“Mayhem,” he says roughly, and hell claim me now if that doesn’t break me apart at the seams. The way he says thatnickname now, like it’s suddenly taken on a sacred meaning, has me reacting in the only way I can.
I kiss him again.
I claim his lips with mine before he can retreat back behind that broody exterior, my fingers framing his face while his grip on me tightens almost desperately. There’s still a sprinkle of hesitation in his movements, maybe a trickle of nerves, and I’m reminded of the little snippet I discovered about Rayne Hunter. Caid didn’t mean to slip up, but the words came out a few nights ago, and I’ve latched on to them ever since.
Rayne has only ever had two girlfriends, both of which didn’t last farther than third base, and the inexperience is only just visible beneath the way he touches me as though he’s afraid I might disappear.
And under that is trust. There’s care, want, and a need that echoes mine. And when he finally pulls back just enough to look at me, dark eyes searching mine carefully, I understand straight away that this is more than just two people hooking up. This is more than just physical for him. It means something.
So, with a soft smile, I hold his face gently, my thumbs brushing against his high cheekbones. My touch makes his breath hitch, and my smile grows, even as I whisper, “We go at your speed, okay? I’ll follow you anywhere. Just tell me where we’re going.”
I have no idea what happens from one moment to the next, but one second I’m sitting on his lap like a queen on her throne, and the next I’m sprawled on the couch with his body framing mine, his face flooded with relief, desire, and something deeper that forces me to swallow hard.
And then he’s kissing me again as though he doesn’t know of any other way to thank me without using his mouth. I’ll accept these forms of gratitude from him no matter the time or day, my arms wrapping around his neck as I kiss him with thesame energy. I press my lips against his, committing the feel of them to memory, and I absorb every single touch like the greedy bitch I have quickly grown into.
When he scrapes his teeth along my lower lip, an almost feral noise slips out of my mouth before I can stop it, and Rayne’s reaction is instant. He pulls back a fraction, heated eyes now peering down at me with a hunger that mirrors mine, and he rasps, “Those sounds are going to undo me, mayhem.”
I huff a laugh. “I can’t help it. You have no idea what you’re doing to me right now, and it’s taking every ounce of control to keep myself in check, meaning the sounds I’m making are unleashed and out of control. That’s on you.”
Heaven sighs when he flashes a grin, a rare sight that honestly sends me into a tailspin of need that I really do try to ignore. I pay no notice to the wetness that suddenly forms between my legs, I don’t give any attention to the way my nipples harden beneath my bra, and I certainly don’t shine light on how hard my heart is suddenly beating at just a single grin.
It only worsens when he presses his mouth to mine again before pulling back to trail soft kisses along my jaw and down my neck, stopping right where the collar of my shirt restricts his access. I feel the barely-there touch of his fingers glide along the skin beneath where my shirt ends, and I gasp when he slips his warm hand beneath the fabric.
With his face in the crook of my neck, he asks quietly, “How far can I go, mayhem?”
I huff a startled laugh before blurting, “Rayne, I’m on your train here. You’re the conductor. Whatever speed you want to go at, I’ll hang on for the ride. Whatever track you want to take, I’ll enjoy the scenery. I’m on board for whatever journey you want to take me on. Does that answer your question?”
When Rayne pulls back to peer down at me, I know that my words have pierced his mind, his light-blue eyes darkening so much that they appear more stormy-sea blue now.
And I’m fucking rejoicing when he nods only once before reaching for my shirt, tearing it over my head before I can catch a single breath.
Fuck. Yes.
Chapter Forty-Five
Rayne
I practically tear Maddie’s shirt from her body, making a bigger mess of her hair, and swallow hard at the sexy vision I make of her beneath me. She’s in nothing but revealing shorts and a lacy bra that hides absolutely nothing, her nipples already straining against the material. Her breaths come in pants, her chest rising and falling in a way that makes my mouth water, my already stiffening cock growing that bit harder.
It’s as though a switch has been flipped in my mind, Maddie’s words filling my head and offering me a space to just be me, be with her, like I’ve wanted since day one. And I’m too helpless to fight it. I want her too much. Hell, I fucking need her. There isn’t a thing right in my world but Maddie and the guys, and I’ll be damned if I let her slip through my fingers because I’m being a coward.
So, with a determination that fuels my movements, I reach for the clasp on the front of her bra and undo the contraption. I swallow hard when her breasts spill free, no more than pert handfuls that almost have me drooling all over her.
“Fucking hell, Mads,” I breathe roughly, eyeing her like she’s a dream come to life. Because I’m certain that’s exactly what she is. A dream come true, one I don’t know if I’m even worthy of, but one I’m going to chase for the rest of my damned life.
She flashes a grin from beneath me, one cheeky and sweet enough that it could easily fuck me up if I wasn’t already halfway there, and she teases, “You act like you haven’t seen them before.”
I huff. “There was a T-shirt covering them before.”
Maddie laughs suddenly, the reminder of how we met amusing her more now than embarrassing her, and the sound strikes me right in the heart. There’s nothing I can do about it now. There’s no brushing it away, no hiding from it. I can only accept the feelings that suddenly surge up inside me at a single laugh, and I fall that much harder for Madison Fowler.
Those thoughts fuel my movements next, and my hands drag off her shorts, followed quickly by the lacy thong that matches her bra. By the time I’m done, we’re both breathless and panting for air, the atmosphere around us filled with weighted emotions and a whole lot of arousal.
Mouth parted, Maddie watches me as I roam my gaze all over her, growing harder when my eyes land on the apex of her thighs. She’s bare and visibly wet, her need evident to my hungry eyes, and I’ll be damned if that doesn’t send me hurtling over another cliff I don’t bother trying to save myself from. I’m too far gone, and I need her too much.
So, without prompting, I drag my shirt over my head and drop it to the floor beside us. Instantly, Maddie’s eyes are on me, greedily taking in every inch of tatted skin like she’s scared I might take it all away.
I won’t.
