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Chapter 19
Logan
IplaceMaddydownin the bathroom, keeping one arm around her waist to hold her up as I reach to turn the shower on. She’s shaking so I turn the heat up high.
“Would you rather I leave?”
She doesn’t answer me, just stares at the falling water, a sadness in her eyes that steals every drop of air from my lungs.
“Then I’ll stay,” I say softly.
I strip off my clothes, then unzip her dress. I run one hand down each arm as I kiss a line from her ear to her shoulder on one side. She tilts her head the tiniest amount, granting me easier access, and my entire body relaxes with that one small gesture from her.
“You’re beautiful,” I murmur, keeping my lips on her neck, kissing gently as I unhook her bra and let it fall away. Her panties are still somewhere in the hallway, thrown aside in a moment of whateverthisis.
“Fucking about.”
My own words ring in my ears.Idiot.
I step forward, bringing her with me under the hot spray, and reach for a bottle of shower gel. She’s quiet as I wash her, but flinches when my hands graze her lower back. I lean around to look. There’s an angry red line and quickly forming bruise at the base of her spine.
I curse quietly. “Why didn’t you tell me to stop?”
She says nothing.
I drop to my knees and close my eyes, the water running over my face as I move behind her and kiss the tender skin. It’s hot beneath my lips and she sucks in a breath as I dust my fingertips over it lightly.
“If I wanted you to stop, I would have told you to,” she whispers, barely audible above the water.
I stand, wrapping her in my arms from behind. “I’m sorry I hurt you. I’d never do that on purpose. You know that, right?” I dip my head and kiss her shoulder, tightening my arms around her.
She shakes her head, her voice small. “It doesn’t hurt. And neither will landing in London tomorrow when this ends. Don’t make it more than it is, Logan.”
I stiffen. Her voice is faltering. She’s lying. To me. To herself. I’ve known her long enough to realize I can’t push her. She’ll only fight me.
I don’t want our last night here to be spent fighting.
So I say nothing.
I continue washing her and then wash myself as she stays silent. Then I dry us both off and pull her into bed with me, wrapping her in my arms and breathing in her scent.
I’ve got one more night with Maddox Harper in my arms.
Then it’s over.
Soft lips against my neck wake me. It’s dark, only a hint of light from the moon shining in through the open drapes at the balcony doors. I left them open, so the warm night breeze could flow into the room.
“Mads?”
“Shh.” Something—a finger?—presses against my mouth and is then quickly replaced with lips as she kisses me.
“Couldn’t sleep?” I murmur as her kisses travel from my mouth, along my jaw to my ear.
“I just…” Her breath fans over me as she lays her chest over mine.
“Just what, Smiles?”
She laughs softly. “You call me Mads because I look mad to see you all the time. But then you call me Smiles, too. Bit of a contradiction.”
