Then the witch he was holding leaned closer. And pressed her lips to his.
Dom just couldn’t take it any longer.
His last thought out there before he’d realized he was going to survive tonight had been regret for not having another moment with Madison.
He didn’t want to keep living like that, either.
Denying himself the one woman he wanted more than anything.
For what?
So that he could protect her from himself. He had been protecting her from a lot worse than a man like him for years.
He just hadn’t let himself see that. Not for the longest time.
He’d been lying to himself. Saying he was too rough for her, that she was too good for him. It was true, both of those things. But what was he supposed to do? Just walk away?
He couldn’t do that any longer. At least not tonight.
Maybe he would regret it in the morning, but here in the night…
Life was too damned short to go on letting them both hurt this way.
“Damn it, Madison, you’ve ruined me for anyone else. Completely.”
“I kind of like the sound of that.” But her nerves were in her eyes. She was afraid.
Of this.
Hell, Dom just couldn’t stand it any longer.
He pulled her closer. Until she was pressed against him in all the right places. “I will never hurt you. You have my word.”
“And when an Acardi gives his word, he means it. I have heard it before, you know.”
“Yeah, I suppose you have.” And then he held her.
And showed her exactly what she did to him.
70
It wasa good thing she’d gone on birth control a year ago. Because Madison was about to do something crazy here. And she didn’t want the kind of lasting consequences Powell and Gunnar were having in September, considering.
It had been so long since the last time a man had held her. Over four years. She almost didn’t remember exactly what she was doing here.
She didn’t rememberthatfeeling likethis,either.
That man hadn’t been Dom.
She understood exactly what felt so different.
Thisman was hers. Forever.
Her feelings for this man were so tied up and complex. Of course him holding her would feel strange, and exciting, and damn it—she wouldn’t admit it to anyone else—it felt right for it to be his hands holding her now. Even if the man shouldn’t be using his arm right now. Even for this.
Madison’s hands slipped under the borrowed shirt. Dom had the most perfect chest she had ever seen. Seen it, she had. And drooled over it. Multiple times. A woman just wanted to toucha man like him. To make sure he was real, for one thing. For another…why the hell not?
Maybe a part of her was a bit more primitive where he was concerned, too.
