by Amy Brent
“Madness. I wonder if I made the right choice sometimes,” Madeline said as I looked closely at her. “I’m kidding. I love it, but I am still relatively new there. I’m finding my way.”
“It takes time, but from what I’ve seen, I think you’re doing great. You have a warmth about you,” I assured Madeline as she blushed.
“My mother always did as well. Everyone loved her, and I want to be like her…she’s like a celebrity or something.” Madeline looked beautiful as she spoke, and her eyes were full of awe. It made me smile.
“You are not your mother, Madeline. It’s wonderful that you love her so much but be yourself as well. You are a kind, compassionate woman.” Her eyes widened as she looked at me and I felt heat wash between my legs as my cock twitched in my pants. Down, boy. Not yet.
“I am?” She asked as I frowned. What made her not see that about herself? Who had hurt her in the past?
“Yes,” I assured her as I decided to move the topic to a lighter one. It didn’t feel right discussing this in such a public place, so we started discussing what our favorite were about this gym. She seemed to be here for the same reasons that I was overall, even though I noticed that her shirt was a little loose fitting. Perhaps she thought she needed to lose a little weight or something, which was ridiculous. Madeline had curves that were beautiful, sexy.
After the workout, I looked at her. “Would you like to have breakfast with me?” We were both a bit sweaty, but it was cool outside, and the breeze would even us both out. “Did you sleep enough to stay up a little while?”
“I dozed. I'm all right, and I’d like that,” Madeline told me as her familiar blush warmed her cheeks. We talked about it as we walked outside, and I invited her over to my house. It felt so empty a lot of the time, and I had plenty of stuff to cook there. We could talk without anyone listening to us. “Are you sure?” Madeline asked as I nodded. “Is there anything that I can bring over?”
“If you like eggs, fruit and bacon I am all set. I even have the stuff to make crepes or toast,” I boasted as she laughed.
“Perfect then,” she agreed as she looked into my eyes. “Can I see your phone?” I handed it to her, and she did something with it before handing it over. “I’ve sent myself a text, so you have my number and can tell me your address and anything else that I need to know. It’s gated, isn’t it?”
“Yes,” I replied as I pulled up the message and sent what she needed. “I’ll see you soon.”
We walked to our cars that were parked as row apart, and I headed home to pick up a bit. There was a good chance that Madeline might go home and change out of her gym clothes, but she said that she lived close by. It wouldn’t be long. We didn’t work until tonight, so if we got a little sleep, we’d both be fine. I was used to broken sleep since Laura had gotten ill anyway, so having it due to the company of a beautiful woman pleased me. I drove to the house and parked in the garage before heading in to wipe down the kitchen. I had a cleaner come in every couple of weeks as it was, so I was just tidying up. Looking around, I realized how much of Laura was in this room; in this house. Was it horrible for me to have invited another woman here?
No. Laura wanted me to move on, just like I would’ve encouraged her to do it I had passed away first. That was always our agreement, and I looked out of the window as I remembered the conversation. While we were madly in love from the start, Laura was realistic about life. We were in bed one night about a year into dating, sweaty and sloppy and she looked at me with those bright blue eyes of hers. “If anything, ever happens to me, I don’t want you to stop living.”
“Is there something that you’re hiding from me?” I’d teased her as I pulled her close, never imagining in that moment that I’d ever be with someone else.
“No, but I think you are an amazing man, and I want you to always have love in your life,” she’s responded before kissing me. She was finishing law school, and I was nearly done with medical school, and the future was looking bright for both of us.
“I feel the same way,” I’d murmured before kissing her again, pushing the words away as it deepened quickly. She told me the same words when she knew that the cancer was terminal, and I’d cried for weeks afterward. It was real now. She was going to leave me, and I would be alone.
CHAPTER 6
Madeline
I went home to at least change into a dress and splash some water on my face. I always got so blotchy during exercise, and I didn’t want to show up for breakfast looking that way. I was quick about it and didn’t go to any great lengths, but I felt a lot better. I was going to Declan’s house but doubted that anything was going to happen. There were sparks between us, at least on my end though that didn’t mean anything. We were just going to get to know each other. I went back to my car as I ran a hand through my hair, smiling nervously. Declan said such kind things to me. They were words that my mom or Shelly would say, but no man had ever been that sincere with me before.
I read the text that he sent me before starting the engine and backing out of my driveway. There was a gate code to use if the guard was gone, but I’d be on a list in that case. I followed the directions given to me by the robotic voice and smiled when I saw a guard at the window. “Good morning. I should be on a list under Madeline Chase?”
The kindly man grabbed a clipboard and nodded. “Here you are. Have a wonderful day.” He pushed a button as I thanked him, pulling forward and waiting for further directions. The houses were massive in this neighborhood, easily several thousand feet in size. There were a lot of brick ones that caught my eye, and I was pleased to see that Declan had a classic brick home with two large stories and windows everywhere. My own house could probably fit in the garage. I pulled into the long driveway and around the circle to park in front of the door. Getting out made me feel so small as I looked around the beautiful front yard with all kind of flowers and trees before taking the ten steps to reach the front door. I knocked and licked my glossed lips quickly as I waited, suddenly anxious about all of this. I saw movement behind the stained-glass window, and the heavy, dark door swung open as Declan smiled at me. “You did change.”
“Yoga pants are meant for home, not breakfast,” I replied as he gestured for me to walk inside. There was a foyer surrounded by windows, and that led to a living room that was centered around a gorgeous, brick fireplace. It was surrounded by chairs and couches with a big TV on the wall beside the mantel. From there, I could see a kitchen that he led me to as he chatted amicably as I stared at everything. This was beautiful.
The kitchen was spacious with granite counters and an island, as well as shiny, modern appliances. It had a lot of windows as well that showed off a few acres of green trees in between his neighbor. “Wow. It's incredible,” I breathed as he glanced at me. “My house could fit in your living room.”
“It’s a lovely house, but it feels so big sometimes,” Declan told me wistfully before I opened the fridge. “I can start the bacon if you want to cut some fruit.”
“Perfect,” I murmured as I smiled at him. He pulled out oranges, melon, grapes and then a couple of bananas from the fridge and set them down before looking me over. I’d chosen a comfortable purple dress that was clingy in all the right places without being too tight, paired with some black sandals.
“You look beautiful, Madeline.” I swallowed the lump in my throat as Declan moved closer to me, setting the last of the fruit on the counter. He was wearing a fresh pair of shorts and a different t-shirt, and I eyed him before raising my gaze to his face.
“Thank you,” I told him as I felt his hands slide beside me, trapping me there as he stared down at me. I felt my breath hitch in my throat as he moved closer to me, barely brushing his lips against mine while I whimpered.
“Is this too forward?” Declan asked me huskily, keeping a small distance between us. “Is this too fast?”
“No,” I replied before his lips were on mine again, kissing me softly as his hand encircled my waist. I felt him tilt hi
s head and move with my lips as my knees began to tremble. Oh, God. No kiss had ever been like this before. We kept at it, our lips parting and tongues meeting gently as I slipped my hands up his muscled chest to wrap my arms around his neck.
My stomach growled loudly as I gasped, making Declan pull back with a chuckle. “I need to feed you.” He gave me one last tender kiss before pulling the package of bacon from the beeping fridge to slice it open. I moved the fruit closer to the sink and rinsed as needed, still wobbly from the kiss. I piled everything into a bowl as we chatted, stirring it with a big spoon as he put the last of the bacon on a plate lined with paper towels. Declan asked if I wanted scrambled eggs with a little cheese and I nodded as he grinned.
We ate at the table that overlooked his backyard, sipping coffee. It was peaceful here, and I looked over the pool with a soft smile before focusing on his handsome face. “How long have you lived here?”
“About ten years. I have been thinking about selling it lately since it’s so big, but I like the quiet.” There was something somber on his face, and I frowned. “I bought this when I got the job at the hospital. Before that, I was jumping around a bit.”
“It’s just you here?” I asked as he sighed.
“That’s what I need to talk to you about. If anyone at the hospital catches wind of this, they will have stories to tell you. You need the truth.” My stomach tightened at his words, and I set my fork down and chewed the banana that was in my mouth. “I lived here with my wife up until just a few months ago, Madeline.”
“Wife?” I asked with a trembling voice.
“Laura died from cancer six months ago after about a yearlong battle. We bought this house together, and she loved it until the end.” He looked around slowly. “I have been watching it get bigger since then, but the idea of selling it…” He shook his head. “I just haven’t decided. I like having you here with me.”
Six months wasn’t a long time. “You do?”
“Yes, I do. I haven’t dated since Laura and have only slept with one woman one night when I was drunk. It felt like a mistake but having you here with me doesn’t. It feels good.” He picked up his fork and stabbed a grape to eat as I reached for my coffee. “The women at the hospital were ready and willing from the moment I came back to work afterward. I never touched any of them, but it wouldn’t surprise me if they told everyone otherwise. I was in a monogamous relationship for years and never a casual kind of man, so I wanted to take some time and just be on my own.”
“Do you have any kids?” I asked as he shook his head.
“We were a career couple. Work was our life and the annual trip that we took. She was a lawyer,” Declan said, warmth passing over his face. I could see that he loved his wife to this day and the memory of the kiss we’d shared left a bad taste in my mouth suddenly. “I sometimes thought after that maybe we should have, but it wasn’t who we were.”
“Are you ready for this?” I asked as insecurity flooded me. I was young and competing with a dead wife was so much to take on. I had already worried about working at the same place on the way here and a hundred other issues, and he looked into my eyes.
“I never thought I was until I bumped into you at the hospital. I thought you were one of the most beautiful women that I’d ever seen before, and I have been thinking about you since then. The second time seemed like fate to me and watching you with that woman showed me what a good person you are,” Declan told me as my heart started to pound in my chest. His eyes were so beautiful and sincere, and this was better than anything anyone that I’d dated before had ever told me. He moved his chair closer to me and reached out for my hand as I froze. “Are you okay?”
“Just surprised,” I replied as I felt the heat of his skin against mine. “I haven’t dated a lot, so the way you make me feel combined with your words is a lot to take in.”
“No serious boyfriends?” Declan asked in surprise as I shook my head. I felt so embarrassed by what I had to tell him, and I moved my gaze back to the window.
“I was always busy with school and working. I never made time for that.” I worked as soon as I could to help Mom with some of the bills since she’d sacrificed so much for me. “My mom was a single parent and worked so hard to take care of both of us that I got a job the second I could. I wanted to help her.”
“What happened to your father?” Declan asked as I felt sadness cross my face. It always did when I thought about him.
“He left when I was four. He left her to deal with everything. Luckily, she was already a nurse but losing his income made things tight. I had an aunt that watched me a lot when Mom was working. We were like the three musketeers or something.” I shook my head as his fingers slid between mine. “It’s been almost twenty years, and I should be over what he did, but I always wonder why I wasn’t enough to stay. Why wasn’t she?” I looked at Declan with all my heartbreak in my eyes, and he slipped his other hand into my hair to kiss me softly.
“Some people just can’t do it. I’m so sorry, Madeline.” His voice was so soft, so comforting. His lips brushed against mine, and I tasted the tart grape in the corners of his mouth as I reached forward to touch him. I clutched his shoulder, feeling the muscles as my pussy throbbed.
“I have never slept with anyone before. I’m scared,” I admitted as I closed my eyes. I knew that he’d pull away. Why would Declan still want to be with me? I was a virgin with Daddy issues.
“What are you scared of?” Declan asked me as I kept my eyes pinched shut.
“Pain. Being abandoned afterward. Failure,” I listed as he tightened his grip in my hair. I never admitted this aloud before, and his lips against mine made me groan.
“We’ll take this as slow as you want but I need to see you, Madeline. I don’t want to rush either given my situation,” Declan told me before he kissed me hard. We continued until we both needed air and he looked around. “Let’s get these dishes in the sink and sleep for a while. We both work today.”
I insisted on washing them and leaving them in the rack to dry before he pulled me by the hand across the living room. I could see pictures in frames of what looked to be a dark-haired woman, but he steered me past them and up the stairs. It was just as spacious up here with a long hallway that led to a few rooms, and he walked right to the back of it and then to the right. I had a fleeting moment in which I wondered if this was the room that he shared with her as I looked around, seeing a master-sized bedroom with a king-sized bed and dresser against the walls. There were other doors that I assumed were closet and a bathroom, and I looked to see French doors leading to a beautiful balcony.
This room had no pictures and lacked personality. Declan pulled me against him for a long kiss, and I wrapped my arms around him to pull him closer to me. He made his way to the bed slowly, and I panicked for a second as I considered what I was doing. I barely knew him, and I was going to sleep in bed with him? I worked so hard at school, and I worried for a moment what this might do to my career. His lips claimed mine again as I dropped to the mattress and on my back.
We scooted back to the pillows together during long, sweet kisses and he settled over my body gently as he kept his lips on mine. Declan was a tall, muscular man but he felt nothing short of amazing against my body. Our lips molded together in long, deep kisses as my body started aching. I wished that I were the kind of woman that could just rip off my clothes and sleep with him, but there was so much anxiety in my heart right now. I felt him pull away and rest his head against the pillows with a yawn. “Sleep. Are you comfortable or do you want a shirt of mine to wear?”
I opted for a shirt, and he directed me to the closet where there was a stack of t-shirts. I pulled out a soft, green one and entered the bathroom to slip it on over my bra and underwear, seeing how empty it was. This had to be a guest room or maybe his new bedroom. I looked in the mirror to see swollen lips and wide eyes as I smiled and tugged it down my thighs. I walked back into the room to see him crawling under the blankets and reaching for hi
s alarm clock. “What time do you work?”
“Six,” I replied as he nodded.
“I go in at five. This is set for three in case we’re hungry later. Join me.” I slipped into the blankets as he pulled me against him, making me shiver. His skin was so warm, and his body drove me crazy as we pressed together. I was surprisingly tired and fell asleep quickly, breathing in his scent as I curled against his chest.
CHAPTER 7
Declan
I woke up before the alarm due to a dream, surprised to feel a body against mine. I was with it enough to know it wasn’t Laura even if the dream was about her death, and I looked down at the blonde woman in my bed. Madeline looked peaceful, and I stroked her hair as I looked at the clock. I could sleep for another few hours, and I kissed her hair as my cock responded painfully. She was a virgin, which was unusual at twenty-four. It wasn’t awful, but I hated the reasons for that choice. Had she ever had an orgasm? I longed to slip my hand between her legs and find that sweet spot, but I resisted and closed my eyes instead.