Page 72 of Wyoming Bodyguard
He stroked the hair back from her face. “I need to see you. Watch you. I want to know the exact moment you fall apart in my arms.”
She watched him watch her, studied the planes of his face as he moved inside her. Each thrust, each movement, each second joined them as one, brought them closer together in ways she couldn’t imagine. Words of love and adoration sat at the tip of her tongue, but she held them back.
Spirals of pleasure rose higher and higher until it crashed into a crescendo of satisfaction. She sealed her mouth on his, licking her tongue into the wet cavern as her body was pushed to the edge for the second time by this man who’d stolen her heart.
Madden broke the kiss, his thrusts growing quicker and more frantic as he began to lose control. Hips pumping. She roamed her hands over his broad back, taking him deeper and deeper until he threw back his head and shouted her name as if she was the answer to all his prayers.
On a huff of breath, Madden collapsed and engulfed her in his arms. He rolled to the side to cradle her against him, tucking her head in the crook of his shoulder. His fingertips traced lazy circles against her biceps, and he pressed his lips to her temple as he struggled to catch his breath. “Christ, Lily. The things you do to me.”
She shifted to rest a palm on his chest and stared down at him. “You, sir, are the one doing things to me.”
He smiled for a beat before his expression turned serious. “My whole world has shifted in the last few days because of you.”
“Is that a good thing?”
“That’s a great thing. I’m so relieved you’re safe, but I hate that I don’t have an excuse to be with you all the time. I don’t want to be without you. Ever. And that scares the hell out of me.”
Excitement fluttered in her chest like the wings of a hummingbird. “You don’t have to be away from me. At least not tonight.”
“I have to leave your side for a couple minutes. I’ll be right back.” He gave her a quick kiss and scooted off the bed and left the room.
She watched him leave, counting the seconds until he came back with a warm washcloth in his hand.
“I didn’t know if you needed to wash off, so I brought this.”
Touched by the gesture, of his constant thoughtfulness, she took the cloth, and he turned his back to her. She cleaned herself, tossing the washcloth in the dirty clothes hamper, then scooted under the covers. “Thank you,” she said, a yawn interrupting her words.
He slid in beside her and gathered her in his arms. “Sounds like you’re too tired for round two.”
She snorted out a laugh. “I’ll take you up on that in the morning.”
“My kind of morning. Even better than coffee.”
She snuggled close and listened to his even breaths. His chest rose and fell beneath her cheek until exhaustion pulled her under the dark waves of sleep.
* * *
Lily jolted awake. She blinked in rapid succession to adjust to her surroundings. Strong arms held her tight, and light snores rumbled from Madden.
That must have been what woke her. She couldn’t help but laugh. Guess there’s no such thing as a perfect man.
A quick glance at the clock on her nightstand told her it was the middle of the night. Plenty of time to close her eyes and catch a few more hours of sleep before she’d be forced to leave the bed. And with any luck, after seeing to the chores on the ranch, she could talk Madden into coming right back to her room for the rest of the day.
The loud sound of a horse’s panicked cry sent chills racing down Lily’s spine. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her robe from the chair in the corner of the room.
“Wake up,” she shouted at Madden. “Something’s wrong with the horses.”
She didn’t wait for him to respond and ran from the room and up the stairs. More whinnies sounded from outside. Fear for the animals she loved so much pushed her out the front door.
“Oh my God.” The sight of smoke billowing under the barn door stole her ability to move. She pressed a shaking hand to her mouth, not wanting to believe what was right in front of her. “No, no, no.”
Another loud cry shot her forward. She had to get the horses out before they inhaled too much smoke, or the barn caught on fire and collapsed on top of them. Gravel embedded itself into her bare feet, but she barely resisted the pain. Her focus was on one thing.
Save the horses.
Reaching the barn, she yanked open the door and flew inside. Waves of smoke poured from the storage room at the back of the aisle. Horses pranced in their stalls. She covered her mouth with the inside of her elbow and coughed as she raced to the end of the aisle to get Queenie first. “Hey girl. I’m here. You’re going to be just fine.”
She loosened the bolt of the stall when the door at the front of the barn slammed shut. Smoke burned her lungs and her eyes watered. Terror seized her vocal cords, and she sprinted back the way she had come. She pulled on the door, but it wouldn’t budge. The frantic beat of her heart combined with the chaos of the horses.
