Page 98 of Check the Halls
“Mmm?” I keep working the swollen bud gently nipping with my teeth as she squirms next to me.
“Please.” It really is the magic word because it makes me want to do whatever she asks.
“Tell me what you need.”
“I need you to touch me.” She whimpers as my teeth graze her sensitive flesh through her bra. “Right n-now. It’s vital to my physical and mental health.”
God, I love this woman. The only person on the goddamn planet who can drive me out of my mind with desire and make me laugh in the same breath.
“Alright. For the sake of your health, Madness.” I kiss her mouth and slip my hand down her shorts until my fingers are between her thighs. I groan against her lips when I feel how wet she is.
“Yes,” she cries when I slip one finger into her, followed by another. Her hands tangle in my hair as she keeps my mouth on hers. They’re wet, hungry kisses. My cock is stiff as a fucking plank against her hip. She squirms against it and the friction alone might be all it’sgoing to take. I rock my fingers in and out of her, drunk on her gasps and moans.
“More,” she begs and I slide a third finger into her. She tightens around me as I curl and flex my fingers just right. Her hips writhe as her breath comes in pants, and it’s the goddamn sexiest thing I’ve seen in my life. I feel her go over the edge as she calls out, “Ben,” and I’m right there with her.
My name on her lips as she comes is what sends me over. This woman who has been my everything long before I even knew what everything meant. I swallow her cries as they mingle with my own as we climax together.
Minutes or hours later—what evenistime, anyway?—I force my heavy eyelids open to find Maddy looking tousled and downright edible.
“Did you…?” She glances down my pants which never made it off.
“Come in my pants like a teenager? Yes, I did.” I can’t even find it in myself to be embarrassed. I’m blissed out and too goddamn happy.
Maddy looks extremely pleased with herself. I feel her smile against my neck as she nuzzles into my side.
“I should shower,” I say, though it’s the last thing I want to do. I could fall asleep right now holding the woman of my dreams in my arms.
“No,” she pushes herself off the bed and starts walking backwards towards the ensuite bathroom. “We should shower.” With a meaningful look, she peels her top off and throws it at my head. Her bra is next, followed by her shorts. I nearly trip over my own feet as I run after her, stripping as I go.
Suddenly, I’m wide awake.
CHAPTER 33
MADDY
Ipractically float into the office Monday morning, offering a bright, bubbly “Good morning!” to each coworker I pass.
“Someone’s got pep in her step,” Ivan teases as I breeze by him in the hallway, coffee in one hand, tote bag swinging in the other.
I’m a walking ray of sunshine.
He’s not wrong. I’m riding a glorious high fueled by a lethal combo of caffeine, endorphins, and pure, unfiltered happiness. We’re T-minus five days until the Gala, and—miracle of miracles—everything is actually going according to plan. No last-minute disasters, no unexplained mixups, no dramatic vendor meltdowns. If I had a whiteboard outside my office, it would proudly read:This Event Has Been Dumpster Fire-Free for 3 Whole Days!
And okay, maybe my good mood isn’t entirely work-related.
Ben saw me off this morning with a goodbye that’s still making my knees wobble. He backed me up against the door of his condo, kissed me like it was his last chance,and whispered all the things he had in store for me tonight. I’m amazed I managed to leave at all. I haven’t stopped blushing since.
I’m so high on life and so blissfully wrapped in my bubble of joy that when I enter my office and close the door, I don’t even notice I’m not alone.
“Hello, Madelyn,” Kathleen’s cool voice cuts through my happiness cocoon like a steel blade. She sits in a chair just inside the door, looking every bit the politician’s wife in her matching skirt and blazer set. Derek is standing by the floor-to-ceiling window wearing one of his many suits and a defeated expression. He holds a bouquet of roses limply in one hand.
“Hi, Maddycakes,” he says tentatively.
“What are you doing here?” It comes out harsher than I intended. No. On second thought, it comes out exactly as harsh as I mean it to.
Derek looks to his mother for…I’m not sure. Direction? Is he looking for permission to answer? I don’t know and I really don’t care.
“We’re here so you two can talk things out.” Kathleen’s soft tone is in direct contrast to the hard set look in her eyes. “This has gone on long enough, Madelyn. I should have expected it, really. Wedding planning can be stressful and with the move and your job, it was more than you were capable of handling. But Derek is willing to look past everything that’s happened. We will still proceed with the July wedding, but we really need to get back on track.”
