Alpha Billionaire Series

MADII

Mom sipped the last of her tea and set the mug in the sink, leaning back on the counter as she wiped her mouth witl her napkin. Violet had planned what she thought was some sort of intervention by inviting Mom and my best friend Lexi over to demand I open up about my feelings. I had tactfully avoided most of their prying, and even when Violet had been very direct about why she had invited everyone over, I made it clear I was not interested in discussing things and if she wanted to be pushy, she could leave. To which Mom had replied with her peacekeeping.

“Thank you for having us over, Madii.” Mom had changed so much over the past few months. I remembered a time only a few months back when I had dinner at my parents’ house and Mom started to get pushy about me moving on, letting Drew go. I had gotten so upset I got up and left.

Since then, she had been softer, more compassionate. And once Gavin asked for my hand in marriage—without even hinting to me that he was going to do it first—she had come around to support me unquestioningly.This belongs to NôvelDrama.Org.

“Yeah, Madii. I feel like I never see you anymore. Once you and Gavin got engaged, it seemed like you two spent all your time together, except for wedding planning.” Lexi pushed her empty mug across the small dining table where she sat. Violet sulked from the seat next to her.

“No problem, but I'm going to have to ask you ladies to leave. Gavin is coming for dinner tonight and I have a bit of cleaning to do first” I picked up Lexi's empty mug and peeked into Violet's. She had hardly drunk anything. “You done?” I asked her, and she shrugged, her sullen expression telling me she was upset that her plan to corner me hadn't worked.

“Let's go, Vi. You can bring the car back tomorrow. Dad and I have plans.” Mom picked her purse up off the counter and put the strap on her shoulder, tucking it beneath her arm. The growing crow’s feet around her eyes shifted as she smiled at me. “Well, if you two discuss a new date, let me know. I'd love to help make the arrangements again.” Violet pushed her mug in my direction and stood, leaving only Lexi at the table. “I'll be back in the morning.” She sulked out of the room and Mom frowned sympathetically, waving as she followed Violet out the front door.

“So, the good doctor is coming over?” Lexi waggled her eyebrows. “Does that mean things are back on track?” She leaned back in her chair and tapped her fingers on the table.

Avoiding her grin, I picked up Violet's mug and emptied it into the sink, rinsing all of the mugs, including my own. “We haven't talked about it much. I'm taking things slowly, because it's been overwhelming emotionally.”

“Ah, and that is why Violet was upset? She intended for us all to badger you into talking. Boy she is your sister, and she still doesn’t know you. Does she?” Lexi chuckled and stood.

She knew me better than anyone in my life, even the third member of our clique, Crystal, who had strangely been occupied by her own new love interest lately. Leaving the mugs in the sink, I grabbed a towel and dried my hands then turned to hug Lexi before she left.

“Thanks for coming. Maybe we should have lunch sometime. You can visit with Drew a bit too. He's been lonely, and not many of his friends are even around here anymore. I heard Stewart was going to visit soon, but that was a rumor that Alice told us.”

Lexi held me at arm's length after our hug, her eyes suddenly serious. “I'll come visit, but I need you to know something. I watched you with Drew, the ups and downs, and the way you two fit. You seemed perfect for each other, and I was happy when you asked me to be at your wedding.”

“But...?” I was waiting for her lecture. She was the most outspoken person I knew, more so than Violet, so for her to have a strong opinion but not let me hear it was an impossible feat for her.

“But watching you with Gavin... Girl, he loves you. He is perfect for you. And you love him. You were happier with him than you ever were with Drew.” She seemed to notice my facial expression change and she added, “And that's all I'm going to say. Alright?”

I nodded, backing away from her. She snatched her clutch from the kitchen counter and wiggled her fingers over her shoulder as she walked toward the front door. “Don’t do anything I wouldn't do!” she called, which made me smile. My body tensed at the thought of that, with Gavin, tonight. I had no plan to put the moves on him, but it had been three weeks now and I missed him. It was the entire reason I had decided to text him and invite him for dinner. Lexi may not have been entirely right about how happy I was with Drew, or how it differed with Gavin—in my opinion—bu she was right. Gavin did make me happy.

I leaned against the counter with the dish towel in hand, staring at the floor. For the moment my mood was lighter, maybe because of tea with my family and best friend, or maybe because the distraction took my mind off my stress. But for one reason or another, I felt hopeful for the moment. The front door shut, and I sighed, turning back to the sink to load the mugs into the dishwasher.

“You're too pretty to be standing there doing dishes.” Gavin's rich, warm tone filled the room, causing a warm shiver down my back. And before I could turn around, he was wrapped around me, face buried in the side of my neck. “God I miss you.”

I smiled. It was a good feeling having his arms around me again. I tried to push away the nagging guilt that riddled my thoughts and dropped the towel in the sink. Turning in his arms to face him, I breathed him in. He smelled like fresh-cut grass, maybe with a hint of his musky scent, but it was welcoming.

“I didn’t hear you come in.” Draping my arm around his shoulders, I laced my fingers together and welcomed a kiss from him.

“Lexi was on her way out.” His hips pinned mine against the kitchen counter as he leaned in, his hands searching my back as he devoured my lips. When he pulled away, I could see the hunger in his eyes. It wrapped around my heart and warmed me, sending waves of desire through my body.

When I looked at Gavin's face I saw Drew's smile, and I had to look away, forcing myself to not think about him.

“You, okay?” Gavin asked. He loomed over me, his presence so close I could feel his heart thudding against his ribs. “I'm okay,” I mumbled, pressing against his chest. “What do you want to eat?” I squirmed away, uncomfortable but determined to have a good evening. I might have decided last week that I was definitely not getting married to anyone any time soon, but I could at least maintain the connection I had with Gavin. He had been such a good friend, and God knew I needed one right then.

“Oh, anything sounds fine to me.” Gavin followed me out of the kitchen area to the couch. I sat down, pulling the basket of assorted take-out menus out of the small cabinet beneath the coffee table. I slid it across the table and then sat back.

“Take your pick.”

He sat down next to me, ignoring the basket, his eyes trained on my lips. “I see what I want right here.” Leaning in, he looped an arm around my waist and pulled me toward himself, my hips sliding beneath this as he bent forward. His lips met mine with such ferocity I had to pause to catch my breath.

“Gavin, I'm not sure...” It was all I got out before his mouth covered mine again, his tongue tracing my bottom lip. His teeth nipped at my lip so I nipped back and wrapped my arms around his waist as he pulled me farther down on the couch. This was not how I saw my evening going at all, but I ached inside to feel that closeness I had with him.

“Shit, I miss you." His teeth sank into my neck, and he slowly lowered his weight onto me as I scrambled to straighter my legs before I was crushed.

“Gavin,” I said, my neck arched back, “I thought I told you I needed space.” My mouth protested him in word, but my body responded to his touch indeed. My groin pulsed with unmet need, even as my hands tugged at his tucked-in shirt.

“Can I just take care of the woman I love? Because I know what you need. And what you need is to forget everything else for a while and just let me love you.” His soft growl as he ground against me made my body tense. I wanted him, but that stood at odds with the growing sense of guilt in my chest.

I pushed his chest, hoping for a breather, but he continued pursuing me. Taking both of my wrists into one hand and pinning them above my head. His relentless kisses made me whimper. I didn’t know if I wanted him to stop, or just ravish me.

“Gavin... please...” My pleas were met with more aggression, his hand holding firm on my wrists, the other working at the button on my jeans. He knew exactly what I enjoyed, and I could tell he intended to give it to me, if only I could shake the weight in my gut. “Gavin...”

“Shhh.”

He stopped, one hand on my arms, the other in the open fly of my pants. His eyes locked on mine, and I could see the need in them. The way his chest heaved, the hard bulge in his pants. I hadn't stopped to think about him for a split second over the past three weeks, but my heart in that moment leapt from my chest and all I wanted to do was please him.

“You are going to be my wife, Madison Springer. And more than anything else, I want you to know how wanted and needed you are. I love you. And if I have to hold you down to prove it, I will. Now, are you going to fight me, or are you going to let me love you?”

For a moment, I wanted to protest, to tell him I wanted to take it slow. But I knew myself. And given the last few weeks of wrestling, if the adventure-seeking woman inside of me didn't just take over right now, I'd find a way to convince myself that it wasn't right, that I belonged to Drew still.

“Shut up and fuck me,” I told him, squeezing his hips between my thighs. My pulse raced. I felt alive again for the firs time in weeks. I threw caution to the wind and lifted my head, meeting his as he crashed down onto me. I twisted my arms, but he refused to ease up. Instead, his grip got stronger, so I fought back, biting his lip again.

Gavin winced and chuckled, sliding his hand into my jeans. His thumb pushed on the outside of my panties, rubbing my c**t before slipping down lower. I felt the moisture there, soaking into the silky fabric. He felt it too; I could tell the moment he smiled against my mouth.

“Good girl..." His thumb pushed hard against my opening, as if he wanted to tear the fabric away for faster access. I raised my hips up to meet his touch, but he clicked his tongue and pulled his hand away. “Who is in charge here?” There was a playfulness in his eyes, and I grinned at him.

“Well, if you don’t start making things happen I guess I'll have to take charge.” I gyrated my hips. “You started this, sc you better make me forget everything before I change my mind.”

Though my tone was playful, the words delivered their intended meaning. I knew my expression pleaded with him to just take charge because in my heart it was what I wanted—someone else to make the decisions, to tell me what to do. I couldn't do it anymore. I just wanted a break.