Landon

Lori and Grace had pulled off a great party. Maddie was having fun, and I couldn’t keep my eyes off her. Those ribbons down her back begged to be pulled open, and she was taunting me relentlessly.

Shortly before eight, my cousin Sebastian Bennett arrived with his wife and two of his kids. If I wasn’t mistaken, they were three years old.

I went to get Maddie, who was at the bar with Grace.

“Maddie, remember I told you my cousin and his family would stop by?”

“Yes. They’re here?”

“They just arrived.” I guided her to them, drawing small circles with my hand on the small of her back. She sucked in a breath when I touched bare skin through that slit under the ribbon.

“Maddie, this is my cousin Sebastian and his wife, Ava.”

Sebastian shook her hand. “Happy birthday, Maddie. Sorry to crash your party, but we haven’t seen this lot in a while. Thought it’d be a shame to pass through LA and not catch up. We’ll only be staying for an hour. These two get cranky when their bedtime passes.”

“Don’t hurry. I’m happy to see you here,” Maddie said.

She shook hands with Ava, then crouched until she was level with the two boys.

“And what might your names be? I’m Maddie.”

Both of the boys looked up at Ava. She pushed a strand of her blonde hair away from her face before answering.

“Seamus and Peter. They’re very shy.”

“They’re twins?” Maddie asked with excitement, straightening up.

I chuckled. “Not identical, but yes, twins. There’s a strong twin gene in our family.”

“You must have your hands full all of the time,” Maddie said, looking between my cousin and his wife.

“Oh, we’ve got two more at home. They’re with their grandparents,” Sebastian supplied. “Four in total. For now.”

Ava snapped her head in his direction, eyes wide. “For now? Husband of mine, I think four will do.”

I bit back a smile. “Don’t be so harsh on him, Ava. We come from big families.”

Sebastian pulled her closer, kissing her temple. “I’m not worried. I always wear you down.”

“He does,” Ava whispered conspiratorially to Maddie, then grinned. “I wish I could say otherwise, but when Sebastian wants something, boy oh boy, is my man persuasive. He even got me to agree to name this little one Seamus.”

“Took me four kids to finally convince you to use the name,” Sebastian said. “Still, I did it.”

Maddie was grinning at them. “Well, come on in.”

We walked with them toward the bar. Midway, Seamus wiggled his hand free from Ava’s grip. He could barely keep his balance, but he broke into a run, as if determined to test his legs. Maddie ran after him, scooping him up in her arms before he pelted headfirst into a wall.

“We’ve got this,” I assured Ava and Sebastian. “You two have a drink. We’ll bring Seamus back.”

Maddie was talking in a soft voice when I approached them.

“That’s a wall, little one. Hard and solid. Nothing good can come out of running into it, I promise. That’s an experience you can forgo.”

She brought him right in front of the wall, putting his small hand on the surface.

“See?”

She’d be a great mother one day. Something stirred in me, and the longer I watched her, the stronger it grew. When she walked with him toward me, the vision of a family became all too real. Our family.

“Seamus is adorable,” she informed me, kissing his forehead. “Pity I can’t keep him.”

I almost asked, “Do you want to keep me?” But that was a conversation for another day. I didn’t want to put her on the spot on her birthday. Seamus was playing with her hair as if it was the most fascinating thing in the world. I agreed with him. She was fascinating. And she had become the center of my world.

“You know what? I’ll ask the restaurant to bring out the cake now, so these two angels see it too,” she said.

“I’ll take care of that.” I kissed her lips, then headed to one of the servers, making arrangements. Fifteen minutes later, we all gathered around Maddie, singing “Happy Birthday.” When she blew out the candles, I made a wish of my own.

The party went on until well after midnight, and I barely kept myself in check around Maddie. But the moment we were inside her house, I backed her against the nearest wall, kissing her temple, descending to her earlobe. I traced her jaw before finally settling at the corner of her mouth. She was shuddering in my arms, and I hadn’t even kissed her.

“I’ve dreamed about doing this the entire day.” I kissed her bottom lip, biting gently in the center. Maddie pushed her thighs together.

“You did?” Her voice was uncharacteristically small and shy. I wanted to erase her doubts.

“Yes. You have no idea how often I think about you. I can’t get enough of you. You’re so precious to me. I don’t want to ever stop kissing you, to stop feeling everything you make me feel.”

“Then don’t stop.”

I’d never felt as close to her as I felt tonight, as if we were connected on every level. Our emotions were tied together; our bodies yearned to be united. I undid the ribbons on her back and pushed her dress down to her feet, kissing her skin. She was wearing a red lace thong and matching bra, with the clasp at the back. Turning her around, I unclasped her bra, then swiped my tongue along her spine, running my hands down her sides. Her skin erupted in goose bumps under my touch. I didn’t stop when I reached her ass. I ran my fingers down the red lace between her ass cheeks, then bunched the fabric between my fingers, tugged and let it go. A little snap resounded when it made contact with her skin.

She shoved her hands against the wall, curling her fingers as if wanting to dig them in. The sight sent a zing of lust right through me. I instantly hardened. She had a perfect ass. Two round globes. I sank my teeth lightly in one, kneading the other in my hand.

“Landon,” she gasped, clenching her thighs.

“Turn around.” When she did, I smiled and rose until I was level with her breasts.

Her nipples were already tight. I kissed around one, then the other, pushing a hand up her thigh. She parted her legs, giving me access. I cupped her pussy over her panties and rolled one nipple between my lips at the same time. She arched her hips, tugging at my hair.

“Landon, please, I need your fingers inside me. Please. Now.”

Smiling against her breasts, I slipped my fingers into her panties, sliding one inside her. I loved that she told me what she needed without my coaxing.

She transformed into a wild thing right in front of my eyes. My Maddie. This side of her was just for me. She was made for me, and no one else. Her breathing became shallow as I slid the finger in and out, and she cried out my name when I slid in a second one. When I pressed the heel of my palm against her clit, she clenched around my fingers. My control snapped, replaced by a blind need for her.

“I’m going to fuck you against this wall, Maddie.”

Looking down, I saw she was already unbuttoning my pants, lowering my zipper. I kissed up her breasts, her neck, nipping at her skin. A wild desire to mark her hit me. To somehow leave an imprint on her. I wanted her sweetness, her passion, her pleasure. Her future.

“Yes. Do it.”

“And then I will carry you to bed and make love to you the entire night.”

“Yes, do that too. I love your plans. You always have the best plans.”

She shuddered slightly in my arms, looking up at me with wide, trusting eyes. I took out a condom, gloved up, and then touched her clit, watching her succumb to the sensation until she bucked her hips, riding my hand, taking her own pleasure.

I lifted her by the ass and slid her onto me before she’d ridden out her orgasm. She cried my name, and my eyes nearly rolled into my head. She was so tight around me I couldn’t even breathe from the intensity of it.

“You—oh this feels.... It’s different than before,” she murmured, moving an arm up my shoulder and around my neck.

“It’s different every time,” I murmured back. Every time was more. More than I could say, more than I could admit. She pulled me closer to her, as if sensing how much I needed her warmth. Realizing the strength of our connection made my world tilt on its axis. I drove into her so wildly, I thought I’d split her in two, but I couldn’t hold back.

With every thrust she clamped tighter around me, her breath came out shakier, her moans louder. I wanted this every night, every morning. Maddie owned me in every way possible.

My balls tightened, heat zipping from them, spreading in my entire body. I was too close to the edge, and I wanted this to last longer. I wanted her to come again. Slowing down, I buried my head in her neck, inhaling deeply, moving my pelvis so I was pressing against her clit. She fisted my hair, her teeth grazing my shoulder.

Pulling out of her, I carried her to the bedroom, laid her on the bed, and climbed on top of her. I loved her slowly, gently, needing this to last the entire night. When I came too close, I stilled, leaning to kiss her shoulders, her arms.

When she started clenching around me in quick, rhythmic spasms, energy coiled through my entire body. The muscles in my abdomen contracted, as if someone pulled a hook behind my navel. I exploded when she gasped out my name.

I kept her tightly to me afterward, rocking her in my arms. She fell asleep quickly, but I was wide-awake. My mind was spinning, mapping out solutions so I could keep Maddie in my life. She was curled in a fetal position across the bed, facing me and using my chest as a pillow. Even sleeping, she had a wide, satisfied smile. Knowing I was responsible for that happiness made me feel whole. A strand of hair fell over her face, and she scrunched up her nose. I quickly pushed it away so the tickling wouldn’t wake her.

“I didn’t think I could fall in love again, Maddie. But you made me fall for you. I love you, sweetness.”