Grey Skies - A Military Romance (Complete)

Grey Skies: Chapter 39

Sophie dangled on the edge of a precipice. As a teenager, she loved walking down to Battery Park, right to the edge of the island. She'd lean against the metal railing and concentrate on the water crashing against the rocks below. After a while, she'd get dizzy with the mesmerizing clash between liquid and solid. One world ending. Another beginning. With Max above her now, his dark eyes like black pools, the same heady sensation overcame her.

His palm rested against hers, their fingers laced together in a tight weave. The heat of his skin against hers felt like a brand. No amount of effort could draw her gaze from his, their eyes locked together. Her heartbeat slowed to match the pace he set and everything but him faded away. Everything but them.

This differed from their previous nights together. Perhaps because they both knew this would be their last time to touch, taste, give and take for six months. Maybe the drama of the evening, his kindness at taking her to the city on a proper date, mixed with her panic attack, sharpened the reality of what was happening between them. No matter the cause, every nerve in her body felt exposed, raw, and vulnerable.

But not in danger. Because this was Max. Kind and considerate as ever, he never pushed, never demanded more than she offered. Always took care of her and with her. Like he was made for the role. From the first kiss, they'd simply fit together. Yet this was more than physical and as she arched her back to meet his thrust, a string that hadn't vibrated in her chest for ten years threatened to crack her heart in two.

A sliver of panic sliced down her spine. Her brain warred with her body, screaming out a silent no. This couldn't happen. She couldn't feel this way. Not with Max. Not with anyone other than Thomas.

"I ... I've never..." Max's whispers choked with an emotion that reverberated in her soul. "...never felt like this. With anyone." Desire and something else, a sentiment Sophie didn't want to recognize, bloomed in Max's eyes.

She tried to glance away, not see the way he regarded her, saw her. It was impossible. She was completely under his spell.

Every inch of his long, even strokes elicited tremors of ecstasy and Sophie's body betrayed her mind, giving in to the connection with Max, giving herself over to him. More so, she commanded all of him, desperate for more. Max thrust into her and her heart split open, the guardrail she'd put in place after the devastating loss of Thomas crumbling with Max's gentle caress. He slipped past her defences and set a stake of ownership. A space she was certain he'd occupy forever. A tear slid across the side of her face.

"Sophie?" Max's movements slowed and her muscles contracted, holding him tight. Not yet. He couldn't leave her. The need to tell him what was in her heart pushed against the lump in her throat. Yet the words couldn't break through. She squeezed his hand, communicating through touch.

He fastened his fingers around hers.

Deep inside her, his cock twitched and the tiny flutter sent her over the edge, tumbling through time and space with Max. Her fingers curled around his, holding on for dear life.

More tears spilled from her, part agony at betraying Thomas, part joy of finding this feeling again. Convinced love would never strike twice, she'd denied herself for a decade the ecstasy of loving another person, of being loved by another, of being loved by someone who deserved to be loved back. A small sob escaped her lips.

The gentle pressure of Max's forehead against hers made it easier to breathe.

"I'm sorry," he whispered.

The desperation in his apology choked her throat again. She didn't want him to be sorry. She didn't want him to regret this night, any of their nights. Their time together. Any future they might have. Because they had to have a future together. He couldn't tear down all her defences, worm his way into her heart and then disappear. She wouldn't survive this time.