Avenge (7 page)

“
Oh Max,” my voice froze,
refusing to let any more words come out. I wanted him, I’d always
wanted him, but knowing now that he planned on showing me how much
he wanted me too left me speechless. My head was overwhelmed with
so many emotions rushing through me. All I could hear was the
whooshing of my own heartbeat. I’d waited and wanted this moment
since I’d first laid my eyes on him, and now that it was here, I
couldn’t think of any words that would express the parade of
emotions running through me.

“
I love you, Lucy Donovan.
I love you more than I’ve ever loved anything in my entire life.
You were made for me, and I for you.” As he spoke, he closed the
distance between us, the last word vibrating on my skin as he spoke
it. His lips kissed the hollow of my collar bone, his tongue licked
the curve of my throat. His kisses continued, light butterfly ones
that he peppered across my shoulders, neck and chest.

My hands explored his body as he
kissed me, tracing the contours of the taut muscles on his arms,
back, and chest. My fingers knotted in his hair, pulling him closer
to me as I became more desperate with need.

“
I love you too, Max
Kensington,” I breathed, yearning for more of him. He moved his
body, rolling me over slightly so he hovered above me, his arms
keeping his weight suspended. His lips found mine once more, his
tongue plunging in my mouth and swirling with mine. He was no
longer controlled and gentle. This time his movements told me
exactly how much he craved me. I arched up, needing to be closer to
him and his right hand moved behind my shoulders, gently pulling on
the string that tied my bathing suit. I shivered with anticipation,
no longer wanting to be patient.

As I slid the top over my head and
watched his gaze take me in, I couldn’t look away. There was no
nervousness or self-consciousness in presenting myself before him.
None of the typical worries of “what do I do now” or “do I look
fat” would be entertained tonight. I knew with all my heart that he
loved me, and he would show me as much.

“
Absolutely beautiful,” he
whispered as he pulled back momentarily, admiring his view. I
leaned up slightly, and removed the bottom half of my bathing suit
as well. Max’s breath hitched and he parted his lips slightly, and
I smiled knowing my body had such an effect on him. He swallowed,
his Adam’s apple bouncing slightly.

“
Your turn,” I whispered,
too anxious to be patient any longer. Max chuckled lightly, then
stood and undressed, pausing for a moment to let me admire his
beautiful form. And what a form it was! Every inch of his body was
perfection, from his strong, defined calves to his broad, sculpted
shoulders. My mouth went dry as my gaze drank him in. I couldn’t
have imagined anyone ever being sexier than this man before me. I
crooked my finger, inviting him back into the bed as I laid back
and closed my eyes. The mattress shifted as Max crawled back on top
of me, the heat from our bodies sizzling like a sparkler on the
Fourth of July.

When we finally came together as one,
our souls fused together in a way I’d never experienced. In a way I
never wanted to end. The world around us slipped away. Nothing else
mattered besides that moment—right there, right then.

“
I will love you until the
end of time,” Max whispered in my ear.

“
Always and forever,” I
promised, kissing him in earnest before losing myself in the
feeling of him once again.

The bond that we shared
grew stronger with each moment—each thrust of our bodies—and I knew
that nothing could ever tear us apart. We were complete with each
other, two parts to a whole. And as we professed our love to each
other in the most intimate way, I somehow fell even deeper for this
man who had become my whole world.

Chapter
Seven

“
Well, good morning you
two! Don’t you look refreshed,” Cassie teased as she scooped a bite
of melon onto her spoon. We’d missed dinner completely, and Max and
I were the last to arrive at brunch, not ready to leave our rare
alone and private time to face the real world. We were having far
too much fun enjoying each other, but knew that if we didn’t make
it down to breakfast, Cassie would be banging on our door soon
after.

We’d woken up with the sunrise,
enjoying it while we snuggled together in bed, holding each other
as the full moon from the night before gave way to the magnificent
rays of orange, pink, and yellow. I mourned when Max finally left
my side to grab us two cups of coffee. The spot he vacated left my
back cold and I would have given up coffee for a year just to have
him back next to me. When he finally snuggled up next to me a mere
five minutes later, I ignored the steaming beverage he placed in
front of me and wrapped myself around him, smothering him in kisses
for the next forty-five minutes.

“
Yes, I find the salt air
very invigorating,” I replied, challenging her to keep up her
teasing. I had lived with her—and consequently Adam—for months and
had a lot more dirt on her than she had on me. Raising one eyebrow
to let her know that two could play at that game, she tipped her
head in acknowledgement and changed the subject.

“
So, what’s on the agenda
for today? I was thinking snorkeling would be fun. Who’s with
me?”

Zander was the only one who opposed,
wanting instead to surf, but we agreed to let him give us all
lessons the next day, which put a big smile on his devilishly
handsome face. Placing one final bite of the sweet, juicy pineapple
in my mouth before wiping my face with a napkin, I laced my fingers
with Max’s and ran to change into my swimsuit. I always loved
snorkeling and scuba diving since I grew up near the beach, so this
was a dream come true. I never thought I’d have a chance like this
again.

Three hours later, tired and hungry,
our group trudged back to our camping spot and I collapsed into the
sand. Since I’d had the most swimming and diving experience, I did
several long dives for shells to give to my friends as souvenirs,
but it took its toll. I could easily have fallen asleep where I
sat. Max pulled up a log next to me and I laid my head on his leg,
enjoying the coolness from his still wet swim trunks on my
cheek.

“
Why don’t you girls go
take a nap, and we’ll build another fire and cook you a feast for
dinner? Adam, can you try to catch some fish with the poles we
found in the cabin? And Zander, how about you see what the pantry
has stocked to go with it?”

“
Sounds like a plan, mate,”
Zander chimed in as Adam clapped him on the shoulder and jogged
over to where the fishing poles were kept.

Cassie, Lola and I simply nodded our
agreements, none of us objecting to a nice, long nap. But first, a
shower was necessary. No way could I climb into my big comfy bed
all sandy and salty.

As I closed my eyes and drifted off, I
had a sudden sense of dread. My dreams were filled with ominous
blackness, and worry plagued my chest, causing it to tighten. There
wasn’t anything specific, but I couldn’t shake the feeling that I
needed to enjoy this happiness now, because it was
fleeting.

When I woke up, I brushed aside the
dark thoughts and chalked it up to a bad dream. I focused on the
beauty surrounding me and the love for my new family. After another
quick shower, I was ready to enjoy a delicious meal with my
friends. The food was outstanding. Tender, flaky fish with a mango
chutney and an avocado, crab, and corn salad on the side. I
scrapped every morsel off my plate, and was half-tempted to lick it
clean. We spent the whole night in front of the fire, laughing,
telling stories from our lives, and truly enjoying each others’
company.

“
So Lola, you actually met
Elvis? You have to tell me what he was like!” I grinned around
mouthfuls of gooey marshmallow from my s’mores.

She rolled her eyes as she placed a
chocolate square on her graham cracker. “He was a pompous
ass!”

“
What? Oh come on, you have
to give us more than that.”

“
The big ogre thought that
just because he was the King he could have any girl he wanted.
Well, I showed him! When he put the moves on me, I slapped him hard
across the face. And I’m pretty sure I dented the royal jewels,
too.”

Cassie doubled over in laughter, tears
streaming down her face. “Oh my God, that’s the best story I’ve
heard in years.”

“
He didn’t seem to realize
that I am a lady, not some hussy groupie like the rest. And I
absolutely expect to be treated as such.”

“
Well, good for you, Lola!
I bet that was the last time he made that mistake.” I leaned over
and high-fived her.

Lola smirked. “It most certainly was.
But if you really want to know who was a perfect gentleman, it was
James Dean. He had everyone fooled with that bad boy attitude; he
was a sweet teddy bear.”

“
I actually got to meet him
when I first got here! He was on a special assignment out of the
California unit. He was very sweet. And not at all hard on the
eyes.” I winked at her, hearing Max growl in jealousy above
me.

“
I heard about that. I’m
sorry I missed it. I would have liked to have seen him
again.”

“
I bet you would have,”
Cassie teased, her voice drenched with innuendo. To her credit,
Lola didn’t deny it, but still turned her face to hide the blush
that now resided there.

Deep, satisfied contentment resonated
throughout my whole body as we stayed up late into the night
telling stories. This was exactly the stress relief I’d needed, and
I was so blessed to be surrounded by such wonderful
people.

The next few days flew by in a blur.
We all tried our hands at surfing, surprised when the only one who
picked it up right away was Cassie. I swear she was a mermaid in a
previous life. I couldn’t even stand on the board, and was very
thankful that bumps, bruises, and the like healed quickly. It was a
lot harder than any of us anticipated. All the girls protested more
beach games after that, insisting on worshipping the sun for long,
uninterrupted hours. We napped and ate and played Monopoly until
two in the morning later that night.

When we called our goodnights, I
hugged each one of my friends fiercely and thanked them for such a
wonderful vacation. As Max and I wandered through the stone path
hand in hand back to our room, a thought struck me.

“
You know that warning they
give you when you’re getting ready to take off in an
airplane?”

Max looked at me with a crooked smile.
“’Fraid not, sweetie. Air travel wasn’t around when I was
alive.”

“
Well, before every flight,
they give passengers a warning. They tell you in the event of an
emergency, don’t help the people around you until your own oxygen
mask is in place.”

“
That makes sense,” Max
nodded, walking up the steps to our cabin. “You’re no good to
anyone if you aren’t in control. And that seems like a pretty out
of control situation.”

“
Yeah, and if you pass out
from lack of oxygen, then no one survives.” We stood silently for a
few moments on the porch. Max simply leaned against the railing,
giving me time to think. “For the past few months, I’ve been trying
to do exactly that. I’m running around, holding my breath like
nothing is wrong. I never put on my own oxygen mask.”

“
What do you
mean?”

“
I mean, I never mourned my
own death, I never let go of the guilt from losing Jessica, and I
never accepted that so many of the events that transpired are
simply out of my control. This trip reminded me to put my own
oxygen mask on first, so I can be stronger.”

“
And the stronger you are,
the better you’ll be when we face trouble, or anything else that
comes our way.”

I pulled Max to lie on the hammock
next to me. “You’d better believe it.”