“You’re changing the subject.”
“I don’t have anything more to say on the topic.”
I was tempted to push her more but decided not to. Besides, she looked sleepier than when I’d arrived, and as a fellow insomniac, I knew she should head to bed right now. As if on cue, she yawned again.
“I think I’m going to bed,” she said.
“Good night, Lori.”
It looked as if at least one of us was going to have a good night’s sleep, and it wasn’t me. Though I’d been ready to fall asleep when I came in, I felt wide-awake now, watching Lori climb the staircase.
My thoughts flew to Maddie. There was no denying that I was attracted to her. Everything about Maddie beckoned to me. When she smiled, she lit everything up, and I wanted some of that light. I wanted her. I liked her smile, her laughter, the way her eyes warmed when she talked about Grace. Her fierce determination that her sister should have the best.
The only reason I hadn’t kissed her good night was that I couldn’t have stopped at one kiss. I wanted more. Taste her skin, make her moan. All new impulses that should have made me want to pull away. I’d fought hard to piece myself together after losing Rachel. I’d promised myself that I wouldn’t let myself care for someone so deeply again, that I wouldn’t even let myself want to care. But when it came to Maddie, all I wanted was to get closer.
When I climbed the staircase, I took out my phone and noticed a message from her from about half an hour ago.
Maddie: Made it home all right?
Even though she was probably asleep by now, I answered anyway. She’d see it in the morning.
Landon: Cab dropped me off a while ago, and I chatted with Lori for a bit.
She answered a few seconds later.
Maddie: Does insomnia run in your family? On my first day on the job, I returned at two o’clock in the morning because I’d forgotten to shut off the power to one of the machines, and Val was on the porch, typing on her laptop!!
Will you look at that? And Val was calling me a workaholic. I hovered with my thumb over the keys, but I didn’t want to type back. I wanted to hear her voice. I needed it. Jesus, it had been less than an hour since I dropped her off, and I already missed her. I headed to my room and dialed her number as soon as I closed the door behind me.
“Uhhh, the answer is so long it deserves a phone call?”
“I like talking more than typing.” Not strictly true, since I thought e-mails were more efficient than calls at work, but just hearing her voice made me smile. “It does run in the family. Mom was like this, and Lori’s just like her. Why aren’t you sleeping?”
“I have too much energy. Dancing usually has that effect, especially with a partner who knows what he’s doing. And you certainly kept your promise.”
I sat on the bed fully clothed, trying to make sense of the tightness in my chest. The thought of Maddie with other partners drove me crazy. Fucking hell! I had no right to feel possessive of her.
“What did you talk about with Lori?” she asks.
“Her, Milo. She asked where I was tonight.”
“I can tell her the entire story, vouch for your excellent dancing skills.”
Her last words came out shaky, and they sent a shock straight under my belt. A gurgling sound came from her end, like someone trying to stifle a yawn.
“Go to sleep, Maddie. You’re tired.”
“Hmm, I know, but I like talking to you. So much better than sleep. Tell me about your life in San Jose.”
“I wake up at five, reply to all outstanding e-mails, then go to the gym for one hour. When I arrive at the office, I go through the schedule with my assistant. A typical day consists of back-to-back meetings, both internal and external. I head home at about eleven.”
“At night? Wow. Are you even human? How can you concentrate for so long?”
“Habit.”
“What do you do on weekends?”
“On Saturday I Skype with Milo for an hour or two before heading to the office, and on Sunday I work in the morning and play soccer in the afternoon.”