Take a Chance on Me(56)

“I want it all.” She smiled, and if he’d been standing it would have knocked him to his knees. “I’m committing a mortal sin for you. So you’d better be worth it.”





Chapter Fifteen



Mitch’s bedroom door clicked shut. The sound echoed in Maddie’s head as her pulse lurched. Her nerves, which had been a mere rumble when she’d been outside by the river and trapped under Mitch’s hard body, had built to a crescendo on the walk back to the house.

All her inadequacies and worry pushed to the surface, dulling her determination to take what she wanted. She stared at Mitch’s big king-sized bed, the massive intricate headboard both beautiful and daunting.

She could do this. She wanted to do this.

Mitch’s warm palms covered her bare shoulders, sending a jolt of electricity through her blood and making her jump. His body pressed close to hers, hitching her breath.

“Second thoughts?” he whispered, stirring the fine hairs along the shell of her ear.

Maddie licked her bottom lip, transfixed by the bed before her. “I’m nervous.”

He slid his hands down her arms, leaving a trail of goose bumps in his wake. “Princess, we don’t have to do anything you don’t want to do.”

With her heart pounding against her ribs, she squeaked, “It’s . . . just . . . I don’t know. . . .” The chocolate-colored suede comforter looked as lush and inviting as it had last night, but she couldn’t take a step toward it. She was frozen to the spot, suspended by indecision.

“What don’t you know?” His low voice snaked through her fear.

“It’s not what I pictured,” she blurted, once again wringing her hands.

He reached around her waist, taking her nervous, quaking fingers in his and stilling them. “What did you picture?”

She took a deep breath. “I guess I thought I’d be overwhelmed by passion and wouldn’t have to think too much about it.” God, did that sound terrible? Like she didn’t want him?

He chuckled, and the slow sinful sound wound her more tightly until she thought she might break. “Would it have been easier if I took you out on the grass?”

She nodded, unable to speak. Why was she like this? Why couldn’t she take control of the situation like a grown woman?

He released her, stepping away and taking all his warmth and strength with him. He walked around until he stood in front of her. He stroked a finger down her jaw and cupped her chin. “Do you trust me?”

She bit the inside of her cheek. “I don’t know. I want to.”

“Fair enough,” he said, a small smile lifting the corner of his lips. “Tell me your worries.”

A million scenarios, all of them terrible, filled her head. She couldn’t tell him. It would ruin the moment even more than it had been ruined. Anxious, she gazed up at him and, unable to help herself, said, “What if it’s a disaster?”

“Then we’ll try again.”

She frowned, her brows pulling tight. “You’re not going to reassure me how fabulous it will be?”

His grip slipped down to her throat. “No.”

“Why?”

He smiled. “Because that would be taking it easy on you.”

With a quick, surprised laugh, she pushed at his chest. “That’s not what I meant!”

His fingers tightened, and she could feel her pulse pounding against his thumb. “Think about it. Do you really want some smooth line about how I’m so good you’ll come for me like you never have before?”

She pushed away all her mental noise to concentrate on his question. He was right. It would sound like a line and make her uneasy. He was giving her honesty. He didn’t know any more than she did.

She studied his face. Those golden eyes were bright with understanding and steady with certainty, his expression relaxed. “But you’re not worried, are you?”

He stroked her neck. “No, I’m not.”

“Why?”

He slid over the cords of her neck, and despite her nerves, a shiver ran through her. “That’s why.”

“Sure, that’s now, but what if in the moment, I freeze?”

“Then you freeze and we slow down. There’s no rush, Maddie.”


The first layer of her nerves calmed. “And if it’s a horrible disaster?”

His lips quirked. “Then it’s a disaster.”

Another knot of tension unfurled. “It could be all awkward and fumbling.”

“True.” He released his hold on her throat and cupped her shoulders, shifting them both to the left. “Maybe we can come up with some teenage fantasies to accompany the awkwardness.”

She repressed the smile at the images that evoked. Good images. Fun. Better, but her mind still whirled. “What if I decide I want to stop?”

Another step around. “Then we’ll stop.”

“No questions asked?”

“No questions asked.” He pressed closer, forcing her to step with him.

The anxious jump in her stomach quelled. “What if I don’t like what you’re doing?”

“Tell me you don’t like it.”

“You won’t be offended?”

Something dark flashed in his gaze. “No. I won’t be offended. In fact, I insist you tell me if you don’t like something.”