CHAPTER
NINE
Kyle couldn’t stop smiling.
Madison was humming in the kitchen as she made their café crèmes, Pierre joining in the spicy Latin medley from his perch on her shoulder.
She’d been humming for days in a row now, and today was only Saturday, nearly a week since they’d taken the next step together. They were well ahead of schedule.
He had a running list of signs her happiness meter was full.
The way she’d danced up the stairs the other night after he grabbed the ice cream from the freezer.
The belly laugh she’d made when he’d tickled her in bed.
Her jumping up and latching her arms and legs around him last night, still on a high after her incredible dinner service with William Silver.
The enthusiastic kiss she’d given him this morning upon learning that he’d closed the deal and hired the former Michelin star critic.
Now, they were nearly at their weekend—he’d switched up his schedule to take Sunday and Monday off with her, while checking emails, of course. They’d have two days offfor him to think up even more ways to fill her happiness meter.
When she brought his coffee over, he pointed to his lips. Even though she arched her brow like he was pushing his luck, she still leaned in and kissed him softly, making Pierre fly to his perch.
Kyle drew out the kiss by grabbing hold of her black T-shirt, and they were both panting when he let her go.
“You’re shameless,” she whispered after making a satisfied sound and caressing the morning scruff on his jaw, something she loved.
“Completely,” he agreed as she took her seat across him at their circular two-top table and dropped her napkin on her lap.
Her lips were twitching, but she reached for her crème with her usual ease, not eyeing the bouquet of flowers he kept replacing. Brooke had moved some items around in the kitchen to give their little romantic corner more breathing room when she and Axel had come over to meet about redecorating the house. Either Madison hadn’t noticed, or she was settling into things easier than expected.
He liked easy.
Apparently, so did Brooke and Axel. From the delighted glints in their eyes as they studied the space, he knew Dean had shared the news about them hooking up. Sawyer was too much of a gentleman. Brooke hadn’t asked how Operation Madison was going, perhaps because his mood made it obvious.
He was on top of the world.
Of course, he knew their roommates were giving Madison a wide berth, keeping their bubble intact. He and Sawyer had come up with a painting schedule, and since he and Phoebe were looking at bigger apartments, he’d added a studio space to his list of necessities as a second option for when it wouldbe easier for him to roll out of bed and paint. Which Kyle could see the need for. Still, nice of Sawyer…
“You do remember that we’re hosting Sunday dinner tomorrow,” Madison reminded him, calling Pierre to her by holding up an almond. “We’re going to need to get out of bed, get our game faces on, and take down the Romance Shrine.”
His insides tightened. He was not removing all evidence of their romantic relationship from the house. Some of their friends had already seen it. Still, he’d need to navigate these waters carefully.
For once, he wished they could go another week without seeing everyone as a couple. He craved more alone time with Madison right now, but that was normal. They were ravenous for each other. “I could think of something to get it postponed, you know. I have this tickle in my throat.”
“Funny.” She tossed an almond at him, which bounced off his chest. “They’ll all think we needed to bang more than see our family and eat.”
He picked up the almond in his lap and flicked it back toward her, and she deftly caught it. “You’ve discovered my true colors at last. All I want is you naked in our Romance Shrine. How is that wrong?”
She pulled her face into a horrified cringe. “Gee, let me see… Maybe because we’re trying to keep our sex life out of our roommates’ minds, and don’t even get me started on destroying all evidence so Nanine won’t think about us that way.”
An ache throbbed at the corner of his heart at the wholedestroy all evidencepart. He gripped his knees, searching for the right words because suddenly it felt like they were on shaky ground.
“Hey!” She threw another almond at him, hitting some invisible bullseye on his chest. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean it like that.”
His throat thickened at the anxiety he saw on her face. “I know you didn’t.”
She charged out of her chair. “Oh God! I hurt your feelings, didn’t I? See! I told you I was going to suck at this feelings stuff. Don’t be upset. Tell me what I can do to fix it.”
