Torque

by Gillian Archer

  Oh, fuck that.

  “You mean you’re the you who instantly turned wet the second I ripped your shirt off your body?” I grabbed her hand and held it against my rock-hard dick, letting her feel how hard she had made me. “You’re the you I’ve been fantasizing about all fucking month. The one I’ve been dying to get inside. The one—unless you say no real fucking quick—the one I’m gonna rip the panties off right now.”

  Maddie’s eyes had grown wider with every word I spoke, and her breath came quicker until she was panting right along with me. I waited a beat, but she didn’t say a word. With a snarl curving my lips, I shoved her little skirt up her hips until her plain white panties were front and center.

  The plan had been to play nice—be all sweet and gentle and make love to her. But then she had to go and compare me to a fucking job and shitty apartment.

  Nice time was over.

  Grabbing the thin cotton material in my fists, I ripped it open right down the center. The elastic still wrapped around her hips and the tops of her legs, but I didn’t give a fuck. The part of her I wanted was front and center.

  She was a fucking wet dream come to life. All curvy hips and smooth pussy lips. I’d felt it earlier, but having it right in front of my greedy eyes had my dick throbbing impatiently. He wanted to dive deep and claim that final piece of her. And he would, but first…

  I ducked down, nudging her thighs open with my shoulders.

  “Oh god. You’re not…I mean you don’t have to…”

  I ignored her stuttering protests that actually weren’t protesting a thing and splayed her open to me with my fingers. She gleamed back at me all pink and so fucking pretty.

  I had to have a taste.

  I ran my tongue along the center of her with long slow licks like a cat enjoying its cream. Because I was. A big fucking lion who’d found the best damn cream in the fucking world.

  Maddie’s hips jolted with my first lick. I shifted until I was gripping her hips, holding her down as I got to work. I licked and teased her with my tongue and teeth until her gasps turned into low, throaty moans. I didn’t know which was hotter—the taste of Maddie’s arousal or the fucking hot sounds she made as I enjoyed her.

  Since she wasn’t thrashing against me anymore, I used one hand to tease her. Filling her with one finger, I cursed at the thought of feeling those silky walls clasping me tight. And she would be tight. I added another finger, and she hissed as she stretched around me.

  “Oh god. Nathan. I don’t. I can’t…”

  I could tell by her tightening muscles that she was close. It wouldn’t take much more to send her over the edge. Another few thrusts of my fingers, a little tickling action of my tongue against her clit and she’d be a goner. Unfortunately for her she’d pissed me off with her little you and me speech.

  Pulling away, I grabbed the box of condoms I’d tossed onto the bed earlier.

  “What? Where?” Maddie blinked a few times and sat up, shoving her tousled hair out of her eyes. “Nathan?”

  I ripped open the foil package and could practically feel her greedy eyes watching me roll the condom down the length of my dick. “Get up.”

  “What?” Her eyes darted up from my dick to meet my eyes as she took in my narrowed-eyed stare. “I thought—”

  “I said get up. Roll over.” Impatient, I reached down and pulled her into the position I wanted—on her hands and knees. Nope, that wasn’t quite right. Placing a hand on the back of her neck, I pushed until her tits rested on the sheets with her pretty little pussy front and center before me. “Perfect.”

  Maddie made a little shuddery breath, but other than that didn’t protest at all.

  Fine by me.

  I kneeled on the bed behind her, one hand on the top of the condom and my other hand on her hips. My dick nudged against her folds, parting them as I slowly pressed inside her.

  Holy fucking god. She was hot. Wet. And so fucking tight. I wanted to pound her deep. Just thrust until we were both coming. But I didn’t. Maddie was too tight and too fucking precious to just use her body like my dick wanted.

  Instead, I stopped once my hips rested against her ass and took a deep breath. Counted to five. Then ten. And then it happened.

  Maddie wiggled her hips against me. Like she was impatient for me to fuck her.

  I grinned smugly. Holding her hips in my hands, I slowly moved the way she’d silently urged me. In and out. In and out. “What was it you said?”

  Maddie had been rocking with me but with my words, she froze under me.

  “You’re you. You’re the you who made me so fucking hot I had to rip your shirt off you. Then rip your panties off. You’re the you who’s so fucking sexy I’ve been dreaming for too long of fucking you with your tight little black skirt pushed up.” I gripped her skirt, still around her hips, to prove my point. This time I thrust hard into her, bottoming out in her tight pussy. “Don’t say that shit again. I don’t wanna hear it.”

  Maddie could only mewl in response as I set a punishing rhythm. Gripping her bunched up black skirt, I used it to pull her back and forth on my dick.

  But it wasn’t enough.

  I reached down and threaded my fingers through her hair and pulled her up until the back of her head was almost even with me.

  “You are mine. That’s all that fucking matters.” My breath sounded like a fucking freight train as I tried to keep my orgasm back. “You got me?”

  Maddie nodded in my grip even as a little moaning gasp left her.

  My hips continued to thrust into her as I held her up against me. I felt the overwhelming urge to mark her as mine. My teeth rasped against her jaw before I sucked a little bit of her skin into my mouth.

  And that was when she lost it.

  Her pussy milked my dick as her orgasm rocked her body.

  And she screamed.

  I had about three seconds to enjoy the sensation before I came with her. My eyes rolled into the back of my head as I unloaded into her. I mean, the condom. Holding her tight against me, I waited for my and her shudders to ease before I collapsed onto the bed with her in my arms.

  I knew I had to take care of the condom—I hated the feel of it against my thigh—but that would mean letting go of my woman, and I wasn’t ready to do that yet.

  Taking a few breaths, I just held her and enjoyed the fucking moment.

  My eyelids grew heavy, and the last thought I had before I let sleep take me was: who would’ve guessed that Maddie Roberts was a screamer.

  Chapter Fifteen

  Maddie

  I reveled in the feeling of Nathan’s arms wrapped around me. I mean, we had done way more, but something about him holding me after we’d had the hottest sex of my life made me feel…loved. Cherished. Valued.

  And it didn’t hurt that he’d literally made me scream. I had no clue I was capable of anything like that. But apparently I was, when I was with him. Because I was me and he was Nathan fucking Burns.

  A giddy grin stretched across my lips. I’d guessed that sex with him would be hot, but nothing had prepared me for the onslaught of a pissed-off Nathan.

  Maybe I’d have to piss him off more often.

  I tipped my head back to say as much, but the soft, relaxed, and clearly asleep man next to me had me hesitating. Awww, I must’ve exhausted him. If my grin was smug before, it was nothing compared to the shit-eating grin I wore now. Little ole librarian Maddie Roberts had tired out big, bad Nathan fucking Burns.

  Heh.

  I basked in my all my badass-ness for a few minutes until my rumbling stomach reminded me that I’d skipped lunch so I could send some resumés out. My unbaked ziti still sat on the counter. I tried to wiggle my way free, but every time I made headway Nathan’s arms would tighten around me. It was cute the first two times then my stomach rumbled again, and I had to get creative before it tried to eat me from the inside out.

  This time I wriggled a pillow between me and Nathan and let him cuddle with it so I could get dinner on.
But first, I pulled off the remnants of my panties, grinning like a fool the whole time. He’d literally ripped them from my body. How hot was that? Then I grabbed one of Nathan’s t-shirts he’d left on the floor next to the hamper. I liked the idea of wearing something of his. Shame I’d have to go commando under it. I always had a spare set of panties in my purse, but I wasn’t willing to bet that Nathan would leave them intact by the end of the night.

  Instead, I pulled on the shirt that smelled like him, righted my bunched-up skirt down my hips and strode down his hallway like a runway model. Apparently screaming orgasms gave me all kinds of confidence. I definitely recommended them.

  Twenty minutes later the pasta was baking in the oven, and I was neck deep in his fridge, trying to parse a salad from the sad ingredients he had. He had lettuce but no tomatoes, avocados, or cucumbers. Maybe I could julienne one of those wrinkled carrots and add it to the lettuce?

  I was debating adding the sad carrot when he pinched my behind.

  “Nathan!” I gasped as I turned around, more surprised than anything else.

  “Were you expecting someone else?” He asked with a wolfish grin.

  I shook my head as I held my sad salad ingredients to my chest like a shield. “No. Of course not. I can safely say no other Burns brothers have ever grabbed my butt.”

  “They better not. We should look into getting you one of those property of tatts. That way all those assholes will know you’re mine.”

  I hated to admit it, but a corner of my feminist heart fluttered at his desire to publicly stamp me as his. But it didn’t last. The thought of telling my best friends and his family about us filled me with anxiety. They wouldn’t understand. They wouldn’t think it would last. And I felt sick imagining the looks of pity on their faces. “I thought you agreed we shouldn’t tell anyone in your family.”

  The joking smile fell from Nathan’s lips. My words hung in the air between us.

  I closed my eyes. Why did I have to screw everything up? It was like a pathological need or something. Ducking my head, I turned for the counter to busy myself making the salad when Nathan’s arms stopped me.

  He held me by the shoulders but didn’t say a word. It took every bit of courage I had, but I finally lifted my head and met his gaze.

  “Do you still feel that way? I thought, if anything, what we just did in my bedroom proves we’re compatible as fuck.”

  I gulped. The intensity in both his eyes and his words shook me. I tried to lessen my nervousness by joking. “I think I’m too much of a feminist to get a ‘property of’ tatt.”

  “I’m serious. I want you to know that I’m serious about you. This isn’t a hookup. I’m in. With you. I won’t be dating anyone else. And I hope neither will you. So why shouldn’t we tell my family about us?”

  He was serious about me?! I swear I would’ve melted into a puddle of goo at his feet if he wasn’t still holding me up. I took a shuddering breath and set the lettuce down so I could touch him too. My arms wrapped around his neck and I tipped my head back so he could see that I was serious. “I’m in too, but this is going fast. We’ve only technically been on one date. And I don’t want your family all up in our business because you know they would be. I’d like to keep this between us just a little bit longer.”

  “Fine.” Nathan dipped down and gave me a kiss. “As long as you’re okay with what we’re doing. That’s all I care about.”

  I didn’t think it was possible, but I melted a little bit more. He was everything I ever wanted in a partner. Plus he’d given me an amazing screaming orgasm. I knew it was too soon to say the L word, but it was tickling at my lips. I burrowed into his arms. I just wanted this moment to last forever.

  We got maybe a whole minute of cuddling in before the oven timer’s crazy beeping had us flinching and scrambling to turn it off.

  The moment was ruined, but at least now we could eat.

  And a few minutes later, we sat down at Nathan’s tiny bistro table with heaping plates of pasta and salad that even the huge glops of salad dressing Nathan had applied couldn’t cover up its missing ingredients.

  Not that Nathan seemed to mind. He was making little groans and moans that made it hard for me to look away from him.

  A different kind of hunger distracted me now.

  I’d hardly had any time to trace my tongue over the sexy lines of his tattoos. Or make him moan like that because of what I was doing with my mouth. I wanted to tie him to a bed and play out every dirty fantasy I’d had about him. And given my rich knowledge from all my romance novel reading, I had so many I wanted to try.

  “…not like it?”

  “What?” I jerked back into the present where Nathan was giving me a concerned look. “I’m sorry. What did you say?”

  “I said this dinner is amazing. Do you not like it?” He tipped his chin toward my untouched plate. “You haven’t had a bite.”

  “No. No. It’s good. See?” I shoveled up a huge bite and stuffed it into my mouth to prove my point. And instantly regretted it. The hot pasta burned my tongue and the roof of my mouth so much that my eyes watered. But I still bravely chewed and swallowed like my entire mouth was not on fire and gulped some water to help put out the flames.

  “Right.” Nathan averted his eyes and gave me a minute to calm down as he continued to eat. Finally he cleared his throat. “Um, so what’s going on with your job? You said something earlier that had me wondering. Worrying, really.”

  I sighed. “I guess you haven’t heard the news lately?”

  “Nah, it’s always depressing. I try to avoid sad shit. What’d I miss?”

  “They’re cutting the state’s budget again. You remember they did it last year too, but word is they’re making even deeper cuts this time. And libraries are a popular mark. A lot of politicians don’t see the value in a place that deals in books. I think one of the state senators even said something about how no one goes to libraries anymore since everyone reads on their mobile devices, so why should the state spend millions of dollars to keep us afloat?”

  “That’s bullshit. Tons of people go to libraries.” Nathan cocked his head as his forehead wrinkled. “Don’t they?”

  I rolled my eyes. “Yes, they do. Libraries are the cornerstone of societies. We have a huge story-time audience for local preschoolers. We help people find jobs through our free computer access program. People can use our computers or books to explore medical research or get lost in amazing stories, while at the same time, we provide a place for public gatherings. During recessions, people depend on their local library.”

  “Whoa. Okay.” Nathan raised his palms like he was being held at gunpoint.

  And I realized that somewhere during my impassioned speech I’d leaned forward and was punctuating my sentence by stabbing my fork at him. My cheeks flushing, I dropped my fork with a clatter and sat back in my chair. “Sorry. I just get so irked when people—mostly our lofty state representatives—don’t see the value of libraries.”

  “No need to apologize.” Nathan’s eyes twinkled as he picked up his fork and stabbed at his salad. “You getting all passionate about your work is hot.”

  I sighed as his eyes cruised over my breasts. Of course that was where his mind went. So freaking annoying. Men never took me seriously. Why should this one be any different?

  “And I happen to agree with you.”

  “Wait, what?” I blinked in confusion.

  “What? You made some very good points. I never really thought about it, but where would I go if I suddenly couldn’t afford Wi-Fi or my data plan, and I needed to find a job? They should be giving you guys more money, not slashing your budget.”

  “Oh.” I swallowed hard and mentally apologized for my unkind thoughts about him. Nathan really was different. “Thank you. I just wish our state reps thought the same.”

  “Yeah. That sucks.” Nathan paused so he could eat some more. “I take it that means you think you’ll be out of a job soon?”

  “Unfortunate
ly, yes.”

  “Why you? Sounds like you have your shit together. Shouldn’t they be firing that one nosy bitch? What’s her name? Eleanor?”

  “Elaine.” I frowned. “How do you know about her?”

  He hitched a shoulder as he scooped another serving of pasta from the dish and ladled it onto his plate. “I remember you complaining about her. Something about how she never works and just sits behind the front desk and scrolls through her phone. Even called you to the front desk when you were shelving because she didn’t want to help that one homeless man a few weeks back.”

  “Wow. I can’t believe you remembered all that.” It was almost verbatim one of my rants during a family dinner at Wendy’s a few weeks ago. And it was all true. Elaine had been so rude to Jimmy.

  “I know a lot about you.”

  My heart raced at the gleam in his eyes. Like I’d been on his radar even back then. Even if it wasn’t that way, I still felt special that he’d remembered so much about a frustrating time in my life. If anything, it proved what a good guy Nathan was. He didn’t get near enough credit from anyone on that front. “Thanks.”

  “So, they’re really gonna let you go and keep Elaine?”

  I sighed. “I think so. I was last hired, and you know how it goes. Last hired—”

  “First fired.” Nathan finished with me. “Would that still be the case if Elaine was reported for some of the bullshit she’s pulled with you?”

  “You think I should go to my boss and complain about her? Wouldn’t that make me look bad?”

  “Not if it’s true. And I’m sure your coworkers would back you up. There’s no way they’d choose her over you when they’ve got all the information.”

  “And if they make such deep cuts that they let her and me go?”

  “At least you’ll have fought for a job that you love and didn’t give up. I bet you’d be proud of yourself at the end of the day when you know you did everything you could.”