Chapter 5
“Are you sure I can stay here tonight?” Saylor asked, standing in the doorway to the main bedroom in her borrowed T-shirt.
“Of course, Saylor. I don’t think you’re ready to be alone.”
Immediately, she shook her head. When she hesitated to crawl into the guest room bed, Max asked, “Would you like to sleep in here with me?”
“Could I? I mean, you may not want me in here. I have bad dreams.”
“That’s even more reason for you to sleep in here. I can karate chop bad guys from here to Timbuktu.”
“You know karate?” she asked and yawned widely.
“No. Not karate. Sorry, I was trying to be funny.” Max had trained in several martial arts and self-defense methods. He didn’t mention those.
“It’s okay. I’m sure you’re good at other things.”
“Come in, little girl. Climb into bed before you fall over.” Pulling the covers back, he held them up slightly to shield her as she slid into bed. Max tucked the covers under her chin and wished he had a stuffie for her to hold on to. He’d get one to have at the house tomorrow.
She turned and snuggled into her pillow with a sigh of relief as he turned off the lights. Max left on his boxers instead of sleeping in the nude as he usually did. When he joined her in bed, he could feel the tension in her body.
“Good night, Saylor. You’re safe here.”
She nodded in the dark before asking, “Could you turn on a small light? Like in the bathroom? I don’t mind darkness when I’m doing something fascinating like scuba diving, but the shadows bother me at night.”
“I should have thought of that. You like scuba diving, huh? I do too.” Max got up and padded across the room to flip on the light in the shower. That would glow into the bedroom and help her find the bathroom if she needed it in the middle of the night.
As he returned, he could see her watching him.
Dressed only in his snug boxer briefs, Max found himself sucking in his nonexistent gut, wanting to look good for her.
He’d worn less around her, but that had taken place with a lot of people around.
His body liked that they were alone. And that her gaze was fixed on him.
Giving himself a firm talking-to as he rolled back into bed, Max stretched out on his back and relaxed. He kept his breathing deep and regular. In a few moments, her inhales and exhales melded into his pattern. Within fifteen minutes, Saylor had fallen asleep.
Max lay there for several minutes debating how best to help her.
In another quarter of an hour, she rolled closer.
A short time later, her hand brushed his arm and wrapped around his biceps.
Soon, she snored softly and adorably plastered against his body with her calf stretched over his.
Max adjusted slightly to wrap his arm around her body to hug her to his chest. She settled against his chest with a contented sigh.
Max caught bits and pieces of sleep as he held the most beautiful woman in the world.
He didn’t care that Saylor thrashed or struck out at him as she survived the awful nightmares that tortured her dreams. He would absorb all her torment if he could.
Each time, he would soothe her fright, holding her tightly as she worked through the disruptions and scares.
His anger that no one had helped her soon in addressing this distress took careful management.
Saylor would have hidden her nightmares and worries from everyone.
The force of her reactions during the night concerned him greatly.
In her dreams, she seemed to fight for her life against a much larger foe.
When she finally slept quietly, he memorized her face, relaxed and at peace. She deserved to have this quietness in her life at all times. She wiggled closer, angling her body over his to pin him to the mattress.
The heat of her pelvis draped over his thigh was exquisite torture.
His body reacted naturally to her closeness.
Max angled his hips slightly away from her so his burgeoning erection wouldn’t press against her.
Saylor apparently wasn’t having any of that and scooted further on top of him.
Max gave up. She had to know he was interested in her. He wouldn’t hide his feelings from her.
“Mmm,” she mumbled. “You are so warm.”
“I am.” Max’s body temperature ran hot. He had learned to hydrate and add electrolytes if pushing himself to high levels of physical activity.
Her head shot up from his chest. Instantly, she scrambled away. Max tightened his arm around her waist, tethering her in place. “Max? I’m sorry I climbed all over you.”
“I’m not. Kiss me, little girl,” he requested, fully expecting her to refuse. Max would know she wasn’t ready, and he needed to back off.
Her gaze focused on his lips. Max held his breath. The look felt almost physical. He’d never wanted a kiss so badly in his life. To his amazement, Saylor lowered her mouth to his.
The first sensation of the heat of her breath made him clench his free fist under the covers. Anticipation slowed time. The first brush of her lips on his was sweet. She hovered over him for a full second before kissing him as if her life depended on it.
Passion flared between them as his flash of surprise morphed into celebration.
Max’s fist relaxed, and he lifted his hand to glide into her silky hair, holding her close as he answered her urgent need.
Her body quivered over him. The hard tips of her breasts rubbed against his bare chest. Max wished she’d never stop.
When she lifted her head, he whispered, “Little girl, you are delightful.”
“Make love to me, Max. I need you.”
“Daddy,” he answered firmly, stroking a hand from her waist to span her rounded bottom. She couldn’t be more perfect to him.
“Daddy? Please.”
Her gaze held so many emotions—need, passion, and hope. Max lifted his hips, pressing his cock against her soft mound. “I won’t let you go, little girl, after I make you mine.”
“You don’t even know me,” she whispered, not moving away, not freezing, but grinding against his hardness.
“I know all I need to. The rest we’ll figure out together.”
She nodded. “Make love to me, Daddy.”
With a guttural groan that felt like it came from his core, Max sat up, taking her with him.
She sat on his hard thighs, wrapped around him.
Max slid his hands over her hips, whisking the T-shirt he’d given her up over her head.
Saylor lifted her arms eagerly to help him.
As he threw it away, she held still for a moment, allowing him to look at her.
“Fuck, Saylor. You are gorgeous.” Max ran his hands from her waist up her ribcage to cup her full breasts. He ran his thumbs over her nipples and loved her gasp as his un-pampered fingertips glided roughly over her skin. She shimmied to repeat the caress, showing him how much she loved his touch.
Her hips rubbed against his erection. Max could feel her wet pussy dampening the cloth between them. He needed to feel her against him—not through a barrier. But first, he needed to taste the treat in his hands.
Max leaned her back slightly and leaned forward to capture one nipple. He rolled the tight peak between his lips before pulling it firmly into his mouth. When he thrashed the tip of his tongue across his beaded captive, she arched her back, pushing herself toward him.
The view was spectacular. Max clamped down on his self-control to keep from reversing their positions immediately to strip the last of their clothes away.
He left a trail of kisses as he switched to her other plump mound and repeated his treatment as she moved against him.
She enchanted him with her lack of self-consciousness.
Saylor didn’t flaunt herself, but she focused on bringing them both pleasure instead.
How had anyone let her get away?
She swept her hands over his body, touching and tantalizing his chest and shoulders. Max hadn’t ever considered himself as sensitive, but the sensation of her fingers caressing his skin drove his crazy. He wanted more.
Saylor pushed herself away from him, forcing Max to release her nipple with a pop.
He stared at her, hoping with every fiber of his being that she hadn’t changed her mind.
She scooted her hips back and stared down the length of his torso.
As if she couldn’t stop herself, Saylor lightly brushed the already fading bruising on his abdomen.
“Are you okay?”
“That isn’t what aches now, little girl.”
Her gaze fixed on the bulge in his briefs. Max felt his shaft jerk under Saylor’s scrutiny.
“Saylor…”
Before he could add more, she trailed her fingers down the midline of his body to the elastic waistband. Dipping under the stretchy material, she smiled as she brushed his cock. She traced a ring around the sensitive head as Max held his breath. She wasn’t stopping him. Thank God!
“Daddy, off!” she demanded, lifting her gaze to beseech him.
“My pleasure, little girl. Let me help you first.” Max pressed her backward and shifted to her side. Lifting her hips, Max stripped off her panties and tossed them off the bed.
Her bare mound tested his restraint again. She would kill him with these surprises. But what a death. His breath froze in his lungs as she stroked a hand down her torso and toward her pussy.
Max wrapped his fingers around hers, stopping her exploration. “Daddy will watch you play later—when you have permission.”
“Permission?” she asked, lifting her gaze to challenge him.
“Yes, little girl. From now on, this pussy belongs to me. Your pleasure is mine.”
Her brown eyes darkened at his dominance.
Max took advantage of her pause as she seemed to struggle for a way to respond.
He hooked his thumbs under her knees and pressed her legs up and to the sides, exposing her pussy completely to his gaze.
Max licked his lips and leaned forward to swirl his tongue around her innie belly button.
Saylor groaned and lifted her hips, silently requesting his attention lower.
Of course, he couldn’t disappoint his little girl.
Max drew his tongue down the centerline of her body to the top of her cleft.
Pausing there for a moment, Max tasted her.
Her sweet essence coated his tongue and spread through his mind.
“Mmm,” Max hummed against her skin.
She tensed and lifted her hips toward him. “More!”
Max, of course, allowed himself to be convinced to enjoy her flavor further. He settled between her spread thighs and slid his tongue through her pink folds. Listening carefully to her sounds and breathing, he explored her beautiful pussy, savoring her.
He lifted his head and warned, “Don’t move.
I want you displayed for my pleasure, little girl.
” Then, lifting one hand from where he held her leg, Max brushed his fingertips across her inner thigh.
Synchronizing his sampling with touch, he traced her inner lips and slid two fingers into her hot, tight channel, drawing a groan from both of them.
Reciting the team’s private communication code to control his urge to bury himself inside her, Max circled her clit with his tongue.
When she froze as if trying not to disturb his target, he sucked the small button of nerves, increasing the pressure until her body shook.
He curved his fingers inside her and rubbed the inner walls.
“Ahhh!” Saylor climaxed with a shudder. Her body clamped around his fingers. Max couldn’t wait to enter her.
He pushed himself off the bed and guided the taut material over his raging shaft as Saylor levered herself up on her elbows to watch.
Her eyes searched his body, wandering down his chest to widen at the site of his shaft.
He almost lost it when she licked her lips, unaware of how that affected him until he groaned.
Her gaze rose to mesh with his, and Saylor lifted a hand to draw him back to her. Max crawled back on the bed on his hands and knees, caging the gorgeous woman under him. The thought of protection flashed through his brain, and he lunged for the drawer in the nightstand.
“You’re making me crazy, Saylor. I almost forgot. I’m safe, baby, but I’ll always protect you.” He quickly ripped open the small packet and rolled the rubber over his cock.
“Thank you. I’m not on anything. It’s been a long time, but I got myself tested after my last boyfriend.”
Max pushed away the thought of anyone having possessed her in the past. He’d never understood the caveman-like tendencies of other men. Now with Saylor, he did.
As he placed himself at her opening, all miscellaneous thoughts vanished from his brain.
He could only concentrate on the beautiful woman displayed before him and her heat.
Pressing himself into her, Max gritted his teeth as her tight channel gripped him.
He forced himself to go slow, feeling her body stretch slowly as he slid inside.
When his pelvis met hers, their gazes linked. Max felt their connection snap into place. He would never forget this moment. Her fingers bit into his shoulders, silently asking for more.
Max withdrew and thrust firmly into her body.
The air gushed from her lungs at the quicker pace, but Saylor lifted her hips to meet him eagerly.
Searching for the speed and angle that would bring her pleasure, Max held onto his ingrained control.
Just like in defusing a bomb, he relied on steadiness and finesse as she met his thrusts eagerly.
Their skin glowed from the heat gathering around them as they strained together. Saylor kissed and tasted his chest and shoulders. Her caresses drove him crazy. Max forced his attention away from his own pleasure. She deserved all of his attention.
When her body clamped around him as a “Yes!” burst from her lips, Max finally allowed himself to move faster. He could feel her satiny walls clutching at him as she orgasmed. Max captured her lips and kissed Saylor with all the emotion inside him.
The pleasure built inside him, demanding release. When he came, Max shouted into the room. She clung to him tightly as he emptied himself into the protection he wore. A picture of Saylor, round with his baby, popped into his mind. He wanted everything from her. Forever.