She stripped off her soggy jogging clothes, leaving them in a pile on the floor. She started the shower, waiting until the water was good and hot before stepping in.
The hard, humid spray felt good, soothing her tired muscles. She sighed as she turned and turned once more, letting the water calm her nerves from being in Max’s shower. In Max’s bathroom. In Max’s house.
She really never thought about where he lived or in what style he lived. The only thing she knew was that he didn’t live with his parents. She had just assumed he lived in an apartment somewhere. But this was a surprise; she never even imagined anything like this.
She shouldn’t be surprised though. She knew Max was a determined, hard-working man. If he wanted something, he went after it until he got it.
Her spidey sense tingled. If he wanted something, he went after it until he got it.
She barely heard the rap on the bathroom door before it opened and Max let himself in. Her heart flipped suddenly, her pulse started pounding when she heard him over the shower.
“Phew, it’s steamy in here. Do you need help scrubbing your back?”
His blurred figure was barely visible through the opaque shower door—the only barrier between him and her naked body. “I can manage.”
“I can reach all those places you can’t.”
Amanda stilled under the hot stinging spray. Her teeth tugged at her lower lip.
“’Manda?”
His deep voice just saying her name like a caress made her toes curl in the swirl of the water. The bar of soap slipped from her fingers. It clunked loudly against the shower floor.
“Amanda, are you okay?” Max opened the stall door and stopped midmotion. “You are definitely okay. Hell.”
Thin rivers of water streamed down her body, making her aware of every inch of skin that he could see. She raised her eyes from the fallen soap to look at the man who was staring at her like she was every man’s fantasy. He could do that. He could make her feel so wanted…so desired. And at that moment, she only wanted to be one man’s fantasy.
She let out a shaky breath.
“Are you coming out or am I coming in?” His grin was crooked and strained as if he was struggling to control himself.
“Both.” She reached out to take a handful of his T-shirt and pulled him into the shower. The water quickly soaked his clothes. She wrapped her arms around his neck and stood on tiptoes, leaning her bare body against him. “Kiss me.”
He bent his head and murmured against her lips, “I’m so glad these boots are waterproof,” and captured her lips with his.
He explored the deep recesses of her mouth while brushing his thumbs over her taut nipples, driving her completely out of her mind. The kiss broke as she gasped. He raised his head slightly. “You know, I’d love to fuck you in the shower, but it would take me a while to peel out of these wet jeans. So I have another idea.”
Max backed her up against the tile wall and dropped to his knees.
It wasn’t to pick up the soap.
He placed her hands on his shoulders and lifted her leg up until it also was balanced on his broad shoulder.
He had one hand against her belly, supporting her as he kissed the outer edge of her pussy lips, his tongue dipping inside, tasting her.
His other hand spread her apart, and he sucked at her clit until fire started deep within her belly. Her breasts felt large and heavy, her nipples hard. She sucked in her stomach and tilted her pelvis, giving him better access. The warm water from the shower with the combination of his tongue made a groan escape her. She let her head drop back against the tile, and she closed her eyes. She didn’t want to see his dark head between her thighs; she wanted to feel him. She wanted to focus solely on the sensations he was causing with his fingers and his tongue. He stroked her, nipped her, sucked her. Fingers plucked at her clit, slid into to her and curved.
He touched that spot and stroked it. Again and again. It made both her jaw and pussy clench against the bizarre but deeply arousing sensation. He strummed her like a guitar, tuning her up. She bit her bottom lip and cried out. Her back arched uncontrollably. He wouldn’t stop. His lips on her clit, his fingers searching, stroking. She wanted to scream at him to stop, that it was unbearable. She couldn’t take any more.
The orgasm started at her toes, curling them, as the shock waves ran up her legs, into her pussy, exploding. She cried out again. Her fingers dug into his shoulders as she tried to avoid collapsing. But he drew away and stood, giving her a brush of his lips before taking her into his arms.
She tensed for a second, then relaxed into him and whispered, “Was it as good for you as it was for me?”
Her body vibrated with his deep chuckle.
As Max puttered around his kitchen making dinner, Amanda took the time to explore his home. Dressed in one of his old T-shirts and an even older pair of boxer shorts, she made short work of inspecting every room.
The house was beautiful. Amanda guessed it to be about five years old. The furniture was minimal and rustic, fitting in nicely with the hewed-log walls. A few pictures of his family were sprinkled around the living room, but curiously, not one of them included a woman besides his mother. His bed—which looked handmade—was huge and inviting; she thought about how they could make use of it later.
She also discovered Marc’s room—it was one of only three rooms on the second floor—and agreed with Max. Greg was actually neater, and from what she saw, Marc wasn’t hard to beat. She shut the door quickly before anything crawled out.
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 plac
ed 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 surprised 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.
Brothers in Blue: The Complete Trilogy: Brothers in Blue Boxed Set - Books 1-3 Page 14