Page 44 of Playing By His Rules

“No. We already ate. It’s all for you,” she said. “I told Declan that I just wanted to make sure you were eating and still alive. I’m happy now that I’ve brought food over and seen for myself that you’re okay.”

“I’m fine, really,” he lied. He really wasn’t fine. He was going fucking crazy not hearing anything from Madison.

Another knock sounded at the door, this one much lighter and more tentative than Declan’s earlier pounding.

Rick glared at his stepbrother as he got up and walked to the door. “Please tell me you didn’t invite a bunch of people over to ‘cheer me up’.”

“Uh, no.”

Rick didn’t believe Declan, and opened the door a bit forcefully, expecting some of the guys from the office to be on the other side. Instead, he stared at the woman he’d been dreaming about for the past three days, wondering if she was real, or if he was hallucinating. Either way, she looked so beautiful his heart ached in his chest.

“Madison?” he asked, just to be sure.

She laughed softly, nervously. “Yeah . . . Uh, hi. Can I come in?”

“Yes, of course.” He shook himself out of his stupor and stepped back so she could enter.

A few steps in, she came to an abrupt stop. “Oh, you have company,” she said, giving a cautious smile to Declan and Summer, who were now standing up from the sofa, both of their eyes bright with curiosity.

“It’s my step-brother, Declan, and his wife, Summer, who were just leaving,” Rick said, making the introductions quick and brief.

“We were? Already?” Declan said, looking so disappointed that Rick almost laughed.

“Yes, already,” Rick reiterated, because whatever the reason for Madison’s unexpected visit, he didn’t need Declan and Summer listening in. As it was, he was certain that as soon as they got in the car they’d both be on their phones spreading the news to their friends.

“It was nice to meet you, Madison,” Summer said in her sweet manner and with a friendly smile. “As brief as it was. I hope to see you again soon.”

Rick ushered the two of them out the door and closed it behind them. When he turned around, Madison gave him a nervous smile, looking at him as if she were trying to gauge his reaction to her being there. Shock and surprise, definitely. Hope and optimism followed quickly behind. He had so many questions rolling around in his mind, and then there was the fact that she’d driven four hours to get to San Diego, instead of calling or texting whatever she was there to say.

“How did you even know where I lived?” he asked, resisting the urge to pull her into his arms, feel her body against his, and inhale her soft, floral scent. God, he missed her so fucking much.

Madison’s gaze trailed down his bare chest, to the waistband of his sweatpants, before bouncing back up to his eyes. “Stephanie gave me your address.”

Of course, she had, though Rick was grateful for that little bit of interference on Stephanie’s part and would let it slide. Especially since it brought Madison to his doorstep.

“And what are you doing here?” He wasn’t about to assume anything when she’d gone radio silent on him for the past three days.

“I’m here because I want you . . . and I need you, so much,” she said, saying the words he’d been so desperate to hear. She drew a breath, her fingers twisting anxiously in front of her. “I’m so sorry I took off Thursday morning, but I was so scared, and I think it was a reflexive action more than anything else, because as soon as I left the hotel, I knew I’d walked away from the best thing that’s ever happened to me.”

He inched a bit closer, still not touching her. “Scared of what?” He needed to know everything he was up against so he could slay all her dragons.

“My feelings for you,” she admitted, the words as vulnerable as her expression. “I’ve never felt so much for someone, so soon, and It was easier, and safer, for me to leave, than to risk my heart and getting hurt. You already know I don’t have a great track record when it comes to the men in my past, and unfortunately, that’s kept me guarded and cautious.”

He arched a brow. “All you have to worry about is the present, and the future, and I can guarantee I will never walk away from you. You will always be safe with me. You know that, right?”

She nodded, and swallowed hard, though her eyes were warm with emotion. “I do know that. You have given me everything and asked for nothing. And now, I’m ready to let down all those walls and give you all of me.”

He lifted a hand and finally touched her, skimming his fingers along the faint mark still on her cheek. “I like the way that sounds.”

She bit her bottom lip, looking as though she had a secret to share. “And I really hope you like the idea of me and my sister moving to San Diego.”

He opened his mouth at that unexpected announcement, then shut it again, and she laughed.

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen you speechless.”

“No, it doesn’t happen often,” he said with a chuckle. “What made you make that decision?”

“Of course, you were a big part of it, but my sister and I are ready for a change,” she said, a look of newfound happiness lighting up her eyes. “We want a new life, free from painful memories and all the places that remind us of how much we struggled. There is nothing keeping us in Las Vegas anymore and everything I’ve ever wanted is right here in San Diego. With you.”

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