Most likely her mother. That womanhoveredover the ones she loved. No denying that.
Madison opened the door. And looked up. Into a scowling face and brown eyes.
“Dom!”
“Shh. Your brother is asleep.” His hands were around her arms, his fingers brushing the skin of her inner elbows. She didn’t even think he realized he’d grabbed her yet. She fought a shiver.
The man…probably knew exactly how to touch a woman. No denying that. Madison wanted to press closer and find out.
But was it that annoying littlephysicalthing she had for him, or…some shock reaction from what had happened tonight? Well, she wasn’t about to find out. “I didn’t know you were here.”
“Your mother let me in. They have gone to bed now. I told your mother I’d wait for you.”
“So why aren’t you waiting out there?” Like…far away from where she’d been naked and everything?
“You were taking too long. And I want to talk.”
He looked tired. That defeated, depressive type of exhaustion that pulled a person down no matter how hard they fought. Madison understood. This job…it did things to people. Broke them, sometimes. “How are—did…the hospital…?”
“Out of recovery now. All three of them.” He rubbed one hand over his face. That told her what she needed to know. “Damn it, I don’t know how much more of this Major Crimes can take.”
This wasDom,he didn’t share worries or fears. Not him. He always had to be the tough guy. The one who…tried to protect the people around him. She’d seen it before, with her brother.One night after their parents had first gotten together, and it had stormed. Max had been afraid. He’d been home with a friend during the storm that had destroyed a quarter of the city and he had remembered how bad that day had been. But Dom had calmed him down.
Showed he had a human side. He wasn’t really a troll or anything. She’d seen the softer side of him—with her family.
“I know. I feel like we’re all just hanging on by that teeny tiny silk thread. It’s going to break at any minute and we’ll all just be falling.” The last words came out with a bit more of a sob than she wanted to think about.
That’s what it had been like out there in the night. With Hope. She’d felt so helpless, out of control of everything. And she was still losing it. She just was.
Then hard hands were wrapped around her waist and she was being lifted close to that ridiculously toned chest. His hand cupped the back of her head. “I know. But, damn it, Madison, I am never going to letyoufall. No matter what I have to do.”
Madison just went with it. He felt big and strong and warm and he was right there. And for one moment, she just didn’t feel so alone. Was that so wrong? Even if it washim?
Dom was her kryptonite. She’d figured that out long ago. The man annoyed her to no end, but a part of her just… She knew this was crazy. She probably shouldn’t be doing this.
But as his hand slipped to cover her back and his other arm was holding her pressed closer to him than she’d ever been before, she just knew…she didn’t want him to let her go right now. She just didn’t.
Madison’s arms tightened around him in return. She pressed her forehead against that ridiculously rock hard chest, and cried. Like she’d never stop.
Damn it,she broke him every time she cried. Madison had the unique ability to turn him into mush. But Dom just stood there and held her. He could smell the shampoo she’d used, the fresh clean scent of her soap. He wanted to scoop her up and take her back to her place, or hell—even the guest room just down the hall. And hold her. He wanted to hold this woman forever.
To surround himself by thegoodfor a little while.
“We’ll figure this out. I promise.” But how? They’d made a major find in the OPJ case—he expected it to lead in other directions. But they’d almost lost three people in the process. Major Crimes were being hit hard. It would take them months to get everyone back and recovered. They didn’t have that kind of time. Or manpower. Dom didn’t know what the morning was going to bring. He just didn’t.
She was shaking in his arms. How was a man supposed to handle something like this? He heard a sound in the hallway behind them. He looked up, arms tightening on Madison. His father stood there.
His dad nodded and slipped back into the master bedroom.
Hell, Dom was convinced his old man knew exactly how he felt about this woman.
He hadn’t exactly hidden it.
Dom just acted before he thought it through. He lifted her. He’d never done that before. But it was so damned easy to do. Madison gasped, her arm tightening around his shoulder.
Dom carried her into the family room, far away from where Max was sleeping. He sank onto the couch, her still in his arms. Madison was only around five-four or so. She was so easy to lift. He could hold her forever and never have to let her go.
“What are you doing?”
