by Hannah Ford
All the emotions that I thought I had under control resurfaced.
“I can’t…”
“You never cashed the check, Skylar. Why?”
Oh god, I was going to start crying in the middle of a chic outdoor cafe.
“Because it was never about the money,” I choked out. Emotion clogged my throat.
I glanced around and saw that a lot more people were watching us. Some even had their phones out and were holding them up. Now Madden was going to be front-page news again. Everyone would know where he was. This kind of out of his control publicity brought out the bastard in him.
He was nothing if not predictable.
“People are recording you,” I said. That was his cue to close up. I waited for him to hide any emotion that he might be feeling. To become the man I hated.
“I don’t care,” he said. He leaned in closer and rested his other hand along my cheek. His thumb stroked along my jaw. “Nothing matters without you. It wasn’t until everything fell apart that I realized I didn’t care. None of it mattered. The only regret I had was you. You’re what’s important, Skylar, and it took losing it all to figure that out. I’m nothing without you.”
His gaze remained fixed on me and the vulnerability in his eyes never faded. I had only gotten a glimpse of this Madden before, but right now he stood in front of me, exposed for all to see. And we had attracted quite the crowd.
That he didn’t care about the people watching, about what they would say, spoke volumes on the truth of his words. I wanted to believe him...
“Madden…” My voice broke and I laid my hand on top of his. Did I dare take a chance again? My heart couldn’t take it if he turned cold in the morning. “I want to believe you, I really do, but you broke my heart. I thought we had something and I trusted you.”
He groaned and closed his eyes for a second. When he reopened them, what I saw shining there now sent my pulse racing. My legs trembled. Hope flared to life inside my chest. Did I wish it so completely, dream it up so that I was seeing things, or was it really there?
“I’ll spend every day for the rest of my life making up for that and making sure you know you’re the only important person in the world to me.” His hand slid from my cheek as he knelt down on one knee.
I heard several dozen gasps in the air around us but none were louder than my own.
“I didn’t do this right the first time, so I want this one to be perfect.” He reached into his pocket and pulled out a light blue box. When he opened it, the most beautiful diamond ring sparkled in the sunlight. “Skylar Kinsey,” he said, his voice loud and sure now, “I don’t want to spend another day without you. You showed me what was important and made me realize that nothing matters unless you’re with the person you can’t live without. That’s you. I need you. I love you, Skylar. Will you marry me?”
I heard clapping filtering through the buzzing in my head. Tears burned my eyes.
“But we hardly even know each other,” I whispered.
He responded immediately. “The truth is that I never really knew who I was until you came into my life.”
I looked down at Madden, kneeling there at my feet. It was humbling and unbelievable. He wanted me. Madden Cross wanted me and god knew that I wanted him too. I glanced around at the crowd, many of whom were now on their feet; and still more of them recording us.
All of them were smiling at us.
“Say yes,” several women shouted.
“Skylar?” Madden said as he cleared his throat. It was the uncertainty that shone from his eyes that spurred me to action. This was not the old Madden. This was the man I’d imagined was always there, had hoped to see again, and who I thought I had lost forever. This was the man I loved. And always had loved.
“Yes,” I said as tears started to stream down my face. “Yes I’ll marry you.”
The crowd broke into thunderous applause and whoops and whistles but all I saw was the smile that spread over Madden’s face. I’d never seen him look so relieved and so happy as when he slid the ring onto my finger.
Then he stood and swooped me into his arms.
This was beyond any wish I had of him coming back. I wrapped my arms around his neck and buried my face against him. I didn’t want to let go in case this was some delusional fantasy my mind had concocted to torture me even more.
“You’ve made me the happiest man on the planet,” Madden said softly, right next to my ear. Then he pressed his lips to the sensitive spot just below and goose bumps covered my arms. “And I’m going to make sure you know it every hour of every day, Skylar.”
I pulled back enough to look into his eyes. “I’m just glad that you’re finally here.” Then I leaned in and pressed my lips to his. There were more catcalls but I didn’t care. Madden was there, holding me like he never wanted to let go.
“I’m never letting you go again,” he said as if he’d read my mind.
Chapter 5
“These are for you,” Madden said, handing me the most exquisite bouquet of red roses I'd ever seen in my life.
After the magical proposal, Lindsay insisted that we play hooky from work and have a spa afternoon to get ready for my ‘night to remember’ that Madden was planning. We hit the salon where I got new highlights and then we had a mani/pedi while sipping drinks with umbrellas in them. Then, we had to find the perfect dress, which turned out to be a coral colored wrap dress that hugged my curves almost indecently, but that Lindsay insisted was the one.
I’d never had an afternoon like that with a girlfriend and by the time she dropped me off at my apartment, I was already giddy with excitement. Getting ready only heightened it and by the time Madden knocked on my door, I was practically bursting with excitement.
“Thank you.” I took the flowers already knowing I didn’t have anything big enough to hold them in. “Come in.”
He had on a dark grey suit with a black dress shirt underneath and I couldn't take my eyes off of him. When he stepped into my apartment, the room immediately felt smaller.
“These are beautiful.” I held the bouquet up to my face and inhaled. The sweet aroma filled my lungs.
“Not nearly as beautiful as you.” Madden’s voice was low and gravely and already filled with promise.
I set the roses carefully in the sink and turned. He had followed me silently into the kitchen and was only a few steps away. His gaze raked up and down my body slowly and by the time he was done, every inch of me tingled.
He reached out and cupped my jaw. “I’ll never get tired of looking at you; of touching you. I can't believe that you agreed to be mine.”
The intensity in his eyes made heat flood through my body, pooling between my legs. We’d been alone for only five minutes and I wanted him.
“Are you ready?” he asked.
Was I ever. I nodded, blushing.
A smirk flitted across his lips. The arrogance was back, but it lacked coldness now. There was only fire in his eyes. His hand slid down my bare arm and he rested his fingers against my hip.
“One second, I forgot something.” He leaned in and his lips took mine. I opened under him and sank into the feel of his tongue stroking across the ridges of my mouth. He took control of the kiss but it was different this time. Sensual and intoxicating. I whimpered deep in my throat when he pulled away much too soon.
He was as breathless as me. “There will be much more later, but first, I want to do this the right way. The way it should have been from the start.”
He led me across the apartment and locked my door. He didn’t stop touching me as we waited for the elevator, or on the short ride to the lobby, or even when we stepped off and I saw a limo waiting through the large glass doors. The driver waited to open the door and help us inside. The interior was dimly lit and there was a bottle of champagne sitting in a bucket of ice. Two fluted crystal glasses sat next to it.
The car glided forward as Madden uncorked the bottle and poured some into each glass. I took the glass he offered with
a smile.
“To new beginnings and second chances,” he said. I clinked my glass with his and took a sip. Tiny bubbles tickled my nose and I couldn’t remember the last time I’d felt this happy. The diamond on my left hand sparkled in the light. I never envisioned ending up here, but there was no place else I’d want to be.
“I’m sorry that the media found out about your past.”
His eyes darkened and for one terrifying moment, I thought the old Madden had come back. Doubt slammed into my head. But then his eyes cleared and he shrugged. “They wanted to find dirt and they did, so now there are no more secrets. And it made me see what was really important.”
I set the glass down and moved to sit next to him. He pulled me against his chest and wrapped one arm around my shoulders. His lips brushed across my temple. I wanted to stay right there forever.
“Are there any...repercussions from everything that came out? I didn’t read anything…”
“Aside from the association with a known mob boss, no. They have no connection aside from Paulie creating a false name and paying for my college education. It’s enough to turn the public against me, but even if they strip away my degrees, I have my company. It’s not important though. From the minute the story broke, all I thought about was you and how I screwed it all up. My past, my company, none of it meant anything because you were gone. I was empty. I finally realized that I had to take the chance and find you. With nothing left to lose, I came here to lay it all on the line.”
I kissed his jaw. “None of it matters except you. You were the only thing that I wanted. That I still want.” I ran my hand up his leg and felt the muscles there tense.
“As do I,” he said hoarsely, “but I have plans for us tonight. The way it should have been from the start.”
I groaned and curled my finger to keep from caressing him again.
He took my hand and kissed each finger as he pulled them open. “I promise that later tonight, you will have everything you want.”
How could he say that and not expect me to burst into flames? “Madden.”
“I love hearing my name on your lips.”
I pushed up until my lips were right against his ear. “Madden, Madden, Madden,” I whispered.
“Skylar,” he groaned. “I’m trying to do this the right way this time.”
“You already did. But now…” I pulled the dress up enough that I could lift one leg and straddle his hips. “Now, it’s time for a proper celebration. With my future husband.”
His fingers dug into my thighs and he pulled me tighter against him, enough so that I felt how much he wanted me. “Say that again,” he demanded.
I grinned. “My future husband.”
He shifted his hips and I groaned.
“You win. I can deny you nothing. Driver, take us to the Fontainebleau immediately.”
I started to shift off his lap but his dark laughter stopped me.
“Oh no, you get to stay right here until we arrive.” Madden moved me slowly back and forth and sparks of pleasure shot out from between my legs. By the time we arrived at the hotel, I wasn’t sure my legs would hold me up.
Madden had played me like a master musician the entire ride but held back any time I got close.
“You’re the devil,” I whispered in his ear when the car slowed to a stop.
His only reply was to swipe his thumb over the silky wet material between my legs as he helped me back onto the seat.
“Devil,” I groaned as cool air washed over me from the open door. Madden’s deep chuckle followed me out the door.
The lobby of the hotel was massive with marbled floors and huge columns separating the front desk from a lounge area. With his hand on my lower back, we walked toward the bank of elevators as salsa music played in the background.
I expected that as soon as the elevator doors closed, he’d be all over me again. My pulse sped up and my skin tingled waiting, but he just stood staring straight ahead with his hand on my back. I squirmed and glanced up at him. The corner of his mouth lifted up.
The bastard knew what he was doing to me.
The best part was that I never wanted him to stop.
Minutes later, we arrived at the room.
Madden slid his key card into a penthouse suite, then opened the door a crack.
He turned to me with a grin, and then before I knew what was happening, he swooped me up into his arms and pushed through the door. I started to argue when I saw the room.
The room flickered with the light from a hundred candles. Roses filled the space and petals were scattered across the floor. A bottle sat chilling in a crystal bucket and several silver covered dishes were on the table. Soft music played in the background. The curtains had been left open and the glittering lights of the city spread out as far as I could see.
“You did all this?” I asked, unable to look away from the view. We had to be twenty stories high.
“Well, I personally didn’t pluck the rose petals, but I did orchestrate everything. And supervised. I wanted it to be perfect.”
I choked on a laugh. “It’s like a fairy tale to be honest.” And the best part was that I was there with my very own Prince Charming. I spun around and threw my arms around his neck. “You are amazing. And wonderful. And sweet.” I punctuated each word with a kiss. “And I love every single thing because you did it for me.”
“From now on, everything will be about you.” He took my lips and I sank into the kiss. It was so different than before. I could feel him as he gave me everything. I tangled my fingers into the hair at the back of his neck and tugged him down so that I could deepen the kiss. We fought, battled for control until we were both panting.
“Are you hungry?” he asked. His eyes were almost black and I could feel the tension radiating from him.
It made my stomach clench. “Only for you.”
He sucked in a breath then tugged on the tie at my waist; the only thing keeping my dress together. It parted under his fingers and he slid it slowly off my shoulders. The silky material pooled at my feet.
I’d worn a sheer black bra and matching thong just for him. His fingers skimmed over my neck, over my shoulder, then down my collarbone. He hovered over my breast and I felt my nipples tighten with anticipation.
A low growl rumbled in his throat right before he leaned forward and sucked one hard tip into his mouth. I ran my fingers up his arm and slid them into his hair again, holding him close. Need sparked and shocks radiated through my body. He bit down, not hard enough to really hurt but enough so that a darker pleasure started to throb inside me.
I moaned his name and he gripped my waist to hold me still.
“I’m going to kiss and lick and taste every inch of your skin tonight,” he said against my skin.
My legs trembled and I braced my hands on his shoulders. Every time his mouth moved over a new spot, the heat inside my veins grew hotter. He’d only covered my shoulders and I was ready to burst into an inferno.
“I can’t stand up much longer,” I gasped. “You’re making it impossible to think.”
He nipped at my collarbone and chuckled at my gasp. Deftly, he slowly backed me up until the back of my legs hit the soft material of a chaise lounge. His mouth didn’t stop moving the entire time.
I sank down, grateful that I had not fallen and Madden knelt down and leaned me back. He traced his lips over my fluttering stomach, along each hip, up the inside of both thighs. His fingers slid up the outside of my legs and he eased the thong down. He parted my legs and after pressing a kiss to the inside of both knees, draped one over each shoulder.
The lounge shifted as he moved forward so that I was spread wide open under him.
His eyes burned as he took me in and I tried not to squirm under the scrutiny. He did nothing but look for several long seconds. When he lowered his head, I breathed a sigh of relief. I ached for his touch. Burned with the need.
The first brush of his lips sent my hips surging upwards. He grunted and adjus
ted his arms so that I was pinned to the chair. The next time he moved his mouth between my legs, the muscles in my legs jerked but I could not move. Apparently satisfied, Madden close his mouth over my clit and gently sucked it into his mouth.
“Oh god,” I moaned.
He took his time, circling the hard nub with the tip of his tongue while keeping up the rhythmic sucking pressure. I’d never felt anything like it before. It was as if he were drawing the pleasure from my body in slow motion. The ache built agonizingly slow. With every breath in I could feel it filling my body.
I clenched around nothing, groaned and begged with breathless pleas, but Madden did not stop nor did he go faster. Aside from his arms pinning my legs, his mouth was my only connection to him.
The pressure grew and lights danced behind my eyelids from holding my breath. I gasped in air and he stoked the fire into an uncontrollable inferno. He was pushing me right to the edge and there wasn’t a single thing I could do to stop him. My release was his to give. I was completely and totally his to command and that knowledge sent me over the edge.
I belonged to Madden, from now until forever.
Spasms rolled through me like lava. I was unable to move, and could only lie there as the heat incinerated me from the inside out. It grew hotter and hotter until I had to scream or I’d disappear in the fiery sensations.
Tears burned my eyes from the exquisite pleasure that had not lessened yet and they spilled over, rolling down my cheeks. I sobbed Madden’s name. It felt as though I were breaking apart, shattering into a million pieces.
Slowly, with soothing words and soft touches, Madden put me back together again. When I finally stopped shaking, he gathered me into his arms and picked me up. The tears had stopped and I buried my face in his neck, pressing hot kisses along the column of his neck.
He took us to the bedroom and laid me gently on the bed, then stood back and unbuttoned his jacket. His gaze never left mine. Next was his shirt that seemed to take him forever to unbutton. When he slid his pants down over his legs, I couldn't look away from the bulge pushing at his boxers.