A Madaris Bride for Christmas

by Brenda Jackson

  Lee returned to the bed and placed his knee on it. The smile he gave her was so devastatingly sexy her stomach stirred with renewed need.

  “I want you,” he said. The tone of his voice alone sent shivers of pleasure through her.

  She gasped when he placed heated kisses down the length of her body and then kissed back up again, causing her to quiver beneath his mouth. He then straddled her and their gazes locked as the tip of his engorged erection probed against her entrance.

  Using his hands, he lifted her hips, and before she could draw in another breath, he entered her in one smooth, fluid thrust.

  He pounded hard, mating with her in a desperation that had her calling his name and pressing her fingers into his shoulder blades. The long, hard length of him plowed deeper inside of her, sending erotic sensations everywhere. Her legs wrapped around his waist, hugging tightly to his lower back.

  Carly had heard of the Mile High Club. Now she was getting one hell of an initiation. She felt overwhelmed. Consumed. Possessed. Her breaths came in short gasps as Lee used strokes that seemed endless. She felt his body jerk hard and met his gaze.

  “My best shot,” he said in a guttural whisper.

  She knew exactly what he meant when she felt his hot, molten release shoot through her, filling her all the way to her womb. He threw his head back and let out a growl as he came inside of her, keeping her body locked with his to make sure she got it all.

  She wanted it all.

  A forceful climax tore into her and she cried out his name once, twice and then she stopped counting. He kissed her again in the only way he could—with a passion so deep it made another orgasm slam into her and then into him.

  This was crazy. Too much. Not enough. She felt greedy yet fulfilled. Moments later, when the explosion subsided, he eased off of her and then pulled her close in a spoon position. Her body curled into him and she felt the rapid beat of his heart against her back. When he shifted to throw a thigh over hers, she closed her eyes in complete and utter contentment.

  * * *

  The next morning, Lee woke up in Carly’s bed to the smell of breakfast cooking.

  Her bedroom was beautifully decorated with curtains that matched her bedspread and framed photographs depicting beautiful scenes in Paris on almost every wall. Except for one. That wall was covered with numerous plaques, certificates and awards she’d received as a chef. And in the center of her accolades was a huge framed picture of her and an older woman he assumed was her grand-aunt Ruth Briggs.

  There was something about the older woman that reminded him of his great-grandmother. Not in her features but in the strength he saw in her face. She had those sharp all-knowing eyes and a pair of those speak-whatever-is-on-your-mind lips. And he would bet any amount of money she had a pair of hear-what-I-want-to-hear ears. He couldn’t help but chuckle at those assumptions.

  He lay back down in the bed as memories of last night washed over him. Every single detail. Kevin had followed his orders and they hadn’t landed in Vegas until after midnight. Lee had driven them from the airport to her house in record time and had stripped Carly naked the moment they’d stepped inside. At some point, he wasn’t sure exactly when, they’d made it to her bedroom.

  The ringing of a cell phone caught his attention. It was Carly’s phone, lying beside his on the nightstand. He lifted it up and from the caller ID he saw it was a call from Nathaniel Knox. He frowned. Why would that lowlife be calling Carly?

  Something he recognized as jealousy flashed through him, although he knew it was not justified. She had pretty much made it clear to him she no longer felt anything for Knox. So then why was the man calling her? Did he do it often? Was he trying for a comeback?

  Not appreciating the thoughts rolling through his mind, Lee eased out of bed. She had gathered his clothes off her living room floor where he’d left them and had thrown them across a chair in her room. Sliding into his pants, he went to the bathroom.

  Carly had placed a toiletry kit on her vanity counter. It included a toothbrush and paste, shampoo, conditioner and a shaver. He appreciated her thoughtfulness.

  After brushing his teeth and washing his face, he proceeded to shave. Moments later, he gathered both their cell phones and headed downstairs.

  He found her in the kitchen. Her hair tumbled down her back, and she was wearing the sexiest little outfit—a white lace baby-doll gown with a matching robe that hit her midthigh. She stood at her refrigerator, bending over as if looking for something, unaware she was giving him a luscious view of her backside.

  Immediately, his body got hard.

  “Tempting position,” he stated in a husky voice.

  She jerked around and gasped, throwing a hand to her upper chest. She took in a deep breath. “You scared the heck out of me. I didn’t hear you come down the stairs. Good morning.”

  “Good morning to you.” He moved around the breakfast bar and placed a kiss on her lips. “Sorry if I scared you.”

  He slid his phone into his pocket and then handed the other phone to her. “You missed a call.”

  He watched her features when she checked her phone and couldn’t help but appreciate her frown when she saw whose call she’d missed. She rolled her eyes and placed the phone on the counter. “Nobody important.”

  Lee wasn’t going to let her off that easy. “Does he call often?”

  She narrowed her gaze accusingly. “You checked my phone message?”

  He moved his shoulders in one of those it-doesn’t-matter-to-me-if-you’re-pissed-off shrugs. “No. The phone rang and I noticed it was from Knox when your caller ID flashed his name.” He paused a minute. When she didn’t say anything he asked, “Well?”

  She crossed her arms over her chest, and he tried not to notice what the move did to her breasts. “Well what?”

  “Does Knox call you often?”

  “And what business is it of yours?”

  Wrong answer.

  If she was trying to get him riled, she was doing a damn good job of it. “Since I have a marriage proposal on the table, I would think it’s definitely my business.”

  Carly stared at him and he stared back. Then, after an unsteady breath, she said, “Nathaniel called me yesterday, for the first time in three years. He was in Miami for a convention and assumed I still lived there. He wanted to see me for old times’ sake. Let’s just say the conversation didn’t end to his liking.”

  She stepped toward Lee and placed a kiss on his irritated lips. “Don’t ever worry about him, Lee. He never wanted me, but you’ve proven on more than one occasion that you do.”

  Driven with a desire to show her just how much he wanted her, how much he would always want her, he swept her off her feet and into his arms.

  “Wait, Lee! What about breakfast?”

  “It can wait. I need this more.”

  He made it only halfway up the stairs before he had her straddling him and then lifted his hips to work off his pants. Following his lead, she began stripping off her clothes as well. When they married they might as well walk around in bare skin.

  Moments later, they were both naked and she straddled him again. Her twin globes were in his face and he captured a nipple in his mouth and sucked.

  Carly’s inner muscles tightened in anticipation. Her stomach quivered as she bore down, taking him in. Inch by glorious inch. And when she had filled herself fully, every nerve ending in her body became charged.

  She rode him with all the power her thighs and back could exert. Up and down, over and over again. She bore down at the exact moment he pushed up, in perfect rhythm.

  They were making love on her stair steps but that didn’t matter to her. And it certainly didn’t seem to matter to him. The only thing that mattered was what they were feeling, the one thing holding them hard within its grip.

  Passion.

  Lee had claimed it was so, and over the past few days he’d shown her what he’d said was true. Passion and not love ruled them and would continue to rule the
m. Who needed love when you had this? She had tried love before and she’d gotten burned. Besides, being in love had never pulled these kinds of emotions from her. So what if they were dealing with the physical instead of the emotional. When the physical was this good, did it really matter?

  He grabbed her hips and plunged upward as he roared out her name. She slammed down on him when an orgasm ripped through her as well. He held tight, locking their bodies in place while his release jutted deep inside of her.

  “Carly...”

  Moments later, she slumped down on his chest. He gently stroked her back while he whispered her name. Their bodies were still connected and neither of them made a move to separate.

  It took a while for her to lift her head and look down at him. “I think that you, Lee Madaris, are bad for me,” she said in a breathless whisper.

  He continued to gently stroke her back. “And I think that you, Carly Briggs, are definitely good for me.”

  Chapter 11

  Angelo checked his watch. “And you have no idea why Alex called this meeting?”

  Lee shook his head as he pushed aside the stack of papers on his desk. “None.”

  In all honesty, he hadn’t thought about it much. That wasn’t good. Anything involving the hotel should be his top priority. It annoyed him at times how Carly had completely taken over his mind. Over the past two weeks she had gotten deeper and deeper under his skin, and there was nothing he could do about it. Passion had claimed his senses. He couldn’t imagine it being any other way.

  Lee jerked when two fingers snapped in front of his face. Angelo was grinning down at him. “Any reason you’re out there in La-La Land, Lee?”

  He had one very important reason but he preferred keeping it to himself. There was no way he would confess that a woman he’d met a month ago had become so ingrained in his mind that he found it difficult to think of anything else. He’d asked Carly if she was a witch and now he was beginning to think that she was. A very beautiful and sensuous witch who had the day off. They would have dinner at her place later and then take in a movie.

  Instead of coming clean with Angelo, who was sitting in a chair across from him, Lee said, “I wasn’t out there in La-La Land. I was just thinking about something.”

  “Um, something or someone?”

  It was times like this he wished Angelo wasn’t so astute. Lee was sure it came in handy in Angelo’s occupation as an attorney, but Lee was not on any witness stand.

  “What makes you think it’s a someone?”

  “Because you have one of those you-don’t-know-what-I’ve-been-doing grins on your face.”

  Lee frowned. Do I?

  “So what have you been doing lately?”

  Deciding he didn’t like being under the microscope of Angelo’s gaze any longer, he stood and walked over to the window. “The usual.”

  There was nothing usual about his activities over the past few weeks. He could say the reason he enjoyed being with Carly was because he was making up for lost time. He had gone without sex for almost a year. But deep down he knew that was no excuse. He’d been too busy to think about sex. Hell, he was still too busy to think about it. But now it seemed as if he was addicted...to Carly. Because he couldn’t imagine sharing a bed with anyone else.

  “Okay, who is she? And don’t try handing me that ‘there’s no one’ bullshit.”

  Lee turned around and couldn’t help but smile. Over the years Angelo had gotten to know him well. Too well. “She’s not anyone you know.”

  That wasn’t completely true. Angelo had been introduced to Carly during their investors’ dinner, when she’d come from the kitchen to be thanked for the dessert she’d prepared. But he figured Angelo had probably dismissed the entire scenario from his memory already.

  “Is it the same woman you mentioned the last time?” Angelo asked.

  He looked over at Angelo, trying to remember when he’d mentioned anything about Carly. Angelo picked up on his dilemma, because he then said, “Last time I was here, Lee, you asked me if I’d ever been immediately attracted to a woman and I told you, yes. Peyton. And that’s when I told you that when I first saw her I wanted her bad.” Angelo chuckled. “And I also recall you saying that was too much information.”

  Lee stared at Angelo. He would take back what he’d thought earlier. The man had a memory like an elephant.

  “What else do you recall about that particular conversation?”

  Angelo lightly shrugged his massive shoulders. “You shared that one night you’d met such a woman. A guest in this hotel. But you figured you would never see each other again.”

  Angelo paused as he held Lee’s stare. “So what’s going on? Did your path cross with hers? Or did you hire Alex to find her?”

  * * *

  “Sounds like you’ve been busy.”

  Carly was glad Heather was living miles and miles away so she couldn’t see the blush that spread across her face. She’d been busy all right, having the best time of her life with Lee...both in and out of bed. Mostly in bed.

  She cleared her throat. “Well, I guess.”

  She hadn’t told Heather everything, not sure what her friend would think. She had already told Heather that Lee wanted to marry her for passion and not love, but she and Lee were taking passion to an unprecedented level. It was somewhat scary that any two people could be that compatible in the bedroom.

  “You’ve gotten quiet on me, Carly. What’s going on with you?”

  Carly sat curled up on her sofa. She nibbled on her bottom lip. “My relationship with Lee is very physical. You know, all that passion.”

  “Yes, you told me. Is he too demanding?”

  Carly blushed again. “I don’t know how to answer that because I enjoy it as much as he does. Is that a bad thing?”

  Heather chuckled. “No. In fact that’s a good thing. Some people are sensual beings and it sounds like the two of you are.” She then added with a cheerful laugh, “I think Joel and I are sensual beings as well. If we could, we would stay in bed 24/7.”

  “But the two of you are in love.”

  There was a moment of silence before Heather said softly, “You want love to go along with that passion, don’t you?”

  Carly drew in a sharp breath. Again, she was grateful Heather was miles away and couldn’t see her. “Why on earth would you think that?”

  “Because I know you. And I can hear the wistfulness in your tone. Let me guess. You think the sex is so good that love should be part of the equation as well.”

  Yes, that was what she thought at times. Especially when she and Lee stared into each other’s eyes while caught in the throes of an orgasm. He would look at her as if she was the only woman he would ever want, and she knew her gaze reflected the same sort of emotion about him.

  There were also times when he would spend the night, and they would wake up wrapped in each other’s arms. Or when she went straight to his place after leaving work, and he would be there, ready and waiting for her the moment she stepped off the elevator. They had the physical. And it was a dynamic physical. So earth-shattering she felt quivers in her stomach just thinking about it.

  Was she crossing the line by wanting the emotional too? Especially when he’d told her what sort of marriage they would share? Was it so wrong to want it all, something she’d never had before?

  “Carly?”

  Carly nibbled her lip again. “Yes. I think about it at times. If there were both love and passion in our relationship things would be perfect.”

  But then, Carly thought, there had never been a time in her life when anything had been perfect. And she had grown up never expecting it to be. Was she wrong to even think about wanting it now?

  “You deserve perfect, Carly, if that’s what you want. And if it is, then don’t sell yourself short.” Heather paused. “Have you fallen in love with him?”

  “I’m not sure,” Carly said honestly. “I enjoy being with him, both in and out of bed. And out of bed we do have fun tog
ether.” A smile touched her lips. “When he found out I’d never been to Disneyland or Disney World, he took me. We actually spent an entire day at Disneyland last week. It was awesome. And the other night when he found out that I didn’t know how to play cards, he taught me. And I’ve taught him different things in the kitchen. When he’s in there with me I don’t resent sharing my space. Those are the times I wish—”

  “That things could be different,” Heather finished for her.

  “Yes, that things could be different,” Carly agreed. “But then that’s the story of my life, isn’t it?”

  “Be careful with your heart, Carly.”

  She heard the concern in Heather’s voice and understood. Heather had been there each time Carly’s heart had been broken. First by her mother and stepfather and then by Nathaniel.

  “He called a few weeks ago,” Carly said.

  “Who?”

  “Nathaniel.”

  “What on earth could he possibly have wanted?”

  Carly heard the scorn in Heather’s tone. “He was in Miami for a convention and thought I was still living there. When I told him I had moved to Vegas he went off on a tirade, letting me know what an awful place Vegas was.”

  “Whatever. He has a lot of nerve.”

  “Tell me about it,” Carly said in disgust. “Sometimes I wonder what I ever saw in him.”

  “He was good-looking and very persuasive.”

  “True,” Carly agreed. “And I thought he was someone he was not. I’ve learned my lesson. I don’t assume anything about anyone.”

  “Um, are we talking about Nathaniel or Lee Madaris?”

  Carly stood, stretched her body and glanced at the clock on the wall. She needed to dress for work in an hour or so. “Sometimes I have to pinch myself, Heather. Even without love, I often think Lee is too good to be true.”

  “Don’t start judging Lee Madaris by Nathaniel’s past actions.”

  “I’m trying not to.”

  “Then don’t. I’m hoping and praying that they made only one Nathaniel Knox,” Heather said.