“Where are the guys?”
“They quit.”
“Maddie, let’s go inside. You can finish this when the rain eases a bit.”
She shook her head. “If I don’t secure this, there’s a risk the rain will dislodge the earth.”
As far as I could see, there were spikes at regular intervals. The cover looked pretty fucking secure to me.
“Maddie, you’re soaked. I’m soaked.”
“Then go inside. I need to finish this.”
She kept fumbling with a spike, and I gripped both her wrists, looking straight at her.
“Maddie, stop being so stubborn or I swear I’ll throw you over my shoulder and take you inside.”
She wiggled a hand out of my grip, then held the finger up warningly. “You just don’t get this.”
Except I did. I knew that feverish need to keep fixing what you could when a problem escalated until it was out of your control. I found myself in such situations at least twice a month at the office, and working through it always got me to the other end. But I wasn’t about to let Maddie give herself pneumonia.
She tried to wiggle her other hand out of my grip, but I tightened my fingers on her skin. I was scanning her body, weighing what the easiest way would be to toss her over my shoulders when she exclaimed, “Oh my God, you’re seriously going to throw me over your shoulder.”
“Yes.”
She dropped the spike she was still gripping in the hand I held captive and started marching toward the house. I walked next to her, releasing her hand but keeping my eyes trained on her in case she changed her mind. When we stepped out of the rain and onto the porch, I took a good look at her. Her gray shirt was soaked and transparent, and I could see her black bra, the swell of her breasts where the fabric gave way to skin. Longing thrummed through me, to touch her, taste her. I wondered if she was wearing matching panties, but I didn’t have to wonder for too long. Her pants—not jeans, but some thinner fabric—were as transparent as her shirt. She was wearing a black thong, the thin scrap of fabric at the back running right over her crack, leaving her round ass cheeks in plain view. My fingers itched with the impulse to remove that thong, touch and lick all the places it had covered.
“You are unbelievable.” She took the elastic band out of her hair and squeezed the water out of her blonde tresses before whirling to face me. Stepping closer, she poked my chest. “Unbelievable. Who does that?”
“Who stays out in a torrential rain?” I countered, trying to ignore the bolt of heat her touch had sent through me.
“Someone who wants to finish a job.” She poked me again, and I caught her wrist because if she touched me one more t
ime, I couldn’t be held responsible for my actions. Her mouth was so close. Pink and plump, and I knew she’d be soft and sweet. She licked her lower lip, her own gaze pinned on my shirt. When our eyes met, she brought her free hand to my chest, and I exhaled sharply.
I leaned in and captured her mouth. She parted her lips with a sigh, allowing me entrance. Her taste! I could get addicted to it, to the way she gave herself to me, without restraint or reservations. I let go of her wrist and moved one hand to her waist, fisted her hair with the other, angling her head so I could explore her mouth better. Slipping my hand down from her waist, I cupped her ass, pulling her flat against me. She groaned in my mouth when my erection pressed along her belly.
I was going to kiss her until her legs shook.
***
Maddie
The contact was electrifying, jolting every nerve in my body. His lips fit perfectly against mine. The scruff on his jaw lightly scraped against my skin, but I liked it. I liked it even more when he pushed me back until I felt a solid wall behind me. Talk about being between a rock and a hard place. Eh, I could always do with more of such delicious hardships. I loved this—being trapped by his strong body, with no other choice but to fully surrender to his kiss. And oh, what a kiss this was. No one had kissed me like that, not ever.
He explored and probed, our tongues clashing in a wild dance until I felt liquid fire coursing through my veins. He deepened the kiss, demanding more, and then he intensified the rhythm as if he was making love to my mouth. Heat pooled low in my body. When a deep groan reverberated in his chest, my knees weakened. As if sensing this, he gripped my waist with both of those strong and steady hands. I had a hunch he was that type of man who would be strong and steady no matter what, who’d never let me fall.
“Maddie,” he whispered, once he’d pulled back so we could take a much-needed breath. I stared up right into his eyes. His pupils were dilated, his eyelids hooded. Desire was written all over him, making it hard for me to think.
In this second, nothing seemed more important than feeling his lips on mine again. When he leaned in again, I grabbed his collar, pulling him all the way toward me. The second our lips touched, I felt exhilarated, caught up in his magic once more. This time, we took it a step further, kissing more furiously, with more passion. He moved his hands under my ass, scooping me up. When my center collided with his erection, I fisted his hair. We were grinding against each other, the tension we’d built up last night begging to be released. Even through all the layers of clothes, the friction was unbearable. I was slick between my legs. When he pushed the tip of his erection against my clit, I nearly came. With my clothes on.
But then something snapped in my mind, and I tore my mouth away from his. I looked to my right, and Landon leaned his forehead against my temple, his hot breath landing on my ear. Despite my soaked clothes, I was on fire. He lowered me to the ground, and we stood entwined like that, breathing heavily, until the cold crept up my spine again, making me shiver.
Landon stepped back, running a hand through his hair. Small drops of water splattered all around. Without the proximity of his body, cold blasted through me. I ran my hands up and down my arms, but it didn’t help much.
“You should change out of the wet clothes.”
I sighed. “I only have one change of clothes. I don’t want to get that soaked too.”