Dare to Love by Lylah James
Lila
For the first time in years, I woke up to peace. And by peace, I meant… absolute silence.
Which was definitely not something normal and it would be worrisome to any mother. I practically bolted off the bed and ran down the stairs, almost tripping on my own feet. “Maddox!” I called out, panic rising in my chest.
I came to a halt at the kitchen’s entrance to find my husband setting up the table with two plates and… flowers?
What the fuck?
I looked around and found no one else. “Where are the kids?”
“Gone,” he deadpanned.
I blinked. “What do you mean gone?”
His lips twitched and he gave me that sexy smirk that I fell hard for. “I dropped them off at my mom’s. Where they will be staying for the next 6 days.”
“I don’t understand,” I said slowly, eyeing him suspiciously.
“We need some time alone,” he explained, coming to stand in front of me. He grasped my jaw and planted a wet kiss on my lips, before going lower, nibbling at the sensitive spot on my throat. Maddox knew exactly where I liked to be kissed; he knew all the spots to drive me crazy.
“For a week?” I breathed and then gasped when his hand came up to my tender breast. He palmed me roughly, kneading the flesh before pinching my sensitive nipple. Milk leaked but he didn’t seem to care while he plucked and played with my nipple until I was sore and aching.
Holy shit. Why did that feel so good? Had I gone that long without sex that I was horny enough to orgasm with only nipple play?
Just when I was about to throw Maddox on the floor and climb him like a tree, he pulled away with a wicked grin. “Time for lunch, Sweet Cheeks.”
Wait, what?
I stared at him in a daze. My husband was a fucking tease. I glowered until his words finally registered to my slow, mommy brain.
“Lunch?” My eyes darted to the clock and I saw that it was past one in the afternoon.
My jaw when slack. “How did I sleep for that long? How did I sleep through the kids waking up and you getting them ready?”
“Magic,” Maddox winked. “Don’t worry about it. I took care of everything.”
I was still a little lost, so I only stared at him. Trying to comprehend how I went from an emotional break down yesterday to sleeping through the night and the morning and waking up to no kids.
“Maddox–”
He cut me off. “Stop overthinking, Lila. Not today.” His voice hardened, his tone telling me that there was no place for argument. “Just let me take care of you, okay?”
“Okay,” I mumbled. “I need to wash my face.”
The corner of his lips curled up. “Good girl. Now, hurry up. I’ve got to tell you our plans.”
I looked him up and down. Maddox stood with his hands on his hips, cocking his head to the side. It was then I realized that he was bare chest and wearing his grey sweatpants, hanging loose around his hips. I could see the outline of his bulge. “Why are you dressed like a hoe?” I pouted.
Maddox chuckled. “Why are you over-dressed?”
“Good point,” I said, finally smiling. “I’ll be back.”
Giving my husband a final appreciative glance, I left him in the kitchen and went up to our en-suite bathroom. After brushing my teeth and washing my face, I took an impromptu decision to take a quick shower. The kids were not home; no one was screaming for attention and Iris wasn’t crying for milk – so I had all the time to take some mommy alone time.
Sure, Maddox was waiting.
But he could wait an extra ten minutes while I showered in peace.
Twenty-minutes later, I felt much better and refreshed as I joined Maddox in the kitchen once again. He had the table set for two people, with fresh roses in the vase.
How long had it been since Maddox and I had been alone, truly alone in the house? Just the two of us?
Holy shit, it had been a very long time, way before Iris came into our lives. I had been so busy with work, handling the boys and then my rough pregnancy with Iris.
Our lives had become a routine. There was no… us anymore. Our married life had become stagnant and the spark was gone. Sure, we still enjoyed sex. Of course, we were still very much in love. In fact, our love for each other only flourished over the years as I watched him go from young and wild Maddox to a responsible father and a mature man.
But when was the last time I flirted with my husband? When was the last time we went on a date without worrying about the kids? I couldn’t even remember.
Maddox was right. We needed some time alone.
“So, what did you get for lunch?” I asked.
Maddox quirked up an eyebrow at me. “I didn’t get anything. I cooked.”
I blinked at my husband – who was, by the way, a horrible cook.
“Excuse me?”
“I tried my mother’s chicken casserole recipe.”
“Are you trying to poison m–” He shoved a piece of chicken in my mouth before I could finish the sentence.
“Oh.” I muttered around the piece of chicken.
Juicy. Tangy. Delicious.
My eyes widened. “Um, liar. You didn’t make this.”
Maddox swatted me on the ass and I jumped, letting out a small laugh. “Don’t be a brat. Sit down and let’s eat.”
“Bossy much.” Nonetheless, I sat down at my usual spot.
He towered over me and I had to crane my neck up. Mischief danced in his blue eyes. “You like it when I’m bossy.”
I rolled my eyes but he wasn’t ready to let this drop. Maddox bent forward, bringing his face closer to mine and he caged me back against my chair. “You like it when I tell you what to do. Don’t lie, Sweet Cheeks. You like when I boss you around in the bedroom. You love it when I tell you what to do with your pussy, how to touch it, how to make yourself come while I watch… you love it when I hold your hair and force my cock down your throat and tell you to suck it like a good girl.”
I sputtered. “Maddox–”
He grinned, before straightening to his full height as if he didn’t just whisper filthy words in my ears and got me all hot and bothered… and achy. He really was taking advantage of being kids-free today.
It was the way his lips twitched that told me Maddox was in a teasing mood today. He joined me at the table and we had lunch, while he told me how him and Colton were thinking of expanding the Taekwondo facility area. They now had more kids than space.
What started out as purely a hobby and they hadn’t expected more than fifty students had now turned out to be a somewhat a full-time job for both of them. I saw the pride and delight on his face as he spoke of his students.
After lunch, Maddox grabbed us the mint-chocolate cake I had been saving for myself from the fridge. The first bite into the cake and I moaned. Holy shit, if I thought dick was good… this cake was orgasmic.
“Don’t make that face, Lila,” Maddox warned.
“What?” I peeked at him with one eye open. “The mint-chocolate cake is sooo good. Better than di–”
“I dare you to finish that sentence.” He dropped his fork on his plate with a clank, eyeing me with hardened blue eyes. “You won’t like the consequences.”
I squeezed my lips together, fighting back a laugh.
Maddox glowered. “My dick can make you moan louder. It’s a fact.”
“Maybe I need a reminder, huh?”
The words barely left my mouth when he was on me. Maddox lifted me off the chair and sat me on the edge of the table, simultaneously pushing our plates away with one hand.
His warmth surrounded me, cocooning me and it was so fucking perfect I wanted to cry. My legs parted and Maddox settled between them, looking quite at home there. His happy place.
He slid his black shirt up to my hips, his gaze smoldering. While I was at home, I was always more comfortable in his over-sized shirts. His eyes went to the juncture of my thighs, glancing at my red, satin panties before locking his gaze with mine once again.
There was just something in the way he looked at me. As if I was still the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on. Like I was the only thing he could see. His fingers stroke up my inner thighs before his thumb pressed over my core. Maddox rubbed me there over the fabric, causing me to squirm in his arms.
“Stop teasing, Maddox.”
He tsked. “We have all the time, Sweet Cheeks.”
His touch was soft, almost feather like. Teasing and playful; making me whimper.
I was a woman who was very confident in her sexuality, always had been – and I was not ashamed to confess that I terribly missed sex and my husband’s dick. Our bedroom life was never far from explosive and exciting…and utterly filthy. Well, that was before.
And now I wanted it back.
I wanted all the nasty thing my husband would do to my body.
As if Maddox could tell I was going crazy, he tilted my hips up and quickly got rid of my panties, carelessly throwing it somewhere on the floor.
He slowly lowered himself to his knees, so that he was eye-level with my mound. For some reason, I felt more naked than I had ever been before. I was never a self-conscious person, but a lot had changed about my body since I had become a mother. It was finally hitting me after Iris’s birth.
Maddox brought his face closer to where I was aching and so fucking sensitive. His breath feathered across my bare pussy and I clenched, hot liquid pooling in my belly and I could feel my wetness coating my lower lips. Desire burned through my veins and my hands dug into his scalp, tugging at his dirty blond hair.
He pressed a kiss on the inside of my thigh, before biting gently into the soft flesh. I hissed and then moaned when his fingers parted my folds, his thumb grazing my hardened nub.
I shamelessly tugged his head harder and more into me, pressing his nose into my pussy now. I felt him inhale, a long deep breath and I shivered, my body shaking with silent tremors.
A whimper left me when he traced my wet lips with his knowing fingers. He knew all the spot to touch me that drove me insane and had me squirming and begging in his arms.
I let out the loudest moan when he finally replaced his fingers with his skillful tongue. The pulse between my legs was almost unbearable at this point. He’d always do that. Tease me, leave me on edge, make me ache and burn for him.
“Time for dessert and baby, you smell so fucking delicious. I’m about to feast because I’ve been wanting to eat his pussy for so fucking long.” Maddox spread me open, throwing my legs over his wide shoulders. “And I’ve waited long enough.”
I practically growled with impatience. “You’re wasting your time. Just shut up and get to work!”
Maddox flicked my clit and gave me a love tap. It stung because I was so primed and ready, my flesh soaked and hypersensitive. “Bratty girls need to be taught a lesson, don’t they?”
“Maaaaybeee,” I choked out, moaning when he finally wrapped his lips around my clit and sucked.
“Oh fuck!” I twitched and cried out, my hips bucking up as I ground my pussy into his face. But he was having none of that. Maddox gripped my hips hard, holding me in place. He continued to suck and lick, taking what he wants. Drinking me up like he was starving for water and air.
“Maddox,” I whimpered. “Oh shit… fuck, right there, oh my God! Maddox!”
I let my head drop back and my eyes squeezed shut when it got too much, too fast. The first thrust of his tongue inside of me had me calling out his name and I almost orgasmed. I jerked in arms, moaning and begging for mercy… for more.
Maddox Coulter was really good with his dick. But fuck, he knew how to use his tongue to drive me utterly insane.
Soon, I was rocking against his mouth, chasing my own release because I was that horny and that desperate. Maddox suckled on my clit, before tracing my pussy with his tongue. I pulsated, my body strung tight like a bow.
When he bit on my little nub, not enough to cause me pain, but enough to sting and probably make me sore later – I gasped and then screamed. My eyes snapped open as my orgasm shot through me like fire burning through my veins.
I sagged onto the table and melted into his arms. Maddox kissed and nuzzled my thighs. He kissed me sweetly on my pussy. “Just because,” he muttered, before pulling away. He gathered me into his arms and pulled me onto his lap.
“Holy shit,” I breathed.
His lips brushed along the length of my jaw and I felt his chuckle vibrating through my bones. “So, even my tongue can make you moan louder than the goddamn mint-chocolate cake.”
When our lips finally met, he groaned and I thanked God for putting this man in my path so many years ago. We bumped into each other, literally and it was the most perfect coincidence in my life.
The kiss was deep, desperate and needy and I could taste the remnant of my juices from his lips and tongue. Wrapping my arms around his neck, I held onto him. Maddox pulled away from the kiss and buried his face in my neck.
“Fuck, I missed you.”
“Yeah…” I whispered.
“The plan is to take you away from here,” Maddox explained. “We’re going somewhere else, where it’s just the two of us.”
The haze was gone and the pleasure of being in Maddox’s arms disappeared. My heart dropped to my stomach. “But the kids–”
“We need a vacation, Little Dragon and I’m not taking no for an answer.”
“Iris needs me. She’s barely two months old,” I argued. “The boys need me. I can’t just leave them alone for some days. That’s not okay, Maddox!”
“What’s not okay? For a mother to take a break?” Maddox growled. Our eyes locked and the intensity in his gaze almost made me look away but I held his stare. “It’s just four days. Do you not deserve a vacation? You’ve been going non-stop for a long time. You’re crumbling, Lila and you’ll do these kids no good when you’re like this. You’re at the end of your rope and they need you at your best.”
“So, you think I’m not a good mother to our kids?” I cried, pushing at his shoulders so he’d release me but Maddox held me fast. “Let me go!”
“I didn’t say that,” he snapped.
“That’s what you just said!”
“No.” Maddox grasped my jaw and held me still. There was a stubborn glint in his blue eyes that I hadn’t seen in a very long time. “What I said was that you’re slowly losing yourself and I can’t let that happen. These kids need you more than they need me. You are the perfect mother to our babies, Lila and I will repeat that for a thousand times and more if I have to, until I take my last fucking breath. But I can’t let you hurt yourself like this. You don’t see it but I can. Everyone can. You need to let go and breathe. For one goddamn day at least!”
“But–”
I snapped my mouth shut because I didn’t know what else to say, how to argue with Maddox because really, I had nothing to argue about. I had not valid responses and they would have lacked truth in them.
Because as much as I hated to admit it, Maddox was right.
My eyes tingled and my throat closed, the lump in there growing bigger.
Maddox cupped my cheeks, his big hands practically covering my whole face. “Please, let me do this. Let me take care of you the only way I know how. The kids will be fine for a few days. They absolutely love their grandma and mom will take care of them. She’ll spoil them rotten. Riley and Aurora also volunteered to babysit. And you know how much the kids adore their aunts. You’ve got a whole village behind you. You’re not alone, Little Dragon. It’s okay to ask for help. It’s okay to take a break.”
It finally hit me.
When the realization struck, I was left weightless and beyond fragile.
All this time, I had been surrounded by my loved ones. Iris was my rainbow baby, my precious bundle of joy. I had everything I ever wanted. A loving husband, kids I would die for, family and friends I adored… yet the feeling of loneliness had been overwhelming.
I was angry because I worried I wasn’t doing the right thing.
I was terrified because I felt out of control.
I was lost because my life had taken a completely different route from my perfect and careful planning.
“I’m sorry,” I wheezed, my whole body shaking. The shame crawled under my flesh and the guilt was heavy on my chest.
Maddox stroke my back and his lips met mine, over and over again with the most tender kisses. “Don’t be sorry because you did nothing wrong. It’s okay to break down, it’s okay when life gets messy and don’t pretend that you’re okay. I got you, Little Dragon.”
He kissed me, inhaling my cries down his throat.
I let go and Maddox wrapped me in his arms.
He took me at my worst, a broken mess of imperfections.
