Quarantined with the Billionaire

by Jade C. Jamison

  Unbridled, I kissed him back, sliding my tongue inside his mouth, tasting him like I never had before. He broke it off, pressing me into him, holding me tightly as if to restrain me.

  “If that’s all you’re worried about, I can make sure you have no problem letting me go. I can be a real bitch when I need to be.”

  I could feel him chuckle, my head against his chest. “If only it were that easy, sweet Bailey.”

  “Listen, Mr. Steel,” I said, finding the strength to pull myself from his warm, strong arms. “You’re really good at figuring out how to invest your money, right? But you said yourself that you can’t predict the market. You can never know for sure if stocks are going up or down. And what about this stupid virus? What’s going to happen with it tomorrow, next week, next month? Did you know a hundred-thousand people have this disease just in the U.S. alone? Over thirty-thousand deaths worldwide? There’s no guarantee that either you or I will make it out alive, even while we cut ourselves off from the world. Nobody ever promised me tomorrow. But I’m here now. I’m alive and I know what I want. I want you. I’m okay without tomorrow. I want you here and now, because this moment is the only guarantee I have of anything.”

  His dark eyes searched mine as if reading a foreign language. Finally, when he spoke, it was almost a husky whisper, but his few words said so much. “Damn, woman. That nauseating speech you gave in high school prepared you to be a hell of a passionate speaker. You’re rather persuasive.”

  “I won’t believe it till you kiss me.”

  With that, he did. And it was more passionate, more alive than any kiss he’d given me thus far. It was as if my words had infused his life blood, given him something not just to live for, but to fight for.

  And I felt like that was me.

  As he held me close on that cool wooden floor, I knew I’d gladly give up anything I had to be with him forever. Something in his soul spoke to me on a level no one else had before. He may not have been with me in that rundown apartment on Stout Street half my life ago, but he could see it through my eyes.

  Even knowing, he didn’t run away. He stayed here—and he blew away everything I believed about people with money, everything I despised about the privileged in society. This man defied all my expectations, changed my mind on so many levels.

  Tonight, I didn’t care if we made love or just held each other all night long—but I was going to spend the rest of the evening with him whether he wanted to or not.

  When the kiss ended, I looked in his eyes and started swaying back and forth to the music. A grin spread across my face and I took his hand before twirling around him. Had I been wearing socks, I would have been able to glide more gracefully across the floor, but I instead tiptoed ballerina-like, leading him toward the art-filled walls before stopping in front of his bedroom door. Looking in his eyes again, I waited for a sign, and he wasn’t saying no. So I turned the knob and pressed through, leading him with my hand in his.

  Once more, I considered stripping myself naked in front of him, but the dress was so snug, I knew it wouldn’t come off elegantly. Instead, I would wind up looking like a clumsy elephant had I tried. So I twirled around again several times before backing up to Maddox, bending my neck so that he could undo the zipper for me.

  For several long seconds, he didn’t touch me, and I started wondering if he was going to make me turn around and beg. But then I felt the warmth of his fingers at my neck pulling at the tab. Soon his lips were on the nape, sending shivers down my spine as I felt the top part of the dress loosening up. His kisses followed the zipper halfway, pausing midway down my back, even while he finished unzipping the dress. I leaned my head back toward him while taking the thin straps on my shoulders into my hands. Pulling them down, I turned my head just enough to see Maddox, and he understood that I wanted to kiss him again. His lips met mine as I pulled the dress down, baring my breasts to his empty room. I wanted to try to shimmy the dress off my hips, but that would take more effort. Instead, I wound my hands up and over my head, wrapping them around his neck.

  He began kissing below my ear, alternating between open-mouth kisses, feathery brushes, and enticing licks, wrapping his arms around my belly. Then he slid his hands up and over my breasts as my pebbly nipples dug into the warmth of his palms. I sighed, leaning backward into him so I could assess the hardness of his erection.

  He wasn’t going to protest this time.

  Twirling around again, I turned to face Maddox as he had to let go of me so I could move. I tiptoed backward deeper into the darkness of his bedroom as he took another step inside. Grabbing the sides of the dress, I began shimmying back and forth to get it over my hips. It was a pretty thing, but given another chance, I wouldn’t wear it again. As I moved the dress down my legs, gathering it together so I could toss it in a chair, Maddox turned the fireplace on. The shadows caused by the flames bounced around the room as I placed the dress in a chair.

  I stood beside the bed, not too far in front of Maddox, ready and willing to be whatever he wanted me to be. I sucked on my lower lip, hoping this wouldn’t be the ultimate rejection he’d threatened.

  “My God, you are unbelievably beautiful, Bailey.”

  Even in the semi-darkness, I wondered if he could see the way my cheeks flamed at his statement, making me want to cover my body with my arms. But I refused. Unless and until he outright rejected me, I was going to stay here, baring both my body and soul.

  He began undoing the silk bowtie at the top of his shirt. Suddenly, I couldn’t wait. I rushed forward, pulling his jacket down until he let me take it off his arms the rest of the way. It joined the dress as I began tackling buttons on the shirt. Maddox pulled off the cummerbund before sliding his shirt out from under his pants.

  Holy crap. His erection was undeniable.

  I rammed my mouth into his as we worked at his buttons, and I could feel him trying to ease his shoes off but he was giving me too much attention. Giggling, I undid the last button and then backed up until I fell on his bed, ready for him to take all of me. Unfettered, he pulled his shoes and socks off before yanking down the pants and his underwear. Before tonight, I would have argued that a tuxedo didn’t do anything for the way I felt about a man—but he’d looked so damned gorgeous in those clothes.

  A wicked grin flashed across his face and I would have sworn I could see the flickering flames in the pupils of his eyes as he walked over to the bed. Leaning over me, he planted a hard kiss on my lips as I tried to restrain myself. His hard-on brushed against my leg and I wanted nothing more than to line my body up with his and start grinding.

  Maddox had different plans.

  He drew a line down my body with his tongue, dashing between my breasts to my navel, all while his hands cupped my ass, dragging me down on the bed. My ass almost hung over the side as Maddox got to his knees, tonguing my inner thigh.

  My pussy clenched at the nearness of his mouth.

  I could feel his breath against the sensitive flesh there as he took my thighs into his hands, spreading me farther apart. Soon, he touched me with his tongue, painting another line down my slit, running it over my swollen clitoris. The gasp I let out filled the room, drowning out the soft sounds of classical music wafting in from outside the doorway. It took everything I had inside me to not start mashing myself against his loving face as he lapped delicately at my womanhood.

  Moans began issuing from my throat, but I wasn’t near orgasm yet. In fact, I was wound as tight as an old-fashioned watch ticking down the time until my alarm would sound. I stabbed my fingers inside his hair, forcing myself to not yank on it impatiently. My other hand fisted the comforter, as if I needed to hold on for the ride. Each delicious stroke he imparted got me closer to the top, wound me more tightly, preparing me for that exquisite release.

  Gulping down air, my breath began to hitch in my throat, all while his name came out of my mouth in a whisper. I tilted my pelvis without thought and his tongue hit me at a whole new angle. Moaning again, I felt
the tightening string give way to a release of pleasure, like a dam breaking, sending rockets out of the atmosphere once more. After that, each stroke of his tongue rattled me to the core, making me feel like I was heading to an early grave.

  Not that I cared.

  As he delivered the final lash, I shivered, feeling drained, overly warm, and loved. Maddox climbed up on the bed next to me, drawing a pattern on my belly with his finger. “Please tell me I’m not going to have to force you to make love to me this time, Maddox.”

  “No,” he said. Even though my eyes weren’t open, I could hear the smile in his voice. “I’m just waiting till you’re ready.”

  “Are you kidding? I’m ready now.”

  “You’re sure?”

  I hadn’t had much luck with partners in the past, but I did know that when they went down on me and brought me to orgasm, if they followed it up immediately with their dicks, I could often come again.

  Only Maddox didn’t have a mere dick. He had an experienced cock that already knew its way around me. Taking a condom out of the drawer on his nightstand, he rolled it on and then slid me up the bed some before positioning himself over me. Tilting my body once more, I met him with full force, groaning aloud at the amazing friction between us. His cock throbbed inside the walls of my pussy as he ground his length inside me, retightening my string while bringing himself to the brink.

  I continued matching his rhythm, not once marveling that his full force wasn’t hurting me like he’d threatened just the night before.

  Instead, a song swam through my head, telling me I had fallen all the way—and as we climaxed in unison and he opened his eyes to look at me for a quiet second before dropping his head to the bed, I was pretty sure he was telling me the same thing.

  Chapter Eighteen

  I could have lain in his arms forever without ever getting under the covers. Between the heat of his body and the warmth emanating from the fire, I didn’t need anything else. But he lifted me up to slide the covers down before pulling them back up over us both and holding me close in his arms.

  I thought he might have fallen asleep, based on the way his breath was flowing over my ear. His body cupped my ass as we both spooned in a relaxed fetal position. I should have been tired enough to sleep, but I couldn’t. Instead, I ran my hand along the flesh of his arm.

  After a long time, I rolled over and touched his stubbly cheek before kissing his chin, then lips, then nose. But the poor man was out cold. I snuggled up against his chest, tracing patterns over his tight flesh in the semi-darkness. Finally, I had to get up and use the restroom and I debated for a few seconds if I wanted to use my restroom or his.

  Silly.

  I used his.

  When I came back, Maddox had rolled over onto his other side. I could have awakened him, making him either roll back over or make room for me on that side of the bed, but I wanted to let him get his rest. Curling up next to him, pressing my face into his back, I tried sleeping again and couldn’t. After a while, he moved a little, and I opened my eyes, wondering if he’d be up for talking.

  Or maybe round two. I didn’t know that any man ever had made me feel this aroused—or this desired—before.

  As my eyes scanned his flesh, I noticed something on his back. Moving my finger over the spot, I at first thought maybe it was a birthmark. It was so damned dark in that room. I brought my face closer, squinting my eyes. And then I saw it for what it was: a tattoo. Tiny black script on his shoulder blade.

  We will meet again one day, sweet Madeline.

  What did that even mean? And who was Madeline?

  Why did I feel like she, unlike Kate, was a threat? And how would I even bring it up with him? My fingers traced the delicate letters as I tried figuring out what my words would say when I asked. How could I ask without sounding like a jealous psycho?

  Maddox made a sound while he stretched his back, and I wondered if maybe I’d awakened him with the way I’d been running my fingers over his muscles.

  “You found the tattoo?” Even though he phrased it like a question, it sounded more like a statement.

  “Yes.” My index finger continued stroking the lettering as if I had no control over that appendage. “I probably shouldn’t even ask who Madeline is, should I?”

  “You have every right to ask,” he said, rolling over so that I could no longer look at the sole tattoo on his body. “I just don’t know that I’d be very good at explaining it.”

  I knew a blow-off answer when I heard it. In the dimness of the room, it was impossible to assess his expression. And trying made me realize that whatever my brain was attempting—imagining Maddox in my life for any longer than the next few weeks I’d be working for him—was just a pipe dream.

  “What have I told you about Kate?”

  Why the hell did he want to talk about his ex-wife? Was Madeline another ex? Was I going to find out Maddox was a serial husband?

  “Uh…she’s your ex-wife. Your divorce was pretty nasty—she tried to take everything from you.”

  “Yes. Our marriage had been falling apart for a while. The signs had been there for a long time, and our metaphorical house was coming down around us, brick by brick. Then there was Madeline. Sweet Madeline. She was the final straw.”

  What the hell was he talking about?

  “You know what? This is pretty difficult to talk about. It would be easier to just show you.”

  His voice was all but cracking, so I knew we were in touchy territory—but I wanted to know.

  Needed to know. Even if Maddox and I were nothing but this moment, I wanted to know about this woman so important that Maddox had etched a permanent reminder of her in a place he’d have to struggle to see.

  He sat up, sliding his legs over the side of the bed. At first, I thought maybe he was going to change his mind—and I started to move over, ready to wrap my arms around him. But then he got up and walked over to a dresser across the room. Pulling out a pair of gray sweatpants, he slid them up his muscular legs and turned back to the dresser, opening another drawer. I hopped out of bed, still wide awake, and picked up his shirt off the light beige carpet, fastening a couple of the buttons. The cologne on the shirt couldn’t overpower his own scent, and I suddenly felt warm and loved, just like his arms around me had always made me feel.

  “Ah, that’ll work. I was trying to find something in here that might fit you, but I think you’re far too tiny. The shirt, though. Damn. I don’t know why we like to see our women in our own clothes. I needed that.”

  Despite the way my stomach was roiling, I smiled at his statement but kept my words to myself. What he’d actually said, the full meaning, didn’t sink in with me until much later.

  “Follow me.”

  Holding out a hand to me, he walked through the doorway. I slipped my hand in his as he led me a few steps away to the one room in the house I hadn’t been allowed to enter. I’d obeyed him, trying hard not to think about it. What could be in here?

  And what did it have to do with the mysterious Madeline?

  Or Kate, for that matter?

  Swallowing, I stood behind him as he turned to look at me. God, he was beautiful, even looking tortured like he did now. The way the dim light caught his dark pupils inside the deep blue irises along with the way the shadows contoured his face punctured me in the heart, reminding me that the love I was feeling for this man was growing minute by minute—and I needed to steel myself, because what he was about to show me was going to wreck me.

  I just knew it.

  It would destroy whatever we had already built, and I needed to put on some armor to try to protect my fragile heart.

  He, too, had been assessing me. “You haven’t already been in here?” Once again, his inflection made it sound like a question, but his expression told me he already knew.

  I had no earthly idea what he hid behind that door.

  As he turned the knob and pushed against it, I held my breath, expecting the worst. Now, I wondered why I hadn�
�t even walked around the house to see if there was a window in this room, why I hadn’t dared peek from the grounds.

  But I knew why. As much as I was growing to love Maddox, I was also afraid to see inside him. I’d barely started to like him when I fell in love with him. What existed deep inside the man in his darkest recesses might completely turn all those emotions around.

  When he flipped on the light switch, my senses were assaulted and I almost felt disoriented. It was a sea of pink, but what caught my eye first was the gorgeous chandelier in the middle of the room—lights and silver balls cascaded down in a circle and it wasn’t until I took in the rest of the space that I realized the chandelier was shaped like a mobile.

  A baby’s mobile.

  My breath caught in my throat as I looked around the rest of the space. There was a crib placed between two windows. A pink dresser, an overstuffed chair with an ottoman, a rocker. A lamp. Two little chairs and a tiny table in front of one of the windows with a floral display on top.

  The room smelled a little stuffy and stale—but it reeked of sadness.

  My voice could barely be heard, but I thought I understood now. “Madeline’s room?”

  Maddox didn’t answer, instead taking another step inside. His brow was furrowed as he grappled with emotions that I couldn’t name, and I decided to let him go at his own pace. As much as I wanted to snoop around and try to figure it out myself, I was going to have him lead the way.

  If he could.

  “I’d met Kate after I’d lost all my money the first time. I’d re-evaluated where I was going and I and a couple of guys had gone to a bar downtown. She was our waitress. She caught my eye and flirted and, well, it wasn’t long before we’d started dating. When she moved in with me, I paid for her to go to school but she hadn’t been serious about it. Told me she wanted to get married and start a family. I thought I wanted that, too.

  “But we fought. God, did we fight. All but knock-down, drag-out. She liked it. She loved riling me up, pissing me off. I know now that it was just a good way to get me out of the house for a while and, as I began building my business, figuring out how to make money, she got nastier. I thought I was in love, so I put up with a lot. Finally, though, I couldn’t do it anymore, and I suggested that maybe we separate.