Total pages in book: 31
Estimated words: 29591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 29591 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 148(@200wpm)___ 118(@250wpm)___ 99(@300wpm)
But my fucking Christ, I hoped last night had shifted something in his mind—and I was going to keep a close eye on him for changes. Because if I got the impression he might want more, I’d jump at the first opportunity.
I could feel one of those rougher periods sneaking up on me. In which case, I was going to need a week on my own in the woods, completely off the grid, followed by an intense month or two where I worked out a lot and went to the shooting range after work.
We sat down with one seat in between us, and I ate my burger and drank my coffee in silence. Twenty minutes till boarding. After that, I prayed I passed out.
I reckoned it was a combination of things that stirred the emotions every now and then. Birthdays and holidays, vacation plans, closing our community… And maybe the fact that he’d been single for a long time now. It was much easier to stay back when he was surrounded by Littles and subs and…whatever.
He’d never once dated a Top. Not even a switch. Always submissives and kinky bottoms.
I side-eyed him as he rubbed his temples.
I crammed the last of my burger into my mouth.
At least we got some extra sleep on the plane, and Max looked more alive when we landed in Miami.
I bet the three cups of coffee and two bottles of water had helped too.
It sure as fuck lit a fire under his ass when he needed to find a bathroom, in any case.
I headed outside in the meantime, with his carry-on, and I shrugged out of my jacket on the way. I saw a couple familiar faces too. Sam and Carl had just picked up our rental.
“Good to see you again, man.” Carl slapped his hand to mine, and I shook it firmly. “Where’s your other half?”
Ha! If only.
“In the can,” I replied. “Where’s yours?”
It was damn nice out. Hot enough for a summer vacation, but without the humid Florida heat the state was known for.
“Back at the hotel,” he said. “We’ll pick him up on the way. We flew in last night, and I don’t want him cranky in the car.”
“Nobody does,” Sam laughed.
I grinned and tossed our bags in the back.
We got some chatter out of the way before Max emerged, and he immediately pulled out his shades and put them on. Good opportunity for me to mention to Sam and Carl that Max was hungover after a couple of wine coolers.
Call it a sweet fuck-you to Max for looking good even when he looked like shit. The morning scruff did it for me. He hadn’t shaved in a couple days. Plus, it’d started glinting silver in places, like his hair.
“Look at you, sunshine!” Sam smirked. “I heard you had one too many wine coolers last night. Want me to get you a banana bag?”
“Wine cool—fuck you, Reid,” Max grumbled.
I laughed and threw an arm around his shoulders.
It felt incredible to be here—which reminded me of a joke I’d read online. “Hey, in what state in the continental US do you gotta head north to reach the South?”
He furrowed his brow. His brain wasn’t there yet.
“I know that one—Florida!” Sam slapped the top of the SUV before getting in behind the wheel.
“That makes zero sense,” Max huffed.
“Give it another coffee, and you’ll figure it out,” I assured.
From here on out, Rome, Trey, and Cas should be in charge of our annual house rental. Fucking hell, they’d picked a good one. It looked like a nice beach house, although we were nowhere near the water, and it had eight bedrooms, six baths, a large living room, a grand kitchen that opened up to a big deck outside, with a barbecue area and a nice pool. The entire back was elevated several feet, something I presumed kept gators away. The garage was situated underneath the house.
Max automatically followed me into one of the bedrooms, so I didn’t have to wonder if we were gonna share. We usually did, but because we had to. This house was bigger, and he could have his own room if he wanted.
Given it was a brief vacation, I changed into trunks right away before I headed outside with a towel and a beer. We’d bought plenty with us.
A couple of the subs were in charge of the food, and it looked like they were here to please us all. Steaks, potatoes, spicy sausages, burger patties, and only the necessary vegetables. A lot of snacks too, including cheese, chips, dip, fruit, nuts, and charcuterie.
Three of the guys had already jumped into the pool by the time I collapsed in a lounger, and I planned on staying here until I needed to cool off.
This was fucking perfect. No neighbors on this side of the property. The backdrop was all Everglades.