Page 35 of Slow Burn
Bending down, I scooped him with my free hand then without thinking it through, I moved the curtain with the bottle. "Maddie? It's Adam," I called out as I stepped inside. Again, the home-y feeling of her place hit me in the chest. I couldn't even remember the last time I'd felt like this walking into someone's home.
Hell, this feeling even eluded me in my own space.
Still tucked under my arm, the dog wiggled. I bent down and set him on the floor with the words, "Go find her, boy."
His tiny paws spun in place on the polished wooden floor before he darted off. Since I had a moment alone, I walked up to the frames lining the wall and studied them in the way I'd wanted to when I'd first stepped foot in her house almost two weeks ago.
Every single one of the snapshots told a story of a woman who loved life. There wasn't a shot in which her smile wasn't big and carefree. I was still staring at the picture of her sticking her tongue out at the camera with both her arms wrapped around a woman with inky black hair when footsteps caught my attention.
It sounded like they were coming from the stairs, so naturally, that's where I went. Big. Mistake. Maddie was halfway down, her arms up in the air tangled in a shirt that only covered her face.
My gaze flicked to her breasts hidden beneath a bright orange sports bra then slowly trailed down her midsection before finally settling on the sparkly stone winking at me from her belly button. My swallow—amongst other things—was hard. Really, really hard.
I tightened my grip around the bottle to stop my itching fingers from reaching out and brushing over her toned middle. From digging into her soft skin just so I could hear what sound she'd make.
While my brain was conjuring up a million different things I wanted to do to this woman, Maddie wiggled and mumbled a frustrated, "Oh for shit's sake" before wiggling some more.
I bit back a curse of my own and squeezed my eyes shut in prayer to every deity I knew; begging for the strength to get through what I had to do next.
Once my eyes were open and the woman in front of me still struggling to get her shirt on, I set the wine and chocolates on the nearest table and approached her as if she was a bomb that could go off at any second.
With each step carrying me closer to her, my heart thumped louder and faster.
When I was finally close enough, I reached out and grabbed her shirt, but instead of allowing me to help, Maddie let out a blood-curdling scream. She thrashed and kicked like a wild animal. Her bare foot connected with my shin, pulling a muttered curse from my lungs.
"Hold still," I growled. "I'm trying to help you."
She froze instantly. "Adam?"
"No, it's the damn tooth fairy." The words came out strained, and my throat felt as if I'd been swallowing down sandpaper. "Can I help you now? Or would you like to kick me some more?"
She remained stock-still, her head doing something under the fabric. I sighed. "Words, Maddie."
"Yes," she breathed out.
I nodded even though she couldn't see me. Curling my fingers tightly around the hem of her black t-shirt, I slowly dragged it down her body. She shivered when my knuckles brushed over her satiny soft skin. My own body did something similar.
It was very tempting to let my hands drop to her hips once the shirt was righted. To feel her. Touch her. But with strength I had no idea I possessed, I let them fall to my sides as I moved two steps down.
"I knocked," I explained, hooking my thumb over my shoulder. "I wanted to give you…" Swallowing the rest of my sentence, I darted back to where I'd left the wine and chocolates.
I almost fell backward when I spun around and Maddie was already standing there. Her hair was a mess, her cheeks still blotchy. The tip of her little button nose a deep shade of red. And still, I found her beautiful.
So damn beautiful.
Shoving the items toward her, I grumbled, "For you."
Sheldon chose that moment to make his presence known again. Parking his butt in front of me, he pawed at my leg. Maddie eyed him and shook her head. "He really likes you." The words were so softly spoken, I wasn't entirely sure they were meant for my ears.
I bent down and gave the mutt a scratch behind the ear, my gaze never leaving Maddie. Face scrunched up, she studied the bottle of wine and chocolates for a long, agonizing moment before her eyes met mine. "W-what's this for?"
Licking my lips, I rose to my feet. I'd never felt so uncomfortable. My skin was too tight, my heart ten times too big, and a thousand beats too fast. "I…uh…" I dragged my fingers over the spot where my scars hid under my shirt. "You looked upset earlier. I wanted to cheer you up."
"You did?" She sounded so amazed. Had no one ever done something nice for her? Or was she shocked thatIwas attempting to do something nice? I knew where I'd put my money. "That's so…unexpected," she went on. Her attention shifted back to me. "I knew there was a sweet spot somewhere beneath all that grumpiness."
I let out a snort-chuckle. "Don't sing my praises just yet. That—" I jerked my chin toward the treats in herhands, "—was left over from a housewarming gift my sister sent me." Maddie's brow wrinkled. Nibbling on her lip, she studied me with those big eyes. "What?"
"You have a sister?" she asked, her tone careful.
