Madden (Boston Bay Vikings #17)

10. Tessa

10

TESSA

After Madden left, I made myself a cup of coffee and picked up a book to read, but my mind kept going back to the hateful comments on social media. So, I found myself scrolling through all the comments. To my surprise, most of the commenters are calling this woman out for posting something hateful about another woman. They call her jealous because Madden chose me over her, which makes me frown. He didn't say he knew the woman who posted the photo. My frown deepens when the woman responds to the comment, ‘He's only with her because she's easy and I wasn’t.’

My stomach churns at the words and I quickly toss my phone to the end of the sofa. I trust Madden. I really do. He was sincere when he told me I was the only one he wanted. The way he loves me says more than words. I'm not that experienced in relationships, but something about Madden tells me he's true to me.

My fingers itch to grab my phone and make a comment. To slam the girl the way she slammed me. I don't. I'm going to be the bigger person here. I'm going to wait, and then together with Madden, we're going to post something from his account. We will be polite and to the point.

Looking out the window from my position on the sofa, I watch the gray clouds move in over the city of Boston. Snow is forecast for this morning. It's supposed to be heavy and last into the night. I wonder if tonight's game will be canceled because of the expected weather.

The door opens and I turn to face Madden as he enters, sweat soaking through his t-shirt. He tosses the shirt on the floor with his sneakers, then slowly walks toward me, a gleam in his eye. "Do you want to take a shower with me?"

I hold his gaze and then slowly move my eyes down, over his defined chest and abs, and down to the thick erection that tents his running shorts. I sit forward and, reaching out, run the tips of my fingers from his knees up his thighs. A hiss leaves his mouth as the throbbing cock twitches in front of my face.

"Shower," Madden moans.

Meeting his gaze, I admit, "I like this position." I run a fingernail up his arousal. "I like it a lot."

He gives me a garbled reply as I pull down his shorts and underwear. He kicks them off as they fall to the floor. Leaning forward, I grab his girth and swirl my tongue around the swollen head. I grin and take him into my mouth, feeling him grow harder against my tongue. The taste of him is intoxicating. I meet his lowered lids and slide further down his length. His eyes roll as my nose tickles the hairs around his shaft, my mouth and throat full of his pulsing length.

Hands grab my head and slowly pull me back. Pre-cum oozes from the tip that I suck on. "Tessa," he moans. "I'm close and I want to come inside you."

"You will be inside me."

"Fuck!" He pulls me up and into him. His hands fly over my body with urgency as his mouth collides with mine in a hungry kiss. I feel the heat of his desire burning through me, matching my own need for him. A hand slips between us and then his fingers find me wet and ready for him. He drops to the sofa and pulls me onto his lap but facing away from him. My nightshirt is added to the pile of gathering clothes on the floor.

He grabs my hips and pulls me towards him, sliding into me with a deep moan, filling me completely. It takes me a few moments to adjust to his girth, but when I do, I lean back against his chest. We both moan at the sensation. His hands reach in front of me, taking the weight of my breasts as his fingers find the hard, swollen nubs of my nipples.

"I'm breaking a rule," Madden growls, his mouth locked on my neck. "No getting off on game day."

I squeeze my muscles and feel him shiver around me. "We'd better make this quick, so you have time to recover." I begin to move slowly, and then our bodies move together in perfect rhythm, the intensity building with each thrust. I arch my back, meeting his every move with equal passion.

One of his hands slides down my stomach and settles between my legs, his fingers stroking my clit. He presses his mouth to the top of my spine, and I fly, taking Madden with me. Madden grunts in my ear, "Game Day just got a whole lot better." I collapse against him, breathless and contented.

His warm arms wrap around me as he rests his chin on my shoulder. He plants a kiss on my neck and whispers, "You make me happy, Tessa. I couldn't wait to get back from my run and see you. The thought of sex never crossed my mind until I walked in and found you sitting on the sofa looking all sweet and soft."

"I'm happy. I feel safe and secure with you." She giggles. "I feel a lot of other things too, but I think we'd end up in bed if I told you those things."

Madden grabs my waist and helps me off him before he has me snuggled up against him, the blanket covering our nakedness. "About the other shit, are you really, okay?"

"I'm upset and angry." I pause. "I think I'm angrier that people think it's okay to make rude and hurtful comments about me. They hide behind their computers or cell phones. It's not okay. If it doesn't stop, I will retaliate. I hope you know that."

He drops his forehead to mine and says, "We will retaliate, Tess." He blows out a breath. "I need to tell you something."

"Are you referring to the woman being jealous because you didn't choose her?" I ask, hoping my trust is not misplaced.

Madden sighs. "She's thrown herself at me several times. I'm not interested. She pushed harder. I stopped going out with the team because she kept showing up."

"She's stalking you!" I sit up, but Madden pulls me back into his arms.

"Not that bad... Not yet. No matter what you hear, you have to believe me when I say I never even went out with her, nor did I touch her in any way." Pause. "Well, I did push her off my lap once when she just showed up and sat down on me." He winces. "You're the only woman I want, Tess. You make me feel whole."

I curl my body into his, loving how he calls me Tess. "You're mine, Madden. I'll fight for you if I have to, as long as I'm the only one you want."

"No fighting, sweetheart. We belong together."

This is my first time in a large crowd since my cheek caught a stray bullet. I hadn't told Madden about it because the last thing I want is for him to worry about me when he has a game to concentrate on. Both Rosie and Willow took me in, for which I am grateful. It's scary to be alone in a big crowd. Gemma, Dario's girlfriend, keeps glancing over at me with a worried look on her face. It was Gemma the bullet was meant for. I don't blame her. I blame Julian Michaels, Gemma’s father.

Even though the crowd in the arena makes my stomach churn, I inhale for courage and move to Gemma's side, who looks surprised before giving me a smile. I take her hand and squeeze it gently. "Can we be friends, Gemma?"

Gemma sighs with relief and laughs. "Yes! I want to be friends, but I thought you blamed me for what happened."

"It's not your fault." I shake my head. "I never blamed you. I blamed the shooter."

She opens her mouth to speak, closes it, and finally asks, "How are you?"

"Not too bad. My heart pounds when I hear sudden loud noises. Crowds bother me too." I glance around.

"Still, you're at the game." She smiles. "My advice for tonight is to ignore the women who will no doubt be screaming and flirting with the guys during the game. It bothered me the first time I saw it. It still bothers me. But in the end, I know that Dario only has eyes for me. His heart belongs to me.” She shrugs and gives me a quick hug. "Nash is filling in for Lake tonight. Juniper fainted this afternoon, so she's at the hospital for tests. Her obstetrician says she's a little dehydrated."

"Juniper's tests are fine, and Lake took her home," Rosie adds, listening in. "Dover's getting some time on the ice tonight, too," Rosie waggles her eyebrows at Dodge, who deliberately doesn't meet her gaze. She laughs and walks over to the big man.

"I wish she'd stop teasing him," Gemma says, though her eyes are bright with amusement. "There's a certain attraction between the two men. They ignore each other even though they are aware of the other. It's like a dance, I guess. Dodge is a bit older than Dover, which Rosie thinks is the problem."

I feel more at ease as I listen to Rosie and Gemma talk about their men and what they look like in a towel. I snort. "Madden is hot as hell in a towel. Sweats too, if I'm being honest."

Gemma slides her arm through one of mine and pulls us back to our seats. She whispers, "Does his bulge make your eyes pop?"

My eyes widen in surprise at her question. "He has, um, a considerable bulge." I feel my face turn red and hot.

"Gemma, leave Tessa alone." Rosie rolls her eyes. "Tell her to mind her own business next time she asks you personal questions."

"I'm just curious," Gemma huffs.

"Curiosity killed the cat!" Rosie says with a small smile on her lips.

Gemma snorts.

Rosie smiles.

Amusement washes over me, soon cut off by the sound of verbal abuse. I freeze, as does Rosie. She's faster than me. She turns her head and narrows her gaze. "That bitch has got some nerve showing up here," she mutters.

The girl doing the cursing doesn't look familiar. But the words coming out of her mouth are familiar. Is she the one who made the social media post?

Rosie winces and looks in my direction. "Ignore her. Dodge called for security."

My heart sinks. What started out as a good evening has turned bad very quickly.