Page 44 of Mad Love

“No hitching your cart to a rich husband, eh, Blaise?”

He’s serious.

“The men who would want me wouldn’t want me for me. They want what I can offer them, a spectacle. I would be Blaise Lexington, the sheltered and strange woman who was kidnapped and held for ransom.”

“You overheard my father.”

“He’s not wrong.” I shake my head. “I’m not naïve, Maddox. I hear what they say behind my back. I’m the ice queen. The freak with expensive taste in clothing. Who thinks she’s too good to be touched or to touch another. It’s the reason I wear gloves up the length of my arms.”

My parents would be so angry hearing me bring myself down. They’re the ones who harped on me to be someone to be proud of. To be an individual separate from the Lexington name.

I remove my hands from where they are hidden under the satin sheet and open my palms to him, the sheet slipping from around my shoulder as I lean forward.

“I’m not normal. Am not meant for a life with a husband and kids. I don’t even know if I can make love in the true sense of the word. It’s pathetic. Someday, you’ll want children.”

The sheet slips all the way down my shoulders and bunches around my waist. His gaze slides down my body and lingers on my belly.

“Having children means having lots of sex.” I laugh, the sadness in the sound not lost to me. “What if sex disgusts me? What if I can’t stand having a man inside me?”

My eyes prickle with unshed tears. My throat is raw.

He pats his lap. “Come here, baby.”

I stare at his lap. At how much space he takes up on the overstuffed chair. Listening to my heart, I gather the sheet in my hands, wrap it securely around my body, and seat myself on Maddox’s lap. One of his arms rests against my back, keeping me near him. The other curves over my belly. My bare feet hang off the arm.

I tip closer and nudge the side of my head on his, liking how well we fit.

“First off, my apologies for my father’s comment. He’s an ass, and you’re not strange. What happened to you is traumatic, and if touching or keeping to yourself helps you deal with your trauma, then the world can fuck off for all I care. Secondly, I’m putting my hat into the ring. As soon as I put you to bed, I’m calling the head of my security team. We’ll find the bastard who hurt you and put him out of his misery. Thirdly, my apologies for my earlier behavior. I’m an insensitive jerk.”

I tunnel my fingers in his soft strands of hair, being careful not to touch his skin with my bare hand.

“There’s no need apologizing for wanting to be in the know. I’m sorry for keeping you in the dark.” I tug on his hair and bring him close until we’re looking into each other’s eyes. “You have such beautiful eyes.”

He reaches up and weaves his fingers in my hair. “One eye green. One eye blue. Hands down, your eyes are the prettiest I’ve seen.”

“Is that so?”

“So.”

“I like us getting to know one another better.”

“Me too.”

“Maddox, um, would it be too soon to ask for a kiss?”

“Not at all. You set the pace.”

“My pace says we should kiss.”

“Good call.”

His gaze locked on mine, he pulls me closer, his fingers still entrenched in my hair. My heart rate picks up. My breaths hitch in my chest. Will his mouth be just as soft as when we shared our first kiss? I don’t have to wonder long.

Maddox presses his lips on mine. There’s a slight hesitation from him, as though he’s memorizing the feel of my lips. I’m doing the same. His lips are soft, and when he coaxes my mouth open, I close my eyes and brand into memory how sweet he tastes and how good he smells. A hint of cologne, sweat, and man.

Aching with need, I whimper. He deepens the kiss. Our tongues tangle. The place between my legs throbs. I reach down and touch myself.

Maddox covers my bare hand using the satin sheet. His mouth on mine, he guides my fingers up and down my folds. Helps me stroke my clit. I rub the swollen nub over and over. Moan as he helps me up the pace. I shatter with a deep moan into his mouth and my thighs cocooning his hand to my sex.

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