She watched him, her pale green eyes wide as he stared down at her, running his hand over the curve of her ass, stroking her smooth skin. A tremor shook her. “Are you going to…?”

He smiled. In spite of the advances in her modesty over the past months, the words were still too much. “Take your virgin ass? Oh yeah, I’m going to make love to you a brand-new way and it’s going to feel fucking great for both of us. Do you trust me?” She nodded so fast he had to laugh. “You want to try it, don’t you?”

Maxine wiggled her hips and he smelt her arousal. Hell, the scent of sex hung in the air all around them. “I want to try it, but I’m a little scared. Oh please, I need you.”

They kissed again and Ryan distracted her with his mouth on hers while he brushed a fingertip up and down the tender line of skin between her ass cheeks. He didn’t penetrate, just stroked, and slowly the tension gripping her flowed away.

“Hmm, that feels nice.” Maxine drew her legs wider apart, opening for him and he smiled.

He massaged her ass cheeks, one in each hand, the tight rosette between playing peek-a-boo with his vision. Ryan lowered himself between her legs and covered her pussy with his mouth, thrusting with his tongue. He ate hungrily, the sweet cream from her body teasing him, building the desire to bury himself deep, but he held off. Once she was making noises of need, he lapped the length of her slit, circling her clit before drawing a long stroke all the way to her ass. The first time he touched her anus with his tongue she hissed.

“Feels good, right?”

“I can’t believe you’re touching me there. Oh my God!”

Ryan had hardened the tip of his tongue and rimmed her hole, pushing against the tight muscle and slipping in a tiny way. Maxine fell completely silent. He drew back to check her expression. “Okay?”

“I’m very embarrassed by how turned on I am right now. How can that feel so wonderful?” She buried her face in the mattress, but didn’t shift away from him.

He tugged gently on her hair until he could look into her eyes. “There’s nothing wrong with what we’re doing. Close your eyes if you have to, but get the idea out of your head that this is dirty in any way. It’s making love and whatever we want to do together is right.”

Waiting for her response was brutal as his cock throbbed with the need to be surrounded by her tight warmth. If she wasn’t ready for this experience yet, he’d give her time. He might spontaneously combust if she asked him to stop, but he’d do it for her. Being in control in the bedroom meant being in control of himself as well, and he was damned if he would push her faster than she could handle.

She rose on her elbows, auburn hair tousled around her shoulders, eyes bright as she stared at him. Then she licked her lips slowly. “Fuck me. Anywhere. Everywhere. I want it all.”

Hallelujahs rang in his ears and Ryan moved over her like a wild thing, ready and eager. He drove two fingers into her cunt and curled the tips to stroke the sweet spot deep within. Burying his face between her legs, he feasted on her, lapping the cream that covered his fingers, coated her labia and smeared on the inside of her thighs. He stroked her anus again and again with his tongue, teasing while he continued to pump into her passage.

Maxine writhed under him, panting with excitement. Her hips lifted toward him, moving closer to his seeking tongue and he rewarded her enthusiasm by flicking her clit. She screamed out loud as her climax hit. He took advantage of the moment and pressed one of his now wet fingers into the tight rosette of her ass. The walls of her pussy pulsed with her orgasm on the other side of the thin membrane separating her passages as he slowly slid the digit in all the way.

“Hmmm, feels wonderful good.” Maxine’s voice had a slight slur as she wiggled against his hand.

“You’re getting sex drunk, aren’t you, sweetheart?” Ryan shifted position, added more lube to his fingers and squeezed a generous amount on top of her hole. “I love the sultry way you sound when you’ve just had an orgasm. You sound satisfied and seriously well fucked.” He leaned closer and whispered as he slipped two fingers into her ass, working the lube inside. “I can hardly wait to hear what you sound like when we’re done tonight.”

“Oh, yes. Oh, you’re killing me. Ohhhh!” Maxine lifted her hips higher, her knees spread to the sides. Everything was wide open to his vision, his touch. His cock. Ryan lined up with her sopping wet passage and slipped inside with one smooth thrust. Heaven wrapped around him with close, hot pressure. Her tight grip eased the pain of waiting, but threatened to pull him over the top. He pulled back slowly, rocking in and out only an inch or two while he concentrated on preparing her ass.

She groaned and leaned his direction.

“You’re getting to be nice and loud in the bedroom. I like that, it lets me know what you think feels good, and what feels great.” Carefully he added a third finger, fighting back the need to move faster. Slowly, carefully, he stretched her.

Maxine slammed a hand on the mattress beside her head and gave a throaty cry. “Shit, you want me to tell you what would feel great? Fuck me already. I need more, I need—”

He heard nothing more with the blood roaring in his ears. She wanted it now? Oh hell yeah, he could do that. He replaced his fingers with the head of his cock, and pressed. The sight of her hole stretching open around him was intoxicating. The sensation of the tight ring of muscle slowly relaxing until the fat head of his cock eased through numbed his brain. The slow hiss of Maxine’s exhale broke through his fixated mind and he glanced up to see her staring over her shoulder at him, a happy smile on her face.

“Oh my God, I’ve never felt so full in my life.”

“You’re good?”

He watched carefully as her eyes rolled back in response to him pushing in another inch. “I’m fucking wonderful.”

He gripped her waist, the softness of her skin reminding him to control the thrust of his hips instead of driving all the way in one hard blast. He squeezed his eyes tight and forced his way in, one small stroke after another. When his groin hit her ass he swore. It felt like he was inside a tightly fisted hand, massaging and heating him. Urging him to move.

Long, slow rocking movements followed, dragging him back and forth through her body. He reached around to manipulate her clit and Maxine gasped again. He was close, so close to blowing his wad before she had enough time to finish rising to another peak. At least that’s what he thought until she threw her head back and gave a loud keen of delight. Her muscles grabbed him, attempting to lock him in place. He’d never been happier to release his control. Three final thrusts were as much as he lasted before his vision blurred and he slammed them together, his cock spurting semen deep into her ass as he cried out her name.

It was hell to leave her body. Hell to leave her on the bed to get a cloth to clean her up, but heaven to be able to arrange her boneless body so he could curl around her. He stared at her flushed skin, her glassy eyes and the sated expression on her face. She was beautiful to start with, but the look of her bathed with the afterglow of their lovemaking touched him deep inside. Longing for more of her, all of her, rose in his heart. He needed someone like Maxine to make him whole.

“Holy shit, that was the most incredible sex I’ve ever had in my fucking life. I need a nap. Two days, maybe three. Fuck.” It took a few attempts for Maxine to get all the words out as she stopped to suck in air, tremors still rocking her body.

“You’re getting to have quite the potty mouth, sweetheart,” he teased.

Maxine blushed and Ryan roared with laughter. He rolled her under him. “Damn it, never change. You’re delightful and sexy and you rock my world.” He kissed her sweetly before turning her around to spoon against him, her calm breathing letting him know she was soon asleep.

“I think I’m in love with you,” he whispered, just to try it out.

It sounded pretty damn perfect.

Chapter Eighteen

Maxine closed the door behind her, thrilled at the progress she’d made in redecorating the main-floor bedroom. Carl’s head therapist had come over and made a few suggestions for final changes, but on the whole he thought she’d done a fantastic job of preparing the space for Carl.

She examined the posters and furniture. Everything was as close a duplicate as possible to what he had at the nursing home. It would make him feel more comfortable and increase the likelihood he could spend a night. After talking with the nurses and physicians, she understood Carl needed to remain at the care center most of the time. She wanted to at least attempt to provide an opportunity for the occasional overnight visit. Ryan had looked very surprised when she proposed setting up the room, yet she knew he’d been quietly pleased.

She ran down to the basement to grab a load of laundry, humming a carol. Walking back through the living room she could see the results of her morning’s work. The house had begun to feel festive. She’d set up her laptop in the kitchen, working on a project while she baked cookies for Christmas. Last night Ryan had brought down the first couple of storage boxes of decorations and she’d already emptied them. She passed the garlands and streamers wrapped around the railings of the staircase and many happy memories rose to the surface. There was a lot of house to decorate still, and yet she looked forward to it all. It was another chance to introduce Ryan to some of her family traditions.

Satisfaction welled up inside. He’d been much more careful to ask instead of order her around lately. Except in the bedroom. There he seemed to be getting bossier than ever, and she loved it.

She paused in the middle of folding towels in the master bathroom. She loved him. Time passed unnoticed as she stood silently, watching her refection in the mirror as the knowledge swept over her. She was in love. And she suspected he might feel the same way about her.

While neither of them had said it, there was more to their relationship than the friendship they shared. Far more than the sexual games they played. The feeling inside when she woke in the morning with his arms around her, and the expression in his eyes when he kissed her good night—it was love.

Now she needed to find the right time and place to tell him.

She burst out of the bathroom filled with excited energy. A sudden movement to her left caught her attention just before pain exploded in the back of her head. She slammed into the nearby dresser, rolling off to crash onto the hardwood floor. Her arm and shoulder hit hard, there was a loud cracking noise and searing agony linked her head and her arm. Blackness enveloped her.


The world spun, pain throbbed through her arm and head, and something liquid and sticky clung to her forehead. Maxine rolled over and was violently sick, the vomiting racking her body with pain. She attempted to rise to her elbows to stop the splitting agony from taking over. She waited until the spasms stopped, gasping through her sobs, trying to focus. It took a while to remember where she was and the muted light around her echoed with the rasping sounds of her frightened breathing. The stabbing shards of pain that drilled through her every time she moved made her cautious, hesitant to shift position.

What the hell had happened? Had a floorboard collapsed? She found her mind flitting from idea to idea. Was it an earthquake, or had she fainted? None of it made sense and the world wavered again. Brightly colored swirls hung before her eyes, and she blinked back tears. She drew a shaky breath and let it out as slowly as possible, reducing the noise she made to listen for the sound of anyone near by. If she didn’t move the pain in her head and shoulder reduced to a mild throbbing. It ached, but not enough to make her scream. Oh hell, she didn’t think she could cry out for help, the idea of making any noise above a whimper hurt. She lay on the floor, cold creeping into her body. Shivers started, triggering the pain to return stronger.

She had to get help for herself. Ryan wouldn’t be home for hours and she was sure she would lose consciousness before then. Nausea rose again and she fought it off. It was impossible to reach the stairs and crawl them. Her cell phone was downstairs. Slowly Maxine rolled to her belly, crying as she released the pressure on her injured arm and shoulder. Something trickled down the back of her neck. She realized it was blood and shuddered. Lowering her forehead to the floor, she cried as quietly as she could, attempting not to move, not to let her body become aware of the fear hovering around her.