“I don’t know what to think. I never expected Todd to show up this morning or that I’d be going back to DC. Everything is happening so fast.”

  Matt wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close. “I told you that I won’t walk away just because you’re afraid for me. That’s still true. Besides, you might be married to Todd, but as long as I protect you, you’re mine. That lush mouth. That sweet pussy. That pretty ass. Every thought, every wish, every ache, every heartbeat? Mine.”

  He made that clear each day when he pressed her body beneath his and bent her to his filthy-minded will, wrenching pleas from her while he reduced her to a shaking, shuddering mess. But possessing her was easy when she didn’t push back and no one challenged him. What would happen when Todd stood between them? Or when Matt had to suffer consequences for wanting her? Even if he stuck it out, would he have endured too much once her divorce was final and the danger had passed? Would he leave her then for good?

  “Matt…”

  “Don’t ‘Matt’ me. I mean it. Every inch of you is mine. Are we clear?”

  “Fine, but⁠—”

  “No buts. You didn’t put any conditions on my claim.”

  “I can’t be yours when we’re under his roof.”

  He raised a brow, oozing displeasure as he grabbed her chin. “That’s where you’re wrong, honey. You’re always mine. Just because I may not be touching you, that doesn’t change.”

  Madison swallowed. On so many levels, she felt like his—every day, every night, every moment. But their past still loomed like a shadow. So did their future. Sometimes, she swore he must be in love with her. His face said it. His body said it. The way he cared for her, so often putting her needs first, said it. But he never spoke the words out loud.

  “Why does me being yours matter?”

  “If it’s not clear how much I want you, I’ll demonstrate again.” He peered down at her, his words an overtly sexual thrill.

  Excitement buzzed through Madison. She’d obviously gone insane. They had so many other problems beyond their relationship, and that’s where she should be focused. But under his sizzling stare, all that melted away. Her breath caught. The familiar ache for him gripped her belly.

  In the past twelve days, he’d dismantled her will to resist. It never mattered if everything between her legs was tender or that she’d come for him so many times her thighs felt like rubber and her womb cramped. Apparently, her body didn’t care that her husband planned to torment them for months. Even the suggestion that Matt wanted to touch her sent her pulse racing.

  He shifted closer, his body heat burning her from the inside out. “Do you need me to, honey?”

  As much as she wanted to say yes, she couldn’t. He hadn’t answered her question, merely skirted the truth. And sex would solve nothing. “We should put the groceries away.”

  Matt shoved the cooler aside and jerked her against his body. “They’ll keep. Are you regretting that you agreed to be mine?”

  Didn’t he know how she felt? “No.”

  “Since that morning in the motel, have you once wanted to undo it?”

  “No.”

  “Then you’re still mine.”

  Madison should balk, but why fight something she craved to her very bones? “I am, but⁠—”

  “I’m not walking away, and I won’t let Todd come between us again. We’re going to do our damnedest to come out of this together.”

  Emotion lumped in her throat. “I want that. More than anything.”

  But after years of assuming she’d been nothing to Matt but a weekend fling and the seemingly endless pleasure he’d given her since coming to the swamp, it was hard not to question whether he wanted her for more than sex. On the other hand, he’d been a different man lately, more relaxed, more open and communicative. And his possessiveness seemed to be growing.

  If he doesn’t love you, why?

  Her hopeful heart kept asking that question. She had to stop fantasizing that, if not for everything he’d been through with his father, Matt would confess his feelings. Rationalizing that he simply needed more time to know how he felt wasn’t helpful, either. The ugly truth was, thinking about their future shouldn’t be her first priority. She stood a better chance of surviving Todd with Matt protecting her, period. When this ordeal was over, she would worry about whether he still wanted her.

  Matt kissed her forehead. “Then that’s what we’ll do.”

  Madison hoped their determination would be enough but swallowed her worries for now. Wordlessly, they worked together to empty the cooler. Matt grabbed the boxes of condoms, taking one into the bedroom, then dropping the rest in the dungeon.

  She disappeared into the bathroom, her thoughts awhirl as she washed her hair. After twenty fruitless minutes of trying not to let Todd’s threats buckle her composure, she stepped into the hall with damp tresses braided, her towel wrapped around her, and her thoughts more confused than ever.

  Matt waited in the bedroom, hair tamed, shirtless and motionless. He drilled her with his stare. At first glance, he looked something close to normal, but he was too still. Then she saw his eyes. They raged like a storm. His turbulence stirred the air.

  “Is something wro⁠—”

  “Are you hungry?” he demanded.

  “I’m okay. You?”

  “I ate while you showered. Are you thirsty? Have a headache? Need the bathroom?”

  In other words, did she have anything to address before he unpacked whatever was on his mind. “No.”

  On slow footsteps, Matt closed in. “I don’t want you worrying about me. You’re my focus. So we’re going to get straight, you and I. If you think I’m being overprotective or controlling, I probably am. No apologies. I don’t like your husband near you, and I’m more concerned with your safety than stepping on your toes.”

  Madison understood. “I don’t want to be around Todd, either. But he’s made sure we can’t avoid him. He knows we’re together, but like Deke pointed out, we can’t flaunt it and give him ammunition to use during the divorce.”

  “We need to game plan how to handle the next three months. I’m already working on a strategy.”

  “Like what? How do we function under his roof? Or even communicate? One of the best things about being here with you is the fact we’ve talked more. I don’t feel like you’re putting up emotional walls between us anymore.” She took a risk and grabbed his hand. “I feel closer to you.”

  He squeezed her fingers in return. “Since coming here, I’m more comfortable with who I am and what we have. I’ll have to thank Jack in a big way when I’m able, but a huge part of the reason I’m in a better place is you.”

  But once they left the swamp, she would have to do without the succor of Matt’s touch and pretend they didn’t have any connection. That had her reeling. “When we’re at Todd’s place, I know we can’t talk, but I don’t even think it’s safe to write notes or text. Surveillance will capture everything we say and do. So what are our options?”

  “We’ll figure out something. We’ll devise hand gestures, or rely on the placement of items. Hell, maybe we’ll use smoke signals,” he tried to joke.

  The last thing Madison felt like doing was laughing.

  “And we’ll have our day away from his prying eyes each week,” Matt said reassuringly. “I’ll handle the rest.”

  Though Louisiana sweltered in July, the thought of only being her real self with him once a week had her shivering. “I’m worried.”

  “I am, too. It won’t be easy to hold myself back from comforting you after Todd has done his best to tear you down. And I have no idea how I’ll stop myself from wringing his worthless neck.”

  “He’ll bait you and try to make you lose your temper so he can have you arrested and make a spectacle of you.”

  “While he isolates you. Honey, I know.” He sidled closer. “But that’s not my biggest worry. It shouldn’t be yours, either.”

  “What is, then?”

  He smiled faintly. “Figuring out how I’m going to keep my hands off you.”

  That really wasn’t a concern…but it was. Madison could only imagine how terribly her body would ache without him. After their very first weekend together, her withdrawals had lasted forever. Now that they’d spent nearly two inseparable weeks? Her unfulfilled need for him might do her in. “I wish you didn’t have to, but⁠—”

  “I know.” Matt closed the last of the distance between them. “Anytime I do this to myself”—he thumbed her swollen lip—“just know that I want to kiss you. If I brush my temple, that means I’m thinking of you.”

  “A secret language?” She smiled. “I like it. And if I lick my lips, what do you think I’m saying?”

  “Whatever it is, I’m hoping it’s as dirty as it looks.”

  She dropped her voice, wanting to live in this moment with him forever. “I want to wrap my mouth around you.”

  He smiled in that brash, dirty way that never failed to turn her on. “Yeah? If I lick my lips, honey, consider that a promise. Next time we’re alone, I’ll get my mouth on your cunt and make you scream until you can’t anymore.”

  Heat scorched her. She needed to focus…but she couldn’t resist pushing aside reality for a few stolen instants before Todd’s coercion overtook her every waking moment.

  “I’d like that,” she breathed.

  He bent to her ear. “We’ll have to think of some way for me to communicate how badly I want to fuck you. I’m pretty sure grabbing my hard cock and crooking my finger to make you come take care of it would be too overt.”

  “You think?” she teased.

  “While effective”—he nipped at her lobe—“sadly, yes.”

  With a sigh of regret, Matt backed away, studying her. Silence fell. Clearly, he still had something on his mind.

  “What else do we need to talk about?” she asked.

  “I don’t want to upset you, but⁠—”

  “We have to be serious. After Todd’s bomb, we don’t have the luxury of joking around.”

  Face grim, Matt nodded. “The first—and the most important—thing we need to work on is your trust. You’re still questioning my dedication.”

  “I’m not. I just…” But she couldn’t finish that sentence without proving his point. Deep down, she was wondering how long he’d stick it out.

  “See? You are.”

  She flushed guiltily. “I don’t mean to. I trust you in a lot of ways.”

  “With your physical safety, sure. If you didn’t, you would never have knocked on my window the night you returned to Lafayette. But you have to trust me—with everything—if you’re going to survive Todd. And I’ll have to repair the damage I did after turning you over to Nash the following morning.”

  “You did what you thought was safest.”

  “It was also easiest. If you weren’t mere feet away, I wouldn’t have to admit I still wanted you or think about the way you made me feel.”

  Madison’s heart caught. “And now?”

  “The minute you went missing from Nash’s place, I had to face the hard truth that I’d left you twice, and I couldn’t do it again.” He dragged her body closer. “But words are cheap, and you have a history of being ghosted by guys. Believing me will take time.”

  “We don’t have the luxury of indulging my feelings.”

  “But if they affect your trust, they matter. Todd will try to manipulate them the second you walk through his door. If our connection isn’t strong enough, he’ll erode everything between us. Then, not only will he have the means to drive us apart, you’ll be less likely to listen to me if you’re in actual danger.”

  He was right. “What should we do?”

  “I could repeat that I hope we leave DC together, but words don’t mean much until we establish the trust to back them up. Meet me in the dungeon in five minutes. Naked. Am I clear?”

  Madison’s heart lurched. She swallowed. Todd had put them in a precarious, life-or-death situation; she shouldn’t be this eager to feel Matt’s touch. But why lie? Of course, growing their connection naturally would be better, but they couldn’t indulge in feel-good crap or waste time. They had to jump into the fire. If her need for Matt wasn’t so bone-deep, maybe she could stop herself from falling more in love with him. But she didn’t see that happening, even if he broke her heart again in the end.

  Solemnly, she nodded. “Yes, Matt.”

  Chapter Two

  Anticipation pinged through Matt as Madison disappeared down the hall, her footsteps fading toward the dungeon. Her trust in them wasn’t solid, and he needed to shore that up and cement them into an unbreakable pair for the trial to come ASAP.

  But that wasn’t all. He wanted her forever.

  Madison had a hold on his heart. She understood him in a way he doubted any other woman could. He didn’t foresee ever willingly letting her go. But if he confessed that he loved her, would she assume he’d dropped the L-bomb as a shortcut to trust? If she did, that would fuck up the very faith he needed to strengthen. Nor could he use pleasure to communicate his feelings. She’d think all he wanted was sex. And he couldn’t run the risk of her treating him like more than a bodyguard once they reached DC. Todd would use that to wreak havoc.

  After the asshole’s visit, it was clear Matt had to prove she could trust him beyond her safety. Whatever they built together would not only help them through the ordeal with her soon-to-be ex, but restore their connection after Todd did his best to gut it. Until then, he couldn’t take Madison in his arms like a man in love. He had to challenge her like the Dom who feared for her life.

  He also needed a fallback plan. An insurance policy. Leverage. If he could dig up whatever dirt Todd had killed his cousin and best friend to bury, maybe he could devise an irrefutable way to expose the asshole to the public and free Madison for good.

  Matt dashed into the bathroom and grabbed a few necessities, then deposited them in the great room. He set up the coffee table to suit his purposes. After that, he dragged a chair to the middle of the kitchen, withdrew some food from the fridge, and blew out a deep breath. In an hour, he’d know exactly how much confidence she had in his ability to care for her and precisely where their trust needed to grow.

  Squaring his shoulders, he headed to the dungeon. As he’d instructed, she’d removed every stitch and stood in the middle of the room blissfully bare, head bowed.

  Every time he found her waiting naked for him, he felt humbled and damn near speechless—not to mention aroused as fuck. “Madison?”

  “Yes, Matt.”

  Her breathless reply thrilled him. He flipped on the lights and headed for her. She trembled with every step he took in her direction, her cheeks pinkening, her nipples peaking, her pussy plumping. The Dom in him loved seeing her body prepare itself for pleasure. The operative in him worried the telltale signs wouldn’t go unnoticed by the Pershing family, the public, or the media.

  When she risked a glance at him, the adulation in her eyes stopped him. “I love your submission and the way your body responds when we’re alone, honey. You have no idea. But in DC, you can’t react to me or give anyone any indication that I’m more than your bodyguard. It could be the difference between life and death.”

  “I know, but how?”

  “We’re going to work on that.” He would make her practice looking through him, as if he were an inanimate fixture in the room, until it became second nature. “Close your eyes and focus on my voice.”

  Since those commands were easy, she did so without hesitation. She’d complied with similar requests for the past twelve days, and he’d always rewarded her with bliss. Now, his demands would get unfamiliar and difficult. And unless she improved by leaps and bounds, the rewards would be few and far between.

  “Don’t react to anything I say or do unless I demand a response.”

  “Yes, Matt.”

  “What’s your safe word?”

  “Library.”

  As he plucked a blindfold from a hook along the wall, he dissected her body language. She was trying to hide his effect on her, but as he approached, her respiration ticked up. He breathed on her nape, and a shudder wriggled down her spine. As he circled her with slow steps, her pulse hammered at her neck. And when he eased so close their body heat mingled, she leaned in, erasing what little distance he’d left between them.

  “I’ll tell you when you have permission to touch me.” Matt eased away, ignoring the ache behind his fly, and slid the blindfold over her eyes. “Until then, you don’t.”

  Madison stiffened. He loved looking into her eyes as he unraveled her, so they hadn’t played with sensory deprivation since their first day at Jack’s cabin. But to expand her trust, he had to force her to rely totally on him, to comply now and shelve her questions for later.

  “Do you understand?” he prompted.

  “Yes, Matt.”

  “Green, yellow, or red?”

  “Green.”

  He caressed his way down her side, his knuckles skimming dangerously close to her pussy. Her body jerked. Her hips jolted toward his touch.

  “Hold still,” he commanded.

  “I’m trying.”

  “Trying isn’t enough.”

  “Every time you come near me, I get aroused.”

  Her words were gasoline on his sparking libido. “I told you not to react. And I didn’t give you permission to speak.”

  She curled her hands into fists and swallowed her reply. “Yes, Matt.”

  “When I come close?” he murmured into her ear. “Do. Not. Move. A. Single. Muscle. Are we clear?”

  “Yes, Matt.”

  Her shaky reply blew her facade of indifference to hell. Her little quivering voice turned him on. “Relax.” When she arranged her body into a reasonable facsimile of a casual pose, he nodded. “Stay like that.”

  On the far side of the room, he retrieved a pair of headphones. To Madison’s credit, she didn’t turn her head or give any indication she’d heard him.