The Fall of the Red Queen (Self Made Men...Southern Style Book 3)

by Lexxi Callahan

  He stepped forward, closing the distance, curling his fingers around her wrist, faintly surprised at how fragile it felt in his hand. She was fragile, he realized. Very fragile. A closer look and he could see that she was very close to falling apart. She just didn’t know how to let go.

  “I’ll take you home.”

  She nodded and let him lead her out of the bar. They didn’t talk until they were back in the SUV. Jared started the engine, then turned in his seat as she clipped her seat belt.

  “Tell me about him.”

  She froze, only her head turning towards him. “Who?”

  “Robert.”

  She opened her mouth, then closed it, then pressed her lips together so tightly they almost disappeared.

  “What do you tell Robbie when he asks?”

  “That he…” She stopped and cleared her throat. “That he watches over him.”

  “What did he like to do?”

  “Irritate Stefan,” she whispered, her voice breaking as she almost laughed.

  “Something we have in common. What else?”

  “He was.” She stopped again. This time she turned away to look out the passenger window. “He was…” Her words trailed off as her voice broke.

  He swallowed the instinct to touch her. Her ragged breaths were the only sound in the quiet car. “My brother has never been the same since his wife died. He lost part of himself. My sister-in-law would kick his ass if she saw what an uptight curmudgeon he’s turned into. She loved him and wouldn’t like the way he’s given up on ever being happy.”

  “I know you mean well, but it’s really not your concern.”

  “Too late, Madlyn, in case you haven’t already noticed, I’m concerned. So keep throwing up those walls, sweetheart, I love tearing them down.”

  When he parked in her driveway, she was out of the car before he could unbuckle his seat belt. He let her go. She realized halfway up the back steps, that she didn’t have her key. She stopped without turning around. When he reached her, he handed over her purse then waited while she dug the key out.

  She slid the key in the lock, then turned to him, and instead of thanking him for the ride, she dove into the deep end. “Do you want coffee?”

  “Coffee?” The corner of that sinful mouth quirked.

  “Yeah.” She couldn’t resist taunting him. “Grown-ups have coffee.”

  “Sounds like being grown up sucks.”

  She bit back another laugh. Why did he have to be so adorable? And scruffy? Adorable, sexy, scruffy smartass. She never stood a chance. She didn’t try to stop him when he followed her inside, pushing the door closed behind him. The lock echoed in the quiet house as he turned the deadbolt.

  “Here’s the thing.”

  “There’s no…” She stopped mid-turn, and her hands flattened against his lean hard chest when she found him much closer than she expected. “…Thing.” She sounded breathless, which didn’t help her argument.

  “You already admitted there’s a thing.” His smile was wry, and he tilted his head, amusement lingering in his eyes. “But…” He backed her up until the island countertop touched her back. “It has nothing to do with the law firm, Stefan, or Jen. You can keep your ghost, Maddie, but you’ve got to let go of the rest of it so when I’m deep inside, it’s just me…are we clear?”

  He’d moved in so close, her head had fallen back. He was suddenly taller than she remembered.

  “You have some nerve,” she gasped.

  “Did you just figure that out?” Fingers touched her mouth, shutting her down. “Tell me to leave, right now.”

  He leaned over her, his breath warm against her ear as he dragged her hand down and pressed it against the hard ridge straining against his jeans.

  “I’ve been in hell since I walked into your mother’s bar. How much longer are you going to make me suffer?”

  Instinct had Madlyn curving her fingers against the hardening flesh the worn jeans did little to disguise. He hissed again, his hands dropping to either side of her on the granite countertop, caging her in. She pressed down, smiling to herself as he groaned and moved into her touch.

  His forehead dropped to her shoulder, and he took another ragged breath. She increased the torture, exploring his size and length with each rough caress of her hand until neither of them could breathe. The first brush of his tongue across hers and the earth rocked under her feet. Her knees gave way, but his arm banded around her and kept her up.

  “I owe you,” she whispered, her voice too deep as she rubbed against the remarkable length.

  “Yeah, you do.”

  “And when I’m done,” she warned him. “I’m going to own you.”

  Heavy lidded eyes full of lust and hunger smiled down at her. “What makes you think you don’t already?”

  His words shot through her like adrenaline. She curved her hands around his head and brought him down hard to her mouth. He tasted so good. Sweeter than a guy should taste. Like fresh baked bread slathered in honey.

  Her fingers moved to the buttons on his jeans, and her breath lurched in her throat. He was commando. She sucked in her breath as his jeans hit her kitchen floor.

  “Say it.” She stared straight at him as her hand curled around warm, pulsing steel. “Who owns you?”

  He thrust hard into her hand. “Every fucking inch, all yours, babe.”

  Madlyn gasped when her thumb swept across the blunt head of his erection. “What the…”

  He grinned, the light in his eyes pure evil as he dared her to look.

  She looked. How could she not? Shock radiated through her as everything went white hot. “Is that…” The words died on her lips. The parts of her brain still functioning were unable to comprehend what she was seeing. It wasn’t the staggering handful of scorching hot flesh that fascinated her, although he was truly impressive. No, it was the unexpected glint of metal piercing through the large head that made her mouth turn to desert while the rest of her liquefied.

  She brushed her thumb across the painful-looking barbell again. His hiss was pure pleasure, and every muscle in her body seized.

  “That feels good?” She breathed the words out, unable to take her eyes off it and the way it moved through his flesh. How could something that looked so painful make him shudder and drag in ragged breaths?

  “Oh yeah,” he assured her, his fingers lacing through her hair, fingers skimming under her jaw, making her eyelids heavy and her mouth ache. “Do that again.”

  Her thumb swiped over it again, and a moan shivered out of him. Her heart skipped a beat as moisture beaded at the tip, right next to the shiny ball of metal. She licked her lips. The barbell moved under her thumb, and he fell forward, bracing his arm next to her, his forehead hitting her shoulder again.

  “Just like that,” he groaned, his eyes closing and his breath hot on her neck as she played with it, fascinated without knowing why.

  Touching it wasn’t enough. He groaned when she slid away, dropping to her knees so she could get a closer look. It was so…deliciously wrong. She had to taste it. Her tongue ached to roll around the metal stud.

  Fingers clamped into her hair as she slid her tongue along the metal ball, and she heard her name. Although it was barely recognizable as English. She lapped at him like ice cream. She should’ve collected on her bet sooner. He only thought he’d won. She’d gotten the real prize the second she tasted him.

  Madlyn looked up, forgetting the whole world when she met his dazed eyes. She licked her lips again. “I. Own. You.”

  His lips parted, his eyes begging her.

  “Say it,” she whispered, tightening her grip on him.

  He didn’t hesitate. “Yeah. You do.” Anticipation warmed his husky voice. “Now open your mouth.”

  Flames licked through her and everything started to melt. He covered her hands with his, strong fingers trapping her against hot flesh. He brushed the tip across her closed lips, pushing gently with more control than she could tell he was feeling. She igno
red the subtle request that became less subtle as his fingers tightened in her hair before moving to the back of her head.

  Instead, she ran her tongue the full length of him.

  “Or that,” he choked out, his hand clamping back down on the island so his knees wouldn’t buckle.

  Her free hand went to his hip, her nails grazed down the lean muscle. He shuddered again in reaction, and she smiled, tracing back up his considerable length with her tongue. He tasted a thousand times better than he looked. And he looked...

  “Open your—”

  “Shut up.”

  “OK,” he groaned, his fingers releasing her hair when her tongue teased at the metal barbell.

  There was something about that metal that made her crazy. She couldn’t stay away from it. Why was that so hot? It shouldn’t be so hot. It made no sense, but every part of her worshiped that little bit of metal before she took him as deep as she could manage. She hadn’t done this in a while, but apparently it was like riding a bike. The noises coming from him were pure animal pleasure as he gasped out her name, interspersing it with colorful words that should have offended her but only made her hotter—Maddie, fuck, yeah that’s good, fuck, Maddie, yeah, oh babe, fuck, fuck, too much, babe, Maddie, too…don’t stop, Maddie—each word ramping up the fire inside her. He was almost singing her name as he struggled to stay upright. For the first time in her life, she didn’t mind someone else calling her Maddie.

  When his hands returned to her hair, angling her differently so he could go deeper, she didn’t protest, just kept working the gorgeous hard length of him as he started to slide carefully, thrusting slowly until she got used to his piercing. Madlyn shuddered, wanting to let go and just let him take over, but she fought the urge, fought his attempt, and indulged herself by driving him wild. It wasn’t until his hand gripped her face and he roared at her to relax her throat that she did what he asked.

  He filled her so full, the piercing almost set off her gag reflex, for a few terrifying moments she couldn’t breathe. She couldn’t see. All she could do was float as he came hard down her throat, holding her face as he bowed back and roared again, pulling back before she almost blacked out.

  And that second before the world almost went dark, she felt something she hadn’t felt in a long time. Peace. She floated for those few precious seconds, outside the world of stress and pain and lies that had consumed her for almost a decade. The relief of it was so intense, the tears that stained her face were from knowing it wouldn’t last and reality would return in seconds.

  It took a moment to register he’d lifted her. He sat them both down on her sofa. His hands stroked down her back and up again into her hair. She fell against his chest, grabbing hold of a few more stolen moments. Her face pressed into his shoulder. She felt warm and safe and…she couldn’t do this.

  She pushed against his chest, but hard arms clamped her back down. “Don’t,” he warned, but the menace was gone.

  She shivered but stayed where she was, fighting the urge to wrench away as the vulnerability creeping through her threatened to overwhelm her. Dread followed on its heels, and her flight instinct kicked in full force. She couldn’t get used to this. She wouldn’t be able to function if she let herself get used to this.

  “Shh.” His hand wrapped around her head, holding her to him. He pressed a kiss to her temple, laughing softly as she struggled to get away‏‏. “You’re crazy if you think I’m letting go of you yet, Maddie. Stop fighting.”

  “Let me up.”

  “No.” If anything he held her tighter. “Not yet. That was great, babe, but that was a warm up.”

  “No, we’re done.”

  “Like hell.”

  She bit his neck. Not hard, just enough that he loosened his hold and hissed in a combination of pleasure and pain. She kissed the tiny bite mark, then sat back, straddling him and loving the dazed look on his face in spite of herself. She ran one finger down his cheek. “You should go.” She softened her tone of voice when she should’ve ripped him to shreds.

  He wrapped his hand around the back of her head and pulled her close for a kiss. “We’re not done, Maddie. Not even close.” He spoke between ragged breaths.

  Fire roared between them again. She tried to fight it, but when her palms flattened against his chest, they stroked him instead. His mouth was hot on her skin as it trailed down her throat. She arched back, lost in the inferno of pleasure slowly blazing out of control inside her.

  Chapter Eight

  Her surrender seared through Jared. He rolled her to her back, then lifted his head. Her eyes were so alive, so hot, he almost didn’t recognize her. She didn’t stop him when he pulled the T-shirt over her head. He nearly lost his mind when he saw the red lace that passed for a bra but still managed to turn his body to stone.

  His fingers trembled as they skimmed down her throat to her collarbone, then along the lace edge. He hadn’t expected anything quite so pretty or delicate. It was like seeing a different side of her. Something fragile and vulnerable. That vulnerability gripped his chest but didn’t stop him from continuing to trail his fingers between the lace cups to the most perfect stomach he’d ever seen.

  “Fuck, you’re gorgeous,” he said, more to himself, as he pressed hot open-mouthed kisses to her silky skin. It quivered beneath his mouth. She was still breathing. He’d fix that.

  “Madlyn.” He breathed her name out, not caring that it sounded like a prayer. His eyes swept up to a curiously shattered expression on her face. “I hope you’re not tired, counselor, because it’s going to be a long night.”

  The teasing tone in his voice worked. The corner of her swollen lips quirked, but the warm vulnerability in her expression didn’t flicker away. A strange sweetness rushed all through Jared as he recognized that this was her. This was the girl hidden behind all that armor. He’d exposed her and he had her. But instead of taking the kill shot, instead of destroying her the way every part of him wanted to, he reached out with one hand, cupping her jaw, and found himself falling at her feet instead.

  “Just tonight,” she whispered, her hands stroking his head as he kissed his way up her body again. “Just this once.”

  “Sure.” He would’ve agreed to anything right then. But one time was bullshit. He’d worry about that later, all he wanted right now was a taste.

  He kissed across the exposed slope of her breasts, then dragged the lace down before sucking one perfect breast into his mouth. The lack of piercings went straight to his head. He teased the soft peak with his tongue. She whimpered, her fingers biting into his shoulders. He nipped her, smiling at her reaction to the light graze of pain.

  He stroked her other breast, tweaking that nipple hard. She hissed with pleasure, and the roaring flooded his head again. His hands slid down her body until he reached the waistband of her jeans and made short work of releasing the button and zipper so he could slide his hand inside. He found more lace as his fingers continued to explore. Lace that was so wet he moaned as his fingers slipped past it.

  She went so still, he lifted his head so he could see her face. Black eyes filled with vulnerability stared back at him. He smiled slowly, wanting her to trust him while knowing it was not going to be easy. He removed his hand, then tried to push her jeans down, but his hand was shaking and he got tangled up. She reached up, her hand going to his chest, pushing him back against the sofa.

  “Wait.”

  Her voice was hoarse and shaky enough that for a moment he thought she was trying to stop him. Instead, she stood and stepped out of the jeans. The lacy bra was next. She held it out for him with one finger, then threw it at him. He caught it but almost missed her slipping the lace boy shorts off.

  “Your turn.” She nodded at him, tossing the panties at him, too.

  The rest of his clothes disappeared like magic, then he sat back, stretching his arms along the back of the sofa on either side. He couldn’t wait for her to make her next move.

  She walked slowly, all that creamy u
nmarked skin making his throat run dry. Not even a belly button ring or a tiny butterfly anywhere. His breath stalled in his chest, and his hands itched to start running all over that satin-soft skin. But he waited, his hands clawing into the sofa as she approached. She straddled him, staying on her knees, and those two perfect unpierced and unmarked breasts were at eye level. He didn’t even try to resist. Her body arched as he caught one tight nipple with his teeth, then started the slow torture again, tasting one peak and then the other, while he kept one arm around her back as pleasure speared through her.

  He couldn’t wait. His other hand searched the sofa for the condom he’d stashed during her striptease. His fist closed around it. He raised his head long enough to tear it open with his teeth.

  “Put it on me,” he growled against her breast and shoved it into her hands.

  He loved the way her hands shook, then he couldn’t form rational thought when she touched him. Watching her closely, unable to process everything that was going on with her as she closed her fingers around the erection he was sure was going to kill him. She positioned him before slowly taking him into her body. He tried not to howl as she guided him straight into a wildfire he had no defense against until he heard a tiny muffled sound escape her when he moved.

  “Madlyn.” The crazed need pumping through him receded as he clocked her expression. “You with me?”

  She nodded, forcing a smile.

  Was he hurting her?

  “We can stop.”

  It would result in his immediate death, but he would do it because her response wasn’t what it should be. And as much as he wanted to drive forward and just take what he wanted, Jared had never been that guy. Even when the hottest thing he’d ever touched was the evil Red Queen he’d been determined to destroy not long ago.

  He could do it, too. Right now.

  But shit had changed.