His shout of victory rang in her ears. Her hips were held in a bruising grip as he stayed buried inside her. Being forced to hold still made the volcanic activity erupting in her core even stronger.

They rode out aftershocks together, arms wrapped tight around each other. Maggie trembled against him as he stroked his hand over her wet hair and whispered sweet words of praise in her ear. He kissed her softly, sweetly. Tasting her mouth and skin with his tongue.

When he finally withdrew from her, her body still felt full and used and oh so good. He drew her to the ledge so she could hang on. When he was sure she was safe, he levered himself up to sit on the ledge.

What a picture he made, his half-hard cock lying heavily against his thick thigh, as if deciding whether to harden again or not. Water droplets clung to his chest and his hair. His stubble was more beard now than it had been two days ago. He looked like he belonged here under the waterfall in the wild.

And for once, Maggie felt like she might belong, too.

31

31

“You just wanted me to buy this so you don’t have to spend another night on the cot,” Maggie accused him three efficient hours later as the movers assembled the bed rails in her room under Kevin’s watchful eye.

She couldn’t decide if she was horrified or delighted with the purchase.

“Every other person in this house has an actual bed,” Silas argued. “Why shouldn’t you have one?”

“You already talked me into it once,” she pointed out. And she was having a hard time regretting it when she saw the weathered dark wood of the headboard go up against the cloud gray of the wall. The kittens darted into the room to check on the action and then raced out again.

The buying hadn’t stopped there. She’d snapped up a rug, in deeper blues, and twin nightstands with drawers painted a dark gray with absolutely frivolous crystal knobs. Nirina and Kayla had made a gift of crisp cotton sheets in a clean white and a duvet in navy. Then she’d dragged Silas to the furniture store they’d recommended over in Abileen and fallen in love with a deep-cushioned couch and matching armchair for the soon-to-be TV room.

On her way out of the store, she’d gotten Cody’s text. An 86 on his trig quiz. The kid had used three exclamation points. She’d hit Buy It Now on the new laptop she’d been eyeing for him. He could use it for school and work rather than her clunky old one, which had to be restarted every hour or two, she reasoned. It was an investment.

Silas had been delighted. Maggie had been mildly appalled. She blamed Bonus Day and underwater orgasms for her out-of-character spending spree.