“Try me. Give me one good reason.”

Mac rubbed at the stubble on his chin as he gave that some thought. Then he turned those formidable blue eyes on her, and the blood heated in her veins. “Promise you won’t run screaming?”

Maddie gestured to the bandage on her leg. “I promise.”

He brought their joined hands to his lips and pressed a kiss to her palm. “Being around you makes me breathless and needy and horny as hell, but that’s only the start of it. You make me want to be a better man so I’ll deserve you and Thomas.”

Maddie stared at him. No one had ever said such things to her.

“How was that?” he asked after a long period of silence.

She wished she had words to match what he’d given her, but her brain had turned to mush along with the rest of her. Clearing her throat, she said, “Pretty good.”

Mac winced. “Only pretty good? Well, at least you didn’t run off screaming.” He glanced at his watch and groaned. “We need to get going or we’ll be late.”

Maddie desperately wanted to convince him to stay right here where everything felt safe and a tad bit magical. She feared their bubble would burst the minute they let others inside. “You must be so tired.”

“I’ll sleep well tonight unless you decide to talk my ear off again.”

Maddie laughed as she play-punched his shoulder. “I can’t believe you said that!” She sat up slowly and painfully.

“We should see to those wounds.”

“Libby did it earlier after I took a shower. She said the one on my elbow looked like it might be infected.”

“I want to see it.”

“Later. I need to go get Thomas up, or he’ll be awake all night.”

Mac bounded off the bed and headed for Thomas’s room. “I’ll do it. You take it easy.”

Maddie sat there for a long time after he left the room, thinking about what he’d said and wishing she had it in her to believe they really had a chance.

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

She didn’t say a word on the ride to North Harbor. With Thomas in his car seat between them, Mac tried to engage her in conversation that went nowhere. Instead, she stared out the passenger-side window, and he wondered if he’d made a huge mistake insisting she join him for dinner at his parents’ house. She’d fretted for half an hour over what to wear and had finally settled on a pale pink T-shirt and a denim miniskirt that showed off her long, toned legs. Libby must’ve painted her toes, because Mac didn’t recall seeing the sexy hot pink polish the day before—and he was fairly certain he’d noticed everything about her.

Half a mile from his parents’ house, Mac pulled the truck over to the side of the road.

“What’re you doing?”

“Do you really not want to go? We can go back to your place, get a pizza from Mario’s, rent a movie—”