Chapter 40

CHAPTER 40

I felt more than a little out of my element as I listened to happy kids—teenagers, young adults, whatever—in the kitchen, their voices echoing up the staircase, and a very warm woman smiling at me as I pulled her up the stairs.

How the hell had getting boots turned into this?

I thought the entity that ran the simulation that was my life had taken a coffee break for once. Maybe it was focused on torturing someone else?

We reached the top of the stairs, and I hesitated, but Rose took charge, pulling me into her bedroom, a sanctum I had not seen before. She had a lot of pillows. A lot. So many I couldn't see the top of the bed. I assumed that was some sort of normal woman thing since I didn't have?—

"Max?" She had turned to look at me.

"Yes?"

"Lock the door."

"Right." I did as ordered. When I turned back, her apron and dress were at her feet and she was gloriously naked. "Whoa." I had never seen her in the light of day. Like this. There was a lot of Rose and all of it was soft and round and?—

"Is that a good ‘whoa' or a?—"

I stepped up to her, wrapping my arms around her and pulling her tight to me. I liked that she was tall, that our mouths met so easily. I could feel her hands working on my belt, but it was an A7 strap—what we used for the lowering line for rucksacks when parachuting—and she was having problems with it since it wasn't designed for easy release.

"Hold on." It took me less than three seconds to shuck my shirt over my head and unbuckle my pants. I pushed her backward onto the pillows and she almost disappeared into them.

I shoved my pants off and went toward her and, of course, I'd forgotten about my boots, and my pants were scrunched around them and I fell forward.

Onto Rose. Who said, "Ooooof."

"Sorry," I said, bracing myself off of her. "Forgot the boots."

She laughed, and I did, too. And then I couldn't stop. I rolled onto my back, ensconced in soft pillows, my feet still tangled in my pants, and laughed helplessly.

Rose rolled toward me, smiling, up on one elbow, one breast pressing into me. "Are you all right?"

The laughter came from somewhere deep inside, so hard it hurt. It felt as if something inside of me was cracking, breaking down.

She stopped smiling and reached out with her free hand and ran it across my cheek. "Max?"

She probably thought she'd invited a maniac into her bedroom. I managed to stop laughing and looked at her looking down at me. "I think I might be happy."

She beamed again. "About damn time."

"Hold on," I said, sitting up. "Don't go anywhere."

"Wouldn't dream of it."

I slid off the bed and sat, untying the double knots on my boots (always double knot, kids). Tripping over shoelaces in battle is always bad. I pulled the boots off, then properly removed my pants. Since I was on my knees, I turned toward the bed .

"Excuse me." I tapped on Rose's knees and she hesitated, and then she rolled to spread them apart, all her wet heat right there. I reached up and took her hands in mine, then pulled her closer to the edge of the bed, her knees up around me. I ran my tongue along the inside of her right thigh and I could feel her hands clench mine, and she said, "Oh, yes, please," and sighed.

Perfect.

I moved my tongue between her legs. I focused, much like we were taught in sniper school, except instead of my breathing, I focused on hers to let me know what she liked. I could feel her hands, when they tightened and loosened, hear her soft sighs and softer moans as I learned her. I could tell her body was tense. It had been the same thing last night: Rose, who always took care of everybody else, was having a hard time allowing someone to take care of her, to give her pleasure. So we were going to have to practice. A lot.

"Max?"

It took a while, but I was in no rush. Gradually her hands relaxed in mine, and her breathing became deeper. She let go of one hand and threaded it through my hair, keeping my head in place, so she was evidently on board. I tried to peek up, but too many damn pillows, I couldn't see her face. I had to trust the feel. And she felt great.

Then she moaned and squeezed my hand so hard it hurt, her hand twisted in my hair, her breathing came in short bursts, and then her body arched and she cried out, and I felt her shudder against my mouth, over and over until she collapsed against her pillows, breathing hard.

I got off my knees, not easily; it's tough getting old. Crawled up on the bed beside her and took her in my arms so that she gasped against my neck.

"Sorry about falling on you," I whispered in her ear.

She nodded, catching her breath. " I forgive you ."

We lay there together until her breathing slowed, and I reached for a condom on the bedside table, and she shook her head. "Nope. My turn. "

"Yes, ma'am," I said, and she kissed me, long and hard, and then started down my body, forcing me back onto the bed with her hands, driving me crazy with her mouth.

It was going to be really hard leaving Rocky Start.