Love in Xxchange: Miles to Go by Bailey Bradford Read Free Book Online

everything under control.” He told Chance about the tree and repairing the fence and assured him once again everything was fine before they finally ended the call. Afterwards, Max sat on the side of the bathtub and rubbed his temples. He was so confused. These feelings for Bo were just so alien to him. If he were normal like everyone else, he wouldn’t be experiencing what he suspected was his first crush at the ripe old age of forty-three.
    For all of his adult life, he’d kept people away, afraid to let anyone to close lest they find out what a mess he was. And he had feared for years he’d turn out like his parents and siblings. Even though he hadn’t so far, and he didn’t truly believe he ever would, sometimes the doubts would creep in, especially when he got angry.
    Max groaned and rubbed his temples so hard he got light-headed. He wished he could scrub all those memories away. What he wouldn’t give to be able to go back in time—
    “Idiot.” Stupid to even think like that. He’d learned a long time ago that imagining a happy childhood only made the reality of his abusive one hurt worse. A sound in the hall alerted him just before there was another knock on the door.
    “Just a minute,” he called out as he stood up. “Almost done.” Annabelle grumbled something he couldn’t quite hear clearly as he walked over to the sink. He turned the water on and cupped his hands under it. A couple of splashes and he finally dared to look in the MILES TO GO
    Bailey Bradford
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    mirror. Other than dripping wet, he looked the same as always. Max tried smiling, relieved when it didn’t appear strained. As long as he could keep that smile in place, Annabelle shouldn’t be able to tell his insides were churning almost as much as his mind was.
     

     
    As Max laid in bed staring at the ceiling an hour later, he tried to imagine what it was going to be like having Bo around, possibly even right here in the bunkhouse. His dick had been hard since firming up in the bathroom earlier, and Max was beginning to ache with the need to come. It infuriated him that he still felt too inhibited to masturbate most of the time.
    Twenty-six years he’d been gone from his parents’ house, and his head was still fucked up.
    Groaning, Max ignored the throbbing erection tenting his boxers and rolled onto his stomach. The wrinkled sheets felt good against his aching shaft, and if he rubbed a little as he drifted off to sleep, well, that was his body taking over, wasn’t it? It wouldn’t be the first time he’d woke up stuck to the sheets.
     
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    Bailey Bradford
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Chapter Three
    Max and Annabelle both were waiting on the porch of the bunkhouse two days later when Chance pulled up into the drive. Rory parked behind him, having driven Bo’s SUV.
    Max let Annabelle rush down the steps in front of him, not wanting to appear in a hurry to see Bo. He just hoped the need he felt to do so didn’t show in his expression.
    “He’s asleep in the back seat,” Chance said as he got out of the truck and gently shut the door. “I almost hate to wake him, he hasn’t been sleeping much. The doctor said he had nightmares most of the night—”
    “They know who did this?” Max asked, tamping down the anger beginning to boil in his stomach. As much experience as he’d had with that emotion the past few days, he figured he should be able to control it better.
    “No,” Rory said as he walked over. “Police have no clues who the guy is who did this. ”
    “Well, they have Bo’s description of the asshole,” Chance corrected. “At least that’s something for them to go on.”
    “What does he look like?” Annabelle asked before Max could, which was okay with
    him because somehow he’d moved over to the passenger door—and when had he grabbed the door handle? Max peered in the window. He sucked in a breath at all the bruises on Bo—
    and that was just the ones he could see on his face and arms. Bo was too still and that