Lost in You (Flirting with Forever Book 1)

by Amanda Bailey

  Piper’s nose wrinkled. “When he hadn’t.”

  “No. And then I took off and caught a ride home with James and Emily.”

  Zoey looks confused at first until Quinn leans over and whispers, “Her brother and his girlfriend.”

  “Oh no. So, you all didn’t come back home together?” Zoey sits back, her arms folded across her chest. “That’s awful.”

  I slowly shake my head and take another sip of my coffee, not disagreeing with her at all.

  “Hey, you girls gab for a few minutes. I want to talk to Madison alone.” Sophia stands and holds her hand out to me.

  My stomach does flip-flops. One thing I hadn’t considered at all was how this may affect my relationship with Sophia. Out of all the women, I’m closest with her and Quinn, and she has the added tie of being Shawn’s soon-to-be sister-in-law. I swallow hard as I follow her down the hallway. We stop across from the restrooms when we are out of earshot.

  She eyes me warily, one perfect brow arched. “You seem miserable.” She hesitates for a second before continuing. “He’s miserable, too, you know. And he doesn’t understand why you left. He’s scared you don’t trust him, the same way Dana didn’t.”

  “I broke them up, Sophia. I feel awful. He would never have been with me if I hadn’t done that. The guilt is tearing me up. I lied to her.”

  Sophia scoffs, “No. Don’t do that. You were telling the truth as you knew it. You were trying to protect her.”

  “But does he see that? Does he understand I wasn’t trying to hurt him? I was trying to save her from … God, that sounds so stupid. I meant well.” I rub my face in frustration. “I’m sure Dana won’t see it the same way.”

  “She and Shawn have been over for a long time. And frankly, based on conversations he and I have had this week, it was her lack of trust in him that made him not fight for her. It’s in the past. Things happen for a reason, Madison. You can’t blame yourself for trying to help. Chase is the asshole here, not you. He’s a cheat and a liar—and now everyone knows it.”

  I nod, knowing in my heart she’s right.

  “But, Madi? No man is miserable like this over a woman unless he really cares for her. You should hold on tight to a man like that.” She reaches out to pat my arm and gives me a soft smile. “It’s been interesting to see him like this. I’ve never known him to be this affected by anything before. He’s been playing his guitar like mad.”

  I catch a teardrop with the back of my finger before it falls. “I love it when he plays.” My heart swells with hope.

  “You should skip out on the rest of our book talk and go see him. We’re going to the bar after this for karaoke, so we can catch up with you later.”

  I frown, my brows hiking together in confusion. “Karaoke? Do you mean at his bar? Since when is there karaoke at that bar?”

  She shrugs. “Since he got back from the wedding. He set up a little stage and everything.”

  I’m flabbergasted. “Really? A stage? Wow.”

  “Something you all talked about got to him. And Madi, that man’s eyes are full of unicorns and rainbows every time he talks about you.” She smirks. “That’s what Ava told him, anyway.”

  A small smile creeps across my lips. “He’s talking about me?”

  “Yeah. He’s been a little broody and a whole lot depressed, but he’s been talking to me and Heath both. More his brother than me, but I’ve still gotten an earful.” She tilts her head to the side. “Go see him.”

  I draw in a breath and it shudders out. I look at her and don’t see anything but genuine concern in her gaze.

  “Go.” She steps forward and gives me a quick hug before turning me around by the shoulders and walking me forward. She picks up my purse as we pass our table and hands it to me before shoving me gently toward the door.

  From behind me, I hear a sudden scrambling. I look back at my friends to see them out of their seats cheering me on. A few of them clapping excitedly, others standing there with their hands clasped together. I hear a chorus of “Good luck, Madi!” as I press my lips together and try not to cry, wondering what I ever did to deserve such good friends.

  Chapter 31

  Shawn

  That’s weird. I thought I’d heard a knock a few minutes ago, but I ignored it as no one ever comes up here. I hurry to the door, twist the knob, and find the last person I expected to see on the other side, but the only person I wanted. Madison. I suck in a quick breath, knocked off balance by her appearance.

  She stands there looking a little unsure but more beautiful than ever. She’s all bundled up in a heavy navy-blue coat and a matching blue hat with a little pom-pom on the top. “What are you doing here, Madi?”

  She blinks twice as if she’s stunned that I’m here in front of her, and then finally shakes herself, blinking once more. She closes the distance between us and looks up at me with fiery green eyes that I know are going to be my undoing.

  I need her so damn bad. I haven’t slept, haven’t eaten, hell, I’ve hardly breathed since she left. I was hurt when she’d taken off without saying anything to me. But at the same time, I’d understood. I get her, and I knew she’d been feeling incredible guilt over the whole situation as it unraveled.

  “I came to tell to you—”

  “We’ll talk later.” My hands dive into her hair, fingers threading through the curly locks as I cradle her head. She gasps, and I take that moment to lower my mouth to hers. Our bodies collide, and she clutches at the back of my T-shirt and moves closer. I groan, helping her quickly out of her coat and whipping off her hat before I pull her inside and slam the door behind us. I lift her up into my arms and her legs automatically wrap around my hips like they were always meant to be there. We moan in unison at the contact. Electric sparks shoot through me at the feel of her pressed against me, making my dick harder than steel in no time flat.

  My mouth finds hers again and our tongues dance together in a rhythm only we know and understand. It could be minutes or hours that our lips are fused, touching, tasting, loving each other—I have no idea. With every desperate swipe of our tongues, the temperature in my apartment shoots further through the motherfucking roof.

  I don’t know how either of us ever entertained the notion that this was fake. All I know in this moment is I am hers and she is mine, and I need to be buried inside her right now.

  I walk us forward, turning into the kitchen where I set her down on the counter. Our hands move fast as we scramble to divest each other of all clothing. I peel her shirt off, then mine, and we come back together in another scorching-hot, open-mouthed kiss. Behind her back, I undo her bra clasp, and she shrugs out of it quickly, letting it drop to the floor. Her taut nipples call out to me, begging for my mouth. “You’re so fucking sexy I can’t stand it.” I suck on her nipples, working each into a stiff peak as I pop the button on her jeans and drag the zipper down. I slide my hands under the waistband in back, and my dick twitches as I cup her ass cheeks before helping her shimmy out of her jeans and panties at the same time. She toes off her shoes, peels off her socks, and kicks her jeans and panties the rest of the way off while I shove my jeans and boxer briefs down and step out of them.

  For a second, I stare at this gorgeous woman sitting naked on my counter, and she stares right back at me with molten desire stark in her eyes. I can’t even process that a week ago we weren’t much more than acquaintances. In so little time, she’s come to be everything to me. Her breath becomes shallow as she watches me, and I know my restraint is a thing of the past. I tug her to the very edge of the counter and push her legs open. She leans back against the cabinet, watching me with so much hunger in her eyes that it spurs me on. I rasp, “I missed you so damn much, baby.”

  I bend down to bring my mouth to her aroused pink flesh and growl in satisfaction as her hands hold my head right where she wants me. Everything about her—her scent, her taste, the sounds she makes—sends blood rushing straight to my cock. Her body bucks as her fingers entwine in my hair a
nd then hold tight. I flick my tongue over her clit, sucking on it until she’s moaning and squirming. “Shawn. Oh, God. I missed you, too. I love your mouth on me.”

  “I love the way you taste. So damn sweet.” I feel her body tighten, legs shaking, as energy coils in her belly. I look up at her, knowing I’m about to watch her fall over the edge. Her lips part, her eyes become unfocused, and then she’s moaning and rocking against my mouth. I continue to lick, suck, and nip at her sensitive skin until she relaxes against me, her body giving one final shudder.

  I watch as she comes back to herself, still panting from the force of her orgasm. I lean in and kiss her hungrily before I ease back to look into her eyes. “Are you on the pill?” My question falls raggedly from my lips. I want this woman, no barriers between us. I want to feel her.

  She nods, her chest rising and falling rapidly. “I am.” She takes my cock in her hand, strokes it, and then guides it through the folds of her wetness.

  “Thank fuck because my dick needs to be in your hot pussy in the next five seconds.” With that, I pull her off the counter and into my arms, spin around, and pin her against the wall. Her body wraps around mine, and I thrust hard into her in one satisfying stroke.

  “Oh, God.” She claws at my shoulders.

  I hold myself still and bring her lush lips to mine, kissing her slowly with all the passion I feel for her. I groan and pull back a fraction to look at her. I whisper against her lips, “You feel so good, Madi.”

  I almost lose my mind when she tilts her hips, taking me deeper. “I need to feel you. Please—”

  “Whatever you need, baby.” My fingers dig into her ass cheeks as I hold on tightly and piston into her tight, wet heat.

  It feels so good to be with her bare like this; I’m ready to fucking blow already. Madison is so damn sexy, and I don’t even think she realizes it. Her body moves perfectly with mine, so in sync it’s impossible to think we aren’t meant to be. My pelvis grinds against her as I thrust faster, hitting her in just the right spot, and she explodes like a volcano. She cries out, her face the picture of rapture as her body melts into mine, shaking, so vibrant and alive. I can’t hold back any longer and growl, “Madison,” next to her ear as I come deep inside her.

  Our chests rise and fall against each other, and my lips graze over the soft skin along her jaw before I touch my lips to hers. My mouth curves into a grin, and I feel her smiling back at me. “Hi, Butterfly.”

  A small chuckle falls from her lips. “Hi, Shawn.” Her legs drop from around my waist as I pull out of her. “I, um, I’ve never done that before.” She leans against the wall and bites her lip, her eyelashes fluttering at me.

  My forehead creases and my mind whirs a mile a minute, wondering if she’s okay. I’m still feeling a little out of it, my brain is waiting for the blood to return to it so I can think straight. “Me neither. But that’s what I want our relationship to be. Built on trust.”

  She reaches out to cup my cheek. “You know the past has made it hard for me to trust. But not with you. I hope that’s a good sign.” She smiles and blows out a quick breath. “Can I use your bathroom?”

  My eyes flick to hers. “Sorry. Yeah, of course.” I run one hand over my jaw and point in the direction of the bathroom with the other. “It’s right through there.”

  While she’s in there, I’m gripped with sudden worry. Maybe I shouldn’t have jumped on her before we’d had a chance to talk. But, damn, I’d needed her in a way I have never experienced before. The pull was so strong I had to have her right then. She hadn’t argued either, she’d been right there with me, every kiss, every touch. It’d been some of the best sex I’ve ever had. Make-up sex. Never had it before, but if it’s like that every time, I’ll pick a fight every once in a while just to be able to kiss Madison and bring her back to her senses.

  And it is Madison I want to be kissing. Now I just have to show her, talk things through, make sure she’s with me in this because I don’t think I could ever go back to being just friends with her. She’s the one I want to call my own. I want to spend every day with her, living and laughing, and every night wrapped up in her arms, loving her in the way she deserves. I don’t ever want her to feel alone again—because she has me.

  At the sound of soft footsteps on the carpet, I glance up, my gaze traveling over Madison’s naked body. I blow out a breath. “Madison, I think we should probably talk.” A rough chuckle rips from me. “But I’m easily distracted when you’re naked.” I swoop down, picking up her T-shirt and underwear.

  Her nose wrinkles as she takes them from me, a furious blush cresting her cheeks. “Ditto. At least put some pants on.”

  “You got it.” I pull on my boxer briefs and jeans while she steps into her panties and pulls the T-shirt over her head.

  I hold a hand out to her, and we walk together into the living room where I sit on the couch. My heart clangs around in my chest, and I pray I can say everything I need to, everything that’s been running through my head since she left.

  She lets go of my hand and is about to sit down on the couch way too far away from me when the words fall from my lips, unbidden. “No. Sit here with me.” I need to touch her, need to feel her, don’t want to be apart from her anymore. “Right here.” I grab her hand and pull her into my arms, seating her sideways across my lap.

  She’s tense at first, but then our eyes meet and she softens. She rests her head against my chest. “Is everything really okay between us?”

  “I want it to be. Do you?”

  “More than anything.” She heaves a great sigh, the weight of the world seemingly on her shoulders. “I’m sorry. I didn’t know—I believed what Chase told me. I should have known better. There had been a few other times that I was not sure if he was telling me the truth about where he’d been.”

  My lips graze her forehead. “He had us both fooled. I don’t know if I ever really knew him at all, and that’s a tough thing to realize.” I pause. “Look, I don’t want you getting upset again over the whole Chase and Dana situation. I don’t want you to think for a second even that anything you did because of his lies could come between us. It wasn’t your fault. You didn’t know.”

  “How?” She looks at me with tears shimmering in her eyes. “How are you able to handle this so well? Why aren’t you upset with me for believing that of you?”

  “Well, it’s in the past. I don’t dwell on the past. Never have. But as for you believing it of me? I don’t think that if you really, truly thought that of me you’d have let me come with you in the first place. I think somewhere down deep, you knew.”

  Her lips curve into a smile. “You know, you may be right. Because I kept asking myself what the hell I was doing and kept thinking, well, he’s obviously changed because this isn’t someone who could do that. So, I think the answer was ticking around in my head this whole time. Tigers don’t change their stripes. I don’t know why all the pieces didn’t connect in my head, especially after I witnessed Chase cheating with my own two eyes.” She swallows, and I feel it against my chest. “I was really hoping you weren’t going to let me down either, because I started falling for you on the ride to the wedding before we ever had a chance to be fake anythings to each other.”

  “Madison. Look at me.” I tuck my finger under her chin, lifting her face to mine. “I won’t let you down. Ever.” I slant my mouth over hers, and we lose ourselves in the kiss. When we finally pull apart, I know I have to make sure she knows how I feel. I don’t want there to ever be a question.

  “Baby, while you were falling for me, I was busy falling for you, too.” I search her eyes and see nothing but trust there, and that’s when it finally hits me—my heart has found its home.

  A while later, we get ready to head downstairs. Music floats up through the floor, and I chuckle, my brows raised. “Sounds like they’ve already got the karaoke going. I bet your girls are already here. Sophia mentioned they’d be by tonight after your book club.”

  “Yep, they prob
ably are. Oh my God, my hair is out of control. They’re going to wonder what the hell happened to me.”

  “Wait, did you skip out on getting together with them to come see me?”

  “Sort of. I showed up. They saw I was a miserable mess, and Sophia pulled me aside and made me spill my guts.”

  “Go figure. She’s going to be gloating about this one for a while, I can feel it.”

  “Do you really care?”

  “No. Come to think of it, maybe I should buy her a really nice Christmas gift this year.”

  Madison laughs. “I guess so, because she’s probably just given both of us the best gift ever.” She pulls her hair on top of her head, winds it around her hand, and secures it on top with a few pins.

  I lean in close, touching my lips to the soft skin just behind her ear. As I pull away, I notice something that I never have before. “Shut. The fuck. Up.”

  Madison’s head twists back to look at me. My stunned expression must say it all because she starts giggling. “Um, did you find my birthmark?”

  I blink a few times, my mouth opening and closing. “I’ve been calling you ‘Butterfly’ for over a week, and you never told me your birthmark is shaped like a damn butterfly?”

  She presses her lips together, and I can tell she’s trying not to laugh.

  “Go ahead. I know you want to.”

  Laughter, bright and beautiful bubbles from her lips. “Oh my God, the look on your face was just priceless. I’m so glad I didn’t say anything.”

  She grins, and I tug her to me, kissing her soundly on the mouth.

  Chapter 32

  Madison

  “Oh, wow, Shawn. This is so fun.” I squeeze his hand, and when he looks down at me, his blue eyes are alight with a happiness I’m sure comes from what I see in front of me. People sit around the small stage area at the corner of the bar. The raised area had been home to extra chairs and tables until now. With those removed, everyone seems to be having the time of their lives singing along—mostly off-key—to the music pumping out the speakers.