Page 45 of Something to Believe In
That thought comforted him. He was taking it upon himself to be Maddyn's protector. Her white knight. He took his job seriously.
Mads moved to the bathroom, and he sat at the foot of the bed and pulled his shoes off. He pulled his jeans and t-shirt off and dumped them in the laundry basket inside his closet. Opening his dresser drawer, he pulled a pair of workout shorts from inside and slipped them on.
He pulled the covers back, and the bathroom door opened. Her hair glimmered where the light touched it. It reminded him of a starlit river flowing through the night. Her green eyes looked straight at him, and his heart fluttered. She wore a cute little pair of shorts and a pink top. Perfection.
He grinned, then stepped to her and kissed her lips. "I'll be right back."
After brushing his teeth and using the toilet, he hurried through his nighttime tasks to get back to her. And he hoped he'd do it forever with her.
Exiting the bathroom, he flicked the light off and sauntered to the bed. Mads had climbed in and pulled the covers up to her chin. She looked small and precious in his bed. He slid in on the opposite side and scooted close to her. She rolled toward him and snuggled into his side. His heart felt at peace. He could get used to that. Hopefully, he would.
He kissed her lips. "Sleep well, Mads. Rest and recover."
"You too, Axel."
He heard her take a deep breath and let it out slowly, her body relaxing with it. That's when he let himself relax. His arms holding Maddyn Nolen, the woman who'd haunted his dreams forever.
Chapter Twenty-Six
Maddyn woke to the aroma of coffee. She rolled over to find Axel's side of the bed empty. Running her hands over his pillow, she found it was cool to the touch. He'd been awake for a while.
She tested her body's soreness by stretching slowly. A twinge crossed her ribs. That was positive. She took a breath, testing her ability to breathe deeply. When she sang, she needed her full lung capacity. She rolled easily into a sitting position, then stood, giving herself time to adjust. That was pretty easy.
She used the bathroom, then went in search of her man. Her lips parted in a smile as she thought of Axel as her man. Her dreams were coming true. She'd never fully believed it would be possible unless one of them left the band. That caused many other issues, though, such as their being on the road in different cities, seldom finding time to be together. The thought of that made her brows pinch together.
As she strolled past his office, she heard the chair squeak. She stopped and watched him at work. He sat in an armchair across from his desk with his bare legs stretched out in front of him. He looked incredibly handsome as he concentrated on the words he wrote in his notebook. She leaned against the frame of the door, watching him for a few moments. There was a curl of steam coming from his coffee cup, sitting to his left on a side table.
He looked up and smiled. "Morning."
"Morning. You must have been feeling productive this morning."
He set his notebook on the side table next to his coffee cup and held his arms out, beckoning her to him. She crept toward him, watching the expression on his handsome face. All she saw was love.
Once she stood directly in front of him, his hands framed her hips and gently set her on his lap. "Are you sore this morning?"
"Slightly sore. And I need to tell you, I'm thrilled about that. I worried I wouldn't be able to sing today."
He kissed her lips. "I worried I wouldn't be able to drum today, but I think I'll be fine. A bit of ibuprofen before our gig should help ease the soreness."
"I thought that might help me, too. We've sung through the pain before."
"That we have."
She glanced at the notebook, then turned to look into his eyes. "How long have you been up writing?"
He shrugged, then took a deep breath. "A couple of hours. I rested, and then the words kept coming. So, I decided to get them down on paper. I think I'm almost finished with a song."
Smiling, she kissed him. "Are you at a point you'd like to share?"
They stared at each other for a long time. This was real. It was personal to open yourself up to share something you've written. Those words came from deep down in his soul. They interrupted his thinking, his sleep, his very being enough that he had to get them down on paper. Sharing them was the ultimate trust.
He took a deep breath. "Why don't you get yourself some coffee and I'll sing it to you? Then you can tell me what you think."
"Sounds good. Do you need a refill?"
He shook his head. "Naw. I'm good."
She stood, giving herself some grace, so she wouldn't re-injure herself. When she knew the pain wasn't there, she moved to the kitchen toward the coffee. Axel had placed a coffee cup on the counter for her, and he had also moved the sugar bowl closer. She smiled to herself at his thoughtfulness. After pouring her coffee, she carried it back to the office.
