I only took two pauses in the walk out of the hall to kiss Madison. She was more responsive under my touch than ever before, her desire abundantly clear in her breathy moans as I ran my hands over her and took possession of her lips.

It was a good thing there weren’t many people in the halls, because her excitement and anticipation for what was to come had sent blood rushing through me and made some things more visible than appropriate in a public place.

Thanking the presence of mind that had reminded me to send a message to the limousine driver as we left the box, I helped Madison climb into the vehicle that waited for us at the curb.

“Thank you for picking us up, Ralph,” I said. “Can you please take us back to my apartment?”

“Certainly, sir,” the driver replied. The divider rolled up, giving us privacy.

We took immediate advantage, all over each other like teenagers after prom. Her tongue pressed against my own, more aggressive than usual, letting me know how badly she needed my touch.

After a few minutes of making out, she drew back and stared into my eyes.

“I can’t believe you could keep that secret this whole time. You’re so incredible.”

“It was difficult,” I admitted. “There were so many times I wanted to mention it, and the experiences I’ve had, things I’ve seen thanks to my career. Hell, I didn’t even know if you’d appreciate the music when I took you tonight. It was worth it to see the look on your face when I got on that stage, though.”

She blushed. “I honestly didn’t know what to think. It was so hard to believe what was happening. Was this the contract you were talking about the other day?”

It was nice to talk about it freely rather than hide things from her. “That’s right. Unlike many orchestral violinists, I’m a soloist, which is convenient because I can stay in a place for a few weeks at a time and play several performances before moving on to guest star in another city.”

Madison’s hand was busy stroking my thigh, which was distracting, but she was interested enough to continue the conversation.

“And you wrote that first song yourself? It was… it’s hard to even put into words how powerful it was. I’d never realized that so much emotion could be conveyed without words.”

The emotional state that informed the piece had been hard-won. Logan was the only person who knew the depths of depression I’d fought through back then. It was something I wanted to share with Madison, that she needed to know to understand the whole me, but it would only dampen the mood on our final night together. I was aiming for perfection, and revealing my old emotional scars wouldn’t aid in reaching that goal.

“Yes, I composed it. It’s a difficult process, but I find it even more fulfilling than simply performing the work of others. There’s no greater compliment than when someone says one of my pieces has moved them in some way.”

“Well, it moved me.”

Our kiss this time started sweeter. Knowing the time would come for more intensity, I simply enjoyed the delicate interplay between her soft lips and mine. For the rest of the ride, Madison swung her legs over my lap, and our hands wandered as we slowly explored each other.

By the time the limousine stopped in front of my apartment, we were both ready for more. Far more.

In a blink, we were upstairs, and the second the front door was unlocked, Madison attacked. She filled my arms perfectly, her curves supple under my hands and her hands holding tightly to my shoulders. Falling backward through the door, it swung open and knocked against the wall as we stumbled across the threshold.

“I’ve been holding back for so long,” Madison mumbled against my lips. “I would have blown you in the car if you’d have let me.”

There was no doubt in my mind that she was serious. Madison was more empowered than any woman I’d ever dated, and it never failed to exhilarate.

“There’s plenty of time for that,” I said.

Even as I said it, I knew it wasn’t true. Not really. We had so little time left, but I was determined to make the most of it.

I steered Madison toward my room, our progress slow as neither of us wanted to pause the aggressive kissing and fondling for the ten seconds it would take to run there.

Finally, I picked Madison up with both hands grasping her ass, holding her against my body as her legs came up around my waist. The movement pulled our lips apart, and she gasped.

A strange expression crossed her face as if something had just occurred to her.

“What is it?” I asked.

She peered over my shoulder toward the living room. “Is Rex here? I have this image of him jumping all around us and getting excited to play.”

The image made me laugh, and she joined in.

“No, he's with Logan. I left nothing up to chance. I’ve got things under control.”

Madison bit her lip. “I like it when you take control.”

I growled and resumed walking toward the bedroom. “You’ll love the next few hours, then.”

“Hours?” Madison asked. “That sounds delightful.”

“I hope you weren’t planning on getting much sleep.”

“We can sleep when we’re dead.”

I let her drop, sliding down my body until she found her feet. The sexy dress I’d been admiring all night had done its job, and now it was only in the way. With impatient fingers, I pulled the shoulder straps off, and Madison gave me a steamy look as she rolled the tight fabric down her body.

“Oh, fuck. You weren’t kidding about the lingerie.”

By the time the dress puddled on the floor, my jaw had joined it. In bright red that matched her lipstick, a lacy set of bra and panties adorned Madison’s otherwise naked body. The decorative straps let peeks of her soft skin through, enhancing the look and teasing with glimpses while hiding her most important parts.

“You are so sexy,” I told her. “It’s honestly hard to believe.”

She put herself back in my arms, her own hands finding the back of my neck as we kissed deeply. As good as she’d felt through the dress, her bare skin felt even better under my hands.

“And somehow you’re still completely dressed,” she noted. “We must change that.”

I unknotted my tie as she slipped off my jacket and worked on the buttons of my shirt. As soon as she had a big enough opening, she slipped a hand inside and ran it over the hard muscles of my chest and abs.

I took over and finished opening my shirt, then she pushed it off my shoulders.

“Wow, I never expected this.” She stared at my shoulder and chest. “Is this from your accident?”

I’d been so caught up in the moment that I’d forgotten Madison had never seen me with my shirt off. No one had since the accident except for doctors and Logan.

“I’m sorry. I should have warned you,” I said. For all the planning I’d done for the night, this had escaped me.

“Why?” Madison stroked the skin, tracing the scars.

They streaked from my shoulder like white lightning, long-healed remnants of the nearly catastrophic damage I’d survived. Madison followed the network with her hands, rounding my side to follow it to my back.

“I know it’s not the most attractive thing.”

Her lips pressed against my back, then again an inch away. She worked her way back around my torso, kissing the scars, and she finished at my chest.

“I like it. It’s so fucking manly. You look like you’ve been through a war. I don’t know why that’s hot, but it is.”

I fought off the instinct to dismiss her compliment as fake.

“Really? I’ve been worried what you would think.”

“You shouldn’t have been. You’re a sexy hunk of man—have I told you that?” she said, smiling up at me through her lashes. “A big, strong man who needs to take what he wants from me.”

And just like that, Madison had defused one of my biggest worries. Not only that, she had played it into a positive and showed me through her eyes, her hands, and her words how much she needed me. That was why I had fallen for her.

“You’d like that, would you?” I asked. “Does it turn you on to have me use you for my own pleasure?”

She hummed in agreement. “Fuck, yes. I would let you do anything you wanted to me. Just let me please you.”

Madison dropped to her knees, trailing kisses down my chest and stomach as she went, hands going to my belt.

“Not so fast,” I said, reached down to stop her. “I have a prize to claim.”