Take a Chance on Me

Chapter Fifteen



Mitch’s bedroom door clicked shut. The sound echoed in Maddie’s head as her pulse lurched. Her nerves, which had been a mere rumble when she’d been outside by the river and trapped under Mitch’s hard body, had built to a crescendo on the walk back to the house.

All her inadequacies and worry pushed to the surface, dulling her determination to take what she wanted. She stared at Mitch’s big king-sized bed, the massive intricate headboard both beautiful and daunting.

She could do this. She wanted to do this.

Mitch’s warm palms covered her bare shoulders, sending a jolt of electricity through her blood and making her jump. His body pressed close to hers, hitching her breath.

“Second thoughts?” he whispered, stirring the fine hairs along the shell of her ear.

Maddie licked her bottom lip, transfixed by the bed before her. “I’m nervous.”

He slid his hands down her arms, leaving a trail of goose bumps in his wake. “Princess, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

With her heart pounding against her ribs, she squeaked, “It’s . . . just . . . I don’t know. . . .” The chocolate-colored suede comforter looked as lush and inviting as it had last night, but she couldn’t take a step toward it. She was frozen to the spot, suspended by indecision.

“What don’t you know?” His low voice snaked through her fear.

“It’s not what I pictured,” she blurted, once again wringing her hands.

He reached around her waist, taking her nervous, quaking fingers in his and stilling them. “What did you picture?”

She took a deep breath. “I guess I thought I’d be overwhelmed by passion and wouldn’t have to think too much about it.” God, did that sound terrible? Like she didn’t want him?

He chuckled, and the slow sinful sound wound her more tightly until she thought she might break. “Would it have been easier if I took you out on the grass?”

She nodded, unable to speak. Why was she like this? Why couldn’t she take control of the situation like a grown woman?

He released her, stepping away and taking all his warmth and strength with him. He walked around until he stood in front of her. He stroked a finger down her jaw and cupped her chin. “Do you trust me?”

She bit the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know. I want to.”

“Fair enough,” he said, a small smile lifting the corner of his lips. “Tell me your worries.”

A million scenarios, all of them terrible, filled her head. She couldn’t tell him. It would ruin the moment even more than it had been ruined. Anxious, she gazed up at him and, unable to help herself, said, “What if it’s a disaster?”

“Then we’ll try again.”

She frowned, her brows pulling tight. “You’re not going to reassure me how fabulous it will be?”

His grip slipped down to her throat. “No.”

“Why?”

He smiled. “Because that would be taking it easy on you.”

With a quick, surprised laugh, she pushed at his chest. “That’s not what I meant!”

His fingers tightened, and she could feel her pulse pounding against his thumb. “Think about it. Do you really want some smooth line about how I’m so good you’ll come for me like you never have before?”

She pushed away all her mental noise to concentrate on his question. He was right. It would sound like a line and make her uneasy. He was giving her honesty. He didn’t know any more than she did.

She studied his face. Those golden eyes were bright with understanding and steady with certainty, his expression relaxed. “But you’re not worried, are you?”

He stroked her neck. “No, I’m not.”

“Why?”

He slid over the cords of her neck, and despite her nerves, a shiver ran through her. “That’s why.”

“Sure, that’s now, but what if in the moment, I freeze?”

“Then you freeze and we slow down. There’s no rush, Maddie.”


The first layer of her nerves calmed. “And if it’s a horrible disaster?”

His lips quirked. “Then it’s a disaster.”

Another knot of tension unfurled. “It could be all awkward and fumbling.”

“True.” He released his hold on her throat and cupped her shoulders, shifting them both to the left. “Maybe we can come up with some teenage fantasies to accompany the awkwardness.”

She repressed the smile at the images that evoked. Good images. Fun. Better, but her mind still whirled. “What if I decide I want to stop?”

Another step around. “Then we’ll stop.”

“No questions asked?”

“No questions asked.” He pressed closer, forcing her to step with him.

The anxious jump in her stomach quelled. “What if I don’t like what you’re doing?”

“Tell me you don’t like it.”

“You won’t be offended?”

Something dark flashed in his gaze. “No. I won’t be offended. In fact, I insist you tell me if you don’t like something.”

“And you’ll stop?”

He shrugged, his face holding none of the turmoil whirling inside her. “That’ll depend.”

“On what?” She twisted her hands once again.

He leaned in close enough for her to see the spikes of brown in his eyes. “On if you really don’t like it, or if it just makes you nervous.”

Her hands stilled. “How can you tell the difference?”

“That’s easy,” he said, his thumb brushing over her bottom lip. “The body rarely lies.”

She frowned. Was that true? Her body lied to her all the time.

Or did it?

She caught him watching her intently. “Am I frustrating you?”

“Nope.” Simple. Matter-of-fact. True.

“Why not? I’m frustrating me.”

“I want you to be sure.” He tucked a lock of wayward hair behind her ear. “Besides, it’s kind of cute.”

She scowled, some of her temper kicking in. “I don’t want to be cute!”

“Too bad,” he said, brushing a quick kiss along her jaw. “You are.”

“If I’m cute, it can’t possibly be the way I want it to be.”

“And how do you want it to be?” His expression was so keen with interest that a flush warmed her cheeks.

Now she’d done it. She shrugged.

“Tell me.”

“You know, all hot and passionate,” she mumbled, embarrassed.

“You can’t be both?”

His expression was so filled with smug, male amusement that she couldn’t help answering with a totally female pout.

“This isn’t helping. I’m not feeling very sophisticated right now.”

“Maddie,” he said, his voice warm and rich like melted chocolate. “I’ve had enough cool, sophisticated women to last me a lifetime.”

Surprised, she blinked and said stupidly, “Oh.”

He looped one finger on her shorts and tugged. “And the truth is, I haven’t ever wanted anyone as badly as I want you.”

Throat dry, she swallowed. “You want me?”

“Since the second you walked into my bar.”

She nibbled on the inside of her cheek, still fretting over one concern she couldn’t possibly say out loud.

“What?” Another hard tug on her waistband shifted her to the left.

“What if I can’t . . .” Heat stained her cheeks and she waved a hand in the air. “You know.”

“Come?” A full smile stretched his mouth.

She nodded, the movement sharp and jerky.

“Then I’ll have to try harder next time, won’t I?” His tone was bemused.

“You won’t be upset?”

He laughed, the sound low, wicked, and completely sinful, and her belly leapt in desire instead of fear. “Nope, I’ll probably pass out before my ego can get too worked up about it.”

Laughter burst from her lips. “You jerk.”

He flashed the crooked grin from the night she’d met him, and her heart melted. “That’s what you get for asking a trick question.”

She shook her head, raising her gaze to the heavens, drawing her next question only to find her mind blank. The anxious, worried tension vibrating in her body was gone, her internal chatter finally quiet. “Okay, then.”

“You sure?”

“Yes.” The word was more squeaky than intelligible.

He stepped closer, pushing her shoulders. Her calves hit the back of the bed. She straightened. “Hey! How’d that happen?”

“I’m tricky that way,” he said. His tone was amused, but his eyes were hot and hungry.

“How did you know I wasn’t going to say no?”

“Princess, if you were going to say no, you’d have said it a long time ago.” He lifted her and tossed her on the mattress, where she landed in an unceremonious heap.

She scrambled back and he climbed onto the bed, looking like a predator slinking through the brush.

“You’re very mean.” She was breathless now with anticipation.

He grabbed her ankles. “And don’t you forget it.”

Oh God. Her nipples beaded and she tried to squirm away, but he straddled her before she could move, trapping her beneath him. His eyes dipped to her breasts. “See, the body doesn’t lie.”

The hard buds tightened further, and she gulped.

He gripped her wrists, pulling them above her head and into the pillow. “I think you like it a little mean.”

Her breath stalled in her chest. How could he possibly know? She shook her head, unable to admit to something so depraved.

“Oh yes,” he said, the words ringing with something primitive and untamed.

And then he kissed her, putting all her worries to rest with one single press of his lips.





Maddie’s mouth opened under his in an instant, and Mitch took full advantage, taking her in a hard, brutal kiss, holding none of his pent-up desire back.

The muscles in her wrist flexed as she clenched her hands.

His tongue stroked into her mouth, coaxing her into a response, into greedy need.

She twisted under him, driving him half out of his mind as he devoured her with all the possessiveness he’d been repressing for days, pushing them both into the lustful, mindless oblivion she’d been craving.

He clasped her hands together, wrapping his fingers around her small wrists, leaving him free to explore. He stroked down her body, noticing every catch of her breath and strain of her muscles as he brushed over the tendons in her neck.

He tore his mouth away, moving down her throat to find the pounding beat of her pulse with his tongue. He sucked, gently at first, and then harder when she gasped.

He’d known it would be like this. Unlike her, he hadn’t had a doubt in his mind.

He bit her neck and she wrenched beneath him. She was sensitive and he took full advantage, feasting on her like a vampire until she squirmed under him, moaning. She pulled at her wrists, trying to get free, but he gripped her more tightly, locking his thighs around hers and immobilizing her.

She arched and struggled.

Her soft whimper tugged at his cock as though she’d touched him.

He stroked down her body, covering her breast with his palm and whispering in her ear, “I’m going to lick you until you scream and then I’m going to f*ck you so you’ll feel me for days.”

She gasped and shook her head. “I . . . I can’t . . .”

Just like he’d told her, her body betrayed her. She arched, her nipple tightening under his hand as her breath became more ragged.


“Yes,” he said, and covered the mouth that had driven him crazy since she’d sat down at his bar.

Despite her protests, she held nothing back.

The surrender vibrated through her as she shuddered. The heat of her mouth made him dizzy as he peeled down the strap of her tank top to reveal one perfect bare breast. He learned her body, circling the hard peak over and over until she strained to get free. He rolled her nipple between his thumb and forefinger, squeezing and pinching until she cried out, letting him know without words that he’d caught the sweet spot between pleasure and pain.

“Mitch.” His name on her lips, a need-soaked whisper.

Jesus Christ. He was so damn hard that his zipper bit into his erection. He’d die to get into her, do anything to sink into the depths of her body and ride her hard and furiously. But he couldn’t, not yet: first, he had work to do.

He intended to put every single one of her worries to rest.





What was he doing?

Maddie twisted under Mitch as he wrenched another keening jolt of pleasure from her. It felt so good, so impossibly right, that it made her head spin. With his intoxicating kiss, he delivered all of the overwhelming passion she’d craved. She gasped with surprise as he squeezed her nipple to the point of discomfort. Instead of the pain she would have expected, it sent aching, burning desire to her core.

She needed to do something other than lie here, with nothing to distract her from the hot, consuming sensations racing through her. She yanked at her manacled wrists, and he tightened his hold, refusing to release her.

She wanted to touch him, wrap her legs around his waist, force him to move quicker, get inside faster because, God help her, she was desperate.

As though reading her mind, her hands were suddenly free, but before she could get her bearings, he pulled her up, stripping off her tank top. She flopped down on the mattress.

High above her, Mitch loomed large, impossibly gorgeous. Impossibly dangerous. Excitement raced through her blood.

He ripped his T-shirt from his body with a flash of golden skin and hard muscles that she itched to touch. She reached out, but he grabbed her hands, pressing her wrists into the mattress, covering her. A protest rose to her lips, but his mouth claimed hers and her thoughts fragmented, blocking out everything but the feel of his chest rubbing against her breasts.

She’d worried for nothing. All of her concerns were forgotten as he drove her nearly mad with fevered lust.

He broke the kiss, moving lower and skimming his hot mouth along her jaw. Lower still, he licked the mysterious erogenous zone on her throat, right over her pounding pulse.

She closed her eyes and just about melted into the bed.

He nipped at her collarbone, slid down her chest, nuzzling the slope of her breast before capturing one nipple with his lips.

She arched, her heels digging into the mattress as he sucked the hard, aching bud deep into his mouth. The sensation was so exquisite that she thought she might climb out of her skin for wanting him. She buried her hands into his hair, digging her nails into his scalp to keep him close.

He played with her nipples, masterfully using hands, lips, tongue, and teeth until she wanted to cry for relief. Impossibly, her belly coiled tight. So tight she might break.

Still trapped between the ironclad muscles of his thighs, she twisted. God, she needed friction. Why wouldn’t he let her move?

He bit the aching peak. Pleasure snapped through her nerve endings, so sharp it bordered on pain. Unable to hold back, a moan escaped her.

He gave a deep laugh, so filled with carnal intent that she felt the flush deepen on her already hot skin.

His mouth left her breast, the hard bud wet and needy as he slithered down her body. His hands rested on her hips. “Lift.”

Without even a thought to the contrary, she complied.

He shifted, nudging her legs with his knees until her thighs splayed open and vulnerable. He moved between them, resting on his haunches as he looked his fill.

An urge to cover herself snuck over her, dimming some of her desire. Her arm twitched and his gaze snapped to hers. “Don’t even think about it.”

God, that voice. The low threat. The command.

“You are gorgeous.” His smile was wicked as he slid a finger along her wet center. “And this is a surprise.”

Her lashes fluttered at the feather-light touch. “What?”

“You’re bare.” Another soft brush passed over moist flesh, not touching where she needed it most.

Oh, yeah. She’d forgotten. She managed to pant out, “The woman . . . at the salon . . . said it was trendy.”

He scooted down, never ceasing his slow, methodical stroking of her slick folds.

She squeezed her lids tightly, gritting her teeth as she silently willed him to touch her harder.

He blew across her overheated skin. “I like it.”

She froze, everything inside her going still. She jerked up. “What are you doing?”

His head lifted and he stared at her from beneath her splayed thighs. “I told you I was going to lick you.”

Panic edged out her lust. “Please don’t.”

One brow arched. “No?”

She shook her head vehemently, trying to scramble up the bed.

A hard clamp over her thighs ceased her frantic movement. “Why?”

“I don’t like it,” she said, completely embarrassed. She’d worked up the courage to ask Steve once, and it had been a disaster. She’d lived in fear of him ever trying it again, but thankfully, he’d never brought it up.

She shook her head. No! Not now! She didn’t want to think about him.

She collapsed onto the bed and threw her arm over her face. All that greedy, dizzying desire was gone like a puff of air. Ruined.

He licked the length of her slit, shocking her.

“No!” She tried to close her legs, but his large palms pressed her down to the mattress.

Another swipe of his tongue.

She glared up at the ceiling, clenching her hands into fists. “I thought you’d said you’d stop.”

His mouth danced over her flesh, lips grazing her inner thigh before his teeth gently scraped over her sensitive flesh. Despite her unease, her thighs trembled in response. She gritted her teeth.

“You’re nervous, not turned off.” His warm breath blew over her skin, tickling her.

It was an effort, but she stayed completely still. “I don’t like it.”

He sat up, and powerful relief stole through her as she let out the air she hadn’t realized she’d been holding. “Thank you.”

He smiled and entwined their fingers together. “Don’t thank me yet.” He brought their joined hands to rest between her thighs. “Touch yourself.”

“Wh-what?” she sputtered. Was he crazy?

He changed his hold, gripping her wrist so that her hand rested against her opening. “Touch yourself.”

“I most certainly will not.” Her tone was as prim as a schoolmarm. This was turning into the disaster she’d been afraid of. “You’re ruining this for me.”

He shrugged, as though totally unconcerned. “Do it, or I’ll do it for you.”

“No,” she said, and looked around for something to cover herself with. “This was a mistake. I’m leaving.”

He laughed. Actually laughed!

Anger spiked, cooling the last remaining heat in her blood. She tried to wrench away, but he held her tight. Over the years she’d taught herself to repress her temper. All the consequences of unleashing it roiled to the surface, but she pushed them away as she kicked at him. “I’m never going to forgive you for this. It was going so well, and you had to go and spoil it.”


“Ruined you for sex forever, did I?” His tone was amused instead of concerned.

“Yes!” She glared, her fury as hot as her lust had been moments before. “It looks like I have to join the convent after all, thanks to you!”

“I see,” he said, looking her over with a lazy glance. “Such a shame.”

“Are you making fun of me?” Her foot shot out as she aimed for the center of his chest.

He batted her away as though she were a pesky fly, his hold on her wrist not loosening even a fraction. “You are so irresistible when you get all riled up.”

“I hope you’re happy. This is exactly the disaster I imagined.” She wanted to kill him. Everything had been perfect, exactly what she’d been wanting, and now it was her worst nightmare.

Without letting her go, he moved up her body and loomed over her. “You have only yourself to blame.”

With her free hand, she pinched him.

Laughing, he shook his head, then captured her free hand and manacled her wrists together. “I knew I was going to have to restrain you.”

“Jerk!” The insult did not leave her mouth with the vehemence she’d intended.

He planted one of those hot, open-mouth kisses over her pulse, calling her attention to the frantic beat under her skin.

“That’s not excitement,” she said, her tone petulant. “It’s anger.”

“I don’t care.” He scraped his teeth over the spot and her body betrayed her by stirring to life. “I like the way it feels under my tongue.”

“Don’t you care about my pleasure at all?” Ugh. She sounded whiny. She hated that.

He sucked at her neck and her vision dimmed as he licked and tortured the soft skin. Some of the lust-filled haze returned, dulling her mind.

No. She would not get distracted. She had a point to make.

“Yes,” he said, his breath hot against her neck. “But if you’re determined to talk yourself out of what you want, there’s nothing I can do about that.”

“I’m not.” She wasn’t. She just didn’t like it and he wouldn’t listen.

He shifted to the side, and to her annoyance she missed the heat of his body pressing into hers. He clasped one of her hands and brought it down over her head to rest between her legs. This time, his palm covered hers and forced her middle finger to slide inside her core, right along with his. “Feel that?”

She gulped. She was hot. Wet. Too wet.

Something must have shown in her expression because he pressed harder, pushing her deeper as her own excitement slicked her skin.

He leaned down and licked a circle over her nipple, and her inner muscles clamped down, practically milking her finger in enthusiasm. He nipped at her nipple, causing another undeniable ripple before he blew across the aching tip. “You don’t know what you like, Maddie.”

“And you do?” She panted out the words.

“Not yet, exactly,” he said, flicking the hard bud with his tongue. “But I’ve got a damn good idea.”

“I don’t like that,” she said stubborn.

He moved their fingers inside her, a slow lazy pump that heated her blood. “You could have fooled me.”

“I said no.”

He slid them out of her body, releasing her and swirling a thumb over her *. She jerked, a soft gasp escaping before she could push it back.

“Yes, that’s what your head says.” Mitch sucked her nipple into his mouth, pulling deep and strong, and the sensation shot straight to the bundle of nerves between her legs where he stroked with feather lightness. He lifted his head. “But you keep rocking your p-ssy into my hand just the same.”

A shocked, heated flush spread over her entire body. “No.”

“Yes. You were just too busy talking to pay attention.” With eyes dark as burnished gold, he met her gaze. “Let’s try a little experiment, okay?”

She didn’t like the sound of that, but was so embarrassed she couldn’t do anything but squeak.

He kissed her, a short, fleeting over-too-soon kiss. “I’m going to go down on you for fifteen minutes. If you still don’t like it at the end, I’ll never do it again. Sound reasonable?”

Well, when he put it like that, she’d look foolish to refuse.

After all, he wasn’t hurting her, and at the end of fifteen minutes, she wouldn’t have to endure any more humiliation over this again. She nodded.

He gave her one of those trademark sinful smiles that never failed to make her weak in the knees and pointed to the bedside clock. “You can watch the time. Just tap me on the shoulder when the fifteen minutes is up.”

“Okay,” she mumbled.

He laughed, sliding down her body. Muscles taut, she braced herself, gaze glued to the red digital display. She’d expected him to go right to ground zero, but instead he brushed his lips along her inner thigh, first one and then the other. Nerves she’d believed numb quivered to life.

She watched the clock.

He licked the soft flesh. Nipped. Sucked.

Her core contracted. She bit her lip as her blood stirred.

His lips moved so softly over her skin, the pressure so light that she couldn’t help but crave more.

The red numbers on the clock changed. One minute.

He treated the other thigh to the same attention.

Her lashes fluttered and she stubbornly forced them open.

The urge to close her legs was impossible to resist, but he tightened his grip the second she tensed, not allowing her to move.

Two minutes.

He nibbled his way to the crease of her thigh, his breath hot against her folds. She braced herself, her eyes clinging to the red numbers as though they were her lifeline. But he didn’t go in; instead, he scraped his teeth against the taut tendon on her inner thigh, and she sucked in her stomach as desire shot through her.

Four minutes.

Her breath came a little faster as anxiety grew, tinged with pleasure. Her hips twitched as she fought the desire to force him to deepen the contact.

Six.

Finally, he licked, flicking his tongue along her slit. Involuntarily, her body arched, but she pressed her spine along the mattress, determined not to give in.

He chuckled, and she knew he hadn’t missed the movement.

He was mean. She’d make him pay. Later. Much, much later.

He dipped inside. Just a fraction.

Her nipples beaded once again into hard, almost painful peaks. A dark, wayward thought entered her mind. She wanted to stroke them, pull them, and pinch them as he’d done earlier. But she couldn’t do that.

Sure, she’d touched her breasts before, but never in front of anyone.

An image of his mouth between her legs and her playing with her nipples filled her mind with such erotic vividness that her inner muscles clamped down.

He moaned, causing a sinfully delicious vibration against her skin.

Her breath grew faster, and her lids grew heavy at his heady exploration.

Eight minutes.

He licked her * and the nerves there jumped to life. She bit her bottom lip, fighting the cry that filled her throat.

He increased his pressure.

She grabbed a fistful of the sheets and hung on for dear life.

His tongue swirled.

His mouth was hot on her skin.

No longer able to stand it, her eyes closed as an impossible, undeniable pressure coiled tight.

Two fingers slid inside her as he lapped at the hard bud.

Oh God.

His tongue was too talented: impossibly, wickedly talented. Unable to fight her body’s urges any longer, her hips rocked.

The sensation built.

He hooked his fingers deep, right over her pelvic bone, and rubbed in hard, sure circles.


Her body jerked. Her hands clenched the cotton. The cry tore unbidden from her throat.

His lips sucked her *. The rhythm increased on that one maddening spot.

Everything clenched.

He became relentless, demanding—no longer coaxing a response, but forcing one. Every nerve she had flamed.

A sharp, exquisite, almost painful pleasure twisted and coiled.

He persisted.

The orgasm hovered just beyond her reach, taunting her, teasing her. She moaned, partly in frustration and partly from how unbelievably his mouth and hands tormented her.

Unable to stop, her hips moved. Strained to get closer. This was nothing like what she’d experienced before. She forgot all her reservations, her protests, and her stubborn stand, and reveled at his talent.

Inside, his fingers twisted. His teeth scraped along her *.

She exploded. The climax ripped from her body as wave after wave of almost violent contractions wracked her body. She cried out when he pressed harder, not letting go, not letting up. The sensations were so intense that they’d be unbearable if they hadn’t felt so damn good.

Another wave of pleasure shook her frame, tossing her about. “Oh God!”

The orgasm went on and on until she finally went limp, her muscles slack.

His fingers slid from her body, and he pressed one last kiss to her mound before moving up her body. Beside her, he trailed a path over her belly, and she jumped, her oversensitive skin ticklish. He brushed his mouth over hers. He smelled and tasted of her. She thought she should be mortified, but instead she lay there, too boneless and satisfied to kick up a fuss.

“You forgot to tap me and tell me the time was up,” he said, his voice the epitome of smug, arrogant maleness.

“Don’t brag,” she murmured, eyes still closed.

He chuckled, cupping her breast and rubbing his thumb over the peak. “You only came once. It’s not much to brag about.”

She opened one eye. “Only once?”

“If I had more time, I could have done better.”

The other lid popped open. “You did fine.” Understatement of the century.

He rolled her nipple, leaning down to kiss her neck. Her pulse stirred to life, even though she’d been sure she’d never move again. “Wake up, Maddie. I’m not nearly done with you yet.”

He shifted, and lying on his back, he reached into the nightstand to pull out a handful of condoms. He tossed them onto the table.

Her eyes widened. “Ambitious.”

He chuckled. “I’ve been hard for three days straight. It’s going to take more than once.”

“I’m not sure I have the energy.”

With a smile, he unzipped his jeans, shucking them off along with his underwear, his eyes never leaving hers. “You do like to challenge me, don’t you, Princess?”

Was that what she was doing? Was she throwing down the sexual gauntlet? She let her eyes roam, taking in his golden skin, those hard muscles, and the flat of his abdomen before resting on his erection.

He was steely hard, the head of his cock brushing his belly.

Her fingers twitched. She wanted to touch him. She reached out tentatively at first, stroking over his stomach. The muscles jumped under her touch. She trailed a path over the plains, marveling at the way he responded to her. Growing bolder, she circled his flat brown nipple, much like he’d done to her.

With a hiss, he gripped her hand. “Don’t do that right now.”

“Why?” She scooted closer, bent her head, and licked.

“F*ck!” He nearly crushed her fingers. He rolled her over onto her back, covering her.

“We’ll play later. Right now, I just need inside.”

She loved the way his body felt on hers: the hard length of his frame, his lean muscles, and the press of his thighs against hers.

He covered her mouth in a crushing, brutal, passion-soaked kiss. Stealing her breath along with any conscious thought, he sucked her underneath that drugging, all-consuming passion. He ate at her mouth, played her body like a violin until she moaned and twisted. Need coiled tightly in her belly.

His erection slid between her wet folds.

She forgot everything.

Her past. His. Her family. Steve. The wedding. Everything. For the first time since she was fifteen, she lost herself in the abandon of emotion. She wrapped her legs around his waist, wanting him so badly she’d kill for it.

“Please,” she whispered, not caring if it sounded like begging.

He groaned, shifting his weight, thrusting the head of his cock over her *.

The sensation jolted like electricity down her spine.

He repeated the action, shaking his head. “Goddamn. You feel so f*cking good.”

She arched to meet him, desire ratcheting up at a fevered pitch. “Please, please.”

She forgot to be embarrassed. Forgot about how she sounded or looked. Forgot about God’s watchful, disapproving eye as she clawed her nails down his back. She needed more.

He growled a low, primal sound from deep in his throat. He shifted his hips. He aligned the head of his cock at her opening, then thrust hard, filling her completely, only to freeze.

“Damn it.” He pulled out, and she tried to keep him within her, but he was too strong. “Princess, give me a second. I forgot the condom.”

Her lids were heavy; it was an effort to open her eyes. He reached over to the nightstand and grabbed a foil packet, rolling to a kneeling position between her legs. His lids were heavy, and his cheekbones looked carved from granite.

He was so beautiful: a work of art she wanted to capture on paper. The thought came from out of nowhere, surprising her, but before she could latch on to it, Mitch tore the package open with his teeth, then handed the condom to her.

“Put it on.”

His voice was a steely command, and she didn’t even think to refuse.

With trembling fingers, she took the latex ring. She sat up and positioned it over the head of his erection. Watching his face, she rolled it down his shaft inch by slow inch, reveling in the stark hunger etched over his strong features.

He hissed out a breath. Flipping her onto her back, he pulled her splayed legs over his thighs and thrust into her.

She was filled by and stretched tightly around him, and he didn’t move, letting her adjust to his length and girth. When her muscles loosened, he shifted, filling her impossibly further. She arched, stars crowding her vision as he ground his hips in a slow, mind-altering circle.

Then he started to move, each thrust setting her nerves on fire.

He didn’t make love to her. It was no gentle wooing. No, it was a claiming. He took her. Hot. Hard. Primal. Pumping into her with brutal thrusts.

“So.” He slammed into her. “F*cking.” With another drive home, his hips swiveled so the base of his cock hit her * on the up stroke. “Good.”

She cried out. Relentless, burning desire threatened to incinerate her.

“Tight.” His voice low, he pushed her back onto the mattress. “Wet.”

“Harder,” she pleaded, the blinding need for release engulfing her.

He rose onto his hands and rocked into her, brutally, beautifully hard.

Over and over.

Faster.

Desire coiled deep in her belly.

Just a little more.

He reached between them and rubbed a finger over her *.

She exploded, coming so hard that her vision dimmed to blackness as she nearly passed out from the fury of her climax.

Seconds later, he followed, pumping fast, with a loud roar that nearly shook the rafters.

Finally, the mad rush and thrust of their bodies stilled and the world slowed down. He rolled off of her, and they both stared up at the ceiling, gasping for breath.


“That was . . .” Mitch panted out, running a hand through his already impossibly messy hair.

Maddie giggled, another piece of that invisible weight she carried on her chest chipping away. “A total disaster.”

“Little brat.” He laughed. “You know what that means?”

“What?” She risked a glance at him, only to flush the second their eyes met.

“We’ll have to try again.”

“Until we get it right.”

He rolled over and kissed her. “I have a feeling it’s going to take quite some time before we’re even remotely proficient.”

Forever. The word slipped into her mind so smoothly, so effortlessly, she’d had to be thinking it on some visceral, unconscious level. The thought shook her. A slice of panic cut through her bone-deep relaxation.

She’d just met Mitch. She’d run out of her wedding precisely because she’d never been alone. Now, not even a week later, she imagined “forever”?

No. She refused to think about that. It was only her Catholic upbringing playing tricks on her mind, wanting her to be proper. That was all.

Mitch gripped her chin, pulling her away from her thoughts. “What is going on in that head of yours?”

“Nothing,” she said, far too quickly.

He searched her face. “You know, Maddie, you can tell me anything.”

“Yes, I know,” she lied. She flashed a blinding smile.

His eyes narrowed doubtfully.

“I’m fine,” she said, fluttering her lashes at him. “Except for how awful the whole messy ordeal was.”

He rolled over, trapping her and pinning her under him. “I knew you liked it mean.”

Yes, this was what she needed. More sex. More Mitch. More blinding passion and explosive orgasms. She had no intention of confessing her unbidden thoughts of fairy tales. She’d stopped believing in happily ever after on that afternoon back when she was fifteen.

No amount of Catholic guilt was going to convince her otherwise.