Take Me Home (The Heartbreak Brothers 1)

She reached for his face, cupping his jaw with her soft hand. He leaned into it, closing his eyes for a moment. It was a crazy idea, knocking on her window, yet this felt so damn good. Like he was taking in oxygen after a lifetime of holding his breath.

He heard her shuffle, then felt the warmth of her lips on his jaw. His body immediately responded. She only had to touch him and it turned him on.

Opening his eyes, he wrapped his arms around her and lifted her, straddling her body across his. She leaned her face close, enough that he could see the specks of pigment in her blue irises. She hooked her arms around his neck, her fingers massaging his scalp and he groaned at how good it felt.

“What is it about you, Maddie Clark?”

Her eyes sparkled. “You tell me.”

“Let me show you instead.” This time there was no hesitation, just pure electric need. He kissed her hard and deep until they were both breathless, their bodies pressed against each other like there was no other choice. She fit into him like her body was made for his; soft where he was hard, yielding where he put pressure. He stroked her hair, feeling the strands caress his palm, and kissed her again. She intoxicated him, stronger than any alcohol, more potent than any drug.

He was high on Maddie Clark and it felt so good.

* * *

“Two pancakes, one eggs benedict, and a side of bacon.” Maddie smiled and laid the plates on the table in front of Reverend Maitland and his wife. “Enjoy your breakfast.”

Theirs was the last order of the breakfast rush, and boy did that make her happy. It felt like all of Hartson’s Creek had decided they wanted to eat at Murphy’s this morning. Every now and then, Maddie would walk toward the kitchen then turn back abruptly to make sure nobody was talking about her. And they weren’t.

Didn’t make her any less paranoid, though.

That was the problem with only getting three hours sleep. Her brain was jumpy, and slow at the same time. She didn’t like it.

“I’m heading to the bathroom,” she told Murphy as she carried another pile of dirty dishes back to the kitchen. “I just refilled the coffee po

t and everybody has full mugs. I’ll only be a minute.”

“Sure.” Murphy didn’t look up as she walked past him, too busy staring at the funnies. He still read the paper religiously every day. She’d given up trying to convince him he could read on his phone instead.

The staff bathroom was out back, across the alleyway in a small brick building. Word had it that Murphy built it back when he was married and his wife ran the kitchen. It was his one escape from her sharp tongue. His wife had long since left – probably before Maddie was even walking – but the bathroom remained.

She washed her hands and stared at herself in the rust-specked mirror. There were dark shadows under her eyes that no amount of concealer could fight. Her lips were red and swollen, and her chin and cheeks felt raw with beard burn. She was too old to spend all night kissing and grinding in the middle of the woods, but it was impossible not to sigh at the memory.

By the time Gray had walked her home, the first light of dawn was dancing its way across the sky. He’d kissed her again outside her home until her body sang, then watched until she made it inside safely before he left.

She splashed her face with cold water then dried it on a fresh towel, grabbing her cosmetic bag and repairing her mascara and lipstick. Her phone lit up with a message and she grabbed it eagerly, frowning when she saw it was from Ashleigh.

Ash and Gray hadn’t been an item for more than ten years, yet she immediately felt guilty.

I just had coffee with Jessica. What’s this about karaoke? Call me. A.

Maddie stared at it for a minute. The last person in the world she wanted to talk to right now was Ashleigh. Not just because of the guilt, but because Ash could read her like a book. A few strategically placed questions and the truth could come tumbling out.

I’m working. Will call later. M.

She paused for a moment and added a couple of kisses. Then she deleted them because Ash hadn’t added any. Shaking her head at her reflection, she slid her phone into her jeans pocket and headed out of the door.

“Hey.”

“What the hell?” She jumped about a mile.

“Sorry. Murphy told me you were out the back.” Gray’s eyes crinkled as he grinned at her.

“Did he tell you I was in the bathroom, too?” She couldn’t help but smile back.

“Kinda. He started on a graphic description so I got the hell out of there.”

“I don’t want to know.” She closed her eyes and shook her head. When she opened them again, he was still grinning at her.