Chapter 8
Maddox struggled tohold back his excitement as they walked back to Ciara’s room. After lunch, he’d convinced her to rent canoes. They’d glided lazily through the water, traveling out beyond the swimmers in an attempt to see local fish. Even with tourism, the water was clear enough for them to see through because of the efforts to keep the beaches preserved.
Once they’d made it back to shore, he’d found them a semi-private area with a lounger large enough for both of them. He’d liked the way she’d been comfortable enough to curl up against his side and doze lazily.
After complaining about sleeping the day away, even though she was on vacation, she’d convinced him to take a walk through the tropical park. By the time they’d finished, they’d barely had enough time to return to their respective rooms, shower, and make it back to the restaurant for their reservation. He looked forward to finishing off a perfect day with a great night.
Ciara stopped in front of her door and inserted the key card. After the lock disengaged, she turned the handle, and he helped her push the door open.
Once they were inside, she shut it behind him. She turned to face him. “Thank you for today.”
Maddox stepped closer to her. “I should be the one thanking you. I’ve asked you to step outside of your comfort zone, and you’d done so without complaint.”
She smiled. “You make it easy to do.”
“I’m glad to hear that,” he replied.
Even though he’d met her because of the crash and burn of his relationship with another woman, that was old news, and he’d be damned if he’d pretend like he wasn’t grateful for it. In his opinion, it just confirmed that his ex-girlfriend hadn’t been the right woman for him.
Now he had to focus on the present and how to get it right with Ciara because boy did he want to. His gut told him it could be a beautiful thing.
Ciara might not believe that things between them could make it long term, but he did. All he could do was show her how rare and precious she was and what she did to him, and, hopefully, when they parted, she would want to cut down on the time that went by before they saw each other again.
She grinned, her breathtaking face lifted to his as he dragged her close with one arm banded around her waist and slanted his mouth over hers. Her soft lips parted under his with a sigh. She always embraced what they shared, never once pressing him for labels or more than he could offer.
Did anyone deserve a woman as amazing as Ciara?
Maddox bunched the hem of her dress in his fists and lifted it over her head, breaking from their kiss for the split second it took to dispense with the garment and slide his stare over her magnificent nakedness. He scooped his arms around her waist, hoisting her from her feet and stumbling towards the bedroom before falling backward, so she sprawled over him, covering him from chest to thigh in a tumble of naked limbs and a cloud of Ciara-scented essence.
Maddox filled his lungs and hands with her, memorizing every nuance of this unique woman. With every passing beat, her kisses grew more desperate, the breathy moans in her throat more frantic, and her fingers more insistent. And her ardor matched his.
Maddox rolled them, so she lay under him, her writhing body urging him on. She tugged at his shirt, and he helped her, yanking it up from behind his head and tossing it aside.
Skin to warm skin.
Maddox gripped one of her thighs, pushing her open to slot his hips in between. He captured one brown-tipped nipple, laving and lapping until she bucked in his arms and tugged at his hair, the wild, demanding side of her never far from the surface. His kisses followed the bumps of her ribs. The dip of her navel and the skin beneath her hip bones.
He slid to the floor, tugging her ass to the edge of the bed until he was satisfied with her position. He spread her open, his gaze devouring every perfect inch of her.
Just one more taste.
He pressed a kiss to each thigh, and then he leaned in to touch the tip of his tongue to her clit.
She sucked in a gasp, her hands fisting the bedspread. “Maddox...”
He pulled back, a rock the size of Mount Augustus lodged in his chest. “Say it again. Say my name.”
Some base part of him needed to hear her call out for him, to know that he wasn’t alone with his unrest. To know that she saw him and only him.
“Maddox...” she nodded, and he dived once more for the slick haven between her thighs. She resumed her chant, his name over and over again, while he licked and flicked and suckled.
Every time she spoke his name, his fingers clung to her thighs with a fraction more force, as if he wanted to stamp his presence all over her from head to toe, leaving no doubt. He pushed the crazy idea aside, focusing on the catches in her throat as he forced her higher and higher.
She wasn’t his.
“Yes...Maddox...I’m close.”
Her thighs trembled against his face, and he ceased his efforts. He wanted to be inside her when she came, her muscles gripping him like a fist as she wailed his name for the last time.
She cried out. But when he tore into his fly, shoving his shorts down with impatient jerks and pulling a condom from the pocket, she helped him, pushing at the offensive material and sliding her hands up and down the backs of his thighs.
Maddox gripped the foil between his teeth and then covered himself. He shucked the shorts with a kick. Gripping her hips, he tilted her ass from the bed and plunged inside her with one thrust. Her body welcomed him, warm and tight and as close to perfect as he’d ever experienced.
He held himself still, allowing her to grow accustomed to him inside her and allowing him time to breathe around the block of concrete where his lungs should be. Maddox held her stare while their chests heaved in unison, the patter of her heartbeat strong and rapid against his chest.
“Maddox...” She sighed, her fingers dancing over his back, shoulders, and chest. He gripped one wandering hand, his fingers interlocking with hers while he pressed it to the mattress, and followed suit with the other hand.
Her touching him with tender fingertips while looking at him the way she was...it was too much. Too close to something he’d forsaken for good. Too raw a reminder that his plan might not work and some other lucky bastard would be gifted this woman’s love one day.
He rocked into her, his thrusts growing in speed and power as if he was chasing down his demons. Every time he slammed home, a tiny gasp left her throat. It was a sound he relished. Her wide eyes clung to him as if begging. Only, he was the one who should be on his knees. Worshipping.
Her breasts jiggled, desperate for his tongue, but he’d reached the point of no return, reached his limit. He released one of her hands to scoop her thigh higher until it curved over his hip. Holding it there, he sank lower, the last inch into her tight heat.
“Yes...Maddox...that’s—”
She never finished the sentence. Her orgasm struck. Her neck stretched back as she gasped a prolonged wail and clamped down on him so hard that he almost closed his eyes in ecstasy. But then he’d have missed her riding out her climax with her beautiful stare on him, her swollen mouth slack as her moans petered into pants.
His head swam as oxygen deprivation sucked him under.
“Maddox.” She cupped his face, pressing her mouth to his.
He collapsed forward as fire raced along his spine and down the length of his cock. He buried his face in her neck as he ground his hips through the last spasms. He wasn’t gentle. His facial hair would mark her, but he needed a minute to flounder in private from the purging flood of emotions he dare not name. A minute to swallow the incredible high she’d often told him existed. He crushed her beneath him while he reeled, spent, panting, and completely mind-fucked.
Ciara ran her fingers through his hair, her soft lips pressing kisses to his temples, his ear, and the side of his neck. The see-sawing of his chest dwindled away until he struggled to suck even one molecule of air past his tight throat. His scalp prickled, and the sheen of sweat on his skin turned icy cold.
He shifted, gently withdrew from her languid embrace, and shuffled to the bathroom to dispose of the condom.
As he did, he caught a glimpse of himself in the mirror. His reflection confirmed for him what he’d already started to suspect. His feelings for her ran deep.
He hadn’t been truthful with her earlier. If this week turned out to be a bust, it would be the end of him and Ciara.