Across the Pond Ch. 07

I finally looked up at the slight smile he had on his face. "So that'd be okay, if it was just us?"

"A lifetime alone with my wife would be heaven, you as my family will always be more than enough." I confirmed I heard him loud and clear and he gave me a kiss that only remained for a second or two. "If you'd be willing, I'd like to have another exam performed when you come home for second opinion's sake; but it is your body and entirely up to you. In the meantime, let's get you cleaned up."

"Okay." We switched again and he gently placed my body facing away from him, my palms flat on the warmed tile. I heard the click of a cap, the squirt of gel being poured out and a thump when the bottle connected with the shelf again. In an instant the room was filled with the scent of orange, ginger and spices; skilled hands washing me down and kneading the knots out of my muscles simultaneously. His hands worked my arms, my nipples pointing hard when he soaped up my chest, down my stomach, kneeling to run his hands up and down my legs. By the time he was done my cheek was resting against the wall with my eyes closed. "Feeling better, my sweet girl?" he asked quietly.

"Yes," I tranquilly responded, pushing my ass into his hardened erection while his arm wrapped around my belly. "Missed you."

"Missed you more." I felt the warm breath on my shoulder before the sound. I reached behind me to wrap my hand around his cock, feeling the solid silkiness of his skin in every stroke inside my fist. His other hand went from my back to gently prying my legs apart, just enough for him to rub his fingers lengthwise on my sex, every stroke upward barely circling my clit. "So wet and warm, wife of mine. Just as I like you."

"I want you." I whimpered until his fingers spread my lips apart and penetrated me while I gasped. "I need you." He paused, his fingers gently flexing inside me. My entire body was burning up. I couldn't breathe. I couldn't think. All I could do was feel and I wanted "More."

The water turned off behind me. Max's impatient hands opened the shower door and grabbed a towel off the rack, but instead of wrapping it around himself - or me - he threw it on the floor. Grabbing me by the waist he lifted me up and carried me out of the shower while my shocked squeal bounced off the walls. Thankfully without slipping and killing us he laid me down on the towel and stretched out on top of me, dick in hand, wild fire behind his eyes. I spread my legs so one leaned against the wall and the other draped over the closed toilet lid and he guided himself into me. He didn't stop until he slid in completely and my body pulsed in surges around him. One hand gripped the hair on the top of my head and his face hovered over mine. Eyes on mine.

Always mine.

He moved sluggishly, careful strokes into me even though my hands were feverishly moving up and down his body, my hips trying to angle up to slam my pelvis against his. I wanted him to fuck me. I wanted it rough, I wanted it to hurt, I wanted... "Shh. Settle, little one," he whispered.

"But I need it," I whined.

His hold on my hair tightened with the slightest twinge of pain but not enough to sate the desperation building in my body. His eyes traversed the plane of my face before holding my gaze with a firm determination. "I know what you need, so let me give it to you. Settle."

I blew out a deep breath and stopped moving. It's as if his body knew I was forcing it because he didn't move again until I relaxed, my body hit the floor and the stiffness in my muscles slacked and released. He pulled back a little before slipping his hand between me and the towel, lifting my hips slightly off the ground as he thrust back into me leisurely. Steadily. An easy pace set he dropped his head to my neck, cool lips dueling with sharp teeth against my dewy skin. He ran his tongue down the hollow of my throat and kissed above my breasts, my hands tangled in his hair while he made love to me. My head threw back when my orgasm came on like a burst of white light of pleasure, powerless to stop it, even if I wanted to. "Ahh, oh God I love you," the throaty call sounding so deep and weighty coming from my lips.

The fingers on his left hand threaded through mine and held on tight as I climaxed. The earth shook beneath me -- but no, it was me quaking and shivering around his body, tiny stars from space dancing behind my eyelids as I gave in. Sweet kisses adorned my temple and I came down, panting confused when he pulled out. "But...you didn't come..."

"Mmm," he moaned, his own galaxy shining brightly in his eyes as he looked down at me. "I'm taking you to bed. Then I'll come."

"Love a man with a plan." A grin and a kiss and all my worries were forgotten about. For a little while, anyway.

***

VIII: Start a War.

"Please don't go, Mister. I'll make you feel good."

"You already did which is precisely why I'm running late now." I licked Max all over his face while he laughed and tried to pry his shirt from my weakened grip. "Little...mmph...little one, I'll return in ten minutes."

"But you just got here." I coerced him into another kiss and he fell into it with a happy little noise. He was supposed to check up on things at Antonio's an hour ago, but the suggestion of a quick blowjob got him back into bed after our romp on the bathroom floor. Men are so easy. "The quicker you let me go the quicker I'll come back and ravage you for the rest of the afternoon," he replied as his thumb skimmed my hipbone, tracing the top seam of my denim shorts. "How I have missed these impossibly tiny shorts you seem privy to wear."

I cheesed eagerly, lifting on my toes and confessing against his lips, "If you'll come back to bed I just so happen to have a whole lingerie drawer of tiny things to wear."

He growled dramatically and pulled me in close. "You're killing me here, little one." I was embraced again, slower this time. I was so wrapped up in him I didn't hear the door open and shut.

"Well, this is a great sight to come home to."

Out of surprise I moved to separate from Max who refused to release me from his hold when Sam interrupted us, duffel bag slung over his shoulder, looking mad irritated. I was happy to see him but the way he was staring at us was making me a little uncomfortable. I tried to sound cheerful anyway. "Hey Baldy! Um, this is Maxwell Holland. Max, this is my roommate Sam Lamont."

Sam dropped his bag on the couch. "So, you're the boss."

"And you're the housemate." I peeked up at my husband's face. The terse greeting was so unusual coming from him, not to mention he was glaring at Sam so hard if was if he was trying to use a massive amount of brain power to make my friend burst into flames. Instead he bent down and kissed me on the cheek. "Allow me a few minutes to speak with Anthony then I'll take you for lunch."

"Okay. I'll go change."

"Don't. You're perfect as you are." He squeezed me tightly before he left me in the middle of the floor, him and Sam exchanging a look but no words before he left for his condo. Once the door shut I started gathering my hair in a messy bun, trying to at least look like I hadn't been mauled thirty seconds before my roommate came in. "Do you want to come to lunch with us? I was thinking that Thai place near campus."

"No thanks, I've lost my appetite." Sam crossed his arms over his broad chest like he was about to throw a tantrum. "Where you been, Kitten?"

"Oh, uh. I was in London for a few days. I've been back since Tuesday though. How're things at the hospital? That attending Paul still being a dick?"

"I thought you weren't fucking that guy."

Well, my attempt to change the subject obviously didn't work. "I wasn't the last time I saw you, which was like, two months ago. Now I am."

"No shit. It looked like you were about two seconds away from being face down, ass up over the couch."

"Whoa!" I held out my hands like I was physically halting him. "What the fuck is your problem?"

His arms tightened, rich brown muscles underneath his scrub top threatening to tear the thin sleeves. "Nothing, I just don't want to come home to a damn Cinemax late-night movie in my living room. If you walked in on me tongue-fucking some girl you'd be pissed too."

I ground my teeth together -- a bad habit left over from my childhood -- as I thought about the fucking nerve this dude had. "I wouldn't be rude as shit about it. I don't call you a whore with all the nurses and med students you stick your dick in on a daily basis so don't even fucking try it with me."

"I didn't even call you that! I mean, what the hell is going on with you Syd? I've called you I don't know how many times over the past few weeks, you're impossible to get a hold of and when I do come home you're never here. Is this guy isolating you like Jeremy did, keeping you from talking to me?"

"No. Jesus. He...he and I are ..." I took a deep breath, figuring by the way he was responding me and Max kissing he really wasn't going to like what I was about to tell him. "We got married last weekend and I'm moving to London in a couple weeks."

Sam was eerily silent, staring at me like I'd lost the good sense God gave me. Abruptly he just up and started walking out of the house. "Sam, wait!" he ignored my plea when I followed him, watching him yank the front door open before shutting it so hard the cat clock on the wall fell and crashed to the floor. I stayed in my spot, not even sure what the hell happened when moments later I heard Sam's voice yelling in the hallway.

"I don't know who the fuck you think you are, but if you think I'm gonna let you take advantage of her you're out of your fucking mind!"

Oh, no. I ran to the door and opened it to Sam and Max having a standoff in the hallway, about ten seconds away from beating the shit out of each other. Max had a few inches on him, but Sam was all brawn - either way, the situation needed to be diffused before someone got hurt. I took a cautious step toward them. "Sam, come back inside so we can take about this."

Max sneered in a way I hadn't seen him do before. "I'd listen to my wife if I were you, mate. I don't know what she sees in you but I'd hate to have to properly handle you in front of her."

A smug smirk came onto Sam's face and he pointed to me. "I don't know what she sees in your ass either, but I know what you see in her, since I already fucked her properly long before you came into the picture."

Disgusting and uncalled comment aside I almost felt a little bad Sam didn't see the punch coming.

Max's fist connected with Sam's face so hard the audible pop of his cheekbone made me want to hurl. Sam stumbled backwards a few steps, holding his face, the look in his eye switching from surprise to savage in a split second and I stepped between them just as he was gearing up to return the favor. "Get the fuck out of the way, Syd."

I pushed at Sam as hard as I could, trying to steer him back to the door. "Asshole, get the fuck in the house." He paused to snarl at my husband and I was all too ready to grab Sam by the balls and physically drag him back when he marched off into our door. I turned around to Max who was majorly beyond pissed. "What the fuck was that?!"

He shook out his punching hand and pointed to my home. "You have two minutes to deal with him Sydney, or I will." I just shook my head, muttering curses under my breath in disbelief at the events of the last ninety seconds and went back inside my door, letting it shut on its own behind me. I found Sam in his room aggressively throwing clothes into his duffel bag. "What the hell are you doing?"

He didn't bother looking at me and his speech was garbled because of his rapidly swelling face. "I'm moving out. I'll get the rest of my shit later."

"You go over there and start shit, unnecessarily throw the fact that we slept together in his face and you have the fucking nerve to be mad at me? What the fuck is the matter with you?"

"You know what Syd? Doesn't even matter anymore." He zipped up his bag and snatched it off the bed, stopping by my side before he walked out. "Have a good life in London." He left down the hallway and out the door before I could process what the hell just happened.

***

IX: Shadows.

"Wow. That is...something." Tess commented after the rush of information I dumped on her in the span of three minutes. "Definitely...something."

I paced the floor of my walk-in closet, nervously nibbling on my thumbnail. "I need more than just "that's something" here, Thomas, I'm freaking out here."

"I mean, you're not like going to like what I have to say."

Bless her, she'd stepped away from dinner with her dad and stepmom to talk me down from the edge. The fight between me and Sam, and Sam and Holland, had my nerves all up in a tizzy. When I called her I just started rambling in a confused haze and probably wasn't super coherent, but I went with what I could in the time I had. "Well my shitlist is a mile long today so hop on. Hit me with it."

"Okay. Well, my first question is why the heck didn't you tell me you got married?"

I cringed when she led off with that. "That's my bad. I kind of...forgot? Everything happened so fast, I'm still processing. Is that why Sam's pissed? I didn't exactly tell him in the nicest way."

I could hear Tess drumming her nails on a hard surface in the background. "I don't think your tone is why Sam's upset."

"Then what is it, because he thinks Holland is the second coming of Jeremy? Jesus, I'm fine."

"Who are you talking to? I am the epitome of not fine so stop lying to me. But it's not about that either. Sam is head over heels in love with you, Syd. Has been for a long time."

I ran my ribcage into the corner of my dresser in surprise. "What! He...you're crazy. He literally fucks any girl with a big butt and a smile."

"That girl is poison," we both sang spontaneously, taking a giggle break before she led on. "So? That means the man is devoid of emotion? You and Sam had this very personal world of two for three years. One look at him and you and anyone can see that he may sleep around but it's because he can't have the one girl he really wants. Why do you think he freaked out so bad? He's probably heartbroken."

"Oh." I gave up trying to rub away the pain in my side and gave her assessment some serious thought. Sam and I slept together the night we met but there hadn't been anything close to a repeat performance since. It wasn't that the sex was bad: it was a solid 7 out of 10. He was a sweet, funny, generous guy -- at least from what I remember, because it wasn't like I'd spent any time with him in the past six months at least -- but there was no heat and I wasn't ever going to force it. It felt like a huge punch to the gut and I could feel my throat tightening. "How did I miss it?"

"Probably because you didn't feel the same way, and that's not your fault, but if you want to salvage your friendship give him a little space to cool off for a while.

I swallowed down her advice to deal with later. "Okay, what about Holland?"

"Yes, what about Holland?" she repeated in a playful voice, "He's just acting like a jealous alpha male -- trust me, I'm married to one too. It wouldn't kill you to give him a little reassurance."

"I'm not gonna stroke his ego just to make him happy."

"Why not? He strokes yours, and pretty often from the sound of it."

"Shut up." I started fiddling with one the brass drawer pulls that was a little loose. "It was scary, seeing him that mad. He had this faraway look in his eye when he hit Sam. I think he would have done some serious damage if I hadn't been there."

"...are you scared of him?"

"No. Or, I don't know. It was unnerving is all." My closet door cracked opened and I jumped. Max stepped in cautiously, hands in pockets with an unreadable look on his face. He stayed by the doorway with no attempt to come any closer. "I gotta go. Thanks for the pep talk, Coach."

"Is he there? Give him the phone." I hesitated and she practically shouted at me. "Give. Him. The fucking. Phone."

"Damn Mama Bear, calm down." I dropped my hand down and pointed my cell at him. "Tess wants to talk to you."

He retrieved it from me and put it to his ear, speaking shyly. "Good evening Contessa, it is a pleasure to finally...yes.... yes. Yes. I...of course I will. I understand...believe me, I do not take your concerns lightly." I could hear Tess yelling at him through the phone while Max traced circles on the floor with his bare foot. Suddenly his eyes connected with mine and it felt like I'd been socked square in the chest. "Because she's the most enigmatic, stunningly kind soul I've ever met...yes, I am almost certain we are speaking of the same person."

I walked over to him and snatched the phone from his hand. "Bye, Tess." I hung up and twisted to put the phone on the dresser, grabbing my sore side with a faint cry. Max lifted my shirt and touched the tender swelling spot on my ribcage. "Did he do this?" he asked with an acidity to his voice.

"No, the dresser did. I'm just clumsy." I pulled my shirt from his grasp and tugged it down, needing to break the tentative feel between us. "I'm sorry. It's not like I was keeping it from you...or maybe I was, but not in a covering up kind of way, it just isn't anything I ever think about. It was only twice a long time ago and I guess I didn't think how difficult it must be for you that I have a roommate who's a guy. I should have told you sooner."

Max folded his arms over his chest but his eyes held no anger anymore. "I know you had a life before me, little one. It doesn't bother me a great deal that you have a male housemate, nor does it bother me the two of you had a prior relationship: that has no bearing on us in the present. However, I am rightly livid that his feelings toward you are so strong to the point I had to resort to physical violence in response. For him to bait me by throwing your intimacy in my face was uncalled for, and that it affected you as well...I shudder to think what I would have done had you not intervened. Either you handle him or I will, and believe me, you do not want me to do so."

The firm look on his face showed he felt no remorse for hitting Sam, he was thoroughly unapologetic for it and would do it again in a heartbeat. "He left, so I don't think it will be much of a problem anymore."

He closed the distance between us, rubbing his hand up and down my forearm. "You're sad he's gone."

"Well, yeah. Three years of friendship down the drain in one day all because I was too stupid to realize that he..." I shrugged, trying to steady my voice. "It sucks and I feel fucking horrible.

Max seemed sincerely confused by my unhappiness, I could see him struggling to try and understand. "I didn't realize how you genuinely cared for your friendship with him. Tell me what I can do to fix it."

"Nothing. I need to give him some time." I hugged my blond boy around his waist, squashing my nose against his shirt to inhale. "I don't like seeing you like that. It scared me."

"I apologize for alarming you, I certainly don't ever want you to fear me. I hope you know in your heart I would never behave in such a manner toward you, it was a momentary lapse in judgement." He caressed my back calmingly and I tried to give in and ease down. "I can't say I don't feel at least a bit sorry for the poor chap. I'd be thoroughly wrecked if I couldn't have your affection."

"Well duh babe, I'm fabulous." I tilted my head up to see his face, running my fingers over the dulling pink scratches I'd left on his cheek. "But my heart belongs to you."