5. Hunter #2
I briefly consider the possibility that Maddie slipped out while my eyes were closed, and my mind was on my aching cock, but I’m never that distracted. I turn back to the shower stall, and drop my gaze. There are skin tones mixed with condensation and white floor tiles.
As I approach the screen door, I speak up. “Maddie?”
There’s no movement and when I open the door, I find her kneeling on the floor. Her body is folded over and her arms cover her head. Her shoulders are shaking.
“Leave me alone!” she cries out.
Ignoring her plea, I strip down to my boxers and step beneath the jets of water. I smash a fist against the controls to cut off the shower, then crouch down low. There’s no mistaking the sobs wracking her body. “Not going to happen,” I tell her as I try to work out which part of her I should touch.
Maddie’s peachy ass is facing me, but before carnal thoughts tempt my cock back to attention, the shadow running along her spine turns my blood cold.
I grab a washcloth and stroke her back. She flinches at the touch, but she lets me continue.
I can’t tell if she thinks I’m trying to soothe her, or knows I’m wiping off the makeup that I’d mistook for fake tan earlier.
The white washcloth turns flesh-colored at the same time my soul turns black. Anger thrums through my tensed muscles as the bruising on her back takes form.
“Who did this to you?” I demand.
Maddie continues to hide her head beneath her arms, but she manages a shake of the head.
I toss the washcloth to the side and take hold of Maddie’s hips.
I go to pull her up, but she remains in a curled position.
I’m too angry to be as gentle as I would like, and I force my hands around her waist, separating her knees from her body.
After a little more tussling, I get Maddie to stand, pressing her back to my heaving chest.
“The bruise, Maddie,” I insist. “How did you get it?”
She sniffs back tears and pulls her hair from her face. Her breath hitches. “I fell out of bed.”
Her lie infuriates me further. After everything she now knows about Barrett, she still wants to protect him. “You fell out of bed and just happened to land on a man-sized boot?”
“It’s not–”
“Don’t you dare fucking lie to me again,” I hiss. “I’ve been in enough fights to know what it looks like after someone stomps on your back.”
“I don’t want to talk about it,” she says clearly. The long soak in the shower seems to have sobered her up.
“Tough.”
She sinks against my chest, her head resting on my shoulder. “Please, Hunter.”
The sound of my name on her lips for the first time takes the edge off my anger. My mouth comes to rest on her hair. She smells of hotel brand shampoo and I find myself missing the scent of wild mint and lemon. “Fine. But we’ll have this conversation again tomorrow,” I promise.
Her arms come to rest on top of mine, which are still roped around her waist. Her fingers feather along my forearms, and I’m done for. I should get out of the shower right now. I should tell Maddie to dry herself off and get some sleep, but my cock is very much awake.
“Keep touching me like that and I might just have to fuck you, little bird,” I warn.
Maddie seems to take it as a promise and her fingers continue to explore my inked skin. “I’d like to see more of your tattoos,” she whispers.
I spin her around fast and capture her gasp with my mouth. I taste the sourness of champagne and something far sweeter and more intoxicating as her tongue greets mine. I want to taste more of Maddie, and I push a hand between her legs, sinking my fingers into her slick heat.
Our kiss only deepens as Maddie’s hand follows mine between our bodies.
She pushes past the elastic of my boxers and grabs hold of my cock.
I groan into her mouth, thrusting against her closed fist. The wet fabric sticks to her hand and makes it difficult for her to stroke me so we take our hands off each other long enough for me to shove my boxers down my thighs.
My cock springs up between us and Maddie leans back to admire it.
“Let me watch you play with my cock, little bird.”
Maddie’s eyes flick up briefly to meet mine before returning her attention to my erection.
As her fingers wrap around my shaft, I rake my eyes over what I can see of her body.
Her breasts are rounded and her hardened nipples too delicious to ignore.
I palm them as Maddie’s grip on me tightens.
My thumbs brush her nipples, and I’m slowly moving against her fist when she jerks my cock so damn hard that I make a grunt that’s more pain than pleasure.
“Hey, you’re not milking a cow,” I say with a laugh.
Her head remains bowed. “Sorry, I’ve never milked a cow either.”
I frown. “Sorry?”
“Is this better?” she asks, running her hand up and down my length in smoother strokes.
Despite my confusion, I reach down to wrap my hand around Maddie’s, guiding her movements to meet my growing need. “That’s perfect,” I encourage. “Have you never given someone a hand-job before?” I’d just be glad to hear she hasn’t done this with Barrett.
Maddie laughs. “I’ve never even seen one of these things up close.”
She’s never… Oh, shit. Oh, fucking shit. “Whoa,” I say, stilling both our hands. My hips take longer to get the message, but I stop thrusting a second later. “Are you saying you’ve never…”
I should just come out and ask the obvious, but do I really want to know the answer? I swallow hard. Yes, I do.
Reluctantly, I pull Maddie’s hand from my cock. My thumb and finger pinch her chin as I raise her gaze to mine. “Maddie, are you still a virgin?”
“I wasn’t supposed to be after tonight,” she says in challenge. “Don’t you want me?”
I press my forehead against hers and close my eyes.
There’s a part of me that’s celebrating that Barrett didn’t get to touch her at all, but then I remember the boot print on her back.
Did she insist on keeping herself pure until her wedding night?
Is that why he called her frigid? Is that why the bastard hurt her?
The question I should really be asking myself is whether or not Maddie would even be contemplating letting me fuck her if she hadn’t consumed so much champagne?
“We can’t do this. I can’t do this,” I whisper.
I’m about to pull up my boxer shorts when Maddie rises up on tiptoe.
When her lips find mine, I keep my mouth closed until I feel her tongue pressing urgently against my closed mouth.
Against my better judgement, I let her in.
And as she plunders my mouth, my fingers rake through her hair, silken and smooth now that she’s washed out all the hair product.
My fingertips dig into her scalp as she takes hold of my cock again.
She’s a quick learner because, damn it, her touch is driving me crazy.
And I’d have to be crazy to take this further.
“Maddie, stop,” I hiss.
“If you’re worried about contraception, don’t be. I had to have an IUD fitted as part of the negotiations. And obviously, I’m clean,” she says because of course she is. She’s untouched, or she was until I started fucking groping her. “Are you clean?”
I haven’t been near a woman for months. Time and my job don’t allow for dating, and certainly not relationships. “Yes, but…”
It doesn’t matter. This has to stop. But damn, I like how her hand is gliding up and down my shaft.
“No!” I bark at her, making her flinch and hating myself for it.
She lets go of my still-hard cock and I quickly pull my boxers up before grabbing her by the wrist and pulling her from the shower. I grab a towel and wrap it around her shoulders. It’s large enough to cover most of her body, for which I’m thankful .
“Please, Maddie, don’t say another word. You’re going to dry yourself off, and then you’re going to bed.”
Tears well in her red and swollen eyes. “You don’t want me?”
I rub a hand over my face. “I’m not rejecting you, little bird,” I reply hoarsely. “I’m respecting you.”
My gallantry doesn’t appear to impress her. “But I don’t want you to go.”
Only minutes ago, I’d been contemplating spending the night between Maddie’s legs, but now I don’t trust myself to be in the same room as her. There’s only one bed.
I shouldn’t have sent Mace away. I could call him back, I suppose. But I’m not going to do that.
“Fine, I’ll stay,” I say as if I’m letting her win the argument. “But only if you don’t do or say anything. Not another fucking word. We’ll talk in the morning.”
Maddie’s chin wobbles, but she doesn’t speak as I turn my back and dry myself off.
I yank down my wet boxer shorts and almost strangle my dick, which is failing to go down because the girl with beautiful blue eyes is watching me.
I curse under my breath as I pull on my sweatpants and grab my t-shirt off the floor.
When I turn, Maddie has dropped her towel, and I get to see her body in all its glory.
“Damn, you’re beautiful,” I murmur.
She takes a step towards me, a wicked glint in her eye, but I shake my head. No. A thousand times no.
“Wear this,” I order, handing her my t-shirt. “And behave.”
That last comment is as much for me as it is for her. Covering Maddie up is only marginally less tempting when seeing her in my t-shirt. I turn on my heels and get out of the bathroom.