He smiled. “Honestly, neither do I.” He moved his arm slightly and she took notice.
“Are you uncomfortable?” she asked as she pushed on his chest to get up.
“No,” he replied quickly, pulling her back against him.
She giggled and his heart leapt.
She shifted her body and he removed his arm, turning to the side to face her.
She sighed heavily as her fingers played with the buttons on his shirt.
“You okay?” he asked.
She nodded.
“What’s wrong?” he asked as he recognized her downcast eyes to mean she was worrying.
“You need to go, don’t you?” Her eyes lifted to his in anxiety.
There was so much pain in them; Jake thought he may never leave her again, just to avoid having to see her face twist like that.
“I’ll stay.”
She lifted up onto her elbow. “Can you really? What about the tour?”
He scratched the center of his head as he glanced around for his glasses. Madi twisted and lifted them from her nightstand, handing them to him.
“I don’t even know what day of the week it is.”
Madi turned to find her phone, realizing her battery was still dead. He pulled it from her hand and tried to turn it on. She rested her chin on his chest. “Well, that explains why I couldn’t reach you.”
“I couldn’t take the incessant buzzing. Forty-seven messages? Really, Jake? What could you have possibly said differently forty-seven times?”
He smiled. “Plug it in and find out. I’m sure I was babbling on about being on my way and how much I loved you.”
“Loved?”
“Love,” he replied as he kissed her forehead. He dug into his back pocket and produced his phone.
Madi’s eyes bulged from her head and she saw the time. “Shit! I have class in twenty minutes.”
She shot out of bed. Jake folded his arms behind his head and watched her twist and turn, trying to figure out what to do first and where to go. He shook his head and laughed.
“Stop laughing at me. I need to take a quick shower. I’ll be right back.” Jake sat up for a moment when the idea of Madi in the shower woke up other parts of his anatomy, even more than they already had been from sleeping next to her all night. She grabbed her robe and caddy and darted out the door.
Jake stretched before sliding his hands through his hair. He felt better but still shitty. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a pack of gum, sliding a piece into his mouth. He glanced at the date on his phone and pulled up his schedule. The concert in Boston he’d cancelled was tonight. That meant he was scheduled to sing in New York the day after tomorrow.
He sighed as he noticed he had twelve missed messages. He scrolled through them, noting ten were from Caleb, one from his mother, and one from Dave.
He called Dave. “Hey… what’s going on?”
“Is everything alright?” Dave asked. “Madi?”
“Madi’s good. I got my answers.”
“We’re all headed to New York. What do you need me to do?”
“Do you know where Ang is?” Jake asked.
“Actually, she’s right here. Hold on.”
Jake checked the time. Ang was there? Where was Dave that Ang was with him?
“Hi, sweetie. Please tell me you and Madi were able to work things out.”
“We’re better. We’re good,” he corrected himself. “Can you do something for me?”
“Of course,” she said.
“First, I need you to book a flight for me for early tomorrow morning from Chicago to New York. Then—and this has to stay just between you and me, okay?”
“Yes…”
“I need to think about who on my team can’t be trusted. I trust you, Ang, and you have great instincts. Don’t mention this to Dave or even Caleb. I don’t want to worry them. I need you to keep your eyes and ears open for anything suspicious.”
“Hmm… that doesn’t sound good. But I will. You and I need to have a nice long talk when you get back!”
“You got it!” Jake’s eyes darted up as a dripping-wet Madi, covered only in a flimsy robe, bolted through the door, flashing a smile that knocked him on his ass. “Madi says hi, Ang.”
“You tell her I love her to pieces and to take care of you for me.”
“She always does. Call you later.”
Jake swung his legs over the bed as he watched Madi slide her thong up her legs under her robe.
“Stop staring at me!” she laughed.
“Shit. You’re so fucking gorgeous.”
He stood to reach out for her and she pushed him back onto the bed. “I have to go to class and you need to turn around so I can get dressed.”
Jake crossed his arms and smiled. “Oh, hell no. I’m watching.”
“Please? I’m running late.”
Jake sighed and turned around. He was trying his best to be a gentleman, but his brain was temporarily controlled by his lower body, and he snuck a peak over his shoulder. Her back was to him, and he ogled her long legs and tight ass in her in thong. Her back was only bare for a second as she latched her bra and pulled on her sweatshirt. He turned back quickly and adjusted himself.
“I saw you…” she said, pulling on her jeans.
“I couldn’t help it…” he sang.
She tapped him on the shoulder and offered him a quick chaste kiss as she slipped a boot onto her foot. His lips lingered in the air for a moment, wanting more, before he stood and pulled her into his arms for the kiss he really wanted. As his lips pressed into hers, his hand sunk into her wet hair, pulling her mouth closer to his.
“Jake… I…” she spoke against his lips, only for a moment, before she moaned lightly and her body melted into his mouth. She dropped the other boot from her hand to raise her fingers to his face.
God, he loved her.
He slid his tongue into her mouth when she parted her lips to speak, and she groaned into him, deepening the kiss. He slowly pulled her onto his lap as he scooted down onto her bed. He turned her and laid her head on the pillow as his tongue danced with hers and her hands flew into his hair, kneading and pulling on him passionately.
He lifted his mouth from hers as she gasped and reached her lips for more. He smiled. “You’d better get to class. You’re going to be late.”
Madi bit her lip and pushed him off of her. She pulled on her boot and twisted her hair into a wet, messy bun as she huffed, “You’re such an ass.”
He smiled at her as he studied her. She pulled her backpack from the door and stuffed two books and a notebook into it. She stopped briefly as she drew her eyebrows together in a pained expression.
“I’ll be here when you get back,” he said with a crooked grin, raising an eyebrow.
Her responding smile as she opened and closed the door was more than enough to fill his heart. He noticed a flash of Rob as he stood when Madi exited, and he felt a twinge of regret that he hadn’t offered to walk her to class. Twenty minutes later, his phone rang. It was Rob.
“We have another piece of the puzzle. It seems Peter Markum’s mother briefly remarried. He had a sister.”
***
CLASS MOVED AT a slower pace than normal. Madi twisted in her chair, feeling uncomfortable from his last smoldering kiss. As her professor wrote notes on the projector, Madi scribbled in her notebook, her mind reviewing the events of the last few days. She’d gone from being deeply in love, to completely lost, to totally broken and full of doubt, and back to head over heels.
Her head popped up as people around her began to gather their things. She quickly transcribed the notes from the screen as the professor explained the paper due before the end of the semester. She needed to focus. She needed to do well in this class if she wanted to keep the internship she had scheduled in January. This class was required for the next one. The internship was key to graduating and building her resume. She had to think about her future, even now that it seemed Jake was back in it.<
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After class, she stopped by the grill to grab some food. She figured he must have been starving; they hadn’t eaten since last night on the way home. Rob ordered something as well. As she waited for her food, she approached him.
“Have you gotten any sleep?” she asked.
“I did. You?”
She nodded then bowed her head. “The other day you heard what was supposed to be a private conversation between Kendra and me…”
He held up his hand and interrupted her. “No worries. I’d never break a trust like that. She’d lose it if she knew I heard that, wouldn’t she?”
Madi sighed. “Yes, she would. It took her four years to tell me, and we’re practically sisters. She’s not the type to want sympathy, but she’s also not as tough as she acts, you know?”
Rob nodded his head as his brows furrowed. “She’s a lot tougher than most people probably give her credit for. Although, maybe not physically.”
Madi remembered how easily he’d twisted her arm in the hall, and Kendra was strong. “Most people haven’t had your training,” she reminded him.
“I count on that,” he said as his eyebrows flitted up in agreement.
“What was that thing you did anyway?” Madi asked.
“Jiu-Jitsu,” Rob stated matter-of-factly.
“Jiu what?”
Rob glanced over her shoulder. “It’s mixed martial arts. I could teach you a couple of moves that, if done correctly, could take down a man three times your size.”
“Really?” Madi asked excitedly. “Will you? I hate feeling like a weakling all the time. I’d like to be able to protect myself.”
“I’d be happy to. I think it would be a good idea, considering your situation.”
Madi smiled briefly as her name was called to pick up her food order.
As she and Rob walked back to the dorm, she reached into her purse and pulled out the pen. “I’m turning this off for a while, okay? No rushing the room?”
Rob glanced down and gave her a single nod.
She fumbled with her keys outside her door, balancing her backpack and the bags of food in her left hand. Once inside, she found him fast asleep in her bed. She smiled as she gently closed the door, careful not to wake him. She stuffed the food into her mini fridge and removed her coat. As she slid off her boots, she studied him, wondering what he dreamed about. His mouth was framed by his trademark dark stubble. She sighed as she visually devoured him. Even though she liked to tease him about his looks, he was unbelievably sexy. Heat radiated off of him like a furnace. He didn’t even have to try. He walked, talked, sang and breathed sex. His dark eyebrows and slender nose were truly a work of art. Her eyes explored the muscles of his arms. One was bent behind his head, the other rested on his chest. She took a small step forward and placed a hand over her mouth as she stared at his hands and his fingers. It was then that she noticed a bruise and gash on his knuckles. Her lips pursed as she wondered who or what he’d hit to do that damage.
She glanced up briefly to see his eyes jetting around under their lids. He must have been dreaming. He lay on top of her covers with his legs crossed at the ankles. His long legs hung off the end of her twin. He must have been so uncomfortable. Madi giggled briefly as she thought how big he looked in her small bed, like Goldilocks in reverse. For some reason, her eyes flicked to the bulge in his jeans, and she suddenly felt a noticeable need for more air. His chest, his thighs, him… Her eyes darted up and down him as her desire for him shimmied through her.
Rubbing her arms, she slowly dropped into her chair as her eyes fixed on the laptop at her desk. The thought that he had touched another woman still burned around the edges of her mind. Even though she knew it wasn’t true, the fact that the bitch, who’s name she couldn’t even say in her mind without clenching her jaw, saw him naked and touched him, sent her spiraling into rage. He was hers. It was one thing when girls swooned in his presence; it was another when they actually undressed him with more than their minds.
She felt possessive as she watched him sleep. She turned and examined herself in the mirror. Then she turned to gawk at Jake. She couldn’t see her appeal to him. He could have any girl in the world, yet he was here in her dorm room, waiting for her to return from class. She didn’t know why he wanted her, but she was damn happy he did.
She bit her lip as she considered how to wake him. She removed the twist from her hair and let it slip down her shoulders. She shook it out and slowly opened her desk drawer, applying a light gloss to her lips. She didn’t need to pinch her cheeks; she was flushed just thinking about him. She wanted him. What would be the best way to ensure he wouldn’t resist her? A devious smile crossed her lips as she lifted her sweatshirt from her arms and tossed it to the ground, then removed her socks and jeans. She stood in front of him and bit her lip as she reached behind her and undid the clasp of her bra, letting it slide down her arms. Even though she knew he wasn’t watching, undressing in front of him gave her a wild thrill and added fuel to the already burning fire within her. She carefully slid into bed next to him and scooted up against his warm body. Her skin was chilled from the cold air and her pounding desire. He warmed her instantly in more ways than one.
His eyes flickered awake as he lifted his arm to embrace her and glanced at her face. “Hey, baby.” He smiled briefly before his eyes widened, immediately noticing her lack of clothing. He shifted in the bed to get a better view as his gaze fell from her face to her breasts. Madi glanced down to follow his eyes. Apparently she was, indeed, still cold. His gaze flew to her eyes as she watched the familiar look of desire fill his face.
“Fuck,” he said as he ogled her body.
“Did you miss me?” she asked, biting her bottom lip.
“What are you doing?” he asked in a whisper as his fingers trailed down her bare arm, leaving goose bumps in their wake.
“I’m lying naked next to my boyfriend. At least, I think you’re still my boyfriend.”
His crooked smile sent chills down her spine. “Are you sure?” he whispered, staring into her eyes, blue to brown. “I’d never rush you.”
“I want you. I’ve always wanted you.” She let out a long sigh. “I want to get the images of you loving her out of my head.”
“Do you know how much I want you? Not just like this, but every way, everywhere, always, and any way I can have you?”
She licked her lips as she scooted further up against him, nodding, desperate to be closer to him.
His eyes trailed her body before he studied her face. “Baby, I want you… so badly. But I haven’t showered in… Shit, I don’t even know.”
Madi giggled. “You smell amazing to me. I want you now, like this.”
He moaned as he bent forward and kissed her nose. His kiss moved to her eyes, then her cheeks, before gently pressing against her lips. Madi deepened the kiss. “I want you. I need you. I need you to show me you want me too,” she whispered into his mouth.
His eyes bore into hers. “You want me to show you?”
She nodded, unable to speak from the intensity with which his eyes filled with desire.
He shifted his body and she was underneath him. He opened her legs with his thigh and Madi moaned. Her hands grasped for his shirt at the base of his back. He yanked it over his head and pressed his naked chest to hers as he sucked her bottom lip into his mouth. Madi felt the surge from her toes to her center. She wanted him desperately. More than she ever had before, if that was possible. She felt as if she needed to claim him.
His lips found her neck and he rocked his body into hers, rubbing in all the right places. Madi moaned at the feel of him. The weight of him on her body felt so right. He belonged there. His mouth trailed from her throat to her collarbone before he grazed her nipple with his teeth. He moaned as his mouth dove into her breast. He sucked her and lapped her as his erection pushed into her. “Oh God, Jake!”
His mouth moved from one to the other, giving both equal attention. His hand kneaded into the opposite side, ke
eping her warm and wanting. He continued his dissent until he had to turn her to stay on the bed. He rose off of her as he placed his hand under her neck and lifted her head gently onto the pillow he’d moved to the side. She was in the middle of the bed, her knees bent, feet on the floor, but not for long. He dropped to his knees in front of her as his hot mouth found her hot center and she lifted her leg to accommodate him. “So warm…” he whispered against her, tugging her panties down her legs as he pushed apart her folds with his fingers. “So wet…”
He sucked her into his mouth and the cold burst of air combined with the warmth of his tongue caused her to cry out in pleasure. Her hand gripped the back of his head as he buried his face in her, devouring her. His fingers gently slid into her as his mouth traveled down her, kissing every inch of her. His mouth moved up and down her as he groaned into her, placing his hands underneath her and pushing her further into his face. She could feel the warmth and quickening building within her. She steadied herself on his arms before reaching to grip the bed, her hands desperately searching for something to cling to.
He never stopped and never let up the constant pressure or pulsing of his tongue and fingers. As she tightened around him, she started to pant, increasing in volume as she climbed. He paused briefly as he mouthed into her, “You belong with me.” His tongue flicked her repeatedly before he sucked her deeply into his mouth as his fingers entered her once more. She cried out as she flew over the mountain. Like a parasailor in the wind, she fell freely, blissfully before climbing again with the pull of air and fell back into him, multiple times, until she gasped to breathe. When her panting subsided, he slowly ascended her, still kissing every inch of her as he made his way back on top, pressing his chest to hers and gazing lovingly into her eyes.
Something inside her spiraled as emotions bubbled to the surface. She turned her face away from him, hoping he wouldn’t be able to see the fear return to her mind. He saw.
“Hey?” he asked as he gently pulled her chin toward his face. “What just happened there? One second you were smiling, the next you were a million miles away.”
“I wanted to know you still wanted me. I wanted to be with you, so I could make sure you were really mine.”
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