by Elisa Leigh
With black tears staining her cheeks and her hair in a stringy sweaty mess, I can’t help but see the stark differences between the stick thin girl in front of me, and the woman my wife—excuse me, ex-wife—is. Maci is all soft curves and sweet words. What the fuck am I even doing with this girl? Unable to even look at her, I pull her by the hair to my dick, dying to get the release I’m craving.
She chokes on me as I shove balls deep to the back of her throat. I fuck her face through the gasps for air and scratches at my thighs. It sounds like she might be trying to say something to me, but I can’t stand the sound of her voice on a good night. Tonight, it would kill the high I’m looking for. When her teeth scrape my dick, the please-pain has the cum in my balls shooting up my shaft and down her throat. Thank fuck. I’m finally able to get this night over with.
Ripping her mouth off my dick, I push her back into her seat and get my pants together. I start the engine and pull back onto the country road we took out here. I see her crying, and wonder what the hell is wrong with her. “You okay?” She looks over at me briefly, then turns and looks out the window. I see her wipe the tears away. She never says a word.
After I drop her off at the park, I know it’s the last time I’ll ever get with her. I know I was too rough on her, but she knows how demanding I can be. She should have known I needed it hard tonight.
While I drive to my place—in fucking town, not in the backcountry—I hatch a plan to get my family back. My dad’s right when he says I’m slipping. I’ll get Maci and Bennett back and lay down the rules. She’ll help get me back to the man I was when we were together, and nights like this won’t happen anymore.
Sixteen
Maci Kate
“Why did you need it back? It fit great,” I ask Reece while we lay in a hot bath together, his thumb brushing over my ring in measured strokes. It has been the longest week. Bennett recovered from the flu and was back to his old self on Saturday, but I must have caught whatever he had. I’ve been so tired and out of it this week. Not to mention, I’ve been throwing up on and off the last couple of days. I wish it would work its way out of my system.
Thank God tomorrow is Friday, and we have the weekend to chill. Last weekend, David came to my parents’ house during a barbecue my parents threw to celebrate our engagement. Everyone from Panthera was invited and showed to celebrate with our families.
Ryan and Cash walked outside to get something out of Cash’s truck. A few minutes later, Reece got a text to meet them outside. He made me promise not to go outside, no matter what I heard. It was late, almost nine thirty, and I didn’t understand what was going on. I agreed, but was a little worried by the look in his eyes. I was thankful Bennett was asleep. Lately, wherever Reece went, Bennett followed.
I watched out the window and overheard most of what David and Reece said that night. I haven’t heard or seen David since Saturday, but I’m concerned about what he wanted to talk about. I can’t help thinking he is going to file for full custody of Bennett. I don’t think any judge in their right mind would grant it. The problem lies in Judge Wilson, David’s uncle. I’m sure he’d pull something to help his nephew out. When I mentioned this to Reece, he told me not to worry about it. He said he had it taken care of, but it’s been on my mind like a song on repeat.
I elbow Reece in the ribs, getting his attention. “Hmm? Oh, I noticed one of the smaller diamonds along the band was coming loose. I took it in to be tightened, so it didn’t fall out.”
Looking over my shoulder, I lean back and kiss him. I turn around to lean my back into his chest again. “Thank you. I’d feel so bad if I lost it. Did you see Benny tonight when you gave him that necklace? How did you even find that for him?”
“I found it at the jewelry store, while I was waiting to get your ring back. They had a collection of Japanese symbols on dog tags. Bennett’s always playing with mine. I thought he’d like it.”
“It’s perfect, Reece. He was so adorable, he refused to take it off during his bath and when he went to bed, he told me, ‘Daddy never takes his off.’”
Reece is distracting me by trailing his hands over every inch of my body, except the one place I need. When his hand gets closer to my pulsing core, I widen my legs, hoping he gets the hint and touches me where I want him most. He chuckles darkly before nipping my ear. “Patience, love. Relax and let me worship at your altar.” I take his advice and melt into him completely, giving him free reign over my body. A moan escapes my lips while he sucks and nibbles on my neck and down to my shoulder.
“Do you know the things I would do to ensure you never felt one more ounce of pain, baby? I’d break every rule, every law, all the codes I live by, to make sure your life is one filled with love and satisfaction,” Reece says as his hands make purchase with my aching breasts. He massages them, and with each moan, his hands become urgent in their aim to bring me to the highest pleasure. His wet fingers pull on my stiff peaks. I can’t help the cry that escapes my lips any more than I can stop moving my hips, searching for something to ease the ache in my pussy.
His hands travel over my ribs and down my stomach. He moves so slow, slower than I can handle, and I grab his hands in mine, urging him to go faster, to touch me. Reece stops immediately, and in a stern voice, he commands me to put my arms around his neck. I comply, knowing he won’t touch me until I’ve fulfilled his demands. “This body is mine to take care of. Your heart is mine to treasure. Don’t rush this. Do not take what I’m trying to give you away from us.” His determined fingers smooth up my thighs, teasing me, showing me that he is the only one who can provide what I urgently demand. Tingles are left in the wake of his fingertips, and I relish the knowledge that soon, my lover will be taking me to nirvana.
“Feel how your body responds so effortlessly to mine. Like two magnets, I’m always drawn to you, and unable to pull away. My every intention, to be linked to you, where nothing, not even air, can separate our connection.”
Two fingers plunge into my core, and I cry out in relief and pleasure. He strokes in and out of me, finding his own rhythm, like a beat that only strums for his ears and my pussy. “Please, Reece. I can’t. I need you inside me, consuming me in the way that only you can.”
Reece stands, bringing me with him. He steps out of the bath and wraps a towel around his hips before helping me out and drying me swiftly. Taking me by the hand, he leads me to our bed, laying me down so that I’m sideways with my legs hanging off the bed. I watch him step between my parted thighs, swiftly filling me, his hips kissing mine.
Reece leans over me, one hand next to my head and the other covering my mouth as he thrusts in and out of my dripping pussy. “God, Maci. You make me see Heaven when I’m inside you. My soul has never known such utter completion before, until the moment I was deep inside you. I love you, Maci Kate. I love your heart. I love how you take care of everyone around you. I love all your imperfections.” He closes his eyes tightly, breathing heavily into my ear. His words are everything to me, but my body is dying for him to rut me like a bitch in heat. I squeeze my pussy muscles as tight as I can, goading him, begging him, needing him. “Fuck! The things your pussy is doing to me. I love your fucking stubborn streak. You make me so hard. I love every single piece of you.” Then he kisses me, the kiss of a thousand lifetimes lived together.
I wrap my legs around him, and my heels dig into his ass, pulling him into me. With every plunge of his hard dick into my needy cunt, I give my devotion and faith to the man who has always had me. Repeatedly, he takes a part of my soul. Who I am starts to fade, and in this moment we are born again into something new. At the heart of this chaotic storm of desire and euphoria, I finally find clarity. “You’re mine, Reece, and I’m yours. We weren’t ever a choice that needed to be made. We have always been destined to happen. We’re one entity, facing this world together.”
Reece grows even harder within me than I thought possible, and his thrusts become faster. “Goddamn. Yes, baby. You’ve got it!” He’s so deep ins
ide me, his pubic bone hits my clit every time he grinds into me. “I’m going to come, love,” he pants into my ear.
“I’m coming, too, Reece. Fill me with your cum, baby. Paint me in it. I want to be so full of you.”
When I let go, light flashes behind my eyes, and I hold onto Reece as if he’s my lifeline. His tight grasp on my hips doesn’t weaken as our breaths start to even out and the final shocks of our orgasms begin to fade.
****
It was hard leaving Reece this morning, especially when he was so sweet and offered to take Bennett to school. It was one of those little things I didn’t know I needed until he did it, taking something off my shoulders and allowing me to breathe a little easier. He’s not only my lover—more importantly, he’s my partner.
It’s the beginning of December, and my students are becoming restless. With the colder weather and holidays being near, they have more important things to worry about than answering questions about novels and mastering their multiplication and division facts. I can’t blame them, either. I can’t wait for that first snowfall. This year, we have more to celebrate than ever. I have a feeling my gift to Reece is going to top anything he could think to give me.
The cool wind breathes a chill into my jacket as I rush to my car. I wait a few moments before pulling out, allowing it to heat up. While I’m waiting, I call my mom and let her know I’m on my way to her house to pick up Bennett.
Driving down the country roads, I take joy in this time of year. I watch as tree after tree is bald of its leaves and brown grass covers the land. Have you ever noticed how quiet our world becomes when the air turns colder? While the animals hibernate, you also slow down, holding on tighter to those that mean the most. I’m blessed to have one more person to hold tight this year forward.
Caught up in my thoughts, I don’t notice my engine light has turned on. When my car begins to shake, and I hear a ticking sound, I pull over, not knowing what’s going on. I turn my car off, hoping that if I restart it, the light will disappear. Please God, let it be the weather that is causing my car to act up. When I turn my key, the engine doesn’t turn over and I begin to get nervous. It’s forty-five degrees outside, but as the sun goes down, it will become much colder. I grab my phone out of my purse to see if I’m somehow able to get a signal out here. I love living out here in the country, but it sucks in times like these when you can’t call in an emergency. Slow down, Maci Kate. Your mom knows you’re on your way. After you haven’t come to pick up Bennett, she’ll get hold of Reece, and he’ll come and get you.
I recline my seat and cuddle up, preparing for my wait. I’ve been sitting here for about a half hour when I hear a car pull up behind mine. Thank God, someone has driven by. I sit up and look in my rearview mirror to see a police cruiser and David walking towards my car. Great. I don’t need his shit right now. I haven’t talked to him, and now that he’s got me alone, he’s going to dig his nails in until I come around to his way of thinking. No luck on that one, buddy.
The last thing I want is to be stuck in a vehicle with him, but I’m cold, and I want to get home. I step out of my car, unable to roll the windows down because it’s completely on the fritz.
“What did you do to your car, Maci? Forget to change the oil for over a year again?” He says, and twists his lips up in a menacing smile. I take a deep breath and steel myself, knowing I need his help.
“I’m not sure what happened. The engine light came on, and then it started shaking and making a weird noise. I pulled over and turned the car off. When I tried to turn it back on, it wouldn’t do anything.”
“Sounds like there’s something wrong with your engine.”
I would laugh if I weren’t so cold. “Mmmhmm. That’s what I thought when the light came on.”
He glares at me. “Don’t be a smart-ass, Maci. It’s unbecoming.”
Ignoring him, I turn and walk to his car, waiting for him to join me. He’s still standing near mine, staring at me, but l have the feeling he isn’t seeing me. Damn, that’s creepy. Rubbing my hands together, I call out to him “You coming?” He shakes his head, like he’s clearing out the fog, and walks over.
“You have to sit in the backseat. I have my computer and shit in the front seat.” I give him the side eye. No one wants to sit in the back of a police car, especially if they aren’t in trouble. He laughs, but it sounds off. I can’t put my finger on it, but something is going on with him. “Do you have your phone? I’ll just call my dad to come pick me up.” I can tell that he’s starting to get frustrated with me. “Come on, Maci. It’s only for a few minutes to your mom’s place. Surely you can be in my presence for that long.” I hesitate, not wanting to go with him. “I have to get on with the rest of my shift, Maci. I’m not waiting around here all day for someone to come get you. Get in the damn car.” He’s right. I know he’s right, but I have a bad feeling in the pit of my stomach. Going against my better judgment, I get in, and he closes the door behind me. When he gets in the front and pulls out onto the road, going the wrong direction, I know I just made a huge mistake.
Seventeen
Reece
It’s six o’clock, and I should have been home an hour ago. I haven’t had time to call Maci, but she knows that if I’m working a case, I tend to lose track of time if I’m in the thick of it. My phone rings, and I know immediately it’s her, checking up on me. When I grab my phone, I see that it isn’t Maci, but her mom, and I begin to get concerned.
“Hello?”
“Reece, is Maci with you?” Cassie asks in a strained voice. My vision begins to dim, and my heart starts beating rapidly in my chest.
“No. Did she pick Bennett up already? She should be home by now.”
“She called me an hour ago and said she was on her way. She never showed. I tried calling her, but she isn’t answering. I’m worried about her, Reece.”
I hear a commotion in the background, and what must be Will talking to Cassie.
“Reece, it’s Will. I just got home from work. On my way, I found Maci’s car. She wasn’t in it, but neither were her things. I’m hoping she got a ride with someone, but I don’t know.”
I don’t think I can breathe. I’m shaking so bad that I collapse into the chair behind me and drop my phone. A strong hand pushes my head between my legs, and he tells me to breathe. Anderson. My brother, my friend. I hear Cutter in the background speaking, and I sit up. I track him on my phone, talking to Will and gathering as much information that he can.
“I’ll call you when I know anything. Yes, he’s still here. He needed a minute. Yeah, I would be, too. Okay, talk to you in a bit,” Cutter says before hanging up and pocketing my phone. I jump to my feet, but before I can do anything, I’m surrounded by my team. Kingston, Owens, Spader, Donovan, Anderson, and Cutter, all of them standing in a huddle around me.
After a moment—because that’s all I’m willing to give—I look to Kingston.
“Owens, you put that tracking device in her ring last week, didn’t you?” Kingston asks, reminding me of the one thing that could save her life. I can’t believe I forgot about it.
“I sure did. Here, let me pull up the information so everyone can see. Boys, take a seat at the table.” We do as he says and watch as he brings up his tracking software, then projects it onto the wall so we can all see what he’s talking about.
“This has Wilson written all over it. I don’t know how he’s involved, but he is. We need to get eyes on him and figure out where he is, too,” I state while we wait.
“Her tracking is placing her in the mountains. Give me a few minutes, and I’ll get an address.” I can’t sit still. I’m about to start pacing the room and pulling my hair out when Owens shouts, “Got it.” We all look up and see a satellite view of where she’s being kept. It looks like a rundown cabin. What’s she doing there?
I stand up, pushing away from the table and sending my chair careening into the wall. I make it to the door when Cutter asks, “Are you leaving without this?” I tu
rn around to see him waving my phone in the air. “Toss it.” I hold my hands out, waiting for him to throw it to me, but he puts my phone on the table. He walks towards me and squares up, hands on his hips. He waits. I cross my arms and nod for him to say his piece.
“Be smart about this, Atwood. We are trained to do exactly this, to extract people in these shitty situations. This is our job, and we do it well. You know, just as each of us do, that going in there without a plan is dangerous to everyone—especially the victim.”
My jaw ticks. “Call her a victim again, Owens, and I’ll break your fucking face. She’s my fiancée, for Christ’s sake. She’s everything, and she’s in the fucking mountains with God knows who. It’s probably her fucking crazy ex. Now give me my phone and get out of my way, so I can get her out of there.”
“No. We are doing this right. You are getting Maci out of there safe and secure.” Anderson points towards the door. “Now get the fuck over here so we can make a plan.”
I know he’s right. Logan is saying everything that I would if he or any of the men in my unit were in this same situation. I walk back to the table, and Logan follows me back.
“Owens, have you tracked Wilson’s phone?”
“The last tower it pinged from was twenty miles away from that cabin. Atwood was right in suspecting him of taking Maci,” Owens tells us.
“Nothing good can be going on. Hopefully, he sticks to talking until we get there. That fucker is unbalanced. I wouldn’t trust him with a kid. Thank God Bennett wasn’t with her,” Cutter comments.
“Will you shut the fuck up? Everything out of your mouth is pissing me off,” I tell the asshole.