Total pages in book: 77
Estimated words: 73884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 73884 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 369(@200wpm)___ 296(@250wpm)___ 246(@300wpm)
I don’t know how long we sit here on the side of the road, in front of a random house, but I know that once again, my husband knew what I needed. I needed to feel his arms around me. I needed his hot breath against my skin. I just needed him, and to my surprise, it’s not as scary as it was a month ago.
“I need to get you home.” He places his lips against my neck. It’s a tender press of his lips and sends shivers down my spine. “Are you cold, baby?”
“No.” I’m quick to answer, and my husband is a smart man. He kisses me again in the same spot, knowing the effect he has on me. I lift up, and he opens the door and slides out. Reaching in, he pulls my seat belt across me and fastens it before closing the door and jogging back to his side of the truck.
The rest of the ride home is quiet, but not uncomfortable. It’s quite the opposite. I feel seen. I feel safe and cared for. All things I’ve only received from my sister and nieces since losing our dad.
Maddox gave me that. He’s given me that every single day since we woke up in that hotel together in Vegas with rings on our fingers.
“Are we watching some TV or are we going to bed?” Maddox questions as we walk into the house.
“Can we watch TV in bed?” I ask.
“We can. Do you need anything from the kitchen?” he inquires as he takes my coat and hangs it next to his on the hook.
“I don’t think so,” I say, kicking off my shoes to leave them to drip dry on the rug by the door. Maddox does the same.
“Great.” He bends and lifts me over his shoulder, and I shriek with laughter.
“What are you doing?” I smack his ass.
“That won’t entice me to put you down, wife. You should know by now that I love it when your hands are on me.”
“Maddox!” I cackle with laughter.
He carries me into the bedroom, dropping me on the mattress with a bounce, before turning on the bedside lamp. “There she is,” he says quietly. He bends over, bracing his body with one hand on the bed while the other cradles my cheek. “I love that smile.” He leans in and kisses me.
One more kiss and he’s standing back to his full height. “You want the bathroom first?” he asks.
I’m breathless, just as I am after every touch of his lips to mine. Something tells me that I’ll never get used to the affection this man gives so freely. “No. You go ahead.”
He winks and grabs clothes to change into before disappearing into the bathroom. I sit up on the bed and plug in my phone to charge. When he opens the bathroom door, he tosses a shirt at me.
“What’s this?”
“My shirt.”
“And why are you tossing it at my head?” I ask, pulling the shirt to my chest. I can smell him, and it takes extreme effort not to bring it to my face to sniff it, but I know he’s watching me.
“I thought you might want to sleep in it.” He shrugs.
My heart gallops in my chest. I always sleep in pajamas that keep my top and bottom half covered, at least I have since Maddox moved in. I want more with him. I want to know what it’s like to have his hands roam over my body, and if I’m being honest, there’s a giddiness inside me thinking about sleeping in his shirt.
I feel like a teenager, and I hear Susan’s voice in my head telling me to allow myself to feel what I feel, and experience the parts of life that I missed out on. So, I stand and offer my husband a smile.
“Thank you.” I don’t stick around to see the look on his face, but I can imagine he’s smiling just as I am as I slip into the bathroom and close the door behind me. I lift the shirt to my face and sniff. His masculine woodsy scent invades my senses and my entire body lights up.
I quickly change and go through my nightly routine, and before I can second-guess myself, I flip off the light and open the door. Maddox is in bed, his back resting against pillows that are stacked up against the headboard.
“Fuck.”
I bite the inside of my cheek to keep from smiling. I take slow, steady steps toward the bed, and he lifts the covers, inviting me in.
“Come on over here, Brogan.”
I grin, but do as he asks, and settle into his side, resting my head against his bare chest. “What are we watching?”
He huffs out a laugh. “Do you really think I can focus on anything but you right now?”