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 wouldn’t have come to the hospital, if not for you, Eve,” Madden said, needing to get the sentiment off his chest, where it had been sitting for weeks. “At least not as early as I did. Thank you for that.”
“Yeah,” Skylar said, giving her best friend a side hug. “How did you know something was wrong?”
“Too much Grey’s Anatomy, I guess.” Eve laughed. And did her face get whiter, along with the sound? “It’s no problem, Mad. Glad everything worked out.”
“Who do you think the anonymous donor is?” Elton asked the room at large, his expression cagey. “It’s probably our baseball coach. He’s that desperate to get you back behind the plate.”
“I don’t know who it is,” Madden said. “But I’m going to find out.”
Skylar wasn’t engaged in the conversation. She was looking at Eve, who, to his horror, swayed on her feet. Thankfully, Skylar propped her up before Madden could dive out of the bed to catch her. “That flu must have kicked your ass,” Skylar said, visibly worried. “You’re, like, zoned out.”
“I know, right?” Eve shook herself. “Probably should have stayed in bed one more day. I’m fine, though.”
“Drive her home now, Elton,” Madden said, feeling helpless.
Elton smirked. “I’m going to allow you to order me around this once, since you just had major surgery, but don’t make it a habit.”
Madden stayed silent, watching the trio leave the room.
Something scratched at his subconscious, a parallel attempting to draw itself, but his brain fog didn’t allow the thought to complete. He was out of bed a moment later, preparing to do battle against his mental and physical fatigue, motivated by something he didn’t dare name.
Chapter Seventeen
Present Day
“You may now kiss the bride.”
The officiant probably had no idea those six words impacted the two people standing in front of him so much. Eve could feel Madden brace, like he’d been hit by a strong wind. Flutters of various sizes and shapes traveled up her midsection and ran in chaotic loops around her throat and wow. Wow. She couldn’t help but be glad this wasn’t their first kiss, because at least she knew it would scramble her senses.
Forewarned is forearmed, wasn’t that the saying?
Besides, Madden wouldn’t kiss her in front of everyone the way he kissed her when they were alone in his grandmother’s house, right?
Nah.
Eve took a deep breath and faced her husband for the first time.
How did he want to play this?
They probably should have discussed the kiss beforehand. A prolonged peck seemed to be the norm, even for couples who were planning on the long haul. Real couples, unlike them, who were simply uniting for a while.
That’s how I see you. A little guarded, a lot full of life. Protective of the people you’re looking at, but not willing to let them know too often, because the secret would get out, wouldn’t it? That you’re tough as fuck, but you’re sweet and soft too.
Madden’s speech from the parking lot made back-to-back U-turns in her brain. Part of her wanted to chalk his evaluation of her up to luck. Ha ha, lucky guess, champ. But no. No, he’d been studying her even closer than she realized, and the fact that he was still standing there, despite knowing her flaws, made Eve’s knees feel loose and shaky, vulnerable in her entirety.
Especially when he reached for her hip and gripped it, like he’d done it a thousand times before, drawing her forward at the same time he invaded her space, his mouth dipping down to find hers and fusing them together, his palm sliding into the valley of her waist. Then around to the small of her back to pull her even closer. Flush with his body. Meaning she had no other option but to tilt her head back so far—and he caught it, the back of her skull. Cradled it in his free hand, fingers splayed. Opening his mouth over hers while his other hand slipped just an inch lower to the beginning swell of her bottom. Stepping closer, even though there was no more space to eliminate.
Mouth slanted over the top of Eve’s, Madden kissed her like no one was watching.
She didn’t expect the carnality of it or to feel the graze of his tongue against her own, so a rough sound slipped out of her, before she could catch it, her hands flying to the lapels of his jacket, fingers curling into the material to hold herself up.
It might not be tonight, Eve. But there will be a proper wedding night.
This kiss was the physical version of that statement.
And she didn’t want to acknowledge this, but the fact that they weren’t the only ones in the courthouse while this man tasted her mouth was breathing life into the part of herself she always kept hidden. The part of herself that was restricted to fantasies she only allowed herself to have while lying in bed by herself at night.