Page 19 of Lost in You (Flirting with Forever 1)

The waitress returns to the table, having already run the card. I have no idea when she’d even picked it up in the first place—that’s how thrown I

am right now. I feel all out of sorts—hot, bothered, and all those other fun adjectives that describe a person when their needs, wants, and desires dangle right in front of them, just slightly out of reach.

I want Shawn. I don’t care about what I know he’s done. I just want him. Right now. This minute.

Mine.

Chapter 10

Madison

Back at the bed-and-breakfast, we dash to the door, the night icy cold. Upon entering, a few pairs of eyes land on us. Oh, no. Cousins. Old friends. My family.

Out of nowhere, Shawn’s strong arm wraps around me, and his fingers find my waist through my coat, gripping tightly, and he tugs me into his side. “Sure is cold out there,” he announces to the room before leaning in and brushing his lips over my temple.

My chest jerks, breath hitching. I’m on the verge of panic when Shawn’s fingers squeeze my side, and finally I smile and wave at everyone, albeit awkwardly. “Hi, everyone. We just got back from dinner. It’s freezing out there.”

Most people nod politely, wave, or smile and go back to whatever they were doing when we blew in. Of course, I knew my parents wouldn’t do the same. They both edge closer to us, with my brother, James, right behind them.

“Shawn, this is my family. Mom, Dad, James, meet Shawn.” My dad extends a hand and Shawn shakes it, then does the same with my brother.

“Very nice to meet you all.” He nods at my mom with a grin. “Ma’am. I see where Madison gets her beautiful hair from.”

Mom thaws toward Shawn pretty quickly, if I do say so myself, as she giggles a bit. “Oh, you’re too kind.”

He winks with a grin. “I just call them like I see them.”

“Madison, we didn’t know you were bringing anyone until Chuck mentioned it when we got here.” Mom’s question is directed at me, but she hasn’t taken her eyes off of Shawn.

Think fast, Madison. What is the lie closest to the truth? “Oh, um—”

“We weren’t sure I could make it until last night.” Shawn smiles sheepishly at her, coming to my rescue.

Dad nods, eyeing both of us. “How did you two meet?”

I do a terrible job of hiding the shuddering breath I let out through pursed lips. “Through some friends I work with.”

The whole time all of this has been happening, I’ve been shaking like an absolute leaf at his side. Is it the cold we just came in from? Hearing him talk to my parents like it’s no big deal? Maybe a bit of both. Whatever it is, I can’t seem to get it under control, and I know Shawn can feel it from the pressure of his hand at my waist.

“We’re a little tired, so we are just going to kick back with some TV or something and try to get some rest.” Shawn looks down at me. “Didn’t you say something about wanting to relax and watch some Friends reruns, Madi?”

James speaks up. “She’s a Friends nut. It’s ridiculous, man. I assume you’ve been dating long enough to know that?” He watches Shawn carefully.

“For sure. It’s always a toss-up between that and one of those singing competition shows, if there are any on.”

My brother knows this to be true, so a small smile spreads across his face. How Shawn knew that I love to watch any of that stuff must have been a lucky guess.

I finally clear my throat, feeling like I should say something else. “I’m really exhausted from the last day of school and the drive up. We’ll see you guys before the wedding, okay?” I cringe, knowing I purposefully didn’t say how far before the wedding we’d see them. The less interaction the better, as far as I’m concerned.

With that, we head up to our room. Shawn keeps his arm around me the whole way, and the tremors running through my body have yet to abate.

He lets us in and helps me out of my coat before seeing to himself. After hanging them on the hooks behind the door, he crosses the room until he’s right in front of me. The air between us crackles with energy. His nearness does nothing to halt the trembling in my body, and I wrap my arms around my middle, trying to get it to stop, but it doesn’t seem to help.

Stepping even closer to me, he reaches out and grasps my upper arms with his steady hands and leans in until we are nose to nose. “What are we going to do with you, Butterfly?”

Awareness spins between us as we stand in each other’s space, breathing in each other’s air. In a blink, I suddenly find myself hauled against his hard chest. He holds me, arms strong and unyielding. At the top of my head, I feel his lips in my hair. Those lips. That’s what started this whole mess in my head at dinner.

And did I imagine it, or has he given me a nickname? The only nickname anyone has ever used for me before is Madi. It’s like he finds endless ways to set me off balance, and it comes so naturally to him he doesn’t even realize he’s doing it.

---