"I want you to dance with me, come on," I urged.
"But, Maddox, no one else is dancing..." she said under her breath, looking around the restaurant.
"I don't care," I replied, pulling her into my arms. "So now, tell me, why didn't you call?" I asked as we swayed back and fourth.
"It’s silly.”
“Tell me.”
“I was scared. I wasn't sure that you felt the same."
I couldn't help but chuckle at her answer. I was so in love with this woman, it wasn't funny.
"What's so funny about that? Why didn't you call me then?" she asked with fire in her voice.
"I only laugh because I didn't call for the same reason," I said, pulling her into me, holding her close.
"Oh." A soft smile landed on her lips, and then she rested her head against my chest as we swayed to the music.
"I figured that because you'd just ended things with Derrick, that perhaps you needed more time to digest everything. I wasn't sure if what happened between us on that trip was because you were trying to bury the pain of what happened, or because you were truly interested. There were a few times it seemed that words just hung between us, and to be honest, I was afraid that if I began to tell you the way I felt it would scare you off. Plus, I certainly didn’t want you to think I was trying to take advantage of the situation because you were in a vulnerable state."
She raised her eyes to mine and studied me for a moment. Then she raised up on her toes and placed a kiss on my lips. “You would be the last person that I would think would take advantage of me. You aren’t like his other friends. To be honest, I was petrified at first of what was going on between us, but I’m not scared anymore. I spent a lot of time searching myself, and knowing how I felt the day we boarded the plane to come home and this past week has given me the time to know that am ready. I don’t want to waste any more time rehashing the past. He isn’t worth my time, he never was, and had I realized that the first time he’d cheated on me with his secretary, things would be so much different.”
“Wait, you knew about the secretary?” He frowned, looking down into my eyes.
“Of course, I did, and before you drive yourself crazy, I am not angry with you for not telling me. I knew when I sent you there that night. The only person I am angry at now is myself for not saying anything to him when he came home smelling of her perfume, and for not questioning him when I found the smear of lipstick on his collar. Instead, I turned on my blinders and looked the other way. However, in order to allow myself to heal, I have to be forgiving of myself or else I will never ever love anyone again.”
I pulled her in tighter and closed my eyes as she rested her head on my chest.
“I want to love you. You’re the first thing I think of when I open my eyes in the morning, and I can’t begin to tell you how empty I have felt without you around.” She looked up at me with her eyes full of tears. “I want to be yours, all yours,” she murmured.
“Then be mine," I whispered as I placed my hand on the back of her neck and pulled her in for a deep kiss.
"Maddox?" she whispered as our kiss broke, both of us breathless.
"Yeah?"
"Take me back to your place. Make me yours,” she breathed, kissing my lips.
Tess
I sat in the front seat of his truck as he drove across town to his place. The instant the answer had fallen from my lips, he had requested the bill and paid. Seconds later, we were rushing out the door and across the parking lot toward his truck, and now it felt like we never going to get there as my body hummed with anticipation.
I sat watching as we passed by houses, my center throbbing with excitement. He finally pulled into his driveway and cut the engine. He looked over at me, hunger in his eyes, then he opened his door and walked to my side, helping me out, and then, hand-in-hand, we walked up the walkway. He struggled with his key, only for a second, finally pushing the door open.
"I'll give you the grand tour," he said as he shut the door behind us.
I'd barely gotten my shoes off when he grabbed me, pushing me up against the wall, attacking my mouth with his, his tongue forcing my lips apart and washing through my mouth with an urgent force. My entire body was on fire as I felt his arousal through his pants as he pressed his body into me.
"I've missed you," he whispered between kisses, his hands running through my hair.
I closed my eyes, kissing him back. "I missed you too."
He wrapped his arms around me, pulling me tighter into him. His hands ran down my body, cupping my ass. He grabbed the bottom of my shirt and I lifted my arms above my head so he could pull it over my head, dropping it to a pile on the floor. I did the same, pulling his shirt over his head, dropping it into the same heap as mine and pushed myself against his hot skin.
He kissed my mouth with urgency, moving to my neck before kissing the top of my breasts. He ran his thumbs over breasts, my nipples hardening at his touch. He bit both nipples through my bra, while I reached down, running my hand over the large bulge in the front of his jeans. He let out a deep, throaty growl as I pulled at his belt and then gripped his cock again through his jeans. "Fuck, Tess, we’ve got to slow down."
"I don't want to slow down. I want you to take me, please. Just take me...hard and rough," I pleaded, sucking his earlobe into my mouth.