Darkness into Dawn (The Unraveled Trilogy Book 2)

by Theresa Sederholt

  HE DOESN’T HAVE TO move; he’s throbbing deep inside me. He throws his head back and my name is his benediction as he floods me. I’m right behind him.

  After a few minutes, he gets on his knees, takes off my shoes and stockings, all the while, buried deep within me. This is my over-the-top, intensely wild husband, whom I love with all my heart and soul.

  “I need you, wife—again and again. Always more, never enough.” He leans back down, careful not to place all of his weight on me. He nibbles on my ear, and I feel his magnificent cock pulsing inside of me.

  He tweaks my nipples, both at the same time. “Oh, God, Jax, I need more.”

  He growls in my ear, “More what, sweetheart?”

  He’s swiveling his hips, “You don’t play fair.”

  He takes both my hands and holds them above my head with one of his. He lifts my leg over his shoulder, so he can go deeper. “Jax, please.”

  “Tell me, wife, what do you want?” He’s not letting up, he pulls out slowly and I’m trying to push him back in, but he’s in total control.

  “I want it hard.”

  “Want what hard, wife?” Oh he’s smirking.

  “Fuck me hard, Jax—now!”

  “Yes! I love when you talk dirty, sweetheart.”

  He rolls onto his back and guides me patiently to climb on top of him. Once I am positioned above him, he grasps my hips and slams me hard onto his cock. He’s holding onto one of my ass cheeks, pulling and digging his fingers into it, and then, he smacks my ass. This sets me off in a wild frenzy of riding him like my life depends on it. After several minutes, I feel him grasping harshly at my ass again. Smack! “Come now, Raven! Holy fuck, woman! he grunts. The explosion for both of us is endless. He’s slowly bringing us back down, guiding my hips on him, his cock slipping in and out. I have nothing left; I’m totally and utterly spent. I can’t even open my eyes.

  “Sleep, my precious one. I will love you past the heavens and the stars. I will need you beyond this lifetime,” he whispers to me as he lays me down and covers us up. I spoon back into him and fall asleep to the sound of our synchronized breathing.

  ROSE AND SAMMY ARE settled in next door, and now I get my Jackie . . . finally! It has been a test to my strength and patience, waiting to take her completely. “Jackie, you look beautiful.” I wrap my arms around her and nuzzle her neck. God, she smells wonderful, I want to bury myself in her forever.

  “Thank you, Maxwell. We need to talk.”

  Talk? She wants to bloody talk now! “Okay, baby, what’s wrong?”

  “I know you’re worried about Monday, but I can tell something else is bothering you. You seemed more on edge than usual at the wedding. Was it just the wedding or did something else happen?”

  How does she do it? “Let’s sit, and I will tell you everything. You know we are keeping Rose’s identity a secret? Even from Sammy.”

  “Yes, Raven told me. I would never want to put her life in jeopardy.”

  “I got a call from my attorney. Vincent’s lawyer is claiming he shot me in self-defense. He is also claiming that Duke kidnapped Raven.”

  I see her shock turn to rage like the flip of a switch. “Max, it’s absurd that anyone would even believe him.”

  “I know, baby, but I think he is setting himself up for a plea deal. His best bet is to turn state’s evidence. I’m worried how this is going to play out for all of us. On Monday, while I’m giving my deposition, I asked Sammy to stay with you.”

  “Maxwell, I will do whatever you need me to do. I don’t want you worrying about me. I understand the danger, and I promise you, I will not take any chances.”

  We sit quietly for a while, gazing out over the park. “Max, if you squeeze me any tighter, I might snap in half.”

  “Oh my God, did I hurt you? I’m so sorry, baby.”

  “Relax, I’m fine, but you on the other hand, need some attention.”

  I smile and kiss the tip of her nose. “Do I now? What type of attention are you offering?”

  “The kind that requires a lot less clothing.”

  “Well I wouldn’t mind removing your dress.”

  She stands up in front of me, but my eyes are focused solely on her legs. “Max, if you don’t take your eyes off of my legs, we are not going to get anywhere.”

  “Oh trust me, baby, I know exactly where we’re going.”

  HE GETS UP AND sweeps me into his arms. “The first thing I want to do is dance with you.”

  He puts on beautiful song, ‘Pieces’ by Red and takes me in his embrace. He’s a fantastic dancer; light on his feet. He nuzzles into my ear, and begins to sing. Max is singing. I might faint. Real slow style dancing with Maxwell Fleming, singing in my ear. I’m about ready to pinch myself when the music ends. “Max, you have a beautiful voice.” Before I can say another word, my dress is a puddle around my ankles.

  “I’m going to kiss you from head to toe, and I’m not stopping.”

  His kisses are soft, yet firm. He flutters them down my neck. His soft stubble, tickles in the wake of his kisses. “Oh God, Max, if you’re going to do this to my whole body, I don’t know that I’ll be able to take it.”

  “Hmm, oh, you’ll take it, baby, and then some.”

  My bra and panties have somehow managed to end up with my dress on the floor. He’s kissing my arms, and I can’t move. Every spot he kisses sends chills up my spine.

  As he latches onto my nipple he brings me down to the floor. He nibbles and licks, followed by kisses. Just when I think I might burst, he goes to the other one. His fingers are fluttering down my ribs. He’s kissing me everywhere. I’m so overwhelmed.

  “Max, I don’t think I can take it much longer.” I know I sound whiney and desperate, but at this point I don’t care!

  “Baby, you are so responsive to me, and I love that I can give you such pleasure.”

  As he’s kissing his way down my hips, his clothes are being tossed everywhere. He holds my legs open with an iron grip, leans down, and swipes his tongue over my clitoris. I’m screaming and riding a wave of unexplainable pleasure.

  “I NEED TO BE inside you now, baby.” I crawl up her body and take my time entering her, treasuring every movement, until there is nothing between us. I can feel myself all around her, and slowly begin to move. It’s been so long since I’ve been deep inside of her. She’s tight and warm. I trail my fingers up her legs; they are so long and lean. Her skin is soft and smells sweet. I need to slow it down. I can’t let it end. I roll her nipples between my fingers then I stop. Her eyes open wide and she begs me for more. I give her what she wants, taking one of her nipples into my mouth, very gently sucking. She’s yelling and I need to focus on her, what she wants. I pull her nipple between my teeth, biting down with just enough pressure while I roll the other nipple between my fingers, pinching and tugging. I can feel my blood racing through my body; every part of me is tightening up. She begins to shake and quiver, dragging her nails down my back. “Oh, bloody hell.”

  She throws her head back and digs her heels into my arse. She’s screaming, and clawing her nails into me. I lose all control. I feel a dam inside me open. All of the stress and the loss, floods to the surface. I explode like I never have before. I hold her close, knowing that she is the one who has brought me from a world of darkness. She’s the one who put together all the shattered pieces of my heart.

  I carry her into bed, realizing that I could never be without her again. Cradling her in my arms, I fight to hold back all of the emotions that I’ve kept buried for so long. I pull the comforter over us. I’m never letting her go.

  MORNING ARRIVES WITH RAVEN and in a tangled heap. I smile and watch my wife sleep. Everything I need is right here in my arms. I don’t want this peace and comfort to end, but come Monday morning, the craziness will start all over again. Mrs. Osla is overseeing the renovations on the island, which I’ve yet to tell Raven about. I love the mornings when I can hold her in my arms. The quiet and the feeling of knowing she is safe,
overwhelms me.

  “Jax, can you loosen your grip a bit, please. Are you okay?”

  I pull her on top of me still buried balls deep, and I tilt my hips. “What do you think, sweetheart?”

  “What’s bothering you?” She narrows her eyes at me like she’s trying to figure me out.

  “I don’t want this to end. I want to always have this feeling of total bliss.”

  “It will only end if you let it. We can’t give up, and we won’t give up—ever. Why do you fear it will end?”

  I close my eyes and take a deep breath. “I’m worried about court, and everyone’s safety.”

  Her fingers trace over the little lines at the corner of my eyes. “Have faith, think of Die Hard and how the good guy always wins.”

  I throw my head back and laugh. “Raven, I love you.”

  I tilt my hips again; she’s so beautiful. Her hair is tousled, her eyes are bright and her lips are puffy. I’m a lucky bastard. “Ride me, sweetheart, take charge.”

  “Not just yet, my beautiful husband, first I want to kiss you everywhere.” With that, she begins the slow process of kissing me over every inch of my skin. I know I won’t last long. As she kisses each one of my nipples, I tilt my hips and grind into her the way that she loves. I don’t think either one of us is going to last. She lifts her hips and slowly glides down. “Oh, it’s so full this way,” she whimpers before rising again and clenching as she slowly comes down. My eyes roll back, and I fist the sheets, trying to control the tidal wave. She does it again and I lose it, completely shattered. The sight of my undoing sends her over the cliff, I believe. She picks up the pace, the sounds escaping her keeping me hard for her finish. With one last guttural scream, she collapses into my arms. Neither of us move, we are barely able to catch our breath. Both of us silently lost in the intensity of our lovemaking.

  She lifts her head after a few moments. “ Are you okay?”

  “Why wouldn’t I be? My beautiful wife—who just gave me quite the morning shag—is sprawled naked across my body. I’m more than okay, sweetheart.”

  “Well, that same wife needs to crawl off your body like this. It’s getting harder and trickier to do certain things with this growing belly. The same belly that is also rumbling for food.” She climbs off. I jump up after her, lift her up, and head towards the kitchen. “Jax, you can put me down, I can walk.”

  “Nope, I’m spending the entire weekend just like this.”

  “You’re out of your mind, we are not spending the entire weekend like this. Besides, I want to walk on the beach, what would the neighbors think?”

  I frown. “I don’t want to share you with anyone, is that so bad?”

  “Jax, it’s not bad. It’s just not realistic. Let’s look at it this way, when the baby is asleep we will be like this, and when the baby is awake we will let Mr. Cock take a snooze.”

  I stroke my chin. “Sweetheart, I’m really loving this negotiating stuff.”

  She rolls her eyes. “Jax, put me down, please. I want to give you something,” She begs, but I don’t give in. “Jax, the baby is up.” And with that, I put her right down.

  “I’m going to freshen up and you are going to get breakfast going.”

  “What would you like me to make you?”

  “Surprise me.” She kisses me and leaves me to it.

  WHEN I GET BACK to the kitchen, after my shower, I see he has breakfast all set up on the patio. It’s so beautiful here; the sound of the waves and the smell of the ocean. I sit down. I’m starving and before I realize it, I’m halfway through my omelet.

  “Wow, sweetheart, you really were hungry. I can’t let you get that hungry, anymore.”

  I have learned in life you need to pick and choose your battles wisely. I have come to know which ones I can win with Jax, and which ones are best left alone. As long as I don’t let him dominate me all the time, I know we will find a balance.

  “Jax, I really like the beach, and I was thinking maybe we can get a beach house for vacations. It would be nice with the baby to have a safe place to just be.”

  “Well, sweetheart, it’s funny you should mention that.”

  He lifts his napkin and hands me an envelope. “My wedding gift to you.”

  I open it up and begin to read. I’m floored, but yet, I’m not. I look back up at him and see fear in his eyes, his jaw is tight, and I know . . . there is so much more to this than just a gift. I fold it up and say nothing, deciding to give myself time to calm down. I hand him a box. “My wedding gift to you, Jax.”

  He opens the box, his eyes becoming wide like a little boy. He looks at the bowtie, and smiles, but then he reads the quote by Chae Richardson. “Courage is not living without fear. Courage is being scared to death and doing the right thing anyway.”

  I brush my fingertips down the side of his beautiful face. “Now, Jax, do you want to tell me the whole story about the island?”

  “Raven, I don’t even know where to begin.”

  I get up and crawl into his lap. “Start at the beginning,” I suggest. He says nothing. “Jax, when did you buy the island, how about that?”

  He takes a deep breath and closes his eyes. “The same day I tented your building for non-existing termites.” He opens one eye, probably to see if I’m going to flip.

  “Why did you buy it? Go back to that day when you decided this was a great idea, and tell me why.”

  “You were always running away from me. Every time we were together, things would pull us apart. I just wanted to have someplace where we could be together and safe. I wanted to lock us away from the rest of the world. I know it’s crazy, but in my defense, I wasn’t thinking clearly.”

  “So, while we’re locked away on this island, what about everyone else?”

  “Full disclosure; my plan is to have houses built at all different points of the island. Everyone gets a house; we all live there. Mrs. Osla is overseeing all of the renovations.”

  “So, you’re having houses built, and then you’re going to lock the entire family away on this private island. Do you not see how crazy that is?”

  “Honestly, up until the night before the wedding, it seemed perfectly normal to me.”

  I don’t need to ask this, I already know the answer, but maybe if he hears it. “What changed? What, or should I say who, made you see how crazy this is?”

  “Max made me see how unrealistic it was.”

  As I listen to his reasoning, I finally get it. This all goes back to the day his father walked out. Jax’s fear of great loss came then. This is why he operates the way he does, so he never has to feel such pain, again. This is what drives the man.

  “Jax, you have to stop operating out of fear. It’s not good for you, and it’s not good for everyone around you.” I pull his face towards mine and kiss him. I hope that in time he will understand not all love comes with pain and loss. “Thank you, Jax. I guess we have a new vacation destination for the entire family.”

  “Let’s go for that walk on the beach, maybe the baby will get tired and go back to sleep.” He offers me the mischievous smile he’s been sporting a lot lately.

  I TRY TO MOVE, but I can’t. I open my eyes and Max is staring at me. He has an arm and a leg, locking me into place. “How long have you been staring at me?”

  “I haven’t been staring; I’ve been watching you sleep. Do you know when you’re sleeping you look like an angel? I could watch you all day, but I’ve only been awake for ten minutes.”

  “Max, I need to check on Rose. What time is it?”

  “It’s eleven and I checked in with Sammy a couple of minutes ago. Rose is still asleep. What would you like to do today? I know you like to run, but honestly, I’m not up to a full blown run, yet.”

  “What I would really like to do is have a quiet, relaxing day alone with you. I still have more questions. And now that the flurry of the wedding is over, I just want a normal day. There is one thing we need to get cleared up right away. I’m not running away and I’m safe,
so can you please loosen up your grip on me.”

  “Geez, I didn’t realize I was holding you so tight. Did I hurt you?”

  “I’m fine. Let’s get something to eat.”

  WE HEAD TO THE kitchen where I sit and watch Max pull together a delicious breakfast. “This is amazing. I wouldn’t even know where to begin.”

  “I take it, then, you don’t cook?”

  “No, I can make coffee and I can throw together a salad. Do you cook out of necessity, or do you enjoy cooking?”

  “I never really thought about it, I guess a little of both. Let’s take our coffee up to the rooftop deck, it’s beautiful outside.”

  We head upstairs and I’m floored. “Max, this is so beautiful. I would be up here every morning.”

  “Sometimes I come up here just to think and forget, in a city this big, it’s peaceful.”

  I pull him onto one of the lounge chairs. “Max, burying your head in the sand and trying to forget is never going to help you heal. Part of the healing process is talking about it. It’s eating away at you like a cancer.”

  He’s holding me and stroking my arm. “Elliot would have been ten. God, he was so beautiful.”

  Thank God he’s talking. It’s a start. I curl into him, wrapping my arms around him tighter. “It’s okay, baby, take all the time you need.”

  “He was only eight months old. Seeing my wife and baby shot in the head is an image I will take with me to my grave.”

  “Don’t focus on that, focus on the positive. Tell me about him, tell me what you remember.”

  “I remember his smell; sweet, so very sweet. His laugh would fill my heart. He loved music, and I would sing to him all the time. He didn’t care what I was singing, just as long as I was singing. Samantha was good with him. She was fierce at work, but when she walked in the door, she was mum; she knew how to leave work at the door. I never could. I see danger everywhere and anywhere. After everything happened, I became worse.”