April Fool Bride (10 page)

Maddie blushed. Other things? She had no
doubt he meant her.

He turned a page. "You ever read the Jack
Reacher novels?"

"No. I mostly read children's books
lately."

When his eyes raised from his book, Maddie
realized what she'd said. "Just joking. I'm into romance and
mystery."

"Oh." He gave her a searching look then
returned to his book.

She didn't move until he turned another page.
She told herself that she was being silly. They'd slept together
last night and nothing had happened. The way he was engrossed in
the book told her that it held more attraction for him than her
body. She tried to tell herself that was what she wanted, but in
her heart she knew she was lying to herself. Maddie removed her
robe and again laid it across the foot of the bed then quickly slid
under the covers. She heard another page turn.

Just being in the same bed with him made her
senses come alive. Her body quickened as she imagined him kissing
her. She ached for him. Another page turned. She swallowed hard and
forced her thoughts from the man who shared her bed. A page turned.
She didn't know why Jake had been concerned about being celibate
for a year, she thought crossly. He seemed to be handling the
situation easily. Or maybe he didn't feel desire for her. She
looked nothing like the gorgeous brunette in the photograph in his
apartment. She thought about all the nights when she'd fantasized
about being in bed with Jake. She'd dreamed about him countless
times. None of those fantasies had ever ended with them sleeping
together like platonic friends.

The sound of turning pages lulled her to
sleep. Later, she couldn't say what had awakened her. The room was
lit only by the moonlight that came through the big windows. Then
she heard a sound. A gasp of pain. "Jake?"

Suddenly, he bolted upright in bed. His chest
heaved as if he'd been running. Maddie sat up and reached to touch
him. With a guttural sound, he grabbed her wrist and held it in a
band of iron. Maddie bit her lip. "Jake, wake up. You're
dreaming."

He turned to face her, and there was such
heartbreak in his eyes that she wanted to cry. He dropped her hand
and sat unmoving.

Without thinking, Maddie reached out with
both arms and pulled him close. "It's all right," she soothed. His
body was clammy with perspiration. She could feel his heart
pounding, his breath like a bellows.

"Bad dream?" She stroked her hands over his
shoulders, soothing him, willing him to relax.

"The worst." His arms went around her and
held her tightly as if he might lose himself if he let go.

Maddie rocked him gently, soothing him the
way she did the children who were plagued by bad memories. Slowly,
he relaxed and lay down, pulling her with him to the mattress. They
lay facing each other with his arm across her. She was glad to see
that he breathed easier.

"Want to talk about it?" she whispered.

"No." She felt his hand lift to stroke her
hair. His fingers slid into her hair, pulling gently has he sifted
the strands. "Talking about it tonight with Constance must be what
brought it to the surface again."

After a long pause, he said, "The dream is
always the firefight. The sniper. The IED exploding. All hell
breaking loose."

She lay her hand on his strong jaw, hurting
for him. For the pain he'd endured.

"There were four of us," he said. "We met in
basic training and ended up going through every phase of training
together. That's highly unusual. It's like they were the brothers
that I always wanted. Danny was the only one of us who was married.
He and Laura had a little daughter named Charlene. Charly. Laura is
the woman in the photograph you asked about."

Maddie waited. She felt his arm tense. "Danny
must have seen the sun's reflection off the sniper's scope or
something. Maybe it was just gut instinct. He shoved me out of the
way, and the bullet hit him instead of me." Jake shuddered. "I
landed behind an armored Humvee. That protected me from the IED.
Mostly. I lived. Danny died. It could have been the other way
around."

Maddie didn't bother mouthing useless
platitudes. She offered comfort in the way women had comforted the
men they loved since time began. Her mouth sought his. She poured
all her love into the kiss. Jake pulled her over him. She felt him
against her belly. Hard and so hot. He took control of the kiss,
his tongue probed, and she opened her mouth to him. His hands were
on her body, stroking, spreading heat, making her pulse pound.

When Maddie broke the kiss and pushed away,
he pleaded, his voice raw with emotion. "Maddie, please. I need
you."

"I know," she whispered, unbuttoning the
pajama shirt.

His eyes gleamed, and he sat up and helped,
tossing the shirt aside a moment later. He tugged on the pajama
bottoms. "Raise up."

When she did, he yanked the pants off and
sent them to the floor next to the shirt. Then his hands claimed
her. Before she lost all rational thought, she whispered, "Take
your shorts off."

Jakes froze. "Are you sure?"

"I've never been more sure of anything."

He hesitated no longer, and his shorts ended
up on the floor with her pajamas. His erection sprang free. Maddie
could have told him that she'd waited a lifetime for him to love
her, but she used her mouth to pleasure him instead, kissing his
mouth, his neck, sliding over his beautiful body, making him
gasp.

"You're so beautiful," he murmured, taking
control once again. He held her breasts in his big hands while he
tormented the taut peaks with his thumbs. Then his mouth replaced
his fingers, and she felt a throbbing between her thighs so intense
that she cried out. She wanted him so badly that her legs trembled.
Her hands gripped his arms, pulling him down to her. Wanting his
weight on top of her. Wanting to hold him close to her heart.

Her hips lifted, seeking the relief that only
he could give her. Nearly mindless with desire, she managed to say,
"Please. I want you. Now."

Jake needed no further encouragement. He
groaned as he pushed inside her. Maddie squeezed her eyes tight
against the tears that welled in her eyes. Not because he hurt her,
but because the moment was so perfect. His arms shook. She felt him
throbbing inside her as he began to move in a rhythm as old as
time.

Maddie felt her orgasm building. She didn't
want it to end so quickly, but she had no say in the matter. Her
body tautened. "Jake!"

"Yes, Maddie, I'm here. Let it happen." He
took her mouth in a hard, searing kiss, and her body tightened
unbearably then pleasure exploded.

When Jake felt her pulsing around him, he
lost what little control he had, driving into her, riding the waves
of her pleasure until he gave a guttural cry and claimed his own
pleasure.

Later, they lay entwined, neither wanting to
move. Maddie wanted to freeze that moment in time so she could
remember every moment. Every kiss. Every touch.

Now that she'd made love with Jake, how could
she ever go back?

Chapter 9

Jake wasn't surprised that Maddie managed to
leave their bed the next morning without waking him, but he was
disappointed. He stretched, enjoying the pleasant tiredness of his
muscles after a night of making love to her. It had been the best
night of his life. He'd fallen asleep knowing that he'd wake with
her in his arms. He wanted to see the early morning light caress
her perfect skin while he made love to her.

Unfortunately, that was a fantasy he'd have
to postpone.

The shower was still wet when he stepped in
so he knew she hadn't been gone long. At least he knew where she
was headed.

Not quite two hours later, he pulled up to
the sprawling ranch-style house. Other than a chain link fence
around the wide front yard, the house looked like any of the other
mid-century brick homes in that older part of Houston. The front
door was sheltered by a wide overhang that created a covered area.
A small wrought iron table and two matching chairs occupied that
covered area. The house was nothing special. A bit rundown even. It
needed a new roof, but the yard was neatly mowed. Dark green
shrubbery followed the lines of the house, and big clay pots of
petunias sat on either side of the front door.

Jake parked on the street beneath the shade
of a live oak and went to the gate across the sidewalk. To his
surprise, he found the gate padlocked. He shrugged and leaped over
the fence. The white front door was steel, with a peephole inset at
eye level. A blinking red light of a video camera up under the eave
caught his attention.

Before he could ring the doorbell, a crisp
voice said, "Please state your name and your business."

"I'm Jake Becker. I'm here to see Maddie, my
wife." Wife. He grinned, liking the way the word sounded. "Madeline
Quinn Becker, that is."

After a couple of minutes, the door opened. A
young African-American woman stared at him, her arms crossed.
"Maddie didn't say anything about having a husband."

Jake grinned. "She's not used to the idea
yet." He didn't force the issue, but stood calmly and waited.

Suddenly the young woman grinned. "I did read
about it in the gossip section of one of those supermarket
newspapers yesterday. I guess you can come in. Maddie's out back
with the kids."

When Jake stepped into the small foyer, the
first thing he saw was a brass plaque on the wall.

Edward and Maureen Quinn House of Hope.

The light began to dawn. A desk with a
computer monitor and a chair occupied the rest of the space. A
closed door divided the foyer from the rest of the house. What
looked like a college text lay open on the desk. What was this
place? Rather than ask, he decided to remain silent and just gather
information.

"I'm Rachel. Follow me."

As soon as she opened the door, he heard
laughter and the chatter of conversation. In what should have been
the formal living room, several women sat on the couches and
loveseats, listening to an older woman who appeared to be lecturing
from the book she held. They all watched intently as if they
expected him to grow horns or an antenna.

"This is Maddie's husband," Rachel said.

In the dining room, six women sat around a
large rectangular table. Each had a laptop, and they appeared to be
working on an Excel spreadsheet tutorial. They paused to stare with
solemn eyes. Again, Rachel introduced him. Then she led him into
the kitchen where she introduced the three women who were busy
preparing a meal. When Rachel told them who he was, they smiled and
gave him a far more enthusiastic greeting than the other women
had.

Rachel pointed to the sliding glass doors.
"Just go through there, and you'll find Maddie. I need to get back
to monitoring the front door."

Jake thanked her. Through the glass storm
door, he could see what looked like a dozen or more kids, all
running around a huge back yard enclosed by a tall brick fence. The
kids laughed and screamed in excitement, and the one screaming the
loudest was his favorite redhead. His wife. He watched as Maddie
feigned horror at the earthworm one of the boys waved in front of
her face.

He stepped outside but stayed on the patio.
Seeing her interaction with the boys made him feel funny. A weird
combination of amusement and wariness and a profound emotion that
made his heart swell. He liked seeing Maddie surrounded by a bunch
of kids. Suddenly, he realized that they'd used no birth control
last night. Unless she was on the pill, and he didn't think she was
because she'd said she'd been celibate for the last two years. Two
years from her DUI. Was that when she'd opened this shelter? He
looked at her, overcome with emotion by the thought that he could
have got her pregnant last night. Maybe he should buy some condoms
before tonight.

Then the kids noticed him. The level of noise
dropped. The laughter became subdued. One little girl tugged on
Maddie's arm. When Maddie knelt, the little girl whispered in her
ear.

Maddie jerked around and met his gaze. His
heart pounded as he smiled and waved, but he made no effort to move
into the backyard. It didn't take a genius to figure out he'd
stumbled across a shelter for battered women and their kids. These
kids were probably skittish enough without a strange man moving
into their territory.

Maddie said something to the kids. They
looked back at him. A few smiled shyly and waved. She shooed them
away with a loud, "Y'all just wore me out. Go play and let me
rest."

When she reached him, she asked, "What are
you doing here?"

"Funny. I was going to ask you the same
thing?"

Maddie shoved her hands into the back pockets
of her jeans. What should she tell him? The truth? Sure, why not?
"I work here."

"So I see." He pointed. "That boy over there
is getting ready to eat that worm."

Maddie whirled. "Jaime, put that worm back in
the grass. You and Robby stop daring each other." She waited a
couple of minutes to make sure they obeyed her before turning back
to Jake. "Those two should be brothers as much as they egg each
other on."

"I saw the plaque in the foyer. Tell me about
this place."

"That's a long story."

Jake sat on one of the benches and patted the
place next to him. "I'm not going anywhere."

If only, Maddie thought with a pang. She
shoved the poignant thought away. "You know I was stopped for DUI.
I learned the hard way that it's impossible to get away with
anything when the paparazzi follow you everywhere. I know part of
all the crazy things I did was just hoping someone cared about me
enough to stop me."

"Constance bought your way free of the DUI,
didn't she?"

"Yes, but I'm naive enough to want to believe
that everyone gets the same treatment under the law so I decided my
debt to society hadn't been paid. If I'd been convicted, I'd have
had to pay a big fine and do community service. I know someone who
was slapped with a ten thousand dollar fine after a third driving
under the influence. Even though it was my first, I decided I'd
sentence myself to the same thing. Constance was furious. She
didn't understand why I felt compelled to punish myself. That was
the first of many fights we had over the subject. So I looked
around at all the places that needed donations and volunteers. This
shelter was getting ready to close because of lack of funding so I
donated ten grand here. It took most of my savings. Of course, I
hadn't been big on saving anything from the monthly allowance I got
so that was my fault." She looked over the yard, smiling at the
kids who had infused her existence with life.