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The sound of Evie's quiet moans and sighs had Maddox's dick so hard that it hurt. Every man in that bar stayed away from her that night because he made it clear with a few well-placed glares and whole lot of threatening body language that she was off limits to anyone but him.
"Kitten," he sat back, wanting to cool down, needing to get his rampant nuts under control. This was not the time for hot and heavy with her. She was still susceptible from the accident, and he was not going to take advantage of her precarious state.
She might be the sexiest woman he'd ever had in his arms, flowering and pressing all wantonly against him, but he wanted her eyes wide open and sober the first time they were together. He groaned and held onto her perfectly rounded ass as she climbed across his lap and locked her hips into place with his. "Fuck," he growled and gripped her as she rolled the heat between her legs against him before she leaned down and devoured his mouth again.
"Don't you want me?" She whispered shyly against his lips.
He bucked hard at the question. "More than you'll ever know." She must have rejoiced in his admission because she held onto his face and tangled her tongue with his again and dry humped him.
"I want to know what it's like to be with you," she breathed quietly against his ear. "I want to know everything."
Fuck it. Against all of his better judgment, he picked her up and carried her down the hall to her bedroom. He could be noble next time. He toed the door open and stared around the familiar dark room, her four-poster bed in the same place as last time. His body tightened in conflict.
The last time he stood in this exact same place, her warm sultry body so damned trusting in his arms, he had just pulled her out of his truck after leaving that bar. The entire drive had been a lesson in extreme sexual frustration, with images of himself lifting her skirt and spreading her legs until his head was between her thighs, licking at her pussy and tonguing her clit until she came so hard, she screamed his name. It had taken Herculean restraint not to let loose, toss her on the bed and roll her under the sheets.
The second he'd set her down in the middle of the room, she'd held onto his shoulders and looked at him from beneath her long lashes. "I've never had an orgasm, Jason. Do you think you can help me with that?"
His eyes had snapped to hers, and when he'd opened his mouth to respond, she'd put a finger to his lips and quieted him. "Shhhh. Don't tell. It has to be our secret."
He'd just stood there, only able to stare while she peeled off her dress and unhooked her bra then stood before him in a nude offering, all perfect tits and high heels and no fucking panties.
"Evie," he'd choked out.
She swayed her soft but firm body into his. "Can you teach me to cum like all the other girls can?"
Was he really supposed to say no to that invitation, be a perfect gentleman? His whole body was on fire. He was a Navy SEAL, for Christ's sake, not a saint. He'd endured BUD/S training and all other forms of grueling missions, yet refusing Evie's vulnerable bidding, just an arm's length away, would be a whole new kind of Hell Week for him.
But he did walk away, unable to take advantage of the situation in good conscience.
Now, here they were again.
She stroked the hair at his nape. "I want you to stay."
His dick jumped in his pants. "Not tonight." His voice was rougher than he planned it to be. He ran the back of his fingers down her shoulder then stopped and gripped the bedpost. "I can't get in this bed with you. Not while you're vulnerable and just wanting to thank me."
She blew out a breath and looked away. "Well, another offer just crashed and burned, call off the search, there are no survivors."
He growled and bent so he could look her in the eye. "Kitten, don't misunderstand me. I want to take you up on that offer. It's just not the right time."
She scoffed and made talking motions with her hand. "'Ya, ya, ya—yadda, yadda, yadda. You don't have to make excuses to just say no. A thanks, but I'm not interested is more than enough." She crossed her arms across her tits and lifted her chin toward the door. "Good night Mr. Maddox."
"Evie—" he frowned and reached for her, but she stepped back and glared at him.
He dropped his hand. There was no other choice but to leave.
*****
Maddox stood under the icy needles of the rain shower spray, desperate for relief from the raging hard-on that only got worse when his mind drifted to Evie. Tormented with thoughts and images of her, spread out beneath him on her bed, bouncing on top of him with her tits wild and free, made the drive home from her house sheer Hell.
He closed his eyes and took himself in hand, massaging himself drunk on more imagined scenes featuring Evie's naked, pliable body wrapped around his. He stroked himself faster at every unclothed image of her, both real and imagined until he was finally fucking her in his mind, his body giving it to her in the animalistic way he'd always wanted to. He groaned and jerked himself until his balls tightened and succumbed to the powerful rush of ultimate release. He slammed his palm against the tile as his dick pulsed fluid through his fingers. Fuck, his mind growled before he ducked his head under the water and inhaled a deep groan into his chest. He reached for the soap and washed himself down with lingering frustration.
By the time he rolled into bed, he was hard all over again, and had to ride his hand until he was exhausted enough to get some sleep. Still, she haunted his dreams, arching up to him and panting his name as her rocked her pussy full of multiple orgasms. He was dreaming so screw it, he let himself fuck her like a stallion in rut, taking her from behind and growling the filthiest words in her ear. Fucking take me. Take all of me. She squealed in delight and responded in kind, riding him over the edge, allowing him to cum inside her, uncovered and raw.
Maddox opened his eyes and squinted at the faint light coming in his window, Evie's shouts of pleasure fading in his mind. He needed and intervention. And probably a medic for his out-of-control perverted mind. Not bothering to try to go back to sleep he got out of bed, showered again, and got into his old SUV.
The HQ parking lot was sparsely populated this early on a weekend. He had his pick of parking spaces and chose one and cut his engine. He blew out a breath and stared out the windshield.
I've never orgasmed before, Jason... Evie's admission floated through his mind. He didn't know how a woman like her got this far without ever having her bell rung, but he ached to be her first, the one who fired off her clit for that maiden voyage. His balls tightened at the thought. Disciplining his body and thoughts away from sex and her, he tracked Georgeman's beat-up seventies Dodge as it turned into the lot and drove into the empty space beside him.
Both men got out and grunted at each other.
"You go first," Maddox lifted the side of his mouth as they headed inside the building, "because you look more like a dog's breakfast than I feel."
"Fuck. I feel like one." Georgeman pulled open the glass door." He put his hand on the palm reader panel. "That girl is wild enough to make it through BUD/S training." He leaned down and stared into the retina scan. "You?"
"Fuck." Maddox put his own hand to the screen before he looked into the scanner. After the door opened, he gave Georgeman the Cliffs Notes version of what happened last night with Evie and the deer.
"No fucking shit?" Georgeman looked at him as they walked down the hall to their Senior Chief's office.
"There was no fucking at all," Maddox knocked once on their boss's door.
"Come," the Senior's voice barked from inside.
The two men entered and stood at attention before the large metal desk.
"At ease, men." Senior Chief Randolph Jefferson tapped off his computer screen. "Two things. I want you two out at General Henderson's to do some recon."
Maddox and Georgeman exchanged quick glances.
"Before you ask, he's having some off the record, classified meeting next weekend, for some brass and big wigs and wants tight security. Level one restricted."
"Yes, Sir."
"He'll give you further orders and information when you get there at o-seventeen hundred."
"Yes, Sir."
"Two," Jefferson sat forward, "make a stellar impression. We're on increased alert this week. Three of the families attending the party put their ankle biters in the school until the end of next week. We need to be ready for any and all possible threats, understood?"
"Understood."
"Dismissed." Jefferson went back to his computer without another word.
The men stepped back and exited the office, closing the door behind them.
"Well, that just fucked up my hangover plans. "Georgeman grunted as they walked back down the hall. He stopped at the main doors and put his hand on the exit scanner. "Rustbucket?" He looked back at Maddox, referring to the local breakfast diner.
"I could eat." Maddox shrugged.
Ten minutes later, the men slid into one of the Rustbucket's rear booths. He glanced around, taking in the back entrance and washrooms before he scanned the people sitting at the counter. He hated having his back to the main door, but Georgeman beat him to the seat with the best vantage point. Nothing like having two SEALs jockey for the best position in an area. Another occupational hazard, his thoughts turned to Evie again.
Georgeman tossed down his menu and slid out of the booth. "Order me the big breakfast. I gotta use the head."
Maddox looked over the menu and nodded to Rosabell, the weekend waitress, when she came over with a coffee pot in hand.
"Two?" She poured steaming liquid into his mug and nodded at Georgeman's empty spot.
"Ya, and a couple of big breakfasts."
"Got it. Tough night, sailor?"
"Somethin' like that." He drank down half the black liquid and set down his mug.
Rosabell diligently refilled it while she acknowledged a new couple at the counter. You want me to just leave this here for you." She held up the coffee pot.
"Ya, thanks."
She set it down on the table and hurried off to her other customers.
Maddox sat back and drank his coffee, taking in and absorbing the sounds of the entire diner before he narrowed his awareness to his immediate area. He picked up and discarded most of the ongoing conversations at the other tables and high-back booths until two female voices filtered in from behind him.
"Ya, that happened." Evie's timbre was gunshot clear to him through the rest of the diner's conversations.
*****
"Seriously?" Tori ripped open another cane sugar packet with her teeth and shook her head at Evie." How do I miss all the good stuff?" She spat out the empty paper and reached for her spoon.
"It wasn't good. It was ridiculous. Only the ridiculous happens to me." Evie poured her own packet of sugar into her mug of green tea and stirred. "And you were off with Georgeman having the time of your life, remember. I on the other hand got wildlife. A friggin' deer, smashing into my truck. I was so sure I killed it. Then after it was just lying there twitching, I thought it was going to get up and kill me."
"But it didn't," Tori said seriously.
"Obviously not, thanks to him once again." Evie took a test sip of her tea and inwardly sighed, her mind sneaking back to the heated scene that took place in her bedroom with Maddox. Her girl parts flickered to life at the memory of the feel of his tongue in her mouth, and his big hands molding her ass against his hips. It wasn't the first time she'd had too much to drink and tried to seduce him. God, he must think her the easiest kind of slut.
Tori arched a brow and drank her own mug of tea. "Fate is trying to speak to you, girl. Listen for once and hook up with him. You could do so much worse. You actually have done worse." She twisted her mouth in thought."
Evie grimaced. Nothing like your best friend to shine that horrible truthful light up to one of the sadder chapters in your life.
Evie sipped her tea. "I actually tried harder this time, let the record show. I practically threw myself at the man."
"And?"
"And nothing. He turned me down." Again. Evie set down her tea and studied the way the movement made neat rings in the liquid.
"Shut up, he did not!"
"Yes he did, so can we talk about something else now?"
Tori drummed her fingers on the table. "No, we cannot."
Evie scowled and drank her tea. The place was filling up with more breakfast goers. Thirty years of making biscuits and gravy and the Rustbucket's five-dollar breakfast still had locals lining up every weekend for them. "At least he didn't say, Screw off you crazy bitch."
Tori choked and shook her head. "Who even says that?"
"King did, remember? Back when I first met him on campus." Not that Evie could blame him considering the circumstance of their first encounter. King Johnson had been her target when she was a pledge during their sorority Rush week. At that point in her life, after her disastrous four years of Hell in high school, she would have done absolutely anything to get into a sorority and find friendship at last; allow herself to be tied to a tree and have eggs hurled at her? Done. Mud wrestle another pledge wearing only a thong? No problem. Strip naked and rub her oil covered body all over a neighboring frat house brother, King in this case? Absolutely. Evie inwardly groaned at her desperate drunken behavior from long ago. She's lucky all King did at that private party was call her names.
"Ya well, he was an asshole, even if you think him noble for not screwing you, literally and figuratively that night. He showed his true colours many times after that." Tori picked the piece of lemon out of her tea and ate it.
Her friend was right, of course. King had pursued her relentlessly after that, but not as an authentic girlfriend. The only thing he wanted was another chance to get her naked and covered in oil, this time without everyone watching to keep him honest.
Evie blew out a breath. "I try to forget about him, but he's been blowing up my phone the past two weeks. Seven calls and a million messages."
"What on earth for? What does he want?"
"To yell at me for bailing on the Iceland trip, I'm sure."
"Seriously?" Tori dropped the chewed piece of lemon onto her side plate.
"Yup," Evie inhaled. King was an asshole because she'd hadn't bailed on the trip for no reason. What was supposed to be a friendly reunion adventure turned out to be King inviting his new girlfriend along. With her and Evie sharing the costs, along with the two other couples going, he had less of a portion to pay for himself. The cheap bastard.
Ugh, Evie inwardly shuddered then lightened when a familiar scent met her nostrils. She turned and looked around the restaurant. A group of people stood at the door, waiting for an open table, one man, head and shoulders above everyone else was scanning the booths of patrons. She slowly turned back in her seat and slouched down. "Oh God, don't look now but—"
Tori whipped her head around and stared in the same direction that Evie had been.
"I said, don't look now."
Tori turned in her seat and nodded in the affirmative. "It's him. God help us all with that walking talking train wreck on the loose."
"How do you know that? You only looked for less than two seconds."
"I never forget crazy once I see it. And that boy is a certifiable piece of shit for all he did to you."
Evie glanced back at the door, the quick sight of his tall but still lanky body, and buzz cut afro made her stomach drop to her asshole again. Colin Washington, after all these years. Just the sight of him threw her back to being twelve years old again, tripping down the school's basement stairwell so she could ugly cry beneath them during lunchtime. "What do you think he's doing here?"
"Who knows? Probably some army military thing. This town is always crawling with soldiers. Just ignore him and hopefully he'll go away."
Evie adverted her eyes and tried to heed her friend's advice, though dread leaked into her stomach at the alarming memories that came from a place that existed long before she met Tori. Evie had shared her horrible high school years with her friend after they were sorority sisters and roommates, but she'd never actually met Colin.
Evie inhaled a mature breath and held it.
"You are not that girl anymore," Tori reminded her. "You don't owe him anything. You don't even have to acknowledge him if you don't want to. High school was a long time ago."
Evie let out the breath she'd been holding. "You're right. But yesterday's bad day is now bleeding into two. First Maddox, now Colin. I think fate is telling me to just take off to Iceland with King for two weeks."
Tori waved a dismissive hand. "Don't even think about it. I won't let you self-sabotage yourself again. Just keep your sights on Maddox."
Evie opened her mouth then closed it. The truth was always such a bucket of ice water over the head. She did have a terrible habit of sabotaging herself when things in her life were going well. She really needed to stop doing that.
"You still talking about going to Iceland?" Angus came out of nowhere and slid into the booth beside Evie. "I told you that place is a total waste of time."
Evie gaped as Angus snaked his beefy arm around her shoulder. "Do you mind?" She pushed the limb off of her body.
"Nope not at all," he winked at her and put his arm back.
"Fuck off, Angus." Tori scowled across the table.
"Mornin' Vicky. Always nice to see you, too." He picked up Evie's teacup and drank. "Ugh, what the Hell is this? Tea or some shit? When are you going to learn to spend your money on a real drink?"
Evie shrugged off his arm again and moved out of reach. "Can you please leave? We were trying to eat."
He ignored her and smiled. "You'll never guess who I ran into after I left the clinic last night."
"What were you doing in the clinic?" The reflex question was out of Evie's mouth before she could stop herself.
"I needed to make sure I had real live proof of your boyfriend's abuse and damage."
"He didn't abuse you." Even though her voice was determined and clipped, ripples of anxiety pulsed across her stomach. She just knew he'd be plotting his payback for last night. She pursed her lips and wondered where Maddox was right now. She needed to warn him. Her embarrassment over last night would have to wait.
"Hello, Evelyn."
Evie jumped and twisted in her seat to see Colin Washington standing there, ramrod straight, at military attention at the end of the booth. His eyes met hers and he gave a sheepish smile before he looked at a point somewhere in the middle of the table.
The restaurant noise died away as she stared at him, the ancient echoes of children chanting replacing the din. Pissy-pants-Pennyworth! Pissy-pants-Pennyworth! She screws boys for all their worth! She screws boys for all their worth! "Ah... Colin..." Just saying his name, even after all this time, got stuck in her windpipe.
"I heard tell you two kids have so much to catch up on." Angus broke the awkward silence with a cocky drawl and nudge to her shoulder.
She glowered in response. The bastard. He knew about her painful history in this town because of Colin. How he let her early sexual experience become spiteful fodder for their entire school. Typical of him to use it against her now in his bid for petty revenge. What did she ever see in this man? His spite knew no bounds.
Colin flicked his eyes to her then away. "Do you mind if I sit?"
"Yes, she does." Tori slid down the booth seat. "We were just leaving."
Thank God for Tori. At least one of them had a clear head and could speak without choking. Evie looked around, assessing the fastest way to get out of from the booth.
"Oh no, no, no," Angus slammed his hand on the table when she tried to squeeze past him. "Evie and Mr. Washington here have so much to catch up on. Right, Evie?"
She never hated Angus more than in that moment. Regret at ever opening up to him whipped like a funnel cloud through her system. She turned her back and looked out the window to where she'd parked her truck, the vision of breaking the glass to escape becoming a burgeoning primal urge. She swallowed the lump of anxiety that lodged in her throat.
"Evie?" Colin's voice came at her again. "Is it okay if I sit?"
She closed her eyes against a wave of lightheadedness and nausea. This was so not the time to pass out, her go to response whenever she panicked.
"She already told you we're leaving." Tori's voice came from behind her." Let's go, Evie."
Evie turned and glared at Angus still planted beside her. "Are you going to move?"
He smiled and put his hand on her shaking shoulder. "What's wrong? You don't want to reminisce with your childhood sweetheart?"
"Buddy, didn't we just go through this last night?"
She looked up at the sound of Maddox's growl. Her tsunami of anxiety crested and washed away when his eyes locked with hers and he winked before leaning down into the booth and pulled Angus out of the seat beside her.
"Fuck you, asshole!" Angus hollered and struggled with his arms and legs flailing. "You think because she spreads her legs for you now, you can do whatever you want! I'm already suing you, bitch!"
Silence descended at his squealed declaration. Bile raced up Evie's throat when all eyes turned to the commotion at their table.
"You asshole!" Tori pointed in Angus's face before Maddox dragged his floundering body, boots skittering over the red tiled floor to the exit. Georgeman kicked the restaurant door open and held it as Maddox tossed Angus, hollering, and wailing in protest onto the pavement outside.
The two men watched from inside while Angus shrieked and cursed useless threats while he floundered around on the pavement. When he eventually crawled to his feet, he pounded on the door and kicked the glass. "Fucking assholes! You two are fucking assholes and you're going to pay! This whole place saw you abuse me again! They'll be my witnesses when I sue you and the whole Goddamned army!" he screamed and pointed before he stalked to his truck and peeled out of the lot in a cloud of dust and gravel.
Evie pulled out some money for her bill and walked in the horrified restaurant silence like she was on her way to the guillotine. Without looking right or left, she kept her sights on the three people still at the exit.
"Evie," Maddox's voice came to her as if from down a long narrow tunnel.
This was so painfully awkward, and she vowed with every step it would be the last time she gave this town something to look at. She looked up at him then quickly away. "Thank you," she mouthed the words and slid outside like a streak of hot grease.
*****