Page 27 of Slow Burn
"No, Mom, I'd really like to know what it is you think I should be doing."
My mom's fingers shot to her temples, furiously rubbing tiny circles against her skin. "Anything but dance." Her sigh was loaded and heavy; it made my skin crawl and my brain buzz with questions. But then she opened her mouth and delivered her next words with so much disgust, you'd think they were poison on her tongue."I don't understand this obsession you have withdancing, Madison."
Yet again, my heart crumbled into a million little pieces. I couldn't keep doing this. I was never going to be their perfect daughter.
Lifting my chin, I looked my mom straight in the eye. "And you don't have to. It makes me happy and thatshouldbe enough for you."
Pushing to my feet, I held my head high and walked out of there, pretending like hell I wasn't falling apart on the inside.
13
ADAM
"I was wondering when you were going to show up."
Hands resting on my hips, I glared at the dog scratching at my closed sliding door. I hadn't had a run-in with him all day, but it was only because I had yet to go outside since I'd started working on the floor in the guest bedroom earlier in the morning.
As much as my sister and her family's impending visit had my stomach in knots, I still wanted them to sleep in a half-decent room. So, I'd abandoned my deck project for now and moved inside to sort out the guest bedroom and its adjoining bathroom.
My growling stomach was the only reason I'd come downstairs. When I did, I found that rat pawing at my door. I'd never admit this out loud to anyone, especially not his owner, but the little shit was growing on me. Just a bit.
The instant I slid the door open, the dog darted inside and parked his butt in front of my feet; his tiny paws touching the front of my work boots. "How do you always end up on my side of the fence?" Fu…erm, Sheldon tilted his head from side to side. "I think maybe your human is doing this on purpose just to annoy me."
What did irritate the shit out of me was how she kept leaving that damn door of hers unlocked. It was dangerous and not smart at all. I had half a mind to pull her over my knee and spank her ass.
Now there was an idea.
My already-wired-brain had been running in a million different directions since the last time I saw Maddie. The day she'd dropped off the delicious, completely demolished, cinnamon rolls. The absolute last thing I'd expected to see when I peeked through the peephole was her, looking even more mouth-watering than the offering in her hands.
Black tights and a bright pink thin-strapped top had covered her curves, her hair pulled into a knot, and her feet bare. And all I wanted to do was yank her against me and find out if the real thing tasted as good as it had in my dreams.
Not doing exactly that had been a true test of willpower. By the time she limped back to her place, I was done analyzing where the sudden interest in this woman had come from. Having my thoughts and dreams filled with visions and fantasies of her was perfectly fine as long as I didn't do something about it.
Unfortunately for me, giving my deprived mind free reign on thoughts of Maddie also led to a few pressing matters that had me spending a lot more time with myself in the bathroom.
Yeah, it probably wasn't healthy, and I knew I would have to find a way to move past thisinfatuationsooner or later. Because I could never act on it. I didn't know shitabout this woman, but I knew she didn't need the likes of me in her life.
Sheldon pawed at my leg, effectively pulling me from the weird place my thoughts had gone. "Go wait for your human in your own damn yard," I told the dog with absolute zero conviction.
I had a suspicion the little bastard knew I didn't mind his presence so much anymore. Groaning, I threw a thumb over my shoulder. "Come on, I think there's enough roast beef for the both of us." As if he understood, Sheldon happily trotted behind me as I headed to the kitchen.
After pulling the leftover meat from the fridge along with the makings for a loaded sandwich, I set everything down on the counter and got to work. Sheldon sat stock-still, watching me with laser precision. The only movement that came from him was when he'd lick his lips every few seconds.
When I was done, I cut my stacked sandwich in half before eyeing the bowl holding the meat I'd shredded for the dog. I was very aware that there were people who did not want their k9 companions to eat anything other than dog food.
I'd still been a probie, as green as can be, when we'd had a medical assist call. It was an elderly citizen who'd feared she was having a heart attack—turned out to be really bad indigestion. While our LT had been tending to her, Princess, her pug, had wandered up to me. At the time I'd figured the jerky in my pocket would go down a treat. Until the little old lady had spotted me feeding her dog.
Gone was the hyperventilating and moaning. She'd jumped up so fast, the LT had fallen back on his ass. And since I'd been on my haunches in front of the dog, so had I. Finger waggling, she'd come storming toward me, yelling about how her dog's tummy was going to be upset and that she was going to call me in the middle of the night to clean it up.
I'd apologized so profusely, for six months after my nickname had beenSorry Suzie Carlisle.
An almost ear-splitting shrill rang through the air, cutting my trip down memory lane short. I glowered at Sheldon. He was sitting on his hind legs with his front paws scratching air. As much as it hadn't amused me the first time I'd witnessed it, I was beginning to think he was kind of almostcute.
All I could do was shake my head at myself. Cute was a damn word that didn't belong in my vocabulary. "This is your human's fault," I told the dog, setting the bowl of meat in front of him. Maddie already looked like she wanted to hit me over the head most of the time, certainly me giving her dog human-food couldn't make matters any worse.
I was still admonishing myself when three sharp knocks sounded from the front door. That ticking thing inside my chest reacted faster than my brain, already kicking into a higher gear. My gaze flicked to the dog and I murmured, "Speak of the devil."
Without a thought, I stooped, swept up Sheldon, and headed for the front door. The insistent buzzing through my veins should have been a warning sign. A big redflashing light telling—no, screaming—at me to turn the hell around and leave this woman alone.
