CRIMINAL CHRISTMAS: A Set of 8 Holiday Suspense Stories, page 36
Now the tears gushed down her face. How could she not love this man? She threw herself ferociously against him, wrapping her arms around his neck to haul herself up against his lips. “I need you right now, Hunter Hines. It seems I’m having an over-the-top reaction to what an incredible man you are.”
Chapter Ten
Maddy came at him like a woman in kick-ass karate mode. Like she always did, Maddy held nothing back. Hunter was man enough not to complain about an insane, passionate Maddy.
She kept slipping her little tongue into his mouth, sliding hers on his, then sucking on his. She took little bites along his neck, as if she was starved for him when he had been the one ravenous for her forever.
Like a train bearing down on him at full speed, she was on him, pressing and rubbing. Her enthusiasm made him senseless with need and love. He’d had sex with loads of women, but nothing compared to Maddy. She was honest and giving in her loving. He was never going to let her go.
He lifted her onto the countertop to slow down her uninhibited reaction. She had been willing for him to take her against the refrigerator door, but he wasn’t about to treat Maddy so carelessly.
But with her tiny hands exploring, caressing his erection, his body tightened into massive lust.
He took her hands away, holding them between his, kissing her palms. “Maddy, I’m not going to last. I’ve been waiting a long time for you.”
She took a shuddering breath when he licked her palm. Staring into her eyes, he tried to show what he felt for her. “I want to be gentle and tender like the man you deserve.”
Maddy lunged forward, pressing her voluptuous chest against him. “After, Hunter…after…you can be gentle.”
He laughed, a harsh sound. “You’re killing me, sweetheart.” But what a way to go.
Barely touching, he bent over and caressed her lips, teasing along the seam. Liking the way her breath froze and she waited, her body taut, he licked, nibbling as he unbuttoned her blouse.
When he had her blouse undone, Maddy thrust her chest forward, offering herself to him. And what a package. Her dusky nipples were erect and pushing against her lacy white bra. His heart hammered against his chest and his erection throbbed. Seeing Maddy unwrapped was too much. He needed her…against the refrigerator, on the counter…anywhere. Right goddamn now.
Maddy’s breath hitched when he ran his knuckles down her chest. He had trouble catching his breath. “You’re beautiful.” He gently traced her breasts through her bra with his fingertip. “And you have beautiful breasts.”
Maddy’s face had reddened, and she breathed short, little pants through her open mouth. He slowly undid the front of her bra, releasing the soft, abundant flesh. Maddy might be petite, but she was one hell of a stacked woman.
Maddy gasped as he slowly explored her breasts with his fingertip. Maddy Jeffers, panting for his touch, was pushing him hard. He wanted to make it good for her, but he was torturing himself. “I’ve been waiting a long time to get my hands on you.”
He lifted her breasts, gently squeezing, and then bent down and took one nipple into his mouth, circling it with his tongue.
“Ah!” Maddy fisted her hands into his hair, pulling him closer, holding him in place.
When he suckled her other breast, she threw back her head and squealed. No quiet woman, not his Maddy.
He was on fire for her. He caressed and played with her breasts while Maddy squirmed on the counter and then wrapped her legs around him tightly, bringing him into the cradle of her thighs. She brushed against his erection. Blinding lust shot through him and seared a burning path through his brain. He was fighting a losing battle with Maddy and her ferocious response to his touch.
He needed to be inside her. Sliding his hand under her skirt, his fingers wove their way to her womanly center. Maddy opened her legs, inviting him, and the blood rushed into his already throbbing groin.
He touched her moist, springy curls. The earthy female scent of her arousal demolished his control. He needed her now.
Her eyes drifted shut, and he could feel her quake on the edge of an orgasm. He thrust his tongue into her mouth as his finger sank into a hot, wet Maddy while she writhed, her hips twisting.
He put a second finger into her and took her nipple into his mouth, sucking hard. That was enough to send Maddy over the edge. With her head thrown back, she screamed his name. Her thighs quivered against his hands as she tightened and spasmed around his fingers.
Her body shuddered and collapsed, and she muttered, “I should’ve known you’d be masterful at this.”
He pulled her against his chest, loving the feeling of her all relaxed and spineless against him. “You’re one hell of a woman.” A replete Maddy helped soften his driving hunger. He smoothed her tangled curls, then ran his hand down her back.
“That was fabulous,” Maddy sighed.
His breath got rough and fast, and every last one of his lofty ideas of taking it slow and gentle were long gone. “I haven’t even gotten started. That was a little warmup. Wait until I get you naked.” Unable to not touch her, he kissed the top of her head, her closed eyelids, and her warm cheeks.
Her breathing evened and she seemed so relaxed he was worried she might have fallen asleep.
He lifted the lax Maddy against his chest and carried her into his bedroom. She was soft and satisfied; he was hard and in need. His body and muscles clenched as he looked down at her pale, voluptuous breasts. He took a slow breath, trying to get a handle on his dwindling control and his sprinting heart.
He stood close to the bed, careful not to disturb her as he leaned to gently place her on the bed. The urgency of his need to take her on a hard, long ride made his body burn.
Maddy sighed and tightened her arms around his neck, unwilling to release him. “Hunter, you are one helluva of a stud. I can’t wait to undress you.”
Every cell in his body and brain alerted into high-octane readiness. “I thought you were asleep.”
“Asleep?” Maddy giggled as she rained wet kisses along his neck. “I was saving my strength to get you naked.”
His mind went ballistic as his love and lust for this one woman exploded. He squeezed her against him. Her lemony scent, mixed with her feminine arousal, filled his mouth, his nose, his lungs, and surged into his groin. He had to taste her. He slowly lowered her to the floor and crushed her against his hard length.
Maddy melted against him, emitting a low purring sound. Strung tight, he started to hoist her up. Maddy gazed at him with heated eyes.
Holding her head steady with both hands, he used the tip of his tongue to tease her lips open. The small groan of pleasure at the back of her throat sent his pulse racing.
With her eyes closed, she sucked on his tongue while she trembled with broken, heavy breaths.
He needed her naked now—skin to skin, with her big, soft breasts crushed against him. He reached for the zipper on her skirt.
Maddy pushed his hands away. “It’s my turn, Hunter. You had your turn in the kitchen.” She reached for his shirt buttons, undoing each one slowly and carefully occasionally glancing up at him through her eyelashes with a wicked grin.
He gulped air, his pulse tripping. “I’m happy if we take turns.” He lifted her breasts and caressed the silky handful.
Maddy gasped and arched backward as he rolled her tight nipples between his fingertips.
She took a shuddering breath then pulled away. “Unfair, Hunter. It’s still my turn.” She reached for the last button on his shirt. He could feel her hot puffs of breath on his chest as she leaned to the task. “That woman had her hands on you, right here.” She planted a love bite on his chest.
Shit, not what he wanted Maddy to be focused on now. “It doesn’t matter,” he rumbled.
“It matters.” She bit him again. A soft bite that didn’t hurt but sent sizzles of reaction along his nerve endings. Then she soothed it by licking his heated skin with her tiny tongue. “You belong to me.”
Passion roared through him. He thought he knew what turned on meant. Until Maddy claimed him as her own, he’d had no idea.
She pulled his shirt off his arms while she trailed wet licks along his chest and abdomen. “She touched you here?” Each nip was followed by the tiny pink tongue. His erection twitched against the zipper, and he was in blissful agony. Until Maddy, he’d prided himself on having complete mastery of his body. She was going to be the death of him.
Maddy undid his belt, her knuckles rubbing against his abdomen and lower. “Did she touch you here?” She eased his zipper along his giant boner.
His brain was fried. Desperation for Maddy seized his entire body and soul. “I only want you.”
Her petite hands were inside his boxers, squeezing him. Her voice was breathless. “You didn’t answer the question.”
His voice came out strangled. “What are you going to do if I say yes?”
A pink and glowing Maddy looked up, sexual heat glimmering in her eyes. “I’ll soothe all the hurt with my lips and tongue.”
As if he had taken a blow to his chest, his knees buckled.
Maddy’s hands tightened on him.
He was on the verge of losing control. “Maddy, she didn’t touch me. I never wanted anyone but you to touch me.”
She bent over him, her hair brushing against his already rigid abdomen while she dragged his pants and boxers down. Now on her knees, she pulled his shoes off. She looked up, her blond hair all tussled, her eyes dancing with promise. “I’m glad I don’t have to bite you, but I am still planning to kiss you all over.”
A masterful Maddy at his knees pushed him over the edge. “Honey, I can’t take any more.” He kicked off his shoes, pants, and boxers and pulled her up into his arms. He tugged at her skirt, pulling it down as Maddy stepped out. She had the tiniest wisp of nude lace over her blond curls. Gone beyond gentleness, he ground desperately against her while he kneaded her soft, rounded cheeks.
Maddy’s fingers clutched his back. “I need you now, Hunter.”
He got rid of her thong and then laid her on the bed.
Maddy—all pink, her damp hair clinging to her temples, her soft breasts with their dusky nipples erect—inflamed him. She was perfect and she was his. Only his.
“Hunter, you’re so…” She swallowed hard as she stared at his erection. “More than I could ever have imagined.” She opened her arms to him.
He grabbed a condom from the bedside stand, his hands shaking as he rolled it on. He wasn’t sure if it was the hunger for Maddy that was riding him so hard or the way she watched, her big blue eyes wide, but there was only so much a man could take. He had never experienced such an uproar of love and need.
He levered himself, keeping his weight in his elbows, rubbing his chest over her luscious breasts. She gasped at the brush of his heated skin. He could barely breathe from the pleasure of touching Maddy. He took her mouth, devouring her, as he nudged against her wet tightness. He sucked on her skin—her neck and behind her ear—making her thrash under him. He bent and took her breasts into his mouth, pulling hard on her nipple. Maddy squirmed and her nails dug into his shoulders.
He slid his arms under her thighs and thrust deep inside. He wanted to thrust into her again and again, but forced himself to stay still until she could accommodate his large size.
Maddy pleaded, “Now, Hunter. I can’t wait any longer.”
He looked down at her face, at her eyes bright with passion and her lips open, panting. She moved against him, setting a fast pace, her hands grabbing, coaxing him on. She demanded he stroke harder, sending him deeper.
Her breaths came quicker, hotter as he tugged hard on her breast. He lifted her hips higher and pumped to give her more friction. With him buried deep, he felt the grip of her body. She groaned and then screamed his name as she rushed headlong into orgasm.
His thrust one last time and let the wave of Maddy’s after-spasms take him. And like Maddy, he threw back his head and shouted his release. Never in his life had he shouted. Never in his life had he ever lost control. Never in his life had he fully loved a woman.
# # #
Hunter woke with Maddy curled close to his side. She had one leg over his groin, and her arm was across his chest, near his heart. He could feel her small, snuffling snores on his chest. Her blond curls were awry. He bent his head to get a whiff of her lemon shampoo and the scent of Maddy. He didn’t want to wake her. He didn’t want this first night with her to end. Like the dedicated Marine she was, she had focused and given a hundred percent.
He wanted to take her again, but she was most likely sore. He was a big man, and they had been insatiable. He lightly ran his hand along the soft dip in her waist to her hip. Maddy stirred and reached for him.
He wasn’t sure if she’d understood when he told her he wanted her to have the ring forever…he meant marriage.
Chapter Eleven
The next morning, Maddy stood at the classroom door waiting for the women to arrive. She was dressed in the same outfit—long-sleeve blouse, black skirt, ballet flats—prepared to discuss American meal planning and preparation. She couldn’t suppress the big smile that broke out every time she thought about her passionate night with Hunter. He had dedicated the entire night to pleasuring her. And he knew how to slowly drive a woman out of her mind. Her sensual reverie was interrupted by the sounds of acrimonious, muffled voices.
The intensity of the argument escalated until it echoed in the empty hallway, so Maddy wandered out of the classroom to investigate. Guli and Rasa were standing close to each other, and Guli was speaking quickly in a harsh voice, her intonation and sharp gestures telling Maddy the older woman was angry. Rasa shook her head and started to walk away. Guli grabbed her arm and fiercely pointed in the young woman’s face. Maddy heard Guli screech: “Kaafar—infidel.”
Maddy stepped back into the classroom before the women noticed her. Only nonbelievers were called infidels. What had Rasa done to deserve such an offensive insult? Was it because she didn’t wear a burka?
Maddy plastered a smile on her face and waited at the door to greet the angry women. Rasa arrived first, and Maddy could see the tears pooling in her eyes. Maddy welcomed her, and Rasa nodded and went to sit in the circle of chairs. Neither Guli nor Sadia came into the classroom until class had begun. Obviously, they didn’t want to be greeted by an American infidel. Their attendance in this class didn’t add up…unless Abu had required them to attend.
After the hour, Maddy walked to her desk, pleased with how the class had gone despite the stormy beginning. Of course, Guli and Sadia offered nothing when she asked the women to discuss their family’s favorite recipe. Rasa, who sat on the other side of the room from Guli and Sadia, remained subdued, with no smiles or jokes for her friends.
Maddy was excited to get Hunter’s take on the argument and what it might mean. She wanted to discuss other strategies to engage the Hamman women.
Who was she kidding? She was plain excited to see Hunter. She had never felt this way about anyone. Did he miss her the way she missed him?
Maddy started to stack up the pictures of American foods she had displayed during the class after the women left. A moment later, Rasa came back into the classroom.
Rasa smiled tentatively and walked toward the desk. “Do you have plans for this afternoon?” The little hairs on Maddy’s arms prickled in awareness. Did the argument with Guli have anything to do with this sudden interest in Maddy’s afternoon? Was Maddy the infidel Guli had referred to?
Rasa’s eyes gave nothing away, and, because she wore a niqab, Maddy couldn’t read any changes in her facial expressions.
“Cirus loved playing with you at the market, and you like babies so much. I thought you might enjoy visiting with me and Cirus this afternoon.”
This was the problem with their line of work—everyone was a suspect. Including an outgoing mother with an adorable baby boy.
“I’d be delighted to come to your home some another afternoon. Maybe next week?”
Rasa’s eyes darkened. “You cannot come today?”
“No, I’ve already made plans.” She certainly wouldn’t go into specifics—that she planned on seducing her pretend husband after making him dinner. She might not know how to cook, but she, too, could grill steak and make a salad. Based on the way Hunter had responded to her taking her clothes off, she wasn’t sure when they’d get to dinner anyway. She definitely had plans.
The woman shifted her weight and fingered her veil. Her sudden nervousness alerted Maddy. “Are you worried about Cirus?” Maddy had learned from her time in Afghanistan that she always learned more by asking about a woman’s child instead of asking direct questions—like why were you and Guli arguing? She couldn’t let this opportunity to learn more about Abu’s family slip by. Did Rasa hope to talk to her about the argument?
“Yes, he has a rash, and I hoped you could look at it.”
Truly concerned, Maddy came around the desk. “Is he sick? Have a fever?”
“I don’t think so, but he is hot. Maybe just the heat, but you know how a mother worries. I only live a block from here. Could you please come over for a minute to look at his rash?”
Maddy nodded. If Rasa took Cirus to the clinic, it could take hours. “I will walk with you and take a quick peek at Cirus.” She didn’t believe anything could be wrong with the happy, healthy toddler she had played with yesterday, but here was an excuse to discuss other, more intriguing matters.
# # #
Maddy was now in a rush to get home. Home. She liked the idea of a home with Hunter. She hurried down Rainier Avenue, her skirt swinging back and forth. She was an hour late after her stop to see Cirus. The baby had a little heat rash on his neck, nothing alarming. The visit had taken longer than she’d hoped since all the social niceties had to be observed. Unfortunately, Rasa disclosed nothing about the argument.
Maddy hesitated to believe subterfuge was involved in Rasa’s request, but she did want to discuss the whole episode with Hunter. Her first priority was resuming where they had left off last night, but tonight, she planned to do the seducing. Then she’d snuggle against his hard chest, and like a married couple, discuss the day. The thought made her impatient and eager as she waited for the light to change.
