Max had thought his best buddy was a little edgy, but he’d put it down to Kirk being upset, because he believed Ella was having an affair. How wrong he’d been.
“Ella, have you spoken to any of Kirk’s buddies in the Marines? Maybe someone from his platoon? Surely it’s worth a try. Perhaps he was becoming paranoid before he even returned home?”
“Some of the guys in his platoon turned up for the funeral, but I didn’t have time to speak to them in private. Joey, his closest buddy in the Marines, said he had something important to tell me, and that he’d talk to me later on that evening, but he never did. I guess no one knows what to say at funerals.”
Max put his hand on Ella’s shoulder. “Ah, Joey, yeah that rings a bell. Kirk used to speak about him a lot when we were out together. He’d always wanted the three us to go out on the town. He said I’d like Joey, and that Joey would like me.” He sighed resignedly. “Now Kirk’s dead, that’s never gonna happen. I’ll tell you what I’m gonna do, Ella. I’m gonna seek out this guy Joey, and find out what he knows. If only to put our minds at rest.”
“Does that mean you’re going to help me, Max?”
“Count on it, baby.”
The cool evening breeze ruffled her hair, swamping him in her perfume. He breathed in, enjoying her feminine aroma. In another lifetime, Ella would have been a woman he’d want for himself.
She had a rare beauty. An elegance that pervaded everything she did. Just the way she held her glass sent his pulse racing. The way her fingers wrapped delicately around the crystal stem.
With her back straight, and head held high, he imagined placing a slave collar around her slender neck. Would her eyes appear meek and passive, or would she be proud and defiant? The image branded itself in his mind, making his cock harden. Max tried to force the sexual domination of Ella from his head. In her present state of emotional turmoil, he would be a selfish prick if he took advantage of her. And yet his mind refused to play ball. He wanted to bury his prick deep inside her wet cunt. He wanted to own her. He wanted to make her submit to his will. He wanted her to shout out his name as she came. He wanted her to claw his back with those long, painted fingernails of hers as he spilled his seed inside her. To take his mind off the beautiful, sexy woman sitting next to him, he decided to stick to mundane conversation from now on.
“Did you say you and Kirk were gonna get divorced?” He’d been close friends with Kirk for years. Why hadn’t his best friend mentioned it? And more importantly, why hadn’t he spotted the signs that their marriage was on the rocks?
Ella breathed out. “You know how life sometimes is, Max. Things don’t always turn out for the best.” Max saw frustration etched across her beautiful face. “I thought we were okay, I really did. But after he came back from his first tour of duty in Afghanistan, I sensed that he’d changed. I couldn’t put my finger on it. But somehow Kirk was a different man.” She turned to Max, her sad eyes betraying the inner turmoil. “He wasn’t the same anymore.” Her brows drew together. “We went on as normal, but I knew he’d already left me, emotionally.” She tapped a finger to her temple. “In here he had. Physically, he was still there, but mentally, he’d moved on. Does that make sense to you, because I can’t explain it even to myself?”
Max took a sip of his bourbon. Kirk seemed the same to him as always. He was still the same guy, laughing and joking around as normal. Kirk had a wickedly funny sense of humor.
The tears began to flow in earnest down her cheeks. Ella had done well to keep them at bay for so long. Max reached out and stroked her head. “Shhh, Ella, everything will be all right.”
“No, nothing will ever be the same again.”
“It will, I promise.”
“How can it? Kirk’s dead, and it’s all my fault.” Her eyes opened wide, and she looked scared as she stared across the pool. “Oh, my God. Please, no.”
“Can you see him?” When she nodded, he continued, “Ella, look at me. It’s just your imagination playing tricks. He’s not there. I promise you.”
She sobbed. “He looks so real. Why does he keep tormenting me? It’s God’s way of making me suffer.”
Chapter Six
Max took the wineglass from her trembling hand and pulled her into his arms. Her head rested against his chest as he gently caressed her cheek with his long, masculine fingers. Ella closed her eyes, enjoying his warmth and strength, savoring his intoxicating, spicy scent. Max was all male, and he filled her with a calmness she’d been unable to achieve since Kirk’s gory death. His comforting, sensual touch made the image of her dead husband slowly recede, until she finally caught her breath.