“You’re snoring,” I reply.
Her hand smacks my chest. “Rude.”
She sighs and burrows into me like she’s trying to fuse us together.
“Food,” she says sleepily. “A nap. A lazy Saturday. What more could someone want?”
I huff a laugh. “You’re easy to please.”
She tilts her head back to look at me. “Don’t be fooled. I’ve been told I’m incredibly high maintenance.”
There it is.
She says it jokingly, but I see the flicker beneath andthe quick scan of my face to see if I agree.
I don’t miss things like that.
Madison is expressive. She’s opinionated, and yes, she’s demanding, but only in the way someone is when they refuse to accept anything less than they deserve.
Somewhere along the way, some idiot probably called that difficult.
I feel irritation coil in my gut.
Whatever man told her that wasn’t man enough to keep up.
She might be strong on the outside, but she files those comments away and carries them.
I brush my knuckles down her arm.
“You know,” I say, “I’ve been thinking.”
“God help us,” she murmurs.
“I think you’re ashamed of me. Keeping me locked in these apartments. Having your way with me in secret.”
Her brow furrows. “What?”
“Seems suspicious.”
She props herself up on her elbow. “You’re serious?”
“I am.”
“I’m not ashamed of you,” she says, genuinely baffled.
“Good,” I reply. “Because I’d like to take you out.”
Her eyes widen. “You want to take me on a date?”
“Yes, Madison. I would like that.”
“When?”
“Tonight.”
She gasps. “I have nothing to wear.”
“That’s funny,” I say evenly, “because there’s a new shoe shop that opened up down the—”
