Madison shook her head, dark strands falling loose from her ponytail and curling around her temples. “But I don’t know you.”
“We’ll have the rest of our lives to get to know each other,” Collin said, completely unconcerned by the prospect.
“But how is that possibly going to work?” Madison shoveled more pancake into her mouth. With each bite, Collin felt a swell of pride—he was feeding the mother of his baby. He was feeding his baby. He liked taking care of them, and he didn’t understand why she didn’t want him to.
“You’ve heard of arranged marriages. We know each other better than that,” he said. “And those often last.”
“That’s different.”
“How?” Collin challenged, taking a big swig of milk to wash down the blueberry goodness. “You know why they work?”
“I have no idea.”
“Because both people decide to stay married. Staying married isn’t about sentiment or passion or love. I know all the movies and books want you to think that way. But staying married is about two people who decide that’s what they both want to do. Be married. So, for this to work, all we have to do is decide to get married and stay married.”
“How can you say marriage isn’t about love?” She sounded both puzzled and angry.
“Because in the end, it’s just a legal document, a binding contract that says the two people involved will support each other and their children.”
Madison dropped her fork onto her plate with a decided plink. “That is the least romantic thing I’ve ever heard.”
“I told you. Marriage isn’t about romance. It’s a legal contract.”
Madison rolled her eyes. “I can’t believe you’d say that. This isn’t medieval times. In this country, we’re free to marry the person we love. And that’s what we should do. I want love.”
“You don’t want a legal commitment?”
“I don’t want a romance-free marriage. I want it all. Love, passion, everything. I don’t want...a pity marriage.” She looked at him, dark eyes serious, but showing a hint of insecurity. Was she really under the impression that he pitied her?
“You think I’m asking you to marry me because I pity you?” Collin shook his head in disbelief. How could she be so off?
“You do. You figure this is like some old-fashioned novel or movie, and you’re supposed to swoop in and save me with an engagement ring. You didn’t care about me before you found out that I’m pregnant. So...it’s a pity proposal.”
“No. It isn’t.” Collin put his fork down, grabbed a napkin and wiped his mouth, the sweet taste of blueberries suddenly turning sour on his tongue. “I don’t pity you. I know you can take care of yourself.”
That admission quieted her fast.
“I want to help. That’s all. I want to take care of you when you’re sick, and make sure our child has two parents who love him. It’s not pity. It’s my duty. And I don’t run from my responsibilities. Even if you never planned to tell me about them.”
“Why would I tell you when I haven’t decided what to do?” Madison pushed away her chair, apparently done with her meal. She picked up her plate and headed for the kitchen. But she couldn’t outrun him. How could the woman be so...infuriating?
“I get a seat at that table,” Collin said, following her to the sink she dumped her dirty plate in it. “You can’t decide this alone. That’s my baby inside you.”
“You don’t understand.”
“You’re right. I don’t. Why would you even think about an abortion when we’re two adults with great jobs, who are reasonably sane and would make halfway decent parents?”
She turned to look at him, brow furrowed, big brown eyes focused. “I’m not getting an abortion,” she said, voice so low he almost didn’t hear her.
“You’re keeping the baby?” He had to be sure.
She nodded. “Yes, I’m...”
But he didn’t let her finish that sentence. She was going to have his baby! The thrill of that, the absolute pure joy of that decision, surged through him. He hadn’t realized how much the threat of losing the baby had been weighing on him. How out of control he’d felt, how helpless. Now, things seemed to be back on track. She was seeing reason, finally listening to him. He swept her up in his arms and kissed her.
CHAPTER ELEVEN
MADISON COULDN’T FEEL anything but Collin’s mouth on hers as pure heat pulsed through her veins. She could sense it all the way to the soles of her feet. God, the man could kiss! He held her in his strong bare arms; nothing separated her from his smooth chest except her thin T-shirt. She could feel his hard muscles beneath her hands, as he pressed herself against him. She remembered that feeling from the night they’d spent together. Of their own accord, her hands slid up to the back of his neck, and she brought her breasts fully against his chest, not caring that she wasn’t wearing a bra.
Suddenly, she couldn’t get enough of his mouth, their tongues meeting in a sweet dance, his lips tasting like blueberry syrup. Madison staggered back a step and hit the kitchen counter. She wanted more, much more from him, as he explored her body with his hands. They roamed downward and cupped her behind. In seconds, he lifted her easily onto the kitchen counter, her head nearly bouncing against the cabinets as he broke off their kiss.
“Maddie,” he moaned, for the first time calling her by her childhood name. “Maddie...” It sounded so right. He claimed her mouth again, and this time, she leaned down to kiss him as he pressed his body against hers, and she wrapped her legs around his waist. When he drew her closer, she moved her hands to his hair, her fingers running through its thick waves. She was so hungry for him—she devoured his mouth. She felt her whole body react to his. Inside, a flame had been lit that had nothing to do with the baby. At that moment, she was just a woman who badly wanted this man.
Suddenly, he was tugging at the hem of her shirt, and she raised her arms, eager to be free of the last barrier between them. His mouth found her right nipple and she gasped, arching her back into him. He took her left breast in his hand, growling in appreciation of its weight as he carefully squeezed it. Her breasts, deliciously sore from the pregnancy, were extra sensitive, and she felt each flick of his tongue as if it were electrically charged. Instantly, she felt her innermost depths grow warm with need.
She held on to his neck for dear life as he moved his attention to her left nipple, his teeth flicking ever so gently, making her groan. It was just like the night they’d spent together; he seemed to anticipate every one of her desires as if he were inside her head, accurately predicting exactly how she wished to be touched. Now, the only thing she wanted was for him to take her again, like he had that night, in a surge of unstoppable passion—all care about practicality out the window, all thought for the future gone in that one moment of instinct. He licked the center of her chest, in the curve between her breasts, driving her wild with want. She clutched at him with her legs, tightening her grip, and felt that he, too, was ready. Oh, so ready.
She wanted him inside her. Right now, proving once and for all that the one night they’d spent together was no accident, no mistake. The passion they felt for each other was real. It had to be real. No man had ever made her feel like this, so consumed by want, so oblivious to reason. Each of his kisses drove her wild, trailing like hot lava down her naked skin.
Now, he was tugging at the waistband of her shorts. Yes, she thought. Take me. Right here. In the kitchen. She didn’t care if the shades were open, or if they were in full view of the patio door.
And then, before he could get her shorts down, they both heard the telltale sounds of retching.
Teddy.
They looked back in time to see the puppy hack and then throw up his pancake breakfast all over the tile floor.
* * *
MADISON SNATCHED UP her shirt and pulled away from him, breaking their embrace to look after t
hat dog. Collin couldn’t have been more annoyed—or more uncomfortable, his erection straining against his shorts. “He’s fine,” Collin said, reaching out for Madison. “Dogs throw up. He probably ate too much. Told you not to feed him table food.”
Then the pup retched again, a loud, hacking sound, and puked up more blueberry pancake...and something else. Madison scurried over to the pup.
“Wait! That’s an... M&M.” How she could tell from the mess there, Collin had no idea, but somehow she’d picked out a little round green unchewed and barely digested M&M. “Chocolate is poisonous to dogs!”
Beneath the stool near the breakfast bar, Collin saw a chewed-up wrapper on the floor. “Looks like he’s had a few,” Collin said, as he snatched up the destroyed wrapper. No candies were left inside.
“What? No!” Madison hurried to his side, and took the gnawed wrapper from his hand. “This was a half-full bag. It was in my purse! How did you...”
Then Collin peered beneath the stools at the breakfast bar. “Looks like he found your purse.”
There, under the second stool, was Madison’s small bucket bag, dumped on its side, contents strewn all over the floor. They hadn’t been able to see it from their vantage point at the dining room table.
“I put it on the stool,” Madison said, frowning as she studied the place she thought she’d left it.
“I guess he could reach it,” Collin said, then glanced at the puppy. “Bad dog,” he said, shaking a finger. The dog, who’d retched twice, but now seemed fine, simply trotted away.
Madison stooped to pick up the contents of her purse. “He ate my lip balm!” She held up the small tube that had been gnawed beyond repair. It was now just four or five plastic pieces and the empty half of the tube.
“Teddy!” she scolded. The puppy, for his part, barked once and wagged his furry tail.
“Is lip balm toxic to dogs, too? Seems like that dog has a death wish,” Collin observed. One that might come true if he interrupts us again. His groin was only beginning to settle down, but his hunger for Madison hadn’t abated. He’d wanted her, and the dog had made sure to kill the moment. He grabbed a wad of paper towels to help her sop up the puppy’s mess, realizing this was the second time that morning he’d done the same thing and the roll was dwindling fast. He’d better go invest in more paper towels, and soon. Even that didn’t entirely distract him from Madison. He was distinctly aware of every movement she made, and he wanted to feel her petal-soft skin against his once more.
“You don’t seem very concerned,” Madison said, her voice accusatory; she picked up the puppy and studied his face, as if she could tell by looking whether the dog had truly been poisoned. He didn’t think the chocolate could hurt all that much, at least not that small amount.
“He’ll probably be fine. M&M’s are milk chocolate and isn’t that—”
“What about the lip balm?” Madison interrupted. Her worry was growing, and he hated to see her so worked up over the dog. Collin felt that if Teddy was dumb enough to poison himself, then wasn’t that Darwinism at work on some level?
“Since we put it on our own lips, I think it’s fine. It’s nontoxic, anyway.”
“What about the plastic bits?” She pulled the dog close, as if the force of her cuddling could keep him safe. She looked beautiful, dark eyes flashing. Fierce and protective. She’s going to make one hell of a mother, he thought and grinned at the prospect. She was willing to fight him to get that dog the care he needed.
“We have to call the vet,” Madison said, then grabbed her phone from the table. “I’ll call Yvana and get his number.” She began dialing as she cuddled the dog against her neck.
“Is he even on the island yet?” Collin asked.
“Yvana said he’s coming today, so let’s hope he is.” Madison pressed the phone to her ear and waited.
* * *
MADISON STOOD VERY still as the vet, Dr. Ruben, carefully checked Teddy for any signs of chocolate poisoning. They all sat in his living room, about a quarter mile from Uncle Rashad’s house. Ruben had arrived on the first morning ferry and hadn’t even had a chance to unpack his luggage yet, which sat in his foyer against the wall. Instead of a white lab coat, he wore black Bermuda shorts and a yellow-and-black striped golf shirt.
“Good boy,” Dr. Ruben said, his salt-and-pepper hair worn thick and wavy. The fifty-something vet examined the dog, peering into his ears. The puppy licked his face and the doctor laughed. “You’re a cute one,” he told the golden ball of fluff as he gave the affectionate dog a pat.
“Is he going to be okay?” Madison felt like a bundle of nerves. Would half a bag of chocolate candy kill this poor stray? She didn’t know how she’d live with that. She wanted to help the poor thing, not kill him. Plus, what kind of mother would she be if she couldn’t even keep a dog alive?
Collin reached forward and took her hand. She felt his warm strong fingers wrap around hers and, for a second, she was very glad he was there. He’d remained quiet for most of the visit, letting the vet do his work. Yet, she appreciated his quiet confidence as he stood behind her in the vet’s kitchen, the dog on the dining room table so the doctor could take a better look at him.
“Well, I don’t recommend M&M’s for puppies,” he said as he finished his exam and then gently placed Teddy on the floor. “But, I think, given his size and the fact that there’s not as much concentrated cocoa in milk chocolate, the amount he actually ingested is pretty small.”
Madison felt her shoulders relax, reassured by Dr. Ruben’s words. Thank goodness! Collin squeezed her hand and she squeezed back. She turned to him and he was smiling, relief in his eyes, too, as well as a tiny bit of “I told you so” in the quirk of his smile. Madison didn’t care. She was just glad the pup would be all right.
She knelt down and rubbed the dog’s head, cradling his furry face in both hands.
“And the lip balm? The plastic?”
“Because it’s such a small amount, I wouldn’t worry,” Dr. Ruben said. “And the lip balm is just wax. Watch him for the next few hours, and if he gets lethargic or starts vomiting and doesn’t stop, call me, but I think he’ll be fine.”
“Oh, thank goodness.” Madison flattened her hand on her chest as she slowly exhaled. She hadn’t realized how tense she’d been.
“First-time mom?” Dr. Ruben asked, which made her tense up again. Was she showing already?
“What do you mean?” she asked, unable to keep the defensive tone from her voice. Could everyone see she was pregnant? She put a protective hand across her abdomen.
“Puppy mom,” he said, pointing to the dog.
“Oh.” She laughed a little and exchanged a knowing glance with Collin, who chuckled. “Oh. Yes. Sort of. I had dogs growing up, but my parents took care of them.”
“And he’s technically not her dog,” Collin pointed out.
“Yours, then?” The vet turned his attention to Collin.
“Mine? No.” Madison watched as Collin visibly backpedaled. “Not either of ours. We found him.”
The vet shrugged. “Many new pet owners get their pets that way.” Dr. Ruben folded his arms across his chest. “And I didn’t feel a microchip in him, either, so if he does have an owner, that person will be harder to find.”
“But he’s a dog on an island. Someone brought him here.” Teddy romped over to Collin and began playing with his shoelace. Collin gently moved him along.
Dr. Ruben nodded. “Lots of tourists do come here and rent homes, and sometimes they bring pets, and maybe...they decide they’re too much trouble and don’t want them anymore. We’ve had other pets abandoned here. A couple of cats. Another dog.”
“That’s horrible!” Madison felt so sad for Teddy, and all the animals like him, lost or abandoned. She almost felt like crying. When had she become so sentimental? Sure, she’d always had a soft spot for her clients—most of them—
and for animals, but lately, she felt like tearing up at everything. She sucked in a breath. Must be pregnancy hormones.
“Lucky for this guy you rescued him,” Dr. Ruben said, stroking the dog’s head. “Domesticated dogs aren’t meant to be on their own.”
Collin crouched and gave the puppy a scratch behind the ears. He was so gentle and loving that Madison found herself transfixed by the sight of man and dog. The size disparity was obvious; Collin was massive compared to the pup. Was this how he’d be with a baby? She suddenly had an image of him cuddling an infant to his shoulder, gently rubbing the baby’s back.
“I’m glad we found you, boy,” Collin said. The dog’s tongue slid out, and Collin laughed, letting down his guard. Seeing the normally tough prosecutor falling prey to the charms of a puppy made affection rise up in Madison’s chest. So, he wasn’t the coldhearted assistant district attorney all the time. She thought about the feel of his lips on her bare skin and realized she already knew that. He had passion in him—determined and directed—and Madison felt a pull toward him. She noticed how his strong shoulders filled out his shirt. She still had a hard time getting used to Collin without his perfect-fitting suits. Here, he wore sneakers and cargo shorts and snug faded T-shirts.
Collin seemed to sense her studying him. He looked up and smiled, the light reaching his eyes. Would the baby have his easy smile? She hoped so.
Stop thinking about it, she scolded herself. Even if the baby did, what would it matter? They couldn’t actually work as a couple, regardless of what Collin thought. He was too egotistical, too self-involved. Deep down, she suspected he’d only proposed to her because, somehow, this would be another notch in his belt. It was a pity proposal, but beyond that, it was a way for him to play the martyr. Look at me, at the noble thing I did.
That was why he was so good at getting the jurors to give Jimmy Reese the maximum sentence. She thought about Jimmy and glanced at her phone. No new messages from her uncle. Although, if she pulled up a local Fort Myers news app, she saw Jimmy’s mug shot, intimidating and fierce, staring up at her. She immediately quit the app. She’d already decided this was the safest place she could be. If Jimmy came for her, he’d no doubt go to her apartment or her office. The idea that he could somehow link her uncle’s house to her seemed a bit of a stretch. Let alone the fact that he couldn’t possibly know where it was. Could he?
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