Chapter Fifteen GRAHAM
Chapter Fifteen
GRAHAM
It was obvious Madison was trying to stay out of this. She was inspecting her nails carefully and then began closing the bottles of nail polish. She also stood and put the empty hot chocolate cups in the trash.
I couldn’t say no to Allie’s pleading look. It was just dinner with my daughter and our neighbor. That’s all it was. Riiii-ght.
I chuckled silently, my own mind taunting me.
I wanted a lot more than dinner with Madison.
I’d barely been able to shove thoughts of our last encounter out of my brain.
Every single free minute I had, I remembered the lush weight of her breast in my palm and the way her nipple tightened to a peak.
Her flushed skin and her passion-hazed eyes were vivid in my memory.
“We need to see if Madison can go,” I finally said, forcefully kicking those inappropriate thoughts to the curb.
“Madison can go.” Allie spun to her. “Come with us, please.”
I bit back a laugh. Back when Allie was little and we’d practiced the manners song, I hadn’t counted on her using her manners to sweet-talk me and others into what she wanted.
Madison’s eyes shifted from Allie to me. When I saw the question swirling in hers, I nodded. It was fine for Allie to invite her, and I could keep my hands to myself. She looked back to Allie. “Sure. That’d be nice. I need to drop Wilbur off first, though.”
“We can drop him off on the way,” I said, my voice coming out gruffer than I intended. “Give me five to shower.”
I hurried to the bathroom, tossing my work clothes in the hamper.
Moments later, the water sluiced over my body, and I rolled my head side to side, savoring the hot water beating down.
It had been a long afternoon. A branch had fallen on me when we were dealing with a fire at an abandoned cabin.
The wilderness of Alaska was dotted with hunting cabins, some used with frequency and others forgotten and left in disrepair.
Inexperienced hunters or hikers were prone to accidentally starting fires, which was exactly what had happened today.
Fortunately, the cabin in question was tiny, and there weren’t too many dead trees around it.
We’d gotten it taken care of within a few hours.
We were getting into autumn, and fire season was just now starting to slow.
I couldn’t keep Madison out of my thoughts.
I’d texted her in a pinch because my brain couldn’t think of anybody else to ask to pick Allie up.
Of course, after I texted her, I’d been able to think of a few other friends I could have called.
It was a reflection of how deeply she’d burrowed her way into my thoughts.
She was waiting in the wings and whisked her way into my consciousness.
I didn’t need to be thinking about Madison when my teenage daughter was sitting in the kitchen with her. “Fuck,” I muttered to myself. I finished showering and toweled off before tugging on clean jeans and a T-shirt. When I strode into the kitchen, Allie glanced up.
“That was seven minutes, Dad,” she said, her lips pursed.
I chuckled. “Sorry. You ready to roll?”
Her ponytail bounced as she nodded. “Let me go grab my backpack. I already have it packed.”
After she hurried down the hallway, Madison stood from the kitchen table, brushing her palms over her jeans.
She looked up at me just as she smoothed a hand over her hair.
Her dark locks fell in a glossy tousle over her shoulders.
I wanted to wrap my hand around her hair and pull her close and kiss her. Now that was crazy thinking.
She cleared her throat just as I said, “Thank you for picking Allie up. I’m sure she appreciated you coming over to paint nails with her too.”
Madison’s lips twitched with a smile. “No problem. I did suggest she teach you how to paint your nails.”
I rolled my eyes. “I’m a pretty good sport about it.”
Madison’s throaty chuckle sent electricity sizzling up my spine. Allie reappeared at the end of the hallway. “I’m ready.”
In short order, we were in my truck with Allie in the middle of the bench seat practically vibrating with excitement. I sensed that Allie had decided to play matchmaker with Madison and me. Her instincts were spot-on because I did want Madison, but it wasn’t practical, not at all.
While my body might want Madison, I knew she couldn’t be right for me.
We were nothing alike. She was always tidy and perfectly put together, even in the middle of the wilderness in Alaska alone on the side of the road when her dog was chasing a moose.
I couldn’t imagine her tromping around through the woods, much less really wanting a guy like me.
I didn’t dress up very often. When pressed, I could, but I always felt like I was wearing someone else’s skin.
The last time I’d worn a suit was at a friend’s wedding.
I’d spent the day feeling itchy and out of place.
I forced my mind to the moment and dutifully drove over to Madison’s place. She hopped out. “I’ll be right back.” She hurried into the house with Wilbur excitedly following her. He paused by the steps to pee on a bush before bounding up the stairs.
Allie giggled. “What’s so funny?” I asked.
“Wilbur’s so cute.”
I chuckled. He was currently wiggling at high speed as Madison opened the door. “He is a cute dog,” I agreed. I waited for her to beg me to get a dog.
Instead, she said, “Thanks for letting us have dinner with Madison. It’s nice. She’s new.”
I knew that feeling. I’d grown up in this very same small town.
The lure of one new person showing up was exciting when you were younger.
As an adult, I appreciated the town differently.
I had plenty of friends and family for support.
I loved where I lived. I didn’t know how Allie would feel when she was older.
If I hadn’t had her, I probably would’ve wanted to leave and go to college somewhere out of town.
She was young enough yet that she didn’t bring it up often, but she loved meeting new people.
I’d always assumed that was why she and Harold had gotten close.
He was only here about half the year, and she loved it because he was a breath of fresh air.
“Everyone has to have dinner at Wildlands at some point,” I commented.
Madison returned to the truck, and off we went to Wildlands.
All the while, I wondered just how big this mistake was.
After I dropped my daughter off for her slumber party with her friends, I would be alone with Madison in the truck.
I needed to think long and hard about what that might mean.
Specifically, I probably needed to keep my hands to myself.