Page 26 of Wild Rivals

Maddie narrows her eyes, jutting her chin out as her chest heaves with each frustrated breath. There’s not an ounce of fear or hesitation in her features; she’s shut any hint of them down. “Yes. You all but stole that land out from under me, so it’s the least you can do.”

“And how exactly did you reach that conclusion? Because the last time I checked, you were one of three”—I hold up three fingers and pause, letting the number sink in—“people who could have won it. Business is business, Maddie.”

We’re so close that with every breath she takes, the cotton of her T-shirt rubs against my chest. Her lips are parted, begging to be tasted as she darts her tongue out to wet them. Heat pumps through my body, and I’m hyper-aware of just how naked and exposed I am.

Everything around us seems to still, like the feeling you get standing on the mountains in the early-morning hours. All I can hear is the sounds of our breathing mixing with the faint whir of the air-conditioning unit. It’s as if there’s only the two of us on the entire planet.

I don’t remember deciding to move. It just happens. One moment she’s glaring at me and the next, my mouth is on hers.

Our mouths collide; teeth scraping as we fight for control of a kiss I’m not sure either of us could ever win. She channels the anger she came with into it, diving her fingers into my still-damp hair and pulling on the strands. I hold on to her hips, my fingers flexing against the denim of her jeans as I try to ground myself in the moment.

Fuck, I’m drowning.

The whole world goes quiet. Silence surrounds us. As if us coming together like this has brought the world to a standstill. I’ve never experienced anything like it before. The way her scent is filling my nostrils, it’s pulling me under until all I can focus on is her. It’s addictive and far too dangerous to continue, and yet I don’t have the strength to put an end to it. I don’t want to put an end to it.

When she opens her mouth, mine follows suit. Our tongues tangle, and I get my first taste of her—blueberry jam, buttery pastry and coffee. Her regular order from Autumn’s place.

The reminder of Autumn brings me back to reality with a bump, and I break apart, moving away from Maddie to lean on the back of the couch as I try to catch my breath. This is wrong in so many ways. I should hate her for everything she’s done, not be harder than I’ve ever been in my life.

“That shouldn’t have happened,” I rasp, barely resisting the urge to touch my lips in an attempt to capture the ghost of hers. To occupy my hands, I rest one on the top of my towel and I wring the back of my neck with the other. Anything to keep from reaching for her and continuing what should never have started.

Maddie collapses against the wall, her nipples visible beneath her T-shirt as she swallows, staring at me wide-eyed. Her gaze drops to my towel and the erection I can’t hide. I watch, captivated, as she drags her teeth over her full bottom lip, like she’s as turned on as I am.

Fuck it.

She pushes away from the wall at the same time as I stand. There’s an urgency to our movements. We meet in the middle, no words spoken as I cup her face and lower my head, pulling her back into me.

This kiss is, like the first, messy, and our teeth knock together in our rush.

It’s desperate and wild. Exhilarating.

I bend, taking hold of Maddie’s thighs before lifting her into my arms. She wraps her legs around me like we’ve done this a million times before, and as we devour each other, I carry her through the house and up the stairs to my bedroom.

18

WYATT

Kicking the bedroom door open, I cross the threshold, so consumed by Maddie that I walk straight into the dresser, knocking something from the top. It lands with a crash on the hardwood floor, but I’m too wrapped up in her to stop. I’m not entirely sure that anything could stop us at this point.

I set Maddie down on her feet at the end of the bed, my hands blindly finding the hem of her T-shirt. She doesn’t protest when I drag it up her body and it’s only then, and very reluctantly, that I break the kiss, so I can pull the material up and over her head. For a moment, I just stare at her. The sound of our harsh breathing fills the room, and as I step back, I run my thumb over my bottom lip.

“Who knew,” I whisper, shaking my head in disbelief at the woman in front of me. This isn’t supposed to be happening. Least of all with her. For most of my life, I’ve only ever looked at Maddie with disdain. Considering who her brother is, I had no desire to find out how she’d look in the midst of her arousal or what she was hiding beneath her clothes, but now it’s all I can think about.

My gaze drags over her. From the puffy fullness of her lips to the way her dark hair spills around her shoulders, then to the perfectly sized breasts cradled in sheer lace and begging to be played with. Her stomach is flat, a butterfly charm flashing at me from where it dangles just below her belly button. I want to ask her why she got it but bite my tongue.

That’s too personal and sure as shit doesn’t matter. None of it is my business. All I need to focus on is that, in this moment, she’s fucking beautiful, and when this is over, she’ll be back to being Maddie Hart. The woman who is the bane of my existence.

She reaches out, running her fingers down my chest and over my stomach. Her touch pulls me out of my head and sends a jolt of arousal through my gut. My cock jerks in response. I should stop this, but I can’t.

I grind my back molars, clenching my fists by my sides as I try to rein myself back in. I’m barely holding on to the control I thought I had.

Maddie looks up at me from under her lashes, a light smirk playing on her lips as her fingers glide over the thin strip of hair between my belly button and cock. I feel the telltale tingling sensation in my balls and grip her hand so she can’t delve any deeper and put an end to this far too soon.

“I’ll deny this ever happened,” she breathes. “As I’m sure you will too.”

I nod. “It’s just a blip, a mistake even,” I murmur, stepping closer as my arousal grows.

When she rolls her lips together and drops her attention between us to the tented towel, I lift her hand to my mouth and press a kiss into her palm.