Together We Heal Read online

  “That’s a good question. I guess I didn’t really think about the cleanup. It took me forever to bring the water from the bathroom sink to fill it up.”

  “Well, you could just bail it out the window.” It would be way too much work to walk all the way to the bathroom and dump it one bucket at a time.

  “Ah, good point.” He opened the window and then handed me a bucket.

  “Start tossing.”

  We bailed the rest of the water out and then tipped the pool up against the wall so it was out of the way. Max stretched out on some of the towels and motioned for me to sit next to him.

  “Um, can I put some clothes on first?” I asked.

  “Sure,” he said, getting up and pulling something from his closet. “I anticipated that you might want this.” It was a fuzzy robe and he had a matching one for himself. He just thought of everything, didn’t he? I’d picked a winner.

  We snuggled into our robes and watched the movie. I ended up falling asleep and woke to Max nudging me gently.

  “Hey, why don’t we go to bed? The floor isn’t all that comfortable,” he whispered. I was too tired to form actual words, so I just moaned my agreement and moved so he could get up and help me to bed. I still had my suit on and the robe, but I definitely didn’t have the wherewithal to care.

  Max climbed in next to me and then we were both out.

  I WAS SO fucking hard from waking up next to Trish the next morning, knowing she was just wearing a few scraps of material under that robe. It had come undone as she slept and for the first time, I woke before her and got to enjoy the view. I wished I had some sort of talent with art, because I wanted to draw her or something. Or take artsy black and white photographs of her curves. Since I couldn’t really do either of those things, I just stared and told my brain to remember every single detail. I only got a few minutes before her alarm went off and her eyes flew open.

  “Ugh,” she said. Trish was adorably grouchy in the morning.

  “Good morning to you too,” I said, breaking the kiss rule and putting one on the tip of her nose.

  She rubbed her eyes, smudging her mascara from last night.

  “Were you staring at me?” she asked.

  “Yup,” I said without shame.

  “Stop it,” she said, grabbing the ends of the robe and trying to cover her face.

  “No way.”

  We had a quick breakfast in my room after I’d talked my boner down and then we were both rushing to get to work.

  “I’ll see you tonight,” I said, giving her a kiss as she dropped me off.

  “Bye, Max.”

  WORK WAS AWFUL. There was a towel crisis and three of the treadmills broke and then our card reader went on the fritz. I was about ready to tear my fucking hair out. All I wanted was to go home to Trish.

  To make matters worse, my mom called again. I let it go to voicemail and didn’t listen to it until I was waiting to clock out.

  She reiterated the offer of the car, and how much she missed me, but she added something new this time. She mentioned that my dad wasn’t going to live forever and then what would happen with the business? I was an only child, so it would be mine whether I wanted it or not and wouldn’t it be a shame if my father’s hard work to build up his business went down the tubes because of me? Or if he had to sell it to some stranger who might ruin it.

  She was good. I had to give her that. She had a PhD in guilt trips. But I’d had enough. I couldn’t do it anymore. I resented her for trying to hold onto me so hard which only made me want to go further away. Go figure.

  Finally, I was done for the day and I headed outside to see my girl. There she was and I wanted to run and throw myself at her.

  “So I was thinking about stuff at work and I talked with Lottie,” she said.

  “Uh oh. That doesn’t sound good,” I said, pretending to be concerned.

  “Be nice. Lottie just happens to be my best friend.” I knew that.

  “I know, I know. So, what did she have to say?” I hoped it was something in my favor.

  “Well, we were just talking about relationships and trust and stuff. She knows a lot about that.” She certainly did.

  “And?” I asked.

  “And I don’t know. I think the problem is that I’ve been thinking too much. Does that make sense?” I nodded. Of course it did.

  “So anyway, I’ve basically decided to stop thinking and let things happen and if they become too much, I’ll let you know.” My heart pretty much stopped.

  “When you say ‘let things happen’, what kind of things are we talking about?” I was pretty sure I knew, but I wanted to be absolutely sure before I did anything.

  “Sex,” she said with no trace of hesitation or embarrassment.

  “Sex as in you and me sex?” I said. Just saying the word was making me think about it and that was making things happen below the waist. My night had gone from super shitty to awesome with just that one word.

  Sex.

  “Yeah, why not? I’m pretty sure you want to have sex with me and I definitely want to do it with you,” she said. It shocked me how cavalier she was being, but maybe it was easier for her to talk about it in a casual way. Whatever. As long as we were talking about it. Because talking about it would hopefully lead to doing it and I couldn’t wait for that.

  Not because I was some sort of dick who just wanted to bang a hot girl, but because I wanted to share that moment with her. I’d seen her face when she came and I wanted to see that again. And again. And again. I also wanted to be the one who made it happen.

  “I definitely want to have sex with you. More than definitely, if that’s possible,” I said, shifting in my seat. We’d finally reached my dorm and I was having a hard time keeping myself from suggesting the backseat as a place to go ahead and not think.

  “Well, that’s good to know,” she said as we got out. Both of us had to work again tomorrow, but not full days. And then there was homework. But had to focus on just walking so I shoved both of those things to the back of my mind.

  “So what do you think?” she said after we got back into my room. She dropped her bag and turned to face me, hands on her hips.

  “About sex?”

  “Yeah.”

  “I’m definitely in favor of it. If there was a ballot and you had to check yes or no, I’d check yes.” I was babbling just like Lottie. Not really my fault because most of the blood in my body had vacated my brain and had rushed southward. I couldn’t even be bothered to hide it.

  “I’m in favor of it too. I’m just hoping I don’t screw it up.” She went from being totally confident to being shy in less than two seconds.

  “Oh, hun. You’re not going to screw it up. That’s not possible. We’ve already done some things and those were fun, right?” She bit her bottom lip and nodded. Fuck, everything she did turned me on. Trish doing her taxes would turn me on. All those sexy deductions.

  My brain was definitely functioning on less than a full tank.

  “I don’t want to mess it up with you. You’re the best thing, Max. I don’t have a good track record,” she said. We hadn’t talked much more about her past. I was just waiting for her to feel ready to open up again and I sensed she was getting there.

  “And sex… let’s just say I have more secrets and hang-ups than most girls.” I stepped forward and stroked her arms.

  “It’s okay. We will take it a little bit at a time. Anytime you want to stop, you tell me and I’ll stop. I want this to be good for you. So damn good. I want to destroy all those bad memories and replace them with good ones.” She looked up at me, her eyelashes wet with unshed tears.

  “I want that too.”

  I exhaled slowly.

  “Okay then.”

  I HAD MORE hang-ups than a coatrack. Max was going to find that out real quick and it made me feel sick inside, but I wasn’t going to be a prisoner of my past anymore. My body wanted his and for once, I needed to give in. He was right; the stuff we’d done so far
had been damn good and it hadn’t hurt and I hadn’t regretted it one bit.

  Before I could stop myself, I pulled my shirt over my head and then undid my jeans. He probably wanted to do this more slowly, or sensually, but whatever. I had to keep my head in the game and hesitating wasn’t going to help with that.

  “Fuck,” he said, looking at me. I’d run back to my room after work and put on a pair of light green panties and a matching bra that I’d gotten on the shopping trip with Katie. She was going to be thrilled they were finally getting some use.

  I figured the color looked good with my hair.

  “Is that what you’ve been wearing under your clothes this whole time?” he asked, his eyes almost comically wide. He was always amazed by seeing my body. Even though he’d gotten to see it in a bikini for several hours last night. It was like the first time every time. I loved that.

  “Uh, no. This is the result of part of my makeover.” He whistled.

  “Well, I’m definitely in favor of this as well. Shit.”

  I felt my brain wanting to start thinking. I had to do something to move this along.

  “Come here,” I said crooking my finger at him in what I hoped was a seductive way.

  He stalked toward me in a definitely seductive way. He was so sexy and he didn’t even have to try. It wasn’t fair at all.

  “I want to repay you for all those morning wakeups,” he said running the backs of his fingers along my arms, causing goosebumps to break out along my skin.

  “Oh yeah?” I said, my voice already harsh with wanting. He turned me on so fast and so hard, it was difficult to stand. I wrapped my hand around his arm and pulled him backward with me toward the bed.

  I lay down and brought him with me. I stayed on my back and he propped himself up next to me. My breathing was ragged from fear and from desire. It was a heady mix. Like being a rollercoaster and being kissed at the same time. My nerves were firing and my skin buzzed with energy.

  He waited for me to give the signal and I did, putting one thumb up.

  “The second you want to stop, tell me,” he said, stroking the side of my face.

  “I promise,” I said. He kissed me softly and then sucked in a breath.

  His hand drifted across my cheek again and then down my neck. He went slowly. Took his time.

  It was agony and he hadn’t even made it to my bra yet. Fingers skated over my collarbone to my shoulders. I was going fucking insane.

  His face was something else. I felt like a work of art, being stared at like that. After making it all the way down to my hand and placing a kiss in my palm, he went back up and down the other side. As if on purpose, he skipped my bra straps. Once my other hand got the same treatment, he went back to work on my upper body. His fingers made little circles and patterns on my skin, getting closer and closer to my bra.

  “You can move the straps,” I said, and he nodded, as if he’d been waiting for me to ask. Hooking his fingers under one strap after another, he slid them over my shoulders and down my arms. I had to do the work and pull my arm out, which wasn’t very graceful, but I forgot about it the second he made it to the edge of the lacy material. I sucked in an audible breath.

  His eyes met mine, asking silent permission. I nodded. It was the only thing I could do. Words were pretty much failing me right now.

  And then he touched me. Sure, there was the fabric of the bra in the way, but the touch still rocketed through me. He did it again, with more boldness and holy shit.

  I couldn’t stop the moan that came out of my lips. I needed to feel more of him. Suddenly I sat up and my hand went to my back so I could undo the clasp. Because I was in such a frenzy, I wasn’t having a very easy time. I definitely should have gotten a front close bra when I went shopping. Dammit.

  “Whoa, slow down,” he said, laughing a little. Replacing my hand with his, he got the thing undone in a snap, but didn’t take it off. I had one hand in front, holding it to my chest. It was basically off, but I had to drop my arm.

  Stop. Thinking.

  “Holy fucking hell,” he said as the bra dropped into my lap. My chest wasn’t anything that would end up in Playboy, but hey, at least they were symmetrical. Most girls weren’t.

  “You’re perfect,” he said, but he hadn’t touched me yet.

  “You can touch me if you want,” I said, lying back down again. There was something unbearably erotic about going this slow. Pausing and retreating and then starting up again. It was winding me up even more than when I’d come in his lap.

  With reverence, he brushed one of my nipples with his thumb. They were both pierced, and I’d left simple silver barbells in. I figured he’d like that. It was weird that I had my sexual hangups, but having Magnus pierce them had been no big deal.

  That made me moan again and then I nearly lost it as he lowered his mouth and tasted me, his tongue flicking out of his mouth and his hair falling in his eyes.

  Now I was the one cursing as my back arched off the bed and pushed myself toward him. That spurred him on and before I knew it, I was ready to come just from him touching me above the waist. I’d totally thought that was a myth, but it wasn’t. My legs trembled and I almost put my hand between them to relieve the pressure and ache. I still had my panties on, but I had a feeling it wouldn’t be for long.

  Max kissed and licked his way down my stomach, taking his time again. I wiggled and gasped and then I heard myself pleading for him.

  He laughed and it vibrated over my skin.

  “You’re so impatient all the time. Good things come to those who wait, Trish,” he said. I didn’t want to wait. Waiting sucked.

  Just as he dipped his tongue into my bellybutton and I discovered that made things even worse, I grabbed his hand and shoved it into my panties. There. Maybe now he’d get the hint.

  We both moaned at the same time as his hand made contact with my most sensitive of places. Due to his care with touch, I was ready. So ready.

  “Please, Max,” I said, my voice sounding like it didn’t belong to me. Good boy that he was, he obliged and went to work, his fingers stroking me, the callouses adding to the sensation and driving me right up to the edge, but every time I thought I was close, he would back off. Bastard.

  He seemed to get a kick out of that and if I could, I would have smacked him for teasing me.

  “Please, Max,” I groaned, pushing my hips into his hand.

  “Shit, I love hearing you say my name like that. I’ve definitely been missing that in my life. I’m so glad you decided to stop thinking.” The words weren’t making any impression on me. I couldn’t think of anything but what his hand was doing to me.

  Up until now, he’d only been using his fingers on the outside but then he slid one slowly inside me and I thought I was going to die. Literally going to die.

  He removed his finger and then slid it back in. And again. He kept that up, easing off every time he could feel I was getting close to coming. Maxwell Arthur Greene was a sadist and a master. I wanted to curse him and beg him in the same breath. I had no idea how long he’d been going at it, but he added another finger and I couldn’t hold on anymore. With one brush of his thumb, I let go and my body was consumed by fire. It burned through me in waves, and it was even more powerful than the other time. This boy was going to kill me, but what a way to go.

  When it finally ended, I looked up at him. He had quite a satisfied smile on his face. He removed his fingers from inside me and then did something that almost made me come again. He put his fingers, the ones that he’d been using on me, in his mouth.

  I bit my lip and stared at him. There was much more to Max than met the eye and I had the feeling I was just brushing the surface of him. I wanted to dive into his depths. To climb inside him and curl up, safe.

  “You didn’t tell me to stop,” he said.

  “I didn’t want you to,” I said. My body felt like it was glowing from the inside out. There was no room for anything but good. No room for my past. No room for darkness.
Only light.

  “Thank you,” I said, touching his face like he had touched mine when he started.

  “Believe me, I got just as much out of this as you did. Maybe more.” I didn’t think that was true, but then I looked down and saw he definitely had enjoyed it.

  “Okay, time to switch,” I said, sitting up and climbing over him. He gave me a puzzled look.

  “Switch?”

  “Time for me to get you off. I believe in equality,” I said, pushing him to move over and make room for me to sit where he’d been.

  “Oh, well. If it’s in the name of equality,” he said with a smirk.

  “Definitely. We have to do all we can for equality,” I said, tugging his shirt up.

  SHE TASTED SO sweet. I’d had to resist the desire to put my mouth on her. It pretty much took everything I had. But I snuck a little taste, making sure she was watching. I wanted her to know how much I had enjoyed myself.

  And because I believed in equality, I let her get me off too. Afterward, we both lay next to each other on the bed. She still had her panties on and I had pulled up my boxers.

  “That wasn’t awful, was it?” I asked. She shook her head slowly.

  “Not at all,” she said. There was a soft and contented smile on her face. I loved it. I loved her. I’d almost yelled that out when I came, but I’d bitten my lip just in time.

  “I’d think it would be okay to do that again. Not right now. I’m still recovering, but maybe tomorrow. Or in a few hours at least,” she said, giggling. Wow. A Trish giggle. That was a sound I hadn’t heard very often.

  “I’d definitely be okay with doing it again. Soon.” I pulled her onto my chest and held her close.

  “You know I care about you. A lot.” I didn’t say love. I didn’t want to freak her out.

  “I know,” she said, walking her fingers up and down my chest. “I care about you too. A lot.” Well hell. That made me feel like a billion dollars.