Page 83 of Jack of Hearts
It hadn’t been until she’d reached adulthood that she’d come to terms with having red hair. As a young girl, she’d been teased unmercifully. Alex was only the second man to say that, the first being her father.
“It reminds me of the flames of a fire. Lean your head back so I can rinse the shampoo out. There you go.” He poured conditioner into his palm. “The first time I saw you, I wanted to wrap my fist around this beautiful hair of yours, pull your head back, and kiss you so hard you wouldn’t know what day it was. You own me, Madison. Heart, body, and soul.”
“Can I just melt at your feet?”
“No. If you’re a puddle I can’t do this.” He trailed soapy hands down her belly until he reached her sex, and then he cupped her mound as his warm breath tickled her ear. “Or this.” He slid a finger inside her, and she put her hands on his lean hips for support as he played with her. His thumb found all the right places, while his finger slid in and out of her until she called out his name, falling against him as exquisite pleasure exploded throughout her body.
“I think I lost all the feeling in my legs.”
“You’re so beautiful when you come,” he murmured. Reaching over, he turned off the shower and then lifted her into his arms. “I didn’t bring a condom in with us or I’d have your legs wrapped around me right now while I buried myself to my balls inside you.”
He carried her to bed, and an hour later, she lay across his body, as limp as a noodle. “I don’t think I’ll ever be able to move again.”
“Are you complaining?” He combed his fingers through her hair.
“Never. Just stating a fact.”
“I’m sorry, but you’re going to have to move. We have dinner reservations.”
She groaned. “Can’t we just have something delivered?”
“Nope.” He rolled them over and smiled down at her. “I love you. Now go get dressed. I’ve got something special planned for us.”
And did he ever,she thought later as she sat at the beautifully set private table on the sand. Lit torches surrounded them, the warm tropical breeze making the flames dance.
“Happy?” Alex asked, putting his hand over hers.
She turned her hand over, lacing their fingers. “Yes. Can we live here forever?”
“I’ll have to rob a bank, but if that’s what you want, sure.”
A waiter appeared, setting a plate in front of each of them. “Prime beef chateaubriand, Caribbean lobster, and grilled asparagus with a hint of lemon,” he said. He refilled their wine glasses before bowing and walking away.
“Oh my God, this is amazing,” she said after taking a bite of the chateaubriand. She smiled at Alex. “You, this magical night, and this food. I think I’ve died and gone to heaven.”
He set down his knife and fork. “You take my breath away, Madison. Sitting there with your gorgeous hair blowing in the breeze and the moonlight on your face ... How did I get so lucky?” He put his hand over hers again. “I want to wake up with you every morning and fall asleep with you in my arms each night. Move in with me.”
That was a question she hadn’t expected.
CHAPTER TWENTY-SIX
She needed to think about it? What the hell was there to think about? He loved her. She loved him. Moving in together was the logical next step, right? It wasn’t like he’d proposed marriage. Although he’d considered it, Alex didn’t think either one of them was ready for that.
A week had passed since he’d asked her to move in with him, and even though they’d spent every night together since returning from the Keys, she was still thinking. How long did it take to make a decision, anyway? Between his job as a federal agent and the long hours he put in at Aces & Eights, he wanted to make sure that Madison could deal with who and what he was before she found herself trapped in a marriage that made her miserable.
This morning she’d left his place to go home and change before she met her mother for breakfast. Today was Michael Parker’s birthday, and Madison and her mother were going to church and then to the cemetery. He was to meet them in a few hours for a late lunch, the first occasion he would spend time with Angelina so she could get to know him better.
He held up the remote, channel surfing. Not much on of interest on a Sunday morning, and he finally left it on an ESPN sports show while he dressed. After a few minutes of indecision, he settled on a pair of gray pants and a dark purple silk shirt. It was his first time to be in the position of having to impress a girl’s mother, and it was irritating that he was nervous.
The few occasions he’d seen Angelina in the bookstore, she had been politely pleasant toward him, but privately, she’d expressed her concern to Madison that he was the part owner of a biker bar. He’d talked it over with Madison, and they had decided it was time to tell Angelina that he was FBI. That could go either way. It would either improve her opinion of him, or not, considering it was the FBI who’d arrested her twin and killed her nephew.
It was a bit disconcerting how much he wanted Madison’s mother to approve of him, although he thought he’d rather go one-on-one with Menace, the meanest son-of-a-bitch member of the Demons. Shaved, bathed, and dressed, he slapped a little of his favorite cologne on his face, put his gun in his boot, and headed for the door. He was a little early, but he wanted to stop and purchase some flowers for mother and daughter.
Since the flower shop was closed on Sunday, he headed for the grocery store. For Madison, he chose a bouquet that looked like wildflowers. He had no idea what they were, but they suited her. For Angelina, he took longer to decide, finally going with a dozen yellow roses.
He was headed to his car when his cell phone buzzed, Nate’s name coming up.
“Yeah?”
