Chapter Twenty-Five
Simon had intended to take Madison’s mind off her tormented thoughts by using the one tool at his disposal he knew he was good at…humor.
Yet, the longer she remained against him, her soft, tempting body coming alive beneath his fingers, the more he became lost.
He wanted her again, plain and simple. What the hell was it about her that he couldn’t seem to get enough of? She was simply a female, just like every other female he’d bedded throughout his long life.
Simon mentally laughed, recognizing the lie before it settled in. There was nothing simple about Madison. She had to be the strongest willed woman he’d ever encountered. Not to mention intelligent, witty, and unequally beautiful, with whiskey-colored eyes that could pierce a man’s very soul.
He inserted his fingers deeper inside her, basking in the soft, sexy sounds she made in the back of her throat.
It surprised him that he wanted her again so soon. He’d taken her every way imaginable for the last couple of hours, brought her to completion over and over. “Are you sore?”
She shook her head, another moan slipping past her lips.
Simon gently eased his fingers from her sex, wrapped his hands around her waist, and turned her until she faced him. He wanted to look into her whiskey-colored eyes when he took her this time.
Madison shifted her hips, aligning his erection with her opening. She held his gaze, and oh-so-slowly, lowered herself onto him.
Nothing he’d ever experienced before came close to being inside Madison.
His hands came up to cup the sides of her face, and he closed his mouth over hers on her next downward stroke.
They simultaneously moaned, their tongues caressing, lips sucking, and their bodies moving as one.
Something happened to Simon in that moment, subtly at first. But it grew in strength the longer he stared into Madison’s eyes. No matter how feverish that kiss grew, neither of them could seem to look away. Damn me.
An impatient knock sounded on the bedroom door, jerking Simon out of his euphoric haze.
He broke off the kiss, tuning into the intruder out in the hall. There was no need to raise his voice or call out loudly, he could sense Ivy’s essence as if she stood in the bathroom with him. “What is it?”
“Sawyer has word of Svetlana,” came Ivy’s quiet response.
Madison dislodged from his body so quickly, a hiss snaked from Simon’s lips. “Well, that was a show stopper.”
But Madison barely spared him a glance. She sailed from the tub, snatched up a towel, and bolted back to her bedroom. She was dressed by the time Simon emerged.
Without meeting his gaze, she yanked the door open and nearly ran over Ivy in her haste to flee. “Where is Sawyer?”
“In the security hub.”
And just like that…she was gone.
It chapped Simon’s ass that Madison rushed to Sawyer’s side as if the devil himself were chasing her.
Ivy’s eyes grew round in surprise before she quickly glanced away. “I…well, I’ll see you downstairs.”
Simon shook his head. He’d been so caught up in Madison, he hadn’t thought to grab a towel before barreling into the room.
He ran a hand through his damp hair and scanned the room for his clothes. He found his jeans lying half under the dresser.
After throwing on his clothes, Simon blasted from the room and blurred his way to the security hub.
Roman, Sawyer, Niko, Alex, and Madison looked up as Simon burst through the door.
Simon’s gaze immediately settled on Sawyer, dickhead that he was, to find him standing entirely too close to Madison. “You have news of Svetlana?”
“She’s in New Orleans.” Sawyer shifted his weight, propping his hip against the large, horseshoe shaped desk. “Been there for at least two days.”
Simon narrowed his eyes. “She has to know we’d be notified of her presence in NOLA. She’s not there by chance.”
The door opened and Vlad filed into the room. “Svetlana is more than aware of our knowledge of her whereabouts. In fact, I’d wager that she’s counting on it.”
All eyes swung in Vlad’s direction.
Simon spoke first. “Why is that?”
“The city of warlocks,” Sawyer answered for the Impaler.
Understanding dawned. Simon shifted his attention to Sawyer, recalling that had it not been for Roman, the wolf would have died years ago at the hands of a warlock. “Do you know which one is harboring her?”
“More than one,” Sawyer admitted in a deadly soft tone. “But Ahmon is my main concern. He’s one of the oldest and deadliest.”
Simon hated like hell to have to deal with the warlock, but Ahmon thought to get in his way. Simon would rip off the guy’s head and wear it for Mardi Gras.
Sawyer’s gaze bore into Simon’s. “I can see that you have no fear where the warlocks are concerned. But make no mistake, they are both sadistic and deadly. You would do well to remember that.”
“I’m fully aware,” Simon retorted. “But I’m also not about to cower here in Atlanta when Svetlana is still within reach. I’ll be leaving in half an hour. That should put me in New Orleans by three AM. That’ll give me plenty of time to find a secure place to sleep before the sun comes up.”
Madison stepped forward. “I’m coming with you.”
Simon shook his head. “Not this time. If Svetlana finds out that we’re mated…” The collective gasp that flew around the room wasn’t what stopped Simon’s words as much as the look on Madison’s face. It was as if what had happened in that bedroom had finally registered in her mind.
“Mated?” she mumbled in a trance-like state.
Roman cleared his throat. “Perhaps we can discuss this at a later time once we’ve all had a chance to process everything.”
Simon would give anything in that moment to take back the words he’d spoken aloud. He hadn’t meant to blurt it in such a way. He opened his mouth to apologize, but Madison cut him off.
“I’m going to grab a few things from my room. I’ll be ready inside of ten minutes.” And just like that…she brushed past Simon and left the security hub.