“You’re going to be the death of me, Mads,” I hiss through my clenched teeth.
“Nate.” Still leaning over face-to-face with my cock, puppy eyes glancing up, she says, “I’ve missed you, too.”
“I’ve waited ten long years to do this again. I have no restraint.” I step back, shoving my pants, briefs, and shirt off, my patience completely obliterated.
I lift her higher onto the bed, propping her against the pillows, stripping the last of her dress and panties off. Then I undo her sexy silver heels.
“Gianvito Rossi?” I lift a brow. “Don’t you ‘Tom Ford’ me.”
“Good shoes are worth the price,” she chuckles, wiggling her toes.
When she’s stripped completely bare, I almost blow on the spot. “We can do slow later, shit, we can do slow every day for the rest of our lives. But right now, Mads, I need to consume myself with every inch of you, and I won’t be able to hold back.”
“Slow was never our thing—” She gasps mid-sentence, and for a split second, I think I’ve scared her off, only her eyes are wide like saucers, pointing to my chest.
I glance down, as if I don’t know exactly why she’s shocked. “All four brothers got ink when Claud was born,” I murmur, stepping closer, letting her take in the pink butterfly resting over my heart, tethered to an anchor. “To honor both her and Camila.”
Her hand trembles as it hovers over my skin. “And the anchor?”
My eyebrows arch with amusement, my fingers twisting the bead Maddie made for me all those years ago; she knows all too well its significance.
I cherish that bead more than anything else in my life, besides my niece.
“I was afraid the bead would break one day, and I couldn’t let that sever our connection. Even when we were apart, you’ve always anchored me, Mads. Near or far, I couldn’t ever lose that.”
In the next breath, Maddie interlocks her fingers around my neck, pulling me with her sheer strength, smashing our lips together. Her hands glide down my chest, lingering over my tattoo, then down around my pecs, fingers tracing every ab muscle I’ve worked my ass off for.
“It’s beautiful. Not just the anchor, but the way you choose to remember your sister is something that I admire.” Her voice catches, and I don’t miss the small crack as she speaks.
If I didn’t know her well enough, I wouldn’t detect it. Only I know her better than I know myself.
“What’s wrong?” I mumble around her lips when I feel the slight tremble.
This isn’t about the tattoo.
“Nothing’s wrong,” she snaps too quickly. Her hands keep roaming, desperate. “I want it all. But is it too much to ask for one more minute just to feel you? To memorize your skin under my hands again? I might’ve taken longer to admit it, but I’ve missed this too, you know.”
Leaning back, I catch her chin, forcing her gaze to mine. Her eyes are glossy, storming with something deeper than lust.
Somehow, this took a quick turn in the wrong direction.
“Hey. What’s going on?”
She shakes her head wordlessly, causing me to crawl up onto the bed and pull her into my arms. Her skin is warm against mine, smooth, bare, every curve pressed to me as if she’s afraid I’ll slip away if she lets go.
“I didn’t mean to rush you, Mads.” Christ, what a selfish prick.
My dick was leading the way, one hundred miles per hour, with one destination in mind.
“No.” Her voice is muffled against my shoulder. “It’s not that. I just… got carried away earlier.” A heavy breath spills out of her, frustration laced in it.
Sensing her irritation, I give her the minute she needs to get her thoughts together.
I’m not stupid enough to think everything’s perfect between us. As much as I hate it, she was recently engaged, she only just forgave me, and we haven’t been together in years.
If I don’t give Maddie the time to figure this out on her own, she’ll push me away for good.
We lay there for a few more silent minutes, the city buzzing below us. You can hear the hum of it through the room, but mostly I hear her shallow, uneven breathing.
