by Sonya Weiss
“Finally, we get to the sex,” Maddie teased.
He shook his head and cupped her face, wanting to make sure she knew he was serious. “No. I am going to make love to you, and I am going to appreciate your body and every inch of who you are. I promise you will never doubt how much I want you or how much you belong right here in this moment.”
Chapter Twelve
Maddie’s heart clenched at Cole’s words. A thirsty place deep inside her wanted to drink it up, to believe everything he was saying. All she could do was give him a nod. Then he reached for her, and she lost the ability to think clearly. There was only Cole and the magic of his hands on her.
She could barely stand the onslaught of his tongue suckling her breasts. The center of her body craved him, aching to be filled, but when she tried to reach for him, he lightly swatted her hands away.
He knelt, and her stomach fluttered as he slid his hands oh-so-slowly down her thighs, making her breathless, making her anticipate. He nudged them apart. With the warm heat of his mouth and the expertise of his tongue, he branded her aching skin with a trail of kisses from her knee to her rib cage. Maddie moaned, and he switched to the other side and did the same.
When his hand gently cupped the center of her, she squirmed against it, trying to find some relief, but he pulled back. Maddie let out a sound of frustration.
“Patience, woman.” He rose and guided himself between her legs, letting her feel his hard length as he moved back and forth slowly. “Is this what you want?”
“Enough,” she said as she gripped his shoulders, deciding that it was time she gave him a taste of his own medicine.
He easily resisted her efforts. “Look at me,” he demanded in a voice that was thick with need.
Maddie met his dark gaze.
“I know what you need.” He slid his fingers between their bodies ever closer…closer…then nothing. “And you’ll get it. Soon.”
She was done being teased. “That’s it!” She pushed him backward onto the bed, and he fell onto the mattress with a wicked chuckle, as if he knew exactly how crazy he’d driven her. She pounced on him, intending to straddle him and take matters into her own hands, but in a quick maneuver, he rolled her over onto her back and easily held her hands above her head with one of his hands.
Using his knee, he pushed her legs apart and slipped his fingers against her. When he connected with her swollen flesh, Maddie let out a strangled gasp. He tormented the taut bud until she thought her brain was going to catch fire. She could swear she saw stars.
She wiggled her hips. “I need…”
“I know what you need,” he whispered in her ear as his fingers continued to play her like an instrument he’d mastered.
Maddie freed her hands and put both on his muscular ass. “Please.” She pressed down on him, but he wouldn’t budge. “Cole, please.”
“Oh, I will, Maddie. I’ll please you over and over again.” His thumb ran across her swollen center, and he kept at it, driving her harder and harder until Maggie ruptured and fell apart. The force of her release made her buck against his hand and cry out. She shuddered, still awash in the aftermath of the orgasm, when he stroked her again, not letting up until she found release a second time. Her body felt weightless, and she was barely aware of Cole getting a condom and then covering her body with his. She thrilled in the weight of his body pinning her to the mattress.
He pressed gently against her but didn’t enter. “Maddie,” he whispered.
She looked at him, expecting to see male satisfaction or some sort of triumph that he’d made her lose control so completely, but it wasn’t there. Instead, he looked at her like he could see past her armor, like she mattered, and that threw Maddie for a loop.
“I meant what I said. You belong right here, sharing this moment with me.”
A lump developed in her throat. She blinked rapidly to keep the tears from spilling over, but they did anyway. She tried to turn her head away so he wouldn’t witness her vulnerability, but he guided her face toward his and kissed the path of her tears.
He gave her a tender smile as he eased all the way in. He stilled for a second, and Maddie could have sworn there was wonder in his eyes before he began moving. He drove harder and faster, deeper with each thrust, until she felt her muscles quivering again. She tried to hold on, tried to prevent herself from tumbling over the edge, but was powerless against the onslaught as Cole rocked her body forward.
She was still caught in the powerful grip of her release when Cole plunged deep into her, his muscles tensing slightly before he found his release. She expected him to immediately disengage, but he didn’t, surprising her yet again.
Instead, he kissed her, then moved to lie beside her. He pulled her against him, wrapping his arms tight around her body. She put her head against his shoulder and couldn’t remember ever feeling as satisfied or as safe as she did at that moment. “That was—”
“Perfect, I know.” He laughed when she pushed against his chest and rolled her eyes.
“Seriously…it was amazing. It’s never been like that before.”
“That’s because there’s only one Cole Mitchell, baby.”
Maddie laughed at his exaggerated cockiness. “Too bad we can’t steal away somewhere and leave the world behind for a few days. Imagine how many more times like this we could squeeze in.”
He sat up suddenly. “We can do exactly that.”
“But the business party…”
“But nothing. Mason and Jake can handle it. I have a jet that can take us anywhere in the world. Get dressed and pack a bag.” He got out of bed and walked naked to his closet.
Still trying to process that he was blowing off the party, Maddie put on her robe and went to join him. “You’re going to blow off an important function? That doesn’t seem like you.”
“Why?”
“Because according to the rumors, you’re all work and all work.”
“I know how to play hooky, Maddie.”
Cole pulled on his clothes piece by piece, and she thought what a shame it was to cover up his body’s perfection. She leaned against the closet door and crossed her arms. “Where would we go?”
“We’ve got a world to choose from.” He put his hands on her waist. “But I have some place in mind that I’d like to take you.”
“That sounds mysterious.”
He put his hands on her shoulders and turned her around, giving her a gentle swat on the ass. “Pack your clothes and meet me downstairs.”
Maddie still hesitated. “I don’t understand why you’d want to do this.”
“Because you brought it up and because I want to do something that makes you happy.”
She drank in the sight of him, and the look in his eyes confused her.
“Don’t overthink it. Just enjoy the moment.”
“Okay. I’ll go get ready.” Forcing a smile, she left him and went to her room. She packed swiftly, pausing every now and then to think about that look. Was it possible that Cole was beginning to see past their history to what could be?
Maddie stopped and sat on the edge of the bed. If so, how did she feel about that? Her heart pounded. She decided that she liked the thought of both of them moving on together. Being with him made her feel more alive than she’d ever felt in her life. Filled with hope, she hurriedly finished her packing and went down the stairs where Cole waited.
…
Cole wasn’t the kind of guy who did anything on the spur of the moment. Especially anything romantic. All he knew was that after he’d made love to Maddie, he’d wanted to figure out a way to surround her with his strength. To ward off anything that would make her unhappy. That scared the shit out of him, and he’d almost rolled out of the bed and downplayed what had occurred between them and how it had affected him.
But one look into those blue eyes of hers and he knew he couldn’t do that. He wouldn’t be another man in her life who made her feel like she wasn’t important.
She peppered
him with questions all the way to the airport and throughout the flight, but he’d only give her little hints.
“The curiosity is killing me. You have to tell me where we are,” she said after another fruitless look through the jet’s window as they landed. Because night had already fallen, there wasn’t much to see, if anything. She settled back in the leather seat with a frustrated sigh as the jet slowly taxied to a stop.
“Not knowing is half the fun,” he said as he rose and held his hand out.
She undid the seat belt and slipped her hand into his. Cole led the way off the plane and onto the landing strip. A sign welcoming guests made Maddie stop in her tracks. “Princess Island.” She looked over at him. “I can’t believe you remembered I told you about this.”
“I did, and though there will be others there, I was able to get the Queen’s suite in the castle.”
Maddie’s eyes rounded. “How’d you pull that off?”
Cole shrugged. “Charm. Good looks.”
She laughed. “You offered to pay more, didn’t you?”
“A king’s ransom,” he teased.
Her laughter faded. “For my sake. You did all this for me. I don’t know what to even think, much less what to say.”
“You don’t have to say anything.” He looked at her shoes. “But we do have to walk some distance from the parking area. The castle is surrounded by a moat, and there’s a narrow stone bridge leading into the place. One way in and out.”
“The walking isn’t a problem.” She looked around, bit her lip, then looked back at him and put her hand on his arm. “This is…thank you.” Her voice was filled with the weight of words she wasn’t saying. But he didn’t need words to know how much this meant to her.
He covered her hand with his, and a moment of stillness fell over them. Cole was aware of a strange shift inside of him that caused everything and everyone in his life to shift priority until they were below Maddie. He blinked and turned back toward the path, and the moment dissipated, leaving him wondering what had just happened to him.
He tucked her hand into the crook of his arm, and they walked toward the castle. The imposing structure rose up toward the sky, and the lights in the turrets broke the darkness of the night. As they grew closer, the scent of hundreds of flowers permeated the air.
“It’s beautiful,” Maddie said as a soft breeze blew around them.
“There’s a library you’re welcome to browse, as well as an indoor swimming pool,” their guide said as he carried their luggage into the entrance of the castle. “I’ll arrange for your bags to be taken up.” He clapped his hands.
A uniformed man appeared and picked up the cases, greeting them with a slight bow. “If you’ll follow me, I’ll take you to your suite.”
The suite was decorated in the style of eighteenth-century England, including a bed with an ornate gold canopy and curtains attached directly to the ceiling. A scattering of blue and gold upholstered chairs and ottomans were arranged nearby.
The man set the cases down and gestured to the stained-glass windows featuring a variety of colors and artwork. “The dining room is down the stairs and to the left. If you don’t see anything you like on the menu, the chef will be happy to customize your meals.” He gave them both a nod and then left the room.
Maddie moved to one of the windows and swung it open, then took a deep breath. “I can smell the flower garden and the ocean.”
Cole walked up behind her. From the height of the room, he could see the moon spilling across the land and the sea. On the trip over, he’d texted Mason and Jake that he wouldn’t be at the business party. Since then, his phone had blown up with texts. He’d never once missed a business function.
To fly away and leave everything behind wasn’t normal for him, but he didn’t care. He felt—he looked down at Maddie’s upturned face—pulled by a force he was powerless to resist. Cole leaned forward until his lips met hers. The kiss was fire and sweetness, longing and hope. It was a future with the woman in his arms.
It was that thought that made Cole snap his head up. Future? That was his personal F word, and he waited for the dread, for the hell-no to overtake him, but it didn’t come.
In response to the question she was throwing out with her eyes, he smoothed back her hair. There were things he wished he could say, promises he wished he could make, but he knew better. Women had expectations, and he could never answer those. Maddie, with her big heart and determination to see the good in others, would have higher expectations, which meant she’d have further to fall, a bigger heartbreak when he didn’t follow through.
“I should get ready.” Maddie turned away from him to go to her suitcase. “I wasn’t sure what to bring, so I went with a basic black dress. It’s a little plain, but I think it’ll do.”
She went into the bathroom to get ready, and as soon as she closed the door behind her, Cole got on the phone and called his friends to let them know what was going on. As expected, Mason and Jake wanted to dig deeper, but once he said he was with Maddie, they both went silent. A heavy one that judged him.
“It’s not like that.”
“Then what is it?” Jake asked in a warning tone.
Cole couldn’t answer, because he couldn’t accurately describe what the hell was going on with him. He assured them that everything was fine.
“How can it be fine when you’re wining and dining the woman whose life you’re going to ruin?” Mason asked sharply.
“Not Maddie’s life. Her grandfather’s,” Cole corrected.
“She loves him. What ruins him affects her.”
Cole knew his friends would always stand by him, but they didn’t understand what was at stake if he didn’t keep the promise he’d made to Adam. He wouldn’t be able to face himself if he failed his friend again. He changed the subject and later, after ending the three-way conversation, his phone immediately rang again.
This time, it was Pierce. “I found something,” he said.
Cole glanced toward the closed bathroom door, his friends’ words of caution still ringing in his ears. “We’ll meet when I get back.” He knew Pierce was surprised. Could hear it in the other man’s voice as he’d agreed. Dropping the phone onto the desk, Cole looked at his reflection. He hadn’t wanted to hear the latest news about Samuel Russell because he wanted to steal this time with Maddie away from the ghosts of the past.
He frowned at his face staring back at him. “Being here doesn’t mean anything to me. I’m doing this for her and her alone,” he said, then turned away before he could see the lie in his own eyes.
Chapter Thirteen
Maddie freshened up and then dressed and smoothed her dress down over her curves. In the reflection looking back at her, she thought she looked okay. She quickly curled her hair and swept it up off her neck, then put on a light makeup. When she was done, she exhaled slowly at the mirror. Her eyes were sparkling; her cheeks were flushed.
She put her palms over her face. Her reaction had more to do with the man she was with rather than the place. She slowly lowered her hands. Butterflies danced in her stomach. Her heart fluttered, and she flushed with anticipation. She opened the door and found Cole standing in front of the window in a black suit, his back to her.
“Drinking in more of the beauty out there?”
He turned. “It can’t compare to the one in here.”
The sexy gravel in his voice made the butterflies go crazy.
He held her gaze for a long moment after her murmured thank-you before he went to the small writing desk. “I have something for you.” He picked up a flat black case and opened it. “For your dress.”
Maddie gasped at the diamond necklace. “Where did you get that?”
“There’s a vault here. Now turn around.”
“I can’t…”
“You can. Please.”
Maddie gave in and turned her back to him. “They loaned this to you?”
He settled the jewelry around her neck and fastened it. His touch was wa
rm against her skin. “I bought it.”
That made her spin around to face him. Though she’d never worn diamonds in her life, she was familiar with her mother’s vast collection and knew how expensive the necklace must be. She touched it. “We said no jewelry, remember?”
“I remember.”
“Then what…”
“Because I wanted to.”
“Cole—” His finger against her lips silenced her protest.
She moved his hand. “I feel like Cinderella.”
“Which makes me the incredibly handsome prince.”
“I love how shy you are,” Maddie said.
“I know. I need to come out of my shell more often.”
“Oh, absolutely.” Maddie laid her hand in the crook of his arm and walked with him to a dining room. The place was empty except for two older couples who didn’t even glance up when they entered. The host showed them to a small table covered with a crisp white tablecloth. A bottle of champagne chilled in a silver bucket of ice.
Maddie sent Cole a glance as he pulled out the chair for her. “Trying to impress this Cinderella? You don’t have to wine and dine me. Or shower me with nice things. It might complicate our deal.” A flash of an emotion she didn’t quite catch flashed in his eyes.
“I want to, and I do as I please.”
Maddie gave him a no kidding expression but didn’t make a comeback while the server took their food order.
After the man left, she and Cole talked for a few minutes before he reached for her glass and poured some champagne. She took it and held it up. “Shall we toast to being friends?”
“Friends?” He lowered his glass, and silence settled between them.
“I’m not your enemy,” she said after the server put their food on the table and left.
After a second, he raised his glass and gently touched it to the side of hers.
Maddie took a sip, then picked up her fork. “Tell me something about Cole Mitchell. Something that scares you.”
“Failure scares me. You?”