Somewhere Only We Know (26 page)

"You okay?" Burke asked.

"I feel wonderful. That was better than the fantasy."

"You fantasized about me?"

"For a long time." She lifted her head and gazed into his eyes. He looked happy, satisfied and content. "That was amazing."

"No, that was good. Amazing is still to come."

"Really? You think you can do better?"

He grinned. "I set high goals, Maddie. I usually reach them."

"I know that. But you've already driven me crazy, what's left?"

"Why don't we find out?"

There was a challenge to his words, an invitation she couldn't refuse. She was just a little afraid that the only thing left was love.

Still, how could she say no? She was fearless Maddie, after all.

"Why don't we?" She slid up his body and kissed him again, feeling the sparks of the fire kick back into flames. "It's a good thing I have a firefighter in my bed," she said with a laugh.

He laughed with her. "I don't want to put your fire out—at least not yet."

"We'll play a little first," she suggested.

"Yes, we will."

A second later, he flipped her onto her back and showed her that he could do playful as well as he could do serious.

* * *

Maddie took up most of the bed, Burke thought with tender amusement, watching her in the early morning light. Her cheeks were a beautiful pink, and her blonde hair fell in soft waves around her bare shoulders. He liked the dusting of freckles on those shoulders. He wanted to trace a path from one to the other. Maybe later…

He also liked that she had a hand on his waist and one of her legs was thrown over his, as if she didn't want him to leave, didn't want to be away from him. Or maybe she just wanted more room in the bed, he thought pragmatically. Either way, he was just happy to finally be in bed with her.

She'd been everything he imagined and more, making love with total abandon, no rules, no worries, a lot of smiles, a few laughs, and a tremendous amount of passion. When Maddie was fully engaged in something, she went after it with all of her heart and soul. He'd never thought she'd put her heart and soul into him.

He was the luckiest man in the world. But how long would his luck hold out?

Would Maddie even stay in San Francisco?

She didn't have a history of sticking around. While she was excited about the food truck, that was a one-month job. Then what? Would she get an unexpected offer from a friend in some other city? Would she blow out of town with the next big wind?

He hated to think she would disappear from his life again, but it was impossible not to consider that that might happen.

She murmured something unintelligible in her sleep, a smile crossing her lips. Whatever she was dreaming about made her happy.

Maybe she was dreaming about him…

She might not stay forever, but she was with him now, and she'd challenged him to live in the moment for a change, so he was going to do that for as long as he could. Reality would intrude soon enough.

Chapter Eighteen

Maddie slid out of bed just before eight, a little surprised to see Burke still fast asleep. He seemed like the type to be up early, ready to face the day. On the other hand, they hadn't gotten a lot of sleep the night before. She gave a happy sigh at the memories. Her muscles felt deliciously achy, and her body still tingled from Burke's touch. Whatever came next, she was not going to be sorry about last night.

She slipped into the bathroom, put on her yoga wear and went out to the living room. She unrolled the mat she'd put next to the couch, put in her ear buds and played some soothing meditation music to get her morning ritual started. She needed the extra stretches this morning. She also needed to focus, because there were things she had to get done today. And those things probably wouldn't get done if she allowed herself to go back into the bedroom and snuggle up next to Burke.

She was almost done with her routine when Burke walked into the living room wearing jeans and a T-shirt, his hair damp from a shower.

Her stomach turned over and a rush of desire immediately ran through her. Why did the man have to be so damn attractive?

He gave her a slow-burning smile and she was so distracted, she fell out of her pose, having to touch the nearby coffee table to get her balance back.

"Sorry, did I startle you?" he asked, coming over to her.

"A little," she said, as he took her hand and pulled her back into a standing position. He didn't let go even after she was on her feet.

"Good morning," he said, his voice husky, his gaze intimate.

"Morning," she murmured. She saw a tiny droplet of water by the corner of his mouth. She really wanted to lick it up.

His gaze darkened. He pulled her up against his chest and gave her a hard, possessive kiss that left no doubt that whatever they'd started the night before was still going on.

"Let's go back to bed," he said.

"Uh," she hesitated, wanting to say yes, but knowing she probably shouldn't.

He gave her a thoughtful look. "What are you thinking, Maddie?"

"I'm not really sure, which isn't unusual for me. I've never been as clear-minded as you, Burke."

"You're not having regrets are you?"

She immediately shook her head. "No, I try to never have regrets. It seems pointless."

"Then what's the problem?"

"I find myself worrying about something I never worry about."

"Which is what?"

"What's next?"

"I thought we were living in the moment."

"We were—we are," she amended, wishing she'd never taken the conversation in this direction. "Forget what I said."

He put his hands on her shoulders and kneaded the suddenly tight muscles in her neck. "I don't know what's next, Maddie, but I'd like us to find out together."

"Me, too. Last night was fun. You surprised me a little."

His lips curved into a smile. "Likewise."

"It only took us eighteen years to make that happen."

"A lot of wasted time."

"Not wasted," she said with a shake of her head. "We grew up. We lived. We learned. We loved. I wouldn't trade any of it."

"I might trade some of it," he said practically. "But I get your point."

"The past has made us who we are now, so we can't wish any of it away. It would be like wishing a part of ourselves away."

"Did they teach you that in yoga?"

"As a matter of fact, yes. Yoga is about awareness, being mindful of your body, your breath, centering yourself, accepting your weaknesses and also your strengths. We should do it together sometime."

"I can think of other things I'd rather do," he said.

"There's a time for everything. I'm going to get dressed."

"What happened to going back to bed?"

"I have meatballs to make."

He laughed. "First time I've ever heard that excuse. You're one of a kind, Maddie Heller."

"Don't you forget it." She gave him a quick kiss on her way to take a long, cold shower.

* * *

After Maddie left the room, Burke picked up his phone, scrolling through the contacts. He needed to call Leanne's mom. He'd been putting off speaking to the Parkers, but he wanted to get in touch with them today. He had no idea where Mitch's investigation was going to take him, but he didn't want the Parkers to be caught off guard. Besides that, he also needed to find a way to ask Leanne's mother if she'd known her daughter was pregnant. How he was going to do that he had no idea.

However, before he got to the Parkers' phone number, a name popped out at him—Kelly Hamilton. Kelly had been one of Leanne's best friends and was to have been a bridesmaid in their wedding. Maybe Leanne had confided in Kelly.

He was going to shock the hell out of her by calling after all these years, but what choice did he have? And it was highly possible Mitch had already been in touch with her.

"Hello?" she said, her voice tentative.

"Hi, Kelly. It's Burke Callaway."

There was a surprised gasp on the other end of the line. "Burke, I must say I didn't expect to hear from you. How are you?"

"I'm all right. And you?"

"Good." She took another breath. "It's been a long time since we spoke. I was thinking about Leanne the other day—that I can't believe it's been three years since she died. Anyway, what can I do for you?"

"I was wondering if I could come by and talk to you for a few minutes."

"About what?"

"It's not something I want to discuss on the phone. Ten minutes is all I need. Are you still in San Francisco?"

"No, I'm living in Hillsborough now. I got married last year."

"Congratulations." An odd feeling ran through him at her words. Kelly had been single without a man in her life when Leanne died. In fact, Kelly had jokingly told Leanne more than once that she was hoping to find a single guy, maybe a firefighter, at their wedding. But Kelly was married now. Time had moved on for her as well as for him. "I'm off today if you have some time this morning or this afternoon. I'll come to you."

"I'm here until one. If you can make it down this morning, I'd be happy to see you."

"Great. I'll be there in an hour." He made a note of her address, then set down the phone and headed into the kitchen to start the coffee maker. Maddie might be able to begin her day with yoga, but he was going to need caffeine.

He opened the refrigerator door and saw the casseroles of meatballs from the night before. On impulse, he took one of the dishes out, spooned a couple of meatballs into a bowl and put it in the microwave. The meatballs were steaming when he took them out.

He bit into one and was once again smacked in the face with a burst of flavor.

The meatball reminded him of Maddie. She knocked him over in so many ways: her cooking, her laughter, the way she made love…

She'd come back into his life, and nothing was ever going to be the same again.

"Meatballs for breakfast?" Maddie asked, coming into the kitchen dressed in jeans and a soft sweater, her hair falling loose around her shoulders, the way he liked it.

"They're good."

"You tried the chicken parmesan meatballs?"

"Yes," he said, swallowing the last bite.

"Do you like them better than the bacon jalapeño poppers?"

"Tough call." He thought for a moment. "I can't pick a winner. Both are great."

"Well, let's hope the rest of them turn out as well. Do you want me to make you anything else for breakfast?"

"No, I'm going to run out for a while. I called one of Leanne's friends. She's agreed to see me."

Maddie's expression turned serious. "Okay. Are you going to ask her if Leanne was pregnant?"

"I know I need to do that. It's going to be awkward and uncomfortable, but maybe she can tell me something that makes sense."

"I hope so. You're handling the whole thing really well, Burke. I know it can't be easy to think that your fiancée cheated on you, especially with someone like Mitch."

"Anyone would have been bad."

She gave him a thoughtful look. "You do believe that she slept with Mitch, don't you? You don't think he was making it up?"

He let out a sigh. "I don't want to believe it, but the fact that she kept the baby news from me leads me to believe she was worried about who the father was. Why else wouldn't she just tell me?"

"I can't think of a reason. Talking to Leanne's friend is probably a good idea."

"Or a bad one. I just don't know what else to do. There aren't that many people I can talk to. If Kelly can't help me, I'll have to try Leanne's parents."

"I guess I know what you're doing today," she said lightly.

"Making meatballs sounds like more fun."

"If you want me to go with you—"

"No," he said quickly. He couldn't take another woman to Kelly's house, not a woman he'd just slept with. It didn't feel right. "But thanks for offering." He paused. "What are you going to do about the apartment, Maddie? Because I really don't want you to move in with Carla."

"I can't stay on your couch indefinitely."

"I don't want you on my couch. I think you know that."

"I do know that, but I'm not really sure what we're doing."

He gave her a quick kiss. "Still living in the moment. I'll see you later."

"Good luck, Burke. I hope you get the answer you want."

He hoped so, too. He just wasn't really sure what answer he wanted.

* * *

Kelly Hamilton lived in a large, three-story house in the upscale neighborhood of Hillsborough, located about thirty minutes south of San Francisco. As Burke drove through iron gates and down a large circular drive to Kelly's massively large front door, he couldn't help but compare Kelly's current house with the small, cluttered two-bedroom apartment she'd shared with three other women when he'd first started dating Leanne.

While Leanne had been friends with Kelly and her roommates, she'd always liked having her own space. Unlike Maddie, who thought strangers were just friends she hadn't met yet, Leanne had been more protective of her privacy, of her personal space. Leanne had been more like him. He'd thought that was a good thing. Now, he wasn't so sure.

When Kelly opened her door to him, he got another surprise. An attractive redhead with a love of shopping and fashion, Kelly had always been a stylishly dressed woman, but she'd traded in her chic clothes for a maternity dress, and she was at least five or six months pregnant.

She smiled and patted her stomach. "Yes, it's true. I'm having a baby."

"Congratulations," he said, as she gave him a quick hug.

"Thanks. Vince and I are so excited. We're having a boy."

"That's fantastic news."

"Come in, Burke." She stepped back so he could enter the house.

Her home was just as impressive on the inside as it was on the outside. Kelly ushered him into a large designer-decorated living room that was a mix of white furniture, sparkling glass tables and expensive accent pieces, some of which were crystal.

"I know what you're thinking," Kelly said as they sat down on the couch. "We're going to have to do a lot of baby-proofing in here, and you're right. We have all new family-friendly furniture being delivered next week."