TEN
“If I wereany more relaxed, I wouldn’t have a pulse,” Maddie said.
Keith glanced in Maddie’s direction in time to see her lick the chocolate off her bottom lip, drawing his attention to her mouth. Immediately, his mind brought up memories of how she’d used it and her tongue to pleasure him while they waited for the hot tub to fill up.
Until a second ago, he would’ve agreed with her. Now, thanks to the images going through his head and the fact he couldn’t seem to get enough of Maddie, he was anything but relaxed.
Keith had slept with plenty of women, but he’d never desired anyone twenty-four seven or something damn close. He chalked it up to their relationship being new and the fact he’d fantasized about sex with Maddie for so long the first couple of weeks they were together.
That explanation no longer worked.
Not that it mattered, because he knew the reason.
Since college, whenever he dated a woman, it had always been about having fun and physical pleasure. Love had never played a role in his relationships.
Despite his past, Keith had gone into their relationship expecting more than just a good time and sexual gratification. Just how much more, he hadn’t known.
Little signs pointing out that he loved her had been there for weeks. But he’d ignored them. What did he know about love? At least that kind. Yeah, he loved his family and would do anything for his friends, but that was different.
Today’s run-in with the older couple had been like a sledgehammer driving the truth home.
He loved her. And assuming she didn’t get sick of him, Keith wanted to spend the next fifty or sixty years with Maddie.
“I have a ton of vacation time. You must have a lot too. We should go on vacation when the holidays are over,” Maddie said before finishing the wine in her glass and grabbing a grape off the plate.
While at the store, they’d bought not only cheese, crackers, and wine, but also fresh fruit and more chocolate. They’d been nibbling on all of it for the past twenty minutes.
She popped the fruit in her mouth and turned to look at him. “Someplace warm and on the ocean. Maybe Puerto Rico. Jasmine keeps telling me I’d love it there. If we can get off more than a week, maybe Hawaii. I don’t want to be on a plane for that long and spend only a week there. Aruba might be nice too. I’ve been there twice, but it’s been a while. What do you think?”
Her question didn’t require any thought. Hell, if Keith thought they could both get a week or two off on such short notice, he would suggest they book something now and leave Monday morning. “Let’s do it.”
“Any preference on where we go?”
As long as it included a tropical location and some sandy beaches, the place didn’t matter to him. “I don’t care as long as you bring a few of those outfits you had on earlier, and we have a king-sized bed.”
“Do you think about anything besides sex?”
Keith nodded. “Yeah, you. All the time.”
“Is that so?” She didn’t sound convinced.
He didn’t share his feelings often. Tonight, he’d make an exception. “Who else would I think about?”
“Your friends? Maybe your family?”
“I don’t love them.” Leaning closer, he brushed his thumb across her shoulder and pressed a brief kiss against her lips. “I love you.”
Maddie’s eyes widened slightly, and Keith knew she hadn’t expected to hear him say those three words tonight.
Keith hoped to hear something along the same lines from her. But instead, she asked, “You don’t love your family?”
The woman could be impossible sometimes. “Maddie, you know what I mean.”
Taking his hand, she entwined their fingers. “I love you too, but…” Maddie paused as if to torture him, because no one wanted the word “but” in the same sentence as “I love you too.” “You need to work on that. It’s not healthy to focus on the same thing all the time, no matter what it is.” She patted his cheek and grinned. “Maybe you should try to be more like me and find a hobby to occupy your thoughts. I’ll even help you make a list.”
“And what’s your hobby?”
“Cooking.”