Chapter Twenty-Nine
Madden
She’d made it until two o’clock without incident. She’d managed to complete a dozen more physicals and had a nice easy lunch with one of her oldest friends. They didn’t talk about her being Linc’s mate, and they didn’t talk about what happened to Riley. They simply caught up and laughed. It was exactly what each of them needed.
But then, as she finished her last exam for the day, she started to feel heat settle at the base of her spine. She instantly knew what was coming. She rushed through, not sure if the kid in front of her was shifter or not, getting him out of her office as quickly as possible. Then she packed her stuff and bolted back across campus to her house. Luckily since she rode home with Baze yesterday and rode into work with Linc, her car was still parked in the front faculty lot.
Now she was standing in her kitchen, her head in the freezer, sipping on a chilled glass of pinot. She was still hot, and she was sure her face was flushed red. But at least here in the freezer, the heat was manageable.
“Madden?”
“In here.” She took another sip. Linc had happened to call when she was running out the door to her car. When she told him what was going on, he insisted on meeting her at her house. She hadn’t argued with him, because truth be told, she missed him. She wanted to see him.
She felt her body start to relax when he slipped his arms around her waist, putting his face next to hers in the icebox. “Whatcha doin’?”
She shrugged, nonchalantly. “Enjoying an incredibly chilled glass of wine after a long day of work.”
He kissed her neck, smiling against her heated skin. “You need something from me baby?”
She turned in his embrace, casually resting against the refrigerator like it was the most natural thing in the world. “Yes.” Her admission shocked them both. She’d meant to say something sarcastic, something witty. But instead, that one little word slipped past her lips. The worst part was, it wasn’t a lie. She did need him. She craved him.
His eyes narrowed. “Are you okay? Are you hurting?” His gazed traveled the length of her body, like he was checking her for injuries.
She shook her head. “No, no pain. I just…” This wasn’t who she was. She wasn’t the girl that begged the guy. She wasn’t clingy. She wasn’t possessive. She’d never missed a man, ever. She wasn’t ready to hand her life, her freewill, to him. But part of her was feeling ready to hand over her heart. He deserved that much. He truly did. Over the past two days the playful player had started to transform before her eyes. He had a serious side that she was sure few had ever witnessed. He was like a chameleon, constantly changing to be who and what she needed in that moment. “I missed you today.”
His hands cupped her face, his gaze searching hers. “I missed you too, baby.” He placed sweet kisses on her lips. “It was about thirteen hours this time. It’s been that long since the last time I was inside you.” His words made heat pool in her core for an entirely different reason.
He pulled his shirt off, tossing it to the side, and then stepped out of his athletic shorts. In seconds he was standing in front of her, naked and on display. He took her hand in his, dragging her away from the safety of the cool air and toward her bedroom. The hot flashes were no joke; she was almost afraid to leave the freezer.
He stripped her of her clothes, goose bumps instantly covering her flushed skin when it was exposed to the cool air. Linc dropped to his knees, helping her step out of her panties. He pushed her legs further apart, covering her core with his mouth, moaning against her clit. “I’ll never be able to get enough of your taste.” He placed kisses on his way back up her body, pushing her backward, laying her out on her bed. Without her asking, he opened her nightstand and grabbed a condom, slipping it on wordlessly.
Tears pricked the back of her eyes again. She couldn’t help it. He knew she still wasn’t ready, and he wasn’t pushing her. He didn’t even question it. She took a deep breath as he entered her. She’d realized in that moment, she’d never trusted another man the way she trusted Linc. She arched her neck, biting her lower lip, and then whispered his name. She grabbed his ass, trying to speed up his movements. She was feeling too much. The slow and sensual fucking felt way too much like making love. “Linc. Harder.”
He pulled back, slowing down even more so he could look at her. “We have time, baby. I’m not leaving this pussy until it’s time to go to dinner.” He dipped down, placing wet kisses along the column of her neck.
She took a deep breath, her chest suddenly feeling tight. “Linc.” She closed her eyes, trying to steady her erratic pulse. She couldn’t do this. She couldn’t have him love her like this for the next three hours. She’d break. She knew she would. It was too much heart, too much emotion. “Please, I can’t, you’ve got to…”
He dropped his forehead to her collarbone, stopping his movement completely. He pushed himself up on his arms, peering down at her. He must have seen the fear in her eyes, the rapid pulse in her neck. “You want to be fucked, Madden?”
She nodded, grateful for the smirk that had taken over the adoration on his handsome face.
He pulled out then surged back in, hard. His hip bones drove into her thighs. “This what you want, baby?”
In reality, no, a hard fuck wasn’t what she wanted. It was what she needed. It was all she could handle. All she could stand.
He rested all his weight on one forearm, his free hand going to the base of her neck. He squeezed, gently. “You want rough, I can give you rough, Madden. I can fuck you senseless. I can make you scream. I can fuck you until you’re shaking.” He continued to drive into her, his hand on her throat. She couldn’t contain her moans; she could barely wrap her mind around what he was saying to her. He was giving her exactly what she needed: utter distraction. He rose up on his knees, one hand on her neck, one hand pushing her thigh further toward the mattress. Opening her even more, making her take everything he had. She bit her lip so hard she punctured the skin.
When Linc saw what she’d done to herself his pupils dilated, his eyes becoming darker than she’d ever seen them. He swooped down, taking her flesh into his mouth, sucking at the blood that had pooled there. He growled; his grip on her thigh became punishing. She loved every second of it. She never wanted it to end. “Fuck, Linc. Yes.”
“I can do this for hours, fuck you until you’re begging me to stop.” He moved his mouth to the shell of her ear, panting, making chills rush down her spine. “But what you’re feeling for me will still be there when we’re done, Madden. You want me to love you, you want to be my forever.” He kissed her jaw. “You’re my girl. And no amount of hard fucks is going to change that.” He pulled back, sliding into her slowly once again. Moving on top of her like silk. “Just let go, baby.”
She opened her eyes, a tear escaping as she shattered around him, her body contracting around his in wave after wave of pleasure. Linc groaned as he pulsed his release inside her so hard she came again.
Linc rolled them to the side, leaving only for as long as it took him to throw away the condom. When he climbed back in bed, he wrapped her in his arms.
She didn’t protest.
He was right.
She was his.