Grounds for Seduction (Seattle Steam)

by Shelli Stevens

  With that out of the way, he took care of some other needed business online and then signed off and went to prepare for bed. He couldn’t stop thinking about what Maddie had let him do to her a few minutes ago. Maybe it wasn’t so shocking on the grand sex scale, but this was Maddie. She’d always seemed so conservative and proper.

  Gabe shook his head. She revealed different layers of herself to him every day. And this was the same woman who’d just handcuffed and performed a striptease for him the night before. He shouldn’t be surprised by anything she did.

  The more he thought about their intimate moment in the living room, the more eager he became to climb into bed with her.

  When he opened the door to the bedroom, the light from the hall shone a beam onto Maddie’s sleeping form. She lay on her stomach, with her cheek turned on the pillow toward his side of the bed. She was fast asleep.

  His gut tightened at the image she made. So vulnerable and beautiful. His desire subsided. The desperation and urgency hit him then. He would do anything to keep her. A vow to protect her resonated again in his mind, pounding a silent mantra while he took off his clothes and climbed naked into bed beside her.

  He ran a hand over her back and paused to massage the soft curves of her bottom. She had gone to bed in panties and a tank top again. It seemed to be a favorite of hers for bedtime attire. And he loved it.

  “Mmm.” She stirred and lifted her ass farther into his hands. “You decided to join me.”

  “Like I could resist.” He moved his fingers back down and probed her.

  She moaned and opened her thighs wider. He started to finger her until she grew hotter, wetter, and squirmed on the bed.

  “Gabe…” Her words hitched. “You’re teasing me.”

  “You like it.” He reached underneath her to squeeze her breast.

  “Yes..” She whimpered when he rubbed her clit.

  He pulled her panties all the way off her body. “All right. Why don’t you get up on your hands and knees, mi vida?”

  Maddie struggled to pull herself up, shrugging off her tank top at the same time. She moved onto her hands and knees as he’d requested.

  “I like the sound of that.”

  So do I. He grabbed a condom out of the bedside table and put it on.

  He grasped her hips and probed the slit of her sex with the head of his cock. Taking a deep breath, he pushed inside her slowly and steadily. Her inner muscles tightened around him, her liquid warmth welcoming him.

  When would he grow tired of her? Never, at this rate. She was a fever in his blood. He needed her, wanted her, constantly.

  “Oh God.” She pushed back against him, sending his cock deeper. “You feel so good.”

  “I was going to say the same thing.” He pulled out and thrust back inside.

  He reached in front of her to cup her breasts, which bounced with each thrust. She moaned as he plucked at her nipples, bringing them to their full length.

  Gabe started pounding into her harder. Maddie’s cries turned to screams, and her body clenched around him. The sensation drew a ragged groan from him and sent him over the edge. He came hard, squeezing her hips and thrusting until he had fully spent himself.

  Madison’s knees gave out, and she fell forward with a sigh. Gabe pulled out of her and lay down beside her, kissing her shoulder and nuzzling her neck.

  “God, you are sexy, mi vida.” He nipped at the nape of her neck, loving the saltiness of her damp skin. “I’m sorry I woke you up.”

  “Don’t apologize,” she replied, drowsy again. “It was a helluva way to wake up.”

  Gabe smiled, nuzzling her neck again before he closed his eyes. God, she was an incredible woman.

  …

  Madison opened her eyes the next morning and realized Gabe’s head was just an inch away from her.

  She smiled and sat up. His arm slid off her back where it had been resting. He lay sleeping, but the dark circles under his eyes showed he hadn’t been getting enough.

  She climbed off the bed, hoping he would stay asleep. She watched his brows draw together in a slight scowl, but he didn’t stir.

  Once out of the bedroom, Madison headed straight for the kitchen. It was time to repay Gabe in the cooking department. Biting her lip, she glanced into the somewhat stocked fridge. Someone must have been here not too long ago, because there were eggs and milk that hadn’t yet expired.

  She pulled the eggs from the fridge and began searching the kitchen for bread. When none could be found, she grabbed the box of pancake mix she’d seen earlier and opened the freezer. Aha. Chocolate chips. Gabe might not need a chocolate fix, but she sure did.

  Especially when she was also being deprived of her morning latté. They were going to have to find an espresso stand sometime in the next couple of days. One day, she could handle. Two days, and someone would get hurt.

  Ten minutes later, she was in the midst of flipping a pancake when Gabe walked in. The stunned look on his face made it difficult not to smile.

  “You’re making breakfast?”

  “Yeah, the eggs are almost ready,” she replied and slid the pancake onto a plate beside her.

  Gabe’s glance slid to the stove and he frowned. He must have been looking for the frying pan.

  “Not there. There.” She jerked her head to the left just as the microwave dinged.

  His eyebrows drew together and he opened his mouth to say something, but then shook his head. Instead, he walked over to the microwave, opened the door, and pulled out the steaming bowl of scrambled eggs.

  “What, you’ve never microwaved eggs before?” She took the bowl from him and dished out equal portions onto two plates, dividing the remaining pancakes between each plate.

  “I can’t say that I have.”

  He cleared his throat and looked down at the plate, obviously hesitant to try it.

  “You should. It’s so much quicker. Just be careful not to leave them in too long or they start exploding.” Just then, there was a popping sound, and the scrambled eggs shifted on his plate. “See, like that. Have a seat.”

  Gabe sat, sliding his chair toward the table. He stared at the plate in front of him. Did people really microwave their eggs? Why, when they were so easy to make on the stove?

  “Do you want syrup and butter?” She waved a hand. “Never mind, I’ll bring them out, because I do.”

  She went to retrieve them and came back a moment later, setting the syrup, butter, and a bottle of ketchup on the table.

  “Ketchup?” Gabe raised an eyebrow. What the heck did she need ketchup for?

  Madison grabbed the bottle and flipped open the lid. “I like them on scrambled eggs.”

  He watched as she squirted a glob in the middle of her microwaved eggs, holding back a shudder. He would never have picked her for a ketchup-on-eggs type of girl. Shaking his head, he decided to try the pancake. He wasn’t avoiding the eggs. He just wasn’t quite ready to try them yet.

  The pancake couldn’t be bad. It seemed like she’d even found some blueberries. He took the first bite and stopped chewing.

  “Are these…chocolate-chip pancakes?” He forced himself to swallow the ultra-sweet concoction.

  Madison glanced up from her task of drenching her pancake in syrup. “Yeah, do you mind? I guess I could have made some plain.”

  “No, this is fine,” he heard himself say, and then it hit him. He was in way over his head.

  He sat here eating microwaved eggs and chocolate chip pancakes, for God’s sake. He could have refused her breakfast in a polite way, come up with some excuse. Instead, he shoveled it in and grinned like it was a five-star meal.

  “You like it?” Madison responded to his smile, looking happy with herself. “You should let me try dinner sometime. I can do the most creative things with chicken.”

  “I’ll bet you can.” He forced a bite of egg and immediately realized why she used ketchup. He moved his teeth back and forth over the rubbery eggs until they were chewed up enough to swa
llow. “But you’re treating this time here like your vacation, so I should do the cooking. You relax.”

  “Yeah,” she waved a fork at him. “But I got you shot yesterday. It’s the least I can do.”

  “Grazed, it’s just a graze.” He forced himself to keep eating. “Do you want to go for a walk on the beach after breakfast?”

  Madison glanced up at him, her eyes shining like he’d just offered to take her to Paris.

  “That sounds great. I need time to shower and put on makeup—”

  “Skip it,” he interrupted. “You can take a long bath tonight. You’ll need it more later. Just throw on some jeans you don’t mind getting dirty and a T-shirt. Pull your hair back in a ponytail, and you don’t need makeup.”

  “I don’t know.” She shrugged. “Bare-faced in the morning is okay…but as the day goes on, it’s not pretty.”

  “Oh, please.” He stood, having managed to eat more than half of the breakfast, and took his plate to the sink. “You’re gorgeous, and you know it. With or without the makeup.”

  The room went dead silent, and he turned to see what he’d done wrong. She stared at him with wide eyes, her mouth parted in a smile of amazement. It was a look that broke all the rules, one that said the word rebound might once again just be a basketball term. The thought struck a strange note inside him, and he turned back to the sink.

  “Why don’t you go get ready when you’re finished eating and we’ll head out. Wear a bathing suit under your jeans if you brought one.”

  “I did.” Her voice sounded different, as if she too were aware of the subtle change that had just occurred.

  When she’d left to go change, he wondered why a conversation about makeup had altered things. But that was stupid. It had been about more than that. Nothing about their relationship had been casual since that first sexual encounter in the coffee shop. Added to that the fact that he’d saved her twice from being killed, and things got even more complex.

  Gabe shook his head to clear his thoughts. Turning from the sink, he dried his hands on the kitchen towel and went to grab some things for the hike.

  …

  Madison shrugged into a wool zip-up hoodie and glanced at herself in the mirror. No makeup.

  She tilted her head. It wasn’t so bad. Maybe she could do this natural thing more often. Or maybe that pretty flush in my cheeks is due to Gabe.

  Madison smeared on sun block and applied lip balm. Technically, they weren’t makeup, but still a necessity.

  Gabe was waiting for her in the living room, looking mighty fine in his snug jeans, with a backpack slung over his shoulder. Mr. Hottie-Hiker himself.

  “Ready?”

  “Hmm, maybe you should define ready.” She smiled, raising an eyebrow as she walked past him to the door.

  He gave a soft laugh and followed.

  Madison stopped on the porch, realizing she had no idea where they were going. She turned, waiting for him to take the lead.

  “All right, I hope you’re ready to get dirty.” He stepped off the porch and strode toward the edge of the cliff.

  She smiled and hurried after him.

  “So where are we going to hike anyway?” It almost seemed as if he was going to go right over the edge, but then he veered away from the drop and began walking parallel to the edge.

  “Down to the beach.”

  After a few minutes, she saw it—a trail that weaved down the side of the cliff.

  “The trail is steep, so watch your step.” He turned back around to look at her. “I’ll go slow, just let me know if you need to stop.”

  “I’ll be fine,” she assured him and watched as he jumped over the edge and down a foot onto the trail.

  He turned and offered his hand to help her over the slight drop. She glanced down at it and then placed her hand in his. The now familiar tingle shot up her arm when they touched, but she forced herself to ignore it and instead concentrated on getting her footing.

  She released his hand the moment she had her balance and gave him a wide smile. “Ready when you are.”

  “Let’s do it.”

  Madison hurried to catch up with his brisk stride. The first half of the trail wasn’t very steep, but it wound down the cliff in a gradual horizontal decline.

  They moved at a steady pace for a good half hour, and she barely broke a sweat. It was the last five minutes of the trail that was the real challenge.

  Gabe stopped, looking back to check on her. “Okay, you probably guessed, but that was the easy part. We’re almost down, but this last bit gets tricky.”

  Madison glanced at the hillside that seemed mostly sand and rock. A pretty serious incline. She worried her lip. Why hadn’t someone built some stairs down to the beach?

  “So how do you go about getting down?”

  “Small steps,” he answered as he began the descent.

  She watched him for a moment, seeing how he did it. His steps were small but still quite fast. That whole run-so-you-don’t-fall-on-your-face method.

  If I try that, I’ll end up on my face. She took a deep breath and set out. Gabe reached the bottom before she’d even taken five tiny steps.

  Her tennis shoes slid in the sand, and she cursed, reaching out to grab a shrub on the side of the trail.

  The sound of Gabe laughing rose up to meet her, and she glared down at him.

  “Glad that you’re getting some amusement out of me just about falling on my ass,” she yelled and took another couple steps.

  “You’re doing fine, Maddie,” he called, looking apologetic. “Baby steps, just take baby steps.”

  Just when she thought she had the hang of it, her shoe skidded in the sand again and she did land on her butt.

  She sighed. Well, at least she’d taken his advice and worn some old jeans. She started to try to stand back up, but then stopped.

  “Screw it,” she muttered. “My jeans are already dirty. I’m doing this the easy way.”

  She sat back down on her butt and slid the rest of the way down. Gabe helped her up once she’d reached the bottom, a huge smile on his face.

  “You did great.”

  “I came down on my ass.” She shrugged. “But it worked.”

  Even though she had made it to the safety of the beach, he didn’t release her hand. “Hey, as long as you made it down, who cares, right?”

  “Right, that’s what I figure. Although I’m afraid of what my butt looks like right now.”

  Gabe stepped around behind her, taking in the view for himself and gave a wolf whistle.

  “You look pretty damn sexy, mi vida. But you have a little dirt here…”

  Madison focused on the hand that smoothed over her denim-clad bottom, instead of the fact that he’d called her mi vida again. The hand was a pleasant distraction.

  He gave her ass a light squeeze as he leaned forward and kissed the back of her neck.

  She moaned and leaned back into him. “Mmm, so the hike was just an excuse to have sex on the beach?”

  “Yeah, get naked.”

  Madison giggled, closing her eyes as his teeth closed over her earlobe. She squirmed as heat flooded through her. “Isn’t this a public beach?”

  “Of course.”

  “Would we be breaking the law?”

  “I’m off duty, don’t ask.” He stepped back. “But let’s go for a walk first. The low tide doesn’t last for more than a couple of hours.”

  When his hand disappeared from her backside, disappointment pricked. But it went away as soon as she turned to at last observe their surroundings. She stared in amazement, taking a deep breath of air that smelled salty and like seaweed.

  “It’s so beautiful down here.” She looked down the beach in both directions and out over the Sound. “And seeing the mountains in the daytime is like a hundred times more amazing.”

  “I thought you’d like it.” He unzipped his backpack.

  “I love it.”

  Puget Sound lay still since there was no wind to create whiteca
ps. Clear and shimmering near the beach, a few feet from shore, the water became a dark blue and all visibility below the surface vanished.

  Her gaze followed the vast body of water across the way until it was broken by Port Townsend and the Olympic Peninsula. The mountains that jutted up from the peninsula took her breath away.

  “Have you ever been camping?”

  “Nope.” Madison shook her head, not wanting to look away from the view.

  “The Olympic Forest over there is a great place to go camping.”

  She stared in amazement at the mountains, a smile playing on her face. Her parents hadn’t been the camping type, more like the Hilton in Switzerland type.

  Although Eric had gone camping with Gabe many times. They’d made it an annual summer tradition during high school. Madison had often wondered what it would have been like to go along, had even envied them a couple of times.

  The sound of a click and a whir brought her out of the memory. She turned to look at Gabe, surprised to find him holding a camera.

  “What did you take a picture of?”

  “You.” He wound the camera. “Do you mind?”

  “Nah, I’m not one of those people who freak out about getting their picture taken.” Then she remembered she wasn’t wearing makeup. Oddly enough, it didn’t bother her.

  She looked at the camera in his hand. A real camera, not a phone. It was one of those ultra expensive-looking ones that you had to work manually to get good shots.

  “Do you take a lot of pictures?”

  He shrugged and turned the camera to the mountain range. “It’s just a hobby.”

  Madison noticed his intensity as he continued to take pictures. A memory floated through her head—the photo of his aunt that hung in the house. She gave a small nod of understanding.

  “You took that picture. The one of your aunt. And all the other ones hanging.”

  “Yup.” He didn’t look at her but continued to take various shots of water and mountains.

  “Would you consider letting me sell some of your pictures in my shop?”

  That got his attention. He lowered the camera and turned to face her.

  “I don’t take pictures to make a profit.”