“Thank you, Dixon,” she whispers after a minute of silence. “If only that were true.”

What is she hiding? We all have a past, but Madison’s is one that rules her future. The doctor in me is itching to find out what, and dissect her. But the man in me just wants to hold her and tell her that everything will be all right. I don’t understand why I feel that way, but there’s something inside of her that makes me want to be a better man.

“Where are we going?” she asks. I shake my head, clearing my thoughts.

Shit, I’ve ended up driving in the opposite direction from to where Madison lives, and unintentionally headed into my neighborhood. The rain is still punishing, and my wipers are working overtime, trying to keep up with the heavy shower.

“To my place,” I say, and quickly explain before I creep her out. “There’s no way I’m leaving you out in the rain with no key to get into your building. I was thinking you could use my phone, as I’ve left my cell at home, and call someone who may have a spare key. Or, I could drop you off someplace?” I suggest, hoping like hell she doesn’t say David’s.

There’s a slight pause before she nods, and I let out the involuntary breath I was holding.

“I’ll call Mary. Although…” She looks at her watch. “She probably won’t be home. I was meant to meet up with her, but—” She halts, chewing on her bottom lip as she tugs at the seatbelt nervously.

I wonder what she was going to say, but I don’t push. Besides, the way her eyes narrow, I don’t think I want to know.

“Thank you for coming to my rescue. Again,” she says. “You must think I’m pathetic.”

“What?” I gasp, turning into my underground car park. “Why on earth would I think that?”

“Because I’m either falling down, injuring myself, or getting into smack downs with my stalker ex when you’re around. Or I’m sending you a peace-offering cheesecake, and don’t hear from you all week,” she adds on a whisper.

Pulling into my car space, I turn off the car and swivel to face her as I unbuckle my belt. Her hands are nervously twisting in her lap and she won’t meet my eyes.

“I don’t think you’re pathetic,” I reply firmly.

“Then why haven’t I heard from you?” she questions, raising her eyes to meet mine. “I wanted to apologize for being such an inhospitable host, hence the cheesecake. But then I didn’t hear from you, so I thought maybe you didn’t like cheesecake. Or maybe you just don’t like me.” She lowers her eyes once again.

This girl is breaking my resolve with her honesty, and I realize it must be the alcohol talking, ’cause this is a side to Madison I’ve never seen. She’s usually a little more guarded with her feelings, so I can’t help but ask.

“For the record, I do like cheesecake…and you. But hypothetically speaking, if I were to not like either, would that matter?”

Madison raises her eyes and bites her lip. “I would say you were mad for not liking cheesecake. I mean, that’s just crazy talk,” she says with a quiver to her voice.

“And what if I said, hypothetically, of course, that I didn’t like you?” I huskily ask, leaning forward a fraction.

She gulps, and my gaze drops to her heaving chest, which is practically transparent through her white silk camisole that is still damp from the rain. The lace imprint of her cream bra can be clearly seen through the wet material, and my mouth salivates at the unblemished sight.

“I-I would be…” she stutters, nervously fidgeting. “I would be terribly upset if you didn’t like me, Dixon,” she whispers, leaning forward, our breaths mingling as one.

“Why?” I ask, matching her tone as I lean closer, my eyes meeting hers.

I suppress my moan as she licks her full bottom lip, her pink tongue doing unimaginable things to my libido.

“Because…I like…being your friend,” she says, which is like a bucket of icy cold water, dousing my heated hormones.

Not allowing my composure to slip, however, I smile. “Well, I like being your friend also.”

Madison smiles half-heartedly, and I can’t stop myself as I reach forward and softly run my knuckle down her cheek, leaving invisible sparks in its wake. “Let’s go inside, you’re shivering.”

She quickly replies, “I’m not cold.”

“You’re shaking,” I say, watching goose pimples cover her upper body.

“Am I?” she asks, focusing on my mouth.

The dense heat in the car is fogging up the windows and my brain, shrouding us from the outside world. Blind to the universe, it feels like it’s only Madison and me, and I can’t stop myself as I lean forward, closing the distance between us. A magnetic pull controls my actions, and I’m powerless to stop it. But who am I to fight nature?

Madison’s breath gets caught in her throat, and just as I lean in further, mere inches separating our lips, she shakes her head and pulls back quickly, her eyes flighty and wide.

“O-Okay, lead the w-way,” she stammers, totally shooting me down.

Taking a deep breath, I nod but hesitate, as I suddenly don’t know if going up to my apartment is the best thing to do. And it’s not because of my stupid rule.

It’s because I don’t know how I’ll respond to having Madison in my home, because all I can think about is how her soft lips would taste as I press her up against my bedroom wall. I really should have thought about this ingenious plan before I was sitting in my apartment’s underground garage.

Manning up, I pull it together and smile. “Follow me.” I exit the car, afraid of what I’m leading us into.

19

Just Friends

MADISON

“Would you like a towel?” Dixon asks as he tosses his keys onto the marbled countertop.

Looking down at my soiled, very transparent top, I nod. “Yes, please.” I shyly cross my arms across my chest.

Dixon smiles. “I won’t be a minute. Please make yourself at home.” He disappears down the hallway.

The moment he’s out of sight, I let out the pent-up breath I was holding and lean over, bracing my hands on my knees and taking five deep breaths. When I feel relatively calm, I stand back up and attempt to process everything that happened.

Tonight has been one of the craziest nights of my life, and I’ve lived through some crazy shit. It all started with meeting David’s parents. I was beyond nervous, but the moment I met Dean and Rhonda, all my nerves were put to rest. Our conversation wasn’t forced, and before I knew it, we were bidding one another farewell and promising to catch up soon.

Not once did my thoughts stray to Dixon, and as David glanced at me throughout the evening with nothing but adulation in his eyes, I realized I wasn’t being fair to him. He was trying, while I was barely making an effort, so when he asked if I wanted to stay the night at his place, I said yes.

He was beyond excited and his enthusiasm was contagious, because before I knew it, we were making out in my apartment, heading toward my bedroom. We were only meant to drop by my place so I could grab a change of clothes, but I got caught up in David’s hypnotizing eyes and dimpled smile. I was also feeling a touch rejected by Dixon, who I hadn’t heard from all week.

I like David, I really do. He’s straightforward, and he doesn’t mess with my head. Not to mention he’s the perfect gentleman with perfect parents. So why did I freak out when we started getting hot and heavy?

It was because being with David is easy, and nothing thus far has been easy in my life. What if he’s really too good to be true and I fall in too deep, letting myself go, and he hurts me? What happens if he finds out the true reason behind my detachment, and can’t handle the truth?