The fuzzy hair on his chest begged to be caressed and Madeline rubbed her hands against it. She caught his flat nipple between her thumb and forefinger and pinched it softly. Donovan groaned as it puckered and he stroked his hands along her sides.
Madeline grasped his shoulders and flexed her thigh muscles to push herself away from him, relaxing once more to pull him inside her. The feeling of power as she controlled the rate of their lovemaking thrilled her further, and she established a fast rhythm amidst their heavy breathing and soft moans.
Donovan’s fingers slid between them, fluttering against her over-stimulated core and bringing her to a near-frantic state. The excitement was too much to bear. A powerful orgasm descended on her and she cried out her ecstasy, thrusting her pelvis against him to take his entire length once again.
Donovan moaned, his breath coming out in a harsh pant. “Move. I can’t wait. I’m not wearing a condom.”
“No. Don’t stop.” She met his eyes and shook her head, continuing to rock her pelvis against him. “I want all of you.”
He closed his eyes, moaning once more. “I love you, Madeline.” He strained his head up to cover her mouth with his, groaning into it.
She flexed away from him, bearing down to take his hardness again and again.
Donovan yelled out and clutched her against his body, moaning into her ear as his heat poured inside her.
Madeline relaxed against him, her shaky thighs no longer able to support her weight. She nuzzled into him. “You’re the one I’ve been waiting for my whole life too.”
***
Donovan helped Madeline dry off, sneaking in more kisses and caresses under the guise of his ‘help.’ He stroked her belly and smiled at her. Was it possible they conceived a child on their first try? He couldn’t believe when Madeline didn’t stop things. It was a satisfying thought, knowing she pushed aside her desire for the perfect white wedding. She wanted his baby with or without that commitment of marriage.
He slipped into clean sweatpants, unable to keep the smile off his face. Even if she wasn’t pregnant yet, they had plenty of opportunities to try. As they say, half the fun is in trying.
The sun had set while they were in the bathroom, but Donovan thought ahead and left a lamp on in the bedroom, set to low.
Madeline walked out first, stopping in her tracks and turning to face him. “Did you do that for me?” she asked, pointing to the tea service and flowers sitting on a tray in the center of the bed.
“I hope it’s still warm.” He winked at her. “I didn’t think we’d be such a long time in the bathroom.”
She grinned. “Well, if it’s any consolation, I think you managed to fulfill all my wishes.”
“Maybe not all of them.” Not yet, anyway, but soon.
Madeline rubbed her hand across her stomach, smoothing the purple robe against her flat belly. “You might have.”
Thoughts of the tea service momentarily forgotten, he placed his hand across hers. “That’s a bit frightening and exciting all at the same time. I hope I’m a good father...I mean, whenever we get pregnant.”
“You’ll be perfect.” She kissed the end of his nose and rubbed her hand up his back. “You have such a big heart, and all any kid needs is love.”
“Does it matter I didn’t have any examples? I don’t really remember my parents and after that...” He shrugged.
Tears misted her eyes and Madeline turned in his arms, pressing her body against his. “The fact that you’re worried about it tells me you’ll do just fine.”
He sighed with relief, her belief in him shoring up his courage. “Well, I’ve also had Jeremy’s influence since moving here.”
“See? So you’ll know exactly what to do.”
“We should teach our kids to call Jeremy ‘Grandpa.’”
She nodded emphatically. “I think that is a great idea.”
“You’re the best, you know that?”
A smile tugged at the corners of her mouth. “Yes.”
Donovan laughed and kissed her forehead. “Why don’t you pour our tea before it gets any colder? I’m thirsty after all that exercise.”
“Did you remember to take the leaves out this time?” She looked at the tray and wrinkled her nose. “It’s going to be kind of hard to drink otherwise.”
“Didn’t you hear? I studied the art of tea while you were in that coma.” He kissed her cheek. “I bet it’s better than you could make.”
“Really?” She arched an eyebrow. “You mean to say I should’ve put you on tea duty the last two weeks.”
Donovan shrugged, trying to hide his excitement as his pulse quickened. “Drink this and see what you think.”
Climbing carefully onto the bed, Madeline tucked one leg beneath her. She grabbed the cup nearest her, turned it upright, and then removed the cover from the teapot. The light-brown liquid still steamed as she poured it.
Madeline set the tea pot down and turned slowly to hand him the full cup. “What you waiting for? Get up here so we can drink our tea and cuddle.”
“I’m waiting to move the tray, and then I definitely want to cuddle.” He set his tea on the nightstand next to the bed as Madeline’s hand rested on the other upside down cup.
Donovan took a deep breath and fell to one knee. Madeline turned the cup over and lifted it from the tray. The diamond she uncovered glinted in the lamplight.
A loud gasp came from her and she laid the cup on the bed, not moving for several seconds. As she picked the ring up, Donovan didn’t miss the way her fingers trembled. She twisted on the bed, holding it out to him, her hand jittering crazily.
“Is this...” Her eyes widened and Donovan heard her suck in a breath. Her eyes misted over and she blinked rapidly. “I thought...what...”
At least he’d taken her by surprise. Donovan took her hand in his, noting his was shaking nearly as hard as hers. There was no reason for him to be nervous. She was going to say yes—she had to say yes. His life was about to change, all for the better.
“Maddie.” His voice came out in an undignified squeak rather than the sexy growl he’d hoped for. He cleared his throat, trying again. “Madeline...we’ve done everything about as backwards as we could, but I want to do things right from here on out.”
He took the ring from her, slipping it onto her left ring finger. The gold band reflected the soft lighting of the room and the diamond was perfectly suited for Maddie’s slender finger.
Her eyes flicked between the ring and him. She moistened her lips with the tip of her tongue and swallowed audibly.
“I don’t want to spend another second of my life without you,” he continued. “Will you be my wife?”
Tears glittered in her eyes, slipping down past the edges. Madeline smiled and it was the most beautiful smile he’d ever seen. She leapt from the bed and the tea service rattled alarmingly. Donovan didn’t have time to worry if it spilled as Madeline pushed him to the floor.
She climbed on top of him, covering him in kisses. “You were right,” she said, laughing against his mouth. “That was better than anything I’ve ever made.”
She flopped next to him, leaning half on him and holding her left hand out in front of their faces. She tilted it from side to side. “It’s beautiful,” she said. “Exactly what I would have picked out for myself.”
He chuckled. “Does that mean you want to keep it?”
“What do you mean?”
“You never officially answered my question.”
She ran her hands through his hair and smiled again. “Being your wife will make me happier than I ever dreamed possible. I love you so much. Of course I’ll marry you!”
Donovan rolled over and hopped off the floor. He laughed for no reason at all as he helped Madeline to her feet, just happy to be with her. Luckily, the tea service hadn’t spilled and he moved the tray to the top of the dresser. He lay down and Madeline crawled next to him, curling up to fit perfectly against his body.
“It’s been a crazy couple
of months,” he said, twining his hand in hers, her ring rubbing against his finger. “When I thought I lost you, it was worse than anything that has ever happened to me. I had to take a hard look at things and admit how much I loved you.”
“Even worse than loosing Ma—” She shook her head. “Never mind. I’m sorry you were so scared.”
“It was worse than losing Madison,” he said, answering her interrupted question. “Worse than anything. You are everything to me, Madeline. I want you to understand that.”
He had deliberately used her name, not her nickname, to make sure she heard him clearly. She was the person he wanted to be with.
She seemed to understand the distinction and nodded. “I do understand, now—even if I was being silly about things before.” She snuggled closer. “You’re everything to me too.”
“Even if we fight over stuff in the future—” He stroked her belly. “—you know, like, how to raise our children...”
She laughed.
“Nothing will ever break us apart,” he finished. “Suzie’s where she belongs. We’re both working. Somehow, I’ll figure out how to pay back Jeremy’s money.”
“We’ll do that together,” she said. “And after our wedding, we can fill out the foster parent papers and look for a bigger house to raise our family in. Everything will work out as long as we’re together.”
“You and me against the world?”
She rolled in his embrace and lifted her face for another kiss. “I wouldn’t have it any other way.”
Chapter Twenty-Nine
Madeline stared at the clock on the wall of Woofy Cuts the next day, wishing the time to go by faster. Work had dragged on and all she wanted to do was get home to Donovan. He’d sent her four different text messages throughout the day, each one making her smile wider. She knew he hated the ‘damn phone,’ and it meant a lot that he made the effort.
Lindsey walked out of the back room and looked around the empty store. “Slow today.”
“At least Mrs. Duncan isn’t here looking at my face.”
“People will get used to the scars. I don’t even notice them anymore, except when you point them out.” Lindsey leaned against the countertop and propped her elbows on it, resting her chin in her hands. “I think you worry too much.”
“Probably.” Madeline grinned. “Donovan definitely doesn’t mind how I look.”
“I was afraid to ask, but since you’re bringing him up, how’d things go last night?”
All day, Madeline wavered as to whether she should tell Lindsey about the engagement. She thought her friend would be happy, but there was the slightest chance Lindsey would be jealous, and Madeline didn’t want any problems. Not knowing what to do, she’d taken her ring off and stashed it in her pocket before walking into work this morning.
To hell with it. She’ll find out sooner or later.
Madeline grabbed the ring out of her pocket, slipped it on, and stretched her hand out on the counter. “Things went pretty good.”
“He proposed?” Lindsey grabbed Madeline’s hand, pulling it to her face to get a closer look. She scrambled around to Madeline’s side of the counter, wrapping her in a hug. “I’m so happy for you! How’d you talk him into it?”
“I didn’t talk him into it at all. This was all Donovan.” A grin spread across Madeline’s face that she was helpless to stop. “I took your advice and decided to take what I could get and be happy. I told him I loved him and wanted to be with him, and he surprised me by hiding the ring in my teacup.”
“You and your tea.” Lindsey kissed her cheek. “That’s so romantic. Who’s going to be your maid of honor?”
A momentary panic set in Madeline’s heart, thinking about her last maid of honor, but she banished the feeling away. Donovan would never do that to her.
She shrugged. “I don’t have many girlfriends anymore.”
“You have one.” Lindsey pointed to herself.
“That wouldn’t be weird for you?”
She shook her blonde head and smiled. “It would be an honor to finally witness that man tie the knot.”
“Then the job is yours.”
The bell jingled, drawing Madeline’s attention to the door.
“Here’s our five o’clock appointment,” Lindsey said. “Bath, flea dip, nail trim, the works. You take care of him and I’ll watch the store.”
Madeline’s mouth fell open and she rushed to the door, smiling at the dog’s owner and dropping to the ground. She threw her arms around the Great Dane’s neck, petting him. “Hey, Brutus. How you feeling?”
Brutus licked her face, seeming happy to see her.
“I never got to thank you for saving his life,” Mrs. Stanfield said, handing Madeline his leash. “Losing him would have been like losing a child.”
“Too bad he was in danger because of me,” Madeline said, standing up, though she continued stroking the big dog’s head.
Mrs. Stanfield waved that away. “You can’t hold yourself responsible for Suzie Stone. Everyone’s talking about her confession. I can hardly believe it.”
“Me neither.” Madeline shook her head. “At least Brutus made a full recovery.” She closed her eyes, thinking of the fact that Maria hadn’t. Two attacks in Woofy Cuts, and both because Suzie was crazy enough to think killing her would change Donovan’s feelings.
The Great Dane whined when she quit petting him and leaned into her leg, nearly knocking her off balance.
Madeline staggered and smiled down at him. “I think Brutus is ready for some pampering.”
Mrs. Stanfield nodded. “I’m going to do some shopping. I’ll be back when I’m finished.”
As Madeline walked past the front counter she grabbed a doggy treat from the bowl set out for their pet customers and slipped it to Brutus as they made their way to the back room.
Despite everything else that had happened, she was happy to see Brutus again. “The two survivors of the psycho crazy bitch,” she whispered to the dog as they stepped through the back doorway.
***
Twenty more minutes and he could leave the station and go home to cuddle with Madeline. Donovan could hardly wait. Time had crawled by all day. Only her text messages confirming she missed him just as badly as he missed her got him through the day.
His fiancée—it was scary and exciting all at the same time. Less than a half hour and he would hold his fiancée in his arms. He did realize they both had to work, but he hoped it would get easier to be away from her as time passed.
The guys had all congratulated him this morning when he told them. Well, Eric didn’t say much, but Donovan still thought the rookie had a thing for Maddie. Oh well. He’d have to get over it.
Donovan entered the report into the computer about his last traffic stop. He typed in the driver’s license number of yet another tourist. This one thought he could drive his Jeep onto the beach, even though the policy against motorized vehicles was clearly posted.
“Shit!” Brice Carter yelled from his office and poked his head out the doorway. “Donovan, get your ass in here. We’ve got a problem.”
Donovan walked to the office with a heavy heart. He knew they searched Suzie’s other house today, and he’d done his best not to ask questions. Then again, he couldn’t see any other reason Brice would be calling him into the office.
When he walked in, Brice looked up from his desk. His face was red and his lips thinned to a small line. “Shut the door.”
Donovan did as requested, nodding at Eric who sat in the room’s single chair, twisting his hands together.
“What’s going on?” Donovan asked.
Brice turned around the laptop on his desk so it faced Donovan. “These are the pictures of what they found inside Suzie’s house today. Everything we need for a conviction, even if she later retracts her statement.”
The screen showed a wall in a room. The only furniture was a desk and chair. What looked like newspaper clippings lined the wall. Donovan clicked the button to advance to t
he next picture. It was a close up of the wall. His own face stared out at him. He read the various titles of the articles, scrolling through the pictures to see more and more of them.
“She’s been obsessed with you a long time,” Brice said. “The articles go back ten years.”
“The year her husband died, just like she told Eric.” Donovan shook his head. “I don’t understand how she developed this fixation on me. I didn’t even go out with her back then. Our first date was barely four months ago.”
Brice shook his head. “She had a diary. The cops from Eureka haven’t read it all, but it talks about all the times you smiled at her here at the station. One time you held the door for her and brushed your hand against her back when she stepped in front of you.”
A shudder went through Donovan. A psycho ten years in the making. Every incidental contact they had fed the delusion she carried about a romance with him. It had probably been him dating her for those two weeks that pushed her over the edge.
Donovan continued scrolling through the pictures. It showed a bag and inside it was the final missing blue and yellow climbing rope. Another picture showed a police baton and a dark-blue suit.
“I can’t believe she did all this,” Donovan whispered, looking back at Brice. “All these years...”
“That’s not even the worst thing.” Eric said, still twisting his hands together. “How could she have escaped? They had her under twenty-four hour surveillance.”
A sinking feeling cramped Donovan’s stomach. “Suzie escaped?”
“That’s why I called you in here and wanted you to understand how obsessed she really is. I’m sure she’s going to contact you. And it’s up to you to get her back into custody.” Brice shook his head. “The hospital called about ten minutes ago. The guard at her door left to use the bathroom and didn’t get anyone to cover for him. When he came back, her door was open and she was missing. That was over a half hour ago now.”
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