by Carr, K
Matt realized he’d been staring at her for longer than was polite in the presence of company. The knowing male glances being exchanged between the guards had Matt adjusting the open look of longing on his face.
He cleared his throat and turned to Ryan. “We’ll be leaving tomorrow morning at six am. That will be all.” He gestured to the front door, dismissing the men. Once he was alone with Madi, his hands started tugging his shirt out of his pants. She arched an eyebrow at him and took a few steps back.
“Did you have breakfast, poppet?” Matt asked, undoing the buttons of his shirt.
“Yes,” she confirmed, eyeing him. “Ryan brought me food.”
“That’s good.” Matt discarded his shirt and was tugging his under-vest over his head. “Shall we go out for lunch later?”
“Maybe.” She took a couple more steps backwards. “Have you moved my envelope, Matt? It was on the table last night, and I wanted to get it in the mail today.”
Matt started unbuckling his belt. “It’s been delivered. Don’t worry about it.” He pulled the belt through its loops and grinned at her. “Why are you still dressed?”
“Why are you getting undressed?” she asked. “Last night was—”
“Was last night,” he said throatily as the memories of her naked body beneath his flooded his mind. He didn’t want old memories; he wanted to make new ones. “You know I can never get enough of you, poppet. Come here.”
“Your bodyguards are right outside, Matt.” She hedged, and Matt paused in slipping off his pants, observing her intently. He had to remind himself that, although she wasn’t body conscious, she was shy about certain things. Wearing leotards that left nothing to the imagination while twirling around a dance floor with another man as others watched on didn’t faze her. Making love with people nearby did. Never mind they were behind closed doors.
“They won’t hear a thing,” he cajoled, stripping off the rest of his clothing.
Madi stared at his nakedness, eyes lingering on his obvious state of arousal. Matt sauntered over to the large leather sofa and sat down, patting his thighs firmly so she understood his intention. He watched from half-closed eyes as she began to undress slowly. When she glided over to stand in front him, he was almost crazed with the need to be inside her moist tightness. He held her by the hips as she straddled him and rested her hands over his shoulders. With their gaze locked on each other, she slid down his hardness, enveloping him in the heated folds of her flesh.
“Poppet.” Matt gasped at the feel of their flesh becoming one. Her luscious lips were parted, eyes widening as her body accommodated his pulsing manhood. He held her tightly when he was fully inside her, savouring the moment. It felt like coming home. Her body was home…she was his home.
“I’ve got my own requirements, you know,” she murmured, raising herself up slightly before sliding back over him.
Matt arched his hips upwards and her fingers dug into his shoulders as a low moan fell from her lips.
“Requirements?” He bent his head, kissing his way over her breasts while relinquishing his hold on her hips to instead grip her arse.
“Yes,” she exclaimed with a shudder. “You can’t…oh God…work as hard.”
Matt thrust upwards and the sound she made had his chest tightening. He wanted her to make that particular sound again.
“Mmm,” he agreed, getting drunk off her scent, the sounds of their coupling, the sensation of her body moving on top of his.
“A-and you—have to stop being—oh, don’t stop that, Matt.” Her head fell into his neck. “So bossy. S-stop being so bossy.”
“Mhmm.” His eyes closed as he focused on controlling his thrusts while guiding her movements above him.
“And—”
“Hush, poppet,” he growled into her ear before nibbling it. She did as ordered, the only noises to be heard were their intensifying groans of mutual pleasure.
Until she screamed for him and, hearing his name torn from her lips as they exploded into ecstasy, made his orgasm more potent deep inside her body.
“Love you,” she gasped, collapsing against him, a light sheen of sweat glistening over her dark skin. Matt ran his shaking hands over her back as he fought to catch his breath. He buried his face in her neck wanting to immerse himself in her scent. She was his drug of choice, his dark beauty.
“I love you too,” he finally replied once he got his breathing under control. “We’re not finished yet,” he added when her breathing started evening out. Madi laughed and sat up, drawing a tortured groan from him at her movement.
“You have the libido of a twenty-year-old, Matt,” she teased.
He winked at her before slanting his lips across hers and twisting their bodies into a horizontal position over the sofa. “The blame lies entirely at your feet. Now, shall we continue?”
She grinned at him, running her hands through his hair as she nodded. “We shall.”
Hours later in bed, Matt kept one eye on her and the other on the telly as he caught up on the news. She was replying to her emails and, every so often, a tiny frown would tug at her mouth.
“Poppet, are you okay?” he asked suddenly, muting the TV.
She was laying on her stomach, lower legs up and crossed at the ankles, wearing nothing more than knickers.
“Um hmm,” she murmured distractedly, not sparing him a glance where he reclined against the pillows. Matt caught her feet—they were lying in opposite directions—and tickled her arches. She jerked away.
“I’m asking you a serious question. Pay attention,” he reprimanded.
She immediately sat up and folded her arms across her bare chest. Matt couldn’t stop himself from an appreciative glance that turned into a stare, then the expected response of his body’s urgent request to claim his woman surged to the front of his thoughts.
“Matt,” she called to him, and he dragged his gaze back to her face.
“Are you okay?” he asked. “This current estrangement from your family, I don’t want it—”
“I’m fine.” She cut him off. “It is what it is.”
Matt sighed and crooked a finger at her. Reluctantly, she crawled up the bed to where he was.
“You’re upset. Don’t act like you’re not, poppet,” he said. “You shouldn’t bottle your feelings up inside.” Matt frowned at her. “I would hate for this to have an adverse effect on you.”
“I’m not going to have a nervous breakdown,” she replied wryly. “My sessions with Dr Brown have—look, I’m dealing with it. I need some time.”
Matt nodded. “Of course, just know I’m here if you want to talk.”
She regarded him for a few seconds, a guarded look seeping into her brown eyes as she said, “Why is it I’m the one doing all the talking? You never confide your problems to me.”
“Because I don’t have any problems,” he teased. “Haven’t you noticed how perfect I am, poppet?”
Madi shook her head, then bent forward to grab her iPad as Matt put the volume back on the telly. He secretly observed her. He was worried about her, knowing full well the enormity of what had transpired over Thanksgiving hadn’t set in as yet. She loved her family.
“Stop it, Matt,” she muttered, head down and eyes trained on the screen in her lap. “I can feel you staring at me. Don’t worry, I’m fine.”
A low chuckle came from him. “I’m looking forward to our return home, poppet.”
She turned with a grimace on her face, holding her left hand up. “I’m not. Do you have any idea of how busy I’ll be with work? In a few weeks the production will be on and I don’t want you complaining about me not spending time with you, Matt.” she warned. “And I don’t even want to think of your parents’ reaction—”
“They’ll come around,” he interjected smoothly. “Everything will be fine as long as you adhere to my requirements.”
Madi narrowed her eyes at him. “Let’s hear them then. What do you expect of me, Mr Bradley?”
Matt slung h
is arm over her shoulders and pulled her closer. “Only two absolutes, poppet, the rest we can negotiate on. The first is you must love me, always.” He smiled when her grimace disappeared. “The second is to allow me free reign to do whatever necessary to keep you happy.”
She smiled at him. It started small but blossomed into a wide smile that made Matt feel as if he was the luckiest man alive.
“Oh,” he added as an afterthought. “And when we’re married, you’ll be taking my name. I don’t believe in all that dross where a woman retains her maiden name.”
Madi gave him a look and he chewed his lower lip. It was a fierce look.
“We’ll negotiate on that issue,” he said, and she nodded with a snort. Matt grinned and laid his head against hers, blowing wisps of her hair from his nose. He had asked and she had said yes. His life was complete.
Table of Contents
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Chapter 7
Chapter 8
Chapter 9
Chapter 10
Chapter 11
Chapter 12
Chapter 13
Chapter 14
Chapter 15
Chapter 16
Chapter 17
Chapter 18
Chapter 19
Chapter 20
Chapter 21