“Come in. I'm making dinner.”
“I can come back.”
She turned and gave him a look. “Don’t be silly. I was expecting you.”
He walked behind her, taking in the sway of her hips and the lightness of her step that was almost like a skip. She did that when she was happy. He’d forgotten.
“The fuel tank cap is on the coffee table in the living room. I’ll meet you there in a second. I just want to turn off the stove so dinner doesn’t burn.”
It wasn’t the first time Ethan had been to Maddie’s condo. But last time he’d only gotten as far as the kitchen where he’d kissed her. The living room was decorated much like he’d expected it would be. Light, minimal and homey. There were pictures of her family on the fireplace mantel. The one of her and Denny in high school had Ethan walking right to the fireplace to take a closer look. He picked up the picture and studied it.
Maddie came into the room. “That one was taken about a month before Denny died. Dad just gave it to me the other night. I think that one is my favorite.”
“It’s beautiful.”
Her mouth seemed to tremble as she spoke. “There’s one of you and Denny, too.”
She walked to the fireplace and pulled a smaller frame out from the crowded mantel and handed it to him. Tears stung his eyes as Ethan looked at the picture of his best friend with his arm wrapped around his shoulder.
“He loved you,” she said. “I had a hard time admitting that for a long time. You know, I really hated you taking me to the cliffs. But I’m glad you told me what really happened. I wasn’t fair to you.” She placed her hands on her cheeks as they flamed with color. “The way I treated you at the funeral. I hit you. I’m so ashamed of the way I behaved.”
He put the picture back in its place. “You were grieving. People grieve different,” he said, recalling the words Logan had said to him in the garage.
“I…just never once thought that you were grieving as deeply for him as I was. I should have known. That kind of grief never really goes away.”
“It’s okay.”
She sniffed back a few tears and then smiled. “Come see?”
Maddie led him to the table near the window where she’d worked on the fuel tank cap. Ethan knew she’d put everything into her artwork. But he didn’t expect to see the amazing picture she’d created. Instead of painting the picture that she’d originally done in the sketch, she’d surprised him.
“You changed it.”
Maddie shrugged. “You said Denny thought the cliffs were the closest thing to heaven he’d ever seen. I admit I cried a lot of tears while painting this, thinking of what he saw when he looked out at that view. But I think he would have liked this better. Don’t you think?”
“He would have been blown away by what you created. I know I am.”
Ethan crouched down to get a closer look at all the detail Maddie had put into the project. She’d put every bit of her heart and soul into this project.
“Ethan?”
He stood up with the sound of her voice. “Thank you for pushing me. I feel…so light, like this huge weight has been lifted from me.”
He smiled. “I’m glad.” He bent his head to kiss her on the cheek but she turned at the last minute and their lips met, igniting a fire so strong deep inside him, he thought he’d explode.
Maddie leaned into the kiss, holding nothing back, much as she had done when creating her masterpiece. She wrapped her arms around him, and he could have easily pulled himself away. But he didn’t want to. Something about being in Maddie’s arms felt like coming home.
She pulled away just long enough to gaze into his eyes.
“You are so beautiful.”
Her smile was so radiant, it took his breath away.
“I thought you’d never notice.”
“You weren’t paying attention. I always noticed everything about you.”
“Like?”
“You have a scar on your eyebrow from when you fell and hit your head on the coffee table.”
Her hand went to her head. She ran her fingers over the spot he was talking about. “How did you know that? You didn’t even know Denny then.”
“Denny told me he pushed you because you were taking too long jumping off the couch. He felt guilty.”
“I don’t want to talk about Denny right now.”
“You don’t?”
“I want to talk about you.”
“What about me?”
She gazed up at him, running her hands slowly up his chest and over his shoulders until she laced her fingers at the base of his neck.
“Do I really have to spell this out? Because I will.”
“We don’t have to talk at all.”
She smiled, reaching up on her toes and kissing him softly. “I like that idea. I like it a lot.”
She stepped back and reached out her arm to take his hand and his body kicked into overdrive. In all his life he’d never wanted anything as much as he wanted Maddie right now.
* * *
Maddie’s heart pounded in her chest as Ethan followed her upstairs to her bedroom. She’d dreamed of making love to Ethan a thousand times in her youth. That dream had faded , never to be replaced with anyone else who came close to how she felt about Ethan.
She stopped by the bed and turned to him. If she lived to be a hundred she’d never forget seeing that smoldering flame burning in his eyes. The fire he felt for her.
She slowly lifted her arms and waited. Not missing a beat, Ethan grasped her shirt from the bottom and pulled it over her head, leaving her wearing her bra. She reached back and unclasped it, watching his face as her breasts spilled out of the fabric and her bra fell to the floor. She heard his sharp intake of breath and along with the pounding of her pulse in her ear. Still, she held his gaze and went the final step, unzipping her cutoff jeans and dropping them to the floor, showing him she wasn’t wearing any underwear.
He smiled with the discovery.
“I’m afraid you’re overdressed for the occasion.”
“Something I’m going to rectify right now.”
Ethan quickly rid himself of his clothes and joined her on the bed. Their hot bodies melted together and moved in rhythm, stroking, tasting, caressing, loving each other like there’d be no tomorrow.
And when he finally entered her, Maddie cried out with a pleasure she’d never known. In all her dreams, she never imagined how amazing and loved she’d feel being in Ethan’s arms. And when she couldn’t take it anymore, he slowed his rhythm, waiting for her to catch her breath again.
He rolled her over so that she was laying on top of him. She moved her hips and began her own rhythmic dance of pleasure, watching his face with every move. His hands were all over her body, caressing her breasts, playing with her nipples, sending wave after wave of pleasure through her body until she could take no more.
Arching her back, he used his fingers to send her over the edge, bringing on an orgasm so strong that she thought she’d split in two. She was only vaguely aware of what was happening when moments later she felt the tension in Ethan’s body grow stronger and he, too, joined her.
They silently laid in each other arms for a long time. Maddie wasn’t sure exactly how long. But the room gradually began to grow darker and the shadows from the summer moon created lines on the walls around them. Then they made love again, giving in to a wild hunger they’d denied for so long.
* * *
“You don’t really have to go so soon, do you?” Maddie said, resting her chin on Ethan’s chest. He didn’t want to leave her arms. His choice would be to stay in bed all day and make love until hunger for the dinner Maddie had left on the stove pulled them downstairs.
“I have to work and then finish putting the motorcycle together.”
“Want me to help?”
He smiled down at her. “You’ll be too much of a distraction.”
She chuckled sleepily. “I see. My competition was never my brother. It was this m
otorcycle.”
“Not even in the same ballpark. I’d much rather stay here with you. But…” He climbed out of bed and searched the floor for his clothes.
“I know. I’ll leave you alone. You’re not hiding anything else from me, are you?”
“Now that you’ve seen me naked, it’s hard to hide anything.”
She laughed.
“I want to finish he motorcycle and bring it by your parents’ house.”
“The Sturgis rally is starting in a few days.”
He sighed. “I’m not going.”
She sat up in bed, unabashedly exposing her naked breasts to him. “Why?”
“I’ve changed my mind. It just doesn’t feel right going alone.” He pulled on his jeans and zipped them quickly. “But the motorcycle will be finished and your parents can do whatever it is that they want to do with it. Hopefully it will be enough to help give them closure about Denny’s death.”
Maddie pulled the sheet up to cover herself. “Are you ever going to tell them what you told me?”
“I don’t know. Maybe someday. I just don’t see how it will help. Like you, I think they already knew Denny was on the edge. They don’t need me to tell them the details.”
He got dressed quickly and gave Maddie a kiss before leaving. As he drove back to the house, his head felt heavy with thoughts and turmoil. Denny was gone. He couldn’t think about what his friend would feel about Ethan and Maddie. Life had to go on.
In his heart he believed that. It was what had driven him for so many years while he served in the military. But something had changed and he couldn’t quite figure out what was holding him back. He thought that telling Maddie the truth about what happened the day Denny died would be liberating for both of them. And for Maddie, it seemed it had.
They’d shared the most amazing night together. He wouldn’t change it for anything in the world. He just couldn’t shake the aching feeling of dread that settled deep in his gut as he drove back home that when this motorcycle was finally finished, it would all end. Maddie wouldn’t see him as a hero like Denny had. She’d see that he was just a flawed man who loved her. And he was terrified that it wasn’t enough.
# # #
Chapter Ten
“It looks good,” Kate McKinnon said, standing just inside the garage.
“I didn’t hear you come in.”
“I didn’t think you did. You were so engrossed on your task.”
Ethan looked up as his mother came closer. She was dressed for work. In her hand was a folder, the same one he’d seen her take to work every morning since he was a kid, and most likely contained orders for the next week's inventory, details she’d poured over before going to sleep every night.
“You did a beautiful job putting that motorcycle together.”
He smiled at the compliment.
"So when are you leaving for Sturgis?"
“I’m not going.”
She looked at him surprised. “What? I thought that’s what you were working so hard for.”
“It doesn’t seem right. I’m going to bring the bike over to the Newton’s later. Maddie is going to meet me there so she can see it. But I’m just going to take it for a spin first.”
“You didn’t come home last night.”
Ethan lifted his eyes to his mother. “Let’s not go there.”
Kate smiled and then shrugged. “A mother notices.”
He leaned back on the bench next to where he was working. "You ever wonder why you married Dad?"
She gave him a strange look. "That’s an odd question for a man who just said he didn’t want to go there."
"No, really, tell me."
She placed her free hand on her hips. "You already know why."
“His money, right?”
She made a disgusted face. "Please. That’s why I opened a diner in town. No, I loved his confidence and determination. It made me want more and push for more. You have a lot of that in you, you know," she said, stopping for a moment to sigh. "There was something about your father that I couldn't forget."
"Like what?"
She gave him an odd look. "I don’t know exactly. Some things you just can’t define. They just are. There starts to be a point when you can't imagine yourself with anyone else."
"Yeah?"
She sighed. "So I married him. All things considered I think it worked out pretty well, don’t you?”
His mother bent over and took a closer look at the motorcycle. “Maddie’s artwork is exquisite."
Exquisite. He remember thinking that was exactly what Maddie had grown up to become. An exquisite woman. She had a love so strong it was hard to ignore.
Kate placed a hand onto his shoulder. "You grew up with a strong woman as you mother. I’ll never understand how my boys became so stupid when it comes to women.”
He chuckled. “Thanks a lot.”
“You’re welcome. You know what you have to do. So go do it. I don’t want to have to give you the boot.”
Ethan looked at his mother. "I may have ruined a good friendship."
“Or…laid the foundation for a good marriage. It’s all in the way you look at it, dear.” She smiled, then added, “I have to get to the diner. I think I’ve left Skylar on her own long enough.”
“What would you do without Skylar,” he teased, mimicking the words Kate McKinnon said on a daily basis regarding the woman who helped her at the diner.
“Don’t be fresh. Skylar is like the daughter I never had. She’s a breath of fresh air after dealing with all you McKinnon men.”
As she walked away, his mother added, “Remember what I said. Life is just too short not to grasp every bit of happiness you can get.”
* * *
It was a good thing Maddie had stopped by the diner on the way to her parents’ house. Kate McKinnon was always pleasant to Maddie, but today Ethan’s mom took it upon herself to pull her aside when she’d ordered a cup of coffee to go. After their brief conversation, Maddie knew exactly where to find Ethan.
The drive out to the Nolan farm wasn’t all that far. Maddie knew that Logan’s place was a few miles down from the Nolan farm, but his property didn’t sustain nearly as much damage as the Nolan property did in the ice storms over the winter. As she drove, the road showed signs of new repair. The flooding was heavier at this end of town, but the views of the river were spectacular, especially at sunset. Maddie was sure this was the reason why Ethan had wanted to buy the Nolan property so badly.
She pulled into what was once the driveway. Then she saw it. Ethan had parked the motorcycle right next to what was left of the concrete foundation. Debris was still scattered all over the yard from the river depositing everything it took with it wherever it landed. There was a large boulder right on the river’s edge and that’s where she spotted Ethan.
She parked the car and a few minutes later she was dodging rocks and pieces of plywood and insulation that had been pulled from the house when the river claimed it. Ethan sat on the rock, looking out at the water and banks on the other side, unaware of her approach.
“I didn’t realize the house was completely washed away,” she said, startling Ethan. He quickly turned to the sound of Maddie’s voice.
She smiled at him, cocking her head to one side as she walked down the slight embankment towards him. “Something told me I’d find you here.”
“Yeah, there’s something about this place that always felt like…”
“Gives you peace?”
He shrugged. “Helps me think. The world doesn’t seem so crazy here.”
“Is this the closest to heaven that you feel?”
He looked at her for a lingering moment.
“When I’m with you I feel that way.”
She couldn’t help but smile. When Ethan had left her condo the other morning, she’d actually thought he was having reservations about making love with her. How he could think that what they’d shared was anything but right was beyond her thinking.
“The For
Sale sign is still out front.”
“The house is gone, but it’s still a great place to make a home.”
“Then you should do it.”
Ethan shook his head. “Maybe I’ll work on a house someday. But right now…”
“What?”
“This could be a great home for someone,” he said, looking around the property. He jumped off the boulder and walked over to her. “I had big plans to fix what had been broken. But this is unfixable.”
“Some things are. You can’t go back and make everything right. But you can start over, make it brand-new.”
“It’s not the same.”
“It’s never going to be the same.”
“Are we talking about the house?”
She shrugged, then took his hand. “Ethan, you didn’t kill Denny. His illness did. I shouldn’t have blamed you for it all those years. But you shouldn’t blame yourself or think that you need to live up to his expectations of you. There’s no reason you shouldn’t be happy living your life. Whatever it is you choose. I made that mistake myself. No more.”
He took in a deep breath and looked around. “A house isn’t a home unless you have someone to share it with, Maddie.”
“Is that a proposal?”
He chuckled. “You don’t exactly move slow, do you?”
“I’ve waited to live my dream for a long time. I can wait longer if I have to. I just know I want to be with you.”
“I don’t want to cause you any more pain, Maddie. I don’t want every time you look at me to be a reminder of what happened to Denny.”
“When I look at you, Ethan, I see you. I always have. You said yourself that you can’t change the past. As much as I want Denny back in our lives, it wouldn’t change what I felt for you then…or what I feel for you now. So let’s start brand new. Let’s build this home from scratch and make new memories for us.”
Ethan’s heart hammered in his chest. He was almost afraid of hoping for something that she didn’t mean. It amazed him how much clarity he’d had in the last few weeks. And the one thing he knew for sure is that he couldn’t live without Maddie Newton.
She came impossibly close to him. He could smell the fresh scent of the soap she’d used from her morning shower. Her hair shined in the afternoon sun and her eyes sparkled with amusement as she looked up at him.
Wild Dakota Heart (Book 4 - Dakota Hearts) Page 7
