by L. P. Maxa
Linc gave her one of his cocky grins. “Lay back down for me and I’ll be more than okay.” He winked, tearing open the condom package with his teeth and then slipping it on. He put one hand on her chest and gently guided her back down to the cool surface of the table. He never actually answered her question, but all rational thought flew from her mind when he grabbed her legs and slid her down toward the edge. “You ready, baby?”
Madden wrapped her legs around his ass and brought him closer, smirking. “More than ready.” He positioned himself at her core, this time with a condom securely in place, and then slammed home. She loved the way he filled her. She loved how confident he was, how sure of himself. Everything about him turned her on. Even when it shouldn’t. “Fuck, yes. More.”
Linc gripped her thighs tighter. She knew she’d probably wear his fingerprints tomorrow. “That’s my girl.” He nailed her body, over and over. Chasing his release and hers to the brink. She couldn’t contain her cries of pleasure. It was so intense. Too intense. “Madden.” Her name was like a whisper on his lips, so soft she almost didn’t hear it. “Madden, baby, open your eyes. Look at me.”
She snorted, ignoring him and throwing her head back. Eyes closed. They weren’t in love, hell they weren’t even in like. They were in lust, and people in lust didn’t stare into each other’s eyes while they fucked.
He growled, dipping down to take her exposed nipple in his teeth. “Fucking look at me, Madden.”
Her eyes flew open at his commanding tone. She had no intention of doing something so intimate. But the second her gaze connected with his, they both cried out their release.
***
He’d made her come two more times on the dining room table and now they were sitting on the floor sharing a beer and a jar of peanut butter. Pretty much the only edible things she had in her kitchen at this point.
“You really need to go to the grocery store.”
She shrugged one shoulder as she took a sip off the ice-cold bottle. “Yeah. I usually eat out. I’m not big on cooking.”
Linc chuckled. “You and Corey both. I thought women from the South were all supposed to be amazing cooks. Like you were taught how to fry things from the time you could walk.” Toddlers and hot grease? Linc hadn’t been around too many kids apparently.
Madden talked around her mouth full of peanut butter. “I didn’t say I didn’t know how to cook, I said I’m not big on it. I don’t really enjoy it.” She leaned her head against the wall. “What about you? You like to cook?”
“Nah.” He handed her the last part of their shared drink. “How are you on cleaning? Because that table needs to be disinfected before you eat on it.”
Madden giggled. “Right? You are a dirty, dirty boy.”
He rested his hand on her still bare thigh, skimming it up toward her apex. “I do my best.”
“I’ll hire a maid once I get unpacked.” Truth was Madden had learned to make fried chicken when she was seven. Her mother cooked dinner every night, a huge spread. When Madden was younger, she loved helping in the kitchen. As she got older, as she realized that some nights when her dad was late, it wasn’t because he was working hard on a case. She began to resent it—the cooking, the cleaning, the laundry. All of it was done with such love, for a man that never once returned the favor.
“I tried to hire a maid but Baze wouldn’t let me. He calls me spoiled all the time.” Linc crossed his bare feet at his ankles.
Madden mimicked his posture. “You always let Baze tell you what you can and can’t do?”
He turned his gaze on her, licking his lips as he eyed his fingerprints on her thighs. “Apparently not.”
She smiled. Sex with Linc was fucking fantastic, but hanging out with Linc was proving to be a lot of fun too. She felt at ease with him, and he made her laugh. Everything about being with him was pleasant. Easy. Comfortable. She had the urge to ask him to stay, which was why she knew she needed him to leave. “Well, this was enjoyable. But I really want to try to get the kitchen unpacked tonight. So…”
“Are you kicking me out?”
Madden got to her feet. “Yep.” She made herself busy with a box of glasses. She was afraid to look at him, afraid that she would go all weak and girly and beg him not to go. She did not like this new side of herself and she refused to feed into it. She didn’t do relationships; she didn’t do long term. She’d repeat it to herself as many times as it took because she wasn’t about to change her game plan for the sexy blond lounging on her kitchen floor looking like he stepped out of an Abercrombie & Fitch catalogue.
“What if I told you I didn’t want to leave?” Linc stood and walked up behind her, brushing her hair to the side to reveal her neck.
She fought goose bumps, fought them hard. “I’d say fuck buddies don’t do sleepovers.”
He bit her neck and then spoke softly against her skin. “They do if they want to wake up and fuck some more.”
She lost the fight against the goose bumps. Madden had had many friends in the past. Some of them spoke so dirty she couldn’t even believe her ears. But something about Linc…the sound of his voice, the way he said the words he used. No one had ever turned her on like he did. The way she was pulled to him, the way she wanted nothing more than to wrap her legs around him and never let him leave her body. It wasn’t natural.
Madden took a deep breath and lifted her chin. She would not become vulnerable to this man; she would not let him in. “Look, as tempting as that sounds, I need to unpack. I can’t keep living out of boxes like this. I need to get organized.”
“How about I make you a deal?” Linc massaged her shoulders and pulled her body back against his. She could feel his hard cock resting right above her ass. Could he really be ready for more? “You let me stay and I’ll unpacked the rest of the kitchen while you go take a bubble bath.”
Damn. A hot bath and someone else unpacking these boxes? That was a hard one to pass up.
“I’ll throw in a quick trip to the store for another bottle of wine as well.”
Shit. She sure as hell couldn’t say no to wine. It wasn’t like she was giving in, or changing the way she operated. She’d get to relax while he unpacked her house. She’d be stupid to turn him down.
“Deal.”
Chapter Thirteen
Linc
He couldn’t explain his need to stay. All he knew was that there was no way he was leaving. Linc wanted Madden again. Hell, the second he left her body, he’d wanted back in. Sex with Madden was indescribable. It was like the best high of his life. He was utterly addicted to her. When Madden went to take her bubble bath he got dressed. He promised her wine, he’d get her wine. But he sure as hell wasn’t going all the way into town. He had plans for that bubble bath. He’d unpack while she slept. After he was done with her, she was going to need a nap anyway.
Linc opened Madden’s front door and peeked around. He sent out his shifter senses, taking every tiny noise he heard, and analyzing it, making sure no one was around. When he was satisfied the only things watching him were crickets and one lone squirrel, he sprinted over to Keller and Molly’s. They always had wine. He jogged up the driveway to the front door so they would think he drove here. He knocked twice before letting himself in. “Hey. Anyone naked?” You never knew with these mated couples. Fucked like rabbits, they did.
Molly came into the room, wiping her hands on a dishtowel. “No. No one is naked. What are you doing here? I thought you had a date.”
“I did. I do. Uh, it’s still going on.” He followed Molly into the kitchen and saw Keller at the table reading the paper. “Domestic. And old school. Dude, get an iPad.”
“Shut up.” Keller refolded his paper like an expert. “What are you doing here?” He checked his watch. “Don’t tell me your date is already over? Stamina going downhill, old man?”
Linc flipped off his packmate on his way to Molly’s wine rack. “Can I borrow a bottle of wine? I told her that I’d bring a bottle over, but I really don’t wa
nt to go to the store.”
Molly turned, gesturing with a wooden spoon as she spoke. “You drove all the way here to get wine?”
“Uh, yeah, she lives outside of town.” Obviously if he was on a date in town, going to the grocery store would be more convenient. All thoughts of Madden naked and dripping with bubbles had muddled his brain. That chick was making him lose his damn mind.
Molly narrowed her eyes and studied him for a few seconds. Was he caught? Were his lies that obvious? He held his breath waiting for her to call him out, but finally she turned back to the stove. “Take whatever you want.”
Linc grabbed a bottle of red with a pretty black and silver logo. He studied the label, but the words meant nothing to him. He hated wine. “Is this good?”
Molly peered at the bottle, trying to read it from across the room. “Does she like Merlot?”
Linc shrugged. “Fuck if I know. Wine is wine, right?” Molly rolled her eyes but didn’t answer him. He reached for the handle of the back door, getting back to Madden still the only real thing he was focusing on.
“Where are you going?” Keller was looking at him like he was crazy. “You’re parked out front.”
“Oh. Right.” Linc spun on his heels and made a beeline for the front door. “Thanks for the wine. See you at Dom’s for dinner tomorrow.” He shut the door without waiting on a response and then booked it back to Madden’s.
Linc made sure to lock the door before heading to the kitchen to find a corkscrew. He saw her drink wine earlier so he knew she had to have already unpacked one. He dug around in a few drawers, fist pumping the air when he found it. He grabbed a clear plastic cup off the counter and filled it to the brim. That was a good amount, right? He liked his beer full to the top; same goes with wine? Sure. He speed-walked to the bathroom, careful not to spill and threw the door open.
Madden was sitting in a tub full of bubbles, just like he’d been imagining. Her hair was still up on her head but a few pieces were falling around her face. Her eyes were closed, but when he opened the door, a smile graced her perpetually glossy lips.
“I brought you wine.”
She opened one eye and peered over at him. “That was fast.”
“I stole it from Molly.”
“And then used it as an excuse to barge in on my relaxing bubble bath?” She sat up, letting the suds fall down her body, making no attempt to cover up. His fantasy come real fucking true.
Linc licked his lips. “Yes.”
Madden held out her hand, taking the full glass of wine from him. She took a big gulp and then settled back into the fragrant water. “Well? You getting in?”
Linc was so happy he wanted to cry. He’d planned on invading her space, but he didn’t know if she would throw him out and demand he go unpack or not. Madden was a wild card if he’d ever seen one. He tore his clothes off and then stepped into the large garden tub, sitting down slowly across from her. The bubbles smelled like flowers and the water was hot. He grabbed her foot in his hands, rubbing his thumbs into the sole.
She let out a contented sigh. “Don’t think you are getting out of unpacking my kitchen.”
He grinned, moving his hands to her calf. “Don’t you worry, baby. After I spend some time tucking you in, I’ll go unpack.”
Madden nodded and closed her eyes once again, turning to putty in his willing and able hands.
She hadn’t corrected him when he’d called her baby that time.
Chapter Fourteen
Linc
Linc kept his promise. After their bath, he’d taken Madden to bed, making her come with his hands, his mouth, and his dick before finally letting her go to sleep. Once he’d completed the ultimate trifecta, he’d unpacked her kitchen. You’d think he’d have been ready for bed, after all that work, plus it was one o’clock in the morning. But no. He felt restless, so he’d kept unpacking. It wasn’t until all the boxes in the living room were empty as well that he finally felt like he could rest.
Her room was pitch black. She’d found the time to hang heavy crimson curtains in her window, which were now blocking out all the light from the antique streetlamps. Linc quickly and quietly removed all his clothes and climbed in bed next to her. He’d had her over and over again, countless times in the last twenty-four hours. But the second his skin touched hers, he came alive and was ready for more. He slid his hand down her naked body, slipping his fingers inside her silky warm entrance. “Wake up, baby.”
He waited until she began to stir before laying kisses down her shoulder. “Linc?”
“I need you, baby. I know you’re sore and you’re tired. I’m sorry…Baby, I…” He what? He had no words. He couldn’t explain his need for her, his need to be inside her. Only that it was all encompassing and there was nothing he could do to stop it. He was afraid of his whispered words, his constant desire and the reverence in his voice. He was afraid it would make her send him away, make her put up walls and shove him out. This was a fling. They both wanted the same thing. But Linc felt like he would die if she denied him right then.
“Linc.”
This time his name was a moan from her lips and all the fear and tension started to drain from his body. When Madden arched into his hand, wanting more, he rested his forehead against her chest. “That’s my girl.” He pushed his fingers farther inside her, pulling them toward him. Madden gripped his wrist, like she was making sure he didn’t stop. She rode his hand, her breathy little moans growing louder.
“Linc, please. More.”
She sounded like he felt—desperate, pained. Linc pulled his hand away and climbed between her legs. Getting inside her was the only thing on his mind. He entered her slowly, savoring the way her core griped his aching cock. “God, baby, I’ll never get enough of you.”
She arched into him, meeting him thrust for thrust. “This feels so good. God, Linc, what are you doing? It feel so…” Suddenly she stopped, grabbing his hips to pull him out of her body. “Did you put on a condom?”
Linc froze. Had he? He looked down between them, confused. No, he hadn’t. That was so unlike him. He wrapped it up, always. Unprotected sex wasn’t for guys like him. Wasn’t for hook-ups like this. “Shit. I’m sorry, Madden. I wasn’t, uh, I don’t…I’m sorry.” He reached over, using his cell as a flashlight and opening her nightstand drawer. He grabbed one and quickly slid it in place, pinching the tip.
He could feel Madden peering up at him in the darkness. “What is it with you and condoms? You almost forgot one earlier when we were on the table.” She had a firm grip on his hips, keeping him positioned at her entrance, but not letting him in yet.
He could hear the warning in her voice. He didn’t have a real answer for her, so he went with what he did best. He gave her a wicked smile. “You fuck with my head. It’s like I can’t think clearly. I get this tunnel vision where all I want is to be inside your flawless body.”
She slowly wrapped her legs around his waist, the tenseness in her limbs easing up, and gave him the go-ahead, then cried out when he entered her. He didn’t give her time to adjust; he couldn’t still his movements. Luckily she was right there with him, meeting him thrust for thrust.
He watched by the glow of his cell still lit on the nightstand. His eyes never left her face as she pulled her perfectly plump lip through her teeth. “I want you too. I’ve never fucking wanted someone the way I want you.” Linc could hear the trepidation in her voice. She may want him, but she sure as hell didn’t want to want him. And that scared him to death, because he felt the same way. He couldn’t get enough of her, couldn’t get his fill. That was something that’d never happened to him before he met Madden.
She rolled them, pushing him down to the mattress, and climbed on top, taking control. She sat all the way up, impaling herself on his cock. Linc reached back and slapped her ass, the sound echoing around the quiet room. “More, Madden, harder.” She threw her head back and arched her spine, grinding against him. It still wasn’t enough. Nothing would ever be enough. �
�If you’re going to take control, baby, fucking take it. Give me more.” Madden leaned down and bit his chest, hard, before sitting up on her knees and then slamming her body back down. “That’s my girl. Just like that.” She did it again, and he tightened his hands on her thighs, fighting his release. “Keep going, baby.” Madden did what she was told, again and again.
“Oh god, Linc. Fuck.”
“Don’t stop, Madden.” Linc’s body took over again. He couldn’t control his actions, or his utterances. He reached up and fisted her long dark hair in his hands. “Look at me.”
She kept her eyes closed and shook her head, grinding against him, seeking her release. She was close. He could feel it. Her body was like a spring about to snap. In a practiced move Linc flipped them back over, stilling his body on top of hers. He pulled out almost all the way and then slammed into her tight channel. “You want to come?”
She nodded, biting her lip again, eyes shut tight. “God, yes. Please. Linc.”
He pulled out and drove back in. “Open your eyes.”
“No,” she ground out.
He left her body. He waited until her eyes flew open, flashing with fire, and then he pushed back in. Grinding against her once until he was buried to the hilt. He held her gaze. “Come for me, baby.”
She shook her head again.
She didn’t want this intimacy, and he couldn’t blame her. He didn’t want it either, but for some reason, he was still demanding it of her. He knew if she closed her eyes, he’d stop. He pulled all the way out, surging back in so hard that Madden’s body moved up the mattress. He ground against her, his pelvis massaging her clit. Her lips parted and a moan escaped. She was close. He could feel her tightening around him, her body preparing to milk his for all he had. “Let go, Madden.” His words came out rougher than he’d intended but the second they left his lips she shattered around him, gripping him so hard that he followed behind instantly.