Superb and Sexy (Sky High Air #3)(62)

He’d see to it.

“I didn’t want you to come here with me.”

“Yeah. You’ve mentioned that a time or two.”

“I didn’t want you to see any of my past.”

He understood that, too. What he didn’t understand was how such an amazing woman had come out of those circumstances, and at age sixteen. She hadn’t said; she’d been careful not to say, but he could only imagine what it had been like for her growing up under the care of Rick Stone.

It had to have been pure hell. Knowing it, picturing it made him want to go back there and do something about it. Even thinking about doing it gave him a rush of satisfaction that faded when Maddie let out another of those sighs that seemed to reach right in and grab him by the throat and not let go.

“I want Leena to be safe,” she said. “But I don’t think she is. I just feel like she’s in danger.”

“We’ll find her. Back at Sky High, we’ll use all our resources, and we’ll find her.”

She nodded but didn’t say anything.

She’d made plans to walk away… He was still having a helluva time processing that. But they’d been together now, both in bed and out of it, and things had changed. At least for him. Just standing there holding her, feeling her face burrow into the crook of his neck so that her lips were touching his skin, made him ache.

And also hard.

Nice show of self-control. But when it came to her, he had none. Knowing it, he let his mouth brush her temple. He told himself he was offering comfort and nothing more and managed to keep his hands light and easy on her back to prove it. That was him. Light and soothing.

But then she slid her hands beneath his shirt, putting her chilled fingers against his heated flesh, digging into the muscles of his back as if he was her anchor.

Feeling distinctly unsoothed, he got a little harder.

Clearly feeling his reaction, she pressed more fully against him, her breasts to his chest, her thighs to his, going for more of that comfort he told himself he was offering. God knew, she probably needed it. Hell, after the past twenty-four hours, he needed it, the simple comfort of knowing she was okay and safe and out of harm’s way.

This hug, that would do it. Yes sirree, that was all he was going to do. Keep hugging her.

“Brody,” she whispered in a sort of breathy tone, shooting his comforting theory all to hell.

“Yeah?”

“You’re…strange.”

“Um, thanks?”

“No. I mean…” She hesitated. “This is strange.”

“Actually, it happens every time you touch me.”

“I don’t mean that—” She actually laughed. “I like that.”

Okay, good. That was good.

“I mean you make me feel…soft.”

He stroked her skin. “You are soft.”

“Yeah, only with you.” She said this with marvel. “Brody?”

“Yeah?”

“Is that shower in there big enough for two?”

“For a grand, it sure as hell better be.”

That choked another laugh out of her, chasing more of that haunted misery from her eyes, and he smiled in relief, in affection, in…hell, so goddamn much he couldn’t even begin to name all the emotions coursing through him.

She couldn’t possibly walk away, not now…

“Do we really have time before we fly back to Sky High?” Her hands came around his sides, his ribs, sliding up to his chest, bringing his shirt with them. “I know how you are about time.” When she got the hem of his shirt up past his pecs, she leaned in and pressed her lips over his heart.

Killing him…

“Brody?”

“We have time,” he managed as she opened her mouth and flicked her tongue over his nipple. “When getting naked with the woman of your dreams is on the table, there’s always time.”

Her breath huffed against his skin. “I’m the woman of your dreams?”

“Dreams. Nightmares. Pick one.”

She laughed again, and the sound was so sweet he buried his face in her hair. “Listen, I’ve never really been much for worrying about other people’s feelings…”

“No,” she agreed, still kissing his chest, making her way over his collarbone.

“But you’ve had a rough night and—”

“Yeah.” Lifting her head, she locked gazes with him. “So?”

“So maybe this isn’t what you need.”

“It’s exactly what I need.” She pushed him until his hands fell from her. Another push had the back of his legs hitting the high mattress of the bed, piled with that luxurious thousand-dollar-a-night bedding.

One last push, and he fell back, and then she was crawling up his body and he couldn’t remember what he’d been about to say, not when she pulled off her clothes and then his and not when she straddled him.

Gripping her hips, he thrust up into her, his body already so tight he knew it was going to be over before they started if he didn’t slow her down. “Maddie—”

“If you say you want to go slow, I’m going to hurt you.”

He let out a half laugh, half groan, but it backed up in his throat at the look on her face. Stark need, and a good amount of desperation. She needed to lose herself, if only for a minute.