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“Okay.”
He unbuckled her seatbelt and lifted her into his arms.She shifted against him, pressing her face into his chest, cuddling in, and let out a long sigh.A happy sigh.
Rick would have laughed if he hadn’t been so painfully turned on by the feel of her in his arms, warm, pliable, and soft.
He climbed the three steps to his house, trying to ignore the way she pressed her face into his neck, mumbling something in her sleep.The silk of her midnight-dark hair tickled slightly.Her heart beat lazily against his own.She moved a little, and her backside brushed his growing erection.He swore silently.
“Jess, you fuckin’ owe me,” he mumbled to himself.
Rick settled Maddie in his bed because his Ma had raised him too well to put a guest on his lumpy couch.He removed her shoes, placed a glass of water and a couple of acetaminophen tablets on the table, and tucked her in.
Unable to resist, and thinking of his sister Jenny’s all too recent wrenching heartbreak, he leaned down to press a delicate kiss to her hair.“Sleep well, honey.You done crossed an ocean to forget him, so forget.”
Her hair spread out like an obsidian halo on the white pillow.As he pulled the door closed, she turned, wrecking the fallen angel image of her hair, before pulling his pillow into her face as if breathing in his scent.
Her lips curved; her breathing evened out.
It nearly broke him to leave her there, warm and smiling, and not just settle down behind her, wrap her in his arms, and keep her safe from whoever had turned her inside out.
Rick took off his boots and settled onto the couch before he dragged a throw over himself.
Sleep was a long time coming.
ChapterTwo
Maddie
I startled awake in a strange bed.The last thing I remembered was getting into the car with Rick, then having his strong arms around me.
I slowly turned on my side, and looked at the rest of the bed, relieved I was alone.The last thing I needed was a throwaway one-night stand after crossingan entire oceanto avoid a confrontation with my ex-fiancé.Relief notwithstanding, I didn’t think that anything about Rick Callahan seemed throwaway.Everything about his manner and kindness last night had relaxed me.He exuded peace and safety.
Being in this bed reminded me of how I’d felt last night, drifting into sleep whilst being supported by Rick’s strong, sure arms, and I realised that this must be his bed.
Taking in my surroundings, I listened to the odd creaking here and there of an unfamiliar house.The birdsongs outside were so different from the horns and shouts of inner-city London.
The bedroom was minimalist, the beautiful wardrobes at the end of the bed the only real feature.The craftsmanship was stunning, the grain of the black oak visible all over the doors.
I sat up, ran a hand over my face, and saw the glass of water and the painkillers on the bedside table.Rick must’ve done that, thinking of what I might need or want, even at the late hour after the long drive
The sweetness of the painkillers and water gesture touched me.I took both, then left the bedroom, the wooden floor cool under my bare feet.The bathroom stood to my right, and I freshened up, washing my face and using the toilet.I stared at myself in the mirror for a moment.
Jet lag was abitch.
I lookedtired.Because Iwastired.Exhausted, in fact.
I stared at myself in the mirror for another second, then willed the dragging fatigue away.“You’re in another country now.Loosen up and forget him at least a few days.He’s thousands of miles away.”
I looked at my face, willing myself to accept what I was telling my reflection.
As I turned into the hall and padded down the stairs, the sounds of a baby gurgling caught my attention.
Rick has a family?
I followed the sound to the kitchen, where a mousy-haired woman sat facing a chattering toddler.Being fed was clearly a game to the little one, who clamped his tiny mouth shut just as the spoon was close.He laughed uproariously when the woman pulled away the spoon, and the whole thing repeated on a loop.
“Hi,” I tentatively greeted her.
The woman looked up and smiled, unsurprised to find a stranger in her house.“Oh, hi!Maddie, right?Rick said you were here.”
