Leo Maddox (25 page)

So without hesitation, I gripped the edges of Clara’s shirt and lifted it over her head. I dropped her shirt to the floor as she kicked off her shoes. Then we worked quickly together to rid her of the rest of her clothes. We were both breathing a little too heavy by the time I finished. Reaching behind her, I used my palm to press the door closed. Nobody was home, but I felt more comfortable shutting out the rest of the world.

After that, I dropped to my knees. So much relief coursed through me. Like a giant bolder had been rolled off my chest. Having her here, alone in my house, tucked away with me, made my mind feel so blissfully at ease.

Moving over her bare stomach, I pressed little kisses along her skin as I went. Her fingers weaved through my hair. Then with my hands, I gently nudged her legs apart. Just slightly. She complied and moved for me. I needed only a little space. And I thought I could keep my shit together as I did this, but seeing her step apart for me, while I was kneeling before her at eye level, had me ready to combust.

“Damn, Clara,” I muttered.

Unable to stop myself, I pressed a wet kiss against her. She sighed as my lips made contact, while her fingers in my hair fisted and tugged slightly.

“I missed you,” she whispered. Her voice cracked with emotion, making me pause right then and there next to her. “I know this is new, but I missed you so damn much while I was away. Moving to Arizona is something I’ve wanted for years—because I thought it would fill some missing piece inside me. But I got to Arizona and instead of enjoying it, I only thought of you. You’re my Arizona.”

I stood to my feet, cupping her face with my hands. “Clara, when did your feelings for me start?”

“I don’t know.” She took a few deep breaths, staring straight into my eyes. “I don’t know. That’s the crazy thing. I honestly don’t know.”

I didn’t need her to pinpoint an exact date. We were together now and that was the only thing that mattered. But I could hear it in her voice and see it in her eyes. I hadn’t spent a lifetime alone in my feelings. A piece of her had always felt something for me. That was for damn certain.

“Shower?” I asked, breathing in deeply through my nose.

She nodded.

Bending, I gripped her bare thighs and lifted. Her legs locked around my waist automatically, her breasts pressing nicely against my chest. Then I carried her into the shower. The water had grown hot and steam filled the bathroom.  My shower was big enough for five people, beautiful stone from floor to ceiling, and I pressed her back against the far side wall beside one of the shower heads. Water ran down over our joined bodies.

And we kissed.

I loved the way the sensation of her mouth was quickly becoming familiar to me.

Then I adjusted, standing on the balls of my feet, bringing the head of my cock up to her entrance, and slowly I pushed inside her. She gasped as her body stretched for me. “Are we going to do this standing up?” she whispered, incredulous.

Hell, yes.

I nodded. Then gripped her more firmly under her thighs, easing myself out and then back in. I repeated this rhythm, over and over. Fucking her easy and lazy at first, but then my movements soon grew powerful and fast. I had a lot to teach this girl, the girl I planned to make my wife one day, and shower sex was only the beginning.

She held on tight as I continued, my vision and my thoughts blurring. And then suddenly she was coming. Her cries filled the shower and her fingernails dug into the muscles of my shoulders. “Leo,” she screamed. “Oh, God. Yes!”

That was my undoing. Pleasure exploded in a wave over my whole body. I came harder than I ever had before. Tremor after wonderful tremor rocked me. Dropping my head to her shoulder, I let out a cry. This moment and this girl—they were better than anything on earth money could buy. I’d always hoped for that to be true and now I knew with absolute certainty that it was true.

I got the girl I’d always wanted.

THE END

Thank you for reading! If you enjoyed
LEO MADDOX
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Sarah Darlington lives in Virginia with her husband and son.
She's a former flight attendant, navy brat, constant day-dreamer, wannabe photographer, and an avid scrapbooker. She loves to travel and is working on visiting all 50 states.

Find her on Facebook:
www.facebook.com/sarahdarlingtonauthor

OTHER BOOKS BY SARAH:

Leo Maddox Books:

• HE BELONGS WITH ME
  
• LEO MADDOX
  (The alternative version of
  He Belongs with Me
  )
  

Kill Devil Hills Series:

• KILL DEVIL HILLS
  
• Coming March 2015
  : CHANGING TIDES
  (Title subject to change. Ellie’s novel)
  
• Coming Summer 2015: Book #3
  
• Coming Winter 2015: Book #4
  

An Excerpt from HE BELONGS WITH ME

PROLOGUE

CLARA

My dad, the one and only Reed Ryder, had been golfing professionally for the last quarter century. As a younger man, Dad was the shit. Golf’s golden boy. Insanely good looking. All-American. Dad’s likeability factor propelled his celebrity status to legendary overnight. Riding the waves of his new success and fame, he met my Mom—a Southern beauty with golden curls and an unbreakable spirit. The two fell madly in love, were married, and had perfect twin baby girls. Wanting a retreat for his new family that was out of the media spotlight, Dad built a beautiful house and a country club in the southern Virginia town of Blue Creek.

Talk about a golfer's wet dream. The Reed Ryder Country Club, located in the middle of nowhere, was like no other. With the help of his best friend—Leonardo Maddox the second, heir to the Maddox Hotel fortune—Dad spent millions designing and perfecting the ultimate golf getaway. Word quickly spread about the lush ‘little slice of heaven’ nestled in the Blue Ridge Mountains and soon others wanted in. Mr. Maddox built a luxurious hotel to accommodate the numerous vacationers and even more of the wealthy flocked in, which resulted in grand vacation homes popping up all over Blue Creek. So that's how the Reed Ryder Country Club came into existence, and how the once quiet town of Blue Creek, Virginia made its mark on the map.

The golfer, the beautiful wife, the twin girls, the best friend and his family, the country club in the mountains…this is our story.

And oh yeah, for the record, he most definitely belongs with
me
.

CHAPTER 1

MAGGIE

Desperation kept me from falling as I stumbled across the gravel parking lot in my red, Jimmy Choo, sky-high stilettos. God help me. I was about to enter the grungiest, ugliest, most run-down bar in the city—Mike’s Pub. I'd driven past this place countless times but never dared go inside.

Until now.

My mission—my one care in the world at this moment—was to find a guy named Dean. My plan was to ask him to be my date. Tonight, the Reed Ryder Country Club was hosting its official gala to kick off the summer season and who better to accompany me than a total stranger, right? Judging by the bar I was about to enter, Dean was better off staying a stranger. Nevertheless, that's why he'd be perfect for this evening.

The goal tonight: shock and awe. A new rumor involving me, one that was unfortunately true, would begin to circulate soon, and maybe if I created a rumor of my own I could trump the first. My plan was juvenile, but it was all I had. I'd been to three other bars looking for this guy. If I couldn't find him here, then I'd be forced to head to the dance dateless. He
had
to be here.

As I approached the front door of Mike's, several middle-aged men—cigarettes and beers in hand—stared open-mouthed at me. I drew attention in my crimson-red Zac Posen dress, the lush material clinging to my petite body like a second skin. The dress had a long slit up one leg that would make Jennifer Lopez proud. To top off my elegant look, I’d worn my naturally platinum-blonde hair parted far to one side, circa 1920s. My hair had natural wave to it, but I'd straightened and then re-curled it in big waves to ensure that the style was just right. And it was perfect, though I hardly looked my age or appropriate for such a dive bar.

Keeping my head held high, I passed several men concealed by clouds of smoke and pushed my way through the heavy double doors into the unknown. Gulping down any remaining fear, I dared my first glance around at my surroundings. If I'd thought the outside was bad, the inside was worse…much worse. The rotting floorboards reeked of urine and mold, and the clientele wasn't much better—beer bellies and mullets were in plentiful supply. I was pretty positive all horror films started in places like this.

The infamous Dean—apparently some sort of walking sex on a stick—couldn't possibly be any of these strangers. I was beginning to think he was more fairytale than real life anyway, and therefore my brilliant idea to ask him to be my date took a nosedive straight into the trash. Settling for someone else wasn't an option either. If I wanted to shock and awe, then I couldn't arrive with Mr. Shockingly Awful. Going to the gala dateless, as pathetic as that would be, seemed like my only choice.

Accepting defeat, I headed back toward the door when a woman with the body of a flagpole approached me. She wore a tight-fitted white t-shirt, a server's apron, and a plastered-on smile. Her eyes took in my dress with envy. “Ain't you a fancy one? Ya lookin' fer someone?” Like any local in town, her voice carried a strong Appalachian dialect. Thankfully, my speech carried no trace of that distinctly southern Virginia twang, even though I had to try my best to hide it sometimes.

“Do you, by chance, know a guy named Dean? I'm not sure what his last name is.”

Realization dawned on her face. “I shoulda guessed you'd be here fer him.” The bony woman whipped around and, in no particular direction, yelled, “Dean! I found ya 'nother stray!” before facing me again. “He's workin' at the bar. Good luck, sugar. You'll need it.”

The server's slightly back-handed comments might have bothered me on a regular day, but not under the current circumstances and not with the clock ticking against me. The dance started fifteen minutes ago and this would be my only shot at a date. I sure hoped this Dean guy was everything Anita said he would be. He just
had
to be.

I got my first glimpse of the man working behind the counter and knew he was the one I'd been searching for.
Hello, Mr. Hottie-Boom-Body.
Early twenties, wickedly handsome, and totally worth the nightmare I’d suffered through to find him—
thank you, Anita.
But it wasn't just his pretty face that made him the perfect choice, it was his size. Between his height, width, and all the muscle in between, his size demanded attention. If I could show up with him tonight, then everyone on the gala guest list would notice. He was everything shock and awe had to offer. Now I just needed to convince him to be my date.

I walked confidently toward him like his looks weren't overwhelming. His light honey-colored, almost golden eyes locked with mine. Despite the low lighting, they stood out against his ruffled, brown hair. There was a sexy warmth about him that reminded me of something I couldn't quite put my finger on. Whatever it was, it made him the perfect choice for tonight. Not quite what I’d been expecting—better.

“You must be Dean,” I said, finally face-to-face with the guy I'd spent the last two hours trying to hunt down. Well, face-to-chest. He stood well over a foot taller than me, and up close, the intimidation factor was almost too much to bear. Behind the counter, his big hands worked quickly as they expertly mixed different drinks. I couldn’t help but think about what
else
he could do with those hands. At that thought, I tried to remind myself that my motivations tonight were strictly business. A slight smile formed on his lips and it helped me regain some confidence.

“You
are
Dean, right?”

The corners of his mouth reached wider into an even more charming smile. Did I amuse him or was the dress working its magic? He leaned over the bar to get a better look at me, and I tried not to feel flustered as he gave me the once-over.

“Who's asking?” His voice was gruff and completely void of any accent.
Interesting.

“My name's Maggie Ryder.”

“As in Reed Ryder, the golf pro?”

“Yes, Reed is my dad.”

“Well then, what can I do for you, Maggie Ryder?”

There was no easy way to say what I came here to say, so I just blurted it out. “I know this is going to sound insane, but I need a date. There's a big party at my dad's golf club tonight and I absolutely, positively cannot show up alone. I need you. I need you to be my date. And I need this to happen like ten minutes ago.”