Chapter 47
Madison just looked up at him. The man was beyond insane—no, he’d totally gone off the deep end here. “No. No way.”
She could not have him of all men here. Just not him.
Her apartment was her home turf. Her only real safe spot away from him.
From the TSP in general. She needed that space, more than anything.
Otherwise, she was sure she’d eventually go mad.
Mad Mads, that was what they’d call her then.
Done in by Dom, of course. He was her own personal albatross and everything.
There was no way she wanted him here, invading. But how to remove him—no, she had no real working ideas here. For one thing—she could call the TSP, but…who knew who would respond.
Her luck, it would be Murdoch Lake—and the jokes would never stop.
“Yes, way. Until we find out who exactly is behind all of this, I am not letting you out of my sight.” Dom almost dwarfed her entire apartment.
His shoulders were wide enough to almost touch the frame of the door he was blocking.
She was feeling a little like a captive maiden here.
“Gunnar took his eyes off of Powell. Look what happened.”
“We’re not Powell and Gunnar, though. They are in love, having a baby and planning a major wedding.
That will never be us.” Powell had somehow walked right into the OPJ ring on her own.
Gunnar had been trying to stop the ones responsible.
Now they knew who had been responsible for those drugs, and Powell and Gunnar were going to be together forever.
“It was just a seriously bad coincidence that she was involved at all. Just because she was buying houses and everything. And…there are a lot of scientists out there. How do you know it’s me? ”
“I just do.”
Madison wasn’t so sure she believed that.
Although…she fell more in the everything was connected camp like Jarrod.
That was terrifying really. When she thought about it.
The idea that he was there, close, and ready to keep her safe—did it make her a wimp to admit that kind of helped a little? “You are not staying here.”
“Wanna bet?”
Hard hands went around her waist and Madison was just…lifted right off her feet. She squealed. “What are you doing?”
“If I do not stay here, then you are going back to my place with me. You are just going to have to get used to it. I am not going anywhere. I will keep you safe. Period.” His arm hooked around her waist, and she ended up pressed against him in ways Madison was not about to let herself think about.
“I am not letting you out of my sight. Get used to it.”
Well, she had to do what she had to do. What would her friends say if she just let him have his way here? She was a woman of pride, after all.
Madison kicked him. Not hard. Not really.
It should have made him drop her. But Dom was stubborn.
The stubbornest man she had ever met. He just tightened his arms around her, until Madison was pressed against him completely.
If they’d been naked, they’d already be doing things they shouldn’t.
She could feel the muscles of his chest against her.
And it made the fingers extra-tingly now.
“Let me go.”
“You going to be reasonable?” He just glowered down at her. Dom was exceptionally good at glowering. Vince insisted his son had inherited that little trait from his mother. Madison believed it, Vince was usually a calm, affable guy. Not so much this younger version.
“I am always reasonable. You are the lunatic.” Madison wiggled, then froze. That had not been a smart thing to do. Considering. She wasn’t even wearing a bra right now. Pressing against the man…no. This was beyond insane here.
This way lay massive danger and her mama had raised her to play life safe and everything. This man…nope. Not going to happen.
Though, at the moment, she really couldn’t recall why it couldn’t happen. He felt…perfect against her and everything. Very tempting and tingle-inducing.
He growled. The man really was part animal. “Don’t do that.”
She knew her reasons for that. She had never figured out his, though.
Not once had he ever even said anything about it.
Having him around had made it a bit difficult for her to date other men.
Every time one at the TSP had asked her out—Dom had somehow chased him off.
Until now…the men just didn’t bother asking.
Talk about irritating.
It was all his doing.
Not that she was really in the market for a guy right now. She just wasn’t.
Men were far too complicated. “Put me down, Dominic. Now.”
“If I don’t, then what?”
“I could scream. I do have neighbors, you know. Maybe one of them would call the TSP.” It was a slim hope, but…maybe? She could only imagine the damage that would do to both of them. “Murdoch could arrest you.”
The Major Crimes baboons wouldn’t let either of them live it down. Next thing she knew they’d be throwing a mock wedding right down the hallway to the lab or something. Murdoch would try to give Dom away. Jake would probably officiate.
Once…they were all recovered and back where they belonged, anyway.
“So…what will it be? My place or yours?”
He said it in that deep rumbling voice that gave women the shivers.
Madison did what she almost always did where he was concerned. She gave in.
Gave the jerk exactly what he wanted. She ignored the smirk that drove her crazy. The man…grrr. What was she going to do with him now?
Dom in her apartment for one night—she could survive that. Not being able to escape him for who knew how long—no. She would go insane.
Or they’d end up doing something completely stupid.
That was becoming more of a possibility than she wanted to think about.
She was so tired of fighting. Of fighting the evil in this world. In fighting to pretend she was okay, that what had happened to her hadn’t changed her. Made her even more afraid.
She was so tired of being alone, too. Of fighting him. Why had she fought what he did to her for over five years now? At the time she’d first realized there was fire there she’d had a good reason to avoid him. She thought.
It had been so long ago she couldn’t remember.
They had been arguing the first time she’d realized…and he’d touched her. That was what it was—the first time he’d touched her. It had been a few months after they’d met for the first time, she thought.
Right there in the cafeteria at the old TSP building. Right in front of the counter. They’d been bickering about a case she didn’t even remember now. And she’d turned. The floor had been freshly mopped.
She’d slipped.
His arms had been there to catch her. So cliched, she was so, so cliched.
The man had the strongest arms of any man she had ever seen. Except possibly the muscle-bound Miguel. Dom was almost as big and strong—Miguel was almost six-eight or something. Dom was around six-four. But just as muscled. Just as strong.
And he had caught her. She did feel rather caught here and everything.
Just like that, her senses had gotten scrambled.
Something had almost sizzled between them. She remembered that part.
Talk about terrifying. She’d really been too inexperienced back then to fully recognize what it had been. He’d stiffened. And given her such a hot look…then he had backed away.
And turned even more snarly after that. He’d just kept snarling at her from that point on.
He’d snarl, she’d react. Then she was the one snarling and he’d react.
Until…they had ended up where they were now. That whole parents-getting-together snafu had just complicated things completely. After that had happened, Madison hadn’t been able to avoid him at all.
Something had changed between them after the choir hall shooting, too. He’d gotten more…intense.
When he watched her.
It was the way he watched her. And it wasn’t just her that noticed it, either.
She’d had several men ask her out over the last few years.
But nothing had ever come out of it. One moron had even accused her of being involved with Dom and just hiding it.
Said it was obvious there was something between them.
Madison stared at her Major Crimes major pain for a long moment. Wondered.
Maybe everyone else was right.
Maybe they were being stupid for ignoring what was right in front of their faces. He did feel like he was her particular albatross, after all. “I don’t want you to stay.”
“Tough. I am not going to let them hurt you.” He loomed over her.
Dom was good at looming. He had that and snarling down to an art form.
And glowering. But at least she was on her feet again and not just dangling.
“I’m going to camp here for a while. Just…
as a precaution. Until I track down the truth behind that information. ”
She almost did it, almost called one of the other Major Crimes guys, like Jake or Murdoch, to evict him. But it was late out and dark out and…people were hurting those she cared about. If letting him sleep on her couch made her less afraid, why wouldn’t she do just that?
And…if he was there with her…at least he wouldn’t be out there, to get hurt.
And…
She was just so tired of being alone.
Missy the Cat just wasn’t the same.
“Fine. You can stay. But you are taking the trash out in the morning.”