“I was,” he replied and squeezed her hand a little tighter. He started leading her back to the camp where everyone was gathering.
“Hey Andrew, can you help me with the firewood?” Jayden asked, carrying a handful of wood.
“Sure, no problem.”
Andrew walked Madison to the table and kissed her lightly on the lips before reaching for his shirt and throwing it on. He followed Jayden to the truck loaded with all the firewood and threw his body up onto the bed, repositioning the logs on the tailgate so they were easier to access. Pretty soon a few other guys came to help as well; conveniently, Jimmy was nowhere to be found. Between all of them, they had the truck unloaded in no time.
Madison watched as the men moved the wood closer to the fire pit and marveled at the way Andrew’s biceps flexed and how focused he seemed. He truly was the epitome of a man. Raw with unbridled sexuality, strong and masculine yet there was an intimacy and gentleness about him that seemed to lay just under the surface. She had known him for less than a day yet she was certain that she could easily fall in love with him. He walked back up to her and rested his knee between her legs on the bench, offering her another kiss.
“I am going to change out of these trunks,” he said before cocking his head questioningly, “Unless you think we might swim some more.”
“No, I think I’m done swimming, the water will be too cold.”
Madison smiled brightly at him as he leaned in to her and kissed her again, not stopping until he took her breath away. She quickly slipped her shorts and shirt on and then walked back to her car to grab the blanket she had thrown in there earlier. When she returned to the table, she brought out some leftover food and made a plate for Andrew. Why, she wasn’t sure, but it seemed like the right thing to do. She popped a grape in her mouth and bobbed to the music she heard playing nearby.
As Andrew started making his way back to the table he could see her dancing and was filled with happiness. He had never really had a girlfriend. He was only 22 when he went to prison and hadn’t dated anyone, well, ever. He had no idea what he was supposed to do or whether the fact that they were attracted to each other and had kissed so passionately if she was now considered his girlfriend. He walked up behind her and wrapped his arms around her waist causing her to jump, startled.
“Geez, you scared the shit out of me, Your Sexiness!”
He snickered against her neck. “You know these nicknames are very lame.”
“I could just call you, Drew,” she giggled, thinking what a boring nickname that would be.
His whole body stiffened as she mentioned his father’s name. She didn’t know exactly what had happened but she felt an immediate shift in Andrew. She quickly turned around to see his frightened and angry face. He closed his eyes and was shaking his head back and forth, trying to get the images out of his head.
“I’m so sorry, Andrew. I’ll never call you that,” she said as she brought her hands to the sides of his face, running her thumbs along his cheeks.
She wasn’t sure what that name symbolized for him but she assumed it was the name of someone who had hurt him considerably. He brought his hands up and placed them over hers as he allowed her gentle touch to bring him back to the present. His father had not always been messed up. Both he and his mom had once been caring and kind. He wasn’t sure when exactly that shifted but when it had, his whole world caved in. He had been too young to understand the effects that drugs could play on parenting. He didn’t understand until he was much older how drugs gave the impression that they could fix what ailed you, albeit temporarily. But mostly, he didn’t understand how parents could harm or allow harm to come to their children. He had always thought that parents were supposed to protect their children.
“Andrew?” Madison asked, hoping he could really hear her.
This was the second time within the hour that he had drifted away from her. She was praying that she wasn’t doing something that was making him remember bad things. She knew all too well how that could haunt a person. He slowly opened his eyes and they looked sad again. He kissed her softly on the palm of each of her hands and then pulled her to him, holding her in a tight embrace. He knew that he needed to get his act together, that he was being very mercurial with Madison and he worried that she would think he was too messed up to pursue. She could hear his heart beating rapidly and then slowly start to decrease until she could sense that he was calm again. In fact, so calm that she heard his stomach rumble. She grinned and pulled away from him. She watched him thoughtfully before she turned and brought a plate forward.
“I thought you might be hungry,” she said, smiling from ear to ear.
“You made me a plate?” he asked, somewhat in shock.
He had seen his aunt do that for Aaron and it made his heart leap to think Madison did that for him. Maybe that was just something girls do but either way, he was thrilled that she had thought of him. Madison got that flirtatious look on her face and picked up a cherry, bringing it to his lips. The corner of his mouth lifted into a deadly smirk as he opened his mouth, allowing her to drop the sweet fruit inside. Before she withdrew her finger, he kissed it lightly causing Madison’s eyes to flutter and her breath to hitch.
Andrew smiled. “Thank you.”
“You're welcome,” Madison stuttered.
Andrew went to the table and sat down on top of it, planting his legs firmly on the bench. He spread his legs slightly and arched his brow at Madison as he motioned to the spot in front of him. Madison did not hesitate this time and sat down on the bench between his legs. This time there was no awkwardness as it suddenly felt as if that was always the way they should be. Andrew moaned as he took a bite of Madison’s salad, thinking that it was definitely the best potato salad he had ever had.
“I told you it was famous,” Madison stated smugly.
“Maybe we should package it and sell it at the local Safeway,” he said with a mouthful of salad.
She looked up at him, her heart soaring. He had said 'we' again.
“Nah, I don’t want to sell out or anything,” she recovered sarcastically and then laughed as he rolled his eyes.
“Uh huh,” he said as he brought his fork to her mouth.
The fact that Andrew was feeding Madison had her mind floating all over the place. She didn’t think guys did that kind of thing. She thought that only happened in those sappy romantic comedies that she refused to go see. Madison lived in the real world and in the real world people hurt one another all the time and there was rarely a happily ever after. But she felt an undeniable chemistry with Andrew and when he looked at her, she could actually picture herself with him 10, 20, 30 years down the road. This was something she had never considered with anyone else.
Andrew, on the other hand, was winging it. He had seen Aaron feed his aunt before and she seemed to like it. He had no real reference for relationships. His mom and dad were affectionate with one another, often too affectionate, as on more than one occasion they simply forgot that Andrew was around. While Aaron and his aunt always seemed tranquil with one another. He had never heard them raise their voice to each other or seen them be overly affectionate in front of him but there was something about the way they moved around each other that told him they truly cared about one another. He wondered if he should consult with Aaron about this thing with Madison. He was always saying that Andrew could talk to him about anything. Maybe it was time to test that.
They spent the next several hours huddled near each other as they visited with Callie and Jayden. Brie and her crew were nearby but really seemed to not pay any interest to the four of them. If it weren’t for the proximity of the tables you would not know they were a part of the same group of people. By the time the bonfire started, many people were already very drunk. Although Andrew and Madison had a few beers, they were not wasted and neither were Jayden or Callie. So the newly formed friends had a great time laughing and making fun of the stupidity of the others. When Callie brought out the fixings for S
’mores, Madison leaped up excitedly.
“Oh my god... I haven’t made these since I was a kid.”
“I love them. Jay doesn’t appreciate the S’more,” Callie said, giving Jayden a look that said 'see I’m not the only one'.
“Baby, they are messy and I can never get the marshmallow right.” Both women looked at him and he quickly turned to Andrew. “Andrew, come on man, you got my back don’t you?”
Just then both women brought their gaze to him. “Ummm, ya know, I never did the whole camp thing so...I...ummm, never really had one so... I can’t really vote,” Andrew stuttered.
Madison smiled wildly. “Ohhh, I get to pop your S’more’s cherry. SWEET!” She said, wagging her brow suggestively.
She started gathering what she would need and then took his hand, dragging him over to the fire. Andrew glanced at Jayden for some encouragement but he just laughed and motioned with his hands for him to follow Madison. Andrew watched as Madison explained the intricacies of making the perfect s’more.
“See the key, Your Smoochalot, is that you dip the marshmallow in the fire,” she said with a wink as Andrew chuckled. “Many people make the mistake of just shoving it in there but then it doesn’t melt all the way through and just gets too crispy on the outside,” she said with a frown. “So you see, you need to twirl it just above the fire to cook the inside of it.” She demonstrated as she moved the stick in a circle above the flame. Andrew smiled widely.
“Then!” she said, looking at him while he brought his hand to his mouth, trying to stifle his laugh. “Only when it bubbles like this,” she lifted the marshmallow to show him that it was indeed bubbled, “NOW you put it in the fire so it can get crispy and oh so yummy.”
“Then the graham cracker and this is important, you need to use Hershey’s but NOT the king size bars because they don’t melt right,” she said as she placed the marshmallow on top of the chocolate and added the top graham cracker.
“Here, try it!” she said, all smiles.
Andrew looked at it and then her, thinking that Jayden was right. It looked really messy. Andrew shrugged and took a bite and, sure enough, it was delicious, but utterly messy. He now had chocolate and marshmallow running down his chin and when the chocolate started dripping all over his fingers he started laughing uncontrollably. Madison grinned and stood on her tip toes, kissing him softly on the chin until all the chocolate and marshmallow was gone and then placed her mouth close to his lips but not touching them.
“This is the best part,” she said running her tongue along his lips.
Andrew immediately felt himself stir, which had been nothing new today. That seemed to happen any time he was near her. He knew he needed her desperately. He started to drop the s’more but Madison placed her hand on his.
“Don’t you dare drop my perfect S’more,” she said, licking her lips of the chocolate and marshmallow she had just tasted from Andrew’s lips.
Andrew’s mouth opened but no words came out.
“I’m gonna grab the blanket so we can sit by the fire. Is that okay?” she asked while Andrew nodded.
As he watched her go back to the table, he quickly shoved the chocolaty goodness into his mouth, not wanting anything to hinder his desire to kiss her. As Madison approached him, she had to stop and take a deep breath as Andrew was now licking the chocolate off of his fingers. Madison swallowed and tried to maintain her poise as she laid the blanket down for them. Andrew motioned for her to sit and then he sat down next to her as they watched the flicker of the fire. Madison turned to him and was taken aback by just how stunning he really was. As the fire cast a soft hue around him, she felt drawn to him, like that old saying... a moth to a flame, burned by the fire.
“Please don’t let him burn me,” Madison whispered causing Andrew to turn to her.
“Did you say something?” he asked, concerned he had missed something important.
Madison shook her head and brought her lips to his, kissing him with a passion that she knew could lead somewhere else. She leaned back on the blanket pulling him to her. Andrew hesitated for only a moment as his lips crashed against hers, once again desire devouring the two of them. He allowed his hand to slowly move over her breast, feeling her nipple harden at his touch. His hand slipped hesitantly under the hem of her blouse, his fingers running along her flat stomach.
“It's okay,” she muttered against his mouth, trying to encourage him to continue.
Madison’s body was on fire. She needed him to go further, to really touch her. She felt as if she would explode at any moment if he didn’t. He gently traced his fingers over her stomach and worked his hand slowly up and over her breast. He was breathing heavily now. It had been a long time since he had touched a woman and he didn’t quite remember the experience that well. Madison felt so perfect. He found himself slowly removing her breast from her bikini top. She moaned into his mouth fueling his fire and making his heart race.
“Oh God!” he muttered unable to breathe.
“Andrew, touch me, please.”
His breath was coming out ragged and he looked torn, he swallowed and slowly moved his hand to cup her soft breast. He brought his mouth back to hers and started kissing her again, feeling the heat emanating from her core. His hand was drawn down lower. He unfastened her shorts and paused, wanting to make sure. When her hand moved over his, guiding it inside her shorts, he had his answer. His long fingers touched her, feeling how much she wanted him.
Madison moaned again as pleasure coursed through her. She automatically arched her hips slightly. Andrew couldn’t believe that he was actually doing what he was doing and he prayed that no one was watching them. He needed to feel her though and his fingers found their way underneath her bikini bottoms as the warmth of her set his hand on fire. Madison kissed him even harder; she needed him with a desperation that felt embarrassing. As her tongue pierced his mouth, her hand worked its way down and over his jeans, hearing him almost cry out as her hand maneuvered over him.
Andrew was unable to contain his desire for her. It had been eight years since he had felt a woman’s touch, eight years since he had caressed a woman’s body and eight years since he had felt this level of intimacy. He knew that what he was experiencing was unlike anything he had with anyone else. He was completely drug free, he wasn’t trying to 'get' anything, and he was not looking for a place to stay for the night. What he was experiencing right now was what it always should have felt like but never did. He immediately moved himself between her legs and pressed his hardness against her.
Madison moved her hand and gripped his hair once again. He felt so good. She knew they needed to leave. To find a place they could make love. She wanted to feel him inside of her, she wanted to touch him and kiss every part of his body. Their kiss intensified yet again and she wondered if she would have to break free again just so she could catch her breath. The way he was moving against her was sending delicious waves of excitement and euphoria through her and she realized just how dangerously close she was to making love to him right there by the fire.
“Hey Madison, you need any help there?” She heard drunk laughter approaching.
“Yeah, he ain’t raping you or anything is he?” Another drunken voice said laughing.
“Don’t forget no means no, Harrison.” That voice they both recognized as Jimmy's.
And just like that Andrew stopped, frozen above her. The harsh reality of where they were, coming to the forefront. Madison was trying to pull him back to her but she knew that the drunken ramblings of those idiots had taken Andrew away again. And just like that, he rolled off of her, leaving her breathless and aroused. She turned to him and could see the anguish on his face. She brought her hand to him in an attempt to touch him but he flinched away.
What the hell is wrong with me? He realized that he had been so turned on that he had once again paid no attention to his surroundings and was about to do something he never should have done. He couldn’t look at her and needed some distance to
calm his raging hormones that were desperate to find peace within her.
“Andrew, it’s okay, they’re being jerks, and they’re drunk. You weren’t doing anything I didn’t want you to do,” Madison pleaded with him.
He glanced at her and could see her confusion but he felt unable to articulate what he was feeling at the moment. Without saying a word, he stood up, pulling his cigarettes out and lighting one quickly as he walked away from the fire. Madison saw his free hand go to his hair and then, after a few paces, he bent slightly, resting his palms against his knees. Madison glanced at Jimmy and his idiot friends and jumped up quickly, marching over there.
“You asshole!” she said as she slapped Jimmy hard across the face.
In Jimmy’s drunken state he pushed her out of the way, causing her to stumble to the ground. “Don’t touch me, bitch.”
Before Jimmy could say or do anything else, Andrew was on him. Andrew hadn’t heard what had been said but he certainly saw what had happened. He wasn’t quick enough to stop Jimmy from pushing Madison down but he was quick enough to clock Jimmy across the face several times. Soon his friends jumped in and tried to hold Andrew back but they were all too drunk to do any significant damage. Andrew had spent so much of his life fighting that it became natural, and once he started, he wasn’t able to stop. In fact, he never did until he was pulled off. It was as if he entered some alternate reality with just him and that person or people and all he could see was them and where he wanted his fists to land. By the time he was pulled off of Jimmy, Jimmy’s face was a bloody mess. And when Andrew looked up, he was face to face with the county sheriff.
Andrew looked down at his hands, which were now coated in blood, and then looked over at Madison who had her hand over her mouth. He could see the fear in her eyes and he glanced back at Jimmy who was being huddled around. Before anyone had been questioned, the sheriff turned him around and put the handcuffs on him, the cold steel a stark reminder of what would happen next. Madison screamed in protest and ran up to them.
Helios Awakened (The Helios Chronicles #1) Page 7
