Rival

by Penelope Douglas

“School,” he urged like a warning.

  “It’s . . . it’s . . . good,” I stammered. “I’m studying Mechanical Engineering. You?”

  I didn’t laugh, because I was mad, but this should’ve been funny, I guess.

  He ran his fingers between my legs, massaging my entrance. “Pre-Law,” he responded in a light, nonchalant tone. “Surprise, surprise.” He sounded like he was having a business conversation.

  “Yeah,” I breathed out, trying really hard to figure out what the hell my mind should be on right now. His questions or the sensation of his prodding fingers. “Pre-Law? How’s that?” I asked.

  “I like it, actually.” His eyes weren’t on mine. He was watching everything his hand was doing. “I think I’ll be good at it. So what does the Valknut tattoo mean?”

  He slipped a finger in, and my belly exploded with fireworks.

  “Um . . . what?” I gasped.

  What was the question?

  His finger—or fingers, I thought it was one, but I felt so full—had to be buried down to the knuckle, because he was so deep when he started massaging my insides with small circles.

  Holy shit. My eyes rolled to the back of my head.

  “The Valknut symbol, Fallon,” he reminded me.

  I barely unclenched my teeth. “Can I tell you another time?”

  Please, please, please, pretty please?!

  His sly little smile peeked out as he watched his fingers moving inside me. Triumphant bastard.

  “One more question.” He raised his gaze to mine. “Do you trust me, Fallon?”

  I stilled, knowing right away what my answer was. “You’re the only person I trust.”

  Sitting up with my legs still hooked on his arms, I looked up at him and whispered, “And I’ll make you trust me.”

  He was going to wake up in the morning with me still here.

  He pulled me up to stand on the bed, and I wrapped him up in my arms, hugging him to me. His smooth jaw rubbed against my chest as his head lowered, trailing kisses over my collarbone and down my breasts.

  I ran my fingers through his short blond hair and leaned into his mouth. Chills spread everywhere, and I shivered.

  He took a nipple between his teeth and then covered it with his entire mouth, sucking hard. “Damn,” I sighed, completely helpless.

  I let my head fall back as I moaned. His hot mouth sucked and released, bit and let go, over and over again until I felt like there was a spark of electricity shooting from my heart straight to the heat between my legs.

  Then, he turned his attention on the other one: kissing, nibbling, and damn near eating me alive.

  Sucking in my bottom lip, I dug my nails into his shoulders while he feasted. The torture was so good, but it was building so much that I wanted to throw him down, climb on top, and ride him.

  I jerked, my eyes popping open when I felt his fingers back between my legs.

  “Damn, you’re wet,” he groaned into my neck.

  Yeah, I could feel it.

  I pushed against his chest and dropped to the bed, scooting back to the headboard in a slow crawl.

  “Stop toying, Madoc,” I challenged through hooded eyes. “Time to put up or shut up. Let’s see what you got.”

  He broke out in a bright smile, stilling my heart. Laughing and watching me, he stalked around the bed unfastening his jeans.

  “My little rival. You think I can’t rise to the occasion in this game?” he shot back.

  I couldn’t hide the smile at the corner of my mouth. Leaning back on my hands, I bent my legs up, locking my knees together with my ankles apart.

  I lifted my eyebrows with a look that said prove it.

  But my face fell when he smiled again, this time more sinister.

  Oh shit!

  A yelp caught in my throat as he darted out his hands, grabbed my ankles, yanked me down, and then paused only a moment to gloat at my wide-eyed expression before flipping me over to my stomach.

  Fast, shallow breaths poured in and out of me, and my insides clenched and throbbed with the friction of the blankets on my stomach.

  I choked on air. “Mad—”

  “Don’t talk,” he growled low in my ear, and that’s when I realized I was trapped by a wall behind me.

  He still had his jeans on. I could feel them rubbing against my ass.

  His hand dipped back between my legs, and I closed my eyes as he smoothed them up and around the entrance, across my clit in circles but never entering me. I propped myself up on my elbows and started moving into his fingers.

  The bed dipped, so I knew he must’ve brought a knee up to lean over me. A hot, wet tickle ran up my back, and I shivered at the feel of his tongue licking me.

  A hard nibble descended on my side, and I clenched the blankets under me.

  “Madoc.” But he didn’t stop. Coming down again and again, he sucked on the skin of my back, taking it between his teeth each time. It felt like glass splintering. One kiss and the tingles spread out in an even radius all over my body.

  “You want to challenge me again?” He pressed himself into my ass, and I could feel his hardness trying to get free.

  “Madoc, damn it!” I tried to sound angry, but it came out as a whimper-cry-beg instead. “I’m about to hump the damn bed! Please!”

  Looking over my shoulder, I soaked in his sexy-as-hell smooth, tanned chest and six-pack that I wanted to lick. “I need you,” I mouthed.

  He must’ve seen the pleading in my eyes, because he reached over to his nightstand and plucked out a condom. Ripping it open with his teeth, he pulled his pants and boxer briefs down and kicked them off his feet. I held his eyes as he rolled it on. I held his eyes when he knelt on the bed and lowered himself on me.

  But I lost him when he arched one of my legs up, my inner thigh lying flat on the bed, and nestled himself between my legs.

  As he positioned both of his arms on the bed next to each of my shoulders, he leaned down over me, his hand under my chin, and tipped my head up to meet his lips.

  Oh. He covered my entire mouth with his, and slipped inside of me, slick and fast.

  I whimpered into his mouth.

  “I love you,” he groaned against my lips.

  I reached behind me and clutched the back of his neck, closing my eyes and absorbing every back-and-forth movement of his body as it thrust into mine.

  Grinding my teeth together, I sucked in air as he drove deeper and faster, his body sliding up and down my back.

  His long, muscled forearms at my sides flexed and tensed, and each time he entered me, I started moaning at the pleasure of what he could do to me that I couldn’t do to myself. I think people called it the G-spot, and he was really good at finding it. I started squirming against the bed, pushing up against him to increase the speed. The faster he went, the more I felt it.

  His hot breath hissed in my ear. “No patience tonight, huh?”

  “I’m sorry,” I moaned, not lessening my speed one bit. “I’ll make it up to you. This position is just . . .”

  My belly started to swirl with butterflies like I was free-falling, and my insides tightened and released. I dropped my head to the bed and arched my ass up to meet him and held it there as he slammed into me.

  “Oh,” I moaned, feeling the burn, and I went wild, seeking him faster and harder.

  Until he stopped.

  What?

  WHAT?

  My eyes burned with fear and anger, and the pulse between my legs raced.

  Before I even had a chance to turn around, though, he grabbed my hips, yanked me up on all fours and entered me again.

  “Oh, God!” I cried out, steeling my arms and widening my legs as he slammed into me just as hard and fast as before.

  “This position is even better,” he remarked, holding onto my hips.

  His fucking cocky tone.

  And then I was gone. I tightened around his cock, throbbing and bursting as the orgasm scorched my insides, making my heart jump into my throat.


  My forehead fell back to the bed, but Madoc didn’t stop and didn’t relent in his pace, even after my orgasm had passed.

  And that was mind-blowing, too.

  Continuing to feel him after I came was so good. He squeezed my hips, moving faster and faster. Damn, I loved his power.

  He grunted a couple of times, breathing hard and finally drove as deep as possible two more times before spilling and slowing his pace until he was done.

  Collapsing back to the bed, he finally let me fall, too.

  My cheek rested on the bed, and my sweaty hair was stuck to my face. Or maybe his hair was stuck to my sweaty face.

  Whatever.

  CHAPTER 24

  FALLON

  I often wonder if the past looks better to people because they hate the present so much or if it looks better because it was better. Expressions like “the good ole days” implied that life used to be of a higher quality than it is now, but I think everything looks better in retrospect. After all, it’s not like we get the chance to go back and relive it knowing what we know now and test that theory.

  Except for me.

  I did get to come back home. To a place I hated. A life I didn’t want. And to a boy I despised.

  And even given all of that, I’d still missed Madoc. I never stopped wanting him and loving him.

  I had still been obsessed with hurting him even though in the pit of my stomach the ache of needing him still burned. I thought for sure I would come home to a revelation, like: Why did I ever think I loved him, or What the hell was I thinking?

  But no. In this case I didn’t remember our time together fondly because I wanted to. I remembered it fondly because it was that good.

  I remembered the truth. Not some watered-down, sugarcoated version my mind whipped up after time dulled the pain.

  It really was that good.

  “Madoc,” I warned in a playful voice.

  He breathed a laugh in my ear. “You’re so warm everywhere,” he said, spooning me. “And still wet.”

  His arm was draped over my waist with his hand rubbing between my legs.

  We’d fallen asleep last night after a much sweeter and calmer round of lovemaking, and I was exhausted. After barely getting sleep the night before, the long drive back to Shelburne Falls, discovering the boxes in the basement, and then coming back here last night, I needed rest and food.

  But I still smiled, because I knew why he’d woken up early.

  He was probably on high alert even though he didn’t realize it. His subconscious probably thought I was going to skip out when he was asleep.

  “I was dreaming about you.” I yawned and then nestled my nose into the pillow. It had the scent of his cologne all over it, and I just wanted to pull the sheet over my head and crawl into his smell.

  His fingers began to work their magic, stroking and circling around me, and I felt the throb of my arousal.

  “Tell me about the dream,” he urged.

  Mmmmm . . . I had a better idea. Yeah, my head felt like a balloon, and I could barely open my eyes, but who cared?

  Reaching over, I took one of the condoms Madoc dumped on the nightstand last night after the first time. I should’ve known then that he had plans in the middle of the night.

  Turning over, I pushed him onto his back and climbed on top, straddling him.

  Licking my lips, I ran a finger across his cheek. “I think I’ll show you.”

  • • •

  “Oh, my God. You remembered.” I covered my mouth with my hands, accidentally letting the sheet fall to my waist as I sat up in bed. Pulling it back up, I eyed the box of Krispy Kremes like it was the living end. My stomach growled immediately.

  He plopped down, lay on his side, and opened the box that sat between us. “No, not really,” he admitted. “Addie still gets them every Sunday. She gets our regular assortment. Lemon-filled for you, chocolate-glazed for me, and just plain glazed for my dad.”

  And nothing for my mom, I remembered. She would never eat doughnuts.

  He picked up his favorite and took a bite. The flaky icing on his lips moved as he chewed, and for some reason, my heart nearly exploded.

  Diving in, I snatched up his unsuspecting lips, and had to hold back my laugh when he jerked in surprise. Licking off the icing, I couldn’t believe how hungry I was. Madoc made me promise not to leave bed without permission for twelve hours, and now I thought he’d have to drag me away.

  It wasn’t food I wanted now.

  I hovered over his mouth. “I like you.”

  He inched back, peering at me with suspicion. “I thought you loved me.”

  “Oh, I do. But we can love people we don’t like. You know?” I dug in the box for my lemon-filled. “Like our parents, our siblings . . . but with you, I like you, too. I like being with you and talking to you.”

  He narrowed his eyes and stuffed a huge bite into his mouth. “You just think I’m cool, because I have all of the seasons of Vampire Diaries on DVD.”

  Oh, my God!

  I burst out laughing, covering my full mouth with my hand as I chuckled.

  “You do not!” I blurted out, disbelieving. “You don’t still watch it, do you?”

  He scowled at me and snatched another doughnut from the box.

  “It’s your fault,” he grumbled. “You just had to watch it every Thursday, and then I got hooked.”

  “Madoc.” I swallowed the rest of my bite. “I haven’t watched it in years.”

  “Oh, you should.” He nodded. “Damon and Elena? Yeah. Then there was Alaric. That kind of sucked. And then the Originals came into town. They’re pretty awesome. They have their own show now.”

  I started laughing again, and he cut his eyes to me, frowning.

  “I’m serious,” he implored.

  “I can tell.”

  We sat there, eating and chatting for the next hour, and then Madoc reluctantly let me out of bed after I’d begged to use the bathroom.

  I wanted to go for a run, but I’d had sex four times in the last nine hours. I was sweaty, sticky, and sore. I needed a hot shower badly.

  I also needed some think time to figure out what I should do about my mom and how I was going to tell Madoc the rest. The baby, my mother trying to take his house . . . We were both feeling so good now, and I didn’t want to ruin the high. I just had to tell him and get it over with, though. He’d be so angry with my mom, and perhaps a little angry with me for keeping it from him, but I trusted that he’d stand by me.

  I opened his body wash, smelling its wonderful contents that sent the hormones buzzing wildly throughout my body.

  As if on cue—I think he had a sense about when my body needed him—he opened the glass shower door and stepped in.

  His eyes were dark—almost angry—as he scaled down my body.

  “Hell, Fallon,” he said in a low growl. Pulling me into him, he dipped his head to wet his hair, smoothing it back.

  His mouth came down on mine, and I forgot all of my worries in the warmth of the shower and safety of his arms.

  “Want to watch a movie?” I asked as he tossed me a towel. We’d finally emerged from the shower an hour later, and I thought going down to the in-house theater would be a good opportunity to talk to him. Alone, away from Addie’s loving ears.

  He’d wrapped a towel around his waist and had another one on his head as he dried his hair. “Well, I was thinking it might be fun to see if Lucas is around today. I need to see him.”

  I didn’t say anything. He was right. It was my fault Madoc had left early last summer and was taken away from Lucas. We needed to see him right away.

  “And then I was hoping you might stay here a couple of extra days,” he continued. “I’m on Fall Break, so I don’t have to be back until next weekend.”

  Disappointment weighted me to the same spot. “Northwestern doesn’t have Fall Break.”

  He nodded, leaning on the bathroom counter looking hot as hell with his hair spiked up everywhere. “I know. I
looked it up this morning. But if you can spare a couple of days, it might be worth it.”

  “Why?”

  I’d love nothing more than to stay here and spend extra time with him, but my classes weren’t for the faint of heart. Miss one day and you miss a lot. I’d already missed Friday.

  “Your mom’s trying to take the house. I want to go talk to Jax and see if he can help.”

  “How would he be able to help?” I walked toward him, and he swung his towel off of his neck and around my towel-clad body, pulling me in closer.

  “He’s good with computers,” he explained. “He can find things on the Internet others can’t. I just want to see if we can find anything on her.”

  He wasn’t going to. My father’s man had already been all over it, and other than frequenting male prostitutes, my mother’s life consisted only of shopping, dining, and socializing. Madoc’s dad had the info that he refused to use.

  I didn’t tell Madoc that, though. He knew my role in our parents’ divorce, and I wasn’t going to remind him.

  “Jared, just give it a chance!”

  Madoc and I both jerked our heads toward his bedroom door at the shouting outside.

  “Woman, you are high!” Jared barked. “No way.”

  “Oh, you’re such a pussy! It’s just ballroom dancing,” Tate yelled.

  Madoc and I both looked at each other wide-eyed before running to his door and yanking it open together.

  Jared and Tate had just rounded the corner and were heading down the hall in the opposite direction toward the other side of the house. To their room, presumably.

  Jared turned around, walking backward. “Absolutely not.”

  Madoc slung an arm around my shoulder and called out. “What is she trying to get you to do now?”

  Tate swung around, hands on her hips, while Jared stopped retreating.

  “Ballroom dancing lessons,” he gritted out. “I don’t know where she got the idea.”

  Tate looked down. “I just thought it could be a new experience, Jared,” she said with her back to him. “I can’t expect Madoc to dance with me at every occasion, can I?”

  I narrowed my eyes, studying her. Every occasion?

  And then it hit me.

  A wedding.