“Looking forward to it,” he said, his voice deep and dangerous. He needed to stop showing me this sexy side of him. It’d forever change how I viewed him in my mind, but hadn’t that already happened?
God, feelings were confusing and terrifying. I sighed in relief when he let me go. Alex yelled for dinner, and we trudged back up the hill toward the campsite. But he made sure to hold my handandmade sure I didn’t trip the entire time.
That simple gesture sent me into a goddamn tizzy. This sweetheart of a man had been there my whole life, but could this have been something more this entire time?
CHAPTER EIGHT
Matt
I was being a chicken. I knew it and didn’t care. Having Maddie so carefree like this, naked and wanting me, was a dream come true. I knew she wanted to talk, I heard the vulnerability in her voice and saw the nervousness on her face. I didn’t want to hear what she said. It’d ruin everything, and I was selfish.
A selfish chicken. The worst kind.
Maddie took a wet wipe and wiped it over her face and arms before grabbing another one and doing it over her neck and shoulders. “You should use them too. The lake water is gross, gross, gross.”
“We’re not showering for an entire weekend. Of course, we’re gross.” I grinned at her wild hair exploding in every direction. “Your hair is incredible.”
“Knock it off.” She swatted my hand away when I touched one of the curls. “I need to tame this beast before we go to bed.”
“Me or…” I said, winking and not even blushing. It was a new milestone for me.
But Maddie blushed, and it was the cutest thing ever. My audacious friend who talked about sex and blow jobs at a family cafeblushed. “Mims,” she said, dragging her teeth over her bottom lip. “What is happening?”
Shit.
“I’m admiring how sexy you are.” I moved closer to her.The long-sleeved shirt she’d changed into after the lake clung to her, showcasing her curves and perfect piercings. “Because Maddie, you are the sexiest woman I know.”
She blinked a lot, her body going rigid.
I cupped her face with my hands and dragged her mouth to mine. I didn’t have the same desperate need as last night. She wasn’t a whisper of a dream about to float away. She was here with me, breathing the same air in our tent, and for a few moments,mine.I took my time pressing my lips against hers, softly, without hurry. Her lips were soft and full and moist. Her eyes were halfway closed, and I tilted her head back with my hand around her neck.
I remembered every freckle on her face, every line and curve when she smiled. Now, I wanted to experience every taste. She groaned into my mouth and pulled at my shirt, but I stilled her. “No.”
“N-no?” She pulled back, hurt and rejection swirling in her eyes.
Didn’t she get it? I was hers. I always had been. “Slow.” I pulled her close to me. Her shoulders relaxed, and the lines disappeared around her eyes. Our legs were intertwined, and our breathing picked up, but we were fully clothed as we kissed.
She hummed into my mouth and nipped my lip, taking it into her mouth with a light suck. She crawled onto my lap, straddling me and causing every nerve in my body to hum. Her body fit so well against mine.
“God, I’m obsessed with your muscles. Your tongue. Your beard,” she said, running her fingers over my jaw before trailing my arms. “Always thought you were way too sexy for your own good, but experiencing you like this?” She stopped, let out a shaky breath, and kissed me again.
My heart hammered against my ribs. What was she going to say? Experiencing me like this? What did that mean? I wanted to ask so badly. I wanted to ask more than I wanted to breathe, but I didn’t. I let her explore my body and kept my mouth shut.
We kissed and kissed, tasting and teasing and doing nothing but that. I knew the sounds she made and how her teeth felt. I moved from her mouth to her neck and lined her jaw with soft kisses, nuzzling my beard against her skin. She exhaled hard and ran her fingers through my hair as I took my time.
I nibbled her ear, dragged my tongue along the cusp, and pulled back. She had four piercings, all blue stones, and I knew why. The four birthdays of the people she loved most were all in September. They were sapphires. And I was one of those people.
Goosebumps broke out over her skin, and I grinned against her. Despite knowing we’d leave tomorrow, I’d remember this forever. How she whimpered when I bit down on her collarbone or panted when I circled her breasts with my hands. Never quite touching her but teasing, pushing her to the point she snapped.
Something pelted against our tent, and I stilled, my hand hovering over her nipple when it hit me.Rain.“It’s raining,” I said, pointing out the obvious, but Maddie looked up at me like I hung the fucking moon.
“Touch me, Matt, please.”
With that needy tone and heated brown eyes, she hooked me. I bent down and kissed her, this time with the intention of giving her all the pleasure I had. I slid her shirt off over her head and kissed down her chest, stopping on her perfect pointed nipple.
I bit down, committing each detail about her body to memory—like the mole in the center of her cleavage and the clash of metal against her pink nipples. I studied the way she groaned when I slid my fingers into her waistband and circled her swollen clit.
Us, naked, together.
