by Anthology
The sweetest smile covered his face. “Yes and as soon as I can get a condom on.”
But she’d heard her yes and that was all she needed. She brought her hands up and smoothed them over the muscles of his shoulders and down to his chiseled chest and the dusting of masculine hair she found there. Many men waxed or shaved, but Macon had just enough hair to be manly. She let her hands roam as her body was processing the delicious sensation of having exploded. She could sense how wet and messy she’d gotten, but she had the feeling Macon loved that so she wasn’t about to protest. His hips were moving, cock nestled against her clit, and every time he slid it over her she shivered with the promise.
She let her hands slide down to cup his backside. God, he was muscled everywhere.
With a deep groan, he pushed himself off her and she noticed he’d placed a small stack of condoms on the bed next to them. He grinned. “Kai slipped me some as we walked out the door.”
She watched him rip one open, but then her eyes slid to the most gorgeous sight she’d ever seen. He was up on one knee, his abs tight, holding the balance. He stopped in the middle of pulling the condom out and his eyes turned wary.
“Don’t you fucking dare, Miles.” She wasn’t having a second of that. “I’m the first woman who’s seen you naked since the accident, right?”
He nodded.
“Okay, then I’m the expert. Get over it. You’re gorgeous and if you knew the things I was thinking about doing with that stump right now, you would blush and think I was the worst kind of pervert in the world. I’m crazy about every inch of you.”
“I think I like you perverted, Allyson.” He fished the condom out and started to roll it over his enormous erection.
He moved again, angling his body down, and she was made aware of the strength it took for him to get through a day. He’d been forced to relearn everything about the way he moved.
“I think I could love you, Miles.” The minute the words were out of her mouth, she wanted to call them back. She’d never said those words to any man. Not one. She hadn’t even said them to Ronnie and he’d been her brother. What was she thinking?
He settled on top of her. “I’m glad because I know I could love you, Jones. Give us some time, baby. We’re going to be so good together.”
His face went tight as he pushed against her, slowly inching his way in. Despite the fact that she was wetter than she’d been her whole life, she could feel him stretching her. He was so big, so gloriously male, and for the first time she could see the beauty in that. She’d lived in fear much of her life, but Macon’s strength wouldn’t be used against her. He would protect her, guard and cherish her. Even now, when he’d given her more pleasure than she’d known was possible, he was taking his time so he didn’t hurt her.
She could have told him that he could do his worst. Her whole body felt languid and relaxed and she wanted to give back to him.
She could have told him that, but then he flexed inside her and the tension started to build again. He pressed in, filling her up, and she gasped at the sensation. Surely she couldn’t do that again. Except it really looked like she could.
“What? Did you think I would let you get away with just one?” Macon asked in a sexy growl. He flexed again, pushing his cock deep inside her. “I want it all, Ally. I want everything you can give me and you can definitely give me one more orgasm before I come.”
He ground against her and set a hard rhythm. She angled up, trying to take him even deeper. This was what she’d been missing her whole life, this connection, this intimacy. She’d never felt as close to another human being as she did with Macon inside her, working over her, giving her everything he could. She wrapped her legs around him, circled him with her arms and sighed when he leaned down to kiss her. His mouth took hers even as he thrust in and pulled back out with his dick. His tongue found the rhythm, too.
Over and over he thrust inside until she was crying and begging for him to send her over the edge. She loved the arrogant grin he got on his face as he gave her what she wanted and she went flying all over again.
He seemed to finally lose his control as she tightened around him. When she dug her nails in, he groaned and pounded into her. Every stroke of his cock took her higher and higher until she screamed out his name and gave him everything he’d asked for.
His whole body stiffened and he held himself hard against her core.
He finally dropped down, his body sagging against hers. His head found the curve of her neck and he rested there.
She stroked his back and for once the world seemed like a peaceful place.
Chapter Six
Macon smiled as his brother walked in after a brief knock on the front door. He’d left it open to get some fresh air and sunshine. He was a fresh air and sunshine kind of guy today. He was also a breakfast kind of guy. Hungry. Lots and lots of sex had made him hungry. He continued to whip the batter he was making to get it fluffy and light. “Good morning. You want a waffle? It’s a waffle kind of day.”
Adam was still wearing pajama pants at ten in the morning. His brother was barefoot, his dark hair wet as though he’d gotten out of the shower, dressed, and walked over. “I’m glad to hear it. I take it things went well with Ally after last night?”
Something was up, but Macon couldn’t quite bring himself to get worried. His body was still humming from sex the night before…and then again this morning…and in the shower a few minutes before. Ally had finally shooed him away claiming she wouldn’t be able to walk if he didn’t stop.
He felt like an unruly teenager. His cock wouldn’t stop. She was everything he wanted. Affectionate, giving, submissive in bed. He didn’t want her submissive out of it. He liked the fact that she had her own opinions and didn’t mind giving them to him. He even liked her a little bossy. He was man enough to admit that he needed it from time to time. Like her yelling at him for getting insecure about his damn leg. She liked his leg the way it was and she’d proved it by riding the damn thing to orgasm while he sucked and played with her nipples—two of the many things he found endlessly fascinating about her.
His leg was practically a sex toy. How could he hate that?
“Things are going great.” Finally. It had only taken him thirty years, but his life finally felt right. He loved his job, loved living close to his brother, and now he had Ally. Whatever had brought his brother across the lawn, he was going to handle. “What’s going on? You didn’t walk over here to ask about my love life.”
Adam leaned on the bar. “No, although Serena was planning on it. You’re lucky I caught her. She was trying to sneak over before nine this morning with a plate full of muffins.”
“Did she make them herself?” He loved his sister-in-law, but she wasn’t the world’s greatest cook. She tended to burn things or leave out key ingredients like sugar or flour. She got distracted by what she called “plot bunnies.”
“Yep. That’s how curious she was. And that’s another reason you should thank me. You didn’t have to pretend to like them.” Adam threw a glance back toward the bedrooms. “So, we didn’t manage to terrify her? Serena said Ally had a talk with Kai after the party was over.”
“Yes, Kai is a sneaky fucker, but he means well.”
“He told me you’re going up to the VA with him a couple of times a month.”
Macon hadn’t mentioned it to Adam. He wasn’t sure how good he’d be at it. He’d gone three times and it seemed to be working all right. He knew he got something out of it. “I’m just there to talk to what I like to call the ‘recently relieved of limb.’”
He talked to them, gave them advice on what he’d found worked. From skin issues to keeping the muscle he had remaining on his impaired leg, he could talk about the problems they faced all day. But sometimes, they simply needed to talk, and talking to someone who understood helped.
And he’d found it helped him in immeasurable ways.
“Do you have any idea how proud I am of you, Macon? How proud she wou
ld be?” Adam’s hand patted the cookbook their mother had left behind. Adam had looked through it a few times, but he’d left it with Macon.
If he didn’t watch it, his brother was going to make him look like a crazy person, crying over his waffles. “I don’t know. I think I gave up the right when I treated you the way I did. I think she would have been extremely disappointed in me then.”
“I think if she’d lived we wouldn’t have ended up the way we did. I wonder about it a lot. I think the old man loved her. There’s not really another explanation. He had all the money. He had the connections. I think he loved her and the only good part of him died when she did. He got cold after that. He turned away from everything, including us. He married, but someone who had nothing in common with Mom. If Mom had lived, we would have been a family, not three males being raised to honor a name that really means nothing without some love behind it. You’re going to hate me for saying this, but sometimes I’m glad you had to come here.”
Macon understood. Adam wasn’t saying he was happy he’d gotten injured, but it had led to a good thing. “I cursed it for so long, but I know what you mean. If it hadn’t happened, we wouldn’t be brothers again. I wouldn’t have a family. Sometimes it’s too easy to curse the place we’re at in life because we can’t see where the road is going to lead us. I wouldn’t have found Ally.”
Adam’s smile put him at ease again. “I’m glad she’s making you happy. She seems like a great woman. She’s good with Tristan and she’s become Serena’s white board buddy lately. I’ve heard them plotting sex and murder three times this week. By the way, if you see either woman playing around with a chainsaw, hide. They’re really creative.”
He hadn’t realized how the simple act of connecting with his brother could change his life, his perspective, his everything. Having Adam as a brother fundamentally made his life better. “I promise. And have I said thank you lately?”
“There’s no need. Not ever. You’re my brother and you always have a place here.” Adam sobered. “I came over here to talk to you about family actually. Our very fucked up one. I got a call from Dad about twenty minutes ago.”
Macon set down the whisk and felt his shoulders tighten. “What’s wrong? Did he take a turn?”
Adam shook his head. “No. He’s still in remission. You know I think the old goat will likely outlast the rest of us. He was looking for you. He said he doesn’t have your new cell number.”
“Why? He said everything he needed to say when I tried to come home.” He relaxed a little. It didn’t matter. What mattered was Ally and she was getting ready for breakfast and then they would go down and help out with the cleanup at Top.
“It seems that Elise has had a change of heart. She left Alan three days ago and dear old Dad thinks she’s on her way down here.”
Warmth spread through his system. This was what revenge felt like. Big Tag talked about it a lot. Now he got it. “Oh, she figured out Alan went through his trust fund years ago. This is a good day.”
Now he could go back to his waffles. He started to warm up the iron and opened the fridge to grab the blueberries for his compote.
“He asked about you. About how you’re doing with the leg,” Adam said.
Macon shrugged. “He didn’t care before. I’m not sure why he does now.”
“I know why he cares. A private investigator called asking him about the incident that cost you your leg.”
And just like that his appetite was blown. “That was a year ago.”
“The PI thinks there’s something you’re covering up,” Adam explained. “Apparently he got information from Private First Class Rowe’s family. They don’t believe that things went down the way you said they did.”
“I told the Army everything.”
Adam’s voice went soft. “Macon, you were trapped underneath that car for two days.”
That was only supposed to be in the official, classified report. “How do you know that?”
Adam’s eyes rolled. “Do you know who I am? Do you think I can’t get hold of a couple of non-sanitized reports? Hell, I didn’t even have to hack anything. Big Tag got them for me. I read them on my way to pick you up.”
Macon’s chest felt too tight. Adam had known all along. “You read them months ago and you’re only now asking about it?”
Adam shook his head. “It didn’t matter before. Now it does. Now it looks like some PI is going to come after you. I need to know if you lied on that report, Macon. I need to know what happened so I can clean it up for you.”
“There is nothing to clean up. We got hit by an IED and then attacked by a small group of insurgents. They took apart my whole team and I was the only one left alive. We were so deep in enemy territory that I wasn’t extracted for days. I was the only survivor. Why would I lie?” Because the truth would be too painful for everyone, including himself. Because Rowe deserved better than what happened to him out in that desert.
“They did a good job on the reports. They pushed them through very quickly. Someone was watching out for you, but I wish they’d fudged that one bullet. The bullet that killed Private First Class Rowe wasn’t the same as the rest of your unit. They were killed with AK-47s, typical of the Taliban. Rowe was killed with a nine-millimeter handgun.”
“Don’t push me Adam.” He wasn’t ready for this. Not even close.
“You need to talk to his mother.”
“I know.” He needed to face the mother and the sister. What was her name? Sarah. Carla and Sarah Rowe. He would explain everything to them. Everything except the truth. They didn’t need to know that. Maybe once he talked about how brave Ronnie was, how much he’d liked the man, maybe they would back off. As for the investigator, he didn’t even know how to handle that.
“You know what Dad thinks, right?” Adam stared at him, the ugly truth sitting between them.
He nodded. It was one more reason for his father to hate him.
“You know I understand,” Adam said, sympathy plain on his face. “I know why you’re being quiet. You have to tell them. You have to tell that family why you lied. No one who understands what it’s really like out there would think twice about doing what you did. It’s exactly the reason they pushed that report through as fast as they did. Everyone knows what really happened and why you would lie about it.”
“Rowe’s mother and sister don’t know and I can’t tell them, Adam. I can’t fucking tell them the truth.” At least his brother didn’t think the worst of him.
A long sigh came from Adam as he obviously decided to give up the fight. For now. “All right. I’m going to put Ian on the investigator. He’ll get it all shut down and I’ll look into the family. I’ll see what I can do, but I still think you should talk to them.”
“Find out if they’re okay.” Guilt sat in his gut. He should have talked to them before now, but he’d been so lost. He knew beyond a shadow of a doubt that he couldn’t really move on with Ally until he’d dealt with the Rowes. “Find out about them. I know he was born in Alabama, but I think his family moved all up and down the Gulf.”
“I’ll get started on it tomorrow.”
“Or maybe I should reply to his sister’s e-mail.” She hadn’t written him for weeks now, but he could find the address.
Adam shook his head. “You could have done that in the beginning, but not now. They’ve complicated the situation by bringing in private detectives. Let me handle this part. Let me and Jake figure out exactly what their situation is. I think it’s best if you go in knowing what to expect.”
“Let me know what you find out.”
The door opened and Ally walked out, her hair in a towel. Her body was wrapped in a robe and she gave Adam a smile as she headed straight for the coffee. There was something so right about having Ally walk through the house in a robe. Like she belonged here with him. “Good morning, Adam.”
“Morning, Ally. I’ll talk to you two later.” His brother pushed off from the bar. “And I’ll get back to you by Wednesd
ay, Macon.”
Ally looked at him over her coffee mug. “Get back to you about what?”
The screen swung shut and Macon tried to let the tension leave with him. He didn’t want Ally looking into this. She could be very bossy if she thought there was a problem. He needed to get his ducks in a row and then he would sit her down and explain what he’d done and why he needed to ensure Ronnie’s family never knew. She would see that he was right and help him. He knew it. She was the one. “Just some business we’re dealing with. Come here. I need you to stir while I get the griddle ready. I think Sunday waffles are a new tradition.”
Her arms came around his back and flattened against his chest. She pressed herself against him and he was glad he’d left off the shirt. He’d put on a pair of shorts for the first time in forever. He was actually comfortable for once and all because Ally had convinced him he wasn’t a freak. Well, he kind of was, but that was a good thing.
He felt her kiss his back. “I like the sound of that, Miles.”
She kissed him again and then got down to serious whisking.
He worked beside her, listening to her hum.
It was going to be all right. For the first time since the accident, he had real hope for the future.
***
Three days later, Ally wiped down the last of the new tables and breathed deeply. Chef was breaking in some of the new appliances. She could smell the heavenly scent of braised short ribs. The kitchen doors opened and she got the briefest glimpse of her hunky guy. He was leaning over his station, patiently decorating the strawberry Napoleons he was testing out tonight.
“Okay, what if her partner somehow managed to get the information uploaded to her GPS before he was murdered. Then she’s got the location of the reports in her navigation system and all she has to do is follow instructions,” Serena said as she walked back from where she’d been hanging new drapes.
Serena had been combating writer’s block for days. She claimed doing tasks like cleaning or decorating helped get her head back in the game.