Tangled Up in You (11 page)

And I thought I made it clear that I dont take orders from you. Maddie folded her arms beneath her breasts and simply looked at him. The first pale shadows of night painted him in a faint gray light and made his eyes appear a startling blue. Too bad he was so bossy.

They stared at each other for several prolonged moments before he dropped his hands to his sides and said, Are we going to stand here all night staring at each other? Or are you going to invite me in?

Maybe. Shed invite him in eventually, but she wasnt going to be all happiness and sunshine about it. Are you going to be rude?

Im never rude.

She lifted a brow.

Ill try to be nice.

Which was kind of half-assed, Maddie thought. Are you going to try and keep your tongue out of my mouth?

That depends. Are you going to keep your hands off my dick?

Jerk. She turned and walked into the living room, leaving him to let himself in.

The yellow legal pad sat face up on the coffee table and she turned it over as he came into the room.

I know Meg told you to call her.

Maddie reached for the remote and turned off Cold Case. Yes, she did.

You cant.

She straightened. It was so typical of him to think he could tell her what to do. He stood in her house, tall and imposing, as if he were king of her castle. I thought you might have learned by now that I dont follow your orders.

This isnt a game, Maddie. He wore a black Morts polo shirt tucked into a pair of Levis resting low on his hips. You dont know Meg. You dont know how she gets.

Then why dont you tell me?

Right, he scoffed. So you can write about her in your book?

I told you that Im not writing about you or your sister. She sat on the arm of the sofa and put one foot on the coffee table. Frankly, Mick, youre just not that interesting. Lord, that was such a lie she was surprised her nose didnt grow.

He looked down at her. Uh-huh.

She placed a hand on her chest. I stayed away from Meg just like you wanted me to, but she approached me. I didnt approach her.

I know that.

Shes a grown woman. Older than you, and she can certainly decide whether or not to talk to me.

He moved to the French doors and looked out at the deck and the lake beyond. Light from the lamp near the sofa touched his shoulder and the side of his face. She might be older, but shes not always predictable. He was silent a few moments, then he turned his head and looked at her over his shoulder. His voice changed: gone was the demanding tone when he asked, How do you know my mothers footprints were all over the bar that night? Is it in a police report?

Maddie slowly rose. Yes.

She barely heard his next question. What else?

There are photographs of her footprints.

Jesus. He shook his head. I meant, what else was in the report?

The usual. Everything from time of arrival to positions of the bodies.

How long did my father live?

About ten minutes.

He rested his weight on one foot and folded his arms across his big chest. He was silent for several more seconds before he said, She could have called an ambulance and maybe saved his life.

She could have.

Across the short distance, he looked at her. This time a wealth of emotion burned in his blue eyes. Ten minutes is a long time for a wife to watch her husband suffer and bleed to death.

She took a few steps toward him. Yes.

Who called the police?

Your mother did. Right before she shot herself.

So she made sure my father and the waitress were dead before she called.

Maddie stopped. The waitress had a name.

I know. A sad smile curved one corner of his lips. Growing up, my grandmother always called her the waitress. Its just a habit.

You didnt know any of this?

He shook his head. My grandmother didnt talk about things that were unpleasant. Believe me, my mother murdering my father and Alice Jones were at the top of the list of things we didnt talk about. He turned his gaze outside. And you have photographs.

Yes.

Here?

She thought about her answer and decided to tell the truth. Yes.

What else?

Besides the police reports and crime scene photos, I have interviews, newspaper accounts, diagrams, and the coroners report.

Mick opened the French doors and stepped outside. Soaring ponderosa pines cast black shadows across the deck, chasing away the muted grays of dusk. A slight breeze scented the night with pine and lifted strands of Micks hair where it touched his forehead. I went to the library when I was about ten, thinking Id get a look at old newspaper reports, but the librarian was a friend of my grandmothers. So I left.

Have you seen any accounts of that night?

No.

Would you like to see them?

He shook his head. No. I dont have a lot of memories of my parents, and reading about what happened that night would ruin those that I do have.

She didnt have a lot of memories of her mother either. Recently, with the help of the diaries, a few had come back. Maybe not.

He laughed without humor. Until you blew into town, I didnt know that my mother watched my father die. I didnt know she hated him that much.

She probably didnt hate him. Both love and hate are very powerful emotions. People kill the people they love all the time. I dont understand it, but I know that it happens.

That isnt love. Its something else. He walked to the dark edge of the deck and his hands gripped the wood railing. Across the lake, the moon began to rise over the mountains and reflected a perfect mirror image into the smooth water. Until you came to town, everything was buried in the past where it belonged. Then you started digging and prying and its all anybody around here can talk about now. Just like when I was growing up.

She moved toward him and leaned her butt into the rail. She folded her arms beneath her breasts and looked up into the darkening outline of his face. She was so close, his hand rested next to her behind on the railing. Other than in your own house, I take it the subject of your mother and father used to come up a lot.

You could say that.

Is that why you fought all the time?

He looked into her eyes and laughed without sound. Maybe I just liked fighting.

Or maybe you didnt like people saying unkind things about your family.

You think you know me. You think you have me all figured out.

She shrugged one shoulder. Yeah, she knew him. In some regards, she imagined theyd lived mirror lives. I think it must have been hell to live in a town where everyone knows that your mother killed your father and his young lover. Children can be very cruel. Thats not just a cliché, its true. Believe me, I know. Kids are mean.

The breeze blew a few long strands of hair across Maddies cheek and Mick raised a hand and brushed them from her face. What did they do? Not pick you for kickball?

I didnt get picked for anything. I was a little pudgy.

He pushed her hair behind her ear. A little?

A lot.

How much did you weigh?

I dont know, but in the sixth grade I got a really awesome pair of black boots. My calves were too big and I couldnt zip them up all the way. So I folded them down, deluding myself that everyone would think they were supposed to be worn that way. They werent fooled and I never wore the boots again. That was the year they started calling me Cincinnati Maddie. At first I was just so happy they werent calling me Fattie Maddie anymore. Then I found out why they called me that and I wasnt so happy. Through the dusky space that separated them, he raised an inquiring dark brow and she explained, They said I was so fat because I ate Cincinnati.

The little bastards. He dropped his hand. No wonder youre so ornery.

Was she ornery? Maybe. Whats your excuse?

She felt his gaze touch her face for several moments before he answered, Im not as ornery as you.

Right, she scoffed.

Well, I wasnt until you moved to town.

Long before I moved to town you were giving Sheriff Potter hell.

Growing up in this town was sometimes hell.

I can imagine.

No, you cant. He took a deep breath and let it out. People have wondered my whole life if I was going to lose it like my mom and kill someone. Or if Id grow up and be like my dad. Thats a hard thing for a kid to live with.

Do you ever worry about that?

He shook his head. No. I never do. My mothers problem, one of them, was that she never should have put up with a guy who repeatedly cheated on her. And my old mans problem was he never should have married at all.

So your solution is to avoid marriage?

Thats right. He sat beside her on the railing and took her hand into his. Kind of like you solved your fat problem by avoiding carbs.

Its different. Im a hedonist and I have to avoid more than just carbs. At the moment, her hedonist nature felt the warmth of his palm spread up her arm and across her chest.

Youre avoiding sex too.

Yes, and if I fall off either of those wagons, it could get ugly.

How ugly?

He was suddenly too close and she stood. Id binge.

On sex?

She tried to pull her hand away, but he tightened his grasp. Or carbs.

He grabbed the bottom of her sweatshirt with his free hand. On sex?

Yeah.

Through the darkness that separated them, he flashed a white seductive smile. How ugly will you get? Slowly, he drew her toward him until she stood between his thighs.

The warmth of his hand, the touch of his thighs, and his wicked smile conspired to pull her in, suck out her will to resist, and shove her headfirst off the wagon. Her breasts felt heavy, her skin tight, and the relentless ache that Mick had created the first time he had kissed her hit her now, sharp, painful, and overwhelming.

You dont want to know.

Yeah, he said. I think I do.

Mick glanced up into Maddies face bathed in moonlight, and he reached for the zipper on the front of her sweatshirt. I guess Ill just have to put my tongue somewhere other than your mouth. He pulled the zipper down, and the sweatshirt parted to give him a glimpse of her deep cleavage. She wasnt wearing anything beneath, and his testicles tightened as the pale swells of her naked breasts were revealed a few inches from his face.

Someone will see us, she said and grabbed his wrist.

The Allegrezzas are in Boise. He pulled until the zipper parted at her waist.

What about the neighbors on the other side? she asked, but she didnt stop him from pushing the edges of the sweatshirt aside. Her breasts were firm and pale white in the moonlight, her puckered nipples an erotic outline in the darkness.

No one is out, but even if they were, its too dark to see anything. He slid his hands around her waist to the small of her back and brought her closer. No one can see me do this. He bent forward to kiss her belly. Or this. He kissed her cleavage.

Mick.

Yeah?

She combed her fingers through the sides of his hair; her nails scrapping his scalp sent a tingling pleasure down his spine. She took short choppy breaths and said, We probably shouldnt do this.

Do you want me to stop?

No.

Good. Ive found a place to put my tongue. He opened his mouth and rolled her puckered nipple beneath his tongue. She smelled like sugar cookies tonight and she tasted a bit like sugar cookies too.

Mmm, she moaned and pulled him closer. That feels good, Mick. Its been so long. She was a talker, but then, he could have guessed that about her. Dont stop.

Mick had no intention of stopping, not when he was doing exactly what hed wanted to do to her since the day he saw her at the hardware store. He slid one hand from around her back to cup her breast. Youre a beautiful woman. He pulled back far enough to look up into her face, at her parted lips and the desire shining in her dark eyes. I want to put my tongue all over you. Starting here. He sucked her into his mouth and drew lightly. Her flesh puckered even more and he loved the feel and the taste of her. His palm cupping her breast moved down her smooth flat stomach and slid beneath her loose pants. Since that night hed kissed her at Morts, hed had wild fantasies of what hed do to her if he got her alone again. He slipped his hand between her thighs and cupped her through her thin panties. She was incredibly hot, and wet, and lust twisted and tightened painfully in his groin. He wanted her. He wanted her as he hadnt wanted a woman in a very long time. Hed tried to stay away from her, but at the first excuse to see her, here he was with his mouth on her breast and his hand in her pants, and he wasnt going anywhere this time until he satisfied the lust pounding through his body. She wanted him and he was beyond ready to give her what she wanted. He wasnt going anywhere until both of them were too exhausted to move.

Yes, Mick, she said just above a whisper, touch me there. Her sweatshirt fell to her feet and he pulled back to look up past her breasts and into her face. He slid his fingers beneath her panties and stood.

Right here? He parted her slick flesh and touched her there. She was incredibly wet, and he wanted to put more than his fingers there.

Yes. Her breathing was rapid and her hands clung to his shoulders.

I love knowing I get you this wet, he said just above her mouth. I want to use my tongue on you. He brushed his fingers across her small feminine bump. Here. She nodded. You dont mind, do you? She shook her head, then nodded, and then combined the two.

Mick, she whispered as her grasp on his shoulders tightened. If you dont stop She sucked in a breath. Oh, my God, dont stop, she moaned as a powerful orgasm buckled her knees. He wrapped an arm around her waist to keep her from falling as his fingers touched and stroked and felt her pleasure in his hand. He kissed the side of her throat and ached to be inside her, feeling her tight walls gripping him with each pulsation.

When it was through, she said, I didnt mean for that to happen.

He pulled his hand from her pants and pressed his erection into her. Lets make it happen again. Only next time, Im going to join you. He brushed his wet fingers across the tip of her breast and lowered his mouth to her lips and fed her his need and greed and uncontrolled lust.

She pulled back from the kiss and gasped. You have condoms? Right?

Yes.

Bare from the waist up, she took his hand and led him into the house. How many do you have on you?

How many? How many? Two. How many do you have?

None. Ive been celibate. She closed the door behind them, then turned to face him. Were going to have to make those two condoms last all night.

What do you have planned?

She pushed him against the closed door, pulled his shirt over his head, and tossed it aside. Something you should not have started. She took control and her impatience got him so hard, he thought he might burst the buttons on his Levis. But something you are going to finish. Her breasts brushed his chest as she kissed his neck and her hands worked his fly. Im going to use you for your body. She sucked the side of his neck and shoved his pants and boxer briefs to his knees. You dont mind. Do you?

God, no. His dick poked her belly and she took him into her warm hand. She cupped his balls and stroked him up and down, pressing her thumb into the corded vein of his shaft.

Youre a beautiful man, Mick Hennessy. She brushed her thumb over the head. Hard.

No shit.

Big.

Mick sucked in a breath. You can handle it.

I know I can. She bit the hollow of his throat, then slowly sank to her knees, kissing his belly and abdomen on the way down. Can you?

Oh, God. She was going to use her gorgeous mouth on him. His Yes came out on a rush of pent-up breath.

You dont mind if I use my tongue on you ? She knelt before him and looked up, a little smirk on her red lips. Do you?

Christ, no.

Her gaze locked with his as she ran her velvet tongue up his thick shaft, and he locked his knees to keep from falling on her. Do you like my tongue here?

Yes. God, was she going to talk the whole time?

She licked the cleft in the head of his cock. Like it here?

She was driving him insane, but he had a feeling she knew that. Yes.

She smiled. Then youll love this. She parted her lips and she took him into her warm, wet mouth, drawing him to the back of her throat. Holy shit, he whispered and placed his hands in her hair. Most women were hesitant to take a man into their mouths. Obviously she wasnt one of them. She sucked him into a sexual vortex that left him oblivious to anything but her. Anything but her warm hands, hot liquid mouth, and soft tongue giving him raw carnal pleasure. The glass door was cool against his back and his eyes slid shut. He expected her to stop at some point. Women always stopped, but she didnt. She stayed with him as he came, an intense, powerful climax that squeezed the breath from him and hit him like a freight train. She stayed with him until the last flush of orgasm stopped and he was able to breathe. Most women thought they knew how to pleasure a man with their mouths. Some were better than others, but hed never experienced anything like the intense pleasure Maddie had just given him.

Thank you, he said, his voice rough and his breathing rapid.

Youre welcome. She stood in front of him and touched a finger to the corner of her mouth. So, you liked that?

He reached for her. You know I did.

She wrapped her arms around his shoulders and her nipples brushed his chest. Now that we both got the first one out of the way, I hope you werent planning on going to work, because I have plans for you here.

No, he didnt have to go to Morts. The new manager hed hired was doing a good job. He kissed the side of her throat and raised a hand to her breast. In the pit of his belly, the lust that had been thoroughly sucked out of him a moment ago caught fire once again.

He had plans of his own.

S he should not have fallen off the wagon. Having sex with Mick was wrong of her on so many levels, but the time to stop things before they got out of control had passed an hour ago. She should have stopped him before he put his mouth on her breast and slid his hand into her pants. But of course she hadnt. Once shed felt his moist mouth and skilled fingers, shed become selfish and greedy. Shed wanted to feel his hands all over her body. To feel him touch her in places she hadnt been touched in a long time. To look into his eyes and see how much he wanted her.

Within the spill of lamplight pouring across the gold and red quilt, Mick kissed the small of Maddies bare back and continued up her spine. You always smell so good. His hands and knees were planted on her bed on both sides of her body and his erection brushed the inside of her bare thigh as he leaned down to kiss the back of her shoulder.

No, she should not have fallen off the wagon with Mick, but she wasnt sorry. Not yet. Not when he made her feel things. Wonderful things she hadnt even known she missed. Tomorrow she would be sorry when she thought about all the ways shed just complicated her life and his, but tonight she was going to be completely selfish and enjoy the naked man in her bed.

Maddie turned onto her back and looked up into Micks lusty blue eyes surrounded by thick black lashes. You feel good, she said and ran her hands up his arms and across the hard muscles of his shoulders. You make me feel good too.

He bent down, lightly bit the ball of her shoulder, and his penis touched her between her legs. Tell me all the ways youre going to use my body.

She turned her head and said next to his ear, Its a surprise.

Should I be afraid?

Only if you cant get it up.

He pressed his erection into her. Thats not going to be a problem. And it wasnt. He kissed and teased and tortured her with his hands and mouth, bringing her to the point of climax, then backing off. Just when she thought she might have to pin him to the bed and jump on him, he reached for the condom on the nightstand. Maddie took it and put it on him while she kissed his belly. Then he pinned her to the bed and knelt between her thighs. He wrapped his hand around the thick shaft of his penis and brought the broad head to her slick opening. He pressed into her, hot and enormous, and she gasped from the sheer pleasure of his entry.

Are you okay?

Yes. I love this part, she said.

He pulled out and plunged a little deeper. This part?

She licked her lips and nodded. She wrapped one leg around his waist and forced him even deeper. His nostrils flared slightly as he pulled out, then buried himself to the hilt, thrusting into her and shoving them up the bed.

She cried out, whether in pain or in intense pleasure, she wasnt quite sure. She only knew that she didnt want it to end.

Sorry. He spread kisses across her cheek. I thought you were ready.

I am, she moaned. Do it again. And he did. Again and again. Maddie hadnt had sex in a long time, but she didnt remember it feeling so goodif it had been this good, she was positive she would not have given it up for so long.

He groaned deep, deep within his chest and placed his hands on the sides of her face. You feel tight around me. He kissed her lips and said just above her mouth, And so good.

Heat flushed her skin, radiating outward from where they were joined, and she slid her fingers up his warm shoulders and into his hair. Faster, Mick, she whispered. She loved the feeling of him touching her deep inside, the plump head of his penis rubbing her G-spot, then pushing into her cervix. She loved the press of his moist skin against her and the intensity of his blue eyes. Without missing a beat of his pumping hips, he ran a hand down her side and bottom to the back of her thigh.

Put this leg around my back, he said just above a whisper. He pressed his forehead against hers and his breathing rasped against her temple. He plunged faster. Harder.

Mick, she cried out as he thrust in and out, pushing her closer and closer toward climax. Please dont stop.

Not a chance.

Like a flash fire, heat spread from the apex of her thighs, across her body, and she was completely mindless of anything but Mick and the pleasure of his body. She called his name once, twice, maybe three times. She tried to tell him how good it felt, how much she loved and missed sex, but her words came out short and abbreviated as he relentlessly thrust his erection into her, and slammed her into a pleasure so intense she opened her mouth to scream. The sound died in her throat as wave after luscious wave rolled through, and her vaginal muscles pulsed and contracted, gripping him hard. On and on it went as he plunged into her, his labored breath hot against her cheek until finally he shoved into her one last time and a long tortured groan died in his throat.

OhmyGod, she said when she could catch her breath.

Yeah. He raised up onto his elbows and looked into her face.

I dont remember sex being that good.

It usually isnt. He pushed a few strands of her hair off her forehead. In fact, I dont think its ever been that good.

Youre welcome.