The Wilde Side (23 page)

That was all he needed to know to make him a happy man tonight.

From down the hall came a baby's soft, whimpering cry, and Scott couldn't help but think that Sophie had perfect timing. He moved off of Ashley and pulled her up to a sitting position, too.

"God, now I know how Madison feels," Ashley said as she fastened the buttons on her blouse and he straightened her skirt back down around her legs. "My sister told me that Sophie has this uncanny ability of interrupting her at the most inopportune times."

Chuckling lightly, he stood and gave her a hand up. "Go take care of her, and I'll wait for you out here."

She left him alone to tend to Sophie, and Scott used the time to take the bowl of half-eaten ice cream to the kitchen sink then returned to the living room and the bank of windows overlooking the city, which gave him something to concentrate on other than his aching, throbbing shaft.

She returned about twenty minutes later, and before she could ask him to stay, he said, "It's getting late, and I should get going. Walk me to the elevator?"

She appeared disappointed that he'd decided to leave, but didn't try to change his mind. "Sure. Thank you for dinner, and everything else."

"You're very welcome, for
everything
." He grasped her hand in his as they walked through the entryway. "I'll let myself out through the private garage so you can stay up here with Sophie."

"Okay." She pressed the button, and the elevator doors immediately opened. "I'll talk to you tomorrow?" she asked hopefully.

"That's a promise you can count on," he said, and gave her one last quick kiss on the lips before stepping onto the elevator. The last thing he saw was the soft, dreamy smile on Ashley's lips as the doors closed between them.

Chapter 13

T
his was it, Madison thought as she waited anxiously in her bedroom for Adam to arrive home, the night she'd been anticipating, the night that would hopefully open her husband's eyes to the sensual woman he'd married, the assertive woman she intended to become, and return them to the sexual, adventurous relationship they'd enjoyed before her pregnancy.

He was due home any moment, and she was as ready as she ever would be. The stage for seduction was completely set, starting with the envelope she'd placed in Adam's car just a few hours before. Tucked inside were a few of the sexy photographs that she'd had Ashley take of her in her new red outfit, and Madison knew the moment Adam had discovered the provocative shots – approximately fifteen minutes ago, when he'd called from his cell phone. She'd let the message recorder pick up the call, because she didn't want to discuss those pictures over the phone.

No, she wanted Adam to think about her all dressed up for him, wanted his lust and excitement to build to a fever pitch on the drive home, so he'd be hot for her when he walked through the door.

She'd made the atmosphere as enticing as possible, leaving a trail of white rose petals down the hall leading to the bedroom so he could easily find her, and half a dozen votive candles burned in strategic places, casting sensual, flickering shadows and scenting the room with a light, honeysuckle fragrance.

As for her, one glance in the mirror over the dresser confirmed that she did, indeed, look like a sex kitten, and she had to admit that she liked the feeling. She'd decided to wear the robe so she could "unveil" herself for Adam and watch his eyes darken as he took in the mesh top that clung to her breasts, the skimpy panties that covered just enough to tempt and tease, and the garter belt, sheer stockings, and three-inch red heels that completed the tantalizing ensemble. She'd made up her eyes in the exotic, smokey way the girl at the cosmetics counter had shown her, and she'd left her hair down so it fell around her face and shoulders in soft waves.

A quick beep-beep sound from downstairs signaled that someone had just passed through the garage door into the kitchen. Adam was finally home. Her stomach jumped, and she drew a deep breath to calm the flurry of nervous energy taking flight in her belly. She could hear Adam setting his keys and briefcase on the counter, then taking off his suit jacket. Then his footsteps sounded as he came up the stairs and into the bedroom.

He stood in the door jamb a few seconds, his lean body silhouetted by the dim lighting of the candles. He took in the transformed bedroom. Then his gaze came back to her as he slowly, cautiously walked inside.

"Madison?" The one word held a wealth of questions, curious as well as uncertain.

She met him halfway across the room, stopped a few feet away, and smiled up at him. "Hi." Her voice was already husky with desire, and her heart beat heavily in her chest.

"I found the pictures you put in my car," he said. "You looked amazing."

Her heart soared at his compliment. "Yeah?"

He nodded, a roguish grin lifting the corner of his mouth. "Seeing you in that outfit made it kind of hard to concentrate on getting home."

Closing the distance between them, she unknotted his tie, pulled it off, and dropped it to the floor. Then she started in on the buttons of his shirt. "
Hard
is a very good thing."

A brow rose at her innuendo, at the brazen behavior she'd never before displayed with him.

She unbuttoned his shirt, pulled the hem from his slacks, and shoved it down his arms and tossed the garment somewhere behind him. Pressing her palms to his warm, muscular chest, she tipped her face up to his and slowly licked her lips in a way she hoped was completely wanton.

"Just so you know, there's a whole lot more where those pictures came from ... like the real thing." With that, she let her hands drift lower, over his taut abdomen to the waistband of his pants.

He caught her wrists, stopping her before she could unbuckle his belt and strip off his trousers. He stared down at her, a sudden frown creasing his dark brows, as if he was trying to figure out what the heck she was up to.

"Madison,
what's going on?
"

She heard the unsettled tone of his voice and desperately tried not to let her confidence falter. "Do you really have to ask?"

Just in case he couldn't figure it out for himself, she took a step back, untied the sash around her waist, and let the silky robe fall open, giving him a glimpse of sex and sin before she shrugged it completely off her shoulders. She stood before him, dressed in red satin and lace, feeling naughty and oh-so-wicked.

His jaw dropped, and his hot gaze swept down the length of her, then back up again. "Oh, God, Maddie," he groaned, and fisted his hands at his sides.

She bit back a triumphant smile, pleased with his reaction so far. She tossed back her hair and touched her fingers to the creamy, soft swells of her breasts, her own caress making her nipples harden and scrape enticingly against the lace of her top.

As for Adam, his breathing had deepened as he watched her every move. There was an unmistakable bulge pressing against the front of his slacks, and she was thrilled that she had his
full
attention. "I take it you like what you see?"

"I...uh..." His raspy voice trailed off, and he swallowed hard.

She might not have made him fall to his knees and beg, but she'd made him speechless, which was definitely a good sign in her estimation – one she took full advantage of.

She moved onto the bed and lay on her back in the middle of the mattress. Positioning herself in an irresistible centerfold pose, she crooked her finger at him. "Come and get me, Adam."

He hesitated a moment before shedding off his pants, then moving up onto the bed. Still in his boxer shorts, he settled in next to her, placed a hand on her waist where it was safe, and lowered his mouth to hers.

He kissed her, not as hard and hot as she wanted him to, but rather too damn tenderly, with that measure of control she was beginning to hate. She turned her body toward his so she could feel his erection against her belly, circled her arms around his neck, and did her best to deepen the kiss, to make her own demands with her lips and tongue, to let him know what she needed from him.

His hand moved gently up her back, when she wished it were on her breast instead – or between her thighs, where she was wet and aching for his touch. His caress was too soothing, especially since she was dying to be wild and reckless with him. Taking the initiative, she tried to pull him on top of her, needing to feel his weight and strong body over hers, needing him to dominate.

He pulled his mouth from hers and held her at bay. "Whoa, Maddie, slow down."

She blinked back a surge of frustrated tears. This wasn't how she'd imagined the evening would go, and her heart sank. She was at a loss as to what to do, but she wasn't about to give up now and knew the only way she was going to change anything was to confront the problem head-on.

Slow had its place, but not here – not tonight. "I don't want to slow down, Adam," she told him emphatically. "I want you to take me. Hard and fast and without you worrying about being gentle with me."

He looked at her as if she'd lost her mind and immediately backed off and away from her, dousing the intimate moment and all the progress she'd made with him.

"I don't want to hurt you," he said, frowning at her.

"Hurt me?" she repeated incredulously. She sat up, stunned, thoroughly confused, and unable to understand his way of thinking. "Why on earth would you think you'd hurt me?"

He waved his hand her way. "You just had a baby."

"Nearly
seven
months ago!" Unable to sit still any longer, she jumped up from the bed, though it felt as though her entire world had just shifted beneath her feet.

"You went through a lot when you had Sophie." His tone was reasonable, and it was obvious to her that he truly believed what he was saying.

She gaped at him. Yes, she'd a long, intense, tough labor, but didn't most women? "Adam, I'm fine," she said, wondering if she'd ever be able to reassure him of that. Regardless, she had to try. "I'm not a delicate, fragile female who's going to break because of a little rough and tumble sex. I want what we shared before Sophie was born. I need that. I need you.
All
of you, just the way you were."

He moved to the edge of the mattress and dragged his hands through his already mussed hair. He looked so torn, so unlike the passionate, confident man she'd married, and while that scared her a little, it also made her more determined to break through his noble restraint.

She stood in front of him and decided to take a different approach. "Look at me and tell me what you see, other than the outfit I'm wearing."

He gazed up at her face, and she definitely saw love and affection in his eves. "I see my wife, the mother of our child—"

She held up a hand. "Stop right there. Yes, I'm Sophie's mother. I gave birth to her and breast-fed her for six weeks. But I'm first and foremost a
woman
, and this body of mine has a woman's needs. That didn't go away just because I had a baby." Then an awful thought dawned on her, and her heart squeezed tight. "Unless ... unless you don't desire me the same way anymore?"

"God, no, that's not it at all! I still want you in the same way, even more so than before, but..."

Impatience got the better of her. "But
what?
"

His jaw clenched tight, and she knew he was struggling with how to put his thoughts and feelings into words. Finally, he said in an agonized voice, "I'm afraid that if I let go and take you the way I really want to, I'm not only going to be too rough with you, but you're going to think I'm an animal."

Knowing how hard that was for him to admit, she came to him, knelt in front of where he sat, and touched her fingers to his tense jaw in what she hoped was a comforting gesture. "Have you ever caused me pain during sex, Adam? Even when you were being aggressive and demanding?"

His tortured gaze searched her features. "Not that I'm aware of."

"I can tell you that you never have, and you won't now." She framed his face in her hands, wanting that day-old stubble of his rasping across her breasts and thighs instead of her palms. But first things first. "I'm thrilled that you want me with such intensity, and I know my body, and I trust you. I'd do anything for you in this bedroom, anything at all, because I know you'd never, ever deliberately hurt me."

He groaned, long and low. "Maddie..."

She quieted him with a kiss, and this one was hot and demanding from the get-go, as if he was unleashing all the passion and hunger he'd held back for so long. It was a kiss meant to ravish, to consume, and she reveled in his response. She fanned the flames burning between them with the stroke of her tongue along his, wanting to make him hotter, harder, wanting to shatter the last of his control, obliterate it and any remaining uncertainties.

She had to get closer. Without breaking their kiss, she moved over him and straddled his lap. She groaned as his shaft pressed against her mound, an irresistible promise of what was to come. Plowing her fingers through his thick hair, she kissed him rapaciously and clenched her thighs on either side of his hips.

He ended the kiss, but before she could issue a protest his warm, moist lips were skimming along her jaw, creating a different path of heat and desire. His hand fisted in her hair at her nape, while the other stroked down her back and cupped her bottom and squeezed. Tugging her head back, he nuzzled her throat until she was dizzy and breathless, and then his mouth was traveling lower, across her collarbone and toward her aching, swollen breasts.

Her senses reeled, and she slid her hands over his shoulders and down to his chest, feeling raw power and his taut muscles rippling under her palms. She plucked at his nipples and basked in the explosive energy she felt coiling tighter and tighter inside his strong body.

His hands went to the thin straps of her top and dragged them down her arms until they caught in the crooks of her elbows and the mesh material was bunched beneath her breasts. She cupped the plump curves in her hands and lifted them to his parted lips, offering herself up to him. He closed his mouth over one firm nipple, then the other, using his tongue and teeth before sucking her hard and strong, and she cried out from the searing pleasure of it.

Panting, her hips began to move against his, rubbing along his thickened erection, seeking relief from the growing, pulsing ache between her thighs. He swore and pulled his mouth from her breast, breathing heavily, his eyes electric and hot.

She wanted him hotter. She wanted his control to snap and for him to become a wild man. With that as her goal, she lowered her mouth to his ear and whispered the naughtiest, most shockingly erotic words she'd ever spoken in her entire life. "I want you to fuck me, Adam."

His nostrils flared, and with a low, rumbling growl his restraint shattered, just as she'd hoped. Before she realized what had happened, he had her flat on her back on the bed, and he was stripping off his boxer shorts. He came back to her, gloriously naked, and she drank in the sight of him: long, powerful legs, broad shoulders, lean hips ... and so wonderfully aroused.

She quivered eagerly, anticipating his touch, his possession.