This was all a comfort thing for Madi so she wasn’t alone. It didn’t have to do with anything sexual…at least for her, anyway…at least that’s what he thought…at least that’s what he told himself… I’m truly going to burn in Hell.
“Brett?”
“Yeah?”
“What are you thinking about?”
The fact that I’ll wake up with a raging boner spooning you. “Umm, I was just thinking about Hunter.” Rhetorical Liar!
“Me too. Thank you for staying with me.” She reached her hand out and stroked his arm. He smiled to himself and took her hand in his, stroking the backside of it with his thumb.
“Of course, Madi. Where else would I be?”
“I mean sleeping with me. I don’t want to be alone. I can’t stand the thought of it. I know eventually I’ll have to but…I’m sure it may seem a little weird for you. I don’t mean for it to.”
Is she reading my mind?
“I mean, I’m sure you probably want to sleep in a bed by yourself. I’m sure you’re used to sleeping alone. I bet this is difficult for you.”
Yeah…not!
“You can tell me the truth; I won’t be mad if you don’t want to sleep with me.”
All I have ever wanted was to sleep with you. And be with you. And love you…
“Brett?”
“Madi, it’s really ok. I promise.” To reassure her, he cupped her cheek and kissed her forehead. “Now, please get some sleep, ok?”
Madison nodded against his hand, and he adjusted himself in the bed, pulling the covers up to his chest. Brett could see her face bathed softly in the glow of the dwindling daylight. The sound of the rain outside was soothing—no longer torrential as before, just soft and steady. He watched Madi’s eyes as she gazed back at him, taking in her soft red-glazed, blue-green eyes and the dark circles beneath them. She’d never looked more exhausted than she did now. She licked her plump lips and gnawed softly at them, deep in thought. He followed the line of her straight, pert little nose, admired the definition of her brows, the set of her cheekbones and the subtle jut of her chin.
Brett studied her, the woman he’d been head over heels in love with for as long as he could remember. The woman he’d loved since he was just a child, before he’d ever even known what love was, before he’d had a chance to know a woman’s heart or her touch, he’d felt an immediate connection and spark with this amazing woman laying next to him. Everything in her being sang to every cell in his body, his mind, and his soul, and—upon first touching her and seeing her—he’d known it. He remembered telling his father that he’d met the girl of his dreams and his father just laughing and ruffling his scraggly hair at the notion. He’d been dead serious though. From that moment on, he’d never loved anyone else. He’d truly tried to let her go and move on once she had married Hunter, but he’d never succeeded in doing so.
“What is it, sweetheart?” he asked finally, before she chewed her lips off.
“I’m just so lost. What am I supposed to do now?” Madison whispered. He just shook his head, indicating that he didn’t have the answers. “This house is so big…and quiet without anyone else in it. I can’t stand the thought of being here alone.”
“You won’t be alone, Madi.” He brought the hand he was still stroking to his lips and kissed her knuckles ever so softly. “I’m here. For as long as you want me to be.”
She gulped, taking in the meaning of his words. “But, Brett, you have a home of your own…a life of your own.”
“Madi, you’ve always been my life. You’re my family, and you always will be. As far as my house goes, I can sell it. It’s just a house.”
“I can’t ask you to do that.” She sighed.
“Then we’ll sell this one,” Brett offered, and Madi smiled weakly in return. “Let’s just take it one day at a time. Nothing is set in stone. There’s no rush. You’ve had a very rough week, and you need to get some rest now and take care of you. Everything else can hold off until you’ve had some time to grieve.” He pulled her gently into his chest, tucking his chin against her scalp and wrapping his bulky arms around her, completely enveloping her tall, curvy frame. His lips grazed her hair line, kissing her there. Ever so gently, he began stroking her back with his hands. “I’m not going anywhere, Sunflower, you know that. Please don’t worry about being alone.”
Brett could feel her silent tears falling onto his skin as he continued to stroke her back. He tried to absorb her grief and at the same time dissolve his guilt, even though he knew there was nothing he could do to change what had happened. He felt if Hunter had been the one driving his own vehicle, he would still be alive to be here with his wife. Hunt would be the one here comforting her and holding her, and taking in the sweet, floral scent of her hair, those golden swirls of curls that fell over Brett’s arm, tickling him. He couldn’t help but bury his nose into that heavenly aroma and breathe her in. She was like a drug to him, and he closed his eyes and sighed, savoring her fragrance across his nostrils and his tongue. His groin responded to the stimulation, and Brett cursed to himself. Now he had something else to feel guilty about. He truly was going straight to Hell…
It seemed like
