He just grinned, and his gray eyes danced mischievously. “Nobody’s watching. They’re all back to dancing now. See? The music’s playing again. And besides, if they are, who cares? This is our ass, and they can’t get mad at us for touching it.”
“Oh, please,” she batted his hand away from her derriere, “we’re at a formal event. At least grope me when we’re not standing on a platform where everyone can see.”
“Fine.” Garrett proffered his arm and cocked a grin at her. “Future Mrs. Ellis, it would be my honor to escort you to the privacy of the car.”
She let her joy radiate throughout her whole being and wrapped her hand around his elbow. “Thank you, sir.”
Madeline smiled to herself as she felt his muscles under his jacket. She could not wait to feel nothing between them. She felt Dalton right behind them as they alighted the stairs, and she saw Bea and Buford waiting for them a few feet away.
“I’m so sorry I had to miss everything,” Bea said, “but I had to take out the trash.”
Buford rolled his eyes. “That heinous bitch. You can’t buy class.” He winked at Madeline. “Sometimes you just have to have it.”
Madeline felt Dalton’s fingers skimming up and down her side, and with Garrett’s muscles tempting her to find the nearest private room, her lust spiked into overdrive. “Well, thank you, you two. And I really appreciate you handling that situation, Bea.”
“Oh, it’s no trouble at all. I’ve fantasized about doing that for a while now. Trust me.”
Garrett rocked back on his heels. “Right. Well, thanks for everything, Bea, but we’re going—”
“Going?” Bea narrowed her eyes. “You can’t be going just yet, Garrett, not when I slaved away for this night for weeks.”
Garrett scoffed. “I’m pretty sure it was your minions who slaved away, little sister.”
“Don’t you ‘little sister’ me, Garrett.”
“Enough, you two,” Dalton sighed. He looked down at Bea and said in his all-business voice, “We’re going to have one dance each with Madeline and then we’ll go.”
Bea tapped her foot. “Fine,” she conceded, “that’s fair enough. After all, there’s an engagement to celebrate!” Madeline fought the rush of heat to her cheeks when Bea and Buford wiggled their perfectly sculpted eyebrows. “Oh, don’t be embarrassed, my future sister.”
Garrett tucked her into his side and used his fingers to tilt her chin up. “Want to go show ’em how it’s done?”
Her cheeks burned, and her nipples hardened. “How what’s done, exactly?”
“Dancing, of course.” He grinned. “What else did you think I was talking about?”
Madeline ignored that last part. Judging from his cocky expression, he knew she wanted him. “Well, in that case, yes. I’d like to dance. But I’m warning you now that I’m not very good—”
“It’s all in the leading, babe. You just follow me and I’ll take care of it. Trust me.” His hand slid down her arm, and he interlaced his fingers with hers. It seemed like an innocent enough gesture, but there was never anything innocent about the way Garrett touched her. Ever.
Once they found a spot, Garrett quickly led her into a double spin, then caught her when she pitched forward a little. She used his wide chest and body heat to ground herself.
“I love it when you do that,” he whispered into her hair. Though his voice was low and quiet, arousal roughened the edges of his sweet words.
“Do what?”
“When you lean into me like you know I’ll catch you.”
She turned her face up to his, and her heart clenched at the tenderness in his blue-gray eyes. “Of course I know you’ll catch me.”
In response, he just smiled at her, then started leading her. “It’s a fox-trot, so slow, slow, quick, quick—yeah, that’s it, Maddie.” She managed to follow him without stepping on his feet more than three times, which she considered a miracle. Even though she knew she was not the best ballroom dancer, she was so happy to be in his arms that she felt like she was floating. Her whole body felt lighter than it ever had, and every time she saw her ring glinting in the dim light, her joy coursed through her entire being. So this was what Cinderella felt like at the end of the movie as she danced with her handsome prince.
“How did you learn to dance like this, Garrett?”
He shrugged. “Our mother put us in dance lessons. She always said that if we really wanted to impress a woman that we needed to be able to dance.” He wiggled his brows. “Is it working?”
Madeline laughed. “I’ve already been thoroughly impressed.”
“Well, of course. But what I’m really asking is if you’re thinking about the car ride home and what we’re going to do…after.”
Her pussy clenched, and the low-level throbbing she always felt when they were around intensified. “After?”
“Oh, yeah, babe. After we get you out of that dress. After I see if you’re as wet for me now as I think you are.”
Madeline swallowed past her arousal. “I—”
Garrett’s eyes went from playful to bedroom in less than half a second. “I don’t see Bea anywhere, and even if she sees us skipping out early, I’ll gladly face her wrath to get inside you right now.”
The offer was so deliciously tempting, and she was so caught up in her desire for him that it took her a few moments realize that the orchestra had started playing a new song. Already, couples twirled past them in blurs of flashing color.
She felt Dalton before she heard him approaching. There was something about the air whenever he was near her. It felt charged and full, as if he silently commanded it. Garrett pressed his lips against hers and kissed her thoroughly, leaving her slightly off balance, before he kissed her nose, then stepped away.
Dalton gathered her in his arms. “We should have taken you dancing sooner.”
“No, I think I like the way this turned out. I’m actually pretty terrible, but Garrett said it’s all in the lead.”
“He would say that.” Dalton chuckled.
Madeline looked up at him admiringly as he started walking her backward to the beat of the waltz playing. When he laughed, even if it was only a little, his happiness was contagious.
Dalton was an amazing lead. His movements were smooth and precise, and she never felt as if she had to worry about what came next. She trusted him to lead her properly. She had taken ballet lesson when she was in middle school but realized after a few months that she would never be a prima ballerina. Since then, she had avoided dancing altogether. But with Dalton guiding her around the dance floor, she suddenly felt transformed. Her feet moved in time with his, and he somehow anticipated her movements, be they wrong or right, and moved to accommodate her.
Madeline never realized that a simple waltz could be so erotic, but with their bodies moving in time with each other, she could not stop thinking about having nothing separating them at all. No wonder the dance had been banned centuries ago. She was almost painfully aware of his hand resting on her shoulder blade, and she was also aware of how hard his arm was under his tuxedo jacket. She snuck a glance down between them and saw the outline of his semi-erect cock through his pants. Heat shot through her, and she licked her lips.
Dalton gave her a knowing smile, led her into a turn, then caught her and gently dipped her. “I love you,” he whispered. Then he kissed her. Already euphoric from his words and the dancing and excitement, Dalton’s kiss made her head spin. Her world felt weightless and right, and in that moment, with his strong arms wrapped around her and supporting her, she knew without a doubt that this Dalton and Garrett would make her feel this way for the rest of her life.
Madeline lost herself in his skillful, passionate kiss, twining her arms around his neck to bring him closer. When he pulled away, leaving her breathless, she realized that a few people around them were clapping. Mortified, she buried her face in Dalton’s neck and let him receive the rounds of, “Congratulations on your engagement!” and “You’re going to
have a blissfully happy marriage.”
“Oh, God, I’m so embarrassed,” she whispered to him as he started leading her toward where Garrett stood, waiting for them.
Dalton gathered her close and pressed his lips against her hair. “Don’t worry about it. Garrett and I have known them for years. They’re just happy.”
When they reached Garrett, he cupped her chin and ran his thumb along her lower lip. His gray eyes were heated with that look he gave her before he put his mouth on her. “Your lips are red and swollen, babe. And I like it.”
She opened her mouth to respond when someone beat her to it.
“And who is this?” A dark-haired man approached them, the top two buttons of his shirt open and his bow tie dangling from his well-formed neck. He was as tall as Garrett and almost as beautiful. But this new man had a darkness about him, something predatory lurking just underneath his refined, yet masculine features. His eyes were an unnamable shade between blue and brown, and the look in them was so sharp that she doubted he missed any details. The way he spoke, both the confidence and the self-assured way he moved his mouth, told her that he knew he was beautiful, and his lips, full and almost mocking, practically begged any woman within a fifty-mile radius to see if he tasted as good as he looked. When he looked down at her, Madeline felt like just his heavy gaze could gobble her up right where she stood.
Dalton’s aura changed. While he was still calm, there was a sense of territoriality about him that had not been there before the man walked up to them. Dalton ran his hands down her shoulders, then trailed one of them down to her waist, palming her hip possessively. Madeline glanced down to make sure this was really happening. Sure enough, Dalton’s large, well-formed hand sat there, making her wish they were in private so she could take it and push it lower down her body and put it where she really wanted it.
“Dylan,” Dalton supplied smoothly, “this is Madeline Spencer, our fiancée. Madeline, this is Dylan Caldwell, a very close friend of the family’s.”
Dylan lifted his whiskey glass. “Cheers to the three of you.”
Madeline extended her hand after he took a sip from his glass. “I’m so pleased to meet you. How long have your families known each other?”
He rocked back on his heels and whistled, much like Garrett occasionally did. “Since before this whole town was founded. Must be over two hundred years. Makes for lots of stories, huh, Dalton? There was this one time back in high school when Dalton, Garret, my brother, Caden, and I—”
“Don’t start, Dylan,” Dalton said, “and you’re forgetting about Eric and Gunner. They were there, too.”
“Eric and Gunner?” Madeline asked.
“Kingston,” Garrett said. “All of us used to run around together when we were younger. Got into a bit of trouble, you could say, especially in college.”
“Those were the days, weren’t they, Garrett?” The innuendo in Dylan’s voice was not very subtle.
Garrett sighed. “Those days were amazing, but I’ve got something real to look forward to now.” He pressed a kissed right under Madeline’s ear, making her skin break out in goose bumps.
Dylan’s eyes focused on the place where Garrett’s lips had touched. “I see.” Then his gaze flicked up to meet hers. “Madeline, you are a very special woman to catch and hold these two.” Although Dalton and Garrett flanked her, Dylan gently reached for her hand and kissed the back of it. “Truly special.”
“There’s someone out there for you and your brother, too, Dylan,” Dalton said after Dylan released Madeline’s hand.
Dylan’s gaze traveled somewhere behind the three of them, tracking someone, it seemed, and for an almost imperceptible moment, Madeline thought his eyes showed just a modicum of softness. Then the sharpness returned to his gaze. “Let’s hope not. God knows Caden and I are not the settling kind.”
Garrett snickered. “That’s what I always said about Dalton.”
“Oh, please, Garrett,” Dalton said wryly. “Don’t even try.”
Dylan smiled, and Madeline was dumbstruck for a moment. It was not fair for people to be that attractive. She looked up at Dalton and decided she still had the handsomer of the two. Throw Garrett in and she had no doubt the two best-looking men in the room were with her.
“So, Madeline, what are you doing these two?” Dylan asked over the rim of his whiskey glass.
“Oh, fuck off, Caldwell,” Garrett said with an expression of mock hostility on his face. “Don’t mind him, Maddie. He’s just trying to get a rise out of you.”
Dylan smiled slightly. “I’ll leave you and your beautiful lady goodnight.”
After he walked off, Madeline spun around to face her men. “Is he always like that?”
Dalton grunted. “Always.”
“He’s a cold-hearted guy, make no mistake,” Garrett supplied, “but he’s a good friend once he lets himself care about you.”
Madeline heard the rapid click-click of Bea’s thousand-dollar shoes, and Buford followed close behind her. “Oh, was that Dylan Caldwell? Damn it, I missed him, but I did get you some prosciutto-wrapped melon, Maddie. It’s delicious. My idea, of course. Lordy, Dylan gets better looking every year.” She fanned herself. “Wow, that man…”
“Have a crush, Bea?” Madeline teased.
“Honey, crush doesn’t even begin to cover it. I’m so upset I missed him. That just ruined my evening—” Her gaze settled on a spot just behind Madeline, and she licked her glossed lips. “But I must be going. I have someone I want to…talk to.”
“Who?” Madeline asked, much to Dalton and Garrett’s audible chagrin.
Bea wiggled her perfectly plucked eyebrows. “I’m getting me that emcee, honey.”
“But, Bea, he’s looks so young.”
Bea just clasped her hands together. “Wonderful. He’ll be able to keep up, then.” She adjusted her cleavage, a woman on a mission, and stalked off toward the stage.
Buford looked from Bea’s retreating form to Madeline. “Sorry, darling, but I must see how this goes. He’s so yummy. If she gets sick of him, he’s mine.”
Dalton lifted a brow, then turned to her. “Let’s go home.”
* * * *
They took her for a walk around the gardens of their family estate, the night breeze carrying along with it the rich scent of roses, jasmine, and lavender, but he thought Madeline smelled even better. As Dalton looked around, he imagined their kids running around and playing out here the way he, Garrett, and Bea did when they were younger. Someday. But for now, he was content to just walk quietly with their new fiancée and head of philanthropy at Ellis Enterprises.
Madeline walked between them, her shoes dangling from her dainty fingers. He and Garrett had to slow their steps for her, but he did not mind. They offered to run into the house and find a pair of more comfortable shoes, but she refused. She inhaled deeply, her breath making her breasts pop up from the neckline of her dress. It was all Dalton could do to keep from ripping her bodice open and fucking her against a tree.
“You’re so lucky to have grown up in this house. You must have had the best games of tag and hide-and-seek.”
“We did,” Garrett agreed, “until we got older. Then we were up to no good with the pretty girls who came over.”
Madeline rolled her eyes and smiled. “It figures.”
“But none of them were as pretty as you.” Garrett wrapped his arm around Madeline’s shoulders and pulled her into him. “None of them smelled as good as you.”
Dalton came up behind her and made sure she felt how hard his cock was for her. “And none of them belonged to us.”
Madeline rubbed her luscious bottom against his erection. “I guess that is true. And they didn’t have one of these.” She wiggled her fingers around, her ring glinting in the moonlight.
Dalton’s insides clenched with the primal wave of possessiveness he felt. That ring belonged on her finger. It had been made to be there. She was theirs now. She always had been, but now it was in her head, too. F
unny how shiny pieces of compressed carbon made everything real for women. He did not get it, but he guessed he did not have the right equipment down there to understand. Which was fine by him. He liked his stuff just fine.
She turned in Garrett’s arms, standing so that she could look at each of them. “I need you two to do something for me.”
“Sure. Anything,” Dalton said.
“I want you to tie me up.”
Under normal circumstances, the image of her tied up would have turned him on in a heartbeat, but right now, all he could think of was Vincent. Dalton felt like he had fallen into frozen water—knives of cold, furious anger stabbed through him until he realized he was clenching his fists together, desperate to hit something, anything.
“I can’t do that, Madeline,” he stated, his voice rough.
Madeline laid her hands on his chest, over his heart—the very part of him she possessed. “I need you to. I need you to overwrite what he did so that I won’t be scared of it later.”
Dalton gathered her hands in his and brought them to his lips. “I can’t, Madeline. Not now. Not when what Vincent did is still fresh in my mind. I’m sure I speak for Garrett, too.”
“You sure as fucking hell do.” Garrett’s expression was murderous. Rarely had Dalton ever seen his brother not in a jovial mood, but certain things did piss him the fuck off, and anything or anyone hurting Madeline was obviously one of those things. People tended to underestimate his little brother, but Garrett was pretty damn heartless when provoked beyond his limits.
“Just hear me out,” Madeline insisted. “I know there are things you want to try. Sexual things. Things that I’ve never even done before or never imagined doing, and I want to be able to do those things with you without Vincent’s face popping into my head. I don’t want him to get in the way, Dalton. I need you and Garrett to make sure that Vincent disappears from my memory forever.”
Garrett sighed. “Maddie—”
“You can do whatever you like to me,” she interrupted. “I won’t mind. I won’t complain. I just want your hands on me. All over me.”
Mitchell, Ava and Holiday, Sydney - A Bride for Two Tycoons [The Male Order, Texas Collection] (Siren Publishing Ménage Everlasting) Page 15
