by Ravenna Tate
His words from earlier still reverberated in her head as he carried her up the stairs and into his suite. He didn’t even break a sweat. His breathing had barely become labored as he placed her on his feet and kissed her again, shoving his tongue into her mouth. The man wasn’t human.
Her arousal was through the roof now. The man could kiss like nothing she’d ever experienced. His hands were tangled in her hair, holding her face against his. She was his captive, and Madison didn’t want to be anywhere else.
She pushed her body against his, rubbing her abdomen against the bulge in his pants. Soft moans escaped their throats, and still he worked his lips and tongue over hers. How could he stand it? She wanted him inside her in the worst way!
He finally released her mouth, and she was breathless. He grinned in a way that sent tiny jolts of anticipation to her throbbing clit.
“Don’t move. I have something for you to wear.”
She watched him walk toward the dresser, open a drawer, and pull out the most exquisite camisole she’d ever seen. It was royal blue, satin, and trimmed in delicate embroidery of the same color.
He held it up. “Do you like it?”
“Your favorite color. One of them, anyway.”
“Will you wear it for me?”
That voice! She’d do anything he asked when he spoke in that tone. Madison shed her clothes then walked over to where he stood, gawking at her naked body as if he’d never seen one. How did he do that? How did he look at her as if he’d never seen her before? No wonder women fell in love with him so easily.
Madison froze as she reached out to take the camisole from him. He frowned slightly, noticing her reaction.
“What’s wrong, love?”
Love? “Nothing.” She had to recover and quickly. “Did you ever have one of those odd sensations that you’d forgotten something important?”
“Yeah. All the time. But right now, the only important thing is you.” He held it high enough for her to lift her arms and allow him to slip it on. Then she stood still while he eased it over her breasts and abdomen. “There. Oh, I knew this would look fucking incredible on you.”
She was so in love with this man. God help her. She’d done something guaranteed to break her heart. She’d fallen in love with Viggo Ingram.
“No panties?” Her question was automatic. She had to keep talking. Keep acting normally.
“Hell no. I need access to that hot, wet pussy of yours. Sit on the edge of the bed.”
She did as he asked, her body on autopilot now. Her mind raced. She’d never meant for this to happen. Falling in love with this man was a huge mistake. He’d told her from day one he didn’t do the happily ever after thing. This wasn’t what he wanted.
Viggo stood in front of her and stroked her hair, then moved his hands down to her breasts. He kneaded them through the silky fabric, forcing soft moans from her. She was eye level with the bulge in his pants, and only wanted him inside her. She needed the familiarity of fucking him right now to ground her.
“You’re beautiful, Madison.”
“Thank you. So are you.”
He chuckled softly. “I’m glad you think so.”
“You don’t need me to tell you that.”
“No, but I love hearing it from you, just the same.”
Would he see the truth in her eyes? She couldn’t let that happen. She had to hide it or he’d drop her like a hot frying pan. “Then I’ll have to say it more often.”
Viggo leaned down and kissed her again, his hands still teasing her breasts and now her nipples as well. Madison let her mind go and concentrated on the sensations. The tingling feeling racing through her body, the fullness in her groin, and the headiness as erotic images filled her mind. All of these things were so familiar now, and she pushed everything else out.
He released her mouth and gently pushed her back until she was lying down, then he pulled a chair over and pushed it up against the bed. She cried out as he brushed his hands up her legs, stopping short of her wet pussy, over and over again. The grin as he watched her sent her desire level through the roof.
“What do you want, love? Tell me.”
He called me “love” again… “I don’t know.” She couldn’t think straight.
“Yes, you do. Tell me. Say the words.”
Madison loved this teasing. Without making it obvious, he’d coaxed her from her shyness about her body by asking her to talk about sex. The more she verbalized, the less self-conscious she felt around him. How had he known that’s all she needed to come out of her shell? Had he sensed it in her because of all his experience?
Stop that. You’re the only woman with him.
He was watching her carefully. She had to focus. “I want you to lick my pussy.”
He blew softly on her labia. “Mmm… What else?”
Love me back?
“Suck my clit.”
A month ago, she never would have said that to anyone, let alone the most gorgeous man on the planet.
She moaned louder as he licked her pussy lips. “Anything else?”
“Oh, please … I need you inside me.”
He sat up straight and grinned at her. “You’re very eager tonight.”
“I can’t help it. You do this to me.”
He watched her for a few seconds, his eyes narrowed slightly, and Madison held her breath. He didn’t miss much. One tiny change and he’d see it, and she did not want to stop this. She needed to make love to him.
Madison sat up and kissed him, hard. He groaned into her open mouth and returned the kiss, clasping her hair in his hands and tugging on it until it hurt. But she didn’t stop. No more pausing to gaze into his eyes tonight or she’d spill her guts and say the words.
Finally, he released the kiss, pushed her back onto the bed with a very sexy grin on his face, and removed his clothes quickly. She suppressed a giggle as he almost fell getting his pants off. “I could help, you know.”
“I’m done.” He crawled on top of her in all his hard, muscled, naked glory, and kissed her again. She arched toward his body, desperate to feel him inside her. But he took his time, trailing his tongue over her collarbones, between her breasts, and over her abdomen. He lifted the camisole each time to reach where he wanted and then put it back in place.
She clutched at his hair and begged, but all he did was continue his slow torture down her body and back up again. Finally, he parted her labia and licked her pussy, over and over, until she was poised on the edge of an orgasm. If he didn’t let her come she’d go out of her mind.
“Tell me what you were thinking earlier.”
What? She pushed herself up onto her elbows, her heart racing at the look on his face. It was a combination of evil humor and curiosity. She’d been crazy to think she could get anything past him. The man was a mind reader. She’d swear to it. “What are you talking about? Please go back to doing that. I’m so close to coming.”
“I know you are.” He sat back on his heels. “But I won’t let you until you answer me. What were you thinking before?”
“When?” He’d never believe it. She knew exactly when he referred to.
“Between reaching for the camisole and my asking you what was wrong.”
Fuck! Fuck! Fuck! What the hell was she going to say?
“I have no idea.” She reached for him, but he caught both wrists in one hand, which was so damn sexy and dominant it only served to make her more aroused.
“Yes, you do. Tell me.”
“I don’t remember.”
He cupped her chin with his free hand. “You’re a terrible liar.”
She was trapped. If she tried to lie her way out of it, he’d know. But if she told him, he might freak out. Was it right to keep such a thing from him? Wasn’t it a violation of trust not to tell him? Surely she wasn’t the first woman to have said it to him. Maybe all he’d ask was that she not start dropping hints about marriage?
She had no intention of doing that anyway. Madison wasn’t
entirely sure that’s what she wanted, even with Viggo. She’d only known him for two weeks. There was plenty of time to get to know each other better, and let any future they might have together develop out of their relationship on its own.
His expression grew concerned. “Please tell me.” His voice was soft now, coaxing, and she wasn’t sure if that was an act, or if he was imagining the worst. Either way, she had to say something because he wasn’t dropping it.
“Promise me you won’t be upset if I tell you.”
He released her face and her wrists. “Whoa. I’m not sure how to respond to that.”
Shit. Fuck. Madison had to blink back tears. “Just promise me.”
“All right. I promise I will not be upset.”
She took several deep breaths while that dark blue gaze held hers firm. The expression in his eyes was impossible to read. Two weeks. That’s all she got out of it. And it had been the sexiest, most exciting two weeks of her life. Even if he dumped her tonight, she’d never forget these past two weeks. Never.
“God, this is hard to say.”
“Take a deep breath and say the words on the exhale.”
She nodded. “Okay. Here goes.” Madison closed her eyes and took a deep breath. “I’ve fallen in love with you.”
Chapter Fourteen
Viggo was certain he’d misunderstood her. He almost asked her to repeat it but her eyes were still closed, and from the way her face was scrunched up she was expecting an onslaught. He didn’t have the heart to tell her it wasn’t the first time he’d heard that from a woman, and that was hardly the point. Madison wasn’t just any woman. She never had been, not from day one.
“Thank you.”
Her eyes popped open, and she frowned. “What?”
Great response, Ingram. Really top notch. “I mean, that’s wonderful you feel that way. Thank you for telling me.” He was dying inside. He’d never told a woman he loved her, but the urge to do so now was crazy strong.
Those words changed everything. They always had. He wasn’t ready for this. Not from Madison. Being with her was so different. So right. He didn’t want things to start dying the way they always did once the “L” word had been spoken out loud.
She looked thoroughly dumbfounded, and he thought he knew why. She’d been expecting him to freak out. He couldn’t blame her. In the past, that’s exactly what he would have done, at least on the inside. On the outside, he’d have slowly withdrawn.
“You’re not upset?”
“I promised you I wouldn’t be.”
“But I mean for real … inside. Are you?”
“No.” If he touched her right now, he’d spill his guts. He knew it as sure as he knew how much he cared for her. His hands were actually shaking. But it was too soon. He needed time to process this new sensation of not wanting to run away at the sound of those words.
“I thought you would be.”
He grinned. “You were mistaken.” Viggo was torn between telling her he was in love with her, and simply pushing her back down so he could fuck her. She wanted that. He knew she did. This little distraction hadn’t dimmed her lust. He could see it in her eyes. He could smell it on her.
But shouldn’t he say something else? Something to reassure her? Was it right to let this moment pass without making sure she wouldn’t regret telling him? He knew how difficult it had been for her to say it. The last thing he wanted to do was make her feel worse for getting the words out.
He pulled her close and stroked her hair. She was wound so tightly he felt her body twitch under his touch. “Madison…” Words failed him. Okay, so he’d touched her and still the words hadn’t spilled out. So far, so good. But oh, how he wanted to say them. This was insane. How the hell could he do this? Everything had just changed. Everything.
The biggest surprise was how much that realization made him happy, not terrified. That was new. He wanted to explore it. Wanted to absorb it for a while and see how it felt over time.
She kissed his neck, and his dick stirred. “Do you still want to make love?”
Oh God… “More than anything, but if you need to talk first I understand.”
Holy shit. I did not just say that… That was totally unlike him. What had this extraordinary woman done to him?
“No. I’ve said what I wanted to.” She licked his chest, working her way down toward his cock, but he wanted to be inside her pussy. He knew if she so much as touched his dick with her lips, he’d come in her mouth.
Viggo grasped her hair so he could lift her face to his, and then he gazed into her eyes. The look in them nearly took his breath away and stopped him in his tracks. Full of complete trust, her beautiful eyes portrayed desire and love. The emotion was so intense, for a split second the old responses threatened.
He pushed them away. He had no reason to fear Madison’s love. He wanted her in his life forever. One day, he’d have the courage to tell her that. But for now, all he wanted to do was make love to her again. She grounded him and made him feel whole. No one had ever done that. Instead of fearing it, Viggo was ready to embrace it and see what exciting things came of it.
“Madison, I think you should move in here for real. Let’s go and get the rest of your things this weekend. Can you get out of your lease?”
She blinked a few times, and he had to bite back a laugh at the look of astonishment on her face. “Um, sure. Of course. But is that what you want?”
“I wouldn’t have asked you if it wasn’t.”
“All right then. Yes. I’d love to.”
Before he ended up asking her to marry him with the next sentence, Viggo kissed her again, letting his hormones take over. Her lust was powerful too, but he didn’t mind. That was what he needed.
He eased her onto her back and barely remembered to put on a condom before slipping his cock into her hot, wet pussy. Making love to this woman was like coming home after a long, tiring journey. She was so comfortable and soothing.
He kissed her again, loving the way she moaned into his open mouth as her orgasm drew near. When she came, it was difficult to hold on, but he did long enough to let her contractions subside before pulling out so he could turn her onto her stomach.
She started to get on her hands and knees, but he pushed against her lower back so she stayed prone. He slid his dick back into her pussy and shivered at the way she moaned. She’d told him often enough that at this angle, every thrust massaged that sweet spot inside her. It felt pretty damn good from his end, too, so he let go and rode the waves as her climax crested once more.
When he came, it was so fucking intense he almost became dizzy. Long, luscious moments slipped by before he finished completely, then withdrew because the condom felt odd. It had almost come off, but he wasn’t going to worry her so he tossed it onto the floor, turned her sideways, and pulled her into his arms.
“That was incredible,” she whispered.
He kissed her damp hair. “For me, too, love.”
Viggo was usually sleepy after fucking, but he was wide awake now, thinking of everything that had changed for him since hearing her words. “I’ve fallen in love with you.” He still wasn’t afraid. In fact, he felt more peaceful and full of hope than he had in a very long time.
“Are you named after anyone?”
Her question surprised him only because he thought she was asleep. “Not that I know of. How about you? Are you named after Madison Avenue in New York City?”
She laughed softly, and the sound was like soft rain exactly the way he remembered it.
“No, I don’t think so. My maternal grandmother’s name was Madison. She died two days before I was born, so my mother named me after her as a tribute.”
“That’s a sweet thing to do.”
“She was a sweet woman, from what I’ve been told.”
The sadness in her voice tugged at his heart. He pulled her closer. There was nothing he could say to ease her grief, and he knew that, but he hoped she could tell her cared by his touch. She snuggled
closer to him and sighed softly. The urge to blurt it out was strong again.
Would it do any real harm? Probably not, but he needed time to process this. It was new. He liked it, but he never did anything impulsively, and since he’d met her, everything surrounding her had been impulsive. Viggo wanted to slow down and think before doing or saying anything else.
Maybe the best thing to do in this instance is not analyze it?
Perhaps, but old habits died hard for a reason. They kept one shielded from harm.
****
That Saturday, Dominic and Angela helped Madison and Viggo move the rest of Madison’s possessions into Viggo’s apartment. She loved Angela on sight, and was thrilled when the two had dinner with them that evening. They ordered takeout and sat up half the night talking.
Madison hadn’t realized that Dominic and Viggo had grown up together in Chicago, and she couldn’t get enough of listening to their stories. When the conversation turned toward the hackers and others they were holding in the warehouse, Madison wasn’t sure she should be in on it, but no one else seemed to mind.
She learned that they still hadn’t located Sam Preston, and that Ace, Emmett, Kane, Damien, Addison, Barclay, Grayson, Oliver, and Atticus were already in Central. Blaine was on his way.
“When are you and Dominic going?” she asked Viggo.
Viggo and Dominic exchanged a glance. “I’m glad you asked. Angela is coming with us, and since she’s the only wife or fiancée tagging along on this trip, I’m hoping you’ll come, too. She’ll need something to do while the twelve of us have a little chat with the hackers and their friends.”
“Oh, you mean because women can’t interrogate suspects?”
The men laughed, and Angela high-fived her. “Thank you. I said the exact same thing to Dominic.”
“It isn’t that,” said Viggo. “This is personal for us. We’ve spent almost eight years working toward this one moment.”
“You still need Dave,” said Angela, quietly.
“We’ll get him.” Dominic’s dark gaze and the confidence in his voice impressed Madison. Were they all like this? She tried to imagine being in a room with all twelve, and wondered how she’d handle it the testosterone rush.
