by Sosie Frost
Maddox silenced my protests with the harsh bite of his lips.
Every time I tried to run, he followed.
Anytime I fell, he caught me.
And whenever I denied my desire for him, he dominated my body until I had no choice but to obey.
My heart shredded itself. Every resistance in my mind faded until only delirious fantasies of him, for him, because of him remained.
“I’m gonna remind you what it means to be loved by me.” Maddox’s words rumbled, threatening and wild. “You’ll count every bite. Hide every bruise. Ignore every ache. By the time I’m done with you, you’re gonna remember how much you love to be taken by me.”
I’d never forgotten, but I lived for the lesson. Problem was it was wrong.
He led me to the bed and ignored me when I broke his kiss to warn him to think clearly, rationally. But nothing was rational with Maddox. He existed in moments of passion. His touch was rough. His kiss too intense. Nights with him were raw and demanding, and most mornings began with an embrace wilder than the night before.
He was wrong for me.
I fell onto the bed.
He wanted too much from me.
My shirt pulled off.
His strength should have frightened me. He was too powerful, straining with muscle, fierce from a life chiseled from the streets. He was rough. He was feral.
Dominating.
But he desired more than a submissive body tethered to a bed, begging for mercy. He wanted me. From the first time we touched to the last time we parted, I met every one of Maddox’s demands with the same intensity. My pleasure was his and his mine. Long ago, we spent night after night twisting in the sheets, just loving each other and damning the consequences. We were once lovers. Partners.
And we had almost become a family. I regretted never sharing that precious moment with him when we created a life.
“Say it again.” Maddox ripped my bra off. My breasts bounced as his weight shifted over me. “Tell me you love me.”
I couldn’t say it, not because it wasn’t true, but because it was more of a mistake to give him that false hope than it was to shed my clothing and inhibitions. I bit my lip and stayed silent
And Maddox took it as a challenge.
“You’ll scream it soon enough, Sweets.” He ripped down the zipper on my jeans. “There’s no reason to deny it.”
“We shouldn’t be doing this.”
“We never should have stopped.”
Maddox stared at my panties. The delicate pink highlighted the cinnamon brown of my skin. It was pretty. Cute. Easily cast off.
His jacket tangled with his shirt on the floor. His muscle strained, already sweating as he fought his urges. He always lost, and I never cared before. His hands brushed over my tummy, too preoccupied with a little crest between my legs to worry about his own zipper or the bulge straining his jeans.
I gripped the comforter as Maddox made his move. His eyes narrowed, watching as I trembled as his hand dragged low. The pale tip of his index finger dipped within the dark petals of my slit.
“Say you love me.” Maddox teased me with a flick of my swollen clit. “I’ll play this game with you, Sweets…because I know I’ll win.”
I wetted. Slickened. Silenced back a mew that would have revealed everything. But I stayed quiet and knew his brand of delicious torture was only beginning.
Maddox dug his hands into my hips and hauled me to the edge of the bed. My legs dropped off the mattress, but he took my ankles and pushed them up. The most secret parts of me exposed to him, but he already owned those places. That familiarity would be my undoing. I knew what he wanted, and I couldn’t surrender to his plan.
Nothing prepared me for the moment his lips pressed between my legs and centered on my clit.
One lick, one flick of his tongue, and I was lost. The heat of his mouth teased my trembling nub. His tongue flattened and licked. I groaned. Of course I was wetter than ever before. Maddox laughed and devoured me, sampling the sweet honey that slickened my folds.
This was too much. Too good. Too fast.
“Maddox…” I whispered. “We can’t do this.”
“Try and stop me.”
His lips circled my clit—a little warning for what was to come. One suckle would launch me from the bed directly into his arms, onto his cock. That part of me was always too sensitive, too easy for him to control with a nip, touch, fuck.
He kissed my slit and smirked. His curling finger teased inside my pussy. And that mischievous arch of his eyebrow was enough to push me over the edge. He wielded a cocky, expectant stare, as if he understood my body better than I did myself.
He was right.
He spoke with his mouth full—completely vulgar and one of the sexiest things I’d ever heard. His tongue lazily dragged over my clit to earn a shiver. My fingers twisted in the comforter. My hips arched to meet his touch.
“Tell me you love me,” he ordered.
I shook my head. It was the biggest mistake I made of the night.
His nibble on my clit turned to a bite. I stiffened and ached for his next punishment—a tongue, a cock, whatever he wanted to give me.
My body strained to come…
But Maddox pulled away. He shook his head.
“Not until you say it, Sweets.”
God, that wasn’t fair! I was in agony. I reached to soothe the ache between my legs. He batted my hand away, preventing me from cheating.
“I’ll let you come once you’re honest with me again.”
“Please, Maddox.” I didn’t know what I begged for. I hoped that it was just the orgasm and not an unspoken plea to deny what was in my heart.
“I might take pity on you.” He stood and hooked his fingers in his belt. The leather unfastened as he stared at me. “Think you can convince me that you deserve it?”
The belt looped behind my neck. I froze, but he coiled the ends around his hands. A little tug and I got the idea. I dropped off the bed and knelt at his feet, belt holding me in place by my neck.
I stared at a bulge so big and thick it must have hurt.
“What do you want?” I panted through swollen lips.
“Surprise me, Sweets.”
Was it possible for my pussy to overheat? I clenched, wet and unfulfilled and hot as an oven. I trembled and pulled his zipper down. The belt tightened around the back of my neck, holding me close to his hips.
He took complete control of my body.
And somehow I still trusted him.
His jeans kicked off. I gasped. His cock bobbed thick, angry, and already teased with a bead of cum on the tip. I had pleasured him before, many times before, but never as a bribe to get my own release.
He thought he had the upper hand, but I’d never once disappointed him with my tongue.
I held his thick shaft and teased him with a gentle lick on the underside, only the base. He groaned as I tickled him to the throbbing head. The belt tightened over my neck, but I still had control.
I kissed the tip of his cock, and my tongue darted around the head. Maddox swore. I gazed up at him, at his beautiful body that strained, completely tensed. Every muscle bulged. Every tattoo darkened. His scars shone in the low light. His forearms flexed as he tightened his hold on the belt pulling me closer to him. I curled my hand around his leg for balance.
He shook. Maddox needed this as badly as I did.
And so I took him in my mouth. Slowly. Inch by agonizing inch. He heated my tongue with his soft, velvet skin, stretched taut over a cock with a worse reputation than the man who owned it. He was too big for me to swallow, but Maddox never complained when I worked hard to pleasure him with the few inches I could handle.
The belt suddenly tightened. The leather strained against my neck and pulled me in. His cock thrust between my lips, and the thickness nearly suffocated me. I squealed. Maddox looked down.
“Easy, Sweets. Let me feel you.”
The belt loosened, but his shaft hadn’t popped from my mo
uth. Slowly, I accepted more and more, taking too much of his length down my throat. The belt guided my head, but he didn’t force, only grunted with a feral complement as he used my lips and tongue to please himself.
How did I ever take so much of this man inside me? I savored the head, licked the sensitive underside, and let his belt completely overwhelm me. He trapped me between his body and the leather, helpless as his hips bucked and he took my mouth for his own.
“Goddamn, Josie.” The belt tightened. “You have no idea how much I missed this.”
Except I did. I had missed him too.
So much.
I groaned, distracting him with a curl of my tongue as his eyes closed. My body absolutely ached with a pained frustration, and my little clit painfully pulsed. He wasn’t watching.
I could get away with a touch, just a little relief.
I teased between my legs, but I hardly played before Maddox caught me.
“No, you don’t.” He pulled from my mouth. “Naughty thing.”
I squealed as he tossed me onto the bed. His hand smacked down on my behind, just loud enough to echo a punishing crack. Even that felt good. Was I that desperate? Maddox hauled me over his body, forcing my head to his cock. He pushed my legs open as I straddled over his waiting mouth.
“Need more attention?” He chuckled as my answer mumbled over his cock. “Just gotta ask.”
I tried to shake my head, to deny him, but my mouth stuffed full of his salty shaft. His lips curled again around my neglected clit. It was too much. The heat. The delicate swirl of his tongue and the deliberate attack of his lips against my folds and petals.
I shook as his finger prodded my entrance, plunging inside.
My body tensed.
Ached.
Arched.
And he pulled completely away.
“Maddox.”
“Say it, Sweets.”
“But—”
His words broke with licks and laps of my slit, each spoken syllable an opportunity for my body to tense even more.
“You love me. Say it. Let me hear it.”
Goddamn it. I bucked my hips. Got too close and only ached more. He wanted me to confess it. I wouldn’t, but if I closed my eyes and concentrated I could just nudge my slit against his lips—
His hand slapped my ass again. “No.”
Maddox tossed me from his body. I landed on my stomach with a heavy sigh and agonizing groan. How could I be pained for something so pleasurable? My chest fluttered, and my heart pounded so loudly he’d never hear my admission over the frustrated beat.
It didn’t matter. He was just as close.
And I was in trouble.
I never denied this man so much before. I never challenged him, never demanded anything beyond a simple smile. He pushed me onto my hands and knees to stare at curves leading to a deliciously tormented part of me.
He didn’t speak. Maddox crushed me from behind, grasping my hips and slamming his cock into my pussy as though he feared he’d never again find that perfect peace inside me.
But it wasn’t peace. This was war. I surrendered my body as his cock pierced inside, stretching and taking all of me. I gasped. He offered no moment of rest or preparation before the entirety of his bare shaft conquered every inch of me.
And I was full. Complete. Absolutely stuffed with the only man I ever wanted to feel so deep inside me. He was rough, but I didn’t care how he took me. I had to force that huge, throbbing cock fill me until I couldn’t speak, couldn’t breathe, couldn’t think of anything but the man I loved.
But this was different. Something changed in him. One arm looped under my waist, forcing me to rise to my knees. His second arm cradled my neck. He pinned me in place with an unyielding elbow.
Then he fucked me.
Rutted me.
Absolutely delighted me.
I clung to the arm around my throat. Each thrust of his cock propelled me forward, nearly choking me against the muscle, tattoos, and scars of his arm. He grunted with every powerful slam of his hips, and I had no balance to protect myself from his demands. Maddox supported me and kept me upright if only to take me harder.
Neither of us would last. I gasped, clawing at his arm as every drive punished me with more and more pleasure and absolutely no way to prevent the release.
It was too much. My core melted. My mind followed. My body shattered like sugar candy and the rest of me turned sticky with sweet sweat. Wetness poured from my slit, and the slapping of our bodies sounded vulgar. I begged through the gasped breaths not lost as his grip tightened over my neck.
“Maddox—” His name tumbled from my lips, stolen with every sharp and punishing thrust of his cock. “Please.”
“Say it!”
Why was he torturing me?
Why not confront the truth?
I loved this man more than anything else in the world. I’d damn the consequences and let him stay at my side. If Nolan threatened him, I’d protect him. I’d keep Maddox safe because I couldn’t live without him again.
His cock sliced through me. Once. Twice.
And I was gone.
“Maddox!” I gasped, hard, shuddering his name in a panted whisper. “I love you!”
“Fuck, I love you too, Sweets.”
We rocked together, collapsing onto the bed as the weight of our words and the pleasure of our touch might had shattered our bones and minds. I twisted, fighting him, not knowing why. My body demanded more, and I bucked and arched to fill myself with his punishing length.
He loved me.
God, that was better than any orgasm, even one that stole my breath and rendered me into fragile shards of reason, sanity, and responsibility. His heat flooded inside me, and I welcomed that feeling once again—warm, safe, and loved.
Maddox whispered incoherent promises to protect me from threats that had yet to come and vows we hadn’t murmured in a year. My breathing shuddered, and I laid still, just holding onto a man more shadow than real.
I shouldn’t have welcomed him back, but a life without him wasn’t worth protecting.
If Nolan wanted to hurt him, he’d have to fight me first.
And I was sure I’d regret that challenge.
I woke in the middle of the night. I checked the time. Groaned. I had work in the morning, and I wasn’t about to make a walk of shame to my apartment after all eyes had been on me at the meeting.
I shifted from his arms. Maddox stirred, but he was always a heavy sleeper. I cleaned up in the bathroom and tossed on my clothes without waking him. At least no one would see me at two in the morning, despite the thirteen missed calls from random townspeople after the meeting.
The voicemails kept me company during my walk home, but the light cast by the phone was more of a comfort. Whether it was the darkness, the stillness, or the paranoid prickle on my neck, something felt wrong about my walk. I stilled on the steps before my apartment door.
The door wasn’t shut all the way.
…But Maddox had me lock it before I left.
Did someone break in?
I swallowed, pushing the door open and glancing inside. I heard nothing. Was that good or bad?
My finger poised over the speed dial for Maddox, and I slipped inside, flipping on a light and expecting a masked murderer, a creepy little ghost child, or worse of all—Nolan.
No one waited inside. Everything was still. Untouched.
The hairs on my arms rose. Just enough was out of place. The rug kicked up by the door. My magazines scattered in the wrong order on counter. The sink was wet, like someone ran water. They even stole a chocolate chip cookie.
I crossed to the dining room table and gasped.
A Zippo lighter stood on its edge, left as a message for me.
Someone had been in my apartment.
And, next time they visited, they’d burn it to the ground.
12
Maddox
“It’s an easy job.” Nolan waved the envelope in front of my fa
ce, like I was a dog chasing a steak. “Believe it or not, you’re the only one I trust to do it.”
“Bullshit.”
I popped the collar on my jacket. Didn’t matter. This time of night, everything was cold. That uncomfortable clammy after midnight when only these type of deals were struck. I worried our conversation echoed over the town. It didn’t. Nolan parked on the quiet edge of Highland Street and leaned out of the SUV’s window. He gave me the plans.
“You’re a good electrician. My family’s barn has lights with bad wiring. Need you to fix it.”
“You joking?”
“Even you could use an honest day’s work.”
Neither of us ever worked an honest day in our lives. I sneered. “I’m not electrocuting myself on your property for Matthias’s wages.”
Nolan snorted. “Of course not. That old man would’ve gone broke without Josie’s candy shop fronting him money for tools. I’ll pay you what I’d give for your…other jobs. For the discretion.”
“You’re afraid to be seen with me doing electrical work?”
“I’m running an election campaign. Can’t have felons working on my property.”
“Right.”
“You better keep this quiet. Don’t tell Josie.”
Like I’d be stupid enough to tell her. I gritted my teeth and took the money. “When do I start?”
“Sooner the better.”
This was a mistake, but at least I’d have a couple grand for whatever expenses came up. Money for a new pair of jeans. Court fees. A pizza and movie for Josie.
I’d stuff the remainder in Chief Craig’s pocket to stay the fuck away from my sister.
The more things changed, the more they had tendency to screw you over. I was gone a year and everything was still fucked up. Chelsea got lucky I was out of prison and could save her ass, though Christ only knew how long it’d last. I couldn’t support both my sister and Josie. I didn’t need to eat, but they did.
Josie worked four days a week at the Saint Christie Reporter, organizing her superiors’ desks because she had no other duties. She didn’t belong at the newspaper. She should have been in her kitchen; making cupcakes and covering herself head to toe in flour. I’d make it happen for her, as soon as I found the arsonist responsible for the fire.
