Page 42 of Prognosis Incompatible

Madeline almost groaned out loud at the way he said her name. Her muscles clenched. ‘Please, Marcus,’ she said quietly.

He walked over to the wall where she’d been sitting earlier and looked at the darkened river, shimmering in places with the reflections of the city lights. He turned back and wished he hadn’t because she’d obviously been standing just behind him and was now, consequently, just in front of him. And then she took a step closer. He placed a staying hand on her shoulder.

‘Maddy,’ he groaned.

‘Please,’ she whispered.

He shook his head and took a side step away from her. ‘No.’

‘Are you going to make me beg?’ She smiled despite his rejection because he looked so conflicted.

Poor guy.

Marcus shut his eyes to block out the images her begging evoked. ‘Look, you’re on the rebound.’

Madeline’s smile widened. Yeah, hence the rebound sex! ‘You don’t want to be rebound guy?’

Of course he wanted to be rebound guy. But he didn’t really think she knew the rules. ‘You said yourself that you could never be with someone like me. You’re a commitment girl. I respect that. Rebound sex.’ He shook his head. ‘There are rules, Maddy. It’s not about love or relationships. It’s just about lust and desire and sometimes even there’s a healthy dose of revenge thrown in.’

‘Good,’ she said, stepping closer again. She didn’t care about the happily ever after stuff for tonight. She got it. Tonight was just about sex. ‘So now I know the rules.’

‘If we do this —’

‘When,’ she interrupted with a smile and reached forward to trace his collar-bone with her finger.

He felt the jolt in his groin and grabbed her hand, holding it still. ‘If,’ he said pointedly. ‘You need to know that it’s probably not going to mean the same thing to me as it is to you. It’ll be sex —’

‘Good sex?’ she interrupted again.

Hell, yes! She looked set to ignite at the merest touch. ‘Concentrate, Maddy. I don’t do weddings or babies or long term. You’ve just heard why. From a female point of view, my commitment track record sucks.’

‘Okay, okay,’ she said, moving in so the length of her body was now touching the length of his. ‘Just sex. I get it.’

She didn’t care and she certainly didn’t want to get involved with someone else on the back of her split with Simon. Especially a commitment-phobe. But Marcus’s hard body felt so good she was going to scream if she didn’t feel him in her as soon as possible.

‘Are you sure, Maddy? Really sure?’ he asked, his voice husky, her lips millimetres from his.

She stepped back and smiled at him. ‘Cross my heart,’ she said, doing the actions in a flirty lingering fashion, feeling the arousal of her nipples. ‘Your place or mine?’

‘Mine,’ he said, grabbing her hand hastily and pulling her along. ‘It’s closer.’

They didn’t talk, just walked. Quickly. By the time they reached the foyer of his apartment complex they were both breathing harder. They waited impatiently for the lift to arrive and the second Marcus had punched the number six and the doors had pinged shut he backed her against the wall and gave her a hard probing kiss.

Madeline almost fainted as the tightly controlled lid she’d been keeping on her hormones exploded and she kissed him back like he was a freshwater stream and she was dying of thirst.

She dropped her bag and her jacket to the floor and hooked a leg around his. He gripped her bottom and pulled her up and in, grinding his pelvis into hers, his desire evident. She whimpered and an ache roared to life between her thighs.

The lift pinged and Marcus dropped Maddy back onto her feet then squatted in front of her, looking up into her emerald eyes, his nostrils flaring at her female scent. He hastily picked her things up off the floor, grabbed her hand again and half strode, half ran with her down the hallway to his door.

Madeline stood looking at the door as he fished through his pocket for the keys. She noticed the number was sixty-nine and she quirked an eyebrow at him.

‘That a prediction?’ she asked cheekily, running her fingers over the brass numbers.

‘Nope.’ He eyed her intensely. ‘It’s a promise.’

Her heart tripped. ‘Hurry.’

Marcus laughed to hide the slight tremble of his fingers as he fumbled to unlock the door. His hand shook, his vision blinded in a cloud of lust. He relaxed as the key finally slipped into the lock and he opened the door, pulling her inside, slamming the door behind them and pushing her against it.

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