18. Madison
MADISON
“So, tell us about London,” Lena said, leaning across the dining table to top up my glass with wine.
We’d dropped by for dinner to collect Princess after returning from London. Agnes had outdone herself once again, and we’d made a sizable dent in the Victoria sponge cake she’d prepared for dessert.
I didn’t think I could eat another bite, and yet I kept shoveling cake into my mouth. It was just too damn good to pass up.
“I don’t know how I could pick a favorite part. It was all so amazing,” I said. “Though honestly, the best might have been the jet.”
“I could barely get Madison off it,” Alistair teased. “She and Kenna were having far too much fun raiding the snack stores.”
I shrugged, unapologetic. “It’s not every day a girl takes her first ride in a private jet.”
“Soon you’ll be an old pro like Kenna,” Weston joked. “I’ve never seen a kid so suited to flying.”
I laughed. “I know! By the end of the flight, she was ordering my drinks for me.”
“I’m surprised she’s not up in the cockpit giving directions yet,” Lena said. She nodded in Alistair’s direction. “Maybe you’ve got a future pilot on your hands.”
“Does Aisling like flying?” I wondered.
Lena sighed, giving me a wan smile. “I think she enjoys when we get to the destination.”
I frowned.
“She gets terrible motion sickness on the plane,” Weston explained. “Basically has her head in a barf bag the entire time.”
I winced. “That’s rough.”
“We’re working on it, though,” Lena said.
A shriek of laughter echoed as Aisling and Kenna went tearing past the dining room. Milo dashed after them. Princess brought up the rear, yapping her head off.
“Bet you’re not going to miss that when it comes home with us,” Alistair said, downing his wine.
Weston laughed. “If she’d been here another day, I’d have soundproofed Princess her own room downstairs.”
“Now there’s an idea,” Alistair said.
“You two,” I grumbled. “Honestly. She’s just a big personality in a little body.”
“Her barks break the sound barrier,” Weston said.
Lena snorted into her glass.
“It’s so you don’t forget about her.”
“Trust me. No one is forgetting that Princess exists,” Alistair said.
“Anything else happen in London?” Lena asked. She settled me with a look that had my skin prickling. I didn’t know if she was asking what I thought she was asking, and hell if I was about to start talking about the things Alistair and I had gotten up to in the hotel’s fancy bathtub.
“Kenna and I made Alistair ride the London Eye about two dozen times,” I said.
“Talk about motion sickness,” he muttered.
I narrowed my eyes playfully. “You said you had fun.”
“I did. So much fun. The round and round over the Thames is riveting,” he teased.
“Good view of Big Ben,” Weston said.
“He had a blast,” I said. “He just doesn’t want to admit it because it’s apparently too touristy.”
“Isla dragged Locke to Borough Market for chocolate-covered strawberries during one of their first trips to London together,” Lena said. “So if we want to talk about giving in to tourist traps, they might have one up on you.”
“Ooh,” I said, eyes lighting up. “I’ve seen those strawberries online. Kenna would love that.”
“Maybe next time.” Alistair reached out, squeezing my thigh beneath the table, and we exchanged a grin. I knew he’d enjoyed himself while we were away. But most of all, he’d seemed to enjoy how happy it made Kenna and me.
No one had ever done things like that for me before.
No one had ever treated me the way Alistair did.
No one had ever wanted to.
Alistair leaned in, hovering close enough I thought he might kiss my cheek. Instead, he whispered in my ear. “I really don’t think I was rewarded enough for my sacrifice.”
“Is that so?” I whispered back. “Well, I’ll be interested to hear your later demands.”
“Oh, you will,” he said, the words a low growl as he pulled back.
“More cake?” Lena asked. Judging by the teasing look on her face, I could have sworn she’d just heard every word. She could probably get the gist of it from the dopey look on my face.
“What’re you up to this week?” Weston asked. “I was thinking we should get together with Locke and Isla. The baby will be here soon, and then their free time is going to disappear.”
“I don’t have much on outside of work,” Alistair said. “And Madison has a glassblowing lesson tomorrow, so she’ll be tied up too—maybe even on an ongoing basis if the lesson goes well.”
“Oh!” Lena said, impressed.
“Don’t sound too impressed yet.” I laughed. “I might be absolute garbage at it.”
“I can give you a lift to town,” Alistair said. “Kenna’s been asking about visiting the cat café. We can hang out there while you do your lesson.”
“The roads should be clear, so there’s no reason my van and I can’t manage the one road to the high street,” I said.
“Mmm, I don’t know if we have any evidence of that yet,” he teased. “You probably shouldn’t be left alone to navigate.”
“That’s only a problem when I’m trusting poorly designed travel apps that don’t take the weather into consideration,” I joked.
He grumbled, reaching for me again, his hand settling on my thigh.
This time, Lena caught her lip between her teeth to keep from outright grinning at us. There was no denying that she’d picked up on this thing between us. “You know what I was thinking?” she said suddenly. “Why don’t the girls have a sleepover tonight?”
Weston glanced at her. “You told Aisling she needs to be in bed early because she stayed up too late last night.”
“Psssh,” Lena said, waving her hand. “They’re young. Let them have fun.”
“Who are you and what have you done with my wife?” Weston murmured, staring at her with a bemused expression.
Lena eyeballed him hard, but Weston was simply not getting that she was trying to give Alistair and me a childfree evening tonight. I covered my mouth to hide my laughter.
“Well, I’m game if the girls are,” Weston said, clapping his hands together. “Girls!” They came running into the room a beat later. “How do we feel about a sleepover tonight?”
Aisling and Kenna made sounds that could have knocked the planet out of orbit.
I rubbed my ear. “I think that’s a yes.”
“I suppose we’ll exchange you one shrieking child for one yappy dog,” Alistair said, getting to his feet.
“You’re off already?” Weston said.
Lena got to her feet, too, standing behind Weston. “Madison and Alistair are eager to get home.”
“They are?”
“Yes.” She squeezed his shoulders, leaning close to his ear. “Very eager.”
“Uh-huh,” he said, frowning as he glanced between us. Then his eyes almost bugged out of his head. “Oh! Oh?”
Lena tittered with laughter as she swept from the room to wrangle up Princess. I didn’t even have the decency to look embarrassed at Weston’s realization. My insides were already fluttering with anticipation.
Was I eager to get the hell out of here to let Alistair have his wicked way with me?
Hell. Freaking. Yeah.
And I didn’t care who knew it.
“Listen,” Alistair said. “We’ve got to establish some boundaries here.”
I paused in the hallway, hearing his voice drift from the kitchen. Was he on the phone? We’d only just returned from Lochbrae, and I’d popped up to my room to freshen up a bit. Maybe Alfie had reached out with an investment situation that needed to be dealt with urgently.
My stomach sank. I dropped my head back and sighed. So much for our evening together.
“Tonight I’m trying to get shagged, okay? So you need to make yourself scarce.”
Laughter bubbled up my throat. He wasn’t on the phone; he was talking to Princess. She barked once in response.
“I don’t want to hear it,” he said. “This isn’t up for discussion. You’ve got an entire castle at your disposal. Find yourself somewhere to be that’s not pawing at our bedsheets or nipping at my damn toes, got it?”
I chuckled softly to myself, turning into the kitchen. To my surprise, Alistair had Princess tucked under one arm, feeding her bits of leftover ham from a plastic container from the fridge.
“Are you two actually getting along?” I teased.
“This is a bribe,” he said seriously.
I crossed my arms, leaning against the counter. “Because you’re trying to get shagged?”
“Too bloody right, I am. We’ve come to an understanding.” He set her down on the floor, walking to the sink to wash his hands. He dried them on a towel, then came around the counter, stopping in front of me.
“Hi,” he whispered.
“Hey there,” I said, tilting my head up, capturing his lips. The kiss was soft, unhurried. There was no threat of little feet padding down the hall. I tipped my head, deepening the kiss, soft moans escaping me.
“What do you want?” he whispered, wrapping his arms around me.
“You,” I said, palming the erection in his pants. “Just you.”
“I’m going to fuck you all over this bloody house tonight.”
I smirked. “Promises, promises.”
His hands curved around my waist, slipping beneath the waistband of my pants. “Let’s start with the kitchen.”
I gasped playfully. “What will Florence say?”
“Probably nothing. The woman hardly talks to me.”
I laughed, the sound turning strangled as he suddenly shoved my leggings down, reaching between my thighs. “No underwear?”
I gave him a wicked grin. “Thought I’d make it easier for you.”
His fingers brushed the wet heat that gathered there, and I swallowed hard, trying not to beg just yet. His hand shifted, fingers parting folds, and he found my clit. I groaned.
“You’re very wet.”
“I thought dinner was never going to end,” I said, letting my eyes drift closed as I pressed back against the counter. I’d wanted him for hours now. “Thank God for Lena being so astute.”
“Left to his own devices, Weston would still be trying to pour us wine,” Alistair agreed.
“He meant well.”
Alistair started kissing me again, and all thoughts of dinner left my head. I moaned as he sank his tongue into my mouth. Next thing I knew, Princess was barking and jumping at our legs.
“Go on, you little rat,” he complained, trying to shove her off. “We talked about this. I gave you ham.”
“Clearly that wasn’t enough.”
“I’m feeling very used,” he said.
I snorted against his chest. “Princess’s only loyalty is to Kenna. You should know this by now.”
He sighed, scooping her up and placing her in the hall. He closed the double-wide kitchen doors, turning back to me. “Where were we?”
“I was waiting for you to blow my mind.” He stalked toward me, like a predator on the prowl, and my insides twisted with desire.
He grabbed me suddenly and hoisted me onto the counter, kissing me hard. I was still recovering from the surprise of it as he pulled his shirt over his head. I immediately tugged mine off, tossing it onto the kitchen floor.
He pressed a kiss to the curve of my breasts. Then his hand flicked up with deft speed, opening the clasp of my bra. It fell away, exposing my breasts to the air. He latched onto one pebbling nipple, and that twisting desire shot right to my clit, making it pulse with want.
I groaned, running my hands over broad, muscled shoulders as his hands wrapped around my ass, tugging me right to the edge of the counter.
My mouth dropped open as I parted my legs, feathering my hand through his hair.
With a teasing wink, he dove between my legs, starting to eat me out right there.
I threw my head back, making a sound I’d never heard before in my life.
His fingers drifted, curving slightly, sending sparks of pleasure across my body. He slipped them inside me, just one at first, but it wasn’t nearly enough. I moaned, jerking against him, and he sank a second finger inside, the stretch better.
I bit my lip, chasing the coiling sensation inside me, higher and higher, until I came with a sharp cry, my entire face pinching at the intensity of the orgasm. “Fuck,” I said. “Alistair…God!”
“I have been called both,” he said.
“Shut up,” I laughed, slumping against him.
“You okay?”
“I think I just went to orbit and back.”
He groaned, running his hands up and down my back.
I lifted my head from his shoulder, pressing a kiss to his jaw, his chin, his lips, sinking back into a fresh wave of desire.
I slid down from the counter, popping the button on his pants open, sinking my hand inside to palm his cock.
It was hard and needy, and he moaned loudly as I squeezed.
“I want you,” I said, breathless.
“Condom,” he rasped, shoving his pants down his thighs.
I released him and turned, finding my purse and dumping it on the counter. I wanted this man inside me yesterday. He chuckled at the urgency as I riffled through the contents. Yes! I snapped up the condom under my makeup compact.
I turned back to him and tore it open with my teeth, getting the rubber out and rolling it onto his cock. My clit throbbed, needy all over again.
Alistair took his cock, pumping it a couple times. “Turn around,” he growled, reaching for my hip.
I didn’t need to be told twice, twisting and bracing myself against the counter. As he sank into me from behind, my legs trembled with pleasure. “Mmm, yes,” I said.
“That’s it,” he said, pulling out and sliding back in. “Tell me how good it feels.”
“So good,” I rasped as he drove a little deeper. I leaned my head against my forearm. It was beyond intense. I wanted Alistair to split me right open. He slammed against me again, harder. Perfect.
It was the kind of sex we’d never be able to have with Kenna around, and that made it even hotter.
“Yes! More of that,” I pleaded as he started to pick up the pace, wrapping his hand around my front to rub my clit. I cried out as my second orgasm peaked, unconcerned with how loud I was as he jerked against me, hitting his own release with a ragged groan.
I collapsed against the counter, Alistair pressed behind me, the sound of our breathing filling the room.
“Guess that’s the kitchen done,” he said, pressing a gentle kiss to my shoulder. “Which room should we christen next?”