I want to make her wait. I’m tempted to fucking torture her right now. But I have needs too, and I’ve been patient long enough.
I rise to my feet and haul her roughly to the edge of the bed. Her eyes are wide as I fold her calves around my waist.
“Put me in that position again, Madison…and I’ll keep you hanging for hours. Do you hear me?”
Her glare starts to return, but she’s too hazy with lust to give it much force. I fist my cock and stroke firmly. I’m so fucking ready to be inside her. I know she wants it too. Her gaze fixes there and she lifts her hips infinitesimally.
“Do you hear me?” I lift an eyebrow and drag the tip of my aching cock over her clit and down through her drenched folds until I’m exactly where I need to be.
Another whimper escapes her lips, but she doesn’t tell me what I want to hear. Without warning, I shove into her with one hard thrust.
“Yesss!”
That one word becomes long and desperate and fills the room. Whether it’s all rapture or some small part acknowledgment of her fuck up, I can’t be sure, but her scream gets under my skin and mingles with my insane desire for her. Fuck me, she was made for me. The glorious pressure of her cunt gloving my cock is making me dizzy already.
My patience has expired. I begin to fuck her. Harder than I usually do. Maybe because I’ve still got adrenaline spiking my blood. Maybe because I’m unsettled by everything about tonight. Whatever the reason, we’re barreling toward release, hard and fast…together. I give her clit one last bit of attention, and she crushes down on me with a thready cry. Then I’m emptying everything that I am into her…
MADISON
I’m vaguely aware of the bathroom vent humming in the background. The shower turning on and then off. The silence becomes loud when Luke’s footsteps end inside the bedroom. I’m on cloud nine, but the heat of my orgasm eventually fades and I grab a handful of sheet to cover myself with. I lift my head and see Luke sitting on the chair by the desk. His lower body is wrapped in a white towel and his arms hang casually off the sides of the chair. His gaze is trained on me.
I blink a few times, trying to pull myself back to the land of the living. “Is everything okay?”
He’s silent, and every second that goes by alarms me. He brings one hand to his face and absently rubs the rough hair on his cheek. It’s a tick. He does it when he’s pensive. Thinking about something and doesn’t know I’m watching him.
“I honestly don’t know,” he says quietly.
I sit up and bring the sheet tighter around my torso. “Talk to me.”
“I am talking to you.”
I roll my eyes. “Jesus—”
“Don’t give me shit, Maddy. We left here in the first place so we could talk. I get halfway through a confession about my failed marriage and you’re picking a fight. And getting off on it.”
I open my mouth but I’m struggling to find the right words. He’s literally fucked my brains out. Great.
Then he’s on his feet and coming toward me. Crawling up the bed, he pressures me to my back again. He’s totally throwing me off, but he prevents me from saying anything when he kisses me. He kisses me like we haven’t spent the past couple hours feasting on each other. He kisses me like in the few minutes he was sitting in that chair, he missed me.
When he pulls back, I search his gaze breathlessly. Those blue eyes are two oceans full of memories and thoughts I know too little about. I’m about to beg him to open up to me when he speaks again.
“I’m falling in love with you, Madison.”
My mouth hangs open dumbly. My heart’s thundering now, reverberating in my ears. The intensity in his gaze never wavers.
“I love your body. Every beautiful inch of it. I love the way you try to protect me, even though I have no need for it. I love that you try to do things your own way, even when it’s idiotic and ill-timed.”
I frown and think about arguing, but he brushes his thumb across my lips, distracting me with his tenderness again.
“I can’t help how I feel now. So when you ask me if I’m okay, I’m telling you I don’t really know. I’m not sure what this means or what’s really going on between us. All I know is I want to be more than a man who can get you wet because he can lay a few guys out.”
“No! That’s not…”
I pressure his shoulder and he rolls to his side. I roll to mine so we can face each other with a little more equality. But I’m feeling off kilter and completely awful as his words filter through me a few more times. He loves me…and he thinks I’m a total whore.
I close my eyes with a sigh. “Luke, everything about you arouses me. Watching you build a fire. Chop wood. Warm up soup in a pathetic little pot for me. You knocking on my door gets me wet, for God’s sake. Trust me, there is no end to the things that do.”
He’s quiet, and I scramble for more words… Hopefully the right ones.
“I’m sorry I put you in that position. I had no idea those people were going to act like barbarians.”
“I’m the one who put my fist to their faces, remember?”
“And they deserved it!” I poke a finger at his strong chest, reliving the moment with a little too much enthusiasm. I wanted to see justice doled out on those assholes. “Did it occur to you that maybe they needed to learn a lesson? Maybe next time they see you they’ll have some more respect.”
Luke shrugs. “Or they’ll bring a search party up the mountain for me.”
“They wouldn’t.” My eyes go wide despite my doubts.
A reassuring smile curves the corners of his lips. “Don’t worry. I don’t think a big boy like Melvin’s going to make it too far up the mountain. And if he did, he’d be too winded to pose much of a threat. But I’m guessing I won’t be getting any dinner invites next time I’m in town for supplies.”
My lips tighten, and in that moment, I’m overwhelmed with how unfair Luke’s existence is. He may be content with it, but the fact that experiences beyond his control drove him up there and now the people in this know-nothing town keep him there is more than I can accept.
“You deserve more than this,” I say softly.
His expression is calm and unchanged. “What would you have me do? I’m not like you. I’m not cut out for city life. Small towns are always going to pose their own challenges. It’s something I came to terms with a long time ago.”
I exhale a sigh. “You really love me?”
He lifts his hand to my face and strokes his thumb across my cheekbone. “Yeah. I really do.”
I’m not caught up over how quickly feelings have formed between us. What’s got the words knotted in my throat is the fact that I’ve never said them to anyone but Jeremy. I always meant it, even when I said it in passing, even at the bitter end. He’d always have a place in my heart…but I was a long way from being in love with my ex-husband. That chapter had long closed. He was my past.
Was Luke Dawson my future?
I lean in and kiss him softly. “I’m falling for you too,” I whisper against his lips. “As scary as it is, I can’t help how you’ve made me feel. It’s not just the way you make me forget my own name. No one’s ever made me feel so safe, so…cared for. And I’ve given you no reason to—”
“Madison, stop with that. You deserve love. You deserve a real man. I don’t know who your ex is, but I know he’s a fucking idiot to let you go. I’m glad as hell he did though.” He sifts his fingers through my hair, massaging my scalp as he does. “Because I haven’t been this happy in a long time. And that’s all you, sweetheart.”
I release a heavy sigh and close my eyes. This man… God, his words and his body, and the way he’s managed to rescue my heart from the depth of my misery and pull it into the warmth of his love. What did I ever do to deserve him? Even as I admit all of this to myself, the reality of my life outside of Avalon creeps in. I thought this was a fling, but it’s rapidly becoming more. The thought of walking away from Luke in a few weeks is now unbearable.
“How are we going to make this work?”
He blinks and shakes his head slightly. “I have no idea.”
“I’m here for three more weeks.”
“And then?”
I take my lower lip between my teeth and chew it as my thoughts whirl around the possibilities. “We’ll have to figure it out somehow. Our lifestyles are admittedly really far apart. I say we spend the next few weeks trying to find some middle ground.”
He lifts an eyebrow. “Middle ground?”
I should be freaking out that we’ll never find a way to be together, but something about this moment heartens me. I’ve been thinking about life’s cup as half empty for so long, but somehow I have faith that we’ll find a way to fill each other up and be together. Either that or I’m totally unwilling to contemplate the alternative—us walking away from each other in a few weeks.
“You love your place on the mountain.”
“It’s home,” he answers softly.
“And my home is in LA.”
“I’d prefer hours of torture over that life.”
I nod quickly, because I can no more imagine him happy there than me being permanently content with a life in his log hut.
I trace my fingertips over his soft lips and trail them down across his beard. My beautiful rugged mountain man. “That’s why we need to find a middle ground. Kind of like this place… Avalon. It’s not your oasis on the mountain, and it’s not in town with all those ignorant assholes. But it’s someplace we can both be. We’ll both have to step out of the lifestyles that make us comfortable, test our boundaries, and find that place where we can both be happy, together.”
“Where would that be?”
I shake my head. “I have no idea. But I’m not walking away from you, so I’m committed to figuring it out.”
He’s silent for a moment. His blue eyes are intense, flickering mirrors of swirling emotion. We’re making big promises. We’re baring souls. I’m scared and enlivened all at once.
“Okay,” he finally says. “We’ll figure it out. I’ll… I’ll do the best I can.”
I smile, and my heart swells with happiness and hope. I haven’t felt like this since—I can’t remember when my soul felt so alive. I launch forward to wrap my arms around Luke, my lover, my love…
Chapter Twelve
LUKE
“I have an idea,” Madison says in a voice that tells me I’m not going to like what comes out of her mouth next.
We’ve been holed up in the cabin for two days, enjoying each other without interruption after spending a night at the Avalon. I know it’s going to come to an end, because she’s going stir crazy. I can see it in her eyes even though she hasn’t said the words. I’m content and probably the happiest I’ve been in years. I’m lying to myself though. I know we can’t stay like this forever.
“Need my cock again?” I glance down at her nakedness. She’s curled into my side on the couch as we watch the fire crackling and hissing in the fireplace.
She smirks and her eyes sparkle, reflecting the flickering flames of the fire. “Yes, but that’s not it.” She straddles me, placing her knees on either side of my legs.
“If it doesn’t involve my cock, I don’t want to hear it.” I roll my hips, pushing my erection into her middle. There are perks to being naked all the time. Easy access to her body being the biggest.
“Luke.” She makes a very serious face, leaning forward enough to make my cock twitch with appreciation. “Stop thinking about my pussy for two seconds.”
Gripping her hips roughly, I still her movement. “Stop grinding against me, and I’ll stop thinking about it, sweetheart.”
She tips her head back and giggles softly for a moment. I lift up and drag my lips against her neck.
“Stop.” She plants her hands against my chest and pushes me backward. “So…” She pauses with a mischievous smirk. “I thought we could do something different today.”
“Different?”
She nods slowly, moves her hand to my neck, and runs her hands through my beard. “You know what I do for a living, right?”
It takes everything in me not to groan. “Yeah.”
“Well, how about I give this beard a trim.” She gives me a soft smile as her fingers rake through my hair. “And then maybe…” Her smile turns into a hesitant grimace. “Maybe we can cut your hair.”
I suck my lip into my mouth, chewing on the pieces of my beard that have grown over. It’s been a long time since I’ve cleaned it up. There was no need to when it was only me. “I’ll let you trim my beard, but it’s a no go on the hair, Madison.”
“Hmm.” She rubs her chin slowly as she studies me. “Can I shave the beard off? I’m dying to know what you look like underneath all that hair.”
“You can trim it. If you want more than that, you have to give a little.”
“Can we put the hair back on the table?” She twists her lips to the side, challenging me.
I sigh and decide to give her some hope, depending on how things turn out. “Fine. But I get to decide when, where, and how much.”
“I’ll do anything.” She bounces up and down right on my aching dick.
I growl and dip my hips so the tip of my dick presses against her wet heat. “Right now, I want to slide into that sweet pussy.” I slide my hand up her back, fisting her hair in my hands. Our gazes lock and her laughter dies. I tip her head back and lean forward, running my lips down her neck. “And fuck you until you pass out.”
“Oh.” She digs her fingernails into my bare shoulders when I bite down on the curve of her neck.
She raises and brings herself down on my length. Shivers rake across my body and I close my mouth around her nipple, moaning against her skin as her insides clamp down against me. I can’t even remember how many times we’ve fucked, but each time it’s like it’s the first time.
With one hand on her hip and the other still in her hair, I move her body up and back down, meeting each downward stroke with a roll of my hips. Within minutes, she’s taking control and slamming her body down my shaft, grinding her clit before she peels herself back and repeats the movement. I slide my hand to her ass and bring it down hard against her tender flesh.
She bucks and her eyes widen, but she doesn’t skip a beat.
“Fuck me, Madison. I want to feel you come on my cock.” I soothe the battered flesh with my palm. When her body starts to shake with an impending orgasm, I smack her ass again, causing my own hand to sting in the most pleasurable way.
Her eyes blaze with lust. “Do it again and see what happens,” she says in a deep, wanton voice.
My interest is piqued, and I can’t resist the urge to slap her ass again. But when I do, she does something I don’t expect—she smacks my face. I’m taken aback by the assault. No one’s ever hit me while they were fucking me, but it was…fucking hot.
I run my tongue along my lip as it starts to swell and ache, and gaze at her. Just when I think I know her, she does something that throws me for a loop.
“Too much?” She hovers over me with just the tip of my cock inside her.
I pull her down, crushing my mouth to her as an answer. I’m more turned on than I was before. But I need more. The position doesn’t give me the leverage and angle I want. Standing with her in my arms and my cock buried deep inside her, I place her back against the couch and thrust into her. The strokes are punishing, deep, and fast. I slide my hand up her back and curl my fingers around her shoulder, pulling her toward me with each blow.
Using my upper body, I push her legs forward, allowing me to go deeper and stroke her G-spot. Her muscles strain and her thighs press against my arms as her body starts to shake underneath me. She’s moaning my name and gasping for air. But I batter her pussy harder and drive her over the edge. I follow, moaning and lost in an orgasmic haze with her. I collapse on top of her, pressing her into the cushion with my weight as I gasp for air, trying to fill my empty lungs.
“I’m sorry,” she whispers
in my ear as I start to come to.
I suck in a breath and exhale. “For what?”
“I didn’t mean to hit you, but…”
I pull back and stare down into her beautiful, soft eyes. “It was fucking hot, Madison.”
She smiles and bites her bottom lip. “I kinda liked it.”
I roll my body onto the floor, taking her with me, and burst into laughter. “I love you.”
She rubs her nose against mine. Pressing her tits against my chest, she smiles down at me. “I love you too, Luke.” She shimmies down my body and tucks her head under my chin, resting it on my chest. “So about that promise.”
MADISON
I hold my breath. Please give in. The man hasn’t budged about much, but I’m dying to find out what’s underneath the caveman beard. I’ll admit he’s sexy as hell with it, but I know there’s something more beautiful behind the mass of hair that covers his face and neck. The cutout near his mouth shows a hint of his full lips. I’ve felt them. I know they’re there, just hidden behind the endless layers of facial hair that have started to overtake them.
He sighs. “You really want to do this?”
I know it’s a hard thing for him to agree to because it means change. From what I’ve seen, he hasn’t changed anything in years.
“I do.” I kiss him softly. “I want to kiss your lips without your hair in the way.”
“You make it sound good.” He looks up at me with the softest blue eyes and tucks an errant strand of hair behind my ear. “I’ll let you, but…” His voice trails off and he smirks.
“What?” I’m scared to hear the rest of the sentence.
“I’m going to reserve my payback for a later date. I have something in mind, but I want it to be a surprise.”
“If it’s anal, you can keep the hair.” I laugh loudly which earns me another swat on my ass.
“If it’s anal I want, I don’t need to make a deal to get it.”
I purse my lips and pretend that what he’s saying isn’t true, but we both know it is. “Ya think?”
Misadventures of a City Girl Page 10