Chapter 49
forty-nine
EZRA
I don’t remember my body ever hurting this much.
Every single inch of me is sore. My eyes slowly blink open.
I’m in my room. Maverick’s room now. Light streams from behind the curtains.
Lifting my arm, I see an IV attached. Then I remember the beach and the podcast. Before I can spiral again, something next to me moves.
Turning, I see Maverick asleep next to me, and my breath catches in my throat.
I want to reach over and brush the stray hair from his face, but I don’t, scared that this is a dream and touching him will wake me up.
I don’t know how long I watch him. Minutes, maybe hours, but too soon he opens his eyes. The warm honey color meets mine, and he smiles. My chest feels like it’s about to explode from that beautiful smile being directed at me.
“You’re awake,” he says, voice gravelly from sleep.
“What happened?” I ask. My voice is raspy and my throat is dry.
Maverick’s chin wobbles as he explains finding me on the cliff stairs and then dragging me up them and into the tub with Jo. Tears sting my eyes, and I don’t bother to try to stop them as I let them fall down my cheeks.
“I’m so sorry,” my voice is barely a whisper with how dry it is. Maverick notices and jumps from the bed.
“I’ll go get you water and let Jo know you’re awake and okay.”
I nod, not really able to say more.
The next time the door opens, it’s Darren. He checks me over and removes my IV, making me promise to call him if I feel worse.
“I got you water and some fruit. I didn’t know how hungry you would be.” Maverick makes his way back to my side of the bed and helps me sit up to drink the water. The coldness burns my dry throat, but it feels good at the same time.
“Thank you,” I tell him. He nods and bites his lip like he wants to say something but is holding back.
“You should probably get some more sleep,” he says instead.
I slide myself back down until I’m lying flat. When Maverick turns to go, I grab his wrist to stop him.
“I know I have no right to ask, but will you stay? Please?” I want to stay in this fever dream a little longer.
Maverick’s face softens, and he gives me a small smile. “Yeah. I’ll stay.”
He crawls back into bed, quickly snuggling down into the blankets. He must be exhausted because he’s out in minutes. I watch him for as long as I can before sleep pulls me under, too.
The next time I wake up, the room is completely dark, and Maverick’s body is wrapped around me from behind. He always liked to be the big spoon, even though I’m bigger than him. He must feel me move because he pulls me closer like he’s afraid I’ll disappear if he lets go.
“Mav,” I whisper. “Sweetheart, you need to let go so I can pee.”
He grumbles something but loosens his hold enough to let me go.
I relieve myself in the hallway bathroom and return to the bedroom as quickly as I can.
Which isn’t all that fast considering how sore I am.
I glance over at Jo’s bedroom, but her door is shut.
I’m sure she’s asleep. The apology I owe her will have to wait until morning.
Maverick is sitting up against the headboard with the lamp next to the bed on when I return, his muscular chest on full display.
I stare at it too long before meeting his eyes.
Luckily, he smiles when he catches me. That smile leaves his face so quickly I thought I imagined it before it’s replaced with tears.
I scramble onto his lap, ignoring my screaming muscles and my brain, telling me that straddling him probably isn’t appropriate right now.
He wraps his arms around me and squeezes tight while he sobs into my chest.
“What’s wrong?” I ask, hugging him back and rocking him gently. I keep my voice calm even though I’m panicking a little.
“I thought you left me again,” he hiccups. “I thought it was eight years ago all over again.”
“Sweetheart, I’m so fucking sorry. Please believe me. I will never, ever leave you again.” I hear my voice crack. I hurt him again.
Maverick gently pushes on my chest, and I back up enough for him to look at me.
I see the flash of something in his eyes before he’s pulling me down and crashing his lips against mine.
It takes me a minute to catch up with what's happening before I’m returning his kiss, pouring every ounce of desperation and longing into it.
His lips are so fucking soft, his taste so familiar.
I don’t know which one of us is crying when I taste salt on my tongue.
We kiss until we’re breathless and our lips are swollen and then kiss some more.
I never want to stop, never want to be disconnected from him again.
I want him to fuck me. To remind me of who I belong to.
My hole clenches at the thought, and my already painfully hard dick twitches in my wet and sticky boxers.
It takes every ounce of self-control I have to pull away from him.
With the noises he’s making, I know he’ll let me take things further, but I can’t, knowing there’s every chance he’s going to regret this in the morning.
“Baby, please,” Maverick whines, thrusting up to rub his hard cock against mine. I groan, pressing my forehead into his.
“I’m trying to be good,” I say, a little breathless. Maverick pulls back and glares up at me.
“Don’t treat me like I’m made of glass. I’ll say stop if I want you to stop.”
“Fuck,” I grunt. “Fuck, sweetheart. What do you want? I’ll give you anything.”
“Naked. Now.”
I scramble off him long enough to get my boxers off and he does the same.
He has just enough time to lay flat on his back before I’m on top of him, both of our dicks rock hard and leaking an obscene amount of precum.
I groan into his neck on the first glide of my dick against his.
He’s so hard and so warm I nearly come right there.
“Yes, baby,” Maverick moans, clutching my back as he thrusts up to meet me. “You feel so good.” He’s always been more vocal during sex. Usually he’s the one in charge, but I think he needs me to be right now.
We’re so wet and slippery from how aroused we are that we don’t need lube, thankfully, because I don’t have any. I wasn’t exactly expecting to have sex when I got here.
Maverick nips his way along my collarbone and then my jaw as I continue to grind against him. The tingling starts at the base of my spine and quickly moves to my balls. I don’t know how much longer I can hold out, but I can’t stop.
“Make me come, Ezra. Please, baby. I need to come.” The desperate, whiny plea in Maverick’s voice does me in.
I take his mouth with mine and thrust against him faster, moaning into his sweet mouth.
“Fuck,” he gasps, and I lift up to see rope after rope of hot cum land on his sculpted chest. I let go immediately at the sight, my cum joining his with a low groan.
Maverick runs his finger through both of our messes, and I watch as he brings it to his lips and sucks.
“Shit,” I breathe, watching him. I can’t help but take his mouth again, tasting us on his tongue. It makes my spent cock twitch.
“Mmm,” Maverick moans as he runs his nose along mine. I roll off him to get something to clean us off with and almost collapse to the floor. “Ezra!” Maverick scrambles up to help me. “I’m so sorry. We shouldn’t have done that.”
“No,” I bark in a panic. He must see it in my eyes because he smiles and kisses me softly.
“I just meant that you’re still recovering and this couldn’t have helped.”
“Yes, it did,” I argue immediately. “It fixed everything. I’m all better and ready to do it again.”
Maverick laughs and shakes his head as he leads me to lay down in the bed.
I don’t fight him, just let myself bask in his attention.
He leaves me there for a moment, and I know I shouldn’t panic when he’s out of my sight, but I do.
I think part of me is still worried that this is a dream, even with his cum drying on my skin and his taste in my mouth.
He comes back with a wet cloth before I can really spiral, cleaning me up and then himself before putting his boxers back on and crawling into bed next to me.
“It’s almost three in the morning. Let’s try to get a little more sleep before the sun is up.” Maverick snuggles into my side as I turn off the light and sighs contentedly. I let myself fall asleep and can only wish that this wasn’t all a dream.