Page 97 of Sweet Poison

I beam at him, grateful for how understanding he is. Even though science isn’t his thing, he never mocks me for it—instead, he always tries to connect with me, to be part of what matters to me. It’s one of the things I like most about him.

“If you just let me finish these, I’ll be all yours,” I say, a playful glint in my eyes.

“All mine?” Madden grins. “I like the sound of that.”

I feel my cheeks warm. “Madden...”

His grin widens, and he takes a step back, leaning against the edge of the table. “Alright,” he says, his voice dripping with amusement. “I’ll just sit here in silence until you’re done. Consider it my contribution to Science.”

I laugh softly, then lean over to give him a kiss on the lips.

His expression softens with tenderness, and I melt a little inside. “Do your thing, beautiful. I’ll be here,” he says, voice warm.

And that’s all I need—him here, by my side. Always.

With a smile on my face, I turn back to the microscope, refocusing on my work. But even as I immerse myself in the task, it’s impossible to ignore Madden’s presence.

I lose track of time as I immerse myself in the samples, and when I finally pull away from the microscope, I glance at the clock to find that quite a while has passed.

Lifting my head, I catch Madden looking down at me with a smile. “Hey there, Wild One.

“Hi!” I exclaim sheepishly.

“You done?”

“Yep,” I say, stretching my arms above my head, feeling satisfied with my job today. “I’m all yours. What do you want to do for the afternoon?”

His expression shifts slightly, a tender look flashing in his eyes. “What would make you happy?”

I don’t hesitate. “Just being with you makes me happy,”

He grins. “Fuck, you’re sweet, tell me something you miss doing?”

I hesitate, a shy smile creeping onto my face. “Pots!”

“Pots?” He raises an eyebrow looking curious.

“I usually make plant pots and paint them with my mom.” I can’t help but feel a little embarrassed sharing that, but it’s the truth. It’s simple, but it brings me joy.

Madden brows furrows as he considers this for a moment. “Then that’s what we’ll do,” he says with a grin. He pulls out his phone, types a quick text, then stands and extends his hand to me.

I blink, caught off guard. “Wait, what?”

“Want to make pots with me?” he asks, making my heart flip.

I look into his eyes and they shine so bright. Oh, how far he’s come.... “Okay, but you might regret it when you see how messy I can get!”

He chuckles, the sound sending a thrill through me. “Oh, I like you messy, baby.”

Thud.

Thud.

Thud.

My heart beats like a drum for this man. Loud. Hard. Uncontrollable.

As I take his hands, I feel butterflies take over my stomach and I know—without a doubt—that today is going to be magical, simply because I get to spend it with him.

---