She had no idea what she was asking for. With his lips nearly touching her ear, he said, “You have the tightest, hottest, wettest pussy. I love the way you grab hold of my cock and squeeze me so hard.”

Her inner muscles contracted around him.

“Christ,” he said through gritted teeth. “Do that again.” She did it again and again, and the sensations triggered his inner beast, making him forget all about his plans to go easy on her. He started to move, giving her the deep thrusts that she’d loved so much last night.

“Yes,” she whispered. “Don’t stop.”

“I’ll never stop.” He slid his hands under her, gripping her ass in both hands as he let loose. “Feels so fucking good.”

Her thighs tightened around his hips, and the spasm of her inner muscles let him know she was close, so he went for broke, drawing another keening cry of completion from her. That was quickly becoming his most favorite sound in the world, he thought, as he went deep one more time and lost himself in her as she clung to him.

“Hope… God…” He wanted to tell her he was falling in love with her. He wanted to tell her he wanted a life with her and Ethan. He wanted to tell her everything, but he held back. More than anything, he was afraid to scare her away, so he bit his tongue for now. But eventually, when she was ready, he would tell her everything.

The ringing of his cell phone interrupted his thoughts. He took the call from the hospital.

“Mr. Martinez, the doctor would like to meet with you tomorrow at eleven if that’s convenient.”

“I’ll be there.”

With those three words, reality returned to remind him that this time away with Hope had been a mere interlude. The real challenge would begin when they returned home.

Chapter 21

Chapter 21

Mac and Maddie had breakfast at the South Harbor Diner and then took the stairs behind the diner to Dan Torrington’s new office. Wearing a pink polo shirt with plaid shorts and loafers, Dan met them in the reception area.

Mac cringed at his friend’s flashy outfit. “The Preppy Handbook called. They want their cover model back.”

“Ha-ha, very funny. A man has a bit of style, and this is the abuse he takes.”

“If you want to call that style…”

“Be nice, Mac,” Maddie said. “We’re here because we need his help.”

“Come on in.” Dan led them into his office in which a desk sat amid boxes in various stages of unpacking. “Sorry for the mess. My stuff from LA arrived on Friday, and I haven’t had a chance to do much with it.”

“So this is an official move, huh?” Mac asked as he took one of the visitor chairs and Maddie took the other.