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Her gaze is defiant. “According to the contract, it’s my house, too. For another year and a half, at least.”

I’m about to respond with another saucy comeback when I catch myself. Why am I goading her when I should be apologizing? I internally kick myself again. This woman makes me crazy. “Actually, I’m glad you’re up. I owe you an apology.” I clear my throat. “My anger earlier was completely unwarranted. I was way out of line.”

“And you think one quick apology can make everything better? You completely overreacted to me simply dancing with another man.”

“You’re right,” I reply, causing her expression to turn from anger to surprise. “Whether I want to admit it or not, I… I’ve developed feelings for you.” With a groan, I anxiously scrub my hands down my face. “I didn’t like seeing Christopher’s hands on you.”

Her eyes soften as she looks at me, all anger now dissipated. “I have feelings for you too, Madden. But you don’t see me biting the head off of every woman who shakes your hand.”

A smile tugs at the corner of my mouth. “Very true. You have shown me over and over again that I can trust you. I will try my hardest not to react so strongly in the future.”

“Okay.” She hesitates, her eyes shifting down to my exposed chest. “So, are you going to put some clothes on?”

I shrug and chuckle. “They’re just boxers.”

“Fine. Two can play that game.” Without hesitation, she unties her robe and lets it drop to the floor, leaving her in nothing but tiny silk shorts and a matching camisole.

My jaw drops. I was not expecting that. She walks right past me with complete confidence and pours herself a glass of milk.

“Odette…” I stutter as I take in her long, gorgeous legs and what seems like miles of smooth, pale flesh. I’ve never seen a woman so lovely. Odette is like a pearl amidst a pile of jagged rock, smooth, flawless, innocent.

I blink to regain my composure and bring my gaze back up to Odette’s face. Her eyes twinkle with mischief, and my heart lurches in my chest. Odette hardly ever shows this feisty side of herself. I won’t lie: it is extremely appealing. My resolve to fight the attraction between us is getting weaker by the second. Internally, I urge myself to go back to my room, but my body has other ideas. I take a step toward her.

This clearly surprises Odette, and she slowly backs away from me, a blush rushing to her cheeks as her confident facade fades back to shyness.

“Madden…” Her voice sounds low and raspy.

I take another step toward her. The gap between us grows smaller. With every step, her smooth skin looks more tempting, and her green eyes more alluring.

Odette gulps as I take a final step toward her, bringing us face to face. I look down at her captivating lips. “I’ve tried to keep my distance. I have. But I’m not sure that I can anymore.” I run the back of my hand down the soft skin on her arm. I lean my head down so low the tips of our noses are almost touching. “It’s killing me, Odette.”

Her hands come up to rest hesitantly on my bare chest. Her voice is barely above a whisper. “What about the contract?”

Her touch is soft, but her eyes are filled with heat. The smell of her shampoo mixed with her own heady scent is so enticing. “I don’t want to think about the contract. I just want to think about this.”

I close the final distance, slowly running the tip of my nose down the side of her neck, and then I kiss my way toward her collarbone. She shivers, but her skin doesn’t feel cold. She feels like fire.

I don’t want to stop. Kissing Odette’s skin is intoxicating. Through the haze in my mind, though, I sense that we’re teetering on the edge of something big. If we fall into the unknown, I don’t know what will happen to us. Should we put a stop to this?

Part of me hopes that Odette will make the decision for me by pushing me away. Instead, she slides her hands from my chest to my shoulders and links them around my neck. She wets her lips and leans forward.

I can’t hold back any longer. I meet her the rest of the way and gently brush my lips against hers. Our lips move together like they were made for each other. I could kiss this woman for days and never grow tired of it. My hands go to her hips, eagerly pulling her body closer to mine.

Before either of us realizes it, we are kissing our way back to the master bedroom.

Odette

I wake up the next morning to sunlight peeking through the curtains and birds chirping outside the window. This seems like an unusually delightful morning. Is it just me or does the sunlight seem warmer and the birdsong happier? My body feels so relaxed. I clearly slept well last night. I shrug and let out a yawn.

That’s when I notice the large, muscled arm wrapped around my waist.

The night before comes flooding back to me: meeting Madden in the kitchen, how he looked so muscular in his boxer briefs, the way my skin tingled when he kissed my neck… A hot blush starts at my toes and spreads all the way up to my hairline. Despite my embarrassment, I cautiously lean into him and close my eyes. There’s something very comforting about having his arms wrapped around me.

Will things continue like this every night? I don’t know where Madden’s thoughts are. Did last night mean anything to him?

I blow out a deep breath. Who knew developing feelings for one’s husband could be so complicated?

Madden’s arm tightens around my waist, and his lips find my bare shoulder. “Good morning, Red. No need to blush. We are married, after all.”