He doesn’t agree with me. It’s as plain as the nose on his face, but at least he doesn’t say it. He reaches for my hand and turns it, putting his lips to my hand. Breathless, I stand there and watch him with his eyes closed. He takes a deep breath and then lets me go. “Come on, let’s go back to the hotel.”
I get into the car and watch as he walks around and gets in. He’s quiet the short distance back and doesn’t say anything as we walk in the front and get on the elevator, or when we get to the room. I watch him as he watches everything else. It’s obvious even with everything going on in his head right now, he’s still on high alert.
We get to the room, and I know he needs space, but I know he’s not going to leave me here. “I’m going to shower. Try and wash some of this filth off.” And I’m not lying. I feel dirty. It kills me to see my brother living the way he is. John must know exactly what I’m thinking because he interrupts my thoughts.
“Don’t worry about Ethan. I’m going to take care of it.”
I shake my head. “He doesn’t want help.”
“I know. But I’m not going to just give up and stand by while he tears what family you have left apart.”
I grab my T-shirt and clean underthings from my bag. “He doesn’t...” I start but he doesn’t let me finish. He moves in front of me.
“I’m not going to let anything hurt you, Madison. Not anymore.”
I bite my lip to stop the tears that I know are coming. This man... this big, rough, tattoo-covered man is going to be my undoing. I nod, step around him, and hustle to the bathroom.
As soon as I shut the door, I lean back against it. Surely I can do this. I can make it one night in the same room as John without making a fool of myself or throwing myself at him. I look at myself in the mirror and have a private talk with myself. He’s your best friend’s brother. He’s doing this because his sister, your best friend, asked him to do it. There’s no other reason besides the fact he’s a good guy. That’s it.
I nod. An intense sadness overcomes me, and I pull my eyes away from the mirror. No more tears. I have tomorrow to get ready for, and I can’t be weak now.
8
John
I should have gotten connecting rooms. I didn’t because I wanted her close and to be able to protect her. I can do that best if we share a room, but I never thought about what all that was going to entail.
For the last twenty minutes, I’ve listened to the water in the shower and tried to talk to Bear and Knox to get everything planned for tomorrow. We have a plan, but unfortunately, I know that Madison’s not going to be happy about. None of that matters to me, though. She can be mad at me... as long as she’s safe doing it.
The water finally shuts off, and I think I’ll get a reprieve but instead, I’m sitting here with my cock hard imaging her rubbing a towel down her body. I bang the back of my head on the headboard. Fuck!
The door opens, and I try to still my expression, not wanting her to know that I’ve imagined her naked ever since she went in there. When she comes into view, she’s in a T-shirt that hangs mid-thigh and nothing else. She grabs the hem. “Sorry, but I thought I’d be here alone.”
I swallow past a big lump in my throat and shake my head to clear my thoughts. What was I thinking? I can barely resist her out in public, surrounded by our friends. Now I’m supposed to stay away from her in a hotel room with just the two of us?
I get off the bed and am bent over, trying to hide my erect manhood from her. The last thing I need is for her to demand I leave or something. “I’m going to go shower,” I tell her gruffly.
I grab my bag on the way and don’t look back. I take a five-minute cold shower, enough to calm my senses and get myself together.
I put on a pair of shorts and a sleeveless white shirt before going back out into the room.
She’s flipping through the channels, sitting cross-legged on the bed. Thank goodness she has her long T-shirt pulled down over her knees. “What do you want to...”
She stops midsentence, her mouth hanging open. She’s watching me walk across the room, and I drop my bag and get on the other bed. I can feel her gaze on me, and it takes everything I have to stay on my side of the room.