"You're not broken," Maddox said firmly.
"Neither are you." Jade opened her eyes and met Maddox's gaze. "But we're both carrying things, the ones we couldn't save."
"Yeah," Maddox agreed quietly. "We are."
They stayed like that for a moment, their foreheads nearly touching as they breathed the same air. Then Maddox kissed her, soft and tender, like Jade was something precious that might shatter.
When they pulled apart, Jade felt lighter. Not healed—she wasn't sure she'd ever fully heal from Marcus—but less alone in it.
"I'm glad I told you," she said quietly.
"I'm glad you did too."
Jade's hands found the front of Maddox's shirt, her fingers curling into the fabric. She could feel Maddox's heartbeat under her palm, steady and strong.
"I need—" Jade started, then stopped, then tried again. "Can we?—?"
"Yeah," Maddox said, understanding without needing the words finished. "Whatever you need."
Jade kissed her then, harder this time. Not softly but desperate, needing to feel something other than grief. She needed to be close, to be held, to forget for just a moment the weight of choices made and lives lost.
Maddox responded immediately, her hands sliding into Jade's hair, pulling her closer. The kiss deepened, years of grief and guilt seeking release in heat and want and the simple fact of being here together. When they finally broke apart, both breathing hard, Maddox's eyes were dark with want.
"Are you sure?" she asked quietly.
"Yes," Jade said. "I need this. I need you."
Maddox stood, pulling Jade up with her. Their hands stayed linked as they walked toward the bedroom, leaving the living room and its ghosts behind. In the bedroom, Maddox turned to face her. The light from the hallway cast shadows across Maddox’s features, softening the sharp lines of her jaw.
“Hey—” Maddox said quietly, her hands coming up to frame Jade’s face.
Jade kissed her, cutting off the words. She didn’t want gentleness right now. She wanted to feel Maddox. Maddox’s hands moved from Jade’s face to her waist, pulling her closer, their kiss deepening into something desperate and urgent.
Jade's fingers found the hem of Maddox's shirt, pulling it up and off, then dropped it. Maddox did the same for her, the faded Army t-shirt landing somewhere on the floor. They moved toward the bed, hands and mouths seeking each other’s warmth.
When they fell onto the mattress together, Jade felt the first tears slip down her face. Not from sadness exactly, but from the overwhelming need to be close, to be held, to let someone else carry some of this weight.
"I've got you," Maddox whispered against her skin.
Jade's hands tangled in Maddox's hair, holding her even closer. "Please don't let go."
"I won't."
Maddox curled toward her and ran her hand down Jade’s body, and Jade allowed herself to close her eyes and luxuriate in the touch, needing it to ground her. Maddox rolled on top ofher, straddling her leg and slowly grinded her pussy against her thigh. Maddox kissed her gently on the lips, then along her face and down her neck.
“I need you,” Maddox growled low as she kissed the peaks of her nipples.
Jade looked down at Maddox, finding her already looking at her. She softly moaned. “I need you too.”
Maddox kissed her body lower, leaving searing Os the lower she went. Jade circled her hips, coaxing Maddox lower, and Maddox frustratingly didn’t take the bait.
“Don’t rush me,” Maddox said and nipped her stomach softly.
Jade huffed, pretending to be upset but secretly loving the push and pull. Maddox grabbed her breast, and Jade moaned as Maddox ran her thumb over her nipple and pinched it between her thumb and first finger.
“That’s for not being patient,” Maddox said, a small smile playing on her lips.
“If that’s supposed to be a punishment, I don’t think it’ll work.”
