Maximus

by Riley Edwards

  “Jesus, you’re cute.”

  “Huh?”

  Max leaned in, kissed my cheek, my forehead, then brushed his lips against mine. He didn’t move away—instead, he whispered, “You’re cute as hell when I know you’re thinking dirty thoughts.”

  “I am not,” I denied.

  “So you weren’t just thinking about me and you in the shower together?”

  “Okay, I was thinking about that,” I admitted. “But you were naked, wet, and soaping me up. So doesn’t that make my thoughts clean, not dirty?”

  His body started shaking and I didn’t miss it because at some point, my hands had made their way to his chest and I felt him fighting back laughter.

  “Well, technically, I’m right,” I said, our lips still so close all it would take was the slightest move and they’d be touching.

  But I didn’t move. I didn’t do anything but stand there and enjoy a moment of teasing.

  “Yeah, baby. Technically, I’d get you clean before I got you nice and dirty.”

  The area between my legs started tingling, which made it hard for me to remember I needed to get breakfast for the boys.

  “I need to get the boys breakfast,” I voiced my thoughts.

  Max closed the scant distance and gave me a long, hard, closed-mouth kiss before he stepped away.

  “So… Florida,” Max started and I groaned. Back to reality. “We’ll call Tex later, but I’d like you to think about something.”

  “What’s that?” I asked when he didn’t continue.

  Max’s gaze went to the direction of the living room before it sliced back to me. All humor was gone. He wasn’t frowning as such, but he certainly looked unsure.

  “Tex is adamant you don’t go back to Florida, which I have to tell you I agree with him. I’d like you to consider staying here.”

  “In Maryland?”

  Hope springs eternal and all that shit.

  So there I was, seriously contemplating making another huge decision. One that would affect not only me, but my boys. A move that could either be just what we needed or blow up in my face with disastrous results.

  “Here in this house.”

  “I can’t afford this house,” I told him.

  “Z Corps is renting the house.”

  “Z Corps? I don’t know what that is.”

  “It’s the company I work for.”

  That one sentence was like a wet blanket, reminding me I didn’t know anything about the man I’d agreed to enter into some sort of relationship with.

  “What’s that look for?”

  Max reached up and used his thumb to pull my bottom lip from between my teeth. The pad of his thumb wiped away the sting and it was then I realized how hard I’d bitten down.

  “I don’t know anything about you.”

  “What would you like to know?” he asked, not removing his hand from the side of my face, though his thumb had moved to my chin where he was now stroking.

  “Everything.” I shrugged.

  “Everything’s gonna take a while.”

  “Do you have something better to do today?”

  “I can think of a few things that would be better, yes.”

  I’m sure he could.

  “I think…”

  “Eva, I was joking. If you want to know something, ask. But you need to know there are things I can’t tell you.”

  “Like what?”

  “Like what I did in the Navy. The missions I went on.”

  I nodded like I understood when I really didn’t.

  I wasn’t a complete idiot. I’d seen action movies, I watched the news, so I had a general understanding of military operations and that those carrying out the missions weren’t supposed to talk about them, but I’d never known anyone who’d actually been in the military.

  Then something dawned on me. “How do you know Tex?”

  “I met him when we were in the Navy.”

  “Oh. I didn’t know he served.”

  “He did. He was one of the best operators the teams had ever trained.”

  “The teams? Is that a nickname for the Navy?”

  Max tilted his head to the side and he looked downright bewildered.

  “No, Eva. The SEAL teams.”

  “Right. You were a SEAL.” Max righted his head and smiled. He was no longer looking at me bemused but completely amused. “Why are you staring at me like that?”

  “Only you.” He chuckled.

  “Only me what?”

  “You know, when I was in the teams there were women who perused bars specifically to try to nail a SEAL. Their skills for spotting a team guy are so legendary we have a name for them.”

  “So?”

  “So, nothing. I find it comical that you’re not impressed in the slightest.”

  “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean—”

  “Shh, Eva.” Max brushed his thumb over my lips, silencing me. “You didn’t offend me. I like that you don’t care.”

  “Why do you like it?” I asked before I could stop myself.

  “Because too many women in my past only cared about my job. All they wanted was the Hollywood dramatization—the rough and rugged bad-boy.”

  “They used you because you were a SEAL?” I inquired resentfully.

  “Something like that.” Max chuckled.

  “That’s not funny, Max. They used you to get you into bed.”

  “Yeah, honey, it’s hilarious.”

  “I don’t see how. That’s kinda gross. What kind of skank only takes a man to bed because he’s a SEAL?”

  “A Frog Hog,” he told me.

  “A what?”

  “That’s what those women are called. And trust me, Eva, they do not use us. We’re very aware of what they’re good for.”

  “That’s gross, too.”

  Max sobered and I wondered if now I’d offended him. It was not lost on me that Max had had a goodly amount of partners—more like a godly number of them. I bet he’d taken more than one or a hundred Frog Hogs to bed.

  The thought of him in bed with another woman made my stomach sour and my jealousy surface.

  “I should make the kids breakfast,” I told him, needing the conversation to be over.

  “First, tell me why you’re frowning.”

  “No reason,” I lied.

  “If you have a question—ask. If you have something to say—say it. But don’t hide from me.”

  “You know, people don’t have to voice their every thought.”

  “I’m not talking about people. I’m talking about you and me. And if something’s weighing on your mind, don’t hide it from me. Because if you haven’t caught on yet, I don’t hold back.”

  That was an understatement.

  “Fine,” I huffed. “I was thinking that I’ve slept with three men.”

  “And?” Max’s guard slammed down and his eyes turned to ice.

  “And you’ve obviously slept with more than three.”

  “And?” he repeated.

  “And nothing. You wanted to know what I was thinking and that was it.”

  Max continued to study me, and I fought not to fidget under his scrutiny.

  “They meant nothing. Less than nothing. They wanted one thing from me and the feeling was entirely mutual. There was no after-sex lingering.”

  “Max, I don’t need to know this.”

  “No, I think you do, Eva. You need to understand that, yes, they were using me and I was using them. And never did I allow any of them to ever cuddle up next to me. Which sure as fuck means I never pulled one close and held on because the thought of her leaving my bed made me physically ache.”

  My heart started thundering in my chest and the hope I’d been trying to keep at bay blossomed. No, that wasn’t right—it busted open and overshadowed my doubts.

  “And one last thing, there’s no comparison—so get that out of your head. Everything about you is different and I don’t just mean the way we are, physically. I mean everything. Trust me enou
gh to know I wouldn’t have asked you to take a chance on us if I didn’t know with blinding clarity just how different you are from those other women.”

  I did trust him. Max Brown was nothing like any other man I’d ever met. Max was not a liar. He was not a crook or a drug dealer. And even though I couldn’t stop myself from worrying that he’d break my heart, I knew down to my bones he’d never hurt my boys—and they were what was important.

  And Tex trusted Max. That meant a great deal to me. Tex was the best person I knew. So I didn’t know much about Max but I knew he was a good, decent, honest man. It wasn’t a lot but it was something—and right now, something was better than nothing.

  “I do trust you,” I confessed. “But I’m still scared.”

  “I’ll tell you a secret, honey.” Max leaned forward, his breath fanned across my neck and goose bumps pebbled. Then he whispered, “So am I.”

  My knees turned to jelly and I sagged against Max.

  “Will you trust me?” I asked.

  There was a pregnant pause and I didn’t know until after I asked how much his answer meant to me.

  “Yeah, honey, you’re teaching me how to trust.”

  It wasn’t exactly the proclamation I wanted to hear, but it was a damn good start.

  Chapter 24

  Retreat and regroup.

  It sounded better than run and hide, which was essentially what I was doing. That was part of why I was making myself absent during breakfast. I wasn’t being a complete coward, I figured she’d enjoy some time alone with Eli and Liam, not to mention, I needed to check in with Zane.

  But mostly I needed to clear my head. When Eva asked me if I trusted her, I was unprepared. I knew my answer wasn’t the one she wanted but she’d still smiled and went about her business, like my lame, “I’m learning to” was enough. Maybe it was. The truth was, I didn’t distrust her. Wasn’t that the same thing as trusting her?

  And holy hell, the woman was cute when she was pissed on my behalf. When had that ever happened? Add in the jealousy she didn’t admit to but was written clear as day on her pretty face and my gut had clenched with some unknown feeling. All I knew was, I didn’t want her to feel any sort of wariness about the many nameless women in my past. It was not the first time I’d seen jealousy aimed my way, but it was the first time I cared. The first time I felt something akin to shame that I’d made good use of what was being offered.

  Frog Hogs were a dime a dozen. They were unavoidable if you went to a bar in San Diego or Virginia Beach. They could sniff out a SEAL a mile away. And when those women caught the scent—they pounced.

  They only wanted you because you have a trident pinned to your chest. And those bitches were crafty, they know who they’re looking for. They know the difference between a color and a number and have no issue asking straight out if you’re part of the regular teams or DEVGRU. But not Eva. She couldn’t care less about my trident, or that I’d been part of Team Six. When she looked at me, she saw only one thing—me. Eva didn’t even know that the teams were designated by a number, or what the Development Group known as SEAL Team Six was. She had no clue those teams are separated into colors.

  DEVGRU was where I’d met Zane Lewis, my boss. He was a team leader for the Red Team, the best of the best of Team Six—the tip of the spear. The squad every SEAL wanted to be a part of, so it was only apt that Zane coded his teams as colors when he started Z Corps: Red, Gold, and Blue. With talks of adding a forth team if demand continued to be high. And unfortunately in the world we lived in—full of scumbags and criminals—business was always good, when your business was dispatching the fuckers to hell.

  I sat on my bed debating how I was going to approach my boss about taking over the lease agreement on the safehouse when my phone rang.

  The devil himself—like just thinking about him could summon him.

  “Yo,” I greeted. “I was getting ready to call you.”

  “Bet you were.” Zane chuckled. “Let me guess, you were calling to tell me you’re in love.”

  What the fuck?

  “Have you bumped your fuckin’ head? Who do you think I am, Brooks?”

  “Yeah, he turned into a surly bastard when Tatiana caught him in her web.”

  In her web?

  “Now you’re talking crazy. Please tell me you’re not growing soft in your old age.”

  “If you’re not calling to tell me you’re in love,” he said, ignoring my jab, “then you won’t mind I was talking to Tex last night. And even though he disagrees, I think Eva Dawson should reach out to the prosecutor’s office.”

  “Hell to the fucking no,” I growled.

  “Christ. It’s true.”

  “What’s true?”

  “When Dec told me you were in love, I didn’t believe it. No fuckin’ way, that’s what I told him when he called to tell me to batten down the hatches. I was just bustin’ your balls earlier about—”

  “Wait. Declan did what?”

  “Don’t act shocked, brother. You were there when Brooks brought Tatiana home—hell, you tried to shoot the woman.” Why in the actual fuck was everyone still bringing that up?

  “Tatiana and I are fine,” I reminded him.

  “Yeah, now you are. But you weren’t back then.”

  “What does this have to do with Dec callin’ you and gossiping like a fuckin’ old woman?”

  “My point is, you’re not new. You know Dec wasn’t calling to gossip. He was callin’ to warn me.”

  Fucking hypocrite. Dec was sneaking around behind everyone’s back but he called my boss to “warn” him.

  “Right. Because Dec’s in a position to warn you,” I snapped.

  “Is there something I need to know about Declan?”

  “Nope. Just sayin’ he shouldn’t’ve called you because he’s wrong.”

  “So you’re not fucking Eva Dawson?”

  Damn, his question was like a knife to the gut. I was fucking Eva, but also wasn’t fucking-fucking her. I was also doing other stuff with her, that I wasn’t ready to discuss with Zane or anyone else for that matter. Not that I even could when I didn’t know what the hell I was doing.

  After a few moments, Zane continued, “I’ll take your silence as a yes.”

  Fuck.

  “I don’t care how you take it and I’ll be having words with Dec later.”

  “Remember when Kyle brought Anaya home?”

  How could I forget? I was a total asshole to her the first time I met her. Though it must be noted, she didn’t let me get away with it, and rightly handed me my ass in front of both my team and the members of Red Team. Since then, I’ve grown to trust and respect the woman.

  “Yep,” I answered, not sure I wanted to know where Zane was going with his line of questioning but I was sure I wasn’t going to like where it led.

  “This works out perfectly,” he muttered. “I told you fuckers, the next one of you brings a woman home with the intention of keeping her, I was sending you away. And I cannot believe I’m saying this, since I never thought I’d see the mighty Maximus Brown with all his trust issues in the middle of a hostile takeover, no doubt trying to formulate a battle plan to fortify his Fortress of Suspicion. My plan is perfect.”

  If I heard Zane say that to anyone else, I would’ve laughed my ass off, but since he was saying it to me, I wasn’t happy. But I ignored his snarky commentary and honed in on the part I really didn’t like and that was his plan.

  “What plan?”

  “The plan where you take Eva to Alaska.”

  “No fucking way—”

  “I know,” Zane sighed. “This is the part where you forget you’re on my payroll and tell me if I don’t change my mind, you’ll take Eva and run. But if you step back, stow your dick, and check your heart for a second and think, you’ll see I’m right. Eva going to Alaska solves everything, and it’s done on our terms in a timely fashion.”

  I wasn’t sure that, even if I were thinking clearly where Eva was concerned—which I
freely could admit to myself I wasn’t—that I would agree with Zane. His plan sounded easy, but it wasn’t.

  “You’re overlooking a few things. Even if I agreed to take Eva to Alaska, you’re forgetting about Liam and Elijah. The other thing is, I’m pretty sure, even though Bubba and Zoey didn’t want to press charges, the Alaskan State Troopers might feel differently.”

  “That’s where Tex and Bubba come in,” Zane told me and I groaned.

  Eva was going to have a shit hemorrhage if she found out Zane had reached out to Bubba again. She was adamant she didn’t want to involve him. And despite what I told her yesterday, even though we needed his help, I completely understood why she didn’t want to burden him.

  “Brother, Eva’s gonna have a conniption about Bubba being asked to help.”

  “Don’t see—”

  “You don’t?” I cut him off. “Do you think she’s forgotten what she did to him and Zoey? You don’t think she’s so fuckin’ ashamed of what she had to do that she won’t carry that for the rest of her life? Now, do you really think she wants to call on the man she tried to kill and ask him for help? Fuck no, she doesn’t. The last thing Eva wants is to hurt Bubba and Zoey anymore than she has, and that includes mentally by making Bubba think about what happened in Alaska and what happened that made him get in the plane with her to begin with—that being his father was murdered by his asshole brother. And if that shit’s not whacked enough, Bubba then had to witness his brother, his twin, commit suicide. So no, she doesn’t want anyone to call Bubba. And from here on out, we’re all going to respect that and leave Bubba out of our investigation.”

  “That’s gonna be an issue.”

  “The hell it will. All you have to do is call him, thank him for all his help, but he can stand down.”

  “That’s the part that’s not gonna happen. Forgot to tell you, Bubba was the one to call Tex back late last night after he’d talked to Eva and one of her boys. He told Tex he was all in, whatever Eva needed, he’d do what he could.”