Chapter 7—Steven

I kept replaying last night in my mind. I’d broken the cardinal rule I’d set for myself in those situations: don’t let your emotions get involved. It was supposed to be about the physical pleasure. Nothing else. Do what feels good and get out.

But the sight of Craig’s hands caressing Madison’s back, his fingers twisting in her hair, his mouth on her neck… I closed my eyes in an attempt to wipe the image from my mind. As my father always said, it was time to shit or get off the pot. I had to lay claim to Madison, or I had to let her go—and I had to do it soon.

I fumbled in my pocket for a piece of candy, popped it into my mouth, and chewed on it. That’s when I saw her. She was dressed in a black leather mini-skirt that hung on her hips low enough to showcase her tattoo, a tight white top laced up the front of her torso, giving her perky little breasts the appearance of being larger, and black, high-heeled boots that touched her knees.

Madison looked up in my direction, and I held my breath. Then she made her way through the crowd and headed straight for the stairs—straight for me. I searched my pockets for another piece of candy, coming up empty handed. “Shit.” My forearms rested on the railing, my gaze glued to the crowd below.

“Steven,” Madison said, standing beside me.

She had one hand gripping the railing, the other planted on her cocked hip. I slowly turned to face her, doing nothing to hide the appreciative gaze I raked over her body. One firm yank on that string and her shirt would fall open, exposing her breasts to me. I licked my lips, and my cock thickened. My resolve was waning. Fast. I turned away from her and looked out over the dance floor again.

“I want an explanation, Steven. I want to know why you kicked Craig out last night.”

“I told you. I didn’t want him there.”

She put her forearms on the railing and stood beside me. “So you’ve said, but why didn’t you want him there?”

I snuck a glance at her. Those boots put her at the perfect height. I could stand behind her, slip my aching cock into her, and no one would ever know. The music wasn’t as loud up here, but it was loud enough to cover her moans. My dick throbbed painfully against my jeans.

“The least you could do is answer me,” she said.

Fuck. What was the question?

“If you wanted the “train-wreck” to stop, why didn’t you just leave? Why make Craig leave?”

That’s right. She was questioning me about that pain-in-my-ass Craig. It was really starting to irritate me the way she kept asking about him. “This is the way I see it, Madison,” I said, turning to face her once again. “You could’ve had any two men you wanted last night, and you chose me and Craig. Why? And don’t give me some bullshit about trusting us. You asked us for a reason.”

Her eyes narrowed on me. I knew I’d cornered her. “You’re right. I did have a reason.”

I waited for her to explain. She didn’t. I was horny, miserable, tired, and annoyed beyond belief. “Whatever little game you’re playing, count me out.”

I expected her to yell at me. Call me an asshole, a dickhead, and every other derogatory name she could conceive. I even anticipated tears. I did not expect her to say what she did.

“Stop being a pussy, Steven…”

Did she just call me a pussy?

“Admit it. You came over last night with one intention and it wasn’t to fuck me…”

Christ, I didn’t know she had it in her to curse like that.

“You wanted to stop me from fucking Craig, didn’t you?”

She had me there.

“You’ve never once given me a second look. Not once have you shown an iota of interest in me, but the second another man starts sniffing around, you go all caveman. You’re pathetic.”

A pathetic pussy. That about summed it up. “Is that the reason you orchestrated that whole thing last night? Because you have a thing for Craig and you’re too scared to tell him?”

“Apparently you’re stupid, too,” she said. The fiery anger in her eyes stoked my growing need for her.

“God fucking dammit, Madison!” I grabbed her around the waist, spun her around so her back was to my front and her hands gripped the railing. I stood behind her, my cock rubbing against her tight little ass, pinning her between me and the rail. I gathered her hair to the side. “Did you like it when Craig did this to you last night?”

She sucked in a breath.

“What about this?” I asked, kissing the nape of her neck. Shit. I hadn’t expected her to be so soft.

“No,” she breathed, relaxing against me.

My hands were on her waist and my lips on her neck. “I didn’t like it either, Madison.”

“What?” she whimpered.

I kissed the soft spot behind her ear, and she moaned softly. Sweet Jesus, she wasn’t supposed to be so agreeable. Her body shouldn’t be so pliant against me. She should be fighting me, telling me no, and pushing me away. I put my lips to her ear. “Watching Craig touch you. I hated it.”

“Why?” She turned her head to look at me.

I flicked my tongue over her bottom lip and just like that, they parted for me, inviting me to take a taste. I took my time, nipping and sucking at her lips before slipping my tongue inside her mouth. I wanted to savor the moment for as long as possible—to revel in the eroticism of kissing her like I was, in a club full of people. A deep, guttural, almost inhuman sound rumbled from the back of my throat when her tongue slid over mine. In that moment, my brain lost all ability to function. I operated purely on emotion.

“You’re not the kind of woman that can be shared,” I said, not moving too far away from her lips.

“What’s that supposed to mean?” she said, pulling her mouth away from me.

I wasn’t done with those yet dammit. “Any man crazy enough to consider sharing you,” I said, trailing kisses down her neck, “doesn’t deserve to have you.”

“So what does that say about you?”

My lips curled into a smile against her skin. “I’m the one that didn’t share last night, remember?” I worked my lips across her shoulder, and I caught Craig staring up at us from where he stood behind the bar. Fucking perfect. I brought my hand up to her throat, sliding it up until I had a gentle hold on her jaw, and I directed her to look down at the bar. “He’s watching us,” I said, nipping at her ear.

Her breath caught in her throat when her gaze locked with Craig’s. He looked pissed. I didn’t care, and I knew that made me a total fuck wad, but I wanted there to be no doubts in his mind. Madison was off limits to him.

“He wants you, y’know? Not nearly as bad as I do, though.”

She swallowed hard.

“But he does. I see it when he looks at you.” I let my hand slip from her throat and down to her breast, letting my palm rub over her nipple. Her top was thin, and she was braless. I felt her nipple harden to my touch.

Madison pressed back, her ass pushing against my dick, and it responded with a jerk against her. I rotated my hips, grinding into her. Fuck, I needed her bad.

“Look at him, Madison. He could probably give you everything you want. Sex, love, a commitment of forever.” I wrapped my arms around her stomach and kissed her neck again. “All I can give you is tonight.”

“You want me to choose?”

“Mm-hmm. Do you want forever? Or do you want tonight?”