Page 34 of Rising Star

I bobbed my head.

“Then kiss me one last time.”

And without another word, I molded my lips to the woman who owned my heart a lot more each day. The one who was quickly becoming the center of my universe. And my dreams.

She grinned at me as I stepped back. The lightness in my chest was something new to me. And I relished the feeling. And the freedom it provided.

I balled the fabric of mt T-shirt and wiped all traces of me from her belly.

Madison watched me with eyes beaming with adoration.

“Thanks,” she said once I finished.

My forehead returned to hers, and our fingers intertwined.

“Tell me to walk away,” I asked.

She shook her head, a soft laugh breaking the wheezing of our breathing.

“I’m not strong enough to resist you, Maddie. I don’t have it in me to stay away from you. You gotta be the bigger person here and order me to go. To leave you alone. It’s been too long since the last time I felt something for someone else. And right now, I’m feeling lots of things for you. And a whole lot more dirty things after what we just did.”

My eyes followed the length of her, lingering for a moment over her chest, her tits rising and falling with every intake of air. I closed my eyes, doing my best to not touch them again, to remember how they fit into my hands. To not let my dick rule my common sense and love her with infinite passion this time around. Because we got rid of the built-up tension that had been intoxicating our relationship since day one. If we continued, I’d never be able to stop. To be reasonable.

Her eyes glistened with bliss, and she chewed on her lips. I ran my thumb across their fullness, relishing the aftermath quakes of her body under my touch.

“You’ll be the end of me. We must come up with rules on the road, or I’ll get you naked every chance I get. And the adrenaline from the concerts makes me horny.”

“I can stay in the crew bus. It’s no big deal.”

“No.” I clutched her upper arms. My throat worked. Electricity darted between us. “I want you on our bus. On my bus. That’s where you belong. I don’t consider you staff, Maddie. You’re much more than that. You’re much more to me. You should know that by now. You’re family. Whether we want it or not, we’re tied together by some invisible thread neither of us can escape. And in all honesty, I could never envision going on this tour if you weren’t there. Beside me. Loving my daughters as your own. Sharing our lives. My life. I trust you. I need you. The girls do too. You’ll stay with us. End of discussion.”

Madison nodded, her irises drawing me in, threatening to swallow me whole and make me hers now and forever.

“What if it doesn’t work?” Her voice had lost her previous amusement.

“Babe, we’ll make it work. Don’t worry. I’m just—we’ll find a way to be around each other without complicating everything until we can be together. As I said, we’ll set rules. Trust me, okay?”

“Yeah,” she said, her voice low and tantalizing as it blanketed us with promises we had no idea how to keep. “Rules…right.” Moisture clouded her eyes, and I almost threw all my own words out of the window right there and promised her everything she was silently begging for. I couldn’t look away. Madison’s energy always captured me, and I liked every minute of it. I felt alive. I felt like a man again, not just a father, but a complex being with desire and a dick useful for more than just taking a leak.

“Walk away now,” I urged. “Or I’ll lock us in my room, and I’ll never let you out. I’m a starving man, and you woke me up. My blood boils, and my dick stirs when you’re around.”

“Sam, I’m not sure I can.” I placed a finger against her lips. She kissed my digit, and the simple touch awoke new sensations inside me.

“Believe me, I’m dying to touch you, all of you, again. To savor your flesh. Every corner of it. To hold you in my arms while I sleep, to kiss you every second of every day.” I shut my eyes. The smell of her washed over me, and I wondered if she could spray it over my pillow. Just for tonight. I shook my head again, flushing away my silly thoughts.

My mouth returned to hers, and our bodies blended together. Less desperate this time around, but our hands still in discovery mode.

“You smell divine.” One kiss on her shoulder. “Your skin is velvet.” A kiss on her collarbone. “I could eat you up for the rest of my life.”

I sucked on a pebbled nipple while her fingers massaged my scalp. Her whimpers increased when I played her with my teeth. She ground her hips to mine, and I held her still. My entire self hated me when I leaned back, noticing the gloss in her eyes. The love marks on her neck. The rosiness of her puckered peaks. Dropping to my knees, I laved her soaked center with one flick of my tongue.

Madison gasped.

“Now I can’t wait for the tour to be over,” I said. “You’ll think about me every time you touch yourself. And the taste of you will linger on my tongue.”

“Leave now, or it’ll be me who locks you up in my bedroom. You’re not allowed to tease me this good. It’s unfair I’ll have to wait half a year for the real thing.” A contagious grin stretched on her face.

I kissed the apex of her thighs and made my way up to her sticky abdomen, the moist valley of her breasts, her scruff-marked jawline, and her cherry lips. All because of me.