His brooding gaze watched as she nervously pushed her heavy curtain of smooth black hair from her face that remained pale no matter how many hours she spent in the scorching Nevada sunlight.
“Waiting for you.”
“But—”
“You did invite me, didn’t you?” he interrupted, his gaze lingering on the lush curve of her lips.
Her mouth went dry. His presence seemed to consume the small room, filling it with the scent of sandalwood soap and clean male skin.
“Yes.” She was forced to clear the nervous lump from her throat. “But why didn’t you join the party?”
“You know why, Maddy.” His eyes lifted to meet her dazzled gaze. “I wanted to be alone with you.”
Excitement streaked through her, clenching her pussy with anticipation. “I didn’t think you would come.”
His lips twisted into a humorless smile. “Neither did I, but it seems I’m not as immune as I should be to your tempting…invitation.”
She ignored his hint of self-mockery, too exhilarated by the thought of fulfilling her fantasies to pay heed to the subtle warning.
“Good,” she murmured, tossing her long hair over her shoulder in an unconsciously provocative motion.
He sucked in a sharp breath. “You’re certain?”
Maddy leaned against the door, barely able to breathe. The man was making her shiver and he hadn’t even touched her yet. It had to be the heat in his gaze. It was like being branded by fire as he took a slow, thorough survey of her slender body barely covered by her short, black leather skirt and the corset top she’d borrowed from a friend.
“I’m sure.”
“Then prove it,” he rasped.
Maddy licked her dry lips. “How?”
“Take off your clothes.”
She blinked at the blunt command before a slow smile curved her lips. It was a challenge. Even as an innocent she understood he was testing the depth of her commitment to parting with her virginity.
The least hesitation and he’d walk out the door and never return.
“Like this?” she asked huskily.
She hooked her thumbs into the waistband of her leather skirt, pulling it down her hips and allowing it to pool at her feet. She used the toe of her three inch stilettos to kick it away, acutely aware that Luc had just realized she’d deliberately gone bare beneath the skirt.
No panties. No hose.
Just her and her fresh Brazilian wax.
Her courage nearly faltered as he drew in a deep, slow breath, his hands clenching at his side. Luc wasn’t just an overeager teenage boy hoping for a grope in the dark. He was a fully mature male with years of experience. Dark…fierce…demanding. And right now, his hunger was a tangible force in the air.
If she continued he would consume her.
Completely and utterly.
The thought should have terrified an inexperienced virgin.
Instead Maddy felt a thrill of volatile excitement.
She reached up to grasp the side of the corset top, pulling it tight to unhook it with an unconscious grace. It’d taken her years to gain control of her body that had shot up to five foot nine almost overnight. Now she stripped away the corset and tossed it aside with a smooth elegance that wrenched a low groan from the man watching her with the avid gaze of a predator.
“Keep them on,” Luc abruptly broke the silence as she lifted a foot to remove one of the stilettos. She shivered, replacing her foot on the ground. She felt oddly vulnerable wearing nothing but the leather shoes. As if sensing her unexpected flare of embarrassment, Luc held up his hand, gesturing her closer. “Come here, Maddy.”
She took an uncertain step forward. And then another. Finally, she stood just inches away.
He studied her with a brooding gaze, a visible bulge pressing against the fly of his faded denims. Reaching out, he took her hand, tugging her until she was pressed against his hard body. Her stomach clenched as he grabbed her by the nape of her neck, his breath brushing over her cheeks before he was capturing her lips in a kiss that made her heart slam against her ribs.
She’d been kissed before.
Awkward meeting of the lips that had left her cringing in distaste.
But this…
It was wondrous.
His fingers threaded through her hair, tugging on the silken strands as he lifted his head to study her flushed face.
“Do you have any idea what’s about to happen?” he demanded.
“I know I want you,” she whispered. “I’ve always wanted you.”
“There’s no going back.” The words were more a promise than a threat, wrapping around her with the pleasure of paradise.
She trembled. “Good.”
He slid his hand from her hair, lightly tracing the line of her throat before his fingers were cupping her bare breast. With a gasp she grasped his upper arms, her knees threatening to give way as he bent down to suck her nipple between his lips.
She moaned, pleasure cascading through her as his tongue teased the puckered tip.
Barely giving her time to become accustomed to the exquisite jolts of sensation, he turned his attention to her other breast, tormenting the tender nipple until it was hard and begging for the warmth of his mouth.
Her nails dug into his arms left bare by his tight T-shirt, her back arching as he continued to pleasure her with his teeth and tongue.
Only when she was moaning beneath his expert touch did he trace his fingers down the flat plane of her stomach, urging her to part her legs.
She clung to him as she obeyed his silent command, careful not to twist her ankle as the heels threatened to catch on the ragged carpet. Luc murmured his approval, his fingers sliding between her spread thighs. His touch was gentle as stroked through the damp flesh of her pussy.
Maddy gave a choked cry of shock as he found her responsive clit, her entire body clenching with bliss. He used his thumb to continue to torment her pleasure point while one finger found the entrance to her body.
She instinctively gasped.
She’d never let anyone to touch her so intimately before. It was…stunningly perfect.
Or maybe it was just Luc Angeli who was stunningly perfect.
As if to prove her point, Luc returned his mouth to her breast, tugging at her nipple with an insistence that made her feel as if she were going up in flames. At the same time his finger pressed inside her, wrenching another moan from her lips.
She could feel him sliding through the tight tissue of her channel, his thumb lightly circling her clit. She clutched his arms, the sensations overwhelming as he allowed his lips to trail up to the pulse thundering at the base of his neck.
Moaning softly, she stirred against him. There was a glorious pressure beginning to build between her legs. A tension that was making her entire body clench in anticipation.
“Don’t fight it, Maddy,” Luc said. “Let me feel your climax.”
He stroked his finger in and out, pressing deeper as he prepared her for his ultimate invasion. She sank her teeth in her lower lip as his thumb continued its magical massage over her clit, and his lips slid up her throat. It was that or scream out her joy as an explosion of pleasure rocked through her, the intensity of her release making her shake all over.
“It’s okay, Maddy. I’ve got you.”
“Luc,” she breathed.
She leaned heavily against him, her knees threatening to buckle. He wrapped his arms tightly around her, pressing his lips to her forehead as she tried to recover from the shocking vibrations that continued to spread through her body.
His lips continued to soothe over her upturned face as he lifted her into his arms and headed for her narrow bed. A few steps and he was lowering her onto the mattress before straightening to yank off his clothing.
She watched with bemused eyes as his T-shirt was jerked over his head and his boots kicked off before he was shoving his jeans downward. She shivered, her pussy clenching as her gaze slid down his hard, chiseled body
to linger on the proud thrust of his erection.
God, he was beautiful. All sculpted muscles and bronzed, ruthless male.
He paused to remove a condom from the front pocket of his jeans, ripping open the package and slipping it on with practiced ease.
Then, moving slowly, as if giving her one last opportunity to change her mind, he placed a knee on the mattress.
“I don’t have any experience with virgins, but I suspect this might hurt, Maddy,” he said, his voice tight with strain. “I’ll try to go slow, but I want you.” His lips twisted with a hint of self-derision as his gaze slowly took in her naked curves spread on the bed, lingering for a second on the heels that he insisted she keep on. “I don’t think anything could stop me from taking you tonight.”
“I’m ready,” she breathed.
Holding her wide gaze, Luc stretched onto the mattress beside her, giving her time to become accustomed to the scorching heat of his bare skin. His fingers ran up and down the front of her body. Traveling from her throat down to her quivering stomach, his light caress set off tiny sparks of excitement.
Shockingly, Maddy felt herself melting in anticipation, her legs readily parting as he rolled on top of her.
Still keeping their gazes locked, Luc settled between her thighs, the head of his cock forging a slow path into her body. He hesitated for a brief second, then with one steady surge he was seated deeply inside her. Her gasp echoed through the room.
It wasn’t true pain, more a sense of being stretched to the max.
He gave a harsh groan, his hands framing her face as he studied her with a darkened gaze.
“Did I hurt you?” he demanded.
Maddy sensed his struggle to leash his hunger, knowing it was taking all his willpower not to pound into her.
His fierce desire was as thrilling as the obvious concern in his voice.
He wanted her. He really, truly wanted her.
“I’m fine,” she assured him, her hands running over the bunched muscles of his shoulders. “Don’t stop.”
He gave a choked laugh, his brow damp with perspiration. “It’s no longer a choice, Maddy. You have become a necessity.”
She trembled at the husky edge of need in his voice, her hands tentatively exploring the wide expanse of his chest. She’d never realized there could be so much pleasure in touching. The warm, satin skin. The ripple of muscles. The rapid beat of his heart that revealed his out of control emotions. Growing bolder, she explored downward, finding the washboard abs. She could spend the rest of the night stroking her hands over his sculpted form.
Luc, however, had other ideas.
With a muttered curse, he grasped her hands, pinning them over her head. Her eyes widened, her heart missing a beat at the savage need that smoldered in his eyes.
“Don’t move,” he growled, his voice barely recognizable. “I’m hanging on by a thread, sweetheart.”
Maddy savored the exquisite moment. This was what she’d craved. The feel of him buried deep inside her, the intoxicating knowledge she’d driven him to the edge of reason. It all combined to stir her excitement to a fever pitch.
With obvious care, Luc withdrew until just the tip remained inside her, then as her hips lifted to maintain the contact, he was surging forward.
She shuddered at the erotic slide of his cock inside her, his breath searing over her face as he pressed his forehead to hers.
“Luc…” she moaned, instinctively wrapping her legs around his hips. “It feels so good.”
“Shit, Maddy,” he groaned, sinking even deeper. “You’re killing me.”
Maddy wasn’t sure what he meant, but at the moment it didn’t matter. That delectable, addictive pleasure was beginning to build as he thrust into her with a ruthless rhythm.
“I don’t know what to do,” she rasped, needing to give him the same bliss that was jolting through her.
“Just let me please you,”
“You do,” she whimpered, her body bowing beneath him. Her heart felt as if it was going to beat out of her chest, her nails digging into his fingers that were wrapped around her wrists. “You’re the only one who could ever please me.”
“You shouldn’t tell a man that,” he muttered, burying his face in the curve of her neck as his hands lowered to cup her ass, angling her for even deeper penetration. “Especially not one with my ego.”
Her toes curled as shockwaves of pleasure rushed through her. “You know how I feel,” she recklessly groaned. “It’s always been you.”
A dark, possessive satisfaction blazed in his eyes. “You’re mine.”
She smiled. She was.
It might be politically incorrect. It might even be foolish.
But she understood she belonged to this man on a primitive level.
“Always,” she breathed, the word a solemn promise.
Luc groaned, his fingers digging into the soft flesh of her ass. “God, you feel perfect, Maddy. So tight around my cock…” He lowered his head to tongue the tip of her breast. “Come for me.”
“Luc.” She arched upward, her breath wrenched from her lungs as he reached between them to tease her swollen clit.
“Come for me, sweetheart,” he rasped. “I’m not going to last.”
She cried out as her orgasm swelled to a near painful peak, before it exploded through her with the force of a nuclear bomb.
Good lord.
“Yes,” he hissed, plunging swiftly in and out of her body.
His lips found hers as he grabbed her hips, giving one last thrust before he went rigid against her, his groan of completion rumbling from the depths of his chest.
Remaining lodged inside her, Luc spread tiny kisses over her face, his tenderness bringing tears of joy to her eyes.
She’d fantasized about this moment since she’d first caught sight of Luc walking down the halls of the local high school.
She’d been a lowly freshman and he’d been ‘Mr. Popular.’ Even worse, he was the son of Vigo Angeli, owner of two high-end casinos. It was rumored he was worth millions, while Maddy was the daughter of a barmaid who rarely remembered she had a child who shared her cheap trailer on the edge of town.
It’d seemed an impossible dream. But now…
“I love you, Luc,” she murmured, her heart overflowing with happiness.
Instantly he stiffened, his breath hissing between his clenched teeth, as if she’d struck him instead of confessing her love. Then, before she knew what was happening, he was pulling out of her and shoving himself off the bed, his expression hard as he reached to grab his jeans off the floor.
“Don’t make this into something it’s not, Maddy,” he warned, his voice painfully harsh.
Suddenly chilled to the bone, Maddy reached for the sheet, covering her naked body. “Luc, what’s wrong?”
“Everything.” He dressed with an efficient swiftness. “This should never have happened.”
Shivering with a sense of baffled betrayal, she watched as Luc moved toward the door. “You’re leaving?”
He paused, turning to regard her with an expression that was impossible to read. “Do yourself a favor, Maddy. Save your love for some man who actually deserves it.”
***
The sound of her alarm thankfully jerked Madison out of the nightmare.
Shit.
Throwing back the covers, she climbed out of bed and headed into the attached bathroom.
There was no mystery why she’d been plagued by that particular dream.
The day after her disastrous eighteenth birthday she’d left Vegas and traveled to New York to follow her dream of becoming a model. For once in her life, good luck had smiled on her, landing her a spot as the spokeswoman for a new brand of tequila. Her career had taken off with record speed, and thanks to the grinding poverty of her childhood, she’d had enough sense to demand a part of her salary be paid in company stocks. By the time she’d reached the age of twenty-four she’d made a small fortune, which she’d used to open her own modeling a
gency.
Now she was not only rich, but she owned a thriving business that gave her a power she’d never imagined possible when she was a young girl just trying to survive.
And for the first time in eight years she’d returned to Vegas.
Yeah, everything was great. Except that her dreams of love had been ruined by the Dark Angel.
Taking a swift shower, Madison pulled on a casual pair of white shorts and a yellow, stretchy top. She gathered her dark, shoulder-length hair into a high ponytail, pausing long enough to grimace at her reflection.
Without makeup she looked younger than her twenty-six years, but it was the shadows beneath her wide hazel eyes and the paleness of her creamy skin that made her wrinkle her nose in disgust.
Soon, she silently promised herself.
Soon she would be done with the nightmares of her past.
And Luc Angeli would be nothing but a distant memory.
Leaving the guest bedroom, Madison headed into the kitchen of the luxury condo just off the Strip.
The home belonged to her best friend during high school, Kristen Roth. The two had been inseparable despite the fact that Kristen had a very different background than Madison. And even after she’d left Vegas they’d remained in contact, meeting for a “girls’ weekend” at least twice a year in various exotic locations.
When she’d decided it was time to return to Vegas, Madison had known she couldn’t stay anywhere but the condo without hurting Kristen’s feelings.
An unfortunate necessity, she belatedly realized as she strolled into the kitchen to discover her friend already dressed in a gray power suit with her honey-blonde hair pulled into a smooth knot at her nape. Instantly, Kristen’s indigo blue gaze latched onto Madison’s pale face and the obvious signs of sleepless nights.
Kristen possessed a laser-sharp mind that had landed her a position at the top law firm in Nevada. Nothing could get past her perceptive gaze.
“What are you doing up at this hour?” she demanded, instantly moving to pour Madison a large mug of coffee.
Taking a seat at the breakfast bar, Madison readily reached for the coffee, smiling at the rich aroma. Kristen, of course, remembered that she took it strong and black. Her ruthless competence was sometimes frightening.
Wicked Firsts Page 14
