Madison reached out slowly and slipped her hand in Maggie’s. It was odd yet nice holding her mother’s hand. She was like a little girl again for a moment. It was a good feeling.
“You aren’t that old,” Madison said awkwardly.
Maggie squeezed her hand and gave her a wink. “Only as old as I feel. Which if you don’t mind me saying, right now I would almost give you a run for your money over that hottie, Trace.”
Madison’s eyes widened. “Mother!”
Maggie cackled and rose, helping Madison stand. “I said almost. Besides, I’m not his type.” Maggie turned on the shower and tested the water before stepping towards the door.
“And with the way he looks at you, no one in the world has a shot. If you ask me, that is.” With another wink, Maggie headed out.
Madison turned to look in the mirror and noted the red stain spreading over her cheeks. Was she his type? How did he look at her?
Who put her in her night clothes?
“Thanks Lex. I’ll be in touch.” Trace snapped the phone shut and slid it into his pocket.
Dropping his exhausted frame on the couch, he closed his eyes and rubbed his temples before releasing a deep sigh.
“A handful, isn’t she?”
Trace didn’t open his eyes as Maggie sat down next to him. “You don’t know the half of it.”
“The hell I don’t. Who do you think has been with her since birth?”
Trace grunted and opened his eyes to focus on the smiling older woman. “Ok, well maybe you do know.”
“What’s that? You admitting I’m right about something?”
Maggie laughed heartily at Trace’s frown and patted his hand. “They all have come to understand that. I knew it would only be a matter of time before you did too.”
“I’m bringing a friend on board. He can stay with Madison while I do the background on this stalker.”
“Oh really? You don’t think I’m going to have Madison paying for another piece of meat do you?”
“Piece of meat?”
“On second thought, does he look like you?”
“What does that have to do with,” Trace began and frowned at the blush that threatened to creep up his neck. “You are bad, Maggie Jordan.”
Maggie gave him a wink. “Old, not dead honey.”
“You sure aren’t the same drill sergeant that marched into this house a few weeks ago, spewing venom with an ankle biter in tow.”
“Yes well I’ve been shown the error of my ways by this bossy…”
“Piece of meat?”
Maggie gave him a final wink and left the room.
Trace rose and walked out onto the terrace. What was he doing here? This wasn’t his lifestyle. There was more furniture in that living room than in his whole apartment. He never had a need for the soft things of life before. Hell, he didn’t now. Except the soft touch of Madison.
God! What was wrong with him? He knew better than to get personal. He knew better than to fall in love. He had disciplined himself for years against this, yet here he was, lounging around on cushy patio furniture and enjoying the softness of that white rug near the fireplace under his bare feet. He needed to distance himself from this place. From her. It would be better when the job was over and he left.
Better for who? Her or himself?
“Trace?”
Damn. He was really slipping not hearing Jay come in. He stopped seeing the look on Jay’s face. “What’s wrong?”
“There’s been another death.”
Trace’s gut tightened. “Where’s Madison? Does she know?”
“Yeah she does.”
“Damn that bastard is bold,” Trace began then gave Jay a confused look. “Why did you tell her before me?”
“I didn’t. She got a call.”
Trace sighed and headed out of the room but Jay’s words stopped him cold. “She got a call from the killer. He told her about Tina’s death then said she was next.”
Trace’s jaw tightened and his fist clenched tightly. “Like hell.” Within the blink of an eye, he swung his fist against the wall and created a hole in the hard plaster. He didn’t notice the pain or the blood that began to trickle down his bruising knuckles as he headed to find Madison.
He didn’t see her when he opened her bedroom door. He stopped and listened and immediately picked up on her soft cries. Trace was torn on whether or not to invade her privacy. His heart tugged him to the closet door, however, and entered the darkness.
Trace left the door open a crack for light and dropping to his knees, crawled over to Madison. She had curled up in a fetal position, hugging a pillow she’d dragged in from her bed. She didn’t fight him as he pulled her up to him and into his lap. Neither said a word but sat with each other, a jumbled mess of emotions.
Trace willed his strength to help her through this while Madison sobbed harder against his chest. Her hair was still wet from showering. He stroked her back in a slow motion, kissed her forehead and dug around for the snack box with his other hand.
“It’s ok. I don’t want any.”
Her voice startled him. How did she know what he was doing? Was he really losing his touch that much? He hugged her tightly and continued to rub her back.
“I’m sorry about last night,” Madison said quietly. “Things just got so crazy.”
“You’ve got to be more careful Madison.” He hadn’t meant to sound like he was scolding her, but she scared the hell out of him.
They sat in silence again, her cheek rested against his chest. It felt so right.
“She was my best friend in high school.”
“I won’t let him get you Madison.”
She nodded wordlessly then yawned.
“You need some rest,” Trace said and stood up, offering her his hand to help.
She took it and followed him to her vanity. Handing her a tissue, he went towards the bathroom then returned with a towel. Madison dried her eyes and discreetly blew her nose, discarding the tissue. He fished her hairbrush out of the drawer and began to towel-dry her hair.
Neither spoke while Trace rubbed her hair with the fluffy towel from her scalp to the tips. He watched her in the mirror before picking up the brush. She kept her eyes low but he could see how red they were from crying. His heart ached for her.
Trace began to brush her hair then. With long, slow strokes, he gently pulled the tangles from her hair. He loved the silky texture, the dark reddish color, the scent left behind by the shampoo. A short while later, her hair was dry.
“Come on, let’s get you into bed.”
With gentle tug at her elbow, he urged her to the bedside and tucked her in. He turned to leave, stopped only by her hand.
“Don’t leave Trace.”
Trace took a deep breath but couldn’t turn to look at her. It would be his undoing if he did.
“Please,” she said with a shaky breath. “I don’t want to be alone right now.”
Compromise.
“I’ll just going to sit in the chair, I won’t leave.”
“Alright.” She said in a soft voice. Within moments he heard her even breathing and chanced a look.
Tear streaked cheeks were ashen in color while dark half moons sat under her closed eyes. Even being an emotional mess she was still breathtaking.
Trace pulled the chair over to the bed and sat down to watch over her. Hours went by and though he thought of every reason to run away, he countered each one with only one reply.
He loved her.
He never saw it coming. Never thought he had to worry about it. No one had ever gotten under his skin like she did. Her flashing green eyes, her secret stash of candy in the closet, even the haughty way she tries to boss him around was endearing.
Trace’s thoughts were interrupted by a soft knock at the door. He found Maggie with a dinner tray for both her and Trace. He thanked her and sent her off to bed.
Trace locked the door and ate a good portion of the meal. He didn’t think Madison would b
e waking up until the morning anyway. He was proven wrong hearing Madison begin to cry in her sleep.
Stay at arm’s length, he told himself. Yeah, right.
Madison’s sleep was fitful. Visions of the deaths of her friends plagued her dreams, while she stood at the edge of a cliff. A hand pushed her and she began to fall, screaming as the ground raced up to meet her. She cried out for Trace.
Madison sat up and stared wildly around the room. Trace’s arms moved around her and she clung to him tightly.
“You’re safe Madison. I won’t let anyone hurt you.”
“Don’t leave me,” she said, drawing a shaky breath.
“I won’t leave you. I told you I’d be sitting right there in that chair.”
Madison looked up at Trace and her heart burst with love. She had to take the chance or she’d never know. “No, I mean stay the night with me. Here.”
She heard him take in a deep breath. “Madison, you don’t know what you’re asking. You’re highly emotional right now,” he said before Madison cut him off.
“I know what I’m asking. I’m asking you to stay here with me, in this bed. I’m asking you to touch me like you’ve touched no other. I’m asking you to make my body scream out for more over and over again,” Madison’s voice took on a sultry tone but it wasn’t a part she was playing. It was her, a woman who wanted to make love with the man she loved.
She shrugged the straps of her night gown down, baring her shoulders while she rose up on her knees. Farther the gown slipped down her arms until it pooled around her waist. She leaned closer to Trace and pressed her lips against his, rewarded by his near devouring of her.
He groaned and pushed her back against the bed, quickly tugged off his black t-shirt and loomed over her. His hands dug in her hair as he dropped closer and closer to her.
Madison smiled up at him and raised her hand to caress his cheek. If he thought he would hold back, he had another thing coming. She wasn’t going to let him. Not this time.
“I’m asking you to make love to me, Trace.”
Chapter 9
Trace swore his heart never pounded so hard in his life. Not the time when he dangled from a cliff trying to avoid a car that almost ran him down; not the time when he had a gun held to his forehead by a nut job who wouldn’t leave a client alone.
Never.
Yet here was this woman, this star, this Goddess, offering her body to him. He could barely breathe. This must be what cardiac arrest was like. Either that or he was dreaming.
And why was he having this discussion in his brain when he should be ravishing Madison?
Trace leaned down, pressed his face into her neck, inhaled her scent then with a slow stroke, drug his tongue up to her ear.
“Be sure Madison. Be very sure. There’s no going back once we start.”
Madison responded with a turn of her head to capture his lips in a demanding kiss. That was all he needed.
Trace grounded both his hips and lips against Madison, tugging at the zipper with one hand. He yelped when Madison nipped his lower lip then growled as he stripped the denims down.
He wanted to take his time with her, savor the softness of her skin, the taste of her lips. He had imagined this from the moment he saw her. She looked glorious and so cute when she demanded he pay for the door. He thought about doing erotic things to her on that broken door, but that was then, and this was now.
Hurriedly, he removed the nightgown that had bunched around her waist. He didn’t want anything between their bodies.
Madison almost growled then scraping her nails along his arm and back, whispering demands in one breath, pleads in the next. She had been ready far longer than this moment he thought.
Trace trapped one of her nipples between his teeth and flicked the tip of his tongue against it. He delighted to her arching back and chuckled softly as he pinned her arms down in order to continue the maddening torment. But was it hers or his?
His tongue trailed a hot path down her stomach while his hands quickly cupped and squeezed her breasts. He needed to taste her, just once. His heart raced again, matching the quickening of her breaths.
Trace closed his eyes and leaned in to taste her. Madison’s body rose as she let a gasp escape past her lips. Her hands grabbed his shoulders, clawing and pulling but he wouldn’t be denied. He meant to have her in all ways this night.
Moments passed and Trace couldn’t wait any longer. He touched her. He tasted her. Now, he would make their bodies’ one. And he did just that.
Madison had never experienced sex like this before. She had only dreamed that it was this amazing. Not just sex though. Pure, deep, lovemaking. It was a feeling she never wanted to end.
Trace pushed into her then. Fast. Hard. She closed her eyes to relish his touch but he cupped her cheeks and spoke to her.
“Open your beautiful eyes for me Madison. I want to look into them while we make love.”
Madison could barely fulfill his sweet request but managed to open her heavy lids. She was glad she did. She locked her gaze with his as he pushed in her again. His breaths matched his strokes. He was amazing.
As he quickened his pace, the slow fire that had began to build burst suddenly. Madison body began to shake as wave after wave throbbed within her body, her soul. Trace continued to thrust inside her and another orgasm rocked her. Madison couldn’t keep her eyes open. She called out his name over and over again before joining her in that mind numbing feeling of sweet satisfaction. He collapsed on her, still throbbing within her. Sweat beaded and slid from his chest to hers. Trace buried his face in the nape of her neck and inhaled once again. Madison could barely breathe but she didn’t care. It was what she had always thought it would be, dreamed it would be. Not the sex.
Love.
Trace moved and groaned as he dropped next to her on the bed. Madison shivered as he withdrew himself from her. A moment later, he curled his arm around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She was conscience of her body, of his hands moving across her stomach. The urge to run for her closet was squelched by a hard object pressing against the back of her thigh and a kiss on her shoulder.
Madison had a new secret craving.
Trace shut off the shower for the second time that morning. He smiled remembering the first shower. Water had never looked so good running down a body as it did Madison’s.
Toweling off, he pulled on a fresh pair of jeans and walked barefoot to Madison’s room. She was still asleep, curled around his pillow. Correction: her pillow that he had slept on. That is, when they slept.
When had he started thinking of things as his? Had he really forgotten that this was a job? He frowned and went back to his room to finish dressing, then down for some coffee.
Carol had been up for a while and handed him the mug he had come to think of as his own and frowned again. He was way too comfortable to do his job. He had to back off or it could cost Madison her life.
His mind drifted back to her bed and the way her hair fanned out across the pillow. The curve of her backside…
Damn! Trace stalked to the living room, slammed his mug on the table and sat heavily on the sofa. This had to stop.
Madison’s script caught his attention. He picked it up and thumbed through it. The first two deaths in the pages read like the accidental deaths of Madison’s friends. The third death didn’t fit.
Trace carried the script to Jay’s office and easing down into the soft, leather chair, rooted around on Jay’s desk until he found the information on the latest death. The young woman’s name was Annette C. Charles. Didn’t Jay say her name was Tina?
Tapping Jay’s computer, Trace hit up Google for news articles on this latest mysterious information.
Madison stretched a long time before she opened her eyes. Her first thought was of Trace, but he was gone. She bit her lower lip and fought the thought that he had abandoned her. He probably was checking the house, getting something to eat or taking a shower. She grinned at that thought but was
cut short by her cell phone ringing.
She grabbed it from her bedside table and checked the caller ID. It was Stanley Stevens. Madison sat up quickly and fumbled to flip the phone open. A few minutes later, she dashed for the shower.
Madison headed for the garden after she dressed. Stanley had said that it was time for the final few scenes of the movie to be shot and he wanted to go over them with her. Of course, Trace wouldn’t let her do the final scene herself. A stunt double would in her place. Thinking about it now, she was ok with it.
A sound caught her attention. She turned to see Stanley standing at the entrance. He looked more shaky than normal but Madison didn’t think anything about it. She walked towards him in greeting.
“Stanley, thank you so much for coming. I’d love to talk about the end,” she began with a smile but it faded as she watched Stanley sink to his knees before falling at her feet.
“Stanley?” Madison dropped next to him and tried to help him sit up. A warm liquid covered her hand and when she pulled it back, she found it coated in blood. She opened her mouth to scream but found it caught in her throat when a knife was poked into her ribs.
“Don’t make a sound.”
Chapter 10
Trace hung up the phone even more puzzled. He had to find Jay. As if on cue, Jay walked in.
“Jay. There’s no body.”
“Huh?”
“That last murder, Tina… what’s her last name?”
“Tina Charles?”
“That’s not what is listed on the report. It says Annette.”
“Well, her name was Annette Christina Charles, but she always went by Tina. She didn’t like her first name. It was too 60-ish. You know, Franki and Annette.”
Trace frowned. “What about the body? You said there was a murder.”
“No, the stalker said he murdered Tina. I’m waiting to hear back from the police to confirm.”
Trace rose with a growl. “We let Madison think her friend was dead without confirming?” He paced, rolling the script hard in his hands.
Guarding Madison (Bodyguards, Inc.) Page 7