by Lex Martin
His eyebrows lift. “Okay then.” He chuckles.
“I should get going too.”
Daren’s laughter fades, and he looks like he wants to say something when a few people join us and yank the darts from the board hanging across from the pool table. “Come on, Sloan,” one guy says. “Let’s do teams.” He motions between me and a petite redhead. “If the girls win”—his eyes lewdly roam his date, who giggles—“they get… rubdowns.”
“Rubdowns?” My eyebrows quirk up. Clearly, we’re talking about more than…
“Back massages,” Daren says, giving his teammate a pointed look.
“Fine. Back massages,” he says with air quotes. “And if we win…” The guy hugs his date, letting his hands drop to her ass.
“Drinks on them next weekend,” Daren says, cutting off his friend before he takes a drink of his beer.
The guy rolls his eyes and pats Daren hard on the chest, mumbling, “Cock block.”
“Are you sure you don’t want any help?” Daren’s little chuckle irks me. A lot.
His teammate and that girl ran off a few minutes ago, leaving Daren and me alone in the game room. So we started over, and Daren said the only thing we were playing for was bragging rights because he’d enjoy beating my Southie ass. As if.
My eyes narrow. “Why do you think I need help?”
I might be halfway to drunk—okay, more than halfway—but I’m certainly cognizant enough to know that if I win, I want to do it on my own. And would I even be using the word “cognizant” if I were drunk? I think not. I am so not drunk. I am in fine playing shape.
I tighten my lips to mask my hiccup.
He’s right behind me, but I won’t face him. No way. He’s trying to get under my skin. Trying to distract me so he can win. And he’s so distracting. He’s been staring at me every time it’s my turn, and I can’t focus.
He clears his throat. “And don't worry about those holes in my wall. Thanks for christening it, by the way.”
My eyes narrow into little slits. I find it hard to believe I suck this badly when the board is only eight feet away. I mean, how damn hard can this game be? But between Daren’s piercing hazel eyes and his cologne, wafting over when he’s standing in my shadow, it’s like my brain has been dumped in a deep fryer.
I stare at his otherwise immaculately painted wall. How is it that no one has missed the board before? I can’t really be the first person to put a hole in it.
“It’s just a game of darts, Maddie. It’s okay if you lose. I won’t hold it against you.” He sidles closer, standing at my side. Staring. A small growl forms on my lips. And then he adds, “No need to get all huffy puffy.”
“I am not huffy puffy.” If he’s not careful, he’s going to get a dart aimed at him.
Despite my obvious irritation, he doesn’t move. He just stands there, watching my profile like I’m the most interesting thing he’s ever seen.
And then I can actually hear that little smirk break out on his face.
At that, I whirl to face him, to let him know these childish mind games won’t work on me. Only spinning requires equilibrium, which apparently I lack at this moment, and I go stumbling into his hard body.
“Whoa, Maddie.”
You know that moment when you realize there’s no way to save face? Especially when it’s planted into the hard chest of a ridiculously good looking man? Yeah, I’m in touch with that right now.
Whoa, Maddie?
I mumble into his shirt, “I’m not a horse.”
His chest vibrates with laughter, irking me more. But before I can come up with the words to put him in his place, I realize how tangled up we are. His large hand grips my hip while his other arm is wrapped around my back. I’m clinging to his huge biceps, my boobs pressing into him as I gasp a breath.
I tilt my head back, way back, until my chin rests on his chest and I can see him peering down at me.
“Stop. Staring.”
His eyebrows raise. But then his eyes travel over my face. “Stop being so insanely beautiful.”
I stutter out a breath. I’m not sure if that’s the best line I’ve ever heard or the worst. But based on how much I’m enjoying being this close to him—except for the cramp in my neck—I’m going to go with best.
“Stop batting your eyelashes at me and trying to distract me.” I try to keep a straight face, to say that with conviction, but Daren shrugs with a smirk ghosting his lips.
Slowly, he lifts me until I’m fully upright, but he tightens his hold, his arms enveloping me in a hug as he leans down to rub his nose down my neck.
Oh my ever-loving God.
His gruff voice in my ear sends another shock through me. “What makes you think I’m trying to distract you?”
He places an open-mouthed kiss on my neck, and my jaw unhinges.
I swallow, hoping he can’t feel my heart trying to gallop out of my chest. Because this man’s body, all big and hard, is about the most magnificent thing I’ve ever felt.
My breath comes out in short puffs. “I, uh, I think this kind of behavior can get you disqualified. I’ll get Southie bragging rights for life.”
“Mm. But what a way to go.” He pushes me back and lifts me onto the edge of the pool table. I blink to find him standing between my legs. “Maddie.” He says my name in a whisper.
His hand wraps around the back of my neck, and when we’re nose to nose, he pauses to look into my eyes. “You should know I’ve thought about doing this all summer.” And then his mouth closes in on mine.
Twelve
- Maddie -
Somewhere between his minty breath on my skin and those calloused hands riding up my thighs, I think I’ve lost all sense.
I have a two-hundred-and-twenty-five-pound quarterback parked like a Hummer between my legs, touching me like I’m the most magnificent thing he’s ever felt.
He’s been thinking about kissing me. Girls have been throwing themselves at him all summer, and he’s been thinking about me.
I ignore the little voice that desperately wants to compare him to Jacob because for once in my life, I’m not going to overthink this. I don’t care about the rumors swirling around Daren’s personal life because I don’t plan to be in it long enough to find out whether or not they’re true.
This is about having a good time, plain and simple. And the man plastered to my body is all the encouragement I need to shut off my brain.
Besides, if my ex can bang cage girls two at a time, I can cut loose too. Just once.
Daren growls against my mouth, and my heart races.
See, Jacob. I can make someone come undone.
Thoughts of my ex fade as Daren fills my vision. His six-three frame is dizzying this close. I’m overwhelmed by his size, by the power in all of these taut muscles beneath my fingers. Daren is a damn diesel engine.
His lips make a slow sweep of mine. I let him take his time even though I want to crawl up his enormous body.
Is he trying to drive me crazy with these relatively chaste kisses? How can this be chaste, Maddie? You’re basically straddling the man in an upright position.
Taking a deep breath does nothing to clear my head. Daren smells crisp and clean, his woodsy cologne making me want to lick him all over. Hmm. Food for thought.
His hands grip my waist, his fingers tightening, and as he nibbles on my lower lip, something in me snaps.
I tangle my fingers into his dark hair and yank him closer. He groans when my tongue slides into his mouth, and he scoots me right to the edge of the pool table so that our hips align. God, yes.
I grip his shirt, and a little whimper escapes my lips when his fingers squeeze my ass. This, this kiss detonated whatever’s been building between us, and the only signal going off in my head right now is the one screaming to get under his hard body.
His kisses grow hungrier as his hand rubs up and down my side. Just close enough for his thumb to graze the swell of my breast.
Grab me. Squeeze me.
>
These wanton wishes go unheard while my need grows. Holy crap. I’m making out with Daren in the middle of his party.
I squeeze my eyes tighter, hoping to God people stay in the living room. Because I do not want to stop.
The hem of my dress is bunched against the top of my thighs, and when his fingers traverse the hooks on my garter, he pulls back and looks down.
“Fuck me, that’s hot, Maddie.”
It’s my turn to laugh, even though I’m out of breath. “What did you think I wore underneath all of those suits?”
When Jacob and I broke up, I stocked up on slinky lingerie as a treat to myself. I figured if I wanted to get over him, I had to feel good, and garters and lacy underwear have a way of lifting a girl’s spirits.
Daren’s eyes lift to mine, the hunger in his look making me shiver. “I’ll never be able to watch you on TV again without thinking about what you have underneath those snug skirts. C’mere, you little wildcat.”
I laugh at the nickname. That’s a first. No one in the history of my life has ever considered me wild. Focused, yes. Determined, definitely. But never wild.
We’re about to lip-lock again when laughter in the other room breaks the spell. For both of us, apparently, because Daren frowns.
“Let’s take this party somewhere else,” he grumbles, scooping me up into his arms. I muffle my squeal. Next thing I know, he’s whisking me into a dark room across the hall.
He kicks the door shut behind him before I find myself pressed up against it. I’m teetering on my heels, but Daren’s keeping me upright.
His mouth descends for one panty-flooding kiss before he stops. Why… why is he stopping?
There’s that frown again. “Babe, how much have you had to drink tonight?”
My back straightens. “I’m not drunk, if that’s what you’re asking.” Of course that’s what he’s asking, dummy. Maybe if you weren’t drunk, you could answer the question.
Daren swallows. “I just want to be sure…”
“That you’re not forcing me to do something I don’t want to do? Trust me, I’m willing and able.” Wow, Maddie. Eager much?
He chuckles. “Mm. How willing, gorgeous?” he asks, placing small kisses against my neck.
I don’t know what comes over me. Maybe I’m a little insulted he’s not so carried away with lust that he has the time to talk, or maybe I’m so carried away with lust I can’t control myself. But I grab his hand that’s snaked into my hair and lift one finger to my mouth where I kiss the tip. I tilt my head down so I can peer up at him in what I hope is a sexy come-hither look.
“Willing enough.” My tongue slides out in a slow swipe of his skin, and his eyes widen as my lips close around him.
His other finger joins the first in my mouth, and he watches like a man possessed.
“Fuck.”
I let his fingers linger on my mouth. “That’s what I’m aiming for.” I laugh and tug him closer so I can do my best to make him come apart.
Because right now, I need to know I can.
Thirteen
- Daren -
My cock aches to have her mouth on me the way she just teased my fingers, but I want to take my time with this girl.
Tonight is unexpected. Sure, I’d seen some of the appreciative glances Maddie threw my way these last few weeks, but the minute we’d make eye contact, she’d close off, making me wonder if I was making this shit up. Making me wonder if that flirtatious banter in our interview was all for show.
Apparently not.
Maddie arches her back against the door, her hair a disheveled, black cascade around her shoulders. In the dark room, I can make out her parted pink lips and smoky blue eyes that stare up at me through our mutual haze of lust.
On the exterior, this girl looks as straight-laced as they come, but right now, she has her skirt hiked so those garters peek out just enough to make me want to snap them with my teeth. And don’t even get me started about those fuck-me heels.
Wildcat is right.
“I’d be lying if I said I hadn’t thought about doing this to you,” I murmur as I duck down to graze her neck with my lips.
She groans and tilts her head back. “Yeah?”
Deciding it’s better if I don’t say exactly how long I’ve thought about getting her bare-ass naked, I suck gently, not hard enough to leave a mark, though I want to. But she’s on TV. She doesn’t need some asshole marking this beautiful skin, at least not anywhere visible.
She swallows, and I palm her breast and give it a hard squeeze as I press her up against the door. Part of me wonders if I’m being too rough, but her loud moan tells me otherwise.
Yeah, I’m gonna enjoy making this girl fall apart.
“Hang on, babe.”
I scoop her ass in my hands and lift her up before slipping between her parted legs. Once I have her wedged against the door with my hips, I reach for her silky smooth thighs.
Even through my jeans, I can feel her heat, and I surge forward to get closer, tightening my grip on her. She cries out and wraps her legs around my waist. Her nails bite into my shoulders, her head falls back against the wall, and the vision of this girl is so magnificent, I want to sear it into my brain for future reference. Because, Jesus Christ, Maddie is fucking gorgeous.
My mouth teases her lips, but she’s not having any of that. Her fingers thread through my hair, and she yanks me closer.
“Impatient?” I chuckle.
“Fuck you,” she mumbles, never leaving my lips.
“Trust me, I’m trying.”
She laughs, her body shaking against mine, and the sound is magical. I don’t know why, but something about that sound makes me feel lighter. This girl is always so serious these days, but tonight she’s been different. Tonight, she’s let me in.
I can’t think too long because her tongue licks against my lips, and when I dip into her mouth, she sucks my tongue in a rhythm that makes my cock strain harder against my jeans.
And then she’s pushing out of my arms, demanding that I put her down.
Shit. Did she change her mind?
When her feet hit the floor, she grips my shirt, her serious expression putting me on edge. But then she slowly spins us around, and once my back is up against the door, she lowers her hand and palms me, leaning up to whisper, “I want you in my mouth.”
My jaw tenses as I watch her drop to the floor and unzip my jeans. She licks her lips as she lifts me out.
“Hello, there,” she whispers.
Did I suffer a concussion at practice today and I’m really bedridden at Mass General? Because Maddie’s on her knees talking to my dick, which stands at attention.
And then she stares up at me as she places an open-mouthed kiss on my tip.
I can’t fight the groan that leaves my lips as she rubs her soft cheek against me in a slow tease that has me swelling in appreciation. And then she takes a long lick up my shaft, keeping her eyes trained on me, and I fist her hair in my hand, careful to not yank her closer. But fuck, it’s hard when her lips part to take me in and she envelops me in her hot little mouth.
“Fuck, Maddie.”
Her eyes light up, and she takes me all the way, swallowing me down the back of her throat.
“Goddamn, woman. Don’t you have a gag reflex?”
Her hand works me as her mouth slides up and down, and I clench my eyes closed, unable to watch the show or it will be over before it starts. She moans while I’m in her mouth, and the vibration nearly pushes me over the edge.
“Stop.” I slip out of her grasp, and she gives me a pout of disappointment that can only be described as half sex kitten, half innocent school girl.
Reaching down, I lift her into my arms before I stalk over to my desk, shoving shit out of the way to make room for Maddie’s delectable ass, which I place on one end.
Wrapping my hand around the back of her neck, I angle her for a kiss because that mouth is too damn hot to not explore again. She whimpers, clawing at my ch
est, and I reach down under her dress, snaking my fingers around her panties.
“Babe, you’re drenched.”
She laughs softly. “You think?”
I watch her face as I stroke the delicate skin between her thighs. Her head falls back, her hips tilt forward, and her choppy breaths make me want to take her hard and fast. But then she reaches forward and tugs back the hem of her dress so we can both watch my hand disappear into the black silk of her underwear.
Some day when I’m on my deathbed, I hope I can remember Maddie McDermott hot and wet on my desk, because I’m pretty sure I’ve found heaven.
“Harder, Daren,” she groans.
But I can’t go any farther without seeing the rest of her and feeling her on my skin. I pull away to strip off my shirt, pleased with the appreciation in her eyes as they travel over my chest. I stand there and let her look. My jeans are barely clinging to my hips, and I’m pretty sure my hair looks like I’ve been electrocuted, because I have been. By her.
When her eyes make it back up to mine, she takes a deep breath and reaches for the tie at the front of her dress. In the slowest tease known to mankind, she unwraps herself like an early Christmas gift.
A black, lace bra cups her generous breasts, and boy shorts finish off this brilliant ensemble. Even better, though, is the tantalizing strip of skin between those garters and her underwear that calls out to me. But I need her naked before I have a taste.
“Take off your bra, Maddie. Now.”
My voice is gruff, mostly because it’s hard to speak. I’m pretty sure I sound like a dick, only instead of being put off, Maddie’s lips tilt up in a smirk.
“Make me.”
Fuck.
My hands are on her, and the material is off before I can process that I might have ripped it. Maddie reaches up and pulls my hair, yanking me into a kiss as I grip her breasts with both hands. She moans into me, her thighs widening so I can wedge myself closer.