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Madison
Madison woke up Saturday morning to the sound of Matt’s cell phone buzzing. “What time is it?” She rolled over, squinting at the sunlight streaming in the window. The clock on her nightstand read ten o’clock in the morning.
Next to her lay a sweetly sleeping Matt. He snored quietly, and she gently shook his side, avoiding his shoulder. “Good morning, sleepy head.”
Madison watched Matt’s chest rise and fall with each breath. His eyelids started to flutter as if he were dreaming, but to her surprise, he reached out and grabbed her.
Her squeal turned into a giggle, as he pulled her into his arms. “I thought you were still asleep!”
“I know you did.” Matt chuckled. His voice was gruff from just waking up, and it was sexy as hell.
“We slept pretty late.”
“Yeah, well, we were up pretty late,” Matt countered, with a devilish smirk. “Good thing we both have today off.”
“True.” She smiled as memories of last night flooded her brain. “Oh, and your phone was buzzing.”
Matt dropped a kiss on her forehead before rolling over and checking his phone. “Huh.”
“Something interesting?” She wondered out loud.
“Yeah. Kat and Kris Lafleur would like us to come over for lunch.” Matt kept his phone in his hand, as he rolled back over to face her. “What do you say?”
Madison must’ve made a face, because Matt chuckled and said, “Hang on.” He slipped out of bed and walked, naked, to her bathroom. “Do you have mouthwash in here?”
“Um. Yes. But there are also a couple of brand new toothbrushes in the cupboard.”
Madison waited, listening, in case he needed anything else. But all she heard was the water running. “I didn’t make that face because of your morning breath, you know,” she called. “I just didn’t know what to think about going over there for lunch.”
She heard more water running, before Matt poked his head out the door and smirked. “Oh, okay. But better to be safe than sorry.”
His comments made her feel self-conscious about her own morning breath now. Sliding out of bed, she realized she was also still naked. She hurried to the closet, while he was in the bathroom, and grabbed a long t-shirt. As she went to take her turn in the bathroom, Matt lightly smacked her ass, finding it was bare.
After brushing her teeth and freshening up, she discarded the shirt and slid back into bed, where Matt was waiting. He lay with one arm behind his head, and the sheets tangled around his waist.
Madison couldn’t help herself. She had a naked Matt in her bed. Slowly she slid her hands under the covers and around his waist. His skin was warm, but her hands must’ve been cold, judging by the way he flinched.
Laying her head on his chest, she could hear his heartbeat. There was a scar on his side that she traced with her finger. She was fascinated by his physique, even his flaws and battle wounds.
Matt smoothed her hair, then trailed his fingers down her back, tickling her. “You okay with going to lunch? You already met Kat.”
Madison didn’t know why she was nervous, but Matt was right; she had met Kat already. The woman was very friendly, so it wasn’t the company making her shy away. “I had hoped I’d have you all to myself today.”
“Well, you can have me all day. We just have to visit for a little. When Kat has her mind set on something, there’s no use resisting.” Matt chuckled. “Then the rest of the day can just be you and me. How does that sound?”
Begrudgingly, Madison nodded. She had met Kat Lafleur the other night at the game, and the woman was very nice and friendly, but this invite to lunch made Maddy nervous. Add in the fact that she was lying naked in bed with the man she adored. This was the only place she wanted to spend her day.
“Fine. We’ll go.” Madison started to slide out of bed, but Matt tugged on her arm, stopping her.
“Where do you think you are going?” he asked, his voice still gruff from the early morning.
She thought it was obvious. “To get ready?”
“Not yet, you’re not.” Matt pulled her back into his warm arms and pressed his lips to hers.
The fresh taste of mint toothpaste cooled her mouth. Matt fumbled with the bedside drawer, then broke their kiss so he could tear open the foil package. After slipping the condom on, he pulled her on top of him, and his hard-on pressed against her, teasing her. She did need to get ready, but she liked this idea much better.
Settling on his lap, she let him deep inside her. Her body tightened around him, and adrenaline shot through her. Matt’s kisses were the best way to wake up. And the slow lovemaking that followed was an even better reason to stay in bed.
MADISON SAT IN THE Lafleur’s living room while Kat played hostess and prepared a lunch buffet in the kitchen. They had a beautiful home. Even though they had a little boy, and his toys graced every room, the rooms were pristine and neat.
“Matt, have you seen the weight machine that I added to my man cave?” Kris asked.
Matt shook his head. “No.”
Madison squeezed his hand. Poor Matt had been through so much in the last year. And now she was learning that he hadn’t even been spending much time with his good friends over that trying time. Her heart ached for him. That was why this lunch was so important to him. Maybe he really was trying to trash his bad habits and get back to the good things in his life.
“After lunch, we’ll go check it out. It’s pretty sweet.” Kris moved his attention to Madison as he explained, “It used to be a spare bedroom, kinda like a little apartment. My cousin Pat, and sometimes Kat’s sister, would stay there if they needed. But there’s really no need for it now. One side is my man cave, and one side is my gym.”
“And now Kris has a place of his own to escape the craziness.” Kat’s voice bellowed from the kitchen.
“Speaking of craziness, where is the little guy?” Matt asked.
“Ian is with the nanny. They went down to the deli for lunch,” Kris answered. “Then, I think they’re going for a cupcake at the bakery. That’s Ian’s favorite. Must take after his mom.”
“Lunch is served!” Kat interrupted, waving them into the kitchen.
Matt stood up, still holding Madison’s hand, and led her to the kitchen. He placed a soft kiss on her cheek, which in turn made her face heat up. This man stirred feelings in her that she had never experienced before. She, shy and nervous? Never, before him.
On the kitchen counter, food was laid out: sandwiches, salad, fruit salad, potato chips, and cookies.
“As you’ll see, we have a variety to choose from. There’s also water and pop. Grab some food, and we’ll sit in the dining room,” Kris instructed, as he piled salad onto his plate.
Once everyone was seated in the dining room, Kat started with the questions. Madison must’ve looked overwhelmed, because Matt leaned close and laid his hand on her thigh. Oddly enough, it helped.
The cookies looked familiar to Madison. “Kat, Kris said that your nanny is taking your little one to the Cupcakery. Are these cookies from there?”
Kat nodded with a hungry look in her eyes. “Yes. Oh my gosh, they have the best sweets! I wanted to get cupcakes and cookies, but Kris isn’t big on sweets, and I wasn’t sure if you were or not. And I knew that if I had a lot left over, I’d just eat them all!”
Kris shook his head, looking amused at his wife.
“I love that place,” Madison agreed. “They’re the only place in town that has my favorite cupcake flavor. They call it the Pink Ribbon Cherry Vanilla. Oh my, it’s to die for! The vanilla cupcake has bits of cherries in it, and it creates a pink batter. The icing is pink cream cheese.”
“And the little fondant or sugar decorations they put on the cupcakes... Mmm! My mouth is watering, just thinking about them.” Kat’s eyes were wide as she talked about the cupcakes.
“Do you believe these two?” Kris shook his head with a laugh. Maddy was realizing that Kris was more of a health nut, and not a fan of sweets.
“Babe, you just don’t understand.” Kat shrugged. “Matt gets it, don’t you?”
“All I know is I’m not getting between a girl and her sweets!”
“Here.” Kat slid a cookie onto Madison’s plate. “No harm in eating dessert first.”
“This reminds me of those days we would have the whole gang over,” Kris said with a smile. “It’s been a while since we’ve had the team here. We should do it again soon.”
“Yeah.” Matt nodded. “I miss that.”
“Madison, I heard that Wilkes-Barre wants you. Is it true that they’ve pretty much made a position for you in their organization?” Kris asked.
Madison shrugged, embarrassed. “Yeah. But my life is here. I really don’t think I’ll be picking up and moving there. It was fun while I subbed over the last few months. The guys are great, the whole organization is great. But I have a job here, so I’m probably staying put for the time being.” She was just finding happiness with Matt, and she wasn’t going to run out on that.
When lunch was over, Kris took Matt downstairs to check out his man cave. Madison wasn’t thrilled with being left alone with Kat, but she did her best to push away the nerves and help Kat clear the table. Then they sat around the kitchen island and snacked on cookies.
“So, you and Matt?” Kat asked, interested.
“Yep.” How exactly did she want me to answer that?
“You know what he’s been through, right? Not that I think you two aren’t great together, because I really do.” Kat must’ve caught Maddy’s worried look, because she winced in apology. “Sorry. Madison, I haven’t seen him this happy in a long time. But he has been through a lot. And you need to know that.”
“I do. We’ve been friends for a while. He and I have spent a lot of time together, even before we started this... relationship. I know all about what he’s been through. He’s a good man. He deserves better.”
“That’s a good start, friends. So, you know how he is. He’s trying to change, I can tell. And he must really like you.”
“Oh?” Madison had no idea where this was going.
“He hasn’t brought anyone around us, his extended family, since his ex.”
“Oh.” Suddenly her nerves were back. Am I competing with the ex for his friend’s approval now? Shaking the unsure feeling away, she needed to get a grip. This insecure, needy girl was not who she was.
Kat waved, and chuckled. “Oh, no. Please don’t take that the wrong way. I just meant that in the chaos he’s been calling a life lately, he’s never been close enough to anyone to introduce them to us. And, yes, we were all friends with his ex, but when she left and wrecked him, well, let’s just say that didn’t sit well with us. Matt is such a wonderful soul, he needs a good woman who’s going to stand behind him and support him.”
“Yeah. Agreed.” That was an awfully tall order, but Madison was confident she could be that for him. The question was, did his friends think she was up to the task?
As if Kat was reading her mind, she remarked, “Maddy, I think you just might be that woman. As a matter of fact, I’m positive you are.”
Before Madison could respond, Kris and Matt’s voices filled the stairwell as they came back upstairs.
“We should meet up a few times a week and work out. Or this summer, we should have another pool party. Man, I miss those days,” Kris said.
“Yeah, that all sounds great. I miss your pool parties, too.” Matt flashed Madison a big smile as he rounded the corner. “Maddy, you’ll love their pool parties. The whole gang comes over, and Kris mans the grill. It was always such a good time.”
“Kat uses it as an excuse to buy lots of chips, pop, and cupcakes. All things I really don’t eat,” Kris added.
“And cookies, don’t forget the cookies,” Kat added.
“Kat really likes her junk food,” Matt explained.
Matt wrapped his arm around Madison’s waist and kissed her on her cheek.
Fire filled Madison’s cheeks, and she was well aware of how red they probably were from the sudden affection, even though she liked it. As Matt stood next to her at the kitchen island, with his arm around her waist, Madison noticed the wide grin Kat was giving her. Kris was smiling at them, too, but Kat seemed excited.
“Told you, Madison,” Kat said with a wink. “You’re the one.”