Sacred Surrender (3 page)

Hell, her very presence screamed naïve and romance novels.  She probably stayed home on weekends and either read those cheesy books or watched sappy romantic movies.  He would have no problem putting her out of his mind as soon as he accomplished his neighborly duty and went on about his business.  That he was sure of. 

“So, what seems to be the problem,” he asked as they made their way up the walkway to her home. 

“The faucet to my kitchen sink is leaking and I have no idea how to get it to stop.  It wouldn’t be a big deal, but, honestly, the dripping is driving me crazy.” 

I’d like to drive you crazy and make you dripping,
he mentally told her.  He let out a groan at the very thought of being snug between her thighs as his cock brushed against her wet core. 

“Are you okay?” The groan he let out brought a look of concern on her face.

Embarrassed he’d let the sound escape his lips, “Absolutely.  Well, let me take a look at the faucet and see what I can do.  If I can’t stop it, you may want to get a plumber over here.” 

“Yeah, that’s what I was hoping to avoid.  I appreciate you taking a look at it, though.” 

“It’s not a problem at all.” 

Immediately, Rowan found himself standing in the living room of Madison’s home once he stepped over the threshold.  The small cottage house was just that, small.  From the way it looked on the outside, he thought it would have been a little roomier, but it was nothing close to roomy.  Cute and cozy were words he would use to describe it.  He personally liked open and spacious; he needed to be able to move around without feeling claustrophobic.  A person certainly couldn’t judge the inside appearance by the way the outside was presented, though.  Erin taught him that lesson well, but then again, wasn’t that what he was doing with Madison.  He already expected her to be like Erin, black on the inside when the outside was so beautiful and perfect.  It really wasn’t fair that he was judging her based solely on her appearance and his past experience. She very well could be a wonderful person.  Unlikely, however, since anything with female parts was a potential heartache. 

“The kitchen is right this way.  Excuse the mess, I’m still unpacking.” 

“I see that,” he said with a smile. 

Rowan’s smile almost sent Madison to her knees begging him to take her in the midst of all these boxes.  She needed to get it together and she needed to do it fast.  Besides, like she would even know what to do with a man like him.  She’d be lost the moment he touched her. 

Rowan quickly took inventory, noticing box upon box splayed throughout the hall and living room, even the kitchen was filled to the hilt with just a small path from the doorway to the sink.  At least she made it a little easier for him to navigate through the mess to see what he was doing.  Rowan quickly opened the double doors of the under cabinet to the sink and began to piddle around with the braided hoses that belonged to the faucet.  He really didn’t have a clue as to what he was doing, but he sure as hell wasn’t going to let some woman, especially this woman, think he couldn’t wield a wrench.  He tightened the hoses, stood up and turned on the faucet.  Water sprayed in every direction as Madison let out a yelp.  Rowan quickly pushed the faucet handle down to stop the flow of water, but not before soaking himself from head to toe.

Chapter 2

Madison let out a groan as the white t-shirt that Rowan donned went from pure white to completely transparent. 
Oh, holy hell.
  As he stood before her covered in water, she felt her panties grow increasingly wet.  She didn’t know how much more her senses could take standing in the presence of this male.  Her initial encounter with him alone would send any woman running to change her panties. With his lower parts covered in just a towel, water dripping from the muscles that now peeked through the translucent shirt, to the way his clothing gripped his body and clung as if to never let go.  Standing before her now, covered from head to toe in water and looking like some kind of  sun god, was about to make her short circuit and she realized her own “faucet” started to leak.  His blonde hair was now darkened as water made its way down the bridge of his nose.  His muscled chest cried out to be touched beneath the wet cotton that hugged his skin tightly, every rippled muscle of his abdomen tempting her to reach out and touch him.  Her body experienced things she’d only read about in romance novels; the really naughty romance novels that would make her blush while reading, even if no one was around!  She wanted so badly to run her fingers along his defined chest and abdomen. 

Of course, her lack of experience, didn’t take away from the burning desires to enjoy a man physically.  She’d only had a few boyfriends in her life, when she was in high school. The most she’d ever done with any of them was kiss and even that wasn’t a great experience. It either felt like she was kissing a brother or it was sloppy and messy.  Not a good combination either way.  When college rolled around, she’d been so immersed in her studies, never having time for any kind of relationship.  Here she was twenty three years old and she’d never even experienced a guy in the biblical sense.  Oh, she’d seen enough movies and read enough books to know what the possibilities were, but that was all she had; all the knowledge in the world without one ounce of experience.  The sound of Rowan’s cell phone brought her out of her own little world quickly. 

“Shit!  I’m sorry.  If you will excuse me I need to take this call.” 

Rowan made his way into the living room, but Madison could still hear his conversation.  She tried to busy herself, but disappointment filled her heart as she heard his side of the conversation.

“Hey, sorry I’m running late, I had to help my new neighbor.  No, I did not forget I was helping you with the honeymoon.  I said I’d help and I will, calm down.  Just give me about a half hour and I will be there.” 

Damn it, he's engaged?
  Of course, he was.  That was the kind of luck that followed her, did she really expect anything else. No wonder he seemed put off and uninterested in her.  He was already taken.  Well, at least he wasn’t one of those jerks who thought it was okay to flirt with every skirt that walked past him even though he was in a relationship.  He had that going for him.  Well, that and a lot of other wonderful attributes that she’d had the privilege of seeing or almost seeing. 

“Sorry about that,” Rowan said as he slid his cell phone in his back pocket.  “Let me see if I can get this faucet fixed for you.” 

“That’s okay.  I can just call a plumber.  I’ve already caused you enough inconveniences for one day.” 

“Don’t be ridiculous.  I’m already soaking wet, might as well get it fixed.” 

I’m already soaking wet too.
 Madison mentally slapped herself.  What was she thinking?  The man was taken and here she was having lustful thoughts about him.  He wasn’t even just taken, but engaged.  She was no doubt making him late for an appointment with his fiancée, which made her lustfulness even worse.  From the sounds of it he should be helping pick out their honeymoon, not trying to fix her faucet.  Heat crept up her neck and rested on her cheeks.  She shouldn’t accept his help; if she were his fiancée she’d be pretty damned pissed he was helping some other woman instead of being with her planning out the beginning of the rest of their lives.  She quickly snatched the wrench from his hands and walked to the sink. 

“You know, if you don’t mind, if I just borrow this, I’m sure I can figure out how to fix this.  It really can’t be that hard.  I mean damn, I’m a college graduate.”  She was rambling; she did that when she felt nervous or anxious.  And right now, she was feeling just that and more. 

Rowan walked up behind her and reached around placing his hand over hers; stopping her before she did more damage to the faucet than he would be able to fix.  He felt her go still, her breaths become shallow.  The smile he felt in his heart reached his lips and he could do nothing to stop it.  He couldn’t remember the last time he truly smiled, but experiencing the reaction this beautiful creature in front of him was having by his closeness made something in his chest stir.  Just as quickly as that smile came on, however, it vanished.  He realized, standing there with her back to him, their bodies mere inches from touching that her reaction was purely a physical reaction, not an emotional one at all.  That’s what he wanted, wasn’t it?  No emotional attachment.  He could take her to bed only to enjoy the pleasures their bodies would offer each other and not have any emotional strings. Not her though.  Something in her eyes told Rowan that he would not get enough of her in just the physical sense. She would suck him in, heart and soul, and that was a risk he wasn’t willing to take. Not with her or anyone else. 

He quickly let go of her hand, the wrench crashing to the floor causing her to jump from the clanking against the tile.  “I’m sorry. I need to go.”  He said as he turned to walk away. 

“I know,” she whispered under her breath. 

Disappointment flooded Madison’s heart, while embarrassment reared its ugly head for the umpteenth time since meeting Rowan.  She knew being that close to someone already in a relationship was wrong, but damn it, she liked how he felt inside her space.  He breached her personal space, something no man had been able to do, ever.  She couldn’t even remember the last time she’d been that close physically with anyone.  For the first time in her life, with anyone other than her parents, a wall on that box she formed around her, found its way to the ground beckoning Rowan to come in.  Why did it have to be him she felt comfortable with?  Someone who was already in love and on the verge of getting married and it’s him she finds her comfort with. 

“What?”  Rowan turned around to see Madison still had her back to him. 

“I overheard your conversation.  I’m sorry, I wasn’t eavesdropping.  It’s just this house is so damn small I couldn’t help but hear you.  You’re planning your honeymoon, right?” 

Rowan about choked on the bile that rose in his throat as the words slipped past her lips. She thought he was planning a honeymoon for him.  It took him all of two seconds for it to register that she actually sounded disappointed.  His heart skipped a beat at the tone in her voice.  Her disappointment because he was engaged, made him want to smile.  Or that she thought he was engaged.

“No, no, no.  You misunderstood that conversation.  That was my best friend and future brother-in-law.  I am helping him plan his honeymoon, you know, my responsibility as the best man and all that crap.” 

“Oh.”  

And there was that coloring in her cheeks again Rowan was quickly coming to adore.  “Listen, don’t…don’t touch the faucet and when I’m done with my duties as best man today, I’ll swing back by to see what I can do to get it fixed.  Then, if I can’t I’ll help you find a plumber.” 

“You don’t need -” 

“I know I don’t, but it’s the least I can do to help out a neighbor.  Right?”  

“Well, thank you, I appreciate it.  Being new in town, I don’t really know anyone or anything around here.  Any help you can offer is appreciated.” 

“Not a problem.  Hmm, I guess I better go get some dry clothes on.  If something comes up, just leave a note on my door.”  

“Sure thing. Thanks again.” 

With that Rowan was out the door and Madison found herself taking in a deep breath.  Once she inhaled, she realized she shouldn’t have.  His scent lingered in the small confines of her kitchen and overwhelmed her senses.  She tried to place what exactly the scent was.  The scent was a mixture of suntan oil and Axe Phoenix.  She knew it well because she loved the way it smelled.  She made a point to stop in the health department every trip she made to Target just to get a quick whiff of the scent.  As odd a combination it was, it worked for him, and her.