“Okay, so no making love in this house,” I say, smiling.

“Why do you say that?” she asks as she pushes a sweaty piece of hair out of her face.

“Because I don’t think your dad would appreciate the noise.” I kiss her lips and see a blush spread across her cheeks. “It’s okay, sunshine. We’ve got a house in the woods where we can be as loud as we want.”

We spend the day cleaning up the house and going through Maggie’s room. She doesn’t have a lot of stuff from moving so much, but we pack up things she knows she wants to go to the new house, and I load them up in my truck. No matter what, we’ll live there, and it’s the next step in our lives. It doesn’t take long, and after we’ve done that, we go through the house, seeing what she wants and getting ready for Major to come back tomorrow.

When we get to the guest room, I see that Alice’s stuff is missing.

“Maggie?” I call from the room, and she comes in to see it for herself.

“Yeah, she said she needed some time away. I don’t know what’s going on right now. But I feel like I’ve been a bad friend.”

“Everyone handles grief in different ways, sunshine. You clung to Alice when I was gone because that’s what helped you work through it. I think she’s been through so much trauma in her life that it’s easier for her to deal with her grief on her own.”

“Maybe,” she says, but I can still see something is on the edge there.

“Tell me what’s been bothering you. I know something’s on your mind.” I take her hand, lead her over to the bed, and make her sit on my lap. “Talk to me, Maggie.”

“At school on Friday—God, that seems like a lifetime ago,” she says, shaking her head. “They told me that Major isn’t my biological father.”

All the worry she’s been trying to hide shows on her face, and I wrap my arms around her. “What do you mean?”

“I saw adoption papers. I know they don’t mean anything, but why would he keep it from me? It said he was my uncle. I didn’t even know he had a brother. It’s overwhelming, and I have so many questions.”

I take one of her hands and kiss her wrist, where I feel her pulse thrumming. “Does this change the way you feel about Major?”

“No!” She’s quick to answer as she shakes her head. “It doesn’t change anything. It’s just surprising. I feel like there’s this secret that he kept from me, and I never knew it. I’m kind of pissed actually. He’s my dad, and nothing will ever change that. Especially not a piece of paper.”

“Then when he comes home, you can talk to him about it.” She nods, and I squeeze her hand in reassurance. “Major keeps secrets for a living. There’s no one better at it than him, and it’s for a reason. If he didn’t tell you, he had good reasons. But he’s an honest and honorable man. So if you ask him, he’ll tell you what he can.”

“And what if I don’t like what I hear?” Her head dips, and it’s then that I hear the true worry in her voice.

“Sunshine,” I say, tipping her chin to look at me. “There is nothing that will ever shake his love for you. And nothing that will ever shake my love for you. So keep that in mind when those worries creep in. At the end of the day, your family is right here, and we’re not going anywhere.”

She smiles at me, and I can see her worry slip away. “Stop making sense, cupcake.” She pokes me in the ribs, and I grab her wrist.

“Careful. You don’t want to start something you can’t finish,” I warn, kissing her neck.

“Maybe I do,” she retorts, moving her hand down and placing it over the front of my jeans.

She runs her palm up and down my growing length, and I growl against her skin. “God, you’re like a drug.”

I pull her leg over so she’s straddling me as I undo my jeans and pull my cock out. She’s got on a cotton dress, so all I have to do is reach under and pull her panties to the side. I’m inside her in seconds, and I hold her to me as I let her tight pussy adjust.

I take her mouth in a deep kiss and then move down her neck. I yank down the top of the dress, exposing her breasts. Sucking a nipple into my mouth, I grip her hips with both hands and start to move her.

“Eli,” she moans as she leans her head back and rides me.

I can’t keep my hands off her or go more than a few minutes without wanting to be inside her. I’ve never been so needy before, but with Maggie, there is never enough. I always want more.

“God, you’re going to be raw if I keep taking you like this. I’m so sorry,” I moan as I thrust into her again. I should stop, but I’m a beast and can’t. I just keep taking her for my own pleasure, but I make myself feel better by giving her the same, too.

“Don’t stop,” she moans, and I feel her tremble.

She moves her hips in a steady rhythm as she bears down on me. She’s rubbing her clit and grinding so that she can get off on my cock. The sight and sounds have me drunk with lust, and I can’t hold back anymore.

“I’m coming!” she cries out, and I feel her climax on me.

I release into her and cling to her body, needing to be inside her as much as I can. I want to devour her, and any space between us makes me angry.

It’s either minutes or hours later, I can’t be sure, but when we finally open our eyes again, it’s dark out. I carry Maggie up to bed, and this time I don’t give in to my urges. Instead, I spoon behind her and we fall asleep with her in my arms.