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Madeline slid to her feet. He let her, no matter how he didn’t want to. He slid his hand down her arm and clasped their hands together. She glanced up at him with a question in her gaze. He hoped his answering look reassured her. This was no quick burn for him. He was fully invested in her. He wanted her, all of her, by his side and in his life permanently.
Nolan didn’t know when or how he’d tell her all of this, but it needed to happen soon. He couldn’t let her finish her ‘emissary mission’ without knowing how deeply he’d fallen for her. If it wouldn’t scare her away, he’d admit the truth … he loved her.
ChapterNine
Madeline smiledto herself as she slid into a comfortable tank top and shorts and brushed her hair. Tonight had been fabulous. The drive in the Lamborghini, feeling the power in the vehicle and seeing how powerful and alluring Nolan was. The dinner and hike with their families. The crazy jump into the lake and the connection she’d felt to him. The warmth and tingle of being in Nolan’s arms. Holding hands as they walked back and staying close throughout the spa therapy as if they were a true couple. She savored laughing and teasing with his children and hers, and she felt closer to him than she ever had to any man.
Nolan had listened to her and respectfully taken things slow, just as she’d requested. The past month, she’d fallen for him. He valued her opinion, treated her with the utmost respect, was the closest friend she’d ever had, and made her laugh and smile often.
Would she have to be the one to make a move? Since she was the one who’d asked him to slow down, the ball was in her court now. They’d teased about her being ready for some speed on the drive. He’d almost kissed her in the garage earlier. Hopefully he’d try again soon.
Madeline didn’t know how to proceed from here, but she felt like a teenager. She longed to have Nolan hold her close and kiss her. It was time to express all these feelings that wanted to burst out of her. Was it too fast? Was he only driven by his passion and need for her? It seemed much deeper than that. Maybe it always had been and she’d wrongly assigned those emotions to his actions earlier, but she appreciated him going slow and proving she was special to him.
If only she could be as special as his wife had been.
That was a selfish and unrealistic thought, and she pushed it away. It wasn’t Nolan’s fault that he’d loved and lost his wife to a tragic death. She needed to focus on now and the future, not a past neither of them could control.
A rap sounded on her door. Madeline straightened in surprise and set the brush down on a side table. That rap was familiar. She heard it every morning before their hike, every evening before he escorted her to dinner.
Nolan had come for her.
Heart racing, she bit her lip to stop a cry of anticipation. Had he come for exactly what she had been fantasizing about? Would they kiss and talk and hold each other close?
She hurried to the door, stopping with her hand on the handle and calling out, “Yes?”
“Madeline.” Nolan’s deep voice came through the door. “I need … you.”
Oh my. Madeline clung to the handle with suddenly slick fingers. He needed her? He needed her.
He could need her for something with parliament. He could need her as his partner for gin rummy. He could need her to brew up the perfect tea for whatever Jennifer needed for her pregnancy.
She laughed at herself and bit at her lip.
“Madeline. Please.”
Her heart leapt at the supplication in his tone. He needed her.
She flung the door open.
Nolan stood there. Dressed casually in a gray T-shirt and blue joggers, he couldn’t hide the depth of his character or his royalty. He looked as regal and enticing as ever.
His blue eyes zeroed in on her. They swept over her face, her lips, her body, then back up. His gaze fastened on hers and she leaned toward him, drawn in by his intensity, his draw, all that he was and could be to her.
Nolan released a low groan and then he stormed into the room, swept her off her feet, and cradled her against his chest.
She wrapped her arms around his neck and questioned softly, “Nolan?”
His gaze suddenly looked tortured. He easily carried her to the nearby couch, sank down into it, and held her even tighter.
“Madeline,” he began softly. “I’ve been holding back as you requested, trying to show you this is no quick burn for me. On our drive and afterward in the garage, I felt like we broke through some barriers. Then leaping off the ledge together, as a team, holding you close in the waterfall pool tonight and holding hands as we walked back …” He searched her gaze. “I’m praying you felt that shift. It hit me harder than a hammer on an anvil. I need you in my life, in my arms … If I’m moving too fast, please tell me. I’ll walk out that door and I’ll wait another month. I’ll wait another year. Whatever you need. But please … if you feel the same, will you put me out of my misery?”
Madeline blinked at him, emotion rising to the surface. He’d wait for her. He needed her in his heart, his life, and his arms. Her heart thumped quick and light. She felt head over heels in love.
How did his feelings for her compare to Anne?
She pushed those worries away and focused on the very real and incredible man holding her close.
“Misery?” she questioned, running her fingertips along his neck.
