Chapter 7 Sophia
SOPHIA
Every nerve tingles as Maddox closes the gap between us, his rugged face moving closer until his mouth finds mine. The roughness of his beard makes me shudder as it brushes my chin, and I melt against him, looping my arms around his neck.
This is really happening.
When Maddox kissed me last night, I told myself it meant nothing. He said it was a mistake, so I believed him. He was vulnerable, still shaken by his nightmare, not thinking straight…but this time, there’s no doubt in my mind.
Maddox wants this.
He wants me.
I can feel the thick bulge in his jeans, pressing against my stomach as he pulls me closer.
Surprise jolts me as he scoops me into his arms, carrying me out of the kitchen like I’m weightless.
He pushes me onto the couch, my back settling against the soft cushions as he climbs on top of me with a groan of satisfaction.
He has me right where he wants me.
His giant body pins me down, hard and unyielding against my curves.
I catch his gaze—full of heat and hunger—before he kisses me again.
There’s a desperation to it. His mouth is warm and urgent, his tongue probing my mouth, hands threading through my hair.
He tastes raw and primal, his musk coating my tongue, making my heart thud.
Teeth clash, our hot breath mingling as I wrap my legs around Maddox’s waist, urging him closer.
“Fuck, Sophia…” he mutters between kisses, his hands sliding down my body. I’m still wearing his green sweater, and he reaches beneath the hem, his fingers brushing my panties. The contact makes my whole body jolt, and Maddox freezes.
“Am I going too fast, sugar?”
I shake my head. With Maddox, it doesn’t feel too fast or too much.
It feels so right being at his mercy, trapped beneath his hulking frame.
He bends down to kiss my neck, his hot tongue tracing a line up the column of my throat.
He presses kisses against my jawline, stopping when he reaches my ear.
“Tell me you want this,” he murmurs.
“I want this, Maddox.”
His fingers slide under the waistband of my panties. “You want me to touch you?”
“Yes.” I don’t recognize my voice. It’s breathy, keening with need. Tension is building between my thighs, my clit throbbing in anticipation as Maddox slides his hand into my panties, cupping my mound with his giant hand. I arch my back, shivering as he runs his fingers down my slit.
“Fuck,” he hisses. “You’re so wet for me.”
He pulls back to look at me, his icy blue gaze doing nothing to cool the heat between my thighs. It feels like I’ve stepped into a dream, a fantasy. Things like this don’t happen to girls like me…but as Maddox’s fingers graze my clit, I know this is for real.
And it feels so good.
He kisses me again, swallowing my moans as he rubs my clit, sending sparks of pleasure between my thighs.
His movements feel like he’s testing me, trying to find what will make me shatter beneath his fingers.
He presses hard, rubbing in circles, teasing and tugging at the sensitive nub until I see stars.
“Oh!”
My orgasm hits me by surprise. I squeeze my eyes shut, breathing hard as I squirm against Maddox. My core throbs against his hand, and when I open my eyes, his face is hovering inches above mine. He looks…hungry.
“You look so pretty when you come.”
The praise warms me, but Maddox doesn’t give me long to catch my breath.
He’s already grabbing at the sweater I’m wearing, pushing it up to expose my stomach.
I’m usually self-conscious about the plumpness of my belly, how it sticks out, but Maddox is already kissing down my skin, hands roaming, moving down my body like he can’t get enough.
When he reaches the waistline of my panties, he tugs them off me, breathing hard.
“Fuck, Sophia, you’re so beautiful.”
He’s moving fast, getting off the couch and kneeling on the floor.
He pulls me to the edge of the couch, then pushes my knees apart, exposing my dripping folds to his gaze.
It’s overwhelming. I’m vulnerable, laid bare like a raw nerve, the scent of my arousal hanging in the air.
My instinct is to cover myself, slam my thighs closed.
But then Maddox slips his tongue between my folds, and all my thoughts dissolve like snowflakes.
Oh God.
He circles my throbbing hole, delving inside me, fucking me with his tongue until I’m trembling. I can hear my heart pounding in my ears, mingling with the crackle of the fireplace, the howl of the wind outside as a desperate moan rips from my mouth.
“Maddox!”
He makes noises deep in his throat, grunts of satisfaction as he devours me, his beard brushing my most intimate spot as he licks up to my clit.
He sucks hard. My eyes roll backward. I grab at his hair, mewling as he brings his fingers between my thighs, thrusting them into me as he worships my clit.
“You taste so fucking good,” he groans, his voice muffled against me. “Fuck yes, sugar…”
He’s like a man possessed. He pumps his fingers faster, filling me up, his movements frenzied. I sob his name, everything pulling taut, an elastic band ready to snap.
“Maddox! I’m so close.”
His fingers slam against the perfect spot, hooking inside me as he gives my clit another hard suck.
It’s all it takes. My body bucks, hips writhing as pleasure rockets through me.
Sweet release. It steals the breath from my lungs, my cries turning wild as Maddox forces me to take every shiver of pleasure.
He lets out a hoarse groan, his whole body juddering, but he doesn’t let up until he’s sure I’m sated.
When he pulls back, his eyes are molten with lust. His beard glistens with my juices, and he presses a kiss on my bare inner thigh before looking down at his jeans.
“Fuck, sugar. You made me come.”
His words surprise me, but sure enough, when he straightens up, I can see the dark stain on his jeans at the tip of his bulge.
“But I didn’t do anything?” I say dazedly.
Maddox lets out a hoarse chuckle, pressing a kiss on my forehead. “You did plenty,” he says. “You have no idea how sexy you are.”
I glow at his words, grabbing his hand and pulling him back on top of me.
“That was really amazing,” I whisper, nuzzling against him. “Thank you.”
“Don’t thank me, princess. It was my pleasure. Believe me, I could taste you all day.”
I smile and wrap my arms around his neck. He holds me close, brushing feathery kisses on my face, and we stay like that for a while, breathing in time, our heartbeats syncing. It feels so safe. So right.
“I better get myself cleaned up, sugar,” Maddox says eventually, easing himself off me. “Don’t go anywhere, okay?”
His tone is light when he says it, but I can see the seriousness in his gaze. Like he really needs me to promise I won’t disappear on him.
“I’m not going anywhere,” I tell him.
Maddox nods, and with one last kiss, he vanishes down the corridor and into the bathroom, leaving me alone on the couch.
I stare up at the ceiling for a moment, letting everything wash over me.
I can still feel the warmth between my legs where Maddox slid his tongue, the slight burn where his beard rubbed against my skin.
I can’t believe how amazing that was…
Grinning to myself, I stretch out my limbs like a cat, pushing myself up into a sitting position.
The fire is smoldering out, so I stoke it until it’s warm and blazing.
As I set the poker down, I hear my phone beep from somewhere nearby.
Spotting it on the table where I left it this morning, I get up and grab it, absent-mindedly wondering if any of my applications have been accepted yet.
All of my job worries feel so far away now that I’m up here with Maddox, but I can’t afford to stop checking my inbox.
I won’t be holed up in Maddox’s cabin forever.
Once the snow melts, I’ll have to go back to the real world, and that means finding a job if I want to eat this winter.
I sit on the couch and unlock my phone, rolling my eyes when I see the notification is a weather warning for heavy snow.
“It’s a bit late to warn me now,” I mutter.
Not that I’m complaining. Without the snowstorm, I wouldn’t have met Maddox, and I smile to myself as I swipe the notification away. When it’s gone, I blink in confusion at my screen for a second. There’s a Google search for Maddox Albrecht.
When did I search that?
And then I remember. After I found the photo album under his bed, I googled Maddox’s full name out of curiosity.
Nothing came up—there was no cell service—but the page seems to have loaded in the meantime.
I’m not expecting to find anything. Maddox isn’t exactly the kind of guy to be on social media or have a strong online presence.
But then I start scrolling through the results.
Manhunt continues for Maddox Albrecht
Dangerous fugitive
On the run
Wanted for murder
My stomach turns to ice. The headlines reach out through my screen and slap me in the face. They all date back to 2010, a murder committed in Florida, and I relax for a second.
It must be a different Maddox.
Some guy in Florida with the same name.
I click on the first article and scroll down. Then I see a photo that punches the air from my lungs. It’s the same photo of Maddox I saw in the album—the one taken in his Army uniform. The picture is zoomed in on his face, everyone else cut out. My mouth is dry, alarms ringing inside my head.
What the heck is happening?
“Sophia?”
I jump, whipping around to see Maddox. His gaze slides down to my phone, and I know he’s seen my screen—seen his own younger face peering out at us.
He looks shocked, like he just got socked in the face.
Then his expression crumples. He runs a hand over his beard, exhaling deeply, his eyes filled with so much pain that it almost hurts to look at him.
“I know what it looks like,” he says. “But please let me explain.” He raises his hands, like he’s surrendering to me. “Then I promise I will get you back down the mountain safely. You never have to hear from me again. Just…please, Sophia, let me tell you the full story first.”
I don’t have much choice. We’re snowed in together, and there’s nowhere for me to go. Maddox looks so desperate, so sincere, but I can’t get the articles out of my head, the headlines, that same word repeated over and over again.
Murderer.