“I had no idea. Where do they work?”
“In the city, downtown. They wanted me to be a doctor, can you imagine?” she giggled. “But... one must count their blessings, huh?” she tittered awkwardly. “They know that I get to help people in my own way.”
“Yes, you do. But I can, actually!”
“Can what?” She took a sip of soda.
“Imagine you as a doctor. You’re extremely intelligent. You learn pretty quickly. You’re calm in emergencies. And most importantly, you’re one of the most compassionate people I’ve met in a while.”
Her eyes lit up, and his heart danced for making her smile the way she did in response.
“That’s a lot of compliments wrapped into one.” She looked down at her can of soda. “You’re ruining future employers for me.”
“I’m hoping there won’t be future employers, Madeleine,” he said, shifting to face her. “I’ve never seen Gerry open up like this, to anyone. Sometimes I can’t believe we got so lucky—she’s so lucky to have you!”
She put her soda down on the table and started wringing her hands. By now he knew that was the thing she did when she was too nervous to deal.
He took a deep breath and whispered, “I’m so lucky to have you.”
Their eyes locked once more.
“Thank you?” Her voice was low, as if she were speaking to herself. She smiled, and he couldn’t help but look at that dimple.
“Dammit, Madeleine.” he whispered, leaning closer as his hand slid from under her ear to softly grab the back of her neck.
Pulling her in until his lips touched hers, he closed his eyes, catching the brief moan she let out before her hand gently grasped his wrist. In a fleeting moment of untainted desire, their kiss deepened. He tasted her cherry lip balm mixed with vanilla coke, and his heart skipped a beat.
The next day at the house, everything was painted with the aftermath of Gerry’s little health scare. Deciding to take the entire day off from work, Hank spent almost every waking minute with her. They drew and painted, made a tiara with her crafts set, and listened to some poetry that Maddy read out loud at sunset. Afterwards, they all gathered in the living room and watched a movie together, before it was time for Gerry to go to sleep.
As Maddy prepared her for bed, Hank walked in, offering to read her a bedtime story. She was very excited, since he rarely had time to do it. Maddy excused herself to go take a shower, leaving them to spend some quality time alone.
“How do you feel, pumpkin?”
“I’m okay. Yesterday was bad, but it’s over now, Daddy. Don’t worry, I’m not gonna die now.”
His eyes widened, welling up a little. He pulled her out of bed, hugging her as tightly as he could.
“No, you’re not, sweet Gerry.” He wiped his eyes with his wrist before putting her back to bed.
She had a pensive face for a second. “Can I tell Madeleine that I love her?”
The question took him by surprise, but he managed to hide it well. “Of course. Love is always a good thing to talk about.”
She grinned.
“What about me?” he tilted his head. “Do you love me?”
“Of course, Daddy! You know I always love you!”
“And you know I love you, but it’s good to say it to each other anyway. I love you, Gerry. More than anything else.”
She smiled sweetly, and he opened the story book and started to read. When she fell asleep, he quietly left the room, carefully closing the door behind him. In the corridor, he saw Madeleine coming out of the bathroom. Her hair was still wet from the shower, and she wore an oversized tee with a couple of holes in it. Looking down, he smirked at the sight of her little plaid pajama shorts that looked like men’s boxers.
He took a few steps towards her as she walked towards her bedroom door on the right, closing the distance between them.
“Nice holes. Comfortable?” He snickered.
“You know it,” she said with a shrug.
He took one last step closer, leaving only a few inches between them.
“It’s too dark, and I can’t—” he whispered.
“Can’t what?” She smiled, gazing into his eyes.
Lifting his hand to her chin, he ran one finger along the left corner of her mouth until he touched the dimple.
“See this,” he murmured.
She let out a hot sigh that grazed his neck, and he clutched the front of her shirt with his fist, pulling her in. Unlike their first kiss at the hospital, this one sent a familiar yet long-forgotten wave of electricity through his spine.
“Hank!” she whined into his lips, and he could hear her breathing grow uneven.
Just as he was about to lose time and space devouring her mouth, he heard the doorknob to her room turn. Softly pushing him through the door, she placed her hand on the small of his back, slowly gliding it downwards as he felt his shoulder push in the door further.
Before he knew it, they were inside her room, engulfed in darkness with only the faint silver moonlight streaming in through the window.
Chapter 7
Madeleine.
Her entire body felt like electricity was coursing through it, every nerve ending on high alert. Everywhere he touched left a trail of heat in its wake, molten and potent, making her ache in ways she didn’t know were possible.
In the back of her mind, a voice screamed at her, reminding her that she was making out with her boss. He wasn’t just any employer either. He was one of the richest and most desirable bachelors in the world.
To say that he was out of her league was an understatement.
For a few minutes, they fumbled around her bedroom, with Madeleine doing her best to navigate the terrain, even through the thick fog that settled over her brain, clouding her judgment.
She yelped as they bumped into the dresser, and Hank pulled her backwards, chuckling against her lips. “How did that get there?”
“I have no idea,” Madeleine whispered, threading her fingers through his hair and pressing her body against his. “Hank, I—“
He drew back and pressed his finger to her lips, giving a slight shake of his head. “Don’t.”
Her eyes widened in surprise.
Bathed in the silver glow of the moon, the first man to make her heart race like a teenager again, and he was standing before her, dressed in his stripped bottoms, and the tattered shirt, quite possibly the most beautiful thing she’d ever seen.
“I know you’re not trying to use me,” Hank assured her, removing her lips. “You’re not like that.”
Madeleine smiled. “I’m glad you don’t think that, but that’s not what I was going to say. I’m your nanny, Hank. I don’t want things to get complicated. I love Geraldine.”
She squinted, struggling to make out the emotion dancing across his face, from confusion to understanding, and a plethora in between.
Wordlessly, he reached for her, wrapping his strong muscular arms around her, allowing her head to rest in the crook of his neck. “It won’t,” Hank promised. “I won’t let it.”
Madeleine craned her neck and looked up, studying his profile as she did. Using the tip of her finger, she traced his features, feather light and soft, noting the change in his breathing, a visceral response to her touch.
Chills raced up and down her spine.
In the next instant, his mouth covered hers, hot and demanding, pushing her backwards as he did, her legs hitting the back of her bed before she fell on to the mattress, the breath knocked out of her.
Hank hovered over her, taking a moment to throw his shirt aside, allowing her a brief glimpse of the smooth lines and taut muscles of his torso, a sprinkle of chest hair stopping atop his happy trail.
She swallowed past the butterflies in her stomach and reached for her shirt. His hand snaked out, and he lifted it up, throwing it to the side. His eyes darkened as he drank her in, wasting no time in removing her bra, her breasts spilling forth as he did.
“You’re beautiful, Ma
deleine,” Hank murmured, his voice gruff, “so beautiful.”
She could hear it in his voice, see it in his eyes.
He hadn’t been with anyone since the death of his wife, his Lily. Somehow, it made her feel better, as if she were special, the woman to let the light back in.
Slowly, she drew him to her, claiming her mouth with his, a silent plea for more. He obliged, running his mouth over hers, his hands skimming over her bare skin, leaving goosebumps in their wake.
Their breathing grew hoarse, echoing back to her in the stillness of the room, and she arched her back, pushing her pants down as she did, her pulse quickening as he did the same, leaving her in her panties and him in his boxers.
Madeleine wrenched her lips away and pressed her mouth to his body, pressing kisses to his shoulders, his stomach, his knuckles until he stopped her, pinning her hands above her head and settling himself between her legs.
With his eyes fixed on hers, an indecipherable emotion swimming in their depths, he used one hand to pull his boxers down, and the other to wrap her arms around his neck, moving closer as he did.
She sucked in a harsh breath as he lowered his head, using his teeth to pull her underwear down before he made an impatient nose in the back of his throat and tore them off, leaving it a tattered mess.
A giggle escaped her mouth, and her hands flew to her mouth. “Sorry.”
“You don’t need to be sorry,” Hank assured her. “I will replace it though.”
Before she had a chance to respond, he was on top of her again. He grunted as he slid himself into her, his hands resting on either side of the headboard, keeping still as he waited for her to adapt.
Madeleine threw her head back and moaned, raking her nails down his back, every inch of him filling her up as they intertwined. She wriggled her hips and wrapped her legs around him, her head dropping against his shoulder as he eased himself out, then thrust.
Building up a rhythm, he eased in then back out, leisurely at first, as if they had all the time in the world, rivulets of sweat breaking out across her back and sliding down.
In that moment, all she could see, or hear, or breathe was Hank.
He was everywhere.
As if he sensed her train of thought, he dropped his head to her neck, tongue darting out to lick the sensitive spot before he drew his lips back and grazed it with his teeth.
Then, she came undone, his name falling from her lips as she did.
It wasn’t long before he followed, drawing her to him as he did, their hearts drumming out a rhythm only they could hear.
Bliss.
AMBIGUOUSLY HERS
Chapter 1
Hank.
Hank groaned and flipped onto his side, pressing his face deeper into her shoulder and inhaling, but instead of the familiar scent of apples and cinnamon, there was the distinct underlying smell of peaches and cream.
His brows furrowed together in confusion, and he peeked one eye open, finding himself face to face with an unfamiliar tanned back. Stunned, he sat up, heart thudding against his chest, his eyes wild and unfocused as they danced around the room, taking in his surroundings.
Madeleine’s room.
Slowly, his heart slowed down, and he released the sheets, breathing deeply as he did. Next to him, Madeleine stirred, mumbled something under her breath and flipped onto her back, dark hair framing her smooth face.
A small feeling bubbled inside his chest, a warmth spreading through him, but he pushed it back and forced himself to turn away from her, giving her his back. Early morning light streamed in through the open curtains, and he winced, fumbling around for his clothes as he did.
In an instant, he was dressed in his pajama pants and tattered shirt, fingering the holes absentmindedly. On the tips of his toes, he padded across the soft carpet, his feet sinking into the plush fiber, but he stopped at the door, his hand hovering atop the knob.
In spite of his better judgment, he craned his neck to look over at Madeleine, her expression smooth and untroubled, one hand splayed across her stomach while the other lay draped across the pillow, her fingers reaching for something.
For him.
No, that was a stupid thought.
After all, they didn’t know each other well, and last night was nothing but a lapse in judgement, on both their parts. Admittedly, he liked Madeleine, more so than he should, but he knew it should have no bearing on his decision.
Keep moving, Lorum. There’s nothing more to do.
He gritted his teeth, twisted the knob and poked his head outside, glancing down both sides of the hallway before he stepped out, holding his breath as the door clicked shut behind him. A sigh of relief escaped his lips as he made his way down the hall to his own bedroom, equal parts guilty and thankful.
Shit. Out of all the women, you choose the person charged with taking care of, Gerry? You’re a crap boss, Hank. Why did you have to go and screw things up for Gerry?
Obviously, he didn’t think Madeleine was the type of person to hold grudges, and she certainly wasn’t going to take it out on his sweet little five-year-old, not with the kind of bond they had, a heartwarming sight.
But, she was still only human after all, and he doubted she would take his rejection well. His mind raced with thoughts of her, and their night together, her body underneath his, writhing and panting with need, her gray orbs focused on his, as if nothing else existed.
Angrily, he peeled his clothes off and left them in a heap on the edge of his bed, drawing the covers back with a little more force than necessary. Within seconds, he was between the sheets, the cold mattress feeling wrong, empty somehow without Madeleine next to him.
Fuck that. You need to get a grip, for Gerry’s sake.
Hank shifted and squirmed, twisting left and right, trying to find the right position to fall asleep, but his mind kept racing, his fingers tingling where they touched her until he finally flopped onto his stomach, covered his head with the pillow and counted backwards, the knots in his stomach tightening as he drifted off, his head filled with thoughts of his late wife; her pale skin, bathed in the glow of the moon, her amber eyes staring at him, pain lurking in their depths.
Betrayal.
I’m sorry, Lily.
“SIR?”
There was a faint ringing in his ears, and a nagging in the back of his skull, persistent, as if they were mining for gold. He groaned and waved his head in the general direction of the noise, his hand connecting with solid flesh.
Someone cleared their throat and coughed. “Sir, shall I call for a doctor?”
He drew his hands back, curled his fingers around the pillow and pushed it aside, his eyes glued shut even as he tried to force them open, nestled in warmth. “Eh?”
“Are you ill, Mr. Lorum?”
Hank pried one eye open, hazy and unfocused till it found a tall silhouette, perched near the side of his bed. “Whatime’sit?”
“It’s almost nine thirty, Mr. Lorum,” William replied, his form shifting and expanding until Hank’s vision cleared, and he sat up, the sheets falling down to his waist, a blast of cold air hitting him squarely in the chest.
Aghast, William’s eyes widened, and he turned towards the window, offering his boss his back. “I apologize for the disruption, Sir, but we did try to wake you earlier.”
“We?” Hank repeated, voice thick with sleep. He rubbed his hands over his face and pressed his fingers to his temples, trying to will away the headache that threatened to crack his head and feast upon his flesh.
“Why, young Gerry, and I of course,” William replied. “She was most displeased with your absence from breakfast and insisted we check on you. After you waved us both away and muttered under your breath, she decided we should let you sleep in.”
Hank blinked. “I should thank her.”
William made a low noise in the back of her throat. “Quite. Unfortunately, you do have several important calls, Mr. Lorum, and I am no longer able to fend them all off.”
A
quiet chuckle fell from his lips as Hank yawned and ran his hands through his hair. “I’m sure you managed well enough, William.”
“I don’t think so, Sir.”
“No?”
“I do not pretend to understand many languages, Sir, but I am fairly certain I was called a number of unflattering things. Why, one in particular involved animal genitalia I believe.”
Hank choked back a laugh. “Sorry, William. I’ll be done shortly. Is Madeleine home?”
William shook his head. “No, Sir. Ms. Wright has taken her to her tennis lesson.”
Hank’s laughter trailed off at the mention of Madeleine’s name, and he sobered, leaning across the bed for his shirt. After slipping it on, he turned his face to look at his housekeeper, William’s back erect and poised, dressed in the same uniform he wore every day since Hank could remember; a pair of pressed gray striped trousers, a white short with a gray vest on top, and a black or gray tie, depending on the occasion.
William was, as always, dressed to impress.
In fact, his parents used to comment on how homely and rumpled they looked in comparison. Hank shook the thought of his parents off and reached for his pants, slipping them on under the covers as he did.
“I’ll have some coffee and toast in the study, please, William,” Hank instructed. “Thank you.”
“Very good, Sir.” William headed towards the door without looking back, leaving Hank alone with his thoughts. He threw the covers off, swung his legs over the side of the bed and stretched, his stomach dipping as the smell of Madeleine made his nostrils flare.
He brought his shirt up to his nose and sniffed.
Filled with regret and shame, he took off his clothes, tossed them into the laundry hamper and stepped into the bathroom, avoiding his reflection at all costs. He hummed under his breath as he flipped on the shower switch and stepped underneath the hot spray, the warm cascade doing wonders for his bunched up muscles.
An image of Madeleine standing opposite him flashed before his eyes, fleeting but enough to leave him unraveled as he ran the bar of soap over his body, counting backwards in the back of his mind.
From Loss To Love Box Set Page 4