“You look beautiful, Madison.”
Before she could respond he held out a single flower to her. She stared at the bloom, stared at him, speechless.
A limo. A red rose. A gorgeous Prince Charming.
She had the sensation of drowning.
She glanced down at her simple black dress that flared at her knees, the epitome of the term “little black dress that worked for any occasion”. But standing next to Levi, she felt dressed all wrong. She should be in something frilly, something she’d never be caught dead in really, because she was no princess, not even close.
She took the flower, turned from him and went to the kitchen to find a vase. Only when she heard Levi and Karen’s voices did she realize that she hadn’t spoken a single word to him, not even to say hello or thank you.
“Thanks,” she said on re-entering the living room, not pausing as she headed to the front door, because if she did she just might throw herself into his arms and beg him to hold her for ever. That so wouldn’t be good. “We should be going or I’ll be late and Carol might need my help.”
She didn’t wait to see if Levi was following her or not. Just climbed into the limo with the driver’s assistance.
Of course, Levi slid in right behind her, his firm bottom and rock-hard thighs pressing up against her despite the roomy interior.
Madison scooted over. Levi sighed.
“I know I messed up, Madison, but can’t we call a truce for one night?”
“For one night?” She pretended to consider, but honestly a truce sounded wonderful because the last thing she wanted was to fight with Levi. “Sure.”
But she didn’t scoot over next to him, just stared out the window. She’d never actually been inside a limousine before. Strange that her first time would be with Levi, would be when she didn’t know how to act. Why had he wanted her with him?
“This is ridiculous.” He swore under his breath, causing her to face him. He’d moved closer, close enough that when she turned, he took full advantage, pulled her into his arms and covered her mouth with his.
The world stopped moving around her, leaving only her heartbeat and his. Leaving only the thought that for the first time in four weeks everything really did feel like it was going to be all right.
“Levi?” she gasped between kisses.
“Shh,” he breathed against her mouth, “we called a truce, remember?”
“I’m not sure this was included in the peace treaty.” But her fingers had found his shoulders, clung to him.
“Well, it should have been.” He kissed her again, taking her breath away and effectively putting an end to any more conversation.
Who needed words anyway? Her body was telling him how much she’d missed him.
And if she weren’t completely crazy she’d think his body was saying the same back to hers.
Levi gripped Madison’s hand tightly in his, just as he’d done from the moment they’d arrived at the center.
“The Margaret House, a Center for the Prevention and Treatment of Domestic Violence.” That was what the sign on the building proclaimed.
His gaze made its way back to the giant painting that hung in the main entrance of the building. When had his father had the painting done?
Levi supposed it made sense that his mother’s portrait hung on the walls as her name was on the building, but the entire night felt like a farce. A farce his father had cooked up for reasons only Jonathan Fielding knew or understood.
“You okay?” Madison whispered close to his ear.
No, he wasn’t, but he had to make it through this night. “Fine. Will just be glad when this is over.”
She’d said very little to him since he’d helped himself to her mouth. For that matter, she’d said very little to him prior to him kissing her. But she hadn’t pushed him away, had returned his kisses, had clung to him while he’d held her close, breathing in her apple-blossom scent in the moments prior to them getting out of the limo.
“Madison?”
She stared up at him, her make-up accentuating her eyes to the point they looked huge, to the point he just wanted to fall in and drown in her goodness. “Hmm?”