Page 17 of Risk It All
Chapter Six
Madeleine
I'm grateful when Max, after a wink, sits back in his seat. His closeness . . . his intensity . . . well, it confuses my senses. Wanting to get my scattered thoughts back in order, I lean back in my seat and close my eyes. It's a long flight that will be followed by a long drive. The next few days are going to be physically challenging and potentially dangerous, so I'm going to rest as much as possible.
I close my eyes, letting the drone of the plane wash away Max and the difficulty of the next few days.
“Madeleine?”
“Hmmm?” I murmur through the fog of sleep.
“We're here.”
With effort, I open my eyes to find Max leaning close, his blue eyes smiling back at me. “Already?”
“Yes.”
I look toward the front of the plane, then back down the aisle. “Where is everyone?”
“You were out cold, so I asked if we could stay until everyone was off.”
I look back at him with a new awareness. I was wrong to cast him as a womanizer. He is a thoughtful, intelligent man with an optimistic outlook. He may be arrogant, but he's not self-centered. He was thinking of me by letting me rest longer. This one little gesture makes me go soft inside and want to cast away my reservations and fears about indulging my attraction to him. It's the only reason I can think of when I grab the front of his shirt and pull him to me.
My lips meet his and all the things I was sure would happen do happen. Tiny little rockets go off in my head. His lips are soft, yet firm, as they slide across mine, and I part my lips, wanting more. He responds, slipping his tongue in to dance with mine. He tastes divine, like a fine wine. His tongue is wet, hot, and soft, and images of how his tongue would feel on other parts of my body flash through my mind. His mouth on my breasts. His tongue lapping between my thighs. I hear a moan and realize it's coming from me.
He shifts, pulls me closer, tilting his head to take the kiss even deeper.Yes,is all I can think. Then his hands move, one pulling me tighter while the other slides up my waist just below my breast. My body responds, reaching out to him, wanting him to touch me here, there, everywhere. Now.
“Madeleine.”
Don't talk.Just touch.
“Hey, Madeleine.” He shakes me.
I jerk and open my eyes.
Max stares at me. “We're going to land in a few minutes.”
My mind whirls as I put together what's happening. I was asleep. A dream. A delicious, sexy dream featuring Max.
I sag in my seat. It's been a long time since I've had an erotic dream. Usually they feature Brad Pitt or Daniel Craig. God, please, tell me Max couldn't tell what was going on in my head. That's all I need is for Max to know he's starred in my dreams. “Okay, thanks.”
“You okay?”
“Yeah. Just a little disoriented.” I rub my hands over my face.
“Dreaming about me?” He flashes that cocky grin.
My heart stutters to a stop, and embarrassment heats my cheeks. It takes me a moment to realize he's teasing.
Gathering my wits, I shake off the dream. “Actually, you were there. It was a nightmare.”
He laughs. “Maybe someday I'll tell you about the dream I had about you.”
I gape, even as the idea of him dreaming about me sends a rush of excitement through my body. But he's teasing again, because he doesn't tell me more or wait for a response. He turns to look out the window as our plane makes its decent into Abuja.
Max
I followMadeleine through the busy airport. Except for a few directional comments, she doesn't say anything to me. There's a change in her demeanor, but I can't determine the reason for it. Had she really had a nightmare and was still unsettled by it? That had happened to me a couple of times after leaving a particularly abusive foster family.
