Greedily, she huddled deeper under the throw and turned onto her back, bending one knee to rest against the sofa cushion. With one hand, she lifted her dress to her waist. The other she slid under the waistband of her panties and over her mound. She was already puffy and soaking, and the first contact of her fingertips on the neediest part of her body had her gasping. Quickly, she circled, doing her best to keep her expression blank as she rushed headlong toward orgasm.

  “Ah, ah, ah… Not too fast. I said you could play with yourself. I didn’t say you could come.”

  Her fingers froze. She tipped her head back, eyes wide, mouth open in shock. He couldn’t be serious.

  His warning glance told her he was, regardless of how tightly her body was strung. “Don’t look at me like that. In fact, don’t look at me at all. You’re supposed to be ‘napping.’ If you can’t manage to look like you are, I’ll take away your privileges with that juicy cunt.”

  She slammed her eyes shut and settled her head back on the arm of the couch in her best interpretation of sleep.

  “Better. If you want playtime to continue, I expect you to be a good girl and touch that pussy exactly the way I tell you. Rub your clit slowly. Make the ache burn. I want you to need this orgasm so badly… Of course you’ll want to wriggle and writhe, but don’t do it. Don’t disappoint me.”

  Madison complied, making soft, slow circles around her clit until every touch was torture. She bit the inside of her cheek. Her legs tensed. Her breaths turned choppy.

  “That feels so good it’s bad, right?” he drawled so close to her ear that his words felt like a physical touch. “I’ll bet it is. Keep doing it. Just like that. Mmm. Let the pleasure burn you.”

  It already was. Madison would have sworn she was searing alive. Still, she obeyed, rubbing herself at a deliberately unrushed pace that made her feel as if she were slowly being dismantled.

  “Pretty,” he growled suddenly. “Now…stop.”

  Her breath caught. She complied, but the ache between her legs surged and throbbed. She pressed her lips together to hold in a whine.

  “Start again but more slowly. Torment yourself for me.”

  As much as she hated it, Madison loved it, too. She couldn’t do anything except cede to his demands.

  “I love to see you aroused for me. So beautiful. So fuckable. I’ll bet you’re dripping.” He paused. “Now rub a little faster. Yes, work yourself up. While you’re at it, lift your free hand to your nipples. They’re hard, aren’t they? Give them each a pinch.”

  Her breath shuddered in and out of her body as she complied, nipping each tip between her thumb and forefinger.

  “No. Squeeze them hard. Make yourself feel it—then apply more pressure. That’s my mouth on them, my teeth at them.”

  If she did what he was demanding…oh, god. The faster pace of her fingers between her legs had already ignited a fire she worried she couldn’t put out alone. But if he made her pinch them until they stung and throbbed⁠—

  “Now, Madison. Don’t be a bad girl. If you keep me waiting, there will be consequences.”

  Shifting under the blanket, she swallowed down a whimper of desperation and squeezed her nipples mercilessly, one after the other. Lightning crashed through her system. A gasp escaped. Her heels dug into the sofa.

  “Yes. Fuck. So pretty. Shove your fingers inside my cunt and rub where it feels best.”

  Madison did, her toes curling and flexing as she stifled a moan and tried to keep her reactions off her face. She knew her cheeks were turning red. They felt hot. Her whole body was tense and ready to explode. Thank god the sun had set by now, and she’d never turned on any lights in the apartment.

  “Fuck yourself with your fingers. Are you soaked now? Craving my cock? I’ll bet you are. Look at you. Gorgeous…”

  The way Matt said the words made her feel beyond beautiful, like a queen on a throne he’d made just for her. When she hit her G-spot, she twisted. A cry escaped. She quickly slammed her mouth shut to kill the sound.

  But not quickly enough.

  “Stop.”

  His demand cut like a knife. She was seconds from a climax she needed almost as much as her next breath, and he was refusing her?

  “Do I need to remind you that I didn’t give you permission to come?”

  That disapproving note in his voice both unsettled and electrified her.

  “Let me see your fingers. Lay your hands on top of the blanket, just above your tits.”

  Despite the fact her fingers were glistening wet? Probably because of it…

  “I’m waiting, and not patiently. And don’t you dare rub them clean on anything.”

  Panting, she complied. The way he vacillated between indulgent lover and stern Dominant confused her. But it thrilled her, too.

  “Look at how wet those fingers are for me. I’m taking a mental picture for my spank bank. Mmm. You get me so fucking hard. I love seeing you touch yourself because I told you to, especially because I know you’re thinking of me.” His low, dirty laugh seeped under her skin and set her blood on fire again. “Now put your fingers back on your clit. Set them there. Don’t move.”

  He was denying and tormenting her even more? Her heart rattled, and she struggled to breathe. She struggled even harder to comply.

  “Five. Four. Three.” He dragged in a rough breath, then hesitated. “No. We’re going too fast. Let’s do this slowly…”

  Was he counting down the seconds until she could stimulate her needy clit again? Oh, god. She felt the heat of her fingers above her aching flesh. Every time her heart beat, her greedy bundle of nerves throbbed. She just needed a tiny bit more friction to reach cataclysm and see the stars.

  And he knew it.

  “We need to start over. Five.” He paused far longer than an instant. “Four. I think you want to be fucked hard and without mercy. If I’m right, bite that pretty, pouty lip.”

  Madison rushed to obey, biting down until she feared she’d drawn blood.

  “That’s what I thought. Three. Two. Ready to beg? If you want to play with what’s mine, you’re going to have to.”

  Damn it, would he ever get to one and let her touch herself again?

  “Not today. Not tomorrow,” he went on as if she had all the time in the world before she spontaneously combusted. “But next time I have you completely alone and you’re all mine, you’ll plead for my cock until your knees hurt and your throat is raw. If you agree to my terms, blink slowly.”

  That sounded wonderful and terrible and exhilarating, and Madison wouldn’t miss it for the world. She lifted her lashes before letting them flutter down to her cheeks again. Imagining all the ways he might torture her with spine-bending denial before he finally granted her climax, a smile flitted across her lips.

  To anyone watching the surveillance feed, she might look like a woman having a wonderfully sublime dream. But this was a torment from the hottest depths of Matt’s mind—and she loved every minute of it.

  “Such a good girl. Keep your legs under the blanket but spread them as wide as you can, like you’re going to show me what’s mine and the ways you torment yourself at my command. For my pleasure.”

  Her heart hammered, and her breath stuttered as she raced to obey.

  “Fuck, that’s pretty. One, honey. Now stroke that pussy. Unravel yourself for me while I watch. Don’t stop until I say so.”

  For a fleeting, belated moment, Madison thought she should feel embarrassed or ashamed or self-conscious. But she didn’t. Not with Matt. And since he might stop her self-pleasure at any moment, she didn’t dare waste time with rumination she could indulge in later.

  Instead, she cleared everything from her head except the shock of sensation the instant she started circling her clit again. Since he didn’t indicate a cadence or pressure, she chose the one she enjoyed most. After all, he’d said to unravel herself…and nothing sent her there faster than the way she stroked herself now, imagining him deep, deep inside her.

  In moments, she realized she’d made a grave mistake. The slow ramp up, followed by the horrible, lip-biting moments of denial, had made her even more sensitive. After a few flicks of her fingers, she was hanging onto the edge of her sanity by a dangerously thin thread.

  “Stop.”

  That whiplike demand stung. It seized her. It bent her spine. It made her keen out in protest. But she did as she was told. Tears rolled from the corners of her eyes while her body shook in need.

  “You’re so beautiful when you’re desperate. Does it hurt? Do you ache for me? Mmm, I can tell you do. Isn’t that delicious? Five.” He breathed roughly in her ear. “Four.” He paused, and she ached to feel his hands and his mouth on her—anywhere, everywhere, in any way. “Three. Get your fingers on that clit. Be ready. Two. Should I get to one? I know you want me to, but maybe I’m not done playing with you…”

  This countdown was every bit as slow as the last one, but it hurt twice as bad. Matt could read her body. He knew exactly how to make her twist in agony and suffer for every scrap of pleasure he gave her. If he didn’t let her unleash all this terrible need he’d built up, Madison didn’t know what she’d do. He’d already stripped her soul bare. She had no shame, just an unceasing, writhing need for him.

  “All right,” he said softly. “One.”

  She raced to settle her fingers on her clit again. As she circled and her pleasure spiraled, her heart thudded, mingling with the cacophony of her racing blood and the sizzle of her skin. God, he was ruining her. She’d never even be able to masturbate again without thinking of him.

  “Madison? Come for me. But you can’t make a sound.”

  The words were barely out of his mouth before the ache between her legs coiled into a swirling geyser of urgency threatening to take her under once and for all. In desperation, she rolled to her side with her fingers still buried between her legs, manipulating herself through the never-ending euphoria while she cried out into a throw pillow. Her body melted and reformed again into a woman who could never belong to any man except Matt.

  The blistering ecstasy seemed to go on forever. Her heartbeat rattled in her ears. Spots danced behind her eyes. Time lost all meaning until finally…finally the grip of rapture released her. She let out a ragged breath, her body falling limp.

  “That’s a good girl. Now open your eyes.”

  She turned onto her other side, toward him, and lifted her lashes. He was now an outline in the shadowy room, lit only by the city’s ambient light. “Matt…”

  Even through the near darkness, his burning eyes caressed her as if nothing and no one would ever be more important to him. “I love you.”

  Tears pricked Madison’s eyes. He’d given her what she needed—release, respite, and a part of himself. But before she could return the sentiment or ask him about his pleasure, he killed the music. Then he set the remote on the coffee table beside her untouched wine. The sudden silence, broken only by her still-harsh breaths and her aching need to convey her love to him, jarred her.

  “Good nap?” he asked wryly for the cameras.

  “Very.”

  “You should probably go to your room, take a shower, and sleep.”

  That was it? She’d known she wouldn’t be able to touch him, and that hurt like a physical ache. “But⁠—”

  “No buts. You need rest. It’s been a long day.”

  And tomorrow would be even more taxing. Todd would come home at some point. No doubt, he’d watch the surveillance feed from his hours away. He might not be able to prove what she and Matt had done this evening, but he would be suspicious. After all, they hadn’t behaved as carefully as they should. Chances were, Todd would come pounding on her door then, itching to pick a fight. That was just how he rolled.

  On the other hand, Matt’s expression warned her not to push back.

  “All right. What are you going to do?” she asked.

  “I’ll be up until five a.m. And if Todd wants to have words when he comes back, I’ll be waiting.”

  Chapter Five

  Just after two a.m., the altercation Matt expected slammed the front door and stormed through the apartment’s open area before stomping down the hall. Matt downed the last of his coffee and waited with violent glee.

  Toddhole stopped short when he saw the path to Madison’s bedroom door blocked. “Move, Montgomery.”

  The bastard tried to shove him aside, so Matt grabbed his wrist. “Don’t touch me.”

  Todd jerked free. “You don’t tell me where I can and can’t go in my own house.”

  “Except Madison’s bedroom. Maybe you don’t grasp the concept of a bodyguard. I’ll explain it in small words. I protect her from anything that threatens or frightens her, especially you. If she’d wanted to see your sorry ass, she wouldn’t have locked you out of her bedroom. So move along.”

  “That lock won’t stop me.” Todd scoffed as he swiped his key fob over the panel to the right of her door.

  The green light flashed, and he reached for the knob.

  Rage burst through every corner of Matt’s system. He was dying to slam Todd against the wall until his skull cracked and his brains oozed out. The fucker had lied about being able to access Madison’s personal spaces and totally disrespected her boundaries. Matt added that to the list of reasons Todd needed to die and placed his body squarely between the asshole and her door. “The lock may not stop you. But I will.”

  Her husband scoffed. “Jesus. Haven’t you figured it out yet, you idiot? Madison isn’t worth your effort. She’s just another pussy. There are literally billions out there.”

  “If that’s how you feel, then you don’t need to be breaking into her bedroom. You’ve got a new ‘pet’ to enjoy.”

  “I do. And she gives an absolutely spine-twisting, knee-melting blow job. Best ever, really.”

  At sixteen. Matt’s gut curdled. Calling this pedophile an asshole was too kind. And as much as he’d love to round up evidence of Todd’s illegal activities with minors and turn them over to the authorities, Matt had no illusions. If the spoiled shit and his grandfather could make both an illegitimate child and his cousin’s murder disappear, they would squash any story about his seduction of underage girls.

  To ensure Todd could never hurt Madison again, he would have to come up with something irrefutable and an ironclad way to bypass the crooked press all too willing to suck Winston Pershing’s senatorial cock.

  “Congratulations on defiling a child. You’re disgusting.”

  He laughed. “Stay on your high-and-mighty horse. More sweet, underage pussy for me.”

  “Another reason you don’t need Madison’s. Move on. I believe your bedroom is that way.” He pointed to the door at the end of the hall.

  Todd’s eyes narrowed. “I say when I’m done with Madison. And I’m not yet. She and I need to chat about her behavior tonight. She isn’t allowed to come for you under my roof.”

  So the douche had already seen the apartment’s security footage.

  “I didn’t touch her,” Matt pointed out.

  Something crossed Todd’s face. He pretended it was revulsion, but Matt wasn’t buying it. “You didn’t have to. Like a shameless slut, she got herself off for you, to the sound of your voice.”

  “Why would you think that? She took a nap. I muttered to myself about the TV remote.”

  “In her ear? With the music up full blast? In the dark?” Todd raised a skeptical brow. “Liar.”

  Matt crossed his arms over his chest and towered over the little prick. “Prove it.”

  “She’s not worth this shit. Instead of protecting her worthless hide so you can occasionally poke her well-used piece of ass, let me make this worth your while. You can walk away a rich man.”

  Matt wasn’t remotely shocked by Todd’s attempted bribery. He was only surprised it had taken this long. He’d half expected the asshole to try buying him off at the airport. “How rich?”

  “Name your price.” Todd’s smarmy confidence was as annoying as it was laughable.

  “You can’t afford me.”

  “Please. You grew up in a nowhere little town in Wyoming, in a shitty fucking ranch house, and you were raised by a whoremongering father with a hard-on for controlling the helpless little sluts he pushed around and banged. You have an obscene number of notches on your bedpost, so you’re a chip off the old block. And no future. All the money you have in the bank right now? I could snort that much up my nose tonight and not even miss it. My family’s wealth is in the top point one percent of this country. I can absolutely afford a nobody like you. Try me.”

  “Everything you said about me and my dad is true. I have nothing to hide, and I never said I was rich. If you’re the poster boy for wealth, I don’t think it’s a virtue. And there isn’t enough money in the world to make me walk away from Madison.”

  “Because you’re pussy whipped?”

  “Because I’m not a sellout, and I don’t like pencil-dicked pricks like you thinking that you can buy me.”

  “She’s not worth giving up millions.”

  “Yet here you are, offering to give me millions so you can keep her.” Matt frowned as if it were the most puzzling mystery in the universe.

  “You fucking asshole. My family needs her for this election.”

  “And she’s agreed to play your pampered, privileged wife until after the midterms. Remember our lovely little negotiation in the swamp?”

  “The one where I could smell you all over my half-naked wife?”

  Well, Deke called it. Todd didn’t want Madison, but his pride couldn’t handle losing her to another man.

  “The one where she agreed to come back here, despite how much she hates your cheating, overprivileged ass, and stay until your grandfather is reelected in exchange for a divorce. She’s complied with your demands. You’re the one trying to fuck with her by buying me off. Let me clue you in, sport. It’s not going to happen. So walk your happy ass to your bedroom, sleep off your”—he sniffed at Todd—“expensive gin, and leave Madison alone.”