Total pages in book: 103
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
Estimated words: 96850 (not accurate)
Estimated Reading Time in minutes: 484(@200wpm)___ 387(@250wpm)___ 323(@300wpm)
I came here to propose, Eve.
Eve reacted as Madden predicted she would, although it took her a while to catch up. He liked to think their proximity had something to do with the muddling of her thoughts. When she blinked several times and her posture lost any hint of casualness, though, Madden braced, knowing he was in for a battle.
“What did you say?”
“You heard me, loud and clear.”
“You came here to propose what?”
“Marriage.”
The pulse at the base of her neck was going a mile a minute. “I’m not that amazing topless.” Eve laughed, obviously still under the impression Madden was joking.
Or hoping so, anyway.
“You bring me to my fucking knees topless, but that’s beside the point.”
His serious tone of voice made her swallow hard. Cornered. She was cornered and didn’t like it, so Madden forced himself to take a step back that allowed her to scramble off the table to her feet. “Mad, this isn’t funny.”
“Eve, when have you ever known me to joke about you?” She clearly didn’t know how to respond to that—or didn’t want to—so he continued, searching his memory bank for all the bullet points he’d formulated during the four-hour drive. Thinking wasn’t an easy feat with her so close, however. Close and bewildered and ready to bolt.
More than anything, he wanted marriage to this woman to be real.
Now that they’d cleared up the fact that her best friend’s crush had rendered him off-limits for years, he wanted to take the time to date her, be her boyfriend, take whatever feelings she had for him and nurture them into love. But with Lark and Landon dropped into her lap, they didn’t have the luxury of time. If Madden wanted the opportunity to help, he needed to appeal to Eve’s common sense, instead of her heart.
For now.
Just for now.
He’d find a way in later, once her immediate needs were covered.
“My contract with the Yankees . . .” Madden started. “Look, my salary is on the low end for catchers in the league, seeing as I’ve only been brought up from the minors and haven’t proven myself, but even so, it’s lucrative. And it comes with health benefits.” Her face lost a touch of color and he couldn’t decide why. Had she been expecting a more romantic reason for his proposal, even if that very thing would have spooked her? God, he hated that possibility, but it was too late to turn back now. “I want to give you access to those benefits. For the kids. For you.”
“Marriage is kind of an extreme solution, wouldn’t you say?”
“No.”
“Well, you’re wr-wrong,” Eve sputtered. “It is.”
“Eve.” He approached her, cautiously, taking note of her white knuckles that held the cardigan tightly to her breasts. “I’ve made no secret of the fact that I feel more for you than friendship, but at the very least, we have that. So let me help you as a friend, if nothing else. You won’t owe me anything. I’m not doling out charity here.”
“You’re proposing a practical marriage. A marriage of convenience.”
Madden hid his negative reaction to those descriptors. “Yes.”
Eve nodded for several seconds, until it turned into shaking her head. “I appreciate the offer. I appreciate you thinking of me and the kids, but I can’t do that.”
“Why?”
There was a reason. A heavy one. He could see it swimming in her eyes, but she pressed her lips together tightly and didn’t let it out.
“Maybe a marriage of convenience is too straightforward for you,” he said slowly, no choice but to let his feet carry him forward, toward Eve.
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re a little complicated, love.”
A blond eyebrow went up. “Are you expecting an apology?”
Madden clucked his tongue. “Jesus, no. I love your complications. Don’t ever apologize for them. But they exist.” The territory he was approaching was unfamiliar, but a woman like Eve required bold moves. For so long, he’d stood and allowed her to keep him at a distance, patiently waiting for her to admit she wanted him. That approach had gotten him nowhere. He’d still have patience with her. As much as she needed.
But he wouldn’t sit back and observe anymore.
“You said dancing for an empty room isn’t enough for whatever it is you’re feeling. What would be enough?”
“I don’t know.”
Madden eliminated the distance between him and Eve. Stopped in front of her. And when she didn’t back away, he lifted his hands to hold the sides of her face. “I’ll help you find out.”
At once, her eyelids seemed to weigh down, but she fought through that visible response, trying to focus on him. “What do you mean by that?”
“I mean . . .” He lowered his mouth to her ear, dropping his voice to a whisper. “You’re a bit of an exhibitionist, aren’t you? You could explore that safely with me.”