11. Madelyn

CHAPTER 11

MADELYN

I stretchmy arms over my head and wince. I’m feeling pain in muscles I didn’t even know I had. The smile on my face appears as I remember why I’m feeling the sweet pain. Asher.

I roll to my side with a smile on my face, but it disappears when I see that his side of the bed is empty. I raise up to look around the room and sigh.

He’s gone.

I’m not sure what I expected, but I know I was hoping that he wouldn’t just disappear on me.

I slowly climb out of bed and make my way to the bathroom. After turning the water on to get hot, I put my hair in a bun on the top of my head and then step into the shower.

Everything replays in my head, and I try to figure out if I messed up somewhere. Did I say or do something I shouldn’t have?

I slept with my boss.

Probably not my smartest decision, but I wouldn’t take it back for anything. I thought it was amazing… but I guess he didn’t.

After I finish getting cleaned up, I know I should get dressed and go search for something to eat, but instead, I stand under the hot spray and let all the intrusive thoughts fill my head.

The hot water feels good, and I let it unknot my tense muscles.

I open my eyes when there’s a sound coming from the door. I jump when I see Asher standing in the open doorway, staring at me with a big smile on his face.

I have one arm over my breasts and the other hiding my womanhood.

He comes to the shower door and opens it. “It’s a little late to be hiding, don’t you think? I’ve touched and licked every part of you already.”

I bite on to my lower lip and challenge him. “Not every part.”

His gaze darkens. “Don’t play, Madelyn. The only place I haven’t touched you is your ass, and I’ll be happy to remedy that right now.”

I shake my head side to side, and he laughs. “Fine, we can work up to that. I don’t mind waiting.”

My voice sounds shaky as I ask him, “What are you doing?”

“Well, I brought us some food, and it took a little longer than I thought. I’m glad I didn’t miss this.”

“I was just finishing… unless you want to join me.”

He wants to, that much is obvious, but he shakes his head. “I want to. Fuck, I want to. But I promised myself that I wouldn’t touch you until you ate something. You’ve only had eggs and a protein bar all day. You need something to eat first.”

I turn the water off, and Asher grabs the towel and wraps it around me as I step out of the shower. My body starts to come alive again. “I don’t mind waiting for food. I really don’t.”

Gruffly, he shakes his head. “Nope. Food… after that, no promises.”

He dries me off, and when his hands slope between my thighs, I moan.

He flicks his eyes to mine. “Was that a good moan or a sore moan?”

I shrug. “I’m fine.”

He stands up and wraps the towel around me. “So a sore moan… I’m sorry. I got a little carried away.”

He cups my cheek and looks into my eyes. Yesterday I would have said this man is the grumpiest man I’ve ever met. Today, I’m not so sure. “So I’m going to feed you and then let you rest.”

I try not to show my disappointment. The truth is, I’m not that sore, and I would love to go another round with him, but I’m not going to push it.

We walk into the bedroom, and I see the tray he’s set on the dresser. I open my drawer to grab underwear and a T-shirt. “Uh…”

He just laughs. “Here, let me.”

Before I know what’s happening, he grabs the pile of clothes from my hands, pulls at the towel that’s wrapped around me and then just stares at my naked body. He holds my panties out and then lowers to a squat. “Here you go. One leg at a time.”

“But I can—”

He interrupts me. “Let me do this.”

I step into my panties, and he pulls them up my hips. Before he covers me completely, he places a kiss on my mound, and I gasp in surprise.

He’s smiling as he stands up. He holds out the shirt and puts it over my head. I work my arms into the openings, and before he pulls the shirt down, he kisses each of my breasts.

His face is red when I look at him.

“Sorry, I needed to kiss them before I covered them up. I felt it was the right thing to do.”

Something flares inside me. This man is just too good to be true.

He grabs the tray off the dresser and gestures with his head toward the bed. “In the bed.”

“In the bed?” I ask.

He nods and nudges me with his shoulder. “Yep, in bed.”

I fluff up the pillows against the headboard and then sit down so my back is against them. He sits on the other side and puts the tray between us. “So the lasagna was no good. I hope this is okay.”

On the tray are big thick turkey sandwiches with cheese, tomato, and lettuce. There is fresh fruit and some plain potato chips. My stomach growls right on cue, and we both laugh. “It’s perfect.”

He grabs the plate with my sandwich on it and hands it to me. “Eat up.”

I take a bite and moan. “Gah, that’s good. What’s on it?”

He holds up his own sandwich. “Honey mustard.”

“Wow, I would never have thought of putting that on a sandwich.”

We eat in silence for a few minutes, and he finishes his sandwich before me. He’s munching on chips, and I know I shouldn’t say it, but there’s no holding back. “I thought you left… I mean… not left, but I mean, I thought you were done.”

He finishes chewing. “You mean earlier, when you woke up?”

I avoid his eyes and act as if I’m really interested in the sandwich in my hand. “Yeah, I mean…” I let my voice trail off and start to laugh. “I don’t really know what I mean.”

I’m starting to sound clingy and needy, so I close my mouth and quit talking.

He reaches over and wipes his finger across my chin. “First of all, you can talk to me. Second of all, I’m sorry if that bothered you or hurt your feelings. I went up to my room to shower and then I was just getting food. I was letting you rest.”

That should make me feel better, but why do I still want more from him? I shouldn’t; we just had sex, it’s not like we’re in a relationship or something. “Right, well, thank you for the food. It’s really good, I didn’t realize how hungry I was.”

He nods. “I feel like I should be honest with you.”

My eyes widen, and I take the last bite of my sandwich. “No, it’s okay. I mean, I understand…”

“Listen.” He blows out a breath. “So most of the time, I would have left and not thought twice about it.”

I scrunch up my nose. Of course, I’m just another notch on his bedpost. I wasn’t getting that kind of vibe from him, but this wouldn’t be the first time I failed to get it right when it comes to a man.

He reaches over and grabs my hand. I want to pull back, but he starts to stroke his thumb across my skin, and I get caught up in it. “This time was different, Madelyn. I didn’t want to get out of this bed, and I didn’t want it to be over.”

My mouth drops as he continues. “So what do you say? Is that okay with you, or were you thinking this is more of a one-time thing?”

I draw my knees up against me. “I was expecting a one-time thing.”

His face hardens, and he stops stroking my hand. “If that’s—”

I interrupt him before he says something I don’t want to hear. “I was expecting a one-time thing, but I mean, that was good, right? I mean, really good. At least for me and well, I think it would be a travesty if we just stopped after one time.”

He smiles at me and tilts his head. “Really good, huh?”

I nod. “Yeah, I mean, I thought so, but what do you think?”

He releases my hand and picks up the tray before moving it over to the nightstand. When he’s done, he turns back and leans toward me. “I was shooting for something more than ‘really good,’ so maybe we need some more practice. There’s no reason we shouldn’t try again.”

Is this the same man that had all the reasons earlier of why this was a bad idea? “I mean, yeah, I’m good with practice. We wouldn’t want to shortchange ourselves or anything, right? Just think of the possibilities. I had two orgasms the first time.”

He gasps. “Two! Is that it? Yeah, I definitely need to step up my game.”

He grabs my hips and pulls me down until I’m lying flat on the bed. He climbs over me, mumbling, “I knew the clothes were a waste of time.”

My hands run across his bare chest and up to his shoulders. “You still have your jeans on.”

He shrugs. “Because I’m not fuckin’ you.”

I loop my arms around his neck. “You’re not?”

He kisses me until I’m breathless. “No, I know you’re sore, and I’ll never take my pleasure over your pain.”

“I’m not that sore.”

He smiles and kisses me again. When he pulls back this time, he starts to kiss down my body. “Just lie back and let me take care of you.”

“But—” I start, and it’s about that time, he sucks on my nipple through my thin shirt.

My back arches, and I lift up to get closer to him. My whole body trembles just from his touch.

He releases his hold and blinks at me. “See, too many clothes.”

He grabs my shirt and pulls it over my head. He gently shoves me back onto the bed and then hooks his fingers into the side of my panties before pulling them down my hips. As soon as he has me bare, he spreads me open and presses his tongue to my core. I spear my fingers into his hair, and his kisses get more intense. I have no choice but to hold him close and enjoy the ride.