Page 76 of Asphyxia
Sheer moonlight spilled into the room, creating a calming and serene atmosphere—exactly what Madison needed right now.
Dean and I slid into bed on either side of her, scooting as close as she would allow us. When she didn’t shift or move to push either of us away, I lifted her chin with my fingers, catching the sparkle of her swollen, tear-filled eyes in the dim lighting.
Madison has been crying. Silently. Alone.
“Mads…” I sighed, my heart breaking as I searched her face, already flushed from her overwhelming flood of emotions.
I glanced over to Dean, who spooned her from behind while propping his head on his palm and resting a hand on her hip.
“You don’t have to say a word, but at least let us say something to you…” Dean whispered, pressing his lips to the back of her shoulder.
Madison remained speechless, and Dean gestured his head, allowing me to go first.
For some strange reason, being put on the spot made me nervous, to say the least.
I had expressed countless times how I saw Madison from the moment I started feeling it, and here I was now, with a lump in my throat, as I begged for the words to spill past my lips.
Words I had kept safe in my heart just for her—for when the moment was right.
I suddenly found myself laughing as I released Madison’s chin and slid further down the mattress beside her with a smile I felt deeper than soul level.
“This should go without saying, but you know for a fact that I’m not the relationship type—not in the least.” I started, my eyes never leaving hers. “And yet, the moment we crossed paths… that very first time you invited me over… I haven’t been the same since that night, and I know full well that I’m better for it. You make me want to be a better man, Mads. Not just some single bachelor looking for the next easy fuck that shows up at his door, or someone content withliving on their own without responsibility, but a man worthy of being with you—a man worth loving you.”
“Are you finished?” Madison’s voice cracked through a sob as she wiped her tears away with the heel of her hand.
“Not even close.” I chuckled with a broad smile, cupping her cheek, dragging my thumb under her eye, and catching another tear. “You want to know if love is real? It’s undeniable. Love makes us do stupid, impulsive, and—oftentimes—crazy things. But it is very, very real, and I really, truly love you, kitten.”
Look at me, sounding ten years older than I actually am…
“And darling, before you go swooning over Marcus—” Dean gripped her chin, and I released her cheek as she tilted her shoulder back so that she could face him. “If we both didn’t love you as fiercely as we do, we sure as fuck wouldn’t be sharing you. You’re too perfect not to be loved by the two men who will give you anything your heart desires. So don’t you even for a single goddamn second take anything that Adrian said to heart.”
“You deserve more than he could ever give you, and we’ll make sure you get exactly that and more,” I added as Madison’s gaze jumped back and forth between ours.
“I can’t—I don’t—Oh fuck…” Her stammering was no more than a breathless whisper as she sank deeper into the bed and pillows.
Madison had resumed crying again, bringing her hands up to cover her eyes as she whimpered behind every soft sob.
“Mads…” Dean and I murmured and sighed together, reaching for her wrists.
Before pulling her hands away from her face, Madison’s muffled cries eventually turned into what sounded like bubbly giggles.
I arched my brow at Dean, who shrugged in response, just as confused as I was with the sudden transition of emotion.
Madison’s giggles had turned into full-blown laughs by the time she dropped her hands with a bright, beaming smile on her face, one that I hadn’t seen in weeks.
“What’s going on?”Was she having an emotional meltdown?
“I can’t figure out which of you to kiss first…” Madison covered her mouth with a hand to muffle the laughter she couldn’t control.
Rolling my eyes with a sly smirk, I leaned forward, ripping her hand from her mouth as I replaced it with mine, kissing her with a fervor that I felt deep within my soul.
Madison moaned into my mouth before I pulled back, and my lips were immediately replaced with Dean’s.
I loved what we had become, the relationship we’d built.
Nothing compared to this—us.
Chapter 35
