BOOTH

I was so fucking tired. The funeral had gone well as far as funerals go. Dundee’s mum and sisters seemed quite humbled by the quiet and respectful service. I wasn’t sure if they’d expected guns blazing and beer poured over the coffin or what, but we were soldiers first and foremost. Honour was earned, and Dundee had earned his. He died with honour, but now, hours later, his family left for their hometown, their son and brother cremated. We had agreed to share the ashes. The club wanted to spread him around the back of the compound. Keep him close. Keep him where he wanted to be.

My need for sleep was close to desperate, though the thought of closing my eyes gave me chills and not the good kind. My most pressing need was to find out where the hell Stella had disappeared to. I wanted to talk about her beautiful voice, about the fact that she could sing better than some of the celebrities out there, and I really wanted to talk about what I had seen during my eulogy when I looked over at her. I fucking swore I saw a large cut on her mouth.

“Pres?” Darth said, standing in the doorway of the war room. He had a sleepy Shiloh on his hip. Deck’s parents had dropped her off about an hour before. They stayed to talk with Dundee’s mum, and as far as I knew, they were still here at the compound, making the most of their visit with their granddaughter, son, and future daughter-in-law. I had known them for more than twenty years, and they always made me feel like a son when my parents couldn’t or, in my father’s case, wouldn’t.

“Yeah, brother?” Even my voice was tired.

“Found Stella. She’s in the laundry room.”

“Thanks, brother.” My tiredness was forgotten as I quickly got up and made my way out of the room. My woman had become a bit of a ghost of late, and I was about to get some answers. As I passed them, I leaned over and kissed the top of Shiloh’s head, and the sleepy child reached out and grabbed my nose.

“Gotcha nose,” she joked, her voice tired. Poor kid. She had been through so much with the accident and hurting her arm, and she had really loved Dundee. Deck and Charlotte weren’t really sure how much they should tell her about his passing, so choosing to let Deck’s parents take her for the day was the best decision.

“Keep it, baby girl. Love you,” I whispered into her hair.

“Lub you more, GI Joe,” she quipped. Her head was against Darth’s shoulder with her eyes closed, and she was already more than half-asleep.

Chuckling, I walked down the hall. Damn, that little girl means the fucking world to me. I made my way through the maze of hallways that led to the commercial-grade laundry room where I finally found Stella.

She had changed into a pair of tight jeans that were turned up at the ankle, a pair of canvas lace-up beach shoes on her feet, and she was wearing a long-sleeved pink T-shirt. Now, this was my Stella. Except for the make-up. She was still wearing the pristine, made-up face from the funeral, and it looked out of place on her now without the showy clothes. The desire to get a washcloth from the pile in front of her and wash her face clean was strong.

“Stella?” One word. Her name—the name that was on my mind every night, every morning, every fucking hour of every fucking day. She must not have heard me come down the hall since she jumped when I said her name.

“Jesus, Booth. Don’t sneak up on me like that, handsome.” She was holding her hand over her heart. I loved the silly nickname she had for me. Silly or not, it made my heart skip each time she called me handsome.

“Sorry, Honey, but it has been hard getting you pinned down.” It didn’t escape my attention the way her eyes softened when I called her honey. I liked that I could do that to her.

“It’s been a hard few days, Booth,” she reminded me.

The sadness on her face was like a punch to my gut. This had to be so hard on her. She saw firsthand how Dundee died. She was the one driving that day, and I’d heard the fear in her voice when she called us. My men and I were utterly helpless as we were forced to listen to her and Charlotte deal with a madman. Shiloh’s terrified screams had only added to our nightmare. We protected what was ours, and that day, we couldn’t. We were in the war room fucking useless. Damn, when would the guilt stop pulling on me?

“Deck’s parents are ordering everyone pizza for tea. I already told them what you like,” she said to me as she reached down for another pair of socks and folded them into a neat ball. There was dark charcoal grey washing basket that had the name Darth on it next to her. Fuck. I knew this was part of her job, but seeing her doing my brother’s washing made me feel proud and fucking pissed all at the same time. I didn’t want her hands on his personal shit. I only wanted them on mine.

“I don’t care about pizza, Stella. I want to know what is going on with you. And before you say ‘nothing,’ don’t,” I said, seeing she was about to argue with me. This time, I was finding out.

“Booth, I have so much work to catch up on today. Can we please do this another time?” she pleaded, but there was a hitch in her voice. I could tell she was barely hanging on. She threw the rolled socks into the basket and started to walk off from the sorting table. Uh-uh, no way, honey.

I moved in front of her so she had no option but to crash into me. The second her soft body contacted with mine, her mouth opened in a soft gasp. I saw her pink tongue, and my resolve crumbled.

I needed just a small taste. Dipping my head, I crashed my lips to hers, and feelings I had never felt before exploded in my body. Pulling her closer to me, I moved my mouth against hers, wanting to deepen the kiss, but I didn’t. I didn’t want to scare her off with my desperation to taste her. But oh, my fucking good God. Heaven had a name, and its name was Stella Hogan. Moving swiftly, I backed Stella up against the closest wall without taking my mouth from hers. Once there, I pushed my body harder against hers. She was a fair bit shorter than I was, but I kind of liked that.

I lifted her in my arms, and her legs instantly wrapped around my waist. At this height, her crotch was firmly planted against my very hard one. One kiss and I was as hard as a fucking steel pipe.

I moved my head to the side a bit more as I deepened our kiss, her moans and gasps telling me she was on board with it. And fuck, did I love to hear her sounds of pleasure. I was not a quiet person during intimacy. I liked to talk and express my enjoyment, and I liked my partner to be all in with me, too. Stella was not letting me down. With not only her moans but also her hands all over me, in my hair, stroking my neck, on my hair-roughened cheeks. Fucking everywhere. And I loved it.

Her lower body was not being still, either. Just like her hands, her hips were bumping and grinding against my erection. She was pushing against me so hard … Oh, Jesus Christ, was she going to come? I fucking hoped so. Pushing my tongue further into her mouth, I groaned when Stella took advantage and sucked it. Fucking sucked it! Deep into the warm recesses of her mouth. Oh, hell, yes!

“Booth, oh God. Booth, yes, yes, Booth,” she cried against my mouth, and I felt her desperation in her words. “Baby.” She groaned loudly, holding herself hard against my denim-covered cock. Her mouth was still on mine, her breath warm on my lips. I felt a spine-tingling sensation like I had never ever felt before—well, at least not this consuming, this raw, and this real. I couldn’t help the groan of pleasure that escaped my lips as a sharp but incredibly intense pleasure ripped through me like lightning. What the fuck is that? Keeping my mouth firmly planted on hers, I continued to let Stella use my body.

Her panting turned feral as her body tensed, her fingers digging into my biceps holding me in place as she let out one final guttural groan. That groan told me one thing—Stella Hogan had just climaxed, just from my kisses and my hard cock, which was still painfully encased in my jeans. Oh, fuck, yes!

“Pres, you out here?” Oh, fuck, no!

Before I could blink, Stella was out of my arms, her shocked gasp echoing in the room as she scrambled out of the laundry room. Away from me. Again.

“Stella! Come back. Honey, we need to talk. Stella!” I yelled, but it was too late. She was gone. With her taste still on my lips and my dick still hard as a rock, I moved towards the other door and looked to see who had the fucking nerve to interrupt me, but just as I did, I felt something strange. It took me a second or two, but I suddenly realised what had happened. Fuck me. My honey had made me come in my jeans. Holy shit.

“Pres, pizza is here,” Seb called from the hallway. I couldn’t let anyone see me like this.

“Yeah, be there soon, mate. Just finding a change of clothes,” I called out, trying hard not to howl like a wolf that had just found his mate for life. Because, Miss Stella Hogan, you just became mine with that climax and that one word. Baby. She probably wasn’t even aware she said it, but I heard it. Right down to my black soul. And I fucking loved it.

Game on, Honey. I am coming for you.

And that was it.