Just One Room - Chapter 4

Rigby narrowed his eyes at her and followed her to his feet. Madi was about to bend down to pick up the blanket when he wound a strong arm around her waist and, with no effort at all, lifted her up and into him. Her breasts pushed into his chest, and she felt the long ridge of his erection against her stomach. His mouth hovered over hers, just out of reach. Refusing to close the gap between them, she tipped her head, waiting for his next move. Rigby handed her a half smile before clamping his free hand to the back of her head to hold her in place and tunneled his fingers into her thick hair.

His mouth covered hers and this time there was no indecision, no playing around. She tasted his frustration and sipped on his desire. His tongue wound around hers, twisting and turning, and she responded by hooking her thigh over his hip. Rigby placed his hand under her butt and boosted her up, easily holding her off her feet. Madi crossed her ankles behind his back and gripped her knees against his sides. Her hands explored his head, his neck, streaked over his shoulders, down his back as she fell into a kiss that was as sublime as it was dangerous, as sexy as it was intense. There was no one but him in their universe, nothing was more important than having his hand underneath her short skirt, his fingers sliding under the edge of her panties to explore the skin of her butt. She’d fantasized about him touching her, but she’d never imagined that it could be as phenomenal as this.

Madi was about to suggest they explore more of each other on the blanket, but she had no willpower to stop kissing Rigby. In a few minutes she would have to, because if she didn’t pull her mouth off his, she wouldn’t be able to kiss his strong neck, drag her teeth over his collarbone, or run her tongue down his abs and over that sexy hip muscle all fit men sported. She wanted to wrap her hand around his thick, impressive shaft.

To do any of that, she had to stop kissing him.

Rigby took that decision out of her hands when he pulled away from her mouth to trail kisses across her jaw and down her throat. He ran his hand over her chest and pulled the elasticized band of her off-the-shoulder dress down, revealing her lacy white strapless bra. Without hesitation, Rigby dropped his head and pulled a nipple into his mouth, sucking her through the fabric of her expensive bra, transferring the heat of his mouth to her nipple. His fingers pushed between her legs from behind and there was nothing she wanted more than for them to slide into her, his thumb rubbing her clit. She couldn’t remember when last, if ever, she’d been this turned-on.

They didn’t have a condom, but she was on the pill. Would Rigby be prepared to take that chance with her? They could use the blanket as a barrier between them and the sand, and make love under the light of the moon. She wanted his mouth between her legs, to feel his bare butt cheeks under her palms, to cup his sack and drag her thumb up and down his shaft. She’d never felt so out of control before, so desperate to be filled and taken. So this was what passion felt like, how it really felt to be beautiful in a man’s arms. After loving her other breast, Rigby lifted his head. Her eyes connected with his and she thought she saw surprise and a little shock there. She liked that she could make this inscrutable man, so in control, look wild-eyed with need and want.

Madi touched his face with her fingertips and lifted her mouth to drag her lips across his. She wanted him, wanted and needed. “Rigby, do you—"

Holy living crap! What the ever-loving—

Madi felt the smack of cold sea water splashing onto her now mostly bare buttocks, thanks to Rigby turning her panties into a thong. She yelped as another wave smacked her legs and splashed up, this time hitting her between her open legs. What had been hot was now cold. If she looked down, she might see steam…

She did look down—no steam—and saw that Rigby stood ankle-deep in the incoming tide. Her blanket was a soggy mess. “The tide has come in,” she stated.

“Got that,” Rigby replied, as her feet hit the soggy sand.

“I didn’t notice,” Madi stated, a little discombobulated.

“And I didn’t care,” Rigby replied, holding her arm as she wobbled on her feet. “Are you okay?”

Yep. Just a little overwhelmed by that kiss. She’d asked for real and she’d gotten it, in spades. Now she didn’t know what to do with it. Rigby bent down and picked up the bottle of red wine, cursing when he saw that it, too, had suffered from being doused by a rogue wave.

“What a waste,” he muttered, bending again to pick up the cork and the knocked-over wineglasses.

He nodded at the wet blanket. “Do you need some help with that?”

Madi flung the corners together—only half of it was wet—and quickly folded it into a square. Luckily it was lightweight, and she could hold it in one hand. She glanced around, nodded and then looked at Rigby. “Well, that was fun,” she told him, trying to keep it light as they started the walk up the beach to the path that would take them back to the apartment.

“Did I bring my A game?’ Rigby asked, placing a light hand on her back.

She sighed. Well, she’d asked for it. “And your B, C and D game. Are you as good in bed as you are good at kissing?”

His white teeth flashed as he grinned. “I think I am better.” Oh, she did enjoy a confident man. “Would you like to put that to the test?”

She very much would, but it was one thing fantasizing about a man for a year and another hopping into bed with him after a scorching-hot kiss. In the real world, she had terrible taste in men—was Rigby just another on a long list? She’d been burned so many times before…

It was so much easier living her life alone, only committing to a fantasy man and letting that be enough for her. It was cowardly, maybe—she was imagining life rather than living it—but she was so done with the drama that came with dating.

He might be a sexy one-night stand, but she’d had so-called one-night stands that led to her longest relationships. Rigby could rocket her from zero to sixty with a simple kiss, but she knew that something would go wrong soon enough. All the good guys were taken, and those who were single still had issues…

With a dead wife, Madi was sure Rigby had more than most. No, it was better to be sensible and slam on the brakes.