want everything you said and more.” A mischievous grin came to my lips. “And I could never live with myself if I lost you to such a curable ailment.”
After opening the door, Patrick again took my hand, intertwining our fingers, and led me through the doorway. The lights within were off, yet beyond the windows and far below, the lights of Chicago twinkled. Down the hallway we went and into the master bedroom. With a flip of the switch, the windows became mirrors to the night and the room flooded with warm light.
“Lights on or off?” he asked.
I scanned the man before me. He still wore his suit trousers and a white button-up shirt. In his more casual style, his sleeves were rolled to his elbows and his jacket and tie were gone. His chiseled jaw held just the right amount of beard growth, and his eyes shone such as a spring sky under his golden eyebrows and hair.
“On,” I said. “On, because if the clouds…” What he calls my memories. “…return, all I have to do is open my eyes and see the man who loves me when no one should.”
His lips curled upward as he came to me. “Lights on, because I can see the most astonishing woman in the world who deserves all the love I can provide. Lights on, so I can make love to you and watch your gorgeous green eyes.” He reached for the hem of the white sweater and lifted it over my head. The length of my hair flowed down my back. His fingertips skirted over my collarbone and shoulders, leaving goose bumps in their wake. “Lights on, so that I can see your flawless skin as I…” He kissed my neck, sending shivers down my spine. “…taste you.”
I reached behind and unclasped the bra as he tugged it from my shoulders. Sitting on the edge of the bed, I bent down to unzip the boots when Patrick knelt before me.
“Having you back is a gift I want to unwrap.”
Setting my hands behind me, I leaned back as he removed my boots, socks, and slacks. Latching his long fingers around the waist of my panties, I lifted my hips as he tugged them over my thighs and down to my ankles until they too were lost to the floor.
My cheeks rose, taking in his now-standing toned form. “Our state of dress is unfair.”
“I could fucking look at you for hours.” His head tilted as he leaned forward, brushing the tip of his finger over an old scar. “I didn’t see this at the hotel or on the plane.” His blue eyes met mine. “What happened?”
They were back, the clouds, building and billowing on the horizon.
No. I wouldn’t let them steal my joy.
“Living in the present,” I reminded him. Pushing the clouds and memories away, I stood and reached for the buttons of his shirt. “I want to look, too.”
Patrick didn’t push for an answer or protest as my fingers nimbly loosened one button and then another. I tugged his starched shirt over his shoulders, revealing his defined torso. Once his shirt was gone, I again laid my hand against his chest. “Your heart is still beating fast.”
Placing his arms under my legs and shoulders, he lifted me up, cradling me against his broad chest as he carried me to the bed and threw back the blankets.
“Tell me your name,” he demanded as he laid me upon the soft sheets.
“Madeline Kelly.”
Unlatching his belt and trousers, Patrick allowed them to fall to his ankles. His leather loafers were next, followed by the pants. Within the confines of his silk boxer briefs, his erection strained against the fabric.
My gaze fluttered from the boxers to his blue eyes and back as I moved upon the mattress to my knees and reached for the waistband. His length sprang forward as I lowered the silk. Leaning forward, I ran my tongue over the glistening tip, eliciting a deep growl radiating from his chest. Opening my lips, I took him in as far as I could, wrapping my fingers around the remainder of his length. Opening my eyes, I peered upward until our eyes met. His pupils had grown, a signal of the intensity of his arousal. Under my touch his balls tightened, the muscles in his thighs stiffened, and his fingers wove through my hair.
“Fuck, Maddie.”
I couldn’t pull my eyes away from his as I slowly moved up and down his hard shaft. With each flick of my