10
MADDIE
There were moments in life that you just knew would be significant. Moments that would stay branded in your brain for the rest of eternity. Watching Adam screw his eyes shut, unable to hide the tortured look on his face, was that moment for me.
Even though he was long gone, I could still see him standing in my living room. Impossibly big and beautifully damaged. If I'd been braver, I would have asked him to stay. I wanted to; the words just wouldn't leave the safety of my mind.
My gaze flicked to the glass door that he'd shut behind him when he'd left.
I grinned. I hadn't been wrong about those capable arms. At five-foot-six, I wasn't a petite little thing by any means, but he'd picked me up and carried me home as if I weighed nothing.
His freaking breathing had still been even when he'd delivered me to my couch.
Closing my eyes, I inhaled deeply. He'd smelled like coffee and soap, a mix that most certainly shouldn't have set my senses on fire, and yet that's exactly what it had done.
It'd been so difficult not to drop my head to his shoulder and take a deep breath of him .
Or to lift my hand to his beard like I'd imagined doing so many times already.
And then there was the expression on his face when I'd wanted to know how he knew I was hurt. There had been the tiniest crack in those features that always seemed so aloof. Had he been watching me? And if he had, was it only that once?
Oh, I knew I should have been creeped out. But there was no way I could ignore the thrill of excitement that bubbled through my veins at the mere thought of his dark gaze on me.
I opened my eyes and sighed. I needed to stop.
There was no space in my brain for Adam and his big hands, strong arms, and ruggedly sexy face.
I had no right to wonder what it would feel like if he dragged his palms up my bare thighs.
Would he use those hands of his to pin me down while he moved between my legs or would they explore every inch of my body?
Just thinking about both possibilities sent shivering need through my veins. And I hadn't even gotten to his mouth yet. My eyes were halfway shut, my thoughts well on their way to becoming less PG, when my phone shrieked to life from the kitchen counter where I'd left it this morning.
If it hadn't been Frankie's ringtone bouncing off the walls, I wouldn't even have entertained the idea of getting up.
With a heavy sigh, I shifted to remove the now watery peas from my leg, studying it with a scrunched-up nose.
The skin was a muddled mess of blue and purple, and my ankle looked very much like Jennah's had during the last month of her pregnancy.
The sprain wasn't bad and the pain manageable, but only because I'd been keeping my leg still for over an hour. From inside the kitchen, The Jonas Brothers stopped singing for all of two seconds before the chorus of Frankie's favorite song started up again.
Sucking in a breath, I slowly lowered my leg to the ground before gingerly straightening to my full height. Very much like on the beach a while ago, I took one step, and a sharp, stabbing pain immediately shot up my leg.
"Ow," I groaned. Sheldon, bless his little k-9 heart, whined right along with me before smothering my leg with doggy kisses. "Thanks, buddy, but you gotta give me room to walk." Somehow my words made sense because he stopped licking and trotted off.
In the time it took me to cross from the living room to the kitchen, Frankie had phoned me four times. I knew if I didn't get back to her soon, she'd hop in her car and drive over here without giving it a second thought.
Next to baking, worrying was her favorite thing to do.
The instant I had my phone, I pulled up her number and pressed the green button. She answered almost immediately. "What the hell? I've been calling and calling. I thought something bad had happened to you. I was about to come over there."
"Aaand breathe." I bit my cheek to keep the smile out of my voice.
"It's not funny." Apparently, it didn't work.
"I'm not laughing, I swear."
She might've been somewhere across town, but I felt her narrow her eyes. "Mmm- hmm, yeah. I was going to invite you over to sample the new additions to the menu, but now I'm not so sure."
This had me groaning very loudly. "As much as I would love to come over and try your delicious offerings, I can't." I sighed. "I got hurt." I explained to Frankie about the fall, choosing to leave out the part about my neighbor carrying me home.
"Say no more. I'll be there in ten." I could hear her moving about. A few cupboards opened and closed. "I'm bringing lunch."
I smiled into the phone. "I don't deserve you."
A puff of laughter filtered through the line. "Of course not, but because I'm so damn awesome, I'm letting you keep me."
"How awfully kind of you." My smile stretched even wider.
We shared another laugh and with a promise of being over soon, Frankie said goodbye. It was a good thing she knew where I kept my spare key, I thought as I hobbled back to the couch, snatching up the TV remote along the way.
At least sitting back down was a little less painful than the standing up and walking to the kitchen part had been. As I leaned back against the soft cushioning, Sheldon hopped on and made himself comfortable against my hip.
My hand moved to his head, fingers threading through his impossibly soft fur. "Now what to do while we wait for Frankie?" I shot him a glance. "You got any ideas?" He stared at me with his big eyes for a few seconds before burying his nose between his front paws.
Laughing softly, I poked the button on the remote and mindlessly scrolled through the channels. Nothing caught my attention, but then again, nothing would when Adam was still so firmly stuck in my head.
The scruff peppering his jaw, the way he held me, his scent. The tortured look on his beautiful face. I couldn't stop thinking about the man, and honestly, I didn't think I wanted too.
After who knew how long, Sheldon's head snapped up right before he launched off the couch and set off for the front door with a string of barks.
"Honestly," Frankie huffed out when she appeared in my living room a few moments later. "He has known me for how long? And still he yaps at me." She aimed her glare at Sheldon as he made himself comfortable next to me again.
"He's just saying hello," I told her with a grin.
She rolled her eyes before shifting her gaze to my ankle. "Ouch."
"You can say that again."
Hefting the bags in her hands, she turned headed for the kitchen. "Let me fix you lunch and then you can tell me all about it."
"You're too good to me."
"Trust me," she said, pulling out item after item. "I know. "
She spent the next few minutes telling me about her plan to have a cupcake and cocktail pairing evening. Kind of like a wine tasting, she'd said, but with pretty drinks and decadent cakes.
I wasn't going to need too much convincing to attend that.
"All right, from cupcakes to sandwiches." Her smile had a nervous edge to it when she handed me a plate with another mouthwatering savory stuffed croissant.
Forgoing my manners, I lifted the treat and took a big bite. "Aaww," I moaned around a mouth full of half-chewed food. "This one is even better than the one I had the other day. My taste buds have officially died and gone to heaven."
Salty pork and sweet braised apples with just a hint of pepper danced on my tongue, reminding me how lucky I was to have a friend who loved cooking.
I went in for another bite and another, demolishing the goodness on my plate embarrassingly fast.
"So, it's good?" Frankie was sitting at the opposite end of the sectional, an untouched croissant perched on her lap.
"It's better than good. In fact." I jerked my chin toward her. "If you're not going to eat that—"
"Hands off!"
I threw my head back and laughed. "You're not eating it."
Something odd struck me then. Treats of any kind made people happy. Or most people at least. Maybe something rich and decadent would have the same effect on Mr. Grumpy Butt next door.
"I need a favor," I said.
Frankie's gaze remained on her plate, though one corner of her mouth curved upward. "I draw the line at taking you to the toilet."
"Really? You don't want to help me wipe?" My teasing earned me a sharp look and I couldn't help but laugh. "This is more a kitchen favor than a bathroom one."
"What do ya need, Maddie Cakes?"
Suddenly nervous, I shifted and set the plate down on the end table. "I want to bake your cinnamon rolls for someone as a thank you, but I… uh… don't have the recipe."
Frankie's eyes went wide, mirth making her irises even bluer. "And for whom are we baking these treats." She leaned forward, her lips lifting into a grin. "Or more specifically, what are you thankful for?"
I couldn't explain why heat shot to my cheeks so fast even my ears felt hot.
"Well," I started carefully before launching into the morning's events.
When I got to the being-in-Adam's-arms-part, I willed every one of my features to remain unmoving.
The last thing I wanted was to explain to my friend how much time I'd spent fantasizing about the man next door.
The last word had barely left my mouth before she smacked her palm against the cushioning next to my foot. "What the hell?" I yelped. Sheldon hopped a few feet into the air, let out a loud shriek, and hopped off the couch before hurrying away.
"You could've led with that!" She looked like she wanted to shake me. "You have to tell me everything!"
I wrinkled my brow. "I just did."
"All right, play it like that, but I know there's more here." She pushed to her feet and held out her hand for me. "Come on, let's go bake."
Frankie helped me hobble to the kitchen and with my butt parked on a stool at the counter we started working on one of my favorite treats.
My body vibrated with excitement. I just wasn't sure if it was because of the impending baking or the thought of seeing Adam again.