Haley

“So when were you going to tell me?”

Maximus looked over at her as he guided her toward the barn.

“Tell you what?”

She tugged on his arm lovingly. “That we’re staying in a barn, mister. Somehow you seemed to gloss over that particular point.”

He whistled innocently. “No idea what you’re talking about.”

“Oh, so this isn’t a barn?” she asked, waving at the structure in front of them.

“Umm, it’s a farm building,” he said, looking straight ahead as he grabbed on the door and pulled it open to allow her in.

“Oh really. What kind of farm building?” she pressed, nudging him with her elbow.

“A barn.”

“I see.”

“Yep.”

“You didn’t feel that maybe I’d want to know that?” she asked.

“I dunno. You never asked.”

She snorted. “Well, you said we were staying on a farm.”

“And we are. I didn’t lie,” he said, closing the door behind them.

“You didn’t tell the entire truth either.”

“I didn’t lie.”

“You’re impossible,” she said with a laugh, pulling him around so she could kiss him.

She hadn’t intended for it to be so intense, but when his hands slid down her back and cupped her rear, she just went with it. Maximus lifted her clear of the floor with a slight bend of his knees, and she kissed him harder, wrapping her arms around his neck and legs around his waist. He spun her around like a dancer as they kissed, making her giggle with unrestrained glee.

Nobody had followed them inside, so she didn’t hold back. They might only have a few minutes of privacy, and she intended to kiss him thoroughly enough it would be good for the rest of the evening.

Maximus seemed to have other ideas though, and she hissed as his hand slid between her legs from behind, pressing hard against her.

“Not now,” she protested. “Everyone will hear.”

“You worry too much,” he rumbled, continuing to touch her. “They’ll give us a while. Trust me.”

“I don’t know,” she said, but the words had no force behind them, distracted as she was by his fingers as they zeroed on in her most sensitive areas even through the thick denim of her jeans.

“I mean, I could stop,” he said between kisses, still pulling her farther into the barn, away from the door.

“I…” She didn’t know what she wanted.

He laid her down on a thick pad that seemed to serve as a bed, and lay down next to her. With a soft grunt he lifted her until she was sitting atop him. Feeling his hardness through her pants was the last straw. She leaned forward to kiss him while also tugging at his belt, trying to rip it off.

Other hands did the same for her pants, and she rolled off him a moment later as they both stripped naked in a hurry. Bottomless, she got on top of him. This wasn’t a lovemaking session like their first time. No, this was just a lusty romp to confirm that they had both emerged alive. He slid inside her swiftly, and she bit her lip at the sudden penetration. Rocking back and forth slowly, she eased herself into the moment, until it felt good.

She stayed bent over him, her lips never leaving his as she rode him quickly. Her gasps quickly mingled with his deeper noises. Her skin tingled with excitement and delight at being taken so publicly. Maximus didn’t seem to care, and a part of her realized that was likely his animal side. To them, sex wouldn’t be such a private thing.

His hips pushed up under her and she gasped as he suddenly felt longer. It was the final straw, and she clenched tight, her fingers digging deep into the thickest part of his chest as she held on while they finished together.

“That was perfect,” she gasped, collapsing onto him as her strength suddenly fled.

“Agreed,” Maximus said, his voice sounding weary.

For the first time she was reminded of the fact that he had just been in a fight. Her eyes were suddenly drawn to the patches of blood and bruises that covered him. She gasped, bringing her hands to her mouth before trying to get off him as gingerly as she could.

“No,” he rumbled, grabbing her waist with both hands. “Stay.”

“But you’re hurt,” she said, feeling slightly stupid for not recalling that in the first place. Of course he was hurt, she’d just seen him get hit with the trunk of a car!

“I’m all right,” he said. “Your company and touch is infinitely more preferable than the absence of an ache or pain from you lying on top of me. I promise.”

She didn’t believe him, but with his hands holding her firm, she also wasn’t going anywhere either.

“So,” she said, leaning in to kiss his neck. “About this barn.”

He bounced slightly with quiet laughs. “It’s remote, and untraceable.”

She nodded. “Well sure. Unless their car has GPS in it. Then someone could be tracking it.”

Maximus went still under her. “G-P-S?” he echoed, repeating each letter slowly.

“Yeah. Umm, Global Positioning System,” she told him after a moment, having to think for a bit about the exact acronym. “Basically it uses satellites to track your location to within a few feet.”

“That’s…not good,” he replied, sitting up. She slid down him slightly, but his arm wrapped around her back to keep her tight. “We need to find out.”

They got dressed hurriedly and went back outside. There they found his brothers still looking over the unconscious shifters, debating about to what to do.

“Check the car,” Maximus ordered, pointing to the black sedan as he moved over to his brothers.

“What are you looking in it for?” Mila asked, moving up alongside her. One of the other women joined them, a short woman with curly black hair.

“GPS system, to see if they were tracked here,” she said.

“Damn,” Mila swore. “They probably do.”

It took the women all of ten seconds to locate the unit. It was attached to the dash, and was currently blinking a red light. Haley had no idea what that indicated, but she doubted it would be good.

“Maximus!” she called “It’s rigged. Someone is going to know where to find us.”

“Damn,” he swore. “Okay, women, leave me your guns. Everyone else, pack up your stuff. We’re leaving. Now.”

“What’s the plan?” asked a tall man, his hair buzzed right down to the scalp. Haley wasn’t positive, but judging by what Maximus had told her of his brothers, she thought it was the one named Kean.

“It’s time to end this,” Maximus said. “We’re going to find and kill Reashallow.”