Forever with You (Fixed)

by Paige, Laurelin

  Maddie took a swig of her Corona and turned back to the piercing eyes. Despite the nearby striptease, his gaze was fixed directly on her. “She doesn’t seem to have captured your attention.”

  The man shrugged. “I prefer private shows.”

  An image of the kind of show Maddie could give him flashed through her mind. She quickly took another swallow of her beer, clearing her head of the inappropriate thoughts. Seriously, what had come over her?

  The stranger tilted his head, as if trying to interpret her silence. “You’re welcome to sit.”

  Her insides twisted at the thought of being close to him, wanting an accidental brush against his strong body. She dismissed her usual tendency to over-think and walked toward the stone seating. “You were looking to be alone—I wouldn’t want to intrude.”

  “I was looking for seclusion, not necessarily to be alone.”

  His words possessed a teasing tone that made her shiver. She tensed as he looked her over, fully aware that he was checking her out. She’d been gifted with pretty brown eyes and nice features, and she took care of her figure, but she didn’t pay attention to whether or not she was attractive to men. This man seemed pleased, though, giving her a look that would usually turn her on her heels. She didn’t flirt with strangers—didn’t flirt much period—which was one of the reasons she avoided social gatherings such as this one.

  But this man compelled her, his body drawing her like a magnet. He was so incredibly attractive, and hell, didn’t she deserve a little fun on her graduation night?

  “I’ll take you up on the offer. To sit, I mean.”

  “Ah, I hadn’t offered anything else.” He let out a slow breath. “Yet.”

  Her heart raced at the implications as she sat beside him on the bench, closer than she imagined she’d ever dare. Her skirt rose as she crossed one long leg over the other and she fought the impulse to adjust it, feeling the intensity of his eyes on her thigh.

  She flushed again under his gaze and she needed to calm the fire kindling between her legs. Seeing he held a Coors Light, she lifted her bottle in a toast. “To privacy.”

  He smiled, his face lighting up as he did, causing another stir in Maddie’s nether parts. “To privacy.” He clinked her bottle then took a sip of his own. She watched as his mouth parted around the tip of the bottle and found herself imagining the feel of his full, firm lips, wondering what he’d taste like. Her tongue darted across her teeth at the thought.

  “Tell me,” he said, setting his bottle down on the ground next to him. “What’s a hot, I mean, attractive woman like you doing at a party like this if you’re looking to be alone?”

  Her heart raced at his shameless remark. “One could ask the same of you.”

  “Yes, they could. It’s the question on everyone’s mind. But I asked first.”

  “You aren’t full of yourself at all.”

  He feigned seriousness. “No, not at all. If I was full of myself, we would be talking about me, but I’m trying to find out about you, so you should answer the question.”

  Hot and charming. Delish.

  “Well…” She wished she had some witty comeback. She settled on simply answering his question. “I was dragged here with Miss Bare-It-All over there.” She nodded toward Bree, who now only wore panties. “It’s supposed to be our graduation party.”

  The man stiffened. “Graduation?”

  She laughed. “From film school. Were you worried you were coming on to a teenager?”

  He leaned back, distancing himself from Maddie. “Oh, you thought I was coming on to you?”

  Crap! Had the teasing only been in her mind? She opened her mouth to speak, but she stuttered. “Uh…”

  He chuckled. “Relax. I was totally coming on to you.”

  She raised a brow. “Really? Or are you just keeping me from being completely humiliated?”

  “No, I really was hitting on you. Come on, it was incredibly obvious.”

  “Yes, it was. Are you still hitting on me now? Or has the moment passed?”

  “Oh, no, the moment hasn’t passed.” He cocked his head and his eyes travelled down her body again, lingering at her low neckline. “So…film school,” he said after a heat-filled moment. “What’s your area of interest?”

  “Uh, uh, uh.” Maddie barely kept herself from a fit of nervous giggles. “You never told me why you were here.”

  “That’s boring.”

  “Impossible.”

  “Okay, you really want to know? I was also dragged here. By some of the guys I work with.” He craned his neck, looking around the party. “I have no idea where they are. Nor would I tell you if I saw them because they might be more attractive than I am and I wouldn’t want to give myself unnecessary competition.”

  Maddie let her own eyes explore his body. His casual white-and-black button-down shirt opened to mid-sternum and she could see serious pecs underneath. The bottom buttons also remained open and when he stretched his arms above his head—on purpose, no doubt—a patch of tight abs and a trail of hair peeked out. Yum, yum, and yum. “You don’t need to worry about competition.”

  “Seriously? Then I’m doing okay?”

  “You’re doing just fine.” She locked eyes with him, and thoughts of him naked above her flashed through her mind. Blushing, she looked away.

  “So…” she said, raising her eyebrows. Was she really flirting like this with a stranger?

  “So, you never told me what area of film you studied.”

  As a rule, Maddie stayed away from this conversation with people she’d just met. Saying you graduated from film school in L.A. was like saying you had breakfast. It was a dull, overdone topic. But this subject was safer than her fantasy thoughts and the man’s assertiveness easily drew the answer out. “Screenwriting.”

  He nodded.

  “And directing.”

  He raised his eyebrows. “Hmm, now that would be fun.”

  “Directing?”

  “Being directed by you.”

  Her eyes widened. She quickly finished off her Corona, attempting to calm her nerves. How on earth did this stranger manage to fluster her like that? Turn her inside out so easily?

  She played with the label of her empty bottle as she fought to stay on solid ground, steering away from his innuendo. “Yeah, so directing is my thing. But, of course, it’s difficult to break into that biz, so I’m interested in all things film at the moment. Sound, camera, you name it. Screenwriting just fell in the mix because when you’re a kid growing up wanting to direct, you had to have material to direct so you could practice. I’ve got three full-length films under my belt—indies—but still…and I start an internship with an amazing film crew on Monday.” She stopped, realizing she was babbling.

  “I’m intrigued.” He took the bottle from her and set it on the grass next to his.

  Without the bottle in her hands, she felt vulnerable. And was he sitting closer than he was a moment ago? She returned to her jabber, unable to organize her thoughts. “It’s really not that interesting. I’ll be a production assistant, the lowest of—”

  “That’s not what I’m intrigued with,” he interrupted, his voice husky.

  Maddie met his eyes and saw a flicker of desire. He wanted her—it was obvious. Why not? For one night, why not live carefree?

  She tilted her head toward him and braved herself to tempt his seduction. “Then tell me, what is intriguing you?”

  In one swift move, he had her pressed against the wall, his mouth hovering above her own. The rough stone behind her barely registered as she licked her lips in anticipation of the kiss she knew was coming.

  But he didn’t lean in. Instead, he brought his finger to her cheek and caressed it softly. She shuddered at the electric pulses that followed his light touch as he traced her jawline. When he reached her chin, he lifted her face up to within an inch of his mouth. She felt his breath, hot and sweet, on her skin. And then his mouth was on hers, tugging at her bottom lip, teasing her until
she eagerly drew him in, wrapping her arms around his neck.

  The kiss built, each stroke varying in pressure and intensity. Soft nips evolved into frenzied exploration, their tongues dancing, plunging deeply and hungrily. She savored his taste. A rush of pleasure rippled through her and she trembled under his attentive suckling.

  His mouth released hers, traveled along her jaw and down her throat, his trail of kisses searing into her skin. She clung to a fistful of his thick hair while he alternately nibbled and nuzzled her neck, stoking the fire in her core. When he raised his head to reclaim her lips, she glimpsed a greedy longing in his eyes.

  He pressed tighter against her and Maddie could feel the bulge of his erection against her hip. She drew in a sharp breath, and he grinned against her mouth before recapturing it in his.

  Desperate to feel more of his body against her own, for him to touch her more intimately, she arched her back, pushing her chest deeper into him. He read her cue and brought his hand down over her shirt to cup her breast. He stroked his thumb firmly over her nipple until it stood under the contact.

  “Damn,” he said, his tone pleased.

  For once, Maddie was grateful that her chest, though on the smaller side, was firm enough to wear built-in shelf tank tops without bras.

  He continued his assault on her other breast. Maddie moaned, her hips rocking up, instinctively looking for something more, something her rational brain would have told her was inappropriate to seek from a man she’d just met. Hell, she didn’t even know his name. But her rational thought was lost within the flood of passion brought on by his equally fervent ardor.

  She raised her hips again, and this time he responded by moving his hand to the inside of her upper leg. Softly, he caressed her thigh, journeying up, up until he reached her panties. She gasped as his fingers moved underneath the elastic and found her taut bud. Holy fuck! She relaxed her legs to give him better access, letting him know she wanted more.

  And, man, did he deliver. With the pad of his finger, he stroked and swirled her tender flesh. Expertly, he increased the pressure to her swollen bundle of nerves until she was lost in glorious sensation. His mouth recaptured hers, swallowing her cry of pleasure as wave after wave of ecstasy crashed through her, and she shuddered uncontrollably.

  His kissing slowed, and when she had calmed enough to resume a modicum of control, he pulled his lips away and rested his forehead against hers. “Would you join me somewhere even more private?” he asked, his engorged shaft still pressing hot against her hip.

  Yes, yes, a million times yes! Even in the afterglow of her release, she desired him, longed to bring him to his own climax. Still panting, she opened her mouth to answer when a not-too-far-off voice interrupted her.

  “Maddie! Maddie? Is that you?”

  Bree.

  Maddie turned from the handsome stranger and saw her near-naked friend peering at her from a few feet away.

  “It is you!” Bree squealed. “I’m so, so, so, so happy I found you. I really think you need to take me—”

  Bree’s sentence was cut off as she vomited all over the lawn.

  The man shook his head. “I see you’re needed…Maddie, is it?”

  “I…I’m…” She felt torn between responsibility and recklessness. She wanted to leave Bree to figure out her own mess rather than give up this magnificent creature in her arms. Maybe it would teach her a lesson. But Bree was in no condition to handle herself. Maddie sighed with frustration.

  “I totally understand.” He released her from his embrace. “I won’t say I’m not disappointed—very disappointed—but I understand.”

  “I’m sorry. Truly sorry.” She stood, reluctantly, and glowered at Bree, now on her hands and knees sobbing. Maddie readjusted her skirt and took a step toward the pathetic creature.

  “Wait.” He grabbed her hand. “Can I see you sometime?”

  Maddie tilted her head to stare back at him. “Really? You don’t have to—”

  “I know I don’t. I want to.”

  She broke into a grin. “Give me your phone.” He did and she typed her information into his contacts, then handed it back.

  “Thanks.” He nodded toward Bree. “Let me help you with her.”

  “No,” Maddie said quickly. His questioning look prompted her to explain. “It’s just, I’d rather remember you right there, not fumbling around with my idiot drunk friend.” Plus she couldn’t subject him to dealing with Bree, especially with the hard-on she knew he still sported.

  “Got it.” He adjusted himself. “Just as long as you are remembering me.”

  “Oh, I could never forget.” She sighed to accent her point. He winked and she turned again to leave when a thought crossed her mind. She spun back to him. “Hey, I don’t know—”

  “Micah,” he said, accurately predicting what she was going to say. “I’m Micah.”

  “Nice to meet you, Micah.” She rolled the name off her lips, relishing its feel in her mouth. Then she gave him one last longing look before she left to help Bree.

  THE AUTHOR

  Laurelin Paige is the USA Today Bestselling author of the Fixed on You trilogy. She’s a sucker for a good romance and gets giddy anytime there’s kissing, much to the embarrassment of her three daughters. Her husband doesn’t seem to complain, however. When she isn’t reading or writing sexy stories, she’s probably singing, watching Game of Thrones and the Walking Dead, or dreaming of Adam Levine. She is represented by Bob Diforio of D4EO Literary Agency.

  Table of Contents

  Title

  Chapter One

  Chapter Two

  Chapter Three

  Chapter Four

  Chapter Five

  Chapter Six

  Chapter Seven

  Chapter Eight

  Chapter Nine

  Chapter Ten

  Chapter Eleven

  Chapter Twelve

  Chapter Thirteen

  Chapter Fourteen

  Chapter Fifteen

  Chapter Sixteen

  Chapter Seventeen

  Chapter Eighteen

  Chapter Nineteen

  Chapter Twenty

  Chapter Twenty-One

  Chapter Twenty-Two

  Chapter Twenty-Three

  Epilogue

  Acknowledgements

  Also by Laurelin Paige

  About the Author