Total pages in book: 44
Estimated words: 41577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 41577 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 208(@200wpm)___ 166(@250wpm)___ 139(@300wpm)
“So, this is where the magic happens. Care to grant me a behind-the-scenes peek?”
“I don’t think my father would like that,” I said, which was almost enough of a reason to make me want to do it.
“You’re probably right, though I’ve never known Henry to mind sharing his toys.”
“I’m not his toy. I’m his daughter.”
“That you are.” He cradled my jaw and slowly turned my face from side to side. “So, why do I get the distinct impression that he wants to fuck you?”
Chapter Fifteen
My pulse kicked into overdrive. I had revealed too much. I swallowed and my throat shifted against his palm. “I don’t know what you’re talking about, Maddox.”
“You sure, Paige? Cause that little row in the kitchen looked an awful lot like a lovers’ quarrel. I can’t say as I blame him. God knows, if you were staying in my house, I’d have trouble keeping my hands off you.” He dented my lip with his thumb. “What with this luscious mouth of yours. Judging by that painting, I’d say it’s the same shade of pink as your pussy.”
Desire pooled between my thighs. My clit pulsed. Maddox’s fingertip breached my lips and met the wall of my teeth. I closed my eyes, afraid he’d read my thoughts if I let him see me.
“I meant what I said earlier, about you being sweet. I bet you drip honey when you’re all keyed up.” He tapped my two front teeth, like knocking on a door. I kept my jaw locked tight. “That’s all right, Little Red. You don’t have to let me in, I understand. There’s only enough room in this house for one Big Bad Wolf.”
Maddox released my jaw to stroke my cheek with the backs of his fingers. A tender gesture that soothed the fear creeping up my spine.
“Your mom was real skittish when she first came to live with us. Took your daddy and I a long time to earn her trust. I suppose it makes sense, considering the hell she’d been through.”
My eyes snapped open. I knew next to nothing about my mother’s childhood. Only that she and my father had lived in the same foster home before I was born. The home that apparently had belonged to Maddox’s aunt.
“What do you mean?” I asked.
Maddox looked like he was about to say something, then hesitated. “You don’t know?” I shook my head. He whistled. “Well, damn. Now I wish I hadn’t said anything.”
“But you did. So tell me.”
“It’s not my story to tell.”
“If it’s about my mother, then I deserve to know.”
“Come on. Even your mom is entitled to her privacy.” He clasped my wrists but didn’t remove my hands. “I’ll tell you what, Paige, let’s make a deal. You let me kiss those pretty pink lips and I’ll tell you what you want to know.”
I would’ve traded him a thousand kisses to finally get some answers.
“Okay. But I should probably brush my teeth first.”
Maddox chuckled. “Yeah, I bet. You were drinking that scotch like water. But if you walk back through that door, there’s no way Henry’s gonna let you walk out again. We’ll just have to improvise.”
He sat down on the futon and motioned for me to come closer.
“Lift your dress,” he said.
“What?” The realization hit me all at once: he wanted to kiss my pussy. I took a step back. “No, wait, I didn’t… I can’t…”
“You said you came here looking for answers. Well, I’ve got answers. More than you could ever think to ask for. The question is, how badly do you want the truth?”
My feet moved toward him as if compelled by some mysterious external force.
“More than anything.”
“Then you know what to do.”
I had spent so many years dying to know what had happened between my parents, why my father had willingly turned his back on me. Maddox was offering me a window into the past. All I had to do to look through it was grant him a taste of the present.
“Just one kiss.” I slid my panties down to mid-thigh and raised my dress. He smiled, placing both hands on my hips. My inner muscles fluttered, a shiver borne from desire and fear.
He planted the whisper of a kiss, soft as a secret, on the cleft between my legs. From there, ripples of arousal flowed outward like a stone tossed into a pool.
A sigh fell from my lips.
“Just as I thought,” he said. “Pretty as a peach.” He licked and sucked my sensitive flesh, then teased his tongue through the seam.
I gasped, my breath catching in my chest.
“You didn’t say it would be a French kiss,” I said.
“I don’t recall specifying what kind of kiss it would or wouldn’t be.”
Maddox tongued my clit so skillfully I barely noticed him sliding my panties down further. I felt his fingers graze my inner thighs, inching toward my center. But they didn’t complete the trip.