Feel the Heat: A Contemporary Romance Anthology (47 page)

“
F
abuloso
,
Madelyn! You sure you haven’t been on a board before,
bella
?”

Standing back to catch his breath, Dan watched with silent amusement as Armando, their tall and tanned Puerto Rican surf instructor, did everything in his power to flirt Maddie’s wet suit right off her sexy, curvaceous body.

Hell, if he hadn’t already put a ring on her finger, Dan would probably be doing the same thing. Maddie had never looked hotter than she did today, riding a board and glistening beneath the Pacific sun. Then again, it was possible he was biased, given he’d had her naked and riding
him
that very morning.

Slicking her ocean-drenched hair back from her face, Maddie’s smile stretched as wide and white as the beach they stood on. The four other students—two couples—waited patiently for their next challenge while Armando continued to shower Maddie with unwarranted compliments. She’d wiped out on the last five runs, but apparently the man hadn’t seen past her tits to notice.

“You gonna just stand there and let that shit happen?” the older of the other men asked.

Dan shrugged. “It’s harmless.” He and Maddie were newlyweds and he was confident enough in his own masculinity, as well as their relationship, to know this flirtation wouldn’t go anywhere.

“I don’t know, man.” The guy shook his head. “I’d kick that dude’s ass if he was all over my woman like that.”

Nah, that wasn’t his style. If it made Maddie feel good to be hit on by some Ken doll wannabe, he’d let it happen all day long. Because at the end of that day, all he wanted was for her to be happy. And right now, she looked a lot happier than she did over brunch.

“It’s all good. We’re done here anyway.” He picked up Maddie’s towel and casually strolled over to where Armando was showing her how to properly bend her knees and clench her ass cheeks...for the twentieth time.

“Yeah,
bella
, just like that. Drop a little lower. All the way down to my hand.”

Aggravation emerging, Dan watched his wife sink her pert little ass into the instructor’s too-eager palm. Of course, it was only fitting she’d lose her balance in the awkward pose and fall right into Armando’s willing arms. The instructor’s suave hands wrapped comfortably around her hips as they both fell into gag-worthy laughter.

Dan cleared his throat and drew their attention. “Looking good, babe. A few more hours and you’ll be good enough to compete with the big dogs.”

She rolled her eyes and shoved at his shoulder as she came over and let him drape the towel over her shoulders. “I doubt it, but thanks.”

Armando’s eyes narrowed on Dan for a split second before they swept back to Maddie. “Too bad you don’t live near the ocean, Madelyn. You’ve got talent. With regular practice, you could be a superstar.”

Was this guy for real? Did he really think Maddie was that naïve? That she’d fall all over his praise and end up on her knees, blowing his knob?

“I don’t see that happening,” Maddie laughed. “But I’ll definitely try it again. If I can talk Dan into coming back.”

“Maybe for our anniversary.” He rubbed his hands up and down her arms and kissed the top of her head. She smelled like salty sea water and coconut lotion. Remembering the similarly fragrant scent on their sheets, his cock pulsed in the snug, wet confines of his board shorts. He had to force himself to step away and think about the mountain of legal files on his desk back home in order to ward off an untimely erection.

“You’re a lucky man.” Armando stuck out his hand and, though the temptation to kick the guy in the nuts was intense, Dan accepted it. The instructor gave a smarmy grin. “Thanks for sharing your wife with me this afternoon.”

Yeah. Not gonna happen. Ever. He didn’t share and he never would.

“Maybe we’ll run into each other before our vacation is over?” Maddie stepped between them. Smart woman.

One corner of the surfer’s mouth turned up cleverly. “Maybe,
bella
.”

Behind them, the younger of the men cleared his throat. “We’re not paying you to flirt, man. Either wrap it up or give us our money back.”

Armando chuckled, his dark eyes never leaving Maddie. “Guess I’ll see you around.”

Not if I have anything to do with it.

T
he other couples
followed Armando back to the shoreline, the women more eager than the men, and Dan shook his head. What the females saw in cocky pricks like that, he would never understand.

He turned back to his wife and waggled his eyebrows. “Let’s order dinner in tonight. When we’re done, we can get straight to dessert.”

Maddie wrinkled up her nose. “I want to go dancing tonight.”

Was she really turning down more honeymoon sex? “Okay. How about a quickie before we eat?”

Another screwed up face. “How about a nap?”

For real? Maddie, his insatiable wife, was rejecting him in favor of a nap?

Fucking Armando.

“Sure. A nap sounds great.” Though his nerves twitched, thanks to the instructor’s undisguised challenge, he would not make a big deal out of this. He and Maddie had gotten off to a rough enough start this morning. Annoyed as he was, he didn’t dare risk ending their day the same way.

“Thanks, babe.” At least she tucked herself beneath his arm as they made their way to the rental shop to turn in their gear.

Halfway back to the resort, Maddie poked him in the ribs and pointed to a pretty blonde stretched out across a lounge chair. She was wearing what she probably considered a white bikini—in his eyes, it was clothesline rope. And
everything
was hanging in the wind.

“She’s gorgeous,” Maddie whispered. “Don’t you think?”

“Is that a trick question?”

“No.” She laughed softly. “I’m not stupid—I know you check out other women. Now that we’re married, we might as well be honest about it.”

“Is this your way of telling me you were into Armando?”

She lifted a newly sun-kissed shoulder and for a moment he was distracted by the rise and fall of her breasts, so perky and ripe in her black bikini top. “He was all right.”

“Just all right?” He slowed them to a stop and turned her to face him so he could read the truth in her eyes.

“Is
that
a trick question?” She kept her expression soft, clearly aware of what he expected to see. And determined not to give it to him.

“You know I’m a confident man.” He traced a finger along her collarbone, then over both swells of her cleavage. “If it gives you a little thrill to flirt with guys like that from time to time, I’m perfectly content to stand back and let you have your fun.”

Just like that, all the color and humor faded from her face. “Great. I’m glad we cleared that up.”

Wait...what?
“Why do I feel we’re having two different conversations?”

She smoothed a hand over her damp hair and averted her eyes to some unknown point behind him. “Maybe we are.”

“Well, let’s get on the same page then, huh?” He ran the back of his knuckles along her high cheekbone, ignoring the tension that roiled in his gut. He’d already decided there’d be no more arguing today and that wasn’t going to change.

She made it easy for him when she didn’t reply at all, just gave her head a bewildered shake and took off down the beach, leaving him standing in the sand and wondering, not for the first time today, what in the hell was going on.

* * *

M
addie was already
in the shower when Dan finally caught up and made it back to their suite. When he opened the bathroom door, she held her breath behind the curtain, hoping...

“Just checking to see you made it back okay.” He paused a moment, sighed, and closed the door, leaving her alone.

Alone in the shower on their freaking honeymoon.

Her forehead lolled against the travertine tile and she exhaled a shuddering breath. All he had to do was throw back the curtain and climb in, and she would’ve been putty in his hands. It wouldn’t have taken long for her to scream his name either, because her appetite for him never went away. She was always ready to love on her husband.

He just never
took
her. Not in the unapologetic way she craved he would.

She closed her eyes as the water beat down on her back and steam began to rise. Her fingers curled against the cool wall and she imagined Dan standing behind her, his hands sliding over her hips and her ribcage, up to her breasts, teasing and tweaking her nipples until she writhed against him.

Her own fingertips swept over the hardened tips, and her entire body trembled with newly awakened arousal. The firm pressure of one peak pinched between her thumb and middle finger had her squirming as zings of pleasure shot straight down to her dampened sex. She let go of the wall, so both hands could cover her breasts and she could drive herself to breathlessness.

“Fuck,” she whispered, guilt creeping into her conscience as one hand slipped down her chest, over her stomach, and to the place she needed her husband the most. Placing a foot on the narrow shower ledge, she opened herself wide and brushed her fingers over her folds.

If they had been Dan’s hands on her, he’d be gentle, building her up slowly by tracing delicate circles around her clit with a solitary fingertip. But she knew exactly what her body could take, so she skipped the taunting preamble and went straight to rubbing two firm fingers against her engorged nub until her sex clenched greedily for more.

Forehead still pressed against the wall for balance, she gave into what her body needed most and slid those same two fingers into her wet channel, pumping and curling them in the manner that would get her off the fastest.

In no time at all, her world went hazy and hers ears rang in anticipation of inevitable release. Biting her lips together to keep from crying out and giving herself away, she stroked her thumb across her clit, once...twice...and a third time, expertly sending herself flying over the edge, her sex spasming around her fingers.

Sucking in breath after harsh breath, she allowed herself to enjoy every last pulse of pleasure, even as shame and guilt danced around the edges of her conscience.

She’d made herself come while her very willing husband sat just outside the door, completely clueless and likely wondering what he’d done wrong to warrant her walking away.

She wanted to tell him. Hoped he’d want to do whatever she asked of him in order to completely satisfy her. But didn’t clueing him defeat the purpose? She didn’t want to tell him what she needed—she wanted
him
to tell
her
. She wanted him to take control and to own her, just like he did the courtroom.

She loved sex with Dan, there was no doubt about that. She especially loved the thorough attention he always gave her and the selfless generosity of his lovemaking. But sometimes a girl just needed her hair pulled and her ass spanked.

“Maddie, babe?”

Shit.
She jerked her hand from between her legs. “Yes?”

“You almost done? I’d like to get cleaned up before we head out for dinner.”

A ball of something annoyingly painful built in her throat and she forced herself to swallow it down in order to speak. “Yep. Just need to rinse my hair.”

“Great.”
Click.
The door shut again and her body sagged in defeat beneath the spray.

How the hell was she going to do this? How was she to be honest about what she wanted from him without scaring him or pushing him further away?

There was only one way to find out. Ready or not, tonight was the night to see what they were both made of.

H
e was
the luckiest son-of-a-bitch on the planet.

Reclined in his seat, with his arm stretched across the back of hers, Dan watched as Maddie made her way through the crowded restaurant, returning from a quick run to the restroom. She always dressed to kill, but tonight she’d outdone herself in a short, flowing red dress that barely hit her mid-thigh and a pair of sparkly black stilettos that gave his dick all sorts of nasty ideas.

He should’ve followed her to the bathroom. She was bound and determined to go dancing, but he wasn’t sure how much longer he could be in the same room with her and not hike up that dress and drive himself into her hot little body.

His pulsed kicked up when an athletic looking man with tattoos on his arms accidentally backed into her path. The beefy guy turned apologetically toward her, his hands going gently to her bare shoulders before he bent close and said something in her ear. Dan couldn’t hear the words, but he had a pretty good idea when Maddie’s face flushed. With a small smile, she placed her hand on the man’s chest, said something in return, and continued on her way again. The guy kept watching her, his eyes glued to her ass, but Dan let it go in favor of stroking his own ego.

That’s right, baby. As long as you come back to me...

“Have I told how fucking hot you are?” He leaned in and swept his lips across the shell of her ear as soon as she reclaimed the chair beside him.

“Mmm, only about a thousand times.” She pressed her hand against his thigh and gave a small squeeze that sent jolts of arousal straight to his groin.

“I’m gonna work on making that a million, because, sweetheart, you are the most beautiful woman in this place.” Intoxicated by her delicious scent, he moved his mouth down her neck and suckled softly on the warm skin above her pulse point.

“I should’ve given into that quickie earlier. You obviously need it.” She smiled and walked her fingers up his leg, her nails grazing the erection straining his shorts.

He chuckled, placed a kiss on her cheek and sat back, putting some much needed space between them before he did something crazy. Like drag her back to the restroom and have his way with her once and for all. “I always need you, Maddie. Even if we had made love, I’d want you again.”

She narrowed her smoky green eyes and pursed her lips, but the blush in her face gave her away—she liked it when he told her she was wanted.

“What’d that guy say to you?” he asked quietly, rubbing a lock of her hair between his fingers.

“He apologized for getting in my way. Told me he would’ve offered to buy me a drink, but the rock on my finger said he’d better not.” She held out her left hand and sighed at the glittering diamond, a content smile on her pretty red mouth.

“Smart man.” He winked and she laughed. “What do you say we blow this pop stand and find some place for you to shake that sweet ass?”

“Armando suggested a club in one of the hotels down the beach.”

Annoyance churned in his gut, but he tamped it down. “Yeah? You two make plans to meet up?”

“Maybe.” She swiped salt off her margarita glass and stuck her finger in her mouth. He watched her tongue work around the digit and barely suppressed a groan. “You jealous?”

Yes.
“No.” He knew she was playing with him, but the comeback still irked him. And strangely, it also made his cock swell. “Let’s get out of here. Lead the way to your boy toy.” He stood and offered her a hand. But she just sat there, blinking up at him. “What?”

“Why do you say things like that?”

“I’m just giving you crap.”

Apparently that wasn’t the right answer, because she shook her head, rubbed her fingers over the freckles on the bridge of her nose and slid the other way, a confused, pissed off expression on her face.

“What’d I do wrong now?”

“Nothing, Dan. Absolutely nothing. You’re freaking perfect. Just like always.” She threw the words over her shoulder as she marched toward the exit.

He let her go, leaving the distance between them, because he had no idea what just happened. Once again. She clearly needed to breathe for a few minutes and he needed...well, he had no idea what he needed. But he’d have to figure it out on his own, because she wasn’t giving anything up easily.

“Maddie!” A few moments later, he jogged to catch up, reaching her as they hit the main path connecting the hotels further down the beach. Soft reggae flowed from a brightly lit cabana on the right, and the warm, night breeze carried with it the fresh, fragrant aroma of the ocean. In the distance, water crashed against the shoreline and he wished she’d slow the hell down so he could suggest they take off their shoes and go barefoot in the sand for a bit. “Babe, hold up.”

He snagged for her arm, grasping more firmly than he’d intended when she didn’t stop. But the momentum of her body carried her further away from him and his grip naturally tightened.

“Dammit, Maddie, slow down!”

She gasped and spun around to face him, her eyes big and bright. She looked down to his hand wrapped tightly around her slight wrist and, feeling like an ass, he let go immediately. Bringing her arm up, she rubbed at the area he’d held, her chest heaving.

He’d hurt her.
Shit.

“Baby, I’m sorry.” He moved in and gathered her close, not surprised that she remained tense in his arms. “I didn’t mean—”

Before he could say more, she stuck a finger to his lips, wound her other hand roughly in his hair, and pulled him down to her. He barely had time to register her reaction before her mouth was on his, sucking the very breath from his body. She nipped and grazed at his lips, licking and teasing her tongue against them like she couldn’t get enough.

And
there
was the woman he’d married.

He gave into the moment, not caring that they stood on a public path, making out and groping one another like teenagers. Like the only two people on the Baja peninsula. Her fingernails scored down his chest, through the fabric of his T-shirt and lower, until she came to his belt. He was pretty sure he’d lose his shit if she kept going.

“Let’s put off dancing until tomorrow night.” Anxious for more, he pulled her as close as was publicly legal. He could feel her breasts, hot and peaked against his chest and,
oh, yeah
, she wanted him just as badly as he wanted her. In no time at all, he’d have her naked, wet and screaming his name, just like he’d wanted all damn day. Just like he knew she wanted too.

So why was she shaking her head and taking a step back?

“No?” he croaked, shocked and a little too desperate for his masculine pride.

“No.” She wet her lips and his focus snagged on the taunting pink tip of her tongue. Bad idea.
Bad friggin’ idea
. His cock thickened, eager to feel that sweet little temptation working its magic below his belt. But, as it stood, that wasn’t going to happen. “I told the ladies from the surf lesson we’d be out tonight.”

So? He didn’t give a shit about anyone else right now. All he needed was her. “I’m sure we’ll run into them again. We can reschedule.”

Maddie laughed, placed a peck on his jaw, and patted his chest lightly. “You can hold out for a little while longer, Mr. Hudson.”

“You obviously have more faith in me than I do,
Mrs. Hudson
.”

“What are you saying?” One eyebrow lifted and amusement flashed in her eyes. A challenge? Perhaps she
didn’t
think him civilized enough to control his baser instincts.

He put another step between them and cleared his throat. She wanted civilized, then he’d give her civilized. He might end up with the biggest case of blue balls ever, but he’d do just about anything to keep her smiling. “Nothing. You wanna dance, we’ll dance.”

She narrowed her eyes for a frozen moment, then closed them and sighed. “Great.” Only her tone didn’t sound
great
at all. In fact, she sounded pissed off again.

What in the ever-loving fuck?

“Come on.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him along the boardwalk. “We’re going to be late and they’re going to think we stood them up.”

And that was more important than attending to their marital needs?

Instead of digging in his heels, Dan blew out a breath and followed his wife as best he could, despite the tightness in his shorts. When they finally did get around to making love again, he wasn’t gonna last two minutes, because this hot and cold shit she was doing was driving him friggin’ insane.

Still, he’d vowed to make her happy and if she wanted to go dancing with people they didn’t know, then he’d choke back his own needs in order to fulfill hers.

They finally arrived at the club several minutes later. At just after nine o’clock, the place was packed. Bodies bounced all around them, popping to the beat sound of reggae hip-hop, and he cringed. This wasn’t his scene at all, but the big grin on Maddie’s face when she eyed the crush of people on the dance floor told him it was hers. At least for tonight.

“Let’s get a drink and see if the others are here.” She tugged him toward the bar, glowing like a rainbow from lights placed behind the myriad of colored bottles on the rails. Maddie ordered a Corona for him and something blue and fruity for herself.

“Holy shit, is that one of the couples?” He took a pull from his beer and angled his chin toward the duo practically humping right there on the outskirts of the dance floor.

“Yeah, it is.” Maddie tipped her head to the side, her mouth gaping as she took in the nearly horizontal, bump and grind move the guy—Tanner, was it?—was putting down on his very scantily clad girlfriend. “Wow, that’s kinda hot.”

Not nearly as hot as they’d be if they were back in their suite doing the same exact thing. Naked.

“And there’s Armando. Damn.” She turned into him, as if hiding from the instructor. Interesting. Maybe she wasn’t into the asshole after all.

Pleased, Dan smirked over the top of his beer bottle as Armando raised a hand in greeting and began a trek toward them.

“He’s probably gonna ask you to dance, babe.” He bent and spoke against her ear. “What are you gonna tell him?”

“He wouldn’t do that. He knows I’m married.”

Dan gave a wry laugh and lowered his hand to her ass. He gave her a light squeeze and nuzzled his nose into her hair. “I’m pretty sure that ring on your finger is just a technicality to guys like him.”

Burying her face in his shirt, she groaned. “Of course I’ll tell him no. The only man I’m dancing with tonight is my sexy husband.”

Damn straight. But... “You know I don’t really dance.” He kissed the top of her head. “Dance with the surf god. I might even enjoy watching you.”

Maddie reared back, her pointy little chin pulled in tight against the smooth column of her throat. “Really?”

He shrugged. He’d surprised them both with that response, but considering it further, there was something vaguely appealing about imagining Maddie and another man throwing it down on the dance floor. Even if that man happened to be friggin’ Armando. Now if they got out of hand like the younger couple, he might feel otherwise. But Maddie would never cross that line, so there was nothing to worry about.

“I don’t want to cramp your style, babe. Go do your thing. Just keep your panties on, okay?”

That mysterious gleam flashed in Maddie’s eyes again, but before he could question her, Armando appeared beside them.

“
Bella
and Dan!” Somehow the instructor looked even more built with a shirt on. Not that Dan was the slightest bit intimidated, even when the guy grabbed Maddie’s hand and twirled her right out of his arms. Her dress lifted, showing off more of her pale, creamy thighs and an almost indecent expanse of mile-long legs. Despite the dimly lit club, Dan could still see blatant interest shadow the instructor’s face. “
Eres muy hermosa, bella
.”

“Thank you, Armando.” Maddie smiled, though it seemed forced, and Dan cocked his head to the side. He had no idea what the guy said and he wasn’t sure he liked that Maddie did. Of course, she’d minored in Spanish in college, so he shouldn’t be surprised. Still, it didn’t thrill him that the two of them could carry on a private conversation about God knows what and he’d be clueless. Somehow that little detail bothered him more than the guy putting his hands on her.

But, he reminded himself, he trusted his wife implicitly, therefore he’d have to restrain his inner caveman. Taking a hearty pull from his beer, he shook off the agitation. She wanted to have fun tonight, then they’d have fun.

“Have you been here long?” Armando asked, still holding Maddie’s hand.

“No. First drink.” She lifted her glass and then sucked most of the unnaturally blue liquid down in one long slurp, as if she were nervous. Which beckoned the question—why would she be nervous? She’d been completely comfortable with the man earlier in the day. Was there something going on Dan wasn’t privy to?

Armando chuckled and plucked Maddie’s empty glass from her hand. “Let me buy you both another round.” Excusing himself, he shuffled off to the bar.

Grateful for the moment alone, Dan pulled Maddie close again. “Babe, why don’t you let me in on whatever’s going on in that pretty head of yours, because the second I think I’ve got you figured out, you flip like a switch right before my eyes.”

Maddie placed her hands on his chest, her fingers spread wide. Obviously avoiding his gaze, she looked to be completely fascinated with her fingernails. But her lower lip, pinched between her teeth, gave her away. Yes, she definitely had something on her mind.

“You know how I am. If you don’t just come out and tell me, I’m going to overanalyze every little clue you
do
give me until I figure it out.”

He felt, more than heard, her heavy sigh and unless his senses were playing tricks on him, her fingers were shaking too. What’d she have to be anxious about? The wedding was over, the pressure off. It was just the two of them here and, while saying ‘I do’ had been wonderful, this time alone with her was what he’d looked forward to the most. He wanted her to enjoy these few days just as much as he hoped to. But whatever she wasn’t telling him wasn’t allowing the good time he wanted for either of them.