“What’d I do?” He grinned over another date.
“You said you’d try to behave.”
“This is me trying. Turns out, I’m not very good at it.”
“You used to behave quite well.”
“That was then.” He shrugged. “You’re a bad influence.”
“I’m a—” She gaped. “Aren’t you supposed to be responsible?”
“I’m responsible for us behaving?”
“Yes,” she hissed. Because if the responsibility was hers, they’d fail.
He lifted a shoulder again. “Then I think we’re screwed.”
The urge to look away struck, but she wasn’t some blushing bride.
Fine. If he wasn’t going to keep his eye on the task at hand, she would. She swallowed down the last of her wine and nodded, not trusting her voice at the moment. Anything she said was likely to come out all breathy and needy, and hell yes, that’s how she felt, but she was a professional, dammit.
Roark refilled her glass. “You know, you’re supposed to savor the wine.”
“I’m aware.” She bit off the words.
When Wright and Dev reappeared with main-dish options, Wright set down the first plate, announcing, “This is the stuffed trout special. In my opinion, a must-have.”
Roark tossed his head back and laughed. “Oh, you have to serve trout to the Trout.”
Madison was too busy trying not to choke on her wine to respond.
“Try these too, though.” Devlin pointed to the other plates on the table. “The fillet is the best you’ll have. That’s my vote for the menu. Better than a chicken option.”
Roark cut into the steak. “You would favor the priciest dish.”
“Because it’s the best dish,” Devlin argued.
“I love steak too. It’s definitely on the menu.” Madison regarded Roark as she cut a bite for herself. She wasn’t taking Devlin’s side because she loved steak—she did—but to squash a pointless spat before it began.
She knew the two of them cared about each other, but she could also tell their constant competition was born of some need to be accepted and respected by the other.
Roark might not realize it, but the brotherly antagonizing didn’t go one way. He pushed Devlin’s buttons as much as Dev did his.
“See?” Devlin asked as they both chewed.
“We’ll let you guys finish,” Wright interjected, tugging at Devlin’s arm.
They sampled a bit of everything, but her mind was made up and Roark agreed.
By the time Devlin and Wright returned she was full, and confident this wedding would have the most well-fed guests in rock and roll history. “Definitely the steak and trout for the seated reception.” Madison pointed to the risotto and vegetable dish and a Portobello kabob. “The vegetarian options for sure. We’ll need one both nights.”
“And the hors d’oeuvres?”
Roark handed over both notepads. “Here’s what we voted for.”
“Any suggestions?”
“No.” Madison was adamant. “Everything here is perfect, and whatever sides you choose to go with, I trust you.”
Wright looked like she’d given him a Michelin star. “Are you sure?”
“I’m positive.”
Dev elbowed him, looking delighted.
“O-okay. I’ll jot down what I’m going to make though and give you the list tomorrow. Just in case.”
“Can we get you guys anything else? Dessert? More wine?”
“No,” they said in unison.
Wright and Dev cleared the plates away, leaving Madison, Roark, and the rest of the wine.
As Roark would say, cool. She could do this. All she needed was a work topic.
Roark provided the opportunity. “I don’t think Wright grasps the concept that you’re going to love whatever he comes up with. Including side dishes. He’s insecure that way, so you’ll have to approve his list.”
“I will. And thank you for thinking of him for the wedding cake. If that works out, then I’m down to just a few items and then it’s all logistics.”
See? No problem. All aboveboard, floating in safe waters.
“So, do you want to go for another run tomorrow?” Roark asked before taking another sip of wine.
Danger. Dangerous waters.
Madison held his gaze, refusing to let him win this little game he played. She was going to stick with her plan and ignore the thick, strong leg pressed against hers, the heat seeping through fabric to warm her skin.
“I don’t know. Why?”
“It’s good exercise. Actually, I was thinking, after all that food, I could use a walk. Tonight.”
She wasn’t sure if he meant a “walk” or a walk. Either way, she already knew, if he asked, she wouldn’t say no. She didn’t want to say no. Even with what this deal meant, as nervous as the prospect of letting him in made her, and as much as her career needed this wedding to be her total focus, everything within her wanted him.
“You want to go?”
Madison’s chair screeched across the floor as she shoved it back to stand. “What do you think?”
Roark slid his chair back and stood, holding out his arm so she could lead the way out of the restaurant. Once out the door, he headed outside onto the veranda. She let him lead the way down the stairs and onto a path that wound around to the back gardens of Honeywilde. Her short heels wobbled on the pea gravel and Roark offered his arm. Madison stared at him rather than take it.
“I don’t want you to fall. The last thing I need is you on crutches.”
She tucked her hand under his arm, holding on to him. Roark had no idea how rare this was—as in, never—or what it meant that she was letting him lead her anywhere. Before, hell would’ve frozen over before she’d let a man lead her on a nighttime stroll. Now, here she was.
Roark slid his arm down to hold her hand, gently squeezing it before stepping off the pea-gravel path, in-between a row of lily greens, and onto the firm ground.
“This will be easier on your shoes,” he said, but he didn’t let go of her hand.
Sex was one thing, holding hands was totally different. One was straightforward and she could do it and focus on the physical pleasure and only the pleasure; the other led to an elaborate maze of emotions she wasn’t equipped to handle. Messy and complicated and something she’d never succeeded in.
Why she was allowing this to happen, she had no idea.
They wandered about twenty feet off the path, to a clearing that led to the sandy beach and swimming area of Lake Anikawi. She glanced up to find the moon full and round in the clear sky, the light reflecting off the water in bright ripples.
“Wow,” she breathed.
“I know.”
The moon shone on them like a spotlight, like the universe shining a light on them, as if to say Look what you’re doing, Madison. You’re doing the very thing you swore you’d never do again. And you’re fully aware you’re doing it. So don’t get mad when it blows up in your face again.
She was on a moonlit stroll, with a man who went from smelling like cookies to evergreens and earth. The kind of guy who could keep her warm in the middle of an ice storm, pulled out chairs, and liked to touch her hair. What the hell was wrong with her?
She closed her eyes and muttered a curse.
“What?” Roark turned, looking concerned. “You okay?”
“I’m fine.” She wasn’t fine, she was an idiot. An idiot standing there, studying his face, the straight nose, the strong jaw held tight, wondering how strange it’d feel to look around in a couple of weeks and not see him there. “You said you wanted to walk. We aren’t walking.”
He grinned, rocking back on his heels to glance at the ground. “Like you didn’t know that was an excuse to get you out of the restaurant and somewhere private.”
He finally looked down at her, that mischievous glint in his eyes.
“You’re awful.” She went to drop his hand but couldn’t. Because she didn’t want to. This
wouldn’t end well, it never did, but what if she enjoyed it for now? Being with Roark, however short the time might be, promised to be amazing in so many ways. What if she allowed herself at least that much? A moment to experience bliss.
“I told you I wasn’t doing so great at behaving,” he said.
“Are you even trying?”
Roark tilted his head. “Sort of?” His voice was a self-deprecating plea. Strapping guy, oozing self-assuredness but attempting to look pathetic. The tactic wasn’t working.
This time, Madison tugged him forward. “You say that, but you attempted to feed me from your fork, rubbed your legs against mine under the table, and are taking me on a moonlit walk.”
“No, see, when I say I’m trying, I mean I’m trying to seduce you. I’m no master of seduction, but rubbing my leg against yours and attempting to feed you are indications of my sexual interest, to emulate what we did this morn—”
Madison put her hand on his chest to stop him. “I know why you’re doing it. You don’t have to explain.”
He dipped his chin, with a slow sweep of his lashes like he’d done the day they met, before he grinned. The devilish boy underneath the layers of responsible gentleman.
“Stop. Don’t look at me like that.”
“Is my attempt at seduction working?” Roark stepped closer.
“You’re ridiculous.”
“Answer the question. Is it working?”
It was working way too well.
He pulled her close, placing a hand on the small of her back, his warmth surrounding her, engulfing her senses.
“Are we going to dance now? I thought you weren’t a romantic.”
“Believe me, I am not trying to dance with you. Can’t dance worth a damn. I was thinking about kissing you though.”
Madison looked up at him. Playfulness lit his eyes. She wondered if the same light filled her, because giddiness was a good look on him. She liked seeing it there, some of the seriousness peeling away to reveal the heart of someone who wanted to be happy in the moment.
Her resolve was already in tatters, and Roark’s longing look, the palpable need to throw everything into the night sky and live, finally broke her.
To hell with caution and to hell with fear stopping her from having so much as a taste of life.
Madison licked her lips. “Stop thinking about kissing me and do it.”
Chapter 13
Roark kissed her and she opened to him immediately. Petal soft and as perfect as he remembered. He sucked on her bottom lip, releasing it long enough to murmur, “I thought about you all day. About doing this.”
“Me too.” She pulled him down again. This time, the rough slide of her tongue luring him closer. She tucked her body against his and looped her arms around his neck.
He took advantage, running his hands down her back, over her hips. Madison was tall, and firm with lean muscle. All softness reserved for her lips, the slight swell of her hips and curve of her breasts, her round bottom.
He eased one hand lower, brushing over her ass, murmuring his compliments.
“It’s nowhere near as awe inspiring as yours,” she said, smiling.
Roark chuckled, dipping his head, his mouth to her ear to whisper, “I beg to differ.”
He cupped a hand against her face, stroking his thumb along her jaw until she relaxed, tilting her chin back. Down the line of her throat and over her skittering pulse, he followed the path of his thumb with his lips, leaving a trail of kisses. Low on her throat, he breathed her in and kissed the tender skin, before sucking and biting gently.
“Roark?” Madison dug her fingers into his arm, holding on.
“Yeah?”
“I don’t want to wait to be with you.”
He leaned away just enough to look at her. “Me either. What do you say we ditch that plan? Try for new and improved.”
She laughed, the full one that she usually hid behind her hand, except this time she didn’t.
“If we go back in through reception, we’ll probably run into Sophie and get the look.”
“And Devlin and Wright if we take the veranda,” she added.
He shook his head, looking around. “I’ve got it.” He took her hand and led her back through the lily rows and onto the pea-gravel path, until they stepped onto the inn’s lower patio.
“The basement?” she asked.
“There are rooms down here, remember? And it’s entirely vacated now that Trevor’s gone.” He tipped over every potted plant on the patio until he found the spare key.
Madison reached for him as soon as he was within reach, tugging him forward by the front of his shirt.
Roark leaned in, taking her mouth with his. Madison’s soft exhale was probably the closest she’d ever come to acquiescence. The force of that will was one of the things he liked most about her.
He kissed her softly, meaning to keep it that way. Keep it light and playful, and easy enough to back away from, but then a little sound rose in her throat. The same sound as this morning, and it was his undoing.
Roark pulled Madison into him, pressing her to the glass door as he parted her lips and kissed her in all the ways he’d fantasized about all day. Her fingers curled into his shirt, clutching him close, her lips and tongue hot against his.
He managed to break away long enough to get the door open and they stumbled into the basement level of the inn. In the pitch dark, it should’ve been a bit drafty and creepy, but all he felt was Madison.
She clung to his arm, her body snug against him, the warmth from her kisses lingering on his lips. He stole one more kiss, something to think about while he tried to find the damn light switch.
He held on to her with one hand and patted along the wall with the other. His fingertips brushed the switch and he flicked it up, two floor lamps on either side of a huge sectional sofa slowly brightening.
“Welcome to the unused floor.”
She stepped toward him, brushing her fingertips against the front of his shirt. “Aka, somewhere to go that doesn’t include going upstairs and bumping into your family.”
Roark reached up to touch her cheek, cool from the night air. He tucked his hand under her chin, tilting it up just that little bit more. “Think this will do?”
Madison pressed her lips to his. She tickled the seam with the tip of her tongue until tendrils of want, hot and thick like flame, licked through his body, making him groan.
She smiled at his reaction. Cupping the back of her head, he took her mouth, no tickling or teasing. He buried the promise of everything he wanted into it. All he wanted to do to her, everything he wanted her to do to him, searing her onto his brain so it’d be enough to last long after tonight.
He had to break away to catch his breath, and she leaned with him, breathing just as heavily.
“Is th . . . ?” Madison cleared her throat and tried again. “Is that an empty guest room?” She pointed to the door behind him.
Roark caught his breath. “Yes.”
“Thank god.”
He led the way, shoving open the door and turning on a floor lamp. The room was neat and nondescript, clean and never used. He hadn’t even thought about this hideaway as an option until their moonlight walk.
Madison stepped around him and backed toward the bed, that provocative smile on her lips. “This is already better than a patch of grass.”
He followed until they bumped against the edge of the bed. She leaned back as he kissed her, tugging him forward by his tie so they both fell. They bounced once, his heart thumping in his ears, his body buzzing with anticipation.
He eased his way up the bed, strong enough to scoot Madison up with him and kneel over her thighs.
“You look so pleased right now.” Her eyes twinkled and shined.
He jerked at the knot in his tie. “You have no idea.”
“Has it been awhile?” She sat up and moved his hand away, working the knot open so she could slide the tie from around his neck.
“I . . .
” Roark shrugged as she started on the buttons of his shirt, her gaze intent on his. “Yes, but that’s not why I’m so pleased. I’m here with you. That’s why.”
She glanced away, too fast for him to see the words register. When she turned back, her expression was carefully serene. “How is it even possible that it’s been awhile for you?”
“Work, I guess, and life? I don’t get out a lot? I don’t know.”
Madison reached for his cuff links, deft in unclasping them before pushing the shirt off his shoulders and down his arms. She tugged at his undershirt and slipped her hands beneath to brush at the sensitive skin low on his abs.
He flinched, bowing forward and capturing her hands to hold them in place. “That tickles.”
“I know.” She grinned. “I’ll stop if you take the shirt off.”
Roark tugged at the back of his undershirt, pulling it over his head.
“You’re a hot guy though, and not a creep,” Madison blurted.
He tossed his shirt aside and reached for the soft knit of Madison’s sweater. “Thank you, but you know how it is. If you’re busy, it’s hard to . . .”
He had to tread carefully here. A phrase like find someone was the kind of heavy wording that’d make Madison shut down. Holding his hand on a night stroll had been a big step for her, he could tell. He wasn’t going to push too hard, so he settled on warm but neutral. “Work makes it hard to meet someone you mesh with.”
She studied him, looking deep into his eyes as he finally got the little bastard buttons of her sweater undone. “Yeah.” She glanced away. “I don’t mesh well in general.”
“Hey.” He touched the sharp line of her jaw until she looked at him again. “You mesh fine. Just have to find the right people.”
When the tightness around her eyes finally relaxed, a soft smile curling her lips, he peeled her sweater away and she raised her arms, letting him pull the shell over her head.
Madison leaned back, unusually vulnerable and bare, fair skin in black satin, looking like something to be worshipped.
That’s exactly what he planned to do.
He dipped his head, kissing gently over the swell of each breast. He placed his hand against her back to hold her up, then he went lower and, through the silky smoothness of her bra, sucked her nipple into his mouth.
A Moment of Bliss Page 14