Cold feet(45)
Author: Brenda Novak

No answer.

"Tye, if it’s you, answer me."

Again, no response. The hair was standing up on the back of her neck. But she wasn’t willing to ask a third time. Quickly shoving the empty box back under the house, she closed the door to the crawl space, flipped off the light and hurried away.

THE MOMENT CALEB HEARD a car pull into the drive, he yanked on his sweatshirt and headed for the door. He had no idea where Madison had been for the past two hours, but he was certainly going to find out. It was nearly three in the morning, for crying out loud. And there was a serial killer on the loose.

When he knew she’d caught sight of him standing at the edge of the drive, he slid his hands in his pockets and waited.

"Why are you awake?" she asked as soon as she’d killed the engine and climbed out of her father’s truck.

Caleb hadn’t realized until he saw Madison safe and whole just how worried he’d been. Maybe what had happened to Susan, along with all the atrocities he’d chronicled in the past, had skewered his perception of violent crime. But he hadn’t been able to think of anything except the possibility that someone might hurt her while she was out so late at night. "I’ve been waiting for you," he said.

A perplexed expression crossed her face, replacing the tense, nervous look that had been there before. "What for?"

"You didn’t tell me you were going out. Where have you been?"

There was more accusation in his words than Caleb had intended, and for a moment she looked as though she didn’t know how to react. He thought she might come back with something like, "None of your business." They’d agreed to pretend their sexual encounter had never taken place. Considering his position, he was especially grateful for that. So why he was pushing things with her now, he didn’t know. He just didn’t want to lose anyone else he cared about.

"Am I supposed to let you know when I go out?" she asked. Her tone was measured, but she didn’t fly off the handle the way Holly would have. Madison seemed to be giving him the benefit of the doubt.

He raked a hand through his hair and softened his voice. "I was worried," he said.

Her eyebrows drew together. "You’re sending me mixed signals, you know that?" she said, stealing his line from the restaurant. "What’s going on?"

Caleb tried to tell himself that making love to her had been a slip-up, the result of having been too long without a woman. But deep down he knew it wasn’t that simple. If he’d had his way, she’d still be in his bed.

Briefly he considered telling her who he really was, but things had gone too far; he couldn’t. Making her hate him wouldn’t improve the situation. "Nothing," he said. "It’s late, and we’re both tired. That’s all."

He started toward the cottage house, but she called him back. "Caleb?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for waiting up," she said. "It…it helped to have you here."

"I’d like to know where you went," he said.

She hesitated. "I’d…rather not say."

He wanted to press her, but now that he knew she was safe, the desire to touch her again felt much more immediate. "Are we still pretending what happened earlier didn’t happen?" he asked.

She nodded.

Too bad. He figured that enjoying the rest of the night couldn’t make matters any worse. Jerking his head toward the cottage house, he said, "Do you think we could start pretending in the morning?"

Her eyes met his. "Are you asking me to spend the night with you, Caleb?"

He was really climbing out on a limb. He might be able to attribute what had already happened to a thoughtless mistake, but that wouldn’t explain the premeditation involved in asking her to stay with him now. "I am."

When she didn’t answer right away, he was tempted to move closer to her, to convince her with his mouth and his hands. After her response to him earlier, he knew he’d stand a better chance that way. But, considering the circumstances, he needed her to come to him without coaxing.

"Just for tonight?" she asked.

"Just for tonight," he promised.

Finally, she said, "Okay," and Caleb closed his eyes in relief. He hadn’t known until that moment just how much her answer meant to him.

MADISON BLINKED several times, trying to get her bearings. She felt satiated, content, but lonely without Caleb’s warm body curled around her. Still, it was her own fault he wasn’t there. She’d insisted on returning to her own bed at dawn. She knew better than to stay with Caleb any longer. The more time she spent with him, the more she wanted to spend with him. The more he touched her, the more she craved his touch.

But she couldn’t help smiling as she remembered the many times he’d made love to her during the night. He’d been passionate and all-consuming one moment, gentle and loving the next. With him she’d experienced things she’d never experienced with anyone else–a mutual meeting of the mind, spirit and body. Somehow he already knew her better than Danny ever had.

The phone rang. She rolled over so she could reach the handset, hoping to hear his voice. She’d only been away from him for four hours, but it felt like four days. "Hello?" she answered sleepily.

"It’s nearly ten o’clock," her mother said, sounding surprised. "What are you doing in bed? I want you to have an open house for me today, remember?"

Madison grimaced and tried not to yawn. "I thought you were mad at me."

"What gave you that idea?"

Um, the fact that you wouldn’t come to the door yesterday? "Forget it," she said. If her mother wanted to pretend nothing had happened between them, Madison was more than game. She wasn’t even surprised. It would’ve taken Annette more effort to do without her than to get past their little disagreement. "Can’t we start next week?" she asked. She hadn’t advertised it yet–and she couldn’t show people around the property with her deadbeat brother sleeping in the garage.

"Next week?" her mother said.

Obviously not. "Never mind," Madison grumbled. She could always throw up a few signs. Unless she wanted to risk upsetting her mom again, she was stuck doing the open house. Which meant she’d have to visit the garage and tell Johnny to stay away for the day. "I’m getting up right now."

"But your car’s here, remember? When will your friend be finished with the truck?"

Madison had almost forgotten that Caleb was going to be using the truck. "I’m not sure," she said. "I haven’t even given him the keys yet."

Almost on cue, the doorbell rang. "I bet that’s him right now," she said. She was sleeping in Caleb’s T-shirt and a pair of his boxers. She liked the smell and feel of them because they reminded her of him. But she quickly stripped them off and put on her robe so he wouldn’t know that.