She was surprised her recurring dream didn’t take place on that porch swing. But it was always on the same unfamiliar park bench. She closed her eyes as the chains creaked and a rare breeze stirred across her skin. She wouldn’t mind dreaming about him tonight. No matter how much it hurt. She felt more alone than she had in years. The house echoed now that Robbie had been there. She didn’t want to go inside.
Seeing Jared down on that dance floor tonight had been unexpectedly painful. She hadn’t known she could still hurt that much. That deeply. Like her bones were shattered into long shards and ripping through skin and muscle. She didn’t know who the blonde in the bubble gum pink dress was, but if they’d stayed much longer, Madlyn would have found out if that perfect hair was the wig she expected it to be.
It had been fine when he was on stage. Those women couldn’t reach him and touch him. But watching him on the dance floor, all bets had been off, and she’d been staggered by the debilitating wave of jealousy that had choked her.
Which she had no right to feel. She’d thrown him out twice. She’d made it very clear to him that he was nothing to her.
She turned in the swing, propping her elbow on the back so she could rest her forehead against her hand. She wanted to go to sleep, but she was so afraid she would dream.
The car door shutting behind her in the driveway startled her out of the half-conscious state she lingered in. She heard a heavy booted foot hit the bottom wood step. It was like the devil had conjured him up for her. Bracing herself, she turned.
No, the devil hadn’t conjured up anyone. He’d come in person, and he looked exactly like Jared. The Jared she knew had never had such fierce anger in his expression.
“He gone?” he demanded, leaning his weight on that foot but not coming any closer.
“Who?” She couldn’t resist taunting him.
“Your date.” He came up the steps, catching hold of the square support column the railing was attached to.
“Did you need something?” she asked, easing to her feet because she didn’t like the look in his eyes.
He didn’t move closer. He just watched her, his eyes wary and his entire body tense. In the dim light of the back porch, she also noted he looked tired. There were dark circles under his eyes that shouldn’t be there, and his mouth was a straight line.
“Do you want a glass of wine?” she asked, holding up her empty glass. “I’m getting a refill.”
The screen door didn’t slam behind her, and it was the only warning she got. Hands curved around her waist, pulling her back against the solid wall of his chest. She struggled to set the wine glass down and it almost tipped over when she let it go. He turned her around, his arm going around her waist as his mouth collided with hers. The kiss was devastating and not because of how it made her feel. It nearly broke her because she could taste all that anger and pain and she knew it was her fault. Shaking hands fisted in her hair, then he dragged his mouth away, holding her head between his hands. Desperation blazed from his eyes, and Madlyn discovered that she could hate herself even more than she already did.
“Tell me nothing happened,” he gasped, kissing her again before she could answer. He kept his lips on hers as he continued to speak. “I can’t fucking breathe, Madlyn. Tell me he’s not here.”
He was in over his head with her, and she’d tried to warn him. He should have listened. Showing up here tonight had been the biggest mistake of his life because the part of her that hated herself for bringing him to this had no control over the part of her who rejoiced in her conquest.
He was hers. At least for tonight.
She raised her hands and covered his and eased away, giving him a slow smile that he couldn’t take his eyes off of. “Jealous?”
“Fuck yeah,” he groaned, trying to kiss her, but she wouldn’t let him.
Instead, she licked her bottom lip and felt his body go rigid. He was on the edge of an emotional cliff. And she wanted to push him over it so she could catch him on the other side. And she hated herself a little more, but she couldn’t stop if she wanted to. “Why? Do you want to take his place? You want to date me? Go steady?”
He reached out, grabbing the island on either side of her at the same time she felt it touch her back. “No, I don’t want to date you.” His eyes slid over her, head to toe, taking in the yoga pants and black cami with a hungry gaze. “I want to lock you up in this house, tie you to your bed, and show you what happens when you let another man touch you.”
He moved in closer, making it clear he wasn’t going over any cliff unless she went with him. That worked for her, too.
“What does happen?” she teased, breathless because she wanted to know. “You punish me? How? You think I’ll let you spank me?
Heat flared in his eyes again. “I wouldn’t dare.”
“Smart boy—”
His smile turned wicked. “I’d make you watch me.”
“What?” She lost her breath, feeling the edge of the cliff under her feet this time.
The wicked smile turned to pure evil. “That’s right. Just out of your reach, I’ll make you watch me.”
“I’ll close my eyes.”
He laughed, throwing his head back, but the anger was gone and nothing but seething hunger was left. “Close your eyes? I’d like to see you try. You won’t be able to look away while I work my cock, slow at first, thumbing my apadravya, then harder and faster until I come all over you while you beg me for a taste.”
Her lips parted, and her stomach flipped over at the idea. There was no oxygen left on Earth.
“You like that?” His words turned to warm silk as he lowered his mouth to hers.
She tilted her head in regret and even pouted at him. “Too bad I didn’t let him touch me,” she purred, watching as the revelation made it through to his bloodless brain. “If I’d known that would be my reward, I would have kissed him in front of you.”
“You didn’t?” Uncertainty flared as he struggled to believe her.
She indulged herself, showing him a tiny bit of affection. She pressed her palm to his cheek, but she wanted to wrap her arms around him and swear that she only wanted him. Because it was true. Horribly, dangerously true. But she couldn’t have this. No matter how bad she wanted to keep him. What she could have was one more night with him. And she could take away that pain he tried to keep hidden behind his expression. At least for tonight, she could make that go away.
“It wasn’t a date,” she admitted. “It was a business dinner with an out-of-town colleague.”
His fingers closed around hers, and he leaned in to kiss her. “I thought…” he whispered, searching her eyes.
“I warned you. I told you not to get involved with me. You’re going to smash yourself to pieces if you do. You should leave right now. There’s nothing here for you but more pain and disappointment. Don’t make me do that to you. I’m tired of hurting people. Walk away.”
He didn’t. He kissed her again, cradling her head in one hand, holding her tight against him with the other before taking her weight and lifting her so her legs went around him. She wound her arms around his neck and kissed him back, all the way to the bedroom. He set her on the bed, and she came up on her knees, working the buttons loose on his shirt and pushing it off his shoulders. When he leaned in to kiss her, she stopped him, tracing those tribal marks with her tongue until her teeth found the barbell in his left nipple and tugged on it mercilessly.
She touched him everywhere, his abs, and his stomach, teasing his navel, tracing the ridges above it and around his ribs, then lower, working the buttons loose on his jeans. He shook the jeans off and stepped out of them. He took that moment to break her contact with him, and he pulled the knit cami over her head and lowered his head to tease her nipples the way she had just tortured his. Her fingers curved around his head, holding him there while he sucked hard, bit gently, and drove her right out of her mind.
She arched back, and his mouth moved lower. She fell back, straightenin
g her legs, but he wouldn’t let her move. He dragged her yoga pants off as he kissed his way down her belly, swirling his tongue in her navel until she laughed out loud. When they cleared her ankles, he threw them to the side and kissed his way back up her legs. His hands pressed against the inside of her thighs, opening her to him.
Then he kissed her everywhere. Hot open-mouthed kisses branded her legs, her belly, and hips, grazing his teeth, teasing her, teasing her mouth, licking her bottom lip, then biting down as he worked two fingers deep inside her.
She arched up against the pressure, moaning when he crooked his fingers and started a slow torturous movement. Her hands fisted into the comforter as she tried to move her hips. He flattened his free hand just below her belly button and pressed her back to the bed.
Madlyn’s eyes flew open as everything intensified without warning.
“Jared,” she whispered. “That’s not…”
“Don’t you dare hold out on me. Let it happen.”
Burning hot coils broke free inside her. The release was so beautiful it hurt, and the wave of emotion that crested with the orgasm sent her spinning wildly out of control. The second she thought it was over, another wave hit her, throwing her higher into a pleasure so sharp it ripped a scream out of her that dissolved into tears.
Her arms wound around his neck when he moved over her, pressing gentle scorching kisses on her cheeks. But the tears didn’t let go of her. She clung to him, burying her face in his neck. He lifted her, rearranging them until he sat on the bed, his back against the headboard. He pulled her into his arms, and she lost track of time, safe against his chest, unable to stop the emotions from cascading inside her.
He stroked her hair and her back, pressed a gentle kiss to her head and whispered to her. Was he singing? Low and quietly under his breath, almost a lullaby, but she didn’t recognize the lyrics. But nothing was making much sense to her. It didn’t matter. The deep, raspy sound of his voice, the warmth in his arms, and the certainty that he wouldn’t let her go lulled her into a peace she hadn’t known she could ever feel again.
“Better?” he asked, brushing the hair from her face.
She nodded. “I don’t know what happened.”
He grinned then, a cocky grin that almost made her blush. “Yeah, you do.”
“Yeah.” She smiled back, giving him that one. “I do.” She stroked his cheek again, and he turned his mouth into her palm and kissed it. “Give me a minute and we’ll…”
His fingers touched her lips. “Honestly, I’m wiped out. What I want to do is sleep. Can I do that here?”
She nodded, and he reached for the lamp to turn it off. She attempted to move so she could get up and do her nightly routine, but her limbs were still jelly. He just pulled her down into the bed with him, throwing the covers over both of them before he turned on his side and curved his long body around her.
“Just sleep, Maddie. Go to sleep.”
Her eyelids were already almost shut as she curled into him. Their bodies fitting together easily. His arm tightened around her.
“Thanks for letting me stay.”
She smiled in the darkness and closed her eyes tight as the tears threatened again.
“I like him,” Robert said as he sat next to her on the park bench. “He’s fun. You deserve some fun.”
Her body stiffened, but she didn’t turn in the direction of the voice. Instead, she watched Robbie playing on the grass. He was tossing a football and Madlyn watched the ball sail across the park. It felt like being dipped in dry ice when Jared jumped up and caught the ball, before tossing it back to Robbie.
She swallowed against the painful lump in her throat. Jared shouldn’t be in this place. It was wrong. And it was her fault. She didn’t want to drag him into her nightmare.
“It’s okay, Maddie,” Robert whispered, and she almost felt his fingertips drift across the back of her neck. “But you need to wake up now. You aren’t supposed to be here now.”
“Let me stay.” Her fingers knitted together in her lap, squeezing so hard they turned white from lack of blood flow. Moisture blinded her and she couldn’t breathe. “Robert, please. Let me stay.”
“Madlyn!”
The harsh voice had her sitting straight up, gasping for air.
“What the fuck?” Jared was next to her. “Breathe, Maddie.”
She dragged air into her lungs, not sure if she was still dreaming or if this was a new nightmare.
“That was some dream,” he said, pulling her back down as he stretched out beside her.
Still disoriented, she let him pull her tight into his body. He was so warm and so solid, she couldn’t stop herself from relaxing into him.
“Do you have them often?”
She nodded, still unable to speak. When he started to ask another question, she turned so she could face him. She pressed her index finger to his lips to stop him. “Go back to sleep,” she whispered, tugging that silver loop that fascinated her. She couldn’t resist touching it.
He rolled onto his back, pulling her across his chest. She cuddled in closer to him, letting her finger trail down from his lips to his chin, then down his throat. She didn’t want him to go back to sleep. She smiled when she felt his body stir against hers. She stroked her foot down his leg, and he smiled.
“I’m not going to get any sleep, am I?” he teased, his eyes still closed.
Her hand trailed down his stomach and lower until she cupped his weight in her hands, loving the sharp intake of breath before she circled the hard length of his erection.
“You don’t feel sleepy to me.”
“Witch,” he whispered, his head rolling back as she worked the barbell penetrating the swollen head of his cock.
“Why did you do this?” she asked, easing to her knees.
He lifted his head so he could watch her when she swung a leg over him and straddled his thighs. “You like it, don’t you?”
“It’s disturbing, but yeah,” she smiled. “It’s incredibly sexy. Not that you needed any help with that.”
He curled at the waist, sitting up so they were facing each other, goofy smile on his face. “You feeling okay?” he asked, his thumbs resting on her cheeks. “You’re too nice. It’s making me nervous.”
Not sure if she thought he was funny or if it hurt, she released him.
“No way,” he whispered, leaning in to kiss her. “Come here.”
He fisted his erection, then urged her up.
“Condom?” she whispered. “Side drawer.”
He bit her bottom lip, then bent back to grab one out of the drawer. In the instant he turned away, Madlyn dropped down and licked him from base to tip. He dropped the box of condoms, and the little squares scattered across the floor as he moaned. She swirled her tongue once, but before she could get her mouth around him, he stopped her.
“Babe, wait, I’m a sweaty mess from the show…jeez, Madlyn…fuck…babe…shower. I need a shower.”
She smiled, raising her head, licking her lips. He didn’t need a shower. She loved the earthy scent and taste of him. But she didn’t push him. Instead, she swung off him and grabbed a couple of the condoms off the floor. She ripped one open as she straddled him again and rolled it on while he watched in disbelief.
“Just lie there and take it,” she taunted. “Babe,” she added with a mischievous smile, lifting up and then taking him into her body while he watched, his eyes wide and his mouth open. “Breathe, baby,” she whispered, pushing him down on his back with the tips of her fingers. “Let it happen.”
He groaned as she started to move. His hands going over his head to the headboard while she took her time moving, finding out the best way to make him lose his mind. Then she lost hers instead. He knifed up again, his hands going to her hips, his mouth teasing at her tight nipple before biting her as she went over the edge much sooner than she wanted to. She collapsed against his chest, her head resting on his shoulder. He held her until the trembling stopped.
“You d
idn’t,” she gasped, realizing he was still hard as he pulled out of her.
“Not yet,” he grinned, and she had no time to think before he pushed her down on the mattress, face first, moving behind her before she could scramble away.
She tried to roll over when he tugged up on her hips. “Wait…”
She glanced over her shoulder in time to see him swipe his thumb across a cocky half-smile. Heat melted through her again. “Do it,” she whimpered before she changed her mind.
“So bossy,” he teased, the blunt head of his cock pressing at her over-sensitive flesh.
She felt every bit of him this way, the pleasure of his possession catching her off guard. The low hiss that escaped him ramped her up even higher. His mouth landed on her shoulder, then his forehead. She smiled when he shuddered against her.
“You have no idea how good you feel,” he whispered in her ear, emotion thick in his voice. “I think I’ll die if I move.”
“You’ll die if you don’t,” she promised, smiling to herself as he groaned again.
His teeth bit into her shoulder as he started moving, and Madlyn thought she might die.
It was too much. Nothing should feel that good.
“How pissed off are you going to be when I tell you I’m falling for you?”
“Don’t,” she whispered, sighing as he hit just the right spot and things started to float.
“I can’t help it.”
“Please…” She clawed into the comforter, closing her eyes tightly. She didn’t want him to fall for her. “Please don’t do that.”
His arm banded under her, and he pulled her upright so she was leaning against his chest. He wrapped both arms tightly around her, buried his face in her neck. “It’s too late.”
She reached behind her, running her nails into short silky hair. She was sorry she’d taunted him into cutting it. Her head fell back on his shoulder, and she turned her face towards his.
She kissed him before he could speak. He kissed her back, his tongue sliding deep, then his arms tightened around her until she thought her ribs would give way. A second later a harsh cry scraped out of his chest and he thrust hard and deep one last time. She closed her eyes and shattered right along with him.
The Fall of the Red Queen (Self Made Men...Southern Style Book 3) Page 16