I shook my head no.
“Will you try to tell me?” he asked gently, holding my towel back up around me, knowing I needed the security.
My fingers twisted in my lap. “I’m just….” I struggled to articulate my thoughts. “I have nothing to my name, my body is riddled with ugly wounds, my face looks like a mutated bowling ball, and sitting in front of you in my underwear wouldn’t be my first choice!” I exclaimed in agitation, moving my arms to cover my stomach.
“You’re self-conscious?” he asked, and his incredulous expression had me looking at him wide-eyed. Clearly he had more to learn about women than bra size.
“Not typically. But right now. Yeah.”
“Why?” he demanded gently as he kneeled in front of me on the floor, his hands gripping my thighs.
My cheeks burned with a blush. “Well for one, you look like you’re carved from stone or something. You’re hot, Maddox, you have to know that. And I’m in just about the most unflattering position ever, looking worse than I ever have, and I’m pretty much wholly dependent on you, something that’s incredibly uncomfortable for me. And I wasn’t sure we ever would, but had we gotten to this point, um, intimately, I definitely pictured it differently. So yeah… this is hard for me.” I shrugged.
He cocked his head, his eyes flaring with interest. “How did you picture it?”
“I think I’ve shared enough for today,” I shot back irritably.
A smile tipped the corners of his luscious mouth. “All right, fair enough. Let me tell you how I pictured it.”
My breathing accelerated at the pure unadulterated lust in his eyes.
“This beautiful as all hell woman, who I’ve wanted since the day I first saw her, who I can’t even be in the same room with without getting hard, is on my bed and in my arms.” His hands moved up to the towel and I allowed him to pull it down. “She’s all luscious curves,” he continued, kissing my belly reverently. “Softest skin,” he rumbled before putting his head between my breasts. “And she smells so fucking good I can barely breathe.”
My own breathing was audible as I fought for composure.
His mouth moved to my neck, his kisses making me shiver. “You make me absolutely fucking crazy, Francesca,” he groaned, the sound nearly primal. “Your body is perfect. I wouldn’t change a thing. Not one thing. And you might need me for a minute while you pull things together, but I’m so fucking gone for you I don’t know what end is up. So if you’re feeling a little bit vulnerable—don’t. You have all the power here, baby.”
His raw honesty appeased my vulnerability, and it gave way to lust.
I pulled him to me, needing his mouth on mine more than anything else. His lips devoured mine, his tongue teasing deliciously before plunging into my mouth as his hands twisted in my hair, pulling me closer. His torso moved between my legs and I wrapped my arms around his shoulders, anchoring him to me. His hands drifted down my frame, his fingers brushing over my bra-covered nipples with feather-light touches before pinching with purpose, causing them to ache with need. He continued his journey south, his fingers dancing over my panty-covered core with expert control. Finally, his thumb pressed against my bundle of nerves, and with a few practiced circles, I went over the edge, crying out against his delicious mouth that hadn’t left mine.
He kissed me slowly, deliciously as my breathing gradually slowed. “So, you think I’m hot, huh?” he asked against my mouth with a smile.
I pulled back, smacking his shoulder. “You know you are.”
His expression grew serious as he reached up to cup my face. “Only one woman’s opinion I care about.”
I didn’t doubt he meant that, and for the first time since I’d arrived, that intensely private part of me, the part afraid to let others in, to trust, it eased some.
Hell, maybe there was hope for us yet.
Chapter 13
MADDOX
My phone pinged with a text just as we were finishing up our pizza. The last few hours had been completely different from when Francesca had originally arrived. She’d been so much more relaxed, eager to smile. I’d even made her laugh.
It was fucking perfect.
Need you at the club. Bring your girl or lock her down somewhere.
The text from Cole couldn’t have come at a worse time.
Can it wait?
My phone immediately began ringing in my hand, Cole’s name flashing on the screen.
Shit.