“I could have helped them. I would have made sure the check was done.”

“You would have died,” she repeats, dropping her forehead to my chest.

Holding her, I whisper, “Daralee’s wife just gave birth to a little girl. The way he talked about her, you would think he was the first man to ever make a girl. Jabson had a girl back home he was planning on asking to marry him. He’d been with her since he was twelve. Denson had just lost his mom to cancer, and his dad was barely holding on. He was going home in three days. They all died, and I was the only one to make it out. Why should I get to live my life, when theirs all ended?” I ask the question I’ve asked myself a million times.

“Would they have wanted you to stop living?” she asks after a long moment, and I hear the tears in her voice.

“I don’t know,” I tell her on a squeeze, holding her closer, then roll to the side and bury my face in her neck. “I hated myself for being thankful that I was able to come home to you, and then the more I thought about it, the more I knew I couldn’t look you in the eye, not when my boys would never be able to see their families or the women they loved again.” Her body bucks against mine and her tears flow harder. “I’m sorry I left you, beautiful, so fucking sorry.”

“I’m sorry too,” she whimpers as her tears soak into my skin. “Sorry that you’ve been fighting this alone, sorry I didn’t fight for you.”

“Jesus.” I squeeze my eyes closed and hold her tighter. Feeling weight hit the bed, I lift my head and watch Ninja as he presses his body to June’s back. It takes awhile for her to calm. When she pulls her face out of my neck, her red, wet eyes meet mine. Neither of us says anything, but I see love there in the open, shining back at me. Leaning in, I kiss her softly then roll to my back.

“Can Ninja sleep with us?” she asks after a few minutes. Instead of answering, I reach over, shut off the lamp, and pull her closer to me. “Night,” she whispers, cuddling closer.

“Night, baby,” I murmur, knowing I won’t sleep. Not for a long fucking time.

“Hurry, baby,” I grunt, slamming into her again and again, each stroke pulling me closer to the edge.

“Ev,” she whimpers, locking her legs behind my back as her nails dig into my shoulders.

“Hurry, beautiful,” I demand, tweaking her nipple, then roam my hand down the wet skin of her stomach, zeroing in on her clit.

“Oh, God,” she moans, and I move my hand quickly to the back of her head before it can hit the tile wall as her pussy clamps hard around my cock. Moving both hands to her ass, I hold her in place as I come hard, burying my face in her neck when I do.

“I’m so gonna be late,” she whispers, and I smile against the skin of her neck then pull my face away and lock my eyes on hers.

“Baby,” I mutter, and her bottom lip disappears between her teeth. Laughing, I heft her up, pulling her off my dick and drop her to her feet.

“I didn’t want to get my hair wet. Now I have to dry it, and that’s gonna take a year,” she murmurs, grabbing her body wash.

“You saying it wasn’t worth it?” I ask, kissing the side of her neck, taking the bottle from her, dumping some of the liquid soap in my hands, and cupping her breasts.

“I didn’t say it wasn’t worth it,” she breathes.

I grin then mutter, “So stop bitchin’ about it.”

“I’m not bitching. I’m just saying now I’m gonna be late.”

“You won’t be late,” I tell her, running my hands over her stomach then down between her legs.

“You said quick, but then you did that thing with your mouth then you had me against the wall. You weren’t quick,” she complains, but then whimpers when my fingers flick over her clit.

“Still bitchin’, baby.” I nip her ear, thrust two fingers inside of her, and use my thumb to roll her clit again.

“Oh, my God,” she breathes, coming on my fingers a few seconds later. Kissing the side of her neck, I wait for her orgasm to pass then finish washing her up. I push her out of the shower, ignoring the glare she sends my way. Getting out a couple minutes later, I grin as she stomps around naked with the blow dryer in her hand.

“You want me to get you coffee?” I ask, watching her tits bounce as she tosses her hair from one side to the other.

Grumbling a “Yes,” she watches in the mirror as I wrap the towel around my waist then move in to stand behind her.

Sliding my hands up her waist, I palm her breasts, kiss her ear, and then demand, “Stop being mad,” while tugging her nipples.

“Ev.” She inhales sharply, and my eyes meet hers in the mirror.

“And don’t look at me like that unless you want me to bend you over the counter and actually make you late.” Her eyes heat, and I fight my smile, lean in to kiss her neck, muttering there, “I’ll be back with coffee.”

Heading toward the kitchen, with Ninja following behind me, I let him out the back door, fill his bowl with food, make sure his water’s good, and start up the coffee pot. Leaning back against the island, waiting for the pot to fill, my eyes catch on an envelope on the counter, stacked with the rest of the mail June brought in yesterday. Picking it up, I flip it over and see the letter was forwarded from her old apartment and that the return address is a prison in Alabama, the same prison Lane is serving time in while his trial is in progress.