Chapter 8
Sparks shoot behind my closed eyelids while Roman candles blast through my nerve endings, and an eruption of stars lights every inch of my body. Todd grips my hips and thrusts again, groaning my name like it’s a victory cry. His eyes burn through me with an intensity that pulls me to the surface just before the waves of pleasure yank me under again. "I love you," he says, low and fierce, and it hits me harder than any orgasm ever could.
He circles his hips, grinding into me with a groan that might be an expletive or just my name. It's hard to tell when I'm lost like this. My body convulses around him, and it’s the mother of all orgasms. This one doesn’t just go to eleven; it blows out the speakers. I clutch at him as I go under, thrashing against the current and feeling every inch of him joined with every inch of me.
He slows for a moment, letting me catch my breath before slamming deep again. He's relentless, his thrusts long and hard and driving. The man’s nothing if not determined, and I’m caught between wanting to scream for mercy and wanting him to never, ever stop. He hooks his arms under my knees, pulling them up over his shoulders.
The position is new and filthy and pure perfection. I'm ready to lose myself again as he thrusts deep and hard, unstopping. I hold on to him, digging my fingers into his forearms and feeling the play of muscles under his skin as he pistons into me.
He pulls almost all the way out, leaving me empty and panting, then rams back into me until my eyes roll back and all I see is the white-hot blankness of pleasure.
I'm breathless and giddy, and all I can do is clutch at him for dear life. "You gonna come again for me, Maggie?" he growls, but it's more like an order than a question. His words send a shiver through me, and my traitorous body gets ready to do exactly what he says.
He shifts his angle just slightly, and I feel the rush of heat and pleasure building. This time when it hits, it’s somehow bigger and more powerful than before. I convulse around him and let out a wordless scream. I’m so wrecked, obliterated, and shattered that I don’t even remember my own name. My inner muscles contract tight around his cock, and that’s all it takes. He thrusts hard a few more times and then slams into me once more, my name on his lips. He holds himself there, buried deep, and I feel the hot rush of his release flood me and overflow onto the sheets.
He’s still trembling when he lowers my legs and drops to the side, pulling me into his arms and wrapping himself around me. We’re both trying to catch our breath. Todd kisses my cheek, my lips, and then my temple while our breathing slows.
"Holy shit, I'm such an idiot." The words explode out of me before I can think, and Todd lifts his head to look at me like I’ve finally lost it. Maybe I have. All these years of running and denial, and I’ve been so damn blind. I’m warm and safe in his arms, and he’s everything I want. Maybe everything I’ve ever wanted. And I didn’t tell him. "I forgot to tell you something," I say, setting my chin on his chest and bracing myself to jump off this cliff. "I love you, too." His eyes widen, and I swear they’re the brightest things I’ve ever seen.
“About fucking time.” He’s holding me tighter now, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen him this happy. It’s kind of terrifying how beautiful he looks. It makes me want to say it a million more times just to see his face like this again. “I’ve been dreaming of hearing you say that since you laughed at me for falling off the horse.”
"It was too funny to resist," I say, flicking his nose.
He kisses me again, rolling us so he’s on top and pinning my arms down, then releasing them and studying my face as if he’s afraid I’ll disappear on him. I’ve got news for him; I’m the one who’s afraid he’ll disappear.
I settle my head against his chest, listening to his heartbeat as it slows. He kisses the top of my head and holds me like he’ll never let me go. I know I should be worried about my brothers and their inevitable interference, or the press, or a hundred other things, but all I can think is I love him. I love him. And as I drift off to sleep, I know he loves me, too.
* * *
My eyes peel open to find daylight streaming in the blinds. Before I’m able to get my bearings, I hear pounding on my front door. I stagger out of bed, ready to tear one of my brothers a new asshole.
"Ignore it," Todd mutters from his side of the bed. The banging gets louder, angrier, and the fog clears enough for me to get a suspicion that the entire town—including my brothers—knows about Todd spending the night with me last night.
"Shit," I say, pulling on a t-shirt and mismatched pants.
My brothers are the world’s most annoying alarm clock. You can't hit snooze, and you can't throw them across the room. The only thing you can do is open the door and pray they shut the hell up before the top of my head blows off. “Stay here. I’ll see what the assholes want.”
I get to the door with all the composure of a sleep-deprived toddler and swing it open. "This better be good."
"Good morning, Magpie," Tanner says. "We wanted to check on you, and it’s a good thing we did."
Hudson’s eyes are narrowed slits, focusing past me. I turn around and see Todd strolling up like he doesn’t have a care in the world. Before I can tell him to stay put, he strolls up beside me with a smirk glued to his handsome face.
I give him my best ‘you're not helping’ stare. "I told you to stay in my room," I hiss. He wraps an arm around my shoulder and smiles at my four nosy brothers.
"I wasn’t letting my woman answer the door to God knows who," he says, like he's daring my brothers to take their best swing.
For a split second, everything goes so silent you could hear a pin drop. Then all hell breaks loose. Hudson rushes in with the other three meatheads right on his tail, and I find myself swarmed by Carrington testosterone. "Your woman?" Tanner barks.
I brace myself, knowing things are getting bad. "This is none of your business," I say, stepping between them and Todd. "I’m a grown woman, and I don't need your help, your advice, or your interrogation."
Hudson folds his arms, setting his expression to Grand Canyon level of sternness. "Well, it will become our business if he hurts you," he tells me, looking at Todd, the words slow and deliberate.
"I’m not going to hurt her," Todd says, with an equally determined look on his face. “I’ve loved her since the first moment I met her. I was stupid enough to let her go because I thought it was best for her, but I was fucking wrong. I learned my goddamn lesson, and I’m not going to let anything come between us ever again.”
That seems to cool my brothers’ jets a little bit. There's more grumbling and eye-rolling and gesturing to Todd like they're gonna hang him from the nearest tree, but none of them move. Hudson stays planted, narrowing his eyes, calculating his next move.
"You're both coming to dinner next week," he commands rather than asks, “so we can see for ourselves how he treats you.”
"No, we aren’t," I say, arms crossed. Arguing with my brothers comes naturally.
"Yes, you are. Both of you." There's a glint in his eye that says there’s no use arguing.
"You’re a pain in my rear." The more I argue, the more I know it’s hopeless. "Fine. Dinner."
When a smug smirk breaks out on my oldest brother’s face, I'm tempted to kick him. I push him and his entourage out the door.
“I’m so sorry about that,” I grumble as I shut and lock my front door. Not that it’s going to do any good if my brothers want to come back in. They all freaking have keys.
“They’re just worried about you.” Todd wraps his arms around my waist and pulls me close. My brain short circuits as his warm, masculine scent wraps around me. “I understand how it feels to worry about your sister.”