He pointed to a two-story home directly across the street that looked to be an awkward blend of traditional and modern styling. Built of natural stone, the drab, square home had four narrow arches along the façade that encased windows, and a wider arch that surrounded the modest front door, with dark windows and a jutting balcony on the second floor. The property was heavily wooded with thick oaks, crape myrtle trees, and weeping willows.
“Why would you want to tear down the house?” She sized up the home with a skeptical eye. “You could always renovate it.”
“No.” He directed his scowl to the homes along the street. “Better to tear it down and start fresh.”
“Could be expensive,” she remarked, turning to him.
“But worth it.” He came up to her. “That way I could build something huge to piss off my ex, while she lives in this house.”
“Are you sure you want to live across the street from your ex?”
“No, but I want to keep an eye on the house I designed. If a judge makes me give it to Ellen, I plan on at least being close by to make sure she doesn’t burn it to the ground.”
“You think she would do that?”
He gazed upward to the second story of his home. “Yes. She would do anything to spite me.”
They made their way up the wide cement steps to his recessed glass front door. He punched several numbers into a keypad to the right and the house lit up. Then, the front glass door popped open.
“The house is electronic, with an advanced security system, and sensory lighting to follow you from room to room.” He pushed the glass door open and waved her inside.
“Is the security something you added before or after the divorce?”
His dark eyebrows went up in amusement. “You’re funny.”
The quarter sawn oak floors shined beneath the recessed lights, while a straight white iron railing and oak staircase was the centerpiece of the foyer. A row of white pillars encased the staircase, and looking up Madison could see an open second story with skylights framed in white beams that looked out into the night sky, covering the central atrium. The aesthetic of the design was clean, modern, and simple. A sunken living room off to the side of the entrance was decorated with classic modern furniture in black and beige, with a wheat Berber rug and prints of painted leaves done in black frames hanging in a row along the wall. An unadorned fireplace was set into the plain wall without a mantle or screen.
Hayden shut the front door and punched in some more numbers on the keypad to the left.
“Does that mean I’m trapped here for the night?” Her voice echoed in the open entrance.
Hayden came up to her and removed her black purse from her shoulder. “It’s the only way I can guarantee you won’t run out on me again.”
“I didn’t think you would want to wake up and see me last time. Isn’t that what one-night stands are supposed to do?” Crossing in front of the stairs, she spotted an arched entranceway to the left.
“I hope I didn’t give you the impression that you were meant to be a one-night stand.”
She went to the arched doorway and peered into a circular den with high white walls, the same oak floors, and an adjoining kitchen divided by a stainless steel-covered breakfast bar. Glancing back at him, she shrugged. “Imagine if I had stayed; the awkward morning after conversation and such.” She ambled through the doorway and into the den.
“I’ve imagined that morning after with you for a long time,” he disclosed, coming through the archway behind her. “And I don’t think it would have been awkward.”
“Maybe not awkward for you, but for me it would have been unbearable.”
“Is that why you left? You were embarrassed?” he questioned, moving to the kitchen counter and placing her purse on the stainless countertop.
She noted the plush white sofa and big screen television mounted on the wall in front of it. “I didn’t want to get a million questions from you about who I was, and why I had picked you up in that bar. You figured out in the morning that I was…. I’m just glad I wasn’t around to see your reaction.”
After removing his suit jacket and tossing it over a white metal chair by a glass breakfast table, he went to the built-in stainless Sub Zero refrigerator. “Perhaps, but I would have still liked an explanation.” Reaching inside, Hayden pulled out an already open bottle of zinfandel. “I hope wine is okay with you. It’s all I have.”
“Wine is perfect,” she assured him, walking toward the kitchen.
Done in white with stainless Miele appliances, the kitchen reflected the clean lines and modern feel of the rest of the home.
“Why would you have wanted an explanation?” Madison leaned her backside against the chilly countertop. “If you had known ahead of time that I was…what I was, would it have really changed the outcome that night?”
After retrieving two wide-rimmed wineglasses from a white cabinet, he placed them next to her on the countertop. “Yes, it would have.”
She lightly laughed, fingering the stem on one of the crystal glasses. “Do you really believe that, Hayden?”
He popped the cork out of the wine bottle and filled the glass she was fondling. “There are certain things you do with a virgin, Madison. If I had known, I would have been…gentler.” He set the bottle down on the shiny stainless counter and lifted a glass to her. “Drink this.”
She opened her mouth to protest, but the darkness in his eyes made her reconsider. Dutifully she took the glass, and under his watchful gaze, sipped from the wine. When she went to lower the glass from her lips, Hayden’s hand went to the base, tipping it back to her mouth.
“More,” he commanded.
She gulped more of the dry wine as he closely observed. After half of the wine was gone, he took the glass away. Madison pouted, wondering what he was up to, when he placed the glass on the countertop. Resting his hip along the edge of the counter, he folded his arms and stared at her dress.
The seconds ticked by, making Madison rub her hands together. Then, he picked up the bottle of wine and filled the other empty glass.
“There is something I want to know before we proceed.”
She swallowed hard and nodded her head.
“How many lovers have there been since me?” he inquired, lifting his wineglass to his lips.
“What?” She had not expected that question.
He sipped his wine, amused by her reaction. “I want to know how many men you have been with since your first time with me.”
“I haven’t been with anyone else since you.” She picked up her wineglass, eager for more alcohol, and hastily gulped down the pale yellow wine.
He put his wineglass down, raising his eyebrows with interest. “It’s been five years. Why have there been no others?”
Madison sagged against the counter, dreading him hearing her confession, and slapped her glass down on the stainless countertop. “I was never interested in being with any other men. No one was ever…right.”
“Was that my fault?” He moved her glass out of her reach.
She rolled her head back, afraid to look him in the eye. “Yes. I’ve constantly compared the men I dated to you, and they always came up short.”
His deep laugh reverberated about the austere room. “I’m glad to hear I made such a lasting impression.”
She went around him to get her wineglass, but he moved it further away. “No, I want you sober.” After it was safely out of reach, he returned his intense gaze to her. “Do you have any questions for me?”
Did she have any questions? Madison almost laughed out loud. “Yeah, about a million of them, but I can’t think of any right at this precise moment.”
“If that’s the case, the time has come to take off that dress,” he said in a matter-of-fact voice.
Overwhelmed by the request, Madison’s eyes darted about the kitchen. Is he serious?
“Take it off. Take everything off. I want to see your body,” he firmly insisted.
She touched her f
ingers to her forehead, feeling a little lightheaded. “Shouldn’t we go upstairs first?”
“Would you feel more comfortable if I took off my clothes?” Hayden took another sip of wine.
“God, no. I think one naked person in your kitchen is enough.”
He chuckled and drank again from his wineglass. She opened her mouth to say something, but he beat her to it. “That’s enough talk.” He hiked his index finger from the side of the wineglass and pointed to her dress. “Take off your clothes, Madison.”
Deciding it was better to go along, Madison reached for the zipper on the side of her dress. After dropping her eyes to the floor, her shaking hand lowered the zipper, and she kicked off her black flats. Gently placing the red dress on the countertop next to her, she hesitated as she reached for the clasp on her light beige bra.
“All of it.” He put the glass down on the stainless counter.
Hayden’s eyes stayed on her as she finished undressing, but when she lowered her beige bikini underwear to her ankles, he turned away. He snapped up her glass from the countertop and handed it to her.
“Drink this. You look petrified.” The insistence in his voice warned her not to refuse.
She quickly emptied the glass, and as soon as she lowered it from her lips, Hayden once again took it from her and placed it on the counter.
He came up to her, his gaze sweeping over the curve of her hips and the swell of her breasts. Madison instinctively covered her naked body with her hands, but he stopped her. Moving her hands to her sides, he told her, “Don’t be embarrassed.” His fingers brushed along her jaw. “I want you to be confident in who you are and how you look. Self-assurance is very sexy in a woman. Consider this a lesson in confidence.”
“It’s kind of hard to be confident with you staring at my naked body.”
He lowered his hand and nodded to the countertop behind her. “Face the counter,” he ordered, his menacing voice a tad softer. “Place your hands palms down on the countertop and spread your legs apart.”
She knew at some point in the evening they would end up in bed together, but she didn’t understand why he was behaving this way. Slowly turning to the counter, she placed her palms on the cool stainless countertop. The chill in the air and the cold touch of the counter made goose pimples rise on her skin. Shifting her weight, she spread her feet apart, gulping back her nerves.
“Relax.” His voice was right behind her. “I want to see what you feel like in my hands.”
Madison closed her eyes, picturing his seductive hands on her. The images stoked her desire as she waited at the counter, listening for any movement behind her.
When his hand cupped her right butt cheek, she jumped. “You’re just like you were that first night. You jumped when I touched you then, too.” His hand crossed over her hip and came around to the patch of dark hair between her legs. Roughly he reached into her folds, driving his thumb into her. Madison gasped as it pumped in and out, rubbing hard against her flesh.
She dropped her head, overcome by the sensation as a cascade of tingling rose up from her inner reaches.
“Do you like this?”
“Yes,” she moaned, rocking her hips against his hand.
He jammed his thumb in deeper, making her jump. His thumb became more insistent, probing deeper and driving her mad. He was causing the heat to build in her lower gut, and she whimpered against her growing need for release. Then his hand stopped, and when he removed his thumb, she almost collapsed against the counter. The weight of his body moved out from behind her. Breathing hard, she spun around to face him.
“Why did you stop?”
His eyes measured her reaction, but his face was coolly placid. “Because I want you to finish.”
“What?”
He leaned back against the opposite counter. “I want to watch you while you please yourself, then it will be my turn.”
Hayden put his thumb—still wet from her—in his mouth and sucked on it. The gesture at first repelled her, but as blood pounded in her ears and her body begged for relief from the tight grip of tension, she became entranced by how he moved his thumb in and out of his mouth. She inched across the kitchen to him, not knowing if she could do what he asked, but she also realizing she wasn’t ready to walk out the door…not yet.
He removed his thumb from his mouth and angled closer to her. “Do it.”
A twinge of apprehension clutched her stomach, but she forced the unwanted feeling away. If this was what he wanted, then so be it.
Her hand skirted over her stomach, and before she slid her fingers into her very wet folds, she looked up at him. Keeping her eyes on him, she moved her fingers back and forth over her sensitive nub. Madison slammed her lips together when that delicious tingle returned. Tilting her head back, she delighted in the way his eyes grew round with lust.
Hayden grabbed her shoulders, surprising her, and spun her around. Spooning against her back, he placed his hand over hers and guided her fingers.
“Come for me,” he murmured.
His fingers were squeezing into her, causing an explosion in her belly. She didn’t care that Hayden was her boss, or about her job, all she wanted was for him to go on forcing her hand, making her weak with desire. When that powerful wave of electricity devoured her, Madison bent over, cried out, and barely registered Hayden’s arm about her stomach keeping her from collapsing to the floor.
His kisses on her back made her straighten up. “There, that wasn’t so hard, was it?”
She rested her head against his shoulder. Letting her hand fall to the side, Madison closed her eyes and relaxed against his chest, feeling the soft fabric of his white shirt caress her back. Then, Hayden lightly traced the outline of her folds and she tensed.
His fingers dipped into her and she arched her back against him. “Now let me show you how to do it better.”
He pinched her nub, hard, and Madison cried out. “Easy,” he cooed in her ear. “Give in to me.”
As he rubbed her tender nub between his thumb and forefinger, a rocket of white heat soared up from her groin. The intense sensation made her lurch forward.
“Oh God, Hayden, please…I can’t,” she begged, pushing his hand away.
But Hayden ignored her. “Yes, you can. You’ve got to play hard to come hard, baby.”
The overwhelming waves of lust were rolling through her like a thunderstorm over a vast desert. Her body ached with such blistering desire that Madison was sure her legs were going to give out, but as Hayden held her to him, she gave in to the ecstasy taking over her body. Almost instantly, the powerful climax barreled up out of nowhere. It was not the gentle tingle that she was used to, the one she had reached in the darkness of her bedroom late at night. No, this was something much more powerful. When it grabbed hold, her legs lost all of their strength as her inner reaches clamped down. She wanted to scream, but her body was so racked by a myriad of sensations that when she opened her mouth, nothing came out.
“That’s it,” Hayden breathed as she bucked in his arms. Slipping his fingers into her, he gently stroked her insides as her wet flesh pulsated around him.
Madison didn’t know how long they stood like that, him holding her up as she lingered over the relaxation coursing through her muscles.
“That was better.”
“Jesus.” She stood upright and turned around in his arms. “It’s never been like that before.”
He searched her face and then swept a stray brown hair away from her forehead. “Not even when you were alone?”
Her eyes dropped to his red tie and a blush stained her cheeks, but Hayden put his hand below her chin and forced her eyes to return to him. “Don’t be embarrassed with me. Ever. How am I to please you if you don’t tell me what you like?” He rested his hands on her shoulders and slowly turned her around. “Now walk out of the kitchen and head toward the stairs to the second floor.”
Confused, she glanced back over her shoulder at him. “Where are you going?”
“Nowhere.” He patted her behind. “I’ll be right behind you watching that incredible ass of yours.”
Her stomach danced at the compliment and she headed out of the kitchen, conscious of the swing of her hips. Reaching the steps in the foyer, she glimpsed him coming toward the stairs. He had undone his red tie, leaving it hanging about his neck, and was unbuttoning his shirt. Unnerved by the lust she saw swimming in his eyes, Madison trotted up the stairs.
At the landing, he caught up to her and pulled her into his arms. Hayden tugged her to the right and down a short hall to the master bedroom. He was nipping at her neck and pushing her across the wheat-colored Berber carpet toward a Japanese-inspired, platform king-sized bed in the center of the room. When her calves hit the pale walnut bedframe, she was not sure if she should flop back on the low bed or try to sit down on it. Hayden alleviated her conundrum when he picked her up in his arms and settled her on top of the burgundy bedspread.
She sat up on her elbows and waited as he tossed his tie to the floor, struggling to free his white dress shirt from around his shoulders. Glancing up, Madison noticed the oak paneling that went all the way up the cathedral ceiling. A matching pale walnut dresser stood alone against the far wall, while a half-open oak door offered a glimpse of the master bathroom beyond. Then, she spotted the fireplace set into the wall, which matched the one on the first floor in austere design.
“What were you thinking when you designed this place?”
Hayden stared at her, dumbfounded. “Is that want you really want to ask me right now?”
“I’ve been trying to figure out what bothers me about this house, and I think I just realized…you weren’t happy when you drew it.” She sat up slightly, spying his ripped abdominal muscles beneath his shirt.
He came toward the bed. “No, I wasn’t happy when I designed it. Ellen and I were fighting at the time.” He threw the shirt to the floor. “We were always fighting.”
Madison’s eyes never wavered from his strong arms, wide shoulders, and muscular chest.
He arched an eyebrow at her. “Is there anything else you would like to know?”
That Night with You Page 14
