“Good thing I’m stupid and will forget that warning, or you would be up shit creek if this was a kidnapping.”
Janie giggled helplessly, wincing again at the pain in her ribs.
He shut the door and Janie looked out at Madison, probably the last check to make sure this was a good idea.
Colton shook Dave’s hand. “See you in a minute. I’ll get groceries.”
“Oh no, that’s definitely a bad idea. Actually, this whole thing is a bad idea. My apartment is a mess. It won’t fit everyone.” Madison put her hand to Colton’s chest. “Maybe we should do this another time.”
“No time like the present.” Dave sat in the driver’s seat. Before the door shut, Colton heard, “Do you like to go fast or slow?”
“Is there a problem?” Colton asked, turning to Madison. He ran his hands up the outsides of her arms.
“My place is a mess. Like, seriously. Big mess.”
He leaned down and touched his lips to hers. Electricity sizzled through the contact, shooting down his middle. She gasped, grabbing his shirt in two fists. He deepened the kiss, unable to help himself. Her taste, spicy and complex, delighted his senses. He encircled her with his arms, holding her tightly against his body. Feeling the swell of his heart. This was a feeling he never wanted to let go of.
Nineteen
Madison struggled to the surface, lost as she was in the feel of him. She leaned back, eyes still closed, grabbing his shirt like a rock climber would a cliff. Breathing heavily, she paused for a moment, remembering the fantastic night she’d spent with him. All their little touches and the laughs they’d shared.
She drew in air to speak, maybe to thank him, or comment on how awesome he was for sending Dave, but nothing came out. She just wanted to hang out there and feel. No logic. No brain interfering. No reality that they were standing in people’s way. Just the moment.
“Shall we go?” Colton asked, his breath dusting her face.
She allowed her eyelids to drift open, taking in his beautiful blue eyes and then his chiseled, handsome face. At that moment, he could ask if she wanted to go play in traffic with him, and the answer would be the same. “Yes.”
They walked, hand in hand, to her car. They didn’t speak. Not one word. At her car, he kissed her again, a deep, toe-curling affair that stole her breath and dizzied her mind, before handing her into the driver’s seat. Her head was buzzing as he commented on her nice car, told her he’d see her soon, and stalked off.
“Did that really just happen?” she asked into the silence. A different silence than she’d shared with him. An empty silence.
She blew out a breath, because yes, that had just happened. That whole afternoon had happened. Confronting the escort service, Janie’s horrible situation, and Colton.
Colton.
As she drove, a smile slid up her face.
The way the man kissed was probably illegal in some states. He put so much passion into it. So much fire. It was incredible.
The gentle way he’d handled her friend came to mind. How he’d called Dave to come and carry Janie to his car. So weird, but the guy had made Janie laugh—and laugh and laugh. Calling him had been the right move.
She pulled into her parking space. After grabbing all her stuff, and double-checking that she had everything, she went into her apartment and pushed open the door, ready to be extremely embarrassed. Instead, a shock of alarm ran through her.
There, sitting on the couch, was none other than her ex, Frank, his black hair greased back on his head.
“Hi,” she said with a release of air. “What are you doing here?”
Janie walked out in sweats, picked her way through the debris littering the ground, and eased into the recliner. “He’s here to say hi,” she said dryly, situating herself. “I told him you’ve already moved on, but he doesn’t believe me.”
“Hi, Madison,” Frank said, standing. He looked like he’d lost weight, his lanky body kind of bowed and bony. His brow furrowed as he tried to get to her without further crushing her old possessions. “What happened?”
“Oh.” Madison looked at the head of a ceramic pig. Its body lay in pink fragments. “Um…”
“We got drunk last night, put on boots, and smashed all her crap.” Janie picked at her nail. “There was the baseball bat, too. That’s why some of the boxes are beat to hell. Along with everything inside of them.”
The toilet in the guest bathroom flushed. Dave came out a moment later, not being delicate at all. He stepped on anything in his way, further smashing it, grinding the detritus into her carpet. She probably should’ve cared, but for some reason, it was gratifying that Frank was witnessing this. She had no idea why. It wasn’t like she harbored any ill will toward him. She didn’t. But something about his horrified face made her want to bust out laughing.
She was a horrible person.
“I need to clean it up,” Madison said lamely.
“Want a drink, Frank?” Janie asked.
“Yeah, Frank. Want a drink?” Dave kicked a box to the side to get to the kitchen.
Giggles escaped Madison. She slapped her hand to her mouth. “Sorry,” she said, wiping her forehead. “Sorry, I just wasn’t expecting you, Frank. And today of all days. Um, that’s Frank. I mean Dave. Sorry, that’s Dave, and this is Frank.”
“I introduced them already,” Janie said.
“Very colorfully, yes.” Frank’s lips tightened before his gaze roamed Madison’s face. “Anyway, I just wanted to check in and see how you were.”
“Without calling first, obviously.” Janie rolled her eyes and stood. “He was loitering.”
“I’d just gotten here.” Frank shrugged. “I figured you’d be home, so I didn’t bother calling.”
“And here I am.” Madison kicked a path to the island, wide enough for everyone to easily traverse. The place looked like a tornado had blown through. She and Janie had really gone to town the night before. “I’m good, Frank. About that drink…”
“Looks like we’ve got water, whiskey, wine, vodka, tequila…” Dave opened another cupboard. “Coffee, some gross-looking tea…”
“Thank you,” Janie said, entering the kitchen. “Decaf, diet green tea? What the fuck, am I right?”
“You sure are. There’s V8. Dare you to drink that one.” Dave braced against the counter, staring under the cabinets at Frank on the other side of the island. “What’s your pleasure?”
Frank looked at the stools gathered around the island, avoiding Dave’s gaze. “Maybe I better come back—”
The knock at the door cut him off. A flurry of butterflies filled Madison’s stomach. Janie grinned.
“I’ll just grab that.” A computer mouse crunched under her foot as she veered away from the pathway she’d cleared.
Her body sang when she opened the door and laid eyes on the perfect form of the hottest man alive. Going from Frank to this was almost unbelievable. He held two bags of groceries, making his biceps stretch his shirt sleeves.
“Hey,” she said, not quite opening the door. The way Dave was acting gave her the impression Colton wouldn’t be super excited about the situation. “So, just FYI, my ex stopped by. Uninvited, but…”
“Which ex?” His face was unexpressive, but a glimmer of fire lit his eyes.
“Frank. The latest.”
Colton analyzed her for a moment, not speaking. “Should I leave?”
“No!” She laughed. “No, it’s nothing like that. I’m just…warning you, I guess. I don’t know. Forget I said anything.”
“I’m not territorial unless he means you harm, Maddie.”
As if to prove himself a liar, he dropped the groceries beside the door and hooked his arm around her waist, entering the apartment by her side. He stopped up short and his eyes widened at the mess. He grinned. “What did you do?” he said in an undertone.
“Yeah, I know,” she whispered. “Janie’s great idea. Probably. It’s really the worst day Frank could’ve come. Half this stuff was hi
s, as well, though he clearly didn’t admit that to his girlfriend.”
Laughing, Colton turned back for the groceries and closed the door. Clearly, Madison had already made the impression he’d intended to make. He made his way toward the kitchen, passing the couch.
Frank’s face went slack.
“Frank, is it?” Colton asked in a low, rough tone. He put the groceries on the counter and stuck out his hand. “Colton.”
“Hey.” Frank shook, his Adam’s apple bobbing.
“Welcome. Sorry about the mess.” Colton gestured around him, his intense gaze unwavering.
Janie leaned her elbows on the counter with a grin, bracing her cheeks on her fists, watching. Dave was in the same position as before, his stare just as intense as Colton’s. The only sign he’d moved was the fresh drink standing in front of him.
Colton and Dave were like a pair of Rottweilers to Frank’s Shih Tzu.
“I just stopped by to make sure Madison got all her stuff.” Frank dug his hands in his pockets.
“I did, Frank, thanks.” Madison barely kept herself from looking around at the ground.
“Did you want a drink, Frank?” Colton asked. Unlike Dave, he didn’t make a move to see what was available. He didn’t think Frank would be staying long.
The lack of warmth along Madison’s side, or maybe just the lack of Colton, had her drifting toward him, resuming their connection. Frank noticed, his eyes taking on a hollowed look. He slouched even more, if that were possible.
“Or you can stay for dinner,” Madison said guiltily.
Frank’s glance hit Colton for a fraction of a second. He shook his head. “No, that’s okay. I best be getting home to Jenny.”
“Oh, right. How’s that going?” Madison asked.
“Good. Great. It’s going really well. I felt a little guilty that…you know. So I thought I would check on you. To make sure.” His gaze flashed to Colton again, and then away.
“I’m doing really well, actually. I’m glad it worked out for both of us.” Madison tucked a flyaway behind her ear before looking up at Colton. He leaned down to lightly kiss her. When he pulled away, she went up on her tiptoes, wanting it to last a little longer. To go a little deeper. He complied with a smile.
“This is totally awkward for one of us,” Janie said.
“Seriously awkward,” Dave agreed, “for one of us.”
Madison broke the kiss, heat in her cheeks. Taking a deep breath, she smiled at Frank sheepishly. “Sorry. We had a scare with Janie this afternoon, and I’m not myself. Anyway, thanks for coming by. It was great to see you.”
“Sure, yeah.” Frank slouched to the door, then stood outside, his hands still in his pockets. He wasn’t a hugger. “Maybe we’ll go for coffee someday soon.”
“Oh sure. Maybe.”
“Maddie, your drink is getting cold,” Colton called.
“Dave made it with ice. Let’s hope it’s cold,” came Janie’s voice.
Someone shushed her. Probably Dave.
No, Colton wasn’t very territorial at all.
“You let him call you Maddie?” Frank asked quietly.
She frowned. “Yes. Why?”
He shrugged miserably. “I wanted to call you that, remember? But you said only that one guy a long time ago ever had, and you didn’t like it.”
She had no recollection of any of that, but it made sense. If it didn’t sound so good when Colton said it, she’d never want to hear it again. “Okay then, thanks again for stopping by. See ya.”
“Yeah. Bye.” Frank turned away, clearly uncomfortable with the whole exchange, and she closed the door.
Janie started laughing. “That so did not go how he planned.”
“That guy is miserable right about now.” Dave gently pushed Janie out of the kitchen. “There isn’t enough room for the both of us.”
“I’m doing stuff,” she shot back.
“You’re standing in the way, that’s what you’re doing. Get you gone, woman.”
“I’ll help you make more drinks.”
“No, you won’t. You can’t drink, anyway. You’re on pain meds. Go sit down. Let the men handle affairs in the kitchen.” He cracked his knuckles.
Her mouth fell open, but a strange look came over her face. She tilted her head and smiled. “If I weren’t in serious pain, heartbroken, done with men, and an all-around surly type of person, I’d ask you to knock boots right now.”
Colton started laughing.
“No love, just sex, huh?” Dave asked, smiling. “You’re a hard sell. Women usually offer me their firstborn child.”
“Good Lord, man.” Janie grimaced and moved away. “Buzzkill.”
“Almost had her, then you lost her.” Colton gave Madison a quick kiss before handing her the drink and shooing her toward Janie.
“Okay, let’s get one thing straight,” Dave said, stopping what he was doing. “That kissy-kissy stuff was fine when that douche Frank was here, but in normal situations, like now, it is not welcome. It is annoying. You met each other, you like each other—fine. But contain the gross. I’m not into it.”
“Amen, brother.” Janie raised a thumbs-up.
“See? Surly agrees with me. I must be right.” Dave went back to his mixing of something or other.
“Maddie, why don’t you…shovel up some of the mess,” Colton said, laughing, starting to take out the groceries. “The men will cook. The invalid will do nothing.”
“I volunteer as tribute.” Janie raised three fingers.
“I should’ve told you to get garbage bags,” Madison said, opening a box and scooping stuff in with her hands. “Of course, the boxes will fit much more now that the stuff is smaller.”
Later, after a truly delicious dinner, Dave said goodnight and Janie trudged off to bed and another painkiller. Madison joined Colton on the couch, curling up against him. All the big pieces of detritus had been cleaned off the floor, and the apartment was in a more acceptable condition.
“That was a nice evening despite the horrible day,” Madison said in the hush. She ran her hand along his defined chest, the hum of desire she’d felt all through dinner amping up in intensity. She wanted to feel him inside of her again with an urgency she could barely contain.
“I’m sorry about the first rejection.” His deep voice vibrated in his chest. “I quit BD. I didn’t even look at the outstanding reservations.”
She smiled in excitement, wondering what that could mean. Even though she was extremely grateful for how he’d been there for her and Janie, she wasn’t thrilled about dating an escort. “You quit? Why?”
He gave her a squeeze. “I’d been thinking about it for a while. Before you, I’d stopped sleeping with women, just wanting to escort them places. But that wasn’t working out. I was on the brink of walking away when your request came in for Sam. Something about your note intrigued me. You didn’t want sex, didn’t think it was me—I took a chance.”
“And you broke your rule.”
“No, I didn’t. I finished out the night keeping my rule. Then I made love to a beautiful woman whom I was lucky enough to meet through work.”
Shivers raced through her body. The man had a way with words.
“And then that beautiful woman blew me off the next day, and instead made me wait until Monday to make a move.” He leaned down and trailed his lips along her jaw.
“Blew you off? Do you think I have no pride? I wasn’t going to stalk a sex worker after he left while I was asleep. I nearly didn’t make the reservation. You can thank Janie and an exorbitant amount of alcohol for that.”
He ran his lips across hers as his hand slid up her inner thigh. “I thought you’d text. It’s not really stalking if someone asks you to do it.”
“You did?” She meant to pull back and look at him incredulously, but the combined pressure of his hot lips on her neck, kissing and sucking, and that talented hand working its way up kept her put. “When?”
“Before you fell asleep. In hindsight, I
should’ve left a note, but at the time I figured we were on the same page. I didn’t want to seem needy.”
“Should’ve seemed needy.”
“I am needy. I need you, Maddie.” His mouth fell on hers, consuming. Playful fingers hit her apex.
She groaned and spread her thighs, allowing him more access. He went a step further and opened her pants. His hand slipped inside, under her panties, skin on skin.
“Oh,” she sighed, sitting back so he could massage her nub. “That feels good, Colton.”
His mouth trailed down her neck, kissing and licking. She put her hand on his hard cock, stroking through his jeans. His massaging stopped for a minute so he could open her blouse and loosen her bra. A hot tongue flicked out against her budded nipple. His fingers resumed their action within her pants, flashing heat through her body.
“I need you, Colton,” she said, ripping at his fly.
He rose and pushed down his jeans and boxers, his large erection springing free. She growled in lust, bending to take his huge member in her mouth—no easy feat, given the size of the monster. She worked her mouth farther and farther down with each stroke, relaxing her throat. His legs flexed as he tensed, his groan of delight making it worth it.
She took it all in, stroking up with her mouth and then with her hand, savoring his sigh of pleasure. Before she could go back down, he yanked her back by the hair and crashed his mouth to hers. She was lifted into his arms a moment later, hurried down the hall, and then thrown onto her bed. Her giggles of delight lasted until he could rip off her pants, then turned to moans of pleasure as his mouth found her core.
Grabbing at the bed, she arched and took in the glory of his exquisite mouth, so damn talented he should get a medal of some sort. Distantly, she heard her dresser drawer open, followed by the crinkling of foil. All the while, he sucked and licked, working her to the brink. Multitasking. Another trait she could admire.
“Yes, Colton,” she said, gyrating up to his mouth. Almost there. Just about—
The heat of his mouth disappeared.
Thunder (Big D Escort Service Book 1) Page 17
