Page 29 of Wyoming Bodyguard (Sunrise Security #1)

T he journey downstairs was filled with playful kisses and a trail of clothing. By the time they made it to Lily’s room, she was in her black lace bra and panties. The cool air pouring from the vents wasn’t enough to dim the heat consuming her. She needed it all off. Now.

Madden stood in front of her with his chest and feet bare, his jeans hanging low on his hips. Stacked muscles rippled along his torso and on his biceps, making her fingers itch to touch him. He closed her door then turned to her on a low growl.

Her toes curled into the soft rug, and desire burst into flames in her core. She reached for him, but he shook his head and avoided her touch. She jutted her bottom lip, head cocked to the side. Her long locks spilled over her shoulders. “Change your mind?”

A husky laugh rose from his throat. “You kidding me? No way. I just want to look at you. You’re so damn beautiful.”

She squirmed under his perusal, but not because of embarrassment or self-consciousness. He stared at her like a dying man about to devour his last meal, and she couldn’t wait to give him exactly what he craved.

He stalked toward her. Fire lit his eyes, clear as day even in the darkness of the room.

Slowly, he traced his index finger down the side of her face then glided it over the exposed column of her neck until he hooked it under her bra strap.

He dragged the strap over her shoulder then pressed a kiss on the shallow dent above her collarbone.

Tremors of excitement rippled along her spine, and she swallowed hard. Her rapidly beating heart was the only sound in the room.

“Should we get rid of this?” he asked, tugging on the thin material.

When she couldn’t speak, he took a step back, one dark eyebrow arched high. “Should I stop?”

“No,” she said, her voice nothing but a wisp of air.

Smirking, he flattened one palm on her hip and put his other finger back under her strap.

He locked his gaze on hers as he trailed his knuckle from down the strap to the top of her bra.

He dipped his finger inside the material and traced it along the top of her breast. “Tell me if it’s too much.

If there’s anything you don’t like. Tonight’s about you, showing you how much you mean to me. ”

She sucked in a sharp breath as her nipples hardened. He hadn’t even touched her there yet, but just the thought of his hands on her—teasing her—set her blood on fire.

His chuckle skimmed across her skin. “I like you like this.”

She couldn’t help but grin. “You mean practically naked?”

“That doesn’t hurt. But I mean waiting.” He ducked his head to replace his fingers, pushing the rest of the cup of her bra aside to free her breast. “Your body trembling and your wicked imagination wondering what I plan to do next.” His tongue flicked out to trace the hard bud of her nipple as he freed the hook at her back, ridding her of the pesky patch of fabric.

She groaned and squirmed, needing more. Needing him.

He moved to take her other breast in his mouth while his hands slid down her sides to dip into her panties. He dropped to his knees, taking the lace with him to the floor.

His face was so close to her most intimate place, but not close enough. She threaded her hands in his hair and encouraged him to take her in his mouth.

Madden griped her hips in his large hands and swiped his thumb along her sensitive mound, combining it with his warm breath.

A shiver shot through Lily, shaking her knees.

Her body trembled, and ragged breaths tore from her chest in quick pants.

When his tongue slipped into her wetness, she tightened her grip on his hair and tugged.

Her balance teetered as her head spun. She ground her hips against him, bucking and writhing as his fingers thrust inside her.

His tongue moved faster. Ripples of pleasure cascaded inside her and pushed her over the edge.

Her muscles seized before her body went lax. “Holy shit, Madden.”

Grinning, he stood and scooped her off her feet to carry her to the bed. He laid her gently on the soft comforter and hovered above her. “I’ve wanted to do that longer than I care to admit.”

Lily propped herself on her elbows and flicked her glance toward his jeans. “I think it’s about time to do what I’ve wanted.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

Not waiting another second, she undid the button and helped him move the thick material down his thighs. She traced the hard muscles on his back as he kicked his pants the rest of the way off then removed his boxers.

Her mouth watered as she watched him find a condom in the back pocket of his jeans. He knelt on the bed beside her, his manhood jutting in all its glory.

“You sure you’re ready for this? We can stop if you need more time.”

She stared at him with her heart pounding, happiness building inside her. After everything they’d gone through, everything he’d done for her, this was one of the easiest decisions she’d ever made. “I want to take every step with you, Madden. Come here.”

She opened her arms and he lowered himself on top of her, catching her mouth in his as he settled over her. She took the now-open condom from him and slid it over his dick.

He moaned, eyes closed and body still.

She moved her hands around to grip his ass and trailed kisses from the top of his shoulder, up his neck, and lingered on his delicious mouth.

He braced himself on one arm as the other hand cradled her cheek. He stared into her eyes as if he desired to know every secret she had trapped inside her brain. “You’re magical, Lily. You always have been.”

She smiled and pressed her lips to his palm as he entered her. She gasped, her center stretching to fit him.

He stilled, eyes wide. “You okay?”

She nodded. “Better than okay.”

He grinned and began a slow, gentle movement. Each thrust sent spikes of pleasure shooting through her. She shut her eyes, savoring the feel of him. Stars burst behind her closed lids. She’d lived nearly three decades and had never felt so damn good—never felt so loved and cherished.

“Open your eyes,” he said, his voice deep and gravelly.

She did as he asked and the look on his face stole her breath. Her heart raced and ached at the same time, creating a heady combination.

He stroked the hair back from her face. “I need to see you. Watch you. I want to know the exact moment you fall apart in my arms.”

She watched him watch her, studied the planes of his face as he moved inside her. Each thrust, each movement, each second joined them as one, brought them closer together in ways she couldn’t imagine. Words of love and adoration sat at the tip of her tongue, but she held them back.

Spirals of pleasure rose higher and higher until it crashed into a crescendo of satisfaction. She sealed her mouth on his, licking her tongue into the wet cavern as her body was pushed to the edge for the second time by this man who’d stolen her heart.

Madden broke the kiss, his thrusts growing quicker and more frantic as he began to lose control. Hips pumping. She roamed her hands over his broad back, taking him deeper and deeper until he threw back his head and shouted her name as if she was the answer to all his prayers.

On a huff of breath, Madden collapsed and engulfed her in his arms. He rolled to the side to cradle her against him, tucking her head in the crook of his shoulder.

His fingertips traced lazy circles against her biceps, and he pressed his lips to her temple as he struggled to catch his breath.

“Christ, Lily. The things you do to me.”

She shifted to rest a palm on his chest and stared down at him. “You, sir, are the one doing things to me.”

He smiled for a beat before his expression turned serious. “My whole world has shifted in the last few days because of you.”

“Is that a good thing?”

“That’s a great thing. I’m so relieved you’re safe, but I hate that I don’t have an excuse to be with you all the time. I don’t want to be without you. Ever. And that scares the hell out of me.”

Excitement fluttered in her chest like the wings of a hummingbird. “You don’t have to be away from me. At least not tonight.”

“I have to leave your side for a couple minutes. I’ll be right back.” He gave her a quick kiss and scooted off the bed and left the room.

She watched him leave, counting the seconds until he came back with a warm washcloth in his hand.

“I didn’t know if you needed to wash off, so I brought this.”

Touched by the gesture, of his constant thoughtfulness, she took the cloth, and he turned his back to her. She cleaned herself, tossing the washcloth in the dirty clothes hamper, then scooted under the covers. “Thank you,” she said, a yawn interrupting her words.

He slid in beside her and gathered her in his arms. “Sounds like you’re too tired for round two.”

She snorted out a laugh. “I’ll take you up on that in the morning.”

“My kind of morning. Even better than coffee.”

She snuggled close and listened to his even breaths. His chest rose and fell beneath her cheek until exhaustion pulled her under the dark waves of sleep.

* * *

Lily jolted awake. She blinked in rapid succession to adjust to her surroundings. Strong arms held her tight, and light snores rumbled from Madden.

That must have been what woke her. She couldn’t help but laugh. Guess there’s no such thing as a perfect man.

A quick glance at the clock on her nightstand told her it was the middle of the night.

Plenty of time to close her eyes and catch a few more hours of sleep before she’d be forced to leave the bed.

And with any luck, after seeing to the chores on the ranch, she could talk Madden into coming right back to her room for the rest of the day.

The loud sound of a horse’s panicked cry sent chills racing down Lily’s spine. She jumped out of bed and grabbed her robe from the chair in the corner of the room.

“Wake up,” she shouted at Madden. “Something’s wrong with the horses.”

She didn’t wait for him to respond and ran from the room and up the stairs. More whinnies sounded from outside. Fear for the animals she loved so much pushed her out the front door.

“Oh my God.” The sight of smoke billowing under the barn door stole her ability to move. She pressed a shaking hand to her mouth, not wanting to believe what was right in front of her. “No, no, no.”

Another loud cry shot her forward. She had to get the horses out before they inhaled too much smoke, or the barn caught on fire and collapsed on top of them. Gravel embedded itself into her bare feet, but she barely resisted the pain. Her focus was on one thing.

Save the horses.

Reaching the barn, she yanked open the door and flew inside.

Waves of smoke poured from the storage room at the back of the aisle.

Horses pranced in their stalls. She covered her mouth with the inside of her elbow and coughed as she raced to the end of the aisle to get Queenie first. “Hey girl. I’m here. You’re going to be just fine.”

She loosened the bolt of the stall when the door at the front of the barn slammed shut.

Smoke burned her lungs and her eyes watered.

Terror seized her vocal cords, and she sprinted back the way she had come.

She pulled on the door, but it wouldn’t budge.

The frantic beat of her heart combined with the chaos of the horses.

She fisted her hand and pounded it against the rough wood. “Help! Madden!”

* * *

Madden jumped out of bed. Cold air hit his skin and slapped his system awake better than any coffee.

Lily had woken him from a dead sleep, yelled something, then flew out of the room like the devil himself was after her.

He wasn’t exactly sure what she’d said, but it couldn’t be anything good to get him out of bed in the middle of the night.

Quickly finding his clothes, he dressed and jogged upstairs. “Lily? Are you up here?”

No answer.

But something in the distance caught his attention. Horses?

Shit.

A sense of urgency rushed him out the door. “Lily!”

The barn door was closed, but plumes of smoke rose from the structure. Cool, night air hit his face as he sprinted down the porch steps. Jolts of adrenaline shot through his system. No flames snaked across the structure, but billows of smoke smothered the dark sky.

Damn it, he should have brought his phone, but he couldn’t turn back to grab it now. He had to get the horses out safely and pray Lily had called for help.

“Help me. Please. Let me out!”

Lily!

Her screams registered and his body moved impossibly faster.

Horror clawed at his insides, and a desperate need to get Lily to safety pushed aside every other thought in his brain.

He lunged for the barn door and yanked but nothing happened.

He tried again, pulling as hard as he could.

The hinges creaked and groaned, but the door stayed in place.

Moonlight bounced off something silver by his hand. Dread curdled in the pit of his stomach. “What the hell?”

A chain with a padlock was wrapped around the latch.

“Lily, I’m here. I can’t open the door. There’s a chain and padlock in place.”

“What! Oh my God, Madden. Get me out of here! The smoke’s getting thicker. It’s hard to breathe.”

“Stay low to the ground and try to keep your mouth and nose covered. Hold on, baby.” He hated leaving her but had to find something to rip off the lock.

He raced to the red barn where ranch tools were kept and found a shovel. Gripping it in his hands, he sprinted back out to the stable. Sweat dotted his hairline and adrenaline zipped through his veins. “I’m back, Lily. I’ll get you out of there in no time.”

“I don’t think you will.”

A familiar voice sent a spike of fear through his heart. He twisted around as something slammed against the side of his head, and he fell to the hard ground.