by Leslie Kelly
“Then I guess Tabby won’t mind if we’re just a few minutes late to her rehearsal.”
Maddy lay back on the bed, one leg straight down, the other bent at the knee in invitation. With one hand resting on her stomach, the other brushing through long strands of her loose hair, she gave him a wicked glance that left no doubt about what she wanted. “Just a few minutes?”
“After three and a half days without you, I want at least that long inside you,” Jake muttered as he took his jacket off and tossed it onto a chair. “Can we skip tonight altogether?”
She shook her head. “I wish. But I’m the maid of honor, remember?”
“So we…get a little satisfaction now, then come back here tonight and I’ll do you until we have to leave tomorrow for the wedding.”
She shivered at the roughness in his tone, which spoke of his ravenous need. “Deal.”
Jake loosened the tie next, taking a whole lot longer than such a simple chore should take.
“Uh, FYI? You’re going way too slow.”
“I said a little satisfaction. Not an infinitesimal amount.”
Just her luck. Even when desperate, the man had agonizing patience.
“Hurry up,” she ordered, writhing on the bed.
“Not a chance. We’re not so pressed for time that I’ll rush through something I’ve been fantasizing about for days.”
Fantasizing about her when they weren’t together? That was nice to hear. But it didn’t exactly do anything about the mad heat spiraling through her entire body. “Haven’t you ever heard of a quickie?”
“Yeah. And I want one. Maybe tomorrow, at the reception.” His eyebrows wagged. “Want to meet me in the coatroom?”
Oh, he was wicked. So wicked. Just the thought of it sent a thousand more hot tendrils of electricity straight between her thighs.
“That’s incredibly tempting,” she admitted, meaning it. “But knowing how hard it’s going to be to get myself secure in my dress, I don’t know that I’ll be up for taking it off in the middle of the big event.”
He reached for the top button of his dress shirt, unfastening it with slow deliberation before moving on, watching her watch him. “I’d be there to help you get…put back together.”
After he sent her flying apart, no doubt.
“Unless you’re going to pack a crowbar in your tux to squeeze everything back in, and strong tape to hold it all in place, I think that’ll be impossible.” As it was, she’d had to buy some ridiculous sticky contraptions that were supposed to give her some support. The thought of gluing plastic film to her breasts seemed utterly ridiculous, and she already dreaded it.
The alternative, however, was worse. No way was she going braless.
“Maybe I don’t want you wearing that dress around other guys.” A frown tugged that handsome brow down and he’d stopped unbuttoning.
Jealous? Was that even possible? A little thrill of excitement at the thought of it made her heart roll. “They’ll see it. You’ll be the only one not seeing it when I take it off.”
“I suppose that’ll have to do.” He stared at her legs. The hose. The garter belt. The tiny black panties. “Getting back to our quickie. Maybe you wouldn’t have to worry about your dress. Wear what you have on now.” Smiling with pure heat, he added, “Without the panties. I’ll lift your gown and take you right up against the wall of the closet, daring you not to scream.”
She groaned, her legs clenching, ready to scream right now. “I’d lose that dare.”
He seemed oblivious to her agony, still taking his own sweet time, arousing her word after word, look after look, not having even touched her since he dropped her onto the bed. But at least he resumed working on those double-damned buttons.
Picturing the interlude he’d proposed, she murmured, “Can you imagine trying to walk out of that coat closet into the reception and act normally afterward?”
“You’re going to be doing it tonight at the dinner.”
Confused, Maddy merely stared.
A look of such tenderness appeared on Jake’s face, it took her breath away to think it was directed at her. “Oh, honey, you have no idea how you look after we’ve made love. You wear your happiness on your face for hours afterward.”
Good Lord. Such sweet words. Had any man ever touched her with just a whisper the way this one had?
Easy to answer. Absolutely not.
“Tonight at the rehearsal you’re going to have that soft smile on your face and that glow in your eyes. Your skin will be flushed and you’ll be a little slow and dreamy in your movements, like your body is there, but every other part of you—heart, mind and soul—is right…back…here.”
Maddy closed her eyes, not wanting him to see what she suspected lurked in them. The sheen of tears—and a whole lot of genuine emotion. Maybe even the love that she’d finally acknowledged, if only to herself, that she felt for the man.
Finally feeling capable of speaking—and looking at him—she opened them again. “Jake, I am so glad I met you.”
“Me, too,” he admitted.
Their stares met, exchanging unspoken emotion, and in that moment, Maddy knew their relationship had just moved up to something else. She wasn’t sure what. Just something. And, to her complete surprise, she wasn’t utterly terrified by that realization.
But there was no time to dwell on it now. Certainly not enough time for them to drag it out and talk about it.
Pursing her lips, Maddy focused her attention on his still-clothed body. “Ahem. Back to our time limits? If you don’t get out of those clothes, I’m going to rip them off you.”
“Then I’d have nothing to wear tonight,” he said with a teasing shrug. “So I guess you’ll have to be patient.”
How could the man drive her so completely mad, yet still remain so in control, just now getting around to pulling his dress shirt off and tossing it aside? Here she was laid out like a Penthouse playmate, with the figure and the fantasy lingerie to back it up, and the guy hadn’t even unfastened his belt.
“Is there anything I can do to make you go faster?”
He shook his head.
“Maybe I should start without you.”
“Maybe you should.”
That was a challenge. And maybe even a sexy plea.
Maddy accepted, sliding her hand up, letting her fingertips ease a slow, lazy path across her constrained breasts. She rubbed one nipple, already hard and sensitive against the black lace. Then she tugged one bra strap down, releasing her own sensitive mound for his perusal and her own touch.
He growled. And maybe the belt slid through the hoops of his trousers a teensy bit faster.
“Mmm,” she murmured, sliding two fingers against her nipple, toying with it, plucking lightly.
Wanting to see more of that desperate want on his expression, she lowered the other bra strap, then twisted the bra around and unfastened it completely.
“You take my breath away every time I look at you,” he whispered, devouring her with that gaze.
But the man still had his damn pants on.
“You know what I’ve always wanted to try, Jake?” she asked, toying with both peaks now.
“I’m afraid to ask.”
Knowing how fascinated he was by her breasts, he had reason to be.
She sat up, scooted to the edge of the bed and let her stocking-clad legs part to wrap around his. The roughness of his trousers against the silkiness of the lingerie ratcheted up the level of sensation. Rough and soft, sweet and spicy.
Maddy reached for Jake’s waistband, unbuttoned it, then slowly lowered his zipper. His rock-hard erection arched against her hand, but he didn’t stop her. Instead, he watched with hooded eyes as if wondering what she was up to.
She’d pleasured him with her mouth many times and knew he loved it. She also knew it was what he expected.
It wasn’t what he was going to get.
Tugging his briefs down and pushing them, with the trousers, over Jake’s lean hips an
d butt, Maddy breathed lightly on that silky skin. But rather than taste him, she wiggled closer. Close enough for her nipples to brush against the fine hairs on his stomach, to feel the ragged pulse as his blood raged through his veins.
“Good God,” he said with a groan, finally understanding her intention.
Reaching around to clench his taut butt, Maddy hugged him closer, smothering his erection between her full breasts, making a nice, soft, warm channel for him. He was helpless to resist, his muscles flexing in her hands, his pelvis tilting, his staff gliding against her body as if he was buried inside her.
“Maddy,” he groaned. He twined his fingers in her hair and she looked up at him, wetting her lips, groaning in pleasure as he continued his slow, lazy thrusts.
“I never imagined how good this could feel,” she whispered, admitting she was trying something new.
That realization seemed to make him grow even more engorged against her, and he threw his head back, the cords of muscle standing out in his neck.
Maddy wasn’t entirely sure how far this kind of thing could go. Knowing Jake, he wasn’t anywhere near coming. Nor was she selfless enough to give up truly having him inside her. But she did like it. A lot. She especially liked that he was visibly losing a little of that infamous control, his hands clenched tightly in her hair, his breath coming in short gasps.
“Gotta have the real thing, babe,” he muttered, dropping his hand to her shoulders and pushing her onto her back.
“I wish you would,” she whispered, wanting him desperately.
But instead of pushing her farther back on the bed and climbing on top of her, Jake remained standing between her parted thighs. He grabbed a condom out of his pants pocket, opened it and put it on between one breath and the next.
Unfastening her garters with a few easy flicks of his fingers, he reached for her panties and tugged them down, tossing them out of his way, then sliding his fingers into her silky wet body.
He seemed to lose the last vestiges of control at finding her already fully aroused and ready to take him. “I can’t believe I’m doing this without giving you more,” he said, sounding on the verge of desperation.
“Please, just take me,” she groaned.
He didn’t make her beg again. Jake lifted her legs completely until her calves rested on his huge, bare shoulders. Holding her hips and lifting her wet, tender core toward him, he plunged into her with sudden, shocking force.
Maddy screamed at the power of it, so filled by him she didn’t think she’d ever feel whole again if he stopped making love to her.
He froze. “Maddy? You okay?”
One hand moved to her face, his thumb tracing her parted lips. She bit it lightly, already rocking up toward him, greedily demanding more as he began to pull away. “As long as you’re not stopping, I am just fine.”
“Then I guess I’m not stopping.”
He pulled out, thrust again, the firmness of the floor beneath his feet giving him incredible control. Maddy was helpless to do anything but love every stroke, to gasp when he went fast, to whimper when he slowed down.
And finally, when he reached between their bodies and caressed her swollen clit, to cry out her release moments before he attained his.
Only then did he scoot her back and fall on top of her, both of them falling into a sudden and unexpected sleep, still joined in every single way.
11
THEY WERE LATE. Quite a bit late, considering they’d fallen asleep and hadn’t awoken until twenty minutes before the rehearsal start time. Jake had made up as much time as he could behind the wheel of Maddy’s car, but they still pulled into the church parking lot not a minute before seven forty-five.
“Oh, damn,” Maddy whispered, seeing all the cars. Then, in a hopeful tone, she added, “I don’t see Tabby’s convertible. Maybe she’s not here yet.”
Or maybe she’d ridden with her father, her fiancé, or any other member of the bridal party, he thought. Not that he said so aloud.
When they got inside and saw Maddy’s very anxious father rushing toward them with an expectant expression, he figured Maddy had been right.
“Is Tabitha with you?”
“No, she’s not.” Maddy glanced toward the group of people clustered at the front of the church, then back at the closed doors through which they’d just come.
“Please tell me your sister isn’t going to do this again.”
“Again?” Jake whispered before remembering the previous wedding, and the previous broken engagement. Or engagements?
“Have you called her?” Maddy asked.
“I have. Everybody has.”
“Where’s Bradley?”
“He was late, too,” Jason Turner said. Finally noticing Jake’s presence, the man offered him a friendly smile, appearing pleased to see Maddy on his arm, despite his anxiety. “He arrived fifteen minutes ago and went right into the minister’s office without talking to anyone, not even his parents.”
Sounded unusual. Jake’s senses went on alert. But when he heard the door behind them open, and saw the relieved look on Jason Turner’s face—and on Maddy’s—he figured maybe his instincts were slightly off. This time.
“I’m so sorry!” exclaimed the bride, a tall, slim blonde, who looked about as much like Maddy as he resembled George of the Jungle—the cartoon one. “There was an issue with the lobster for tomorrow, then I had to deal with some problems with the fountains and the fireworks.”
Yeesh. Lobster, fountains and fireworks. Was this a wedding or a state dinner?
“Bradley is here?” she asked, her tone hardening.
“Yes, of course,” her father said, taking her arm to lead her to the front of the church. “Don’t worry, he was late, too.”
“I know,” the woman said.
Seeing the way Tabitha’s spine stiffened, her shoulders squared and her head came up, as if she was preparing herself for an ordeal, he couldn’t help wondering at the not-so-happy bride’s mood. It seemed to be more than simply annoyance.
Neither her father nor her sister, who both appeared relieved, even noticed. Especially not when the bride swept toward the front of the church, expecting—and getting—the small crowd to part in front of her.
Yeah. About what he’d anticipated, from all Maddy had said. Tabby seemed to be exactly the self-absorbed woman he’d pictured. She’d probably kept everyone waiting intentionally, just so she could make her grand entrance.
Throughout the brief rehearsal, though, as he watched from the back of the church, he began to wonder about those strained undercurrents he couldn’t help noticing. Not from everyone. Maddy seemed fine—more than fine, in fact. She was beautiful, still flushed from the love they’d made, as he’d known she would be. She also appeared genuinely happy for her sister, and made a stunning picture as she walked down the aisle.
God, the images that put in his head. Even if being here, among all these rich people who probably made his annual salary in a day, should have him running the other way.
Damn it, they could work it out. He loved Maddy. He suspected she loved him, too. That was all that mattered—it was the only thing that mattered. He just needed to keep reminding himself of it.
Though Jake’s attention remained on the woman he’d escorted here tonight, he definitely felt some vibes coming off the engaged couple. Tabitha’s laughter seemed almost too bright, her mood more forced than joyous. And the groom had little or nothing to say at all.
Yeah. There were definitely some undercurrents going on, though maybe they were only visible to an outsider who didn’t have anything at stake in tomorrow’s high-society event.
In the car, on the way to the dinner, he voiced his observations to Maddy.
“What? Are you kidding? Tabitha’s very happy.”
That hadn’t seemed like happiness to him. Then again, maybe for Maddy’s sister, the tight smile was typical, maybe her eyes never sparkled, and the slight droop to her shoulders was a result of fatigue from wedding mania.
But he doubted it.
“I can’t believe I forgot to even introduce you,” she said, sounding genuinely distressed. “I’ll rectify that as soon as we get to the hotel.”
The one owned by the groom’s father. He remembered that tidbit. “Yeah, be sure to point out your stepmother, too, okay? I want to make sure I’m ready to deal with her…just in case.”
“I told you, I already warned her you’d be there.”
She had, on the way to the church. Fortunately, it hadn’t been an issue then, because the stepmother of the bride hadn’t bothered to attend. Another tidbit that caused the bride’s mouth to tighten. Deborah was, however, per Maddy’s father, definitely going to be at dinner.
Yippee.
“She and I didn’t have time to talk for more than a few minutes the other night, but I put her on notice.” Maddy’s mouth tightened. “There’s no way she’s going to say anything my dad might overhear. That would put her in some serious trouble.”
“I know,” he mumbled, though his mind had already shifted gears. He didn’t give a rat’s ass about Maddy’s stepmother, beyond the fact that he wouldn’t want Jason Turner, whom he already liked, hurt in any way.
Nor did he give a damn what anybody else—the stepmother, or any of the spoiled, rich socialites who might show up at the wedding tomorrow and remember him from the auction—thought of him. They could consider him the biggest boy toy in the world. It didn’t matter. Only one person’s opinion mattered and she was sitting right beside him.
Maddy deserved the truth; he had known that for days. But it had never been more clear to him than those moments before he’d made love to her tonight, when their eyes had met and they’d silently said the words that neither of them had dared to voice out loud.
He loved her. There were no more caveats, no more qualifications, no more maybes. He couldn’t hide behind the protective, halfhearted idea that he was “falling for her” or that he sensed they could have something, or that he thought he could love her. He did love her. Period.
And her expression tonight, not to mention every moment they’d shared in the past several days, told him she loved him, too. Whether she loved him enough to get over the fact that he’d let her believe a lie, he didn’t know. All he knew was that, feeling the way he did, he couldn’t continue something he found so morally dishonest. Even though they were almost to the hotel and there was really no time, he found he could no longer continue the charade. He couldn’t walk into that dinner filled with her family and friends under such dishonest terms.
