Chapter 19

CHAPTER NINETEEN

MEMPHIS

I'm an idiot.

Not just a little bit, but a complete and total blooming idiot – dunce cap and all. Just put me in a corner, tell me to pick my nose, and leave me alone until my two brain cells knock together enough to ignite a spark.

Noah was lying there in the king-sized bed beside Madeline, counting the stalactite textures on the ceiling above him. Why did he have to be so polite, romantic, or blessedly normal? Why couldn't he be some selfish guy and do the exact thing that she had been worried about?

Yeah, he'd crossed a line in Egypt – a glorious line he would never forget in his life. He thought about that moment in every hour, at every second. That tanned skin, that slight dip where her belly button sank, the soft cushion of her stomach, and he swallowed, clenching his teeth and gripping the sheets for dear life.

I'm going to get to see her for two days… and that's it, he thought sullenly, releasing the sheets and putting an arm behind his head. I must be ‘ate-up' for not even trying to get things started between us – and I have the opportunity.

When it was finally nearly ten o'clock at night, Noah had suggested that they get ready for bed. Making a big ‘to-do' about it, he dug in his bag and fished out a pair of running shorts to change into, so she knew he wasn't going to sleep naked or try anything funny. No, he meant exactly what he had said, because when he finally made love to his wife – he intended to make sure she never looked elsewhere or forgot a moment of it.

I sure won't, he thought, that's for sure! No, when I get a chance to finally touch her, and she's ready, I plan on…

"Noah?"

He froze.

"Yeah, sweetheart?" he asked hoarsely in the darkness, bracing himself. He was going to need an extra-large dose of patience this evening, and he wasn't sure he had it in him. The urge to throw back the sheets and lose himself in her arms was so overwhelming it was staggering. "Is something wrong?"

"Are you cold?"

Heck no, I'm not cold – my stars! I'm so hot and bothered that you could fry an egg on my body right now, and I wouldn't even notice. The surface of the sun has nothing on me. I swear that lava erupting is cooler than the blood boiling within my veins and trumpeting in my freakin' shorts…

Am I cold?

AM I COLD?!

Seriously?

"Just a bit," he fibbed evasively and bit his cheek to keep from groaning in pain. "You want the extra blanket?" And felt an icy hand touch his arm .

"WHOAAAA," he shivered at the innocent touch.

"You're warm," she mumbled.

Ya' think? That's like saying a nuclear mushroom cloud is a bit of a foggy day.

"And we're not doing anything tonight?"

OH MY STARS, JUST KILL ME NOWWWWW…

"No, sweetheart," he managed to choke out and flinched as she rolled over, pressing her pajama-covered derriere against his hip. A small noise escaped his pressed lips as he felt her tense suddenly.

"Is everything all right?"

"Yep," he croaked. "I'm fine. Just trying to fall asleep."

"Okay."

My mama would beat me with a flip-flop if she knew what I was thinking, he thought wretchedly, swallowing and steeling himself as Madeline wiggled a little closer and put her feet on him.

"Soooo warm," she sighed sleepily. "You're so nice. G'night…"

And let out a little snore.

Noah rolled his eyes at the ceiling and lay there completely taken aback at how his first night back home from deployment was going – versus how he'd hoped it might end up.

Now, he was friend-zoned, and she considered him nice?

Madeline was nervous earlier, but apparently, he had succeeded at putting his skittish bride completely at ease. Sure, he could have gotten up to change the thermostat, but he really didn't want to move in this state. No, he wanted to lay there, silently, hidden under the comforter, where she had no clue about what torture she was innocently inflicting on him. She felt secure and wasn't that what he wanted? Wasn't cuddling up against him, in bed, wearing a pair of cotton pajamas, the signs of a woman who felt completely safe .

He was safe .

"Mission accomplished, you moron," he muttered silently under his breath and closed his eyes, trying to ignore the squirming backside and frigid little toes tickling his leg.

The guys would never let him hear the end of this if they ever got wind of how platonic his ‘wedding night' was with his new wife.

The morning sun streamed in directly into his face from a twisted slat in the blinds over the balcony door. Noah sighed happily in contentment and froze as instant alarm skyrocketed through him at their positions in the bed.

His body was literally curled like the ‘big spoon' around Madeline, who was facing in his direction, sound asleep. Her nose was turned upward into his neck and her legs were twined with his. Oh man, where are her hands? he thought as he gingerly leaned back slightly and sighed in relief. Her hands were cupped together like someone praying and stuffed directly under his arm that was wedged under the pillow.

He could have awoken her, but instead, he lay there, savoring this precious stolen moment. The sunshine makes her hair look almost golden, he mused and then smiled as he realized just how poetic and dumb it sounded. I've got it bad for this woman who just appeared out of nowhere in my life.

Gingerly, he moved his hand slightly to brush a lock of hair off her forehead and saw her crinkle her nose in the most adorable manner. Even when he awoke in Egypt, he didn't get to see this moment. No, he had managed to use her as a pillow then, and it was kinda nice that she was curled up against him now. He could sleep like this every night if he got the chance, and he wouldn't.

"I'm going to miss you so much," he breathed and dropped a faint kiss on her forehead, only to hear her reply.

"Me too, now… snooze," and blindly reached up to ‘boop' him on the nose. Noah was so surprised, so taken aback, that he couldn't help the hoarse laugh that escaped him, shaking the bed slightly and saw her little smirk just as she buried her face against his neck once more.

"Fine, we'll snooze," he whispered, dropping another kiss on her temple as he adjusted slightly, pulling her closer and wrapping his arms around her. Closing his eyes, he sighed in contentment and marveled at this miracle. Sure, he would have loved to have spent hours fooling around – but this moment ranked right up there in his heart, too.

Noah must have drifted off because he woke up to Madeline stumbling and crawling across him, doing a painful belly flop on top of him, to reach his cell phone that was ringing on the nightstand.

"Ooofph," he grunted, immediately curling slightly at the pressure on his bladder.

"Sorry."

"It's okay. What's… who's calling?" he asked, only to see Madeline slide her thumb over the cell phone like she owned it. She does, he smiled silently, she can have anything she wants.

"Hey Judy," Madeline began, and he rolled his eyes, before speaking loudly.

"Hey, Mom. "

"Noah says ‘good morning' and… what? No way. It can't be noon."

They looked at each other in shock.

"It's noon?"

"It's noon, and nobody is answering their text messages," his mother said loudly causing Madeline's eyes to widen. "Guess you two had a good night. I'm starving. I don't suppose you could disentangle yourselves from whatever is going on over there to entertain your poor ol' mama for an hour to eat lunch."

"Nothing is going on," Madeline blurted out as Noah spoke.

"Don't worry about it, and yeah, we'll be down shortly."

"Good. I'll get a table for three – and coffee. See you both soon."

Madeline hung up the phone and looked at him.

"She's going to think that… that we… well, that…"

"The thought of making love to your husband makes you speechless?" he grinned sleepily. "Why didn't you tell me?"

"No. It's not that, it's just… WHOA!"

Noah grabbed Madeline and rolled her underneath him in one quick motion that had her staring up at him wide-eyed. His eyes took in everything, staring at the gift before him, and saw her lips part. Yeah, he was going to make it a habit to kiss his wife ‘good morning' every chance he got – and proceeded to do so.

He softly kissed her, relishing the way she felt against him as she melted into his arms. To his surprise, she was the one that deepened the kiss, opening for him so sweetly, only to have her pull away, arching her body against his and breathing heavily. As he went to nudge his knee between her pajama legs, he heard her panicked ‘Nope!' – as she bodily tossed him off and bolted for the bathroom.

Craaaaaap! I moved too quickly!

"Madeline? Sweetheart? I'm sorry, it was just a kiss and…"

"BLADDER!" came the frantic reply – and a very loud yet content sigh of relief. Noah sat there on the bed, smiling at the closed bathroom door, before shaking his head in disbelief. Gosh, life was going to be amazing with her… and what am I going to do without her?