Echoes of Summer (14 page)

He spent some time on one side then moved to the other, never pushing harder than necessary, but applying the perfect amount of pressure. As he worked another knot, Madison sighed again, the pleasure too much to hold back. She glanced at Milo, who was engrossed in the film, and then glanced back toward Stephen but couldn’t see much more than his knees and forearms.

She turned her head straight and just let him continue. With a quiet whisper, he instructed her to move forward a little, pressing his palms against her back until she was leaning forward. He worked her long back muscles, taking slow purposeful strokes down the muscles on each side of her spine.

He worked those for a few minutes then took one hand and placed it on her shoulder, guiding her back into more of an upright position. As he pressed on one spot, Madison grunted in discomfort at the stubborn knot. He kneaded that for a moment, but because of where it was, Madison kept leaning forward with the pressure from his hands.

Stephen slid further to the edge of the couch and leaned forward, placing his left arm around her shoulder and crossing it over just under her collarbone, then wrapped his warm hand around her right bicep to hold her steady. Her body stiffened in surprise at the contact. His closeness should have worried her, but it felt so good she didn’t want him to stop.

She relaxed, allowing him to hold her steady as he worked the offending muscle into submission. He didn’t overwork any one area, but moved from place to place then returned to the areas of tight muscles until she didn’t feel the former stiffness. As he worked his way lower down her back, she could tell he was bending over to try to reach it.

“You don’t have to keep going,” Madison said, though she wished with all her heart he would never stop.

“Can’t give you a half massage,” Stephen whispered. “Here, sit up.” He pointed to the couch and shifted his body to the side a little.

She did as he instructed and sat on the couch, feeling the warmth of his large hands as he placed them on the curve of her hips to guide her where to sit.

He pressed his thumbs on both sides of the spine, and she moaned again. Stephen’s fingers tightened on her hips for a moment. His thumbs eased up, then he began again, and Madison let herself just relax until she felt limp. As he finished working her lower back, he pulled her close to him until her shoulder was tucked under his as his arm wrapped around her, allowing her to snuggle against him.

They fit together so perfectly, and she felt absolutely amazing. The logical part of her mind told her to thank him and move to her side of the couch, but the other side, the traitorous one who only knew how lonely she was, didn’t want to move.

What would it hurt to just stay here throughout the rest of the movie? Stephen didn’t put his hands anywhere they shouldn’t be. The hand that held her close was softly resting on her forearm. She closed her eyes and took a slow cleansing breath.

She could easily stay here the entire night.

***

Stephen stared at the top of Madison’s head as she snuggled into him. He couldn’t believe it worked as smoothly as it had. The suggestion to work out the tension in her muscles had been completely innocent to begin with, but once he felt her soft skin beneath his fingers, he hadn’t been able to help himself and had continued on. Each time he’d moved from one muscle group to the next, he’d hoped she wouldn’t put an end to it, and now that she was in his arms, he couldn’t be more pleased with himself.

He glanced at Milo, who didn’t seem to even notice the two of them on the couch. Stephen had peeked at the kid a few times, making sure his son was okay with him touching his mom, and hoping he wouldn’t say anything that might wake Madison out of the trance he’d worked so hard to put her under.

And though he hadn’t watched more than a few minutes of the movie tonight, he couldn’t help thinking
Star Wars
was the best movie ever. He turned his attention back to Madison, straining his head a little to see if he could see her face, but she had her forehead pointed down a little.

He listened close, feeling her breathing motions as her chest rose and fell. He wasn’t positive, but he thought she was asleep.

He leaned his head back against the couch and settled in to watch the rest of the movie, happier than he had been in months.

He still couldn’t believe his luck that he had been hired at the same company where Madison worked. Too bad he would only be there for another month on his contract. She was too good at what she did to make his services necessary longer than that.

Chapter Twenty-two

Madison shifted in her sleep against Stephen, and he held still, not wanting to jostle her. The movie had ended, and Milo had asked if they could watch another movie. Stephen agreed, hoping Madison wouldn’t be upset that he was still here, but she was sleeping so soundly he didn’t want to wake her.

She must have overworked herself to be this completely gone. It was past eleven, and Milo’s choice of movie was almost over, and the kid had fallen asleep on the loveseat, one leg hanging half off and his mouth open. Stephen smiled then turned his face to look at Madison.

His arm had gotten numb a few times, and he had shifted slightly to ease the pressure of her head against him, but it felt so good to hold her he hadn’t minded the tingling sensations developing in his fingers.

What he wanted to do was stretch out onto the couch and snuggle her body next to him, but with the movie wrapping up, he knew he should excuse himself and let them head to bed. If he hadn’t been trapped by Madison’s body, he would have carried Milo to his room, and maybe he could still do that after he woke her.

He brought his free hand up and stroked her hair then softly rubbed her shoulder. That didn’t wake her, so he squeezed her arm and whispered, “Madison.”

She stirred a little, then, as if coming to her full senses, sat up straight and stared at him.

“Oh, Stephen.” She rubbed her face. “I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to fall asleep. How rude of me.”

“No worries. I didn’t mind.”

Madison looked at the TV. “This isn’t
Star Wars
. How long was I out?” She looked around the dark room as if searching for a clock. “Did you start a different movie?” She looked over at Milo sleeping on the couch then at Stephen.

He couldn’t tell in the dark what her eyes held in them. He hoped she wasn’t bothered. It was a weekend, and she didn’t have to get up early for work.

“Milo wanted to watch this one. I thought it would be okay.”

Madison nodded. “He loves that movie.” She relaxed a little, leaning into the couch but not touching Stephen anymore.

He wanted to take her hand but instead leaned against the back of the couch and turned enough that he was closer to her and face to face.

She tilted her head to the side, smiled sweetly, and whispered, “I’m just glad I didn’t have to watch it.”

Stephen chuckled. “It wasn’t that bad.”

“Yeah, the first time you see it. But after a couple dozen times, it gets a little annoying.”

“Didn’t you have a favorite movie growing up?” Stephen asked.

“Yeah, probably.” She looked up at the ceiling. “I can’t think of what it was though.”

They talked for a few minutes about the movies and shows they watched as kids and giggled a few times as they quoted lines. Madison did a perfect imitation of an actress, making Stephen laugh loud enough to startle Milo. He rolled off the couch and hit the floor with a thud, not catching himself at all.

He was still so deep into sleep he only fussed for a moment then whimpered as he struggled to get comfortable on the floor. Madison had jumped off the couch and rushed over to him then shook her head in amusement that he was still asleep.

“Would you like me to carry him to his bed?” Stephen asked.

“He’s kinda heavy.”

Stephen flexed his arm then did a few bodybuilder poses, and Madison giggled. “Okay, Mr. Universe, you can take him.”

He bent down and lifted the boy then followed Madison to his room and placed him on the bed after she’d pulled the covers down. Something about the moment felt right, as if he should have done this thousands of times over the last seven years. A wave of sadness followed by a flash of anger at being denied this privilege struck him, and he focused his gaze on Milo instead of looking at Madison.

She should have told him. She should have trusted him and not listened to the lies her parents had told her about him. He turned to her to ask why, but she wiped her eyes and looked up at him.

“Thank you for being so good with him.”

He nodded and followed her out of the room, closing the door as he went. She continued into the front room, and he joined her as she gathered the throw pillows and blankets. He took the popcorn bowl, drink cups, and Milo’s bowl into the kitchen then returned to see her standing in front of the television.

“I didn’t know you brought this one.” She held up the romantic comedy.

“Yeah, I thought we could watch it after
Star Wars
if it wasn’t too late.”

“Maybe another time.” She held it out to him, but he didn’t take it.

“I don’t have to get up early. And you’ve had a nap…”

Madison smiled. “I have wanted to see this.”

“So stick it in.”

She hesitated for a moment, looking down the hallway toward Milo’s room then at the clock and down at the disk in her hand. “Okay.”

She bent down to put the movie in, and Stephen returned to his corner of the couch. He didn’t hug the armrest, but tried not to take up too much space so she would chose the loveseat Milo no longer occupied or even suck herself into the other corner.

When she sat down, she was only a few inches away, and he leaned back against the couch, purposely shifting his shoulders to lean toward her. She leaned back as well, and her head tilted toward his. She glanced at him, and he met her eyes. “You aren’t going to fall asleep, are you?”

He smiled. “No promises. I didn’t have a nap today, so it all depends on how much this movie keeps my attention.” As the opening scenes began, he dramatically yawned, tilted his head further to the side until it leaned against her shoulder, and started snoring theatrically.

“Shut up.” She giggled. “I’ve heard it’s a good one.”

He stopped snoring but left his head resting on her shoulder. She didn’t move away and let her head rest against his. Stephen smiled. He’d sit through any movie she wanted as long as he could be by her. And if he were lucky, he might be able to sneak in a kiss or two.

***

Madison struggled to stay focused on the movie. With Stephen in her home so late at night and them practically alone, she felt strange and a little naughty. Her son, their son, was sleeping sounding in the room down the hall, but she was basically alone with this man who sent shivers of longing down every inch of her body at the slightest thing. He looked at her in a way that made her melt. His touch was comforting, yet stimulating, and sent her emotions into a whirlwind of desire.

And now that she was snuggled on the couch next to him, she just wanted to make out with him like they’d done as teens. That kiss on Wednesday had reopened her eyes to how much she had missed over the years. She didn’t regret not dating. It had just been easier not to, and she hadn’t wanted to put Milo through the turmoil of her break-ups. Besides, not many guys were that interested in getting involved with a single mother. But the guilt at having deprived Stephen of the chance to be with his son dug at her.

She still didn’t know how much she wanted to let him into her life. She knew the attraction was there. They could be physically happy and satisfied — she had no doubt. But would he be good for them in the long run? She knew he’d changed since she’d last seen him. But how much?

And would he be the kind to step into an instant family? Because she didn’t want it to just be casual. If she allowed him in, she wanted him for good. Milo needed stability. She needed stability. That’s why she’d worked so hard to buy this little house instead of just finding a rental apartment.

She turned her attention back to the movie, then a few minutes later, Stephen shifted a little, taking his head off her shoulder for a moment and angling his body more solidly on the couch. He rested his head again on her shoulder and placed his hand on her leg, just above the knee.

She looked at it for a moment, knowing exactly what he was doing. In a few minutes, he would bring his hand a little higher then let it rest and work his way up a little until he could place his hand on the hip furthest away from him and pull her into a side embrace. She debated for a moment on whether to take his hand in hers and hold it still so he couldn’t continue on his planned path or to let it run its course and enjoy the teasing.

As he slid his hand up a bit, she smiled inside and let the butterflies have their way. When he moved it to halfway between her hip and knee, she knew the butterflies would turn into dragonflies, driving her crazy. Deciding to throw caution off the back of the couch, she turned to him. “I know that move,” she whispered, leaning closer to him.

Stephen lifted his head in apparent surprise, and she smiled at the confused expression. “Move?” Stephen said. “What move?”