by Zara Chase
“Crying doesn’t achieve anything.”
“Yeah, it does. We all gotta cry sometimes.”
She blinked up at him. “Somehow I can’t imagine a tough guy like you ever letting go of his emotions.”
“That’s because you don’t know anything about me.” Scared of getting onto personal territory, Riley changed the subject. “What brought you down here anyway?”
“I couldn’t sleep.” She shrugged against his chest, where Riley was still holding her captive. It felt damned good with her body—her virtually naked body—pressed close to his, and he saw no reason to let her go just yet. “I know I said earlier that it would be too obvious for Dad to hide anything amongst Mom’s things, but really I was just being a coward.”
“I know.”
“Thanks.”
Riley laughed. “I’m not suggesting you’re a coward, but I understand better than you think how hard it is to go through the personal things of someone close to you.”
She blinked. “You do?”
“Sure.”
“Did you lose someone?”
Riley cursed his stupidity. He’d wanted to comfort her and hadn’t thought about what he was saying. He never spoke about his late wife. Years had gone by but it still hurt like fuck. Maddie looked up to him, her long lashes damp with tears, and he knew he’d do just about anything to make her feel better, including revealing a bit more of himself.
“I was married, years ago now. I’d only been in the marines for a short time when she was diagnosed with a brain tumor.” He spoke in a distant voice, pretending it was someone else’s tragedy. That helped. “It took her a year to die.”
“I’m so sorry.”
“It’s okay. The pain never goes anywhere, but it does get easier.”
“How long ago did this happen?”
“Fifteen years.”
“And you never found anyone else?”
“I never looked.”
“Is that why you became a SEAL?”
“I guess. I didn’t originally intend to stay in the service. Stella was an environmental freak, and we had grand plans to get involved with stuff like that together.” He rolled his eyes. “Greenpeace, watch out.”
“That’s a good thing.”
Riley managed a bitter laugh. “We were young and idealistic. I don’t think we even stopped to consider what we’d live on while dashing from one environmental protest to the next.” He held her a little tighter, conscious of her body warmth seeping through her T-shirt—and his. “After she’d gone I needed something to live for—or an excuse to die, I didn’t much care which. The bottom had fallen out of my world and I needed someone to tell me what Stella had done to deserve to die so young.”
She reached up and touched his face. “At least my parents had a lot of years together. I can’t imagine what it must be like to lose someone you love at such a young age.”
“I hope you never get to find out.”
“How did you meet Axel? You and he seem pretty tight.”
“We went through basic training together and hated one another. We competed like fuck to prove who was the better man.” Riley managed a proper smile this time. “In the end the competition bound us together. Stella got sick and Axel was there for me. We got drunk together, he listened while I sounded off and helped me pick up my life after she’d gone. I don’t think I’d have gotten through without him.”
“He seems like a good guy.”
“He’s one of the best, but don’t tell him I said so. I’d never hear the end of it.”
She chuckled. “Your secret’s safe with me.”
“What about you? Is there—”
“Look at all this mess,” she said, pointing to the boxes littering the floor.
Okay, she still doesn’t want to talk about personal stuff. “What made you decide to start looking in here?”
“I’ve been putting it off. All my mom’s stuff is untouched and I thought…I thought that perhaps—”
“Shush, it’s okay.”
She was crying again. Riley held her tighter and brushed his lips against the top of her head. Her hair smelt of sunshine and wildflowers. He wound it around his hand and tugged until her head tilted backward. Her eyes shimmered with the remnants of her tears, her breathing hitched, and the air between them was charged with expectancy. Her lips were moist and shiny, and Riley knew he simply had to kiss her—the fuck with being professional.
He lowered his head, shortening the distance that separated them until he became conscious of her breath peppering his face. Triumph streaked through him as he claimed her sweet mouth in a searing kiss. With a small gasp her lips parted beneath his and his tongue invaded her mouth, exploring with swirling passes as he deepened the kiss.
Riley’s body was on fire—his cock rock hard and throbbing—a timely reminder that this was a seriously bad idea. Maddie was their client, and Raoul would tear him a new one if he discovered that Riley had crossed the divide. Getting personally involved with a client was a hanging offence, but the feel of her lush body beneath his hands made it hard for Riley to remember why that was so important. He was only comforting her, he told himself. She was upset and was his responsibility. What else could he do?
Yeah, keep telling yourself that and you might even start to believe it.
A needy moan slipped past their fused lips as Riley deepened the kiss. Her T-shirt had ridden up over her bare thighs, offering graphic proof that she definitely wasn’t wearing anything beneath it. Shit! Somehow he found the strength to break the kiss and release the hold he still had on her hair.
“Sorry, darlin’,” he said, trying to gently disentangle their limbs. “I shouldn’t have done that.”
All traces of tears had left her eyes, and the sparkle now reflected in them had little to do with being upset. Her arms were locked around his neck and she didn’t seem to be in any hurry to remove them. On her knees, her breasts flattened against his chest, she leaned into him and expelled a throaty little laugh.
“I disagree,” she said. “It was exactly the right thing to do.”
“Even so, you’re our client—”
“Are you always on duty?”
“Maddie, this will complicate everything.” Even he could hear that his voice lacked conviction. “We need to focus on—”
“Shush!”
A radiant smile lit her features, like she realized the power in their relationship had just shifted her way. Like she was aware Riley couldn’t turn her down, not if this was what she absolutely needed. She flicked a finger against the bulge in his pants and his cock jerked painfully within the confines of his jeans.
“Seems to me you’re already pretty focused.”
“Axel will kill me,” he muttered.
“Why?”
“Because we share everything, that’s why.”
She gasped, causing Riley to suppose that he’d finally found a way to put her off. Instead her eyes glistened, and she canted her head and ran the tip of her tongue repeatedly across her lower lip.
“Perhaps we should wake him up.”
Riley wondered if he’d misheard her. “You like to go with two men at once?”
“I’ve never tried it, but for you two I could be persuaded to give it a go.”
Riley knew when he was beat. Laughing, he took control of the situation by grabbing the hem of her T-shirt and whipping it over her head. Then he took his time, simply looking at her. The view didn’t disappoint. Her tits were pert and firm, her waist narrow, and even though she was on her knees, he could already tell that her legs were long, slim, and toned. She was goddamned perfect.
Riley removed his own T-shirt and pulled her back into his arms, his bare chest colliding with her soft breasts, the amalgamation explosive. This time his kiss was as hard and demanding as the rest of him. He cupped her ass, pulling it against his cock as he deepened the kiss, feeding from her sweet mouth. Her hands were in his hair one moment, scratching their way down his back the
next, matching his increased urgency. He gave her ass an experimental tap. She shuddered and bit down on his lower lip as though she wanted more of the same.
Maddie seemed to think she could take control. Not a chance! Riley broke the kiss, stood up, and removed his jeans and shorts. She watched him intently, eyes widening when she saw the extent of his erection. He fisted it, just in case she doubted what she was in for. Maddie’s only response was a sultry, come-hither smile. Riley was more than ready to oblige. He rejoined her on the bed, tossed her onto her back, and pinned both of her hands above her head, holding them down at the wrist with just one of his own hands.
“Normally I’d shackle these so you’d be at my complete mercy,” he said softly. “But today we’ll just have to improvise.”
“Improvisation is good. I like to improvise.”
“Do you like it hard, though, darlin’? That’s the question.”
“I want you to control me and tell me what to do.”
Shit, was she offering to submit to him? To Riley it felt as though all of his birthdays had come at once. He knew there was a reason, over and above the visual, that he was attracted to Maddie. Now he knew what it was. She wasn’t a sexual prude and, as she’d just revealed, was happy to experiment.
“You got it, babe.” He kissed the end of her nose. “But first off I’m gonna lick you all over.”
“You are?”
“Mmm. Then I’m gonna fuck you until you beg for mercy. Now’s the time to say if you wanna cry ‘wolf.’”
“Are you kidding me?” She sent him a sultry smile. “Do your worst, big boy.”
Riley felt like a kid let loose in a candy store, wondering where to start. Disliking the predictable, he zoned in on one of her ears, sucking the lobe into his mouth until she squirmed with impatience. He worked his way down her slender neck and lapped at the pulse throbbing at its base, causing her to emit another needy moan. He sucked and nipped his way lower until he arrived at one of her tits. Squeezing the heavy mound with his free hand, he sucked the solid nipple into his mouth and bit at it. She cried out, but Riley didn’t need to look up to know he hadn’t hurt her. Maddie was a natural and enjoyed receiving pain as much as he enjoyed inflicting it.
Still keeping her hands above her head, Riley moved to the side of her face and dropped the tip of his cock against her lips.
“Taste me,” he said curtly.
Her tongue lapped at his foreskin, sucking up the drop of pre-cum that had oozed out. She worked her way down the sensitive underside of his cock until she reached his laden balls, grabbed the hairs on them between her teeth, and tugged. Riley gritted his own teeth and closed his eyes. Shit, perhaps this isn’t such a good idea. He removed himself from her mouth and pushed her onto her side.
“Keep your hands where they are, darlin’,” Riley said, releasing them. “Grab hold of the headboard and prepare for a hard ride.”
“I’m ready,” she said, almost sobbing the words.
“I know you are.”
He also knew he hadn’t touched her cunt and that she must be pretty damned desperate for him to do so. Working from behind her, he moistened his forefinger and rimmed her anus with it. She tensed up but didn’t try to stop him. Riley slid his fingers lower, to where her upper thighs were slick with her own juices. She’d told the truth. She was more than ready for him, and Riley was in no mood to make her wait. He reached on the floor for his jeans, extracted a condom from his wallet, tore the packet open with his teeth, and rolled the rubber down his length. Then he spooned behind her and slid between her thighs, easily finding her entrance. She cried out when he pushed inside, probably because she was so tight and he was stretching her to the limit.
“That feels so fucking good,” he said, closing his eyes to enhance his pleasure as he worked his way a little deeper.
She pushed back against him. “I need you,” she said, sounding desperate. “Don’t hold back.”
Riley chuckled. “Who’s holding back?”
With one hand working her clit, Riley went to work. She moved with him until he was entirely sheathed in her tight warmth. It felt like heaven. Riley couldn’t remember the last time he’d invested emotion into the act—well, he could, but he didn’t want to think about Stella right now. Instead, he’d live for the moment and figure out what it all meant at a more appropriate time.
“Come on, darlin’,” he purred in her ear. “Let it go. I can tell you’re close.”
He worked his fingers across her clit a little harder and she cried out, her entire body spasming as she came. The moment she stilled Riley picked up the rhythm, thrusting hard and deep from behind.
“Now for the main act,” he said. “Keep taking it, darlin’, I’m so fucking close.”
“Me as well.” There was surprise in her voice, like she’d never come twice in quick succession before. “It’s astonishing.”
“Get used to it. Axel and I like to give total satisfaction.”
“Riley, I…”
She screamed so loud that Axel must have heard her. On the brink of his own orgasm, Riley couldn’t have cared less. He grabbed her hips and thrust into her like a man with ghosts to expunge, groaning as he shot an endless spray of sperm into the condom.
“So much for keeping it professional,” said Axel’s amused voice from the doorway.
Chapter Six
Axel could sleep anywhere. He’d learned during his time in the service never to pass up on the opportunity to either sleep or eat. His occupation had also taught him to remain alert, even when sleeping. Anything out of place, the slightest disturbance, would find him instantly on his mettle and reaching for a weapon. He’d also acquired the ability to remember exactly where he was without any of the usual disorientation associated with waking up. It was usually some god-awful stink hole at the ass-end of the world where he and his fellow SEALs were waiting, primed and ready to move in as soon as they got the green light.
He woke this time between crisp clean sheets, but the sound that roused him was definitely out of place in this house. A woman in the throes of an orgasm? Impossible! Except he knew what he’d heard. Unless Maddie was totally uninhibited when she masturbated, she and Riley must be getting it on.
“Well, well,” he muttered, grinning.
He’d known Riley had instantly liked what he saw in Maddie even before they’d talked about it. Hell, what was not to like? It wasn’t the first time they’d been attracted to a client, but there was something about Maddie that set her apart. Axel had hope that her allure might break through the rigid standards Riley set for himself—for them both.
He just hadn’t expected it to happen so soon.
He pulled on a pair of shorts and slipped down the stairs, careful not to make any noise. Not that it would have mattered because as soon as he reached the master bedroom he realized a herd of elephants could have charged in but the two of them were so into each other they wouldn’t have noticed. Alex stood in the doorway for some time, watching them screw one another senseless, a raging hard-on tenting his shorts.
“Axel.” Maddie glanced up at him and flashed a thoroughly satiated smile, seemingly unembarrassed by her nakedness. Not that she had anything to be embarrassed about, but he knew how women could be. “Did we wake you?”
“Maddie couldn’t sleep,” Riley said with a wry grin.
“I was looking through my mom’s things to see if I could find anything to help you,” she said, speaking at the same time as Riley.
Riley dropped a kiss on her forehead, levered himself from the bed, and disappeared into the bathroom, presumably to dispose of the condom. He returned a second or so later and pulled on his jeans without bothering with his shorts.
“I’ll check the perimeter and then get my head down for a while,” he said to Axel.
Axel knew it was a deliberate plot to leave him alone with Maddie. How much had Riley told her about their proclivities? Presumably enough to know that she wouldn’t freak at the prospect of sharing.
“Any problems you couldn’t handle?” Axel asked with a nonchalant smirk.
“His hands are entirely capable,” Maddie answered, tossing her head.
Axel chuckled. “You haven’t tried mine yet.”
She moistened her lips. “Are you offering?”
Riley had already slipped from the room, so Axel sat on the edge of the bed beside her.
“You need to hit the shower and then go back to bed,” he said, surprising himself because it was the last thing he actually wanted her to do.
“Are you mad at me…at Riley and me?”
“For starting without me?” Axel shook his head. “Not in the least, but I am surprised. Riley never puts pleasure before duty.”
“I didn’t try to seduce him, if that’s what you’re thinking.”
“I wasn’t. Riley only ever does what Riley wants to do.”
“He told me about his wife.”
Axel elevated his brows. “Now I’m really surprised. He never talks about her, not even to me anymore, but he’s been hung up about her for way too long. Blames himself for not realizing she was sick. Says if he’d known earlier, they might have been able to do something to save her.”
“I don’t think it works that way with brain tumors.”
Alex grimaced. “Try telling that to Riley.”
“About what just happened between us. Are you saying he never goes with women? I find that hard to believe.”
“Hell no, he likes to screw as much as the next guy, but he never commits emotionally, which means it’s all deeds and little words with him. The fact that he actually talked to you about Stella is a real breakthrough. He’s damned crazy to still cling emotionally to her memory, and it’s the last thing she’d have wanted.” Axel laughed. “Whenever I try to say so, he threatens to pulverize me and tells me to mind my own goddamned business.”
“I was upset,” Maddie said, pulling her T-shirt back on. “I think he only intended to comfort me, but things got out of hand.”
“Only because Riley wanted them to.” Axel lifted a hand and pushed a strand of hair behind her ear. “He’s got more self-control than a fucking monk.”