Total pages in book: 113
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 107115 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 536(@200wpm)___ 428(@250wpm)___ 357(@300wpm)
She jogged to keep pace with Matt as he dragged her up the stairs. Disquiet gnawed at her belly as he unlocked the apartment and hauled her in, slamming the door shut and locking it behind him. Before she could even blink, he shoved her against the slab, covered her body with his own, and swooped down to seize her mouth.
“Wait.” She pressed her palms against his steely shoulders. “What is going on? Why are you upset?”
Something dark glittered in his eyes. “Forty-eight hours ago, I didn’t know if you were going to fucking die. That fear doesn’t just go away. I close my eyes, and I see you crumbling back into my arms, limp and clammy and—” He growled out a vile curse. “I will never forgive that son of a bitch for what he did to you. If you believe anything I ever say, believe that I will take him down if it’s the last goddamn thing I do.”
Madison had no doubt he meant that.
But there was more. He scanned her face, dissecting her with an intensity that made her heart lurch. She’d seen Matt in protective mode, in pleasure, in sleep, and in laughter. She’d never seen him look as dangerous as he did right now. It should scare her. The lengths he looked ready to go to in order to end Todd should disturb her. Instead, she felt protected. And incredibly wet. That had to be pregnancy hormones, right? She wasn’t aroused by his sense of barely leashed violence.
Liar.
“I don’t want to spend our time alone thinking about him,” she breathed. “Do you?”
“No.” He eased back to stare at her mouth before raking his gaze down her body. “I fucking don’t.”
“Good.”
Matt didn’t respond. Silence stretched between them. Madison hesitated. She was so accustomed to him taking charge, to him being assertive and insistent. Dominant. But he just stared.
Her impatience stewed. The longer he drank her in and shared the air she breathed, the more she smelled his need and melted at his nearness. And the more she wanted him.
Someday soon, he would realize she’d missed a period. He would notice her changing body. Then she would have to distract and deny him. But until that day came…she was desperate to spend every moment she could with him.
Madison gathered the hem of her tank in her hands and yanked it over her head, dropping it on the floor beside her.
His eyes narrowed, darkened, and devoured her. “You’re inviting danger.”
“I’m inviting you.” She licked her lips and grazed the valley between her breasts with a slow, teasing touch.
“Like I said, danger. Be sure.”
Her breath hitched. “Will you hurt me?”
“Not more than you can bear.”
That answer shouldn’t turn her on, but Madison swallowed down a thick knot of lust. “I want it.”
“Don’t say I didn’t warn you.”
Before she could ask what he meant, Matt lifted her against his body, urging her legs around his hips, then crushed her lips under his, fusing their mouths together as he trekked with ground-eating steps to the dungeon.
Inside, he tumbled her on the bed, throwing off her shoes and ripping at her shorts, dragging them down her legs, along with her underwear, in one strong yank. Madison blinked at him as he hauled his shirt over his head in a one-handed tug while he toed out of his shoes.
“Have you been a good girl?” he demanded as he attacked his fly with impatient fingers.
“What?” she asked over her chugging heart.
“Have you touched my pussy? Have you put your fingers in that pretty cunt, aroused yourself as you thought of me, and come without my permission?”
“No, Matt. I contemplated…” This morning, she’d awakened needy and wriggling, knowing that she would spend this evening with him while he unraveled her in every way he wanted, as many times as he wanted. “But I didn’t.”
Roughly, he shoved her knees apart and stepped between them, his breaths harsh as he inhaled her. “Good. That’s mine.” He slapped the pad of her pussy. “Are we clear? No matter what happens. No matter where you go or what you do, you always belong to me.” He struck her sensitive flesh again. “Don’t ever forget that.”
Madison couldn’t shake the feeling he was trying to tell her something.
“No, Matt. I won’t.” She spread her legs wider. “This is just for you.”
His nostrils flared. “No matter what, you’re mine. Repeat it.”
“I’m yours, no matter what.”
Madison thought the assurance would soothe him. Instead, it seemed to unleash his inner beast. He turned and grabbed a small flogger with thick, soft falls. He raised it. She held her breath. She squeezed her eyes shut and whimpered. It was going to sting. It was going to hurt.
Instead, he lowered it between her legs in a soft strike, the thick leather strands more like a caress than a slap. It sent fire blazing through her veins.