“I couldn’t stop now, even if I wanted.” He kissed her, marking her with all the passion and yearning she had felt for so long. “I need this. Damn it, I need you.”
And then he plunged into her with one deep stroke.
Madison let out a keening cry at the feel of him stretching and filling her. None of her fantasies, none of the men she had been with in the past, had ever felt like this, because this…this was completion.
He stilled, seated deep inside her. One hand came up, brushing the damp hair back from her forehead. “You’re so tight…” His voice was guttural, near animalistic. “Are you okay?”
She nodded and then wrapped her legs around his hips. Chase tipped his head back, groaning, and then she rocked her hips up. The veins in his neck protruded, as they did in his arms. And then he started to move, slow and languid strokes that drove her crazy. The friction of their bodies moving together, the sounds in the otherwise silent cabin, heightened her pleasure.
Lost… Madison was lost.
For so long, he held back while she cried out for more, and when he finally gave it to her, she gasped as his hands clamped down on her wrists, holding her still. He thrust hard, her hips surging to meet his.
Pressure built inside her, zinging through her veins like bottled lightning. It was too much—too intense. Her head kicked back, her body trembling.
“Come for me,” Chase whispered against her neck. “Let go.”
And Madison did. She came apart, shattering around him as she called out his name. Two quick, hard thrusts later and she felt him find his release, his huge body spasming over hers as aftershocks racked his body.
When it was over, he eased out of her and onto his back, gathering her close so that her cheek rested above his pounding heart. Both of them struggled with their breathing.
She’d never felt anything like that before and knew she’d never feel it again. Heaven.
Madison closed her eyes. There was a good chance she’d regret this in the harsh light of the morning and after weeks, maybe months from now. But in a few years, she’d be able to look back and know that she’d had him, if only for one night.
Chapter Nine
Lazily, Madison stretched and smiled at the pleasant burn in her muscles. Last night… yes, it had probably been the best night of her life. No lie. After Chase had a few moments to recover, he’d flipped her onto her stomach, drew up to her knees and…yeah, like she said, best night of her life. And her body was already warming, readying for him again.
Last night had to have been a turning point for them. The way he’d…the way he’d made love to her, it meant something deep, irrevocable, and perfect. She just knew it. Somehow they’d burned down those barriers without words. He had to see he was so much better than his father and he had to know that they were meant for this.
She rolled over and reached for the warmth of his body and found…nothing.
Her eyes snapped open.
The spot next to her was empty, but the scent of woods and something wild lingered on the pillow and twisted sheets.
Madison turned to the couch, but that, too, was empty. A deep sense of foreboding took root, and she scrambled off the bed, clutching a sheet around her. She checked the bathroom, but he wasn’t there, either.
He’d left without saying anything.
Her heart turned over painfully.
Okay. She was being stupid. He could be doing anything. Getting them breakfast or walking outside, enjoying the clean morning air.
Hurrying over to the window, she parted the blinds, wincing at the bright glare. The deck was empty. As far as she could see, there was no Chase. Turning around, she shivered as her gaze drifted over the bed. He didn’t leave her, not after a night like that. There was no way, because that…that would be like working it out of your system. That would be like getting what you wanted and then bailing, like guys did on one-night stands.
Last night wasn’t a one-night stand.
Her gaze travelled to the couch again, then to where her suitcase was near the small closet and then…her eyes darted back to the suitcase.
Coldness seeped into her bones.
His luggage was gone.
Heart pounding, she crossed the room and threw open the closet door. Two of her dresses and her bridesmaid’s dress hung in the closet, but all of Chase’s stuff—his tux, his dress shirts—were gone. As were his shoes, and she knew if she checked the bathroom, his stuff would be gone from there, too.
Madison stood in front of the closet until she realized she was shaking.
He’d left her.
He’d actually left her.
In a numb, painful daze, she went back to the bed and sat on the edge. Her throat burned and her eyes stung, but she clamped it down, pushed it all down. Minutes turned into an hour and still he didn’t show.