by J. H. Croix
I reached for her hand, giving it a light tug, gratified when she closed the distance between us immediately. Then she was right there. Her presence was a force field vibrating near me. Need had its claws in me, and they were buried deep. I wasn’t going to shake it loose until I had her.
“Let’s make some ground rules,” I murmured.
“Ground rules?” Her voice lilted.
“Yes. We’re neighbors. As far as I can tell, you’re going to be here for a while. I really want you. I figure there’s no sense in denying that. But, as you know, I’m a single father. Dating, at all, is complicated. Let’s stay friends, but that’s it.”
Madison blinked up at me and nodded. “I think that’s smart. Do friends do what we’re about to do?”
“These friends do,” I murmured as I stepped closer.
Her body came flush against mine, and I could feel the tight points of her nipples pressing through my T-shirt.
“So, tell me, is Wilbur going to interrupt us?”
Her breath came out in a short, sharp pant, and her lips curled in a rueful smile. “Probably, but we can let him sleep out here.”
“Lead the way then.”
She turned away, her hand curling around mine more tightly. She led me down the short hallway to a part of the house I’d never seen. As we stepped through the doorway, my eyes took in the bedroom—a tall ceiling with beams above and a large bed against the wall with a dresser opposite. There was a door off to the side, which I presumed was a bathroom.
Madison turned, and she suddenly looked bashful. The uncertainty flickering in her eyes was like a silken thread tossed and spun around my heart, cinching tightly. This girl—the one who had so boldly kissed me when she thought she would never see me again. This girl whose eyes were heated with passion looked unsure. It affected me in a way I was unprepared for. I wanted to wipe that uncertainty away.
I didn’t allow myself to contemplate my reaction. I didn’t want to. That would complicate things. I stepped closer, palming her cheek as I dipped my head to kiss her again. I knew I would lose all ability to think the moment her tongue glided against mine and was proven right instantly.
Kissing Madison was like standing in the midst of an electrical storm, the air itself sizzling from the power of the combined forces. She felt so fucking good. The soft give of her lips was pure pleasure, and the sensual tangle of her tongue sent fiery jolts spinning through me. And again, those little sounds she made—the hitch in her throat, the whimper as my palm slid around to cup her nape and then down her back in a smooth pass, smoothing over the lush curve of her bottom and pulling her against me.
My arousal was intense. I might as well have had a fucking bat in my pants. She gasped, and her hips arched into the cradle of mine. This was going to be fast and messy. But then, it seemed everything was with her. Definitely messy and too fiery hot to slow down. Contact with her was like a match at the end of the fuse with the flame racing toward its source.
Madison broke away abruptly, gulping in air. Seeing as I needed some myself, I took a ragged breath as we stared at each other.
“This is crazy,” she murmured.
“It is,” I agreed. “Crazy or not, we might as well burn this fire to ashes, then maybe we can be sane.”
Her eyes went wide as she let out a soft laugh. “I suppose so.” That uncertainty that I’d seen before flickered in her eyes. “I don’t really do this.”
“Do what?”
She gestured back and forth between us. “This. I’ve never had a fling. I had one boyfriend, and we got engaged.”
For some reason, this shocked me. My shock must’ve been written on my face because her lips curled in a self-deprecating smile. She shrugged lightly. “It’s true. I’m not really a casual kind of girl.”
Once again, everything I thought about Madison was shaken and realigned. I’d imagined her like Allie’s mom—shallow and flighty and stringing along guys in high school and college.
“Well, I’m your guy then because I’m not in the habit of flings.”
She rolled her eyes. “I was saying that to warn you.”
I stepped closer. “To warn me?”
She nodded and swallowed. “I don’t know if I’m that good in bed.”
“Huh?” I was flabbergasted.
Although the lighting was dim in her bedroom, I knew her cheeks flushed a deeper shade of pink. She shrugged. “I’m just saying I don’t know if I’m good in bed.”
“Sweetheart, I’ve kissed you. I’m not worried,” I said flatly.
Suddenly, I had something to prove—not about myself but about her. I caught the hem of my T-shirt in my hand, dragging it up and over my head before tossing it to the floor. Her eyes widened, and she stepped back a little, her thighs bumping into the end of the bed.
“Oh!”
“Oh, what?”
Madison gestured toward my chest, her hand swiping up and down in the air. “Just you. You’re in really good shape,” she murmured.
“Well, yeah, I have to be. My job isn’t exactly easy. Now, let’s get to work.”
“Work?”
“Oh, you’re not getting to work, I am. It’s the best kind of work,” I clarified.
Madison simply stared at me. I closed the distance between us once again, this time catching the hem of her T-shirt in my hand and dragging it up over her head. I was gratified by her startled gasp and the way her mouth fell open in a pretty little O.
Of course, I should’ve known my knees might almost give out. Madison in a bra. Fuck me. She was to die for. I could see the taut peaks of her nipples, a hint of pink peeking through the black lace.
I didn’t even wait a second before dipping my head and catching one nipple with my mouth. I sucked through the lace and savored her sharp cry as her fingers speared in my hair. I lifted my head and devoured her mouth. Because I needed her. Everything about her was like another sharp spur in the flanks of my desire. I was spun tight by the driving force. I didn’t even want to hold back.
Our kiss got messy fast, and she stumbled a little, but that worked for me. I lifted her, sliding her hips onto the bed before pausing and straightening. “Wait a sec. You need more clothes off,” I said matter-of-factly.
Madison’s eyes were dazed as she blinked up at me. “Okay,” she rasped.
She quickly got with the program. She slipped off the bed, unbuttoned her jeans, and shimmied out of them in a hot second. To torture me, she had silk panties to match her bra and her almost-black gorgeous hair. She hooked her thumbs over the edge of them, but I shook my head.
“Not now, sweetheart.” She reached for the buttons on my jeans, and I shook my head again.
She lifted her chin, her eyes narrowing. “No fair, I want to see more.”
“Oh, you will, but I need something to keep me in check,” I said flatly.
And then, we were kissing again, stretching out on her bed, and Madison was pure fire. Her skin was silky against me, and she kissed with abandon. Once she stopped thinking, she threw herself into it. She nipped my lip, arching and flexing under my touch as I let my palms map her sweet body. Her belly trembled under my touch, her thighs shifting restlessly as I slid a palm down one. I found my way back up and cupped her mound, letting out a groan in her mouth when I discovered the wet silk there. I wanted to rush. I was near frantic to have all of her.
But I was going to make sure this was good. I didn’t get nights like this. I didn’t let myself have them. Madison was a person out of my world. Even though she was my neighbor, she wasn’t someone I’d known for my whole life. This time with her was freedom contained in a capsule of this single night. I teased her nipples through the lacy silk and finally unclasped her bra.
I lifted my head from where I’d been making love to the sweet curve of her neck. Her breath was coming fast, her breasts rising and falling with her ragged gulps of air. Her nipples were deep pink and damp from my attentions. I trailed my knuckles over them lightly, loving how she flexed
into my touch and the passion-drowsed look in her eyes.
I dipped my head and tasted one of her nipples without anything between us. God. She had this musky, slightly sweet flavor to her as if someone had sprinkled sugar on her skin with a dash of salt. She let out a sharp cry when I grazed my teeth over her nipple as I drew away. I made my way down her body, blazing a hot trail of kisses over her belly and roughly dragging her panties off.
I heard the rumpling of silk as they fell on the floor when she kicked them free of her ankles. I kissed the insides of her thighs, and she trembled beneath me when I trailed my fingers through her slippery wet folds. I needed to taste her. I sank two fingers inside just as I brought my mouth down. She bucked her hips roughly into my touch, crying out. I meant for this to take a while, but it didn’t. Only two more strokes of my fingers inside her as I swirled my tongue around her clit, and then she shuddered roughly. I’d never once cared if someone cried my name, but I loved hearing it in her raspy twang.
I rose up, taking a moment to simply look at her. Fuck, she was glorious. Her skin was flushed and dewy, her eyes wide and her dark hair a tangle on the pillows behind her. She looked like a fallen angel, something pure and jaded about her. I wanted to know all of her secrets and unveil them one at a time until she was mine.
Mine?
I wasn’t thinking clearly and gave myself a shake. I stood, finally unbuttoning my jeans. It was then I realized I had not planned for this moment. Not at all.
Madison must’ve read my expression because she asked, “What?”
“I don’t have a condom,” I said bluntly as we stared at each other.
She cleared her throat. “I have an IUD. I haven’t been with anybody for over a year, and I can assure you I’m clean.” Her voice went from husky to crisp as she spoke.
I wasn’t ready to fess up that I hadn’t been with anybody in over two years, but what the hell?
“Since we’re being honest, it’s been two years for me.” Madison’s eyes went wide, and I shrugged. “Single father and all that, small town. Everything’s complicated.”
There were many things I didn’t trust. I wouldn’t say I trusted Madison in the sense that I knew her story and I knew everything about her. I knew she had secrets, but in this, I trusted her completely. There was something too practical about her. She lifted her chin, holding my eyes.
“Get over here,” she murmured with a crook of her finger.
That hint of bossy was another sharp spur in my desire, which was already rampaging out of control. My jeans joined hers on the floor in less than a second, and I was sinking down over her. I wanted her to ride me. So, I rolled over swiftly, shimmying back on the bed until I was propped against the pillows. She sat astride me with her hair falling in midnight waves around her shoulders, and her nipples playing peek-a-boo through the locks. I slid my hands down her sides, over the sweet dip of her waist and the lush curve of her hips.
“It’s your turn,” I said gruffly.
I thought I was in control. I really did. But then, she rose, reaching between us, and I felt the slick kiss of her core followed by the slow slide inside her rippling, silky clench. My head thumped back as I let out a ragged groan. “Holy hell.”
I almost came instantly, but I gritted my teeth and clung to my control.
Opening my eyes, I took in the sight of her. Her dark lashes swept against her cheeks, and she bit the corner of her lip. She held still, her breath coming in sweet little pants.
“Look at me, sweetheart,” I murmured. I gripped her hips tightly, pressing my fingers into the luscious give of her flesh.
Those lashes lifted, and her eyes met mine. I nudged a little deeper into her, and she blinked, shuddering a little. Then she rose again, sinking down and bringing me into her sheath. I felt her body tightening, her pussy rippling around my cock. She rocked again, just a little nudge, and then I felt her entire body tremble. My own release slammed through me so hard and fast it was like a whipsaw. Then it was all over but for the shudders. She fell against me, her head dipping into the curve of my neck. I held her body against mine, stunned at the force of my own release.
Even more, I was shocked at just how much I didn’t want to let go of her.
Chapter Eighteen
Madison
Graham held me against his body, and I felt something I’d never felt before—comfort and safety. I also felt really, really incredible. I was beyond satiated. This man had just given me two climaxes in the span of half an hour. I considered that a miracle. But that wasn’t what gave me comfort. It was resting in his strong embrace against every inch of his delectable rugged body and the gentleness with which he held me.
My heart cast out rushed beats, and I tried to pull it together.
I didn’t remember falling asleep beside Graham. All I knew was it happened. Sleep didn’t come easily to me. It never had. Yet with him holding me close, I tumbled into a dreamless, warm sleep without my usual restless thinking while anxiety ran laps in my thoughts. I had no idea if he intended to spend the night with me, but I woke before dawn the following morning with him curled up behind me. I discovered spooning was the best thing ever.
I’d never considered myself much of a cuddler. Not that I had all that much experience with cuddling with anyone. My ex certainly hadn’t been a cuddler, and he was the only man I’d spent the night with. Well, except for Graham now. His warm, muscled body was behind me with his knees hooked in the bend of mine. One of his big palms rested on my belly. I’d never thought much about my own softness, but in contrast to Graham, who was all rugged, raw muscle, I felt small and soft.
I loved being held by him like this. Almost too much. The moment felt fragile as if I’d lose the feeling as soon as reality intruded. I took a deep breath, and it was then I noticed his arousal nestled against my bottom. My body moved on its own, shifting back slightly and savoring the knowledge that even in sleep, this man’s instinctual reaction to me was to be turned on.
I didn’t think of myself as much of a flirt. Actually, that was a big fat lie. I’d done nothing but flirt in high school, except it was all a façade. I’d never quite gotten the hang of flirting in the genuine, easy sense. I’d been called a tease when I was younger. Lord knows how I became homecoming queen or why I even wanted to. More to the point, why was I thinking about that right now?
Way to ruin the moment. Insecurity suddenly swamped me, and I wondered if I’d been awful last night. My ex had slashed my confidence in that area. Not that I’d ever had much knowledge, to begin with, but he told me I was too inexperienced. He told me I needed to relax, again and again and again. I remembered thinking that lecturing someone about how they needed to relax was a surefire way to actually prevent that from ever happening.
I hoped I hadn’t been too terrible last night. I hadn’t thought at all with Graham. I hadn’t thought about where to touch him or what to do because it had all simply happened in a wild rush. I didn’t mean to wiggle my bottom, but I did. And then, I felt Graham come awake. I couldn’t say exactly how I knew. It was a subtle sense of awareness and my own body reacting to his. It was as if our bodies knew a language we didn’t, a language I didn’t know. All I knew was I could feel my slick arousal between my thighs, and that was rather startling.
Another complaint from my ex: I wasn’t wet enough, whatever that meant. Last night, I’d been dripping. Despite the insecurity chattering in my thoughts, I knew I’d been plenty wet. Graham had slid in so easily. I swallowed, feeling myself flush all over, my skin almost prickling and tingling from the heat of it.
The sound of Graham’s voice rumbled against the back of my neck. “Madison.” There was a hint of warning in his tone, and I couldn’t help it. He spurred this little sassy part of me I wasn’t even familiar with. I wiggled my bottom again.
“Madison,” he repeated in his gruff tone.
Merely the sound of his voice sent heat pooling low in my belly. “What?” I asked, trying to make my voice sound flirtatious.
It just came out raspy, the edges roughened from sleep.
I wiggled my bottom again, and this time, Graham’s chest rumbled with a laugh. His palm slid up my belly to cup a breast. All joking was over then, and I let out a shameless moan when I felt the calloused surface of his thumb dragging over my nipple. It was already perked up, all happy to see him.
“You’re dangerous, sweetheart,” he murmured in my hair before I felt the brush of his lips on my neck and the light graze of his teeth.
I’d never had morning sex. I’d always felt too insecure about how I looked. Graham had no such qualms. In fact, I discovered him to be bossy in the morning. He made love to my neck, and I never knew that just hot kisses and nips on my earlobe could leave me a melted puddle of a girl. All I wanted was him.
He rolled me over, catching both of my hands with one of his. He did have big hands, but wow, it was so freaking hot to be handled like that. Next thing I knew, he’d reached between my legs, murmuring, “That’s my girl,” when he found me wet and ready.
The moment his fingers disappeared, I let out a protesting whimper. His response? “Don’t worry, sweetheart, I’ll take care of you.”
Dear God. This man. Take care of me, he did. He teased me to a fast climax with his fingers before filling me with his hot, thick length. I had my first quickie and came in a noisy burst a second time as he cried out roughly and shuddered against me. Moments later, as we lay on the bed in a tangled, sweaty heap, his hand trailed down my belly. No finesse, just a rough caress.
Wilbur startled us when I was recovering. I heard the click of his claws on the floor and looked over to see his cheerful face peering over the edge. A second later, he disappeared, and I listened as he walked out of the room again.
Graham chuckled. “Surprised he just showed up now.” He rose on his elbow, and I opened my eyes to find him looking at me as if I were some kind of puzzle.
“What?” I asked, my insecurities punching through my passion-induced daze.
