Page 17 of Make Me Unwind

My tongue flies over her flesh as her whimpers bounce off the walls. She’s too fucking much. I’ve never been with anyone who was this open about asking for what she wants, and my blood is boiling.

I’ve been with other women but not had an endless string of conquests. I was too busy dedicating myself to being the best SEAL prospect possible. Learning. Listening. Never stopping. And then, I made it to the elite team and the training was grueling. The missions were dangerous. That left little time for relationships beyond meaningless sex.

I hadn’t wanted my priorities to shift from my team to a woman. If I had, it would have jeopardized the team and the mission. I tense. It happened anyway. Don’t think about it. Focus on the woman in front of you. The heavy rain outside pelts against the windows. To push everything back, I lash her core and smile as her body explodes around me. She bucks and gasps as every inch of her body trembles in response.

Not able to resist her perfection any longer, I climb her body, unsheathe myself, and press at her entrance. Her eyes blink open. Beautiful dark eyes stare back. Mine. I want her to be mine.

I don’t want her to ever look at another man and not see my face. Want my body next to hers. The thought of the men, no the boys, who were with her before me, sends a jolt of jealousy through me.

Mine. I grab her hip and plunge to the hilt. Her eyes widen in shock as everything around me shuts down. A virgin. She was a virgin. Shit.

“Jesus, you should have said something.” Sweat slides down my forehead. She was a virgin and I just slammed into her like I was a battering ram.

“I….” Her eyes glisten as she turns away.

“Don’t.” I have the presence of mind to cup her cheek and turn her head toward me. “You should have said something, so I didn’t hurt you. The last thing I wanted was to hurt you.”

Her bottom lip trembles, lightning fills the sky, the entire house shudders in response to the raging storm as the windows rattle, and the lights go out.

Fuck. My heart pounds erratically in my chest, and cold clammy sweat covers my body. Crashing metal is everywhere. In my ears. In my soul. It curls around me like a living beast. Destroying everything in its wake. My breathing is ragged as I pull out from Piper’s heat and inhale. Count to ten. Breathe out.

More flashes. More crashing. Breath in.

Piper scrambles out from under me. It’s just a storm. It’s just a storm.

The lights flash on, and she stands before me in the lamplight. Her face is as white as death. My eyes rake over her as I try to remain in the moment. You’re here with Piper. You’re not under a smoldering truck.

As my gaze travels over the puckered skin on her thigh, I jump up and swallow hard. “I need–”

The word won’t come as bile slides up my throat. I spin on my heel and run to the bathroom, hurling up my lunch. When I come out, she’s gone.

Chapter Ten

Piper

I scrub my face before stepping outside my room, but it does nothing to disguise the bruises under my eyes. It took hours for me to warm up after the cold rain pelted me on my walk back to our cabin. Or at least that’s what I told myself.

But if I were being honest, the haunting chill was from Asher’s stillness at discovering I was a virgin and his revulsion at seeing my scars. For a moment, I thought he was different. Different from the boy I’d been with. But he’s not.

I shiver at the chill in the living room and search for any signs of life. Even hours later, I’m still ice-cold, and my stomach is in knots. I listen for sounds, and there’s nothing. No murmurs between Weston and Charlotte. No giggling from Roe. Or chattering from Gavin. I’m alone, which is for the best. I don’t want to explain where I was last night. Or face the possibility of Charlotte guessing I was with Asher and lost my virginity.

Does it even count when the guy freaks out and bolts after one thrust? I cross my arms over my chest. It sure doesn’t feel like it. It certainly didn’t live up to the books I’ve read or even an article in a magazine.

Maybe my story would fit one of those columns about the most humiliating experience of your life. I shudder again and consider flying home early when Charlotte and Weston leave in the morning. I would, except I don’t want my mom to have to drive back to Kansas City alone. I sigh. I’ll stay. It’s only three more days.

I shove open the patio door and step into the heat. The sun beams down on my skin as I inhale the now-familiar scent of saltwater.

“Are you going kayaking today?” My brother’s voice calls out from behind me.

“No.” I spin on my heel to find him stepping around the corner of the cabin. “Where have you been?”

“We took the kids for a walk after breakfast.” His eyes narrow. “What’s wrong?”

“Nothing.” I scan the horizon, letting my hair fan in front of my face to obstruct his view. I should have put on concealer.

“Yes, there is. It’s been a while since I’ve seen that haunted look, but I know it nonetheless.”

“It’s nothing.” I wave a hand dismissively as a young couple walks down the sidewalk hand in hand. “Bad night is all.”

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