It Burns Within Us | Wildfire Series Book 1

T H I R T Y - O N E

B R E N

Most mornings, my eyes opened far before Madie's did. But after that first day when she was spooked by my absence, I always stayed in bed until she blinked awake and saw me there.

Madie slept on the side with the ocean view. And I slept as far toward the other edge of the bed as I could. Those few minutes when I woke before her every morning were probably my favorite part of each day. The sea and the sand made the perfect backdrop for Madie's sleeping form. And if she took more than a few sweet moments to wake, I'd force myself to roll over and stare at the wall. The wall didn't urge on my morning wood, after all.

But today I woke up in the middle of the bed with Madie lying on my bare chest. Her hair was everywhere, tickling my chin, my nose. She was wearing my shirt again, and I couldn't decide if that was more disastrous for me than her being naked.

Because I knew she was bare under the shirt. And now I knew what that looked like.

I crossed the line last night. And it felt so damn good that I never wanted to go back to staring at the wall on the other side of the bed every morning. I wanted to be here, with her on top of me, every day. But I knew it wasn't that simple.

When she finally lifted her head, I smiled at her sleepy face. Her eyes squinted up at me, a layer of haziness over blue irises.

"Hey," I murmured, tucking my chin to see her better.

She propped herself on my chest. After blinking a few times, she rubbed her eyes and tilted her head, gazing my way. She didn't say anything for a while, but when she finally did, her voice was a little hoarse. "Why did you tell me I couldn't turn around last night?"

I took a deep breath and let it out, watching her head move on my chest. "Because I wouldn't have been able to stop myself from kissing you." I brushed a hair out of her face and decided there was no point beating around the bush anymore. "Among other things."

The light in Madie's eyes flared at my words, and I tried to ignore it. Then she frowned. "Why is that bad, Bren?"

I closed my lids, pinching them tight for a moment. "Are you ready to talk about this right now?"

It wasn't possible for me to go half-way with Madie. I wanted every part of her, not just one kiss or one night in bed. And I wasn't sure she was ready to give that to me. Being her escape from Quinton and Oakland wouldn't be good enough. She might be afraid that I'd run away from her, but she forgot that nearly everyone in my life had left me at some point, too. I needed to protect both of us from pain.

Her face scrunched up. Usually I would think it was adorable, but I knew what was coming from that expression. "What do you mean?"

I sighed. "How are you, Madie?"

"How am I?" She asked, lifting her head from my chest. Immediately, I felt her absence. "Confused. That's how I am."

Her reaction didn't surprise me. I knew she wasn't ready to have this conversation. But it had already started, so I continued. "How are you doing with everything that's happened to you? You haven't talked to me about it at all."