Chapter 9Tiernan came back to the suite earlier than his usual time that evening. Madison was still mulling over her afternoon tea and contemplating her place in the harem, so she was distracted when he entered.He sighed harshly. “I thought you were moving past the silent treatment?”She blinked. “Oh, sorry. I was lost in thought.”“About what?”None of your business. “Nothing important.”He made a sound in his throat, but let the subject die. Instead, he handed her a small box. “Open it.”She looked at the wooden box, admiring the carved hummingbird. “It’s pretty.”“Open it,” he said again. He seemed to be reining in his excitement.Was he that eager to be giving her a gift? Vowing to make a big production of whatever was in the box, she flipped the lid with her thumb. A genuine smile curved her lips as she touched the pretty necklace made from gold so shiny that it must have been purified and crafted before The End. The asymmetrical pendant had a pink stone in the middle, and she
Chapter 10Tiernan stared out the window, lost in thoughts of Madison. He couldn’t seem to get her out of his mind. Disconcertingly, it wasn’t just the physical images of their nights together that kept distracting him. Instead, he would randomly remember a snippet of the conversations they had shared the past few days, or the way she could switch from angry to amorous in seconds, if he provided the proper incentive. It was too early in the day to go back to the room. He couldn’t give up hours of work time, but maybe he could slip in for a quick—“Commander.”He blinked at the slightly annoyed note underlying Aidan’s tone, suggesting the captain had tried to get his attention more than once during their sit-con meeting. “I’m sorry. What?”Aidan’s expression betrayed no irritation, and his tone was brisk. “We have threats of riot in the Spokane-Brokenbo province.”He frowned. “What? Why?”Aidan consulted a paper in front of him. “Reports are sketchy, but the people claim they haven’t b
Chapter 11Madison tried to figure out what had happened, but she couldn’t put her finger on it. Something had changed. Tiernan was no longer as warm with her as he had been, and there was an assessing look in his eyes sometimes when he looked at her. She’d find herself in the middle of a passionate moment, hovering on the brink of release, and meet his gaze to find him giving her a look as if he was analyzing her in a dispassionate way that was incongruent with their intimacies.Maybe he was just worried about what was happening in Spokane-Brokenbo, though she’d heard no further updates. He hadn’t shared his confidences with her since that night four days ago. He also hadn’t shared a meal with her and only came to her late at night before leaving early in the morning. They were still having sex, but it was starting to feel more like physical release than anything truly satisfying, in much the same way it had when they had been engaged in their hostilities before coming to a truce.Sh
Chapter 12Madison woke with a pounding head and burning eyes. Her neck was at an odd angle, and she realized she had slept on the settee, still fully dressed. She’d decided yesterday evening not to let him touch her last night. It wasn’t a resumption of the Cold War strategy she had implemented upon her arrival. Instead, it was pure self-protection. She was still hurting and angry, and she hadn’t been able to tolerate the thought of his hands on her after his cruel words. She had girded herself to battle both him and herself, opting to stay on the settee to confront him.All her preparation had been for naught. Unless he had come in long after she was asleep—and she had slept poorly—and crept out before she woke, Tiernan had not come back to the room last night. She’d been wrong to think he couldn’t hurt her any more than he already had. Knowing he had shunned her presence cut deeply. Also knowing Tiernan hadn’t spent a night alone in years made her burn with agony, because he wouldn
Chapter 13Madison woke to find herself pressed against Tiernan. Her eyes widened when they met his, and she opened her mouth to speak, though she had no idea what she was going to say. He kissed her before any words could emerge, and it was the same sort of soft, coaxing kiss that always melted her. The angry, shamed part of her still wanted to push him away, suspecting he had spent his absent night with another of his companions, and she remained stiff for a long moment, until his gentle mouth and softly caressing hands smoothed away her resistance.Their lovemaking was slow, almost tenuous, as they let their bodies speak all the things they both wanted to say. Or maybe she was misinterpreting his apologetic touches and soothing kisses. Perhaps she was fooling herself so she could continue sharing her body with him. Even the doubt of that couldn’t hold back her cries of passion, and she was eager for him when he lifted her thigh and entered her carefully, drawing out his possession
Chapter 14After it reopened, Madison returned to the clinic and her apprenticeship as nurse, assistant, and receptionist. Much to her guard’s dismay, she had recruited Corporal Vincent to be at Lucy’s beck and call. She didn’t think Vinny minded helping out with the clinic—or following around the slightly older Lucy, who had a butt he couldn’t seem to stop admiring. Rather, his apprehension seemed to stem from the fact that she was out of his sight a good part of the day.She couldn’t fathom what danger might befall her in the clinic. Honestly, why would she be a target in any form, except in general? She appreciated having a soldier to walk her to and from the clinic, for safety’s sake, but didn’t see a need just because she was Tiernan’s companion. He’d have to have some kind of strong feelings for her before she could ever be a weapon used to hurt him.Not that he didn’t care. He’d been sweet to her the past week, bringing her a gift almost every night. Nothing elaborate, and she
Chapter 15Another three weeks flew by before she knew it. Tiernan had honored his promise and resupplied the clinic, including securing their power source and providing a new centrifuge. A burly nurse retired from the military also came with the gift. Edward was a reticent man in his late fifties, but he approached his job with dedication and skill. In no time, the clinic seemed transformed, and patients were receiving better care than ever.It was a good thing they didn’t need her so much right now, she told herself, as she found Susan and Edward in the lab, heads bent over lab samples. She was glad not to be leaving them shorthanded for the next week. Of course, she was going to miss her work, but Tiernan had requested—actually asked, not demanded—she clear her calendar for the next eight days to help him keep the daughters from the Republic of Texas entertained. He had also recruited Cleo.“Susan?”The woman looked up, and there was a hint of color in her cheeks. Madison speculate
Chapter 16Tiernan had returned to the suite for a folder he’d forgotten before his breakfast meeting with Tex. He opened the door a couple of inches and froze when he realized Madison was entertaining Pru. He started to go on in, but froze again when he heard the other girl ask about little Archers. His heart stuttered as they discussed babies, and he found himself holding his breath when Pru asked her fateful question. Madison’s vague answer filled him with disappointment and another emotion he couldn’t identify.Easing backward, he made sure to step forcefully, so they would hear him coming. This time when he opened the suite door, they were talking about the goods available at Pike Place Market, particularly baby items. He smiled and greeted them both before retrieving his folder, never letting his neutral expression falter. It wasn’t until he was out of the room and making his way back to the dining room where Tex waited that he allowed his thoughts to return to the overhead conv