I could lie, could play it cool. I could pretend I've done this a hundred times before. But this is Madison, and I've never been able to lie to her.
She reaches up, brushing her fingers along my jaw, and fuck, I'm so gone for her. "I want you, Jax."
Her voice is barely above a whisper, but it's enough to wreck me. The sincerity in her eyes, the slight tremble in her touch—it all tells me this means as much to her as it does to me.
I nod, swallowing past the lump in my throat. "Me too."
Taking control, I reach for the hem of her sweater, my hands steady as I lift it up over her head, exposing the smooth skin of her stomach, the curve of her shoulders, the delicate strap of her black lace bra. My fingers trace lightly down her arms, across her stomach, before settling on her waist.
I let out a shaky breath, my fingers itching to touch her, to trace every inch of her. Still, I force myself to go slow, to savor this moment, to commit every detail to memory, starting with the scars covering her left shoulder, reaching to her collarbone.Leaning down, I kiss them one by one. She shivers under the attention, but she doesn't stop me.
“You’re beautiful, Madison.” Bringing my eyes back to hers, I wonder if she’ll go shy on me.
Instead, she steps in closer, her fingers slipping under the band of my sweatpants. "Take these off."
I inhale sharply, my body tightening at the rasp in her voice.
“Yes, ma’am.” I hook my thumbs under the waistband, shoving them down as she watches me with an intensity that makes my skin burn. She makes me feel seen in a way I never have before.
She continues to watch me as she reaches behind to undo the clasp of her bra, her eyes meeting mine again right in time for it to hit the floor.
Fuck. Me.
I can’t help my eyes from wandering over her entire body, drinking her in and committing her naked body to memory. She's perfect. Not in the airbrushed magazine way, but in her realness. The small freckle just below her collarbone on her right side. The slight curve of her stomach. The way she holds herself—confident, but with an undercurrent of vulnerability that makes my chest ache.
I groan and move towards her, my fingers curling around her waist. I press my lips to hers, slow and deep, letting her feel everything I can't put into words—all the longing, all the waiting, all the dreams I've had about this moment.
She moans softly, her hands sliding down my chest, her eyes roaming my body the same way I did hers, teasing at the band of my boxers. I have to focus hard on my breathing, because I cannot lose it right now.
I break the kiss, pressing my forehead to hers, trying to calm the storm raging inside me. "Mads…"
Her hands still, and she smirks—smirks like she knows what she's doing to me, like she's enjoying the way she has me completely at her mercy. "Yeah?"
I squeeze my eyes shut for half a second before letting out a ragged breath. "Get in the shower before I forget how to be a gentleman."
She laughs, shaking her head, but she turns toward the water, peeling off her leggings before getting in.
Fuck my life. I am so screwed. There is zero chance of me lasting more than five seconds. Every curve of her body seems like it was created to exceed my wildest dreams.
She steps under the water, and I join her a second later, closing the door behind me.
The second the hot water hits my back, my muscles finally loosen. Steam swirls around us, curling in the air, but all I can focus on is her.
The way she tilts her head back, letting the water cascade down her body, her lashes fluttering as she sighs.
The way the droplets cling to her skin, sliding over the curves of her shoulders, down the valley between her breasts, over the dip of her waist.
I swallow hard, forcing myself to look at her face when she turns back to me.
Her cheeks are flushed, her lips still swollen from my kiss, her eyes soft. There's a vulnerability in her expression now—like she's letting me see a side of her she keeps hidden from everyone else.
I step forward, lifting my hands to cup her jaw, my thumbs brushing over her cheekbones. "You're unreal, Mads."
She smiles, leaning into my touch. "You're not so bad yourself, Montgomery."
I chuckle, my hands sliding down to her waist, pulling her against me under the water. The feel of her skin against mine—nothing between us for the first time—sends electricity racing through my veins.
"So…" she starts, her hands coming up to wrap around my neck. "About being a gentleman.."
