Chapter One
Madison
The sun splashed heat onto my back as I stepped on the hot sand of the beach. I lifted my face and closed my eyes as I soaked in the warmth. It never failed to ease any tension I was feeling out of my body, and today was no exception. Lightness rushed through me as the sun worked its magic and I smiled to myself before opening my eyes and turning my gaze to the man standing at the water’s edge in front of me.
My husband.
J.
His body was tense as he stood staring at the ocean, his back to me. I didn’t even have to be close to him to be able to tell that. J had a lot on his mind at the moment. It was the reason we’d taken a quick break from everything and spent the last few days on the Gold Coast. I’d surprised him with the getaway and although he’d been reluctant to come, Scott and I had managed to convince him. I understood he didn’t want to leave his club right when they were in the middle of a situation with some drug dealing asshole, but he was wound so tight over this that I held concerns he might react badly to something and cause worse problems. After all, J wasn’t known for his patience.
I walked to where he was and stood in front of him. As I turned to face him, I looked up into his eyes and slid my arms around his waist. His arms circled me and his hands landed on my ass a moment later. “Morning, baby,” I said. “How long have you been out here?”
He bent his lips to mine and lightly kissed me before saying, “About an hour.”
I narrowed my eyes at him. “You didn’t sleep last night, did you?”
Shaking his head, he replied, “Not well, no.”
“You should have woken me up. I could have talked you through it.”
A look washed across his face. It was the look that told me he didn’t want to discuss what was worrying him. I was okay with that. I’d made peace with the fact J wouldn’t always talk about his club business with me, but I still wanted to be there for him in any way he’d let me.
His hands tightened around my ass and he pulled me even closer to him as he bent his mouth to my ear and growled, “You could have done much more important things than talking me through shit, babe.”
I caught his lips in another kiss and murmured, “Yeah, I guess we could have spent the time discussing the Christmas party.”
He shook his head and muttered, “That fucking party . . . Nash is a motherfucker for putting that idea in your head.”
I grinned as I stepped out of his embrace. J had been cranky at Nash for weeks now over this and it only served to amuse me. “J, that party is exactly what you guys need. A night off from everything the club is dealing with and some fun will do you all good.”
His lips set in a hard line and the scowl on his face remained. “Baby, I’m not sure any of us will be able to put the shit out of our mind for long enough to relax.”
I nodded. “Yeah, I know,” I said softly, “but us girls are gonna try our best to help you with that.”
“You’ve roped all the girls into this?”
“Of course. The Storm girls are a force to be reckoned with. You should know that.”
His face softened and his arm curled around my waist and pulled me back to him. “You fucking amaze me, Madison Reilly. I know I can be a moody asshole and I know I give you shit about this party, but I thank the universe for you every day of my life.”
Our faces were so close I could feel his warm breath on mine. His breathing had picked up and his chest rose and fell accordingly, showing me how much I affected him. I placed my hand on his chest before saying, “Yeah, you’re a moody asshole, Jason Reilly, but I kinda love that about you.” When he raised his eyebrows questioningly at me, I added, “Most days.”
His face broke out into a grin. “I try my best.” His grin gave way to a serious look as he said, “We’ve been married for nearly a year now, babe. When are you gonna stop avoiding my question about kids and start working on one with me?”
I sighed. He’d been hounding me over this for months now and he’d tried to talk to me about it last night but I’d managed to distract him. I threaded my fingers through his hair and answered him, “J, I just want you for a while. One day, babies will come, but for now, I don’t want to share you. Can you understand that?”
“I get it, but I just want more of you . . . of us. How long are you thinking?”
“How long do you think you can wait?”
He groaned. “I don’t want to wait, that’s the point. But I want an idea of what you’re thinking.”
Shit. If I had my way, we’d be on our own for years but I knew he wouldn’t go for that. “At least a year,” I said quietly, waiting for his outburst that was sure to come. He wouldn’t like that number.
His eyes widened and he let go of me as he took a step backwards. “I don’t want to wait a fucking year, Madison. I want lots of kids, so we need to get onto it soon.”
My heart started beating faster. This was going to be a shit fight because I didn’t want to back down and I knew J was just as stubborn. “Can we reassess in six months or so?”