grinding into her swollen clit.

  She went over the edge, releasing a low wail. His head dropped next to hers, his lips next to her ear, and he groaned, “Fuck.”