Not Playing Fair
Maddox
For one impossible moment, I simply held her. She'd actually done it.
One minute she'd been on the other side of the connecting bathroom, threatening to make me talk. The next, she'd launched herself onto my bed with more gusto than grace.
Thankfully, I'd caught her before she'd tumbled over the opposite side.
Now she was pressed against me, muffling her laugh against my neck like she was afraid of waking the whole house.
And me? I wasn't letting go.
I couldn't remember the last time anyone had surprised me like this. Sure, I had never been hurting for offers, but holding someone who'd been haunting my thoughts for months? Yeah, that was new.
Then again, Delaney had been surprising me from the start.
I smiled in the darkness. "Funny, I was picturing this differently, too."
She groaned against my neck. "I know. But at least you caught me."
"Not that," I said, leaning back for a better look. In the darkness, I couldn't make out much beyond the faint outline of her face and torso, silhouetted against the barely-there, dim light spilling in from the direction of her bedroom.
Still, I had to tease her. "I just mean…I was kinda hoping for the scuba thing."
She sagged against me with another laugh. "Oh, so you're one of those?"
Sure, I couldn't see much in the shadows, but I could feel the warmth of her skin through the soft cotton of her shirt as she settled against me.
As I nuzzled her neck, I asked, "And what's so horrifying about a T-shirt?"
"Nothing," she said far too quickly.
Now I was even more intrigued. "Should I turn on the light?"
"Don't you dare."
I suppressed a chuckle. "If you say so."
I felt her relax. "I do, actually."
"But I am curious." I ran a hand along her bare arm. "What's on the shirt?"
She said nothing.
I smiled. "Don't tell me it's a mustard stain."
She scoffed. "I don't even like mustard – well, not on anything except hot dogs." She paused. "And burgers, too. I guess."
I drew in a slow, amused breath. "It sounds to me like you like mustard just fine."
Sounding scandalized, she whispered, "Not on sandwiches, I don't."
"So the stain's what? Ketchup?"
She let out a tiny laugh. "No. It's not a stain at all."
"So, what is it?"
"Sorry, that's classified."
"Oh, yeah? Since when?"
"Since maybe…thirty seconds ago?"
I was still smiling. "So, when do I get clearance?"
Her voice warmed in the darkness. "After."
It sounded like a promise. "After what?"
"For starters, this." And then she kissed me, hard and hungry, like I'd been wanting to kiss her for hours – no, months. My pulse went into overdrive as our lips moved, our tongues touched, and her body pressed tighter against mine.
I slid a hand into her hair, loving the silky feel of it through my fingers and the little noise she made as my other hand skimmed the small of her back where the T-shirt ended.
Between kisses, she whispered, "I almost forgot. I'm supposed to be interrogating you."
"Oh, yeah? At this rate, I'll tell you anything."
Her tone grew teasing. "Anything?"
"Sure," I said. "And then I'll interrogate you."
"But…what do you want to know?"
"The shirt, remember?" I ran a hand leisurely over the fabric. "What exactly are you hiding?"
With something that wasn't quite a giggle, she whispered, "Nothing."
I kissed her again. "You realize, I do have ways of finding out."
Her tone turned smug. "And I have ways of stopping you."
"Do you now?"
"Yup." She pulled back, grabbed the hem of her shirt, yanked it over her head, and tossed it into the darkness. "See? Now you'll never know."
Heat hit me fast and hard. Never was a long time, but suddenly the shirt was the last thing on my mind.
I exhaled slowly. "Well, I guess you showed me."
"No, I didn't show you. That's the whole point."
"Now, you're gonna get it." And with that, I pulled her close and kissed her with more heat than restraint. When she kissed me back – really kissed me back – my pulse kicked hard, and I couldn't think about anything but her.
We were still kissing when we tumbled sideways onto the sheets. Our hands were already roaming as the kiss deepened, and our hips met through the thin barrier of her panties and my boxers.
Her bare torso pressed tight against my chest, and the feel of her curves nearly made me groan as her hands skimmed over my ass through the boxers. I returned the favor, cupping her ass through the silky panties as our hips met and shifted, not quite grinding, but getting damn close.
Her breath caught against my mouth, soft and trembling, and I felt it everywhere – on my lips, in my chest, and low in my stomach where everything was already wound too tight.
When I shifted again, the sheets twisted around us, and she made this quiet little sound that nearly did me in.
And then, she whispered, "I want you."
Holy hell.
I wanted her, too – more than I'd ever wanted anyone. But I was planning to take my sweet time.
I slid a hand from her ass and reached between us, skimming the inside of her thigh through the silky panties. Then I nudged the fabric aside and ran a slow finger along her heat.
She was already slick and ready.
I took my time, letting my touch linger, learning the way she responded – the slight catch in her breath, the way her hips shifted just enough to meet my hand.
"Maddox…" she whispered, like it was half warning, half plea.
"Yeah?" I murmured against her mouth, kissing her again – slow and deliberate, like I wasn't in any hurry to stop.
Her fingers slid to my shoulders, tightening as I moved my fingers just enough to make her feel it, to keep her right on the edge. She arched into my hand, the earlier teasing gone, replaced with a want that nearly made me smile.
She was so close.
I brushed my lips along her jaw, down the curve of her neck, and whispered against her skin. "You were saying…?"
She was panting now. "Was I?"
I slid a finger into her opening and savored the feel of her. She was warm and slick, and beyond ready.
But I wasn't done with this yet.
And neither was she.
Her breath hitched as I moved, her body tightening around my touch before melting again, like she couldn't decide whether to hold on or let go. Her hands slid from my shoulders into my hair as she said my name again. "Maddox…"
"Yeah?" I murmured, my voice rougher now as I kissed my way back to her mouth, swallowing the next sound she made as I shifted my hand just enough to make her gasp.
Her hips lifted, the silky panties brushing against my hand as she chased the movement, her control slipping a little more with every second as she clung to me like she wasn't ready to let go.
I loved her like this.
"That's it," I murmured against her lips, not pushing her over, just keeping her right where she wanted to be.
She broke the kiss with a soft, breathless sound, her forehead pressed to mine. "You're not playing…" she started, and then stopped, her breath catching again as I moved.
I brushed my mouth along hers. "Not what?"
Her answer came out in a rush, half laugh, half surrender. "Fair. Not playing fair."
I smiled against her lips. "Hey, you're the one who tossed the shirt."
On a groan, she whispered, "Best decision, ever."
Her breath caught again, sharper this time, her fingers clenching in my hair as if she needed something to hold onto. She whispered, "Don't stop." The words were barely there, more breath than sound.
I didn't stop. Instead, I slowed just enough to keep her there, letting the tension build, drawing it out until every small movement made her react. Her hips moved against my hand, chasing, asking without words.
"Yeah," I murmured against her mouth, kissing her again, softer now, like I had all the time in the world. "I've got you."
I felt the shift in her instantly – the way her body went taut, then soft, then taut again, like she couldn't quite decide whether or not to fall. But this time, there was no stopping her.
I felt it in the way she moved, in the way her breath stuttered and caught, in the way her grip tightened as everything finally tipped. When the shuddering stopped, she sagged against me, her forehead dropping to my shoulder, her breath warm and uneven against my skin.
For a second, neither of us said anything.
Then I brushed my mouth against her temple and let out a quiet breath. "Still think that was a good idea?"
She gave a soft laugh against me. "Not as good as my next one."
"Which is…?"
She shifted, sliding over me until she was straddling my hips. "This."