She chuckled, stretching out her fingers, the rope still tight on her wrists.
He kissed her warm, sweaty neck, then rose and had her released from the headboard within seconds. Somehow, he ended up on his back, and she lay in his arms while he removed the rope cuffs. “This was a taste of what I can offer you. You can take what we had here and leave. Or you can accept this little game of ours and take more.” That left eyebrow lifted. “Decide.”
The decision was an easy one, and she answered within a split second. “More.” She lifted her head off his sweaty chest and stared at him right in the eyes. “I want more.”
His sexy half smile returned. “Then more you’ll have, sweetheart.”
Chapter 6
Two orgasms later, the sheet beneath Joss had been changed. She’d been wiped down, and at some point, Maddox had ended up back in the bed next to her. She couldn’t recall all the steps that had gotten her to being cradled in his arms, only that she was glad she was. Warm and comfortable, she lay tucked into his side, his chest slowly lifting and falling beneath her cheek with his relaxed breaths.
He’d been silent over the passing minutes until his fingers began to trail over her hip and he asked, “If I asked you something personal, would you answer me?”
“Of course.” She rose a little higher on his chest, resting her chin on her hands, getting a better look at him. She found his eyes…they were guarded. “What’s on that mind of yours?”
He tucked an arm behind his head. “How many lovers have you had?”
Not the personal question she’d anticipated. “Why do you want to know?”
He gave a gentle smile. “Call me curious.”
She thought about avoiding the truth, not sure what he’d conclude from her answer, but she figured…what the hell? “Two. You and my ex-boyfriend, Nick.”
“Just two?”
She considered him, trying to get a read on his thoughts. His emotions were very much in check, leaving his face unreadable. “I’m not sure if I should be offended that you sound surprised. Do I seem easy to you?”
“Easy?” His expression turned clearly thoughtful. “No, not easy, but willing and eager.”
She paused. Then, “Is that a good thing?”
“For me?” His eyes heated, his voice thick with promise. “Yes.”
She examined him again, trying to figure him out. Usually, she was good at reading people. But this guy had a very strong shield up, keeping her out.
Before she could say as much, he smoothed the lines along her forehead and asked, “Was the other man like me?”
“Like you in what way?”
He shifted then, moving onto his side with his arm still tucked under his head. “Did he have a particular fondness for kinky sex?”
She noted how the blanket rested at his hips, showing off the hard, beautiful lines of his body before answering him with a snort. “I think Nick only knew two sexual positions.”
“Hmmm,” Maddox said, his eyebrows furrowing.
“Why does that seem to bother you?”
“Bother me?” He chuckled softly, shaking his head against the pillow. “Joss, why would it bother me that your ex-boyfriend was clearly a boring fuck? While I suspected you hadn’t had much experience with the kinkier side of sex, it does make me curious how you made such a big jump. You went from one lover to having a one-night stand in a nightclub to now being tied up and fucked by me.”
She could see his point. “Well,”—she recalled what had gone through her mind when she’d met Maddox at the bar that night—“after Nick and I broke up, I guess I was looking for something a little crazy and wild.”
“And you’re sure you’re still looking for that?”
The concern on his face made her laugh. “You know, you can really stop worrying that I’m suddenly going to wake up and realize that I can’t handle a sexual relationship with you. To be perfectly honest, wanting to date a guy that has clear commitment issues and who doesn’t want to date me isn’t in my relationship goals.”
“It’s amazing how you do that.” He snorted a laugh.
“Do what?” she asked, tracing the curve of his six-pack.
“You speak as if you have nothing to hide.”
She half shrugged, running her finger over his squared chest. “That’s because I don’t have anything to hide with you. For a long time, I hid my feelings with Nick, always trying to make him and the rest of our family members happy. With you, and because of our arrangement, I don’t have to hide anything because I don’t need to make sure you’re happy.”