Page 61 of Joy to Noel
It takes concerted mental effort, but I break away from Madison’s lips. We’re both breathing heavily, and I remove my hands from her waist and her hair, placing them on either side of her on the counter.
We stare at each other, gulping in oxygen, until I catch my breath enough to speak. “What are we doing?” I ask.
“Ummm, I was kissing you, Suits. That’s what I was doing. Pretty sure it was a mutual action,” Madison deadpans. Her response reignites the gunpowder, and my body screams at me to continue that mutual kiss. I settle for dragging my thumb across her lips instead.
“It was very mutual. You might recall that I’m the one who started it,” I murmur. Under my thumb, her lips curve into a classic Madison smirk. “I like you, MJ. I feel . . . different with you. Different than anything I’ve ever experienced. You’re fiery, you say exactly what you’re thinking, you’re determined, and you don’t take crap from anyone, myself included. I likethisattitude,” I say, holding up her hand to point out the way she always has her middle fingers painted a different color from the rest. She coyly bites her lip as I release her hand.
“There's also the fact that you’re so freaking beautiful I can hardly stand being in the same room without touching you.” My thumb traces down to hold her chin. “I like you. But how can this work? There’s an expiration date to our proximity. We’ve always known there was. So what are we doing?”
Madison’s lips turn down as she whispers, “I don’t know.”
I return my hand to the counter, because I’m not sure I can withstand any tiny point of physical contact with the woman in front of me. Not if I’m going to have a level-headed conversation.
“I don’t know how it’s going to work,” Madison says softly. “And normally, a lack of clear plans makes me queasy. I’m not a fan of forks in the road without an obviously right direction to follow.”
Disappointment and fear sizzle in my chest at her words, causing my muscles to tense. But Madison reaches a hand up to my cheek, smoothing her fingers down my jaw as she adds, “But right now, I don’t want to take a path that isn’t toward you. Because I like you. I like your self-confident, take-control-of-the-room swagger. I like the secret tender side you do a very good job of hiding. I like that you don’t back down when I try to push your buttons, and I like who you pushmeto be. So I can figure out how to make the path work. I’m very resourceful.”
That sassy glimmer is back in her eyes as she finishes the sentence, and I lean in closer to her again. “We carve out the path as we go?”
“As we go,” she whispers.
I decide that’s enough level-headed conversation for the night and crash my lips back into hers.
Seconds or minutes or hours later, we’re interrupted by Hamlet leaping onto the counter.
“Hammie!” Madison exclaims as I pull out my disappointed dad voice to chide, “Hamlet,nocounters.”
He jumps onto Madison’s shoulders, yowling for attention. Given our proximity, it’s an easy few steps for him to cross from Madison’s shoulders to mine, meowing incessantly in my ear.
Although initially annoyed, I recognize his interruption for the necessity it is. My default speed setting may be more Formula 1 race car than minivan, but I don’t want to kill the engine of whatever is happening between Madison and me. I want this to be a cross-country road trip, not a drag race. So I need to recalibrate my momentum accordingly.
Sighing, I pull Hamlet off my shoulders and hold him in my arms between us. She leans in and kisses him on the head, then plants a soft kiss on my lips.
“To be continued when we’ve had some sleep and can think straight,” Madison says.
“Just to be clear, are we talking ‘to be continued’ on the kissing or the ‘how does this work’ conversation?” I ask wryly.
She bites the corner of her lip before replying. “Both. Obviously.”
Chapter twenty-six
Madison
My mind rouses to consciousness before I open my eyes. My first waking thought is of the wild look in Liam’s eyes when he confessed he wanted to kiss me. My next thought is of how electrifying it was to have those very passionate lips against mine. I keep my eyes closed, replaying every detail of Liam’s kisses in my mind.
I sigh with happiness and open one eye to check the time. It’s 7:34 a.m. on a Sunday, so I could linger in bed if I wanted to.
Or I could get up and see Liam again as soon as possible.
It’s an easy decision. I leap out of bed, pulling up the quilt and tidying the pillows. Not bothering to change out of the tank top and shorts I slept in after showering last night, I go to the bathroom to brush my teeth and hair. I make sure there are no sleep crusties in my eyes and pad out to the living room, hoping Liam is awake.
He’s standing in the kitchen, chugging a glass of water. By the look of his sweaty athletic shirt, he just returned from a run. As I approach, Hamlet meows from his place at Liam’s ankles, and Liam turns to face me.
If I had any hint of trepidation about how our interactions might go following the events of last night, it’s dissolved completely by the sensual smile he gives me. My pulse races as I step closer to him, close enough to see the beads of sweat still dotting his forehead.
His eyes quickly roam down and up my body, and he clears his throat. “We might need to have a conversation about what you are andaren’t allowed to wear around the house. Especially first thing in the morning.”
My brows pinch into a sarcastic look. “Oh really? Well, if that’s the case, you’re going to have a very miserable time going for runs in baggy sweats and oversized, long-sleeved T-shirts all summer. Not to mention how difficult it will be for you to get ready for work if you’re not allowed to wear any of your suits around the house.”
