"You could have died. I could have had to hear all of this from Barrett, alone. Because... because she meant to kill you," his voice hitched.

"But I didn't die," Madelyn wrapped both arms around Harry's waist. "Do you feel me holding onto you? I'm right here and I'm not going anywhere. You said you wanted me, and now you're stuck with me, Harry."

"I'm so sorry, baby. I truly didn't know how screwed up she was. Please, forgive me?" he pleaded, holding her tight to his chest.

When she raised her head, Madelyn's heart ached at the pain she saw in his eyes. The fury she had been feeling toward Katelyn shrank back to be dealt with later. The only thing on her mind now was comforting Harry and the fact that he made her feel alive with his very existence.

"Forgive you for what? Loving me, rescuing me, protecting me, making me feel like the most important woman in the world?"

"I brought her sickness into your life. If I'd been paying better attention, I could have cut her out sooner. I could have kept you safe."

A twisting pang gripped his heart. Madelyn had set up residence in his soul; the thought of losing her was unbearable. He couldn't get close enough. One arm slipped around her waist, his hand holding her hip, the other grasped her neck, anchoring her to him as if she might vanish.

"Harry, I'm safe, we're together, and there's nothing to forgive. No one knew Katelyn was dangerous or how far she would go to get what she wanted. None of this is your fault or mine. She has bigger issues than either of us could have fixed. She needs to be held accountable and she needs help."

"You're everything to me, Madelyn, I love you so much," his hand crept up into her thick hair. "The fact you would consider that she needs help after everything she's put you through... I don't know what to say," his hand fisted, pulling her head back.

Madelyn held his gaze as he lowered his mouth to cover hers. His lips were feverish, the kiss heated and hard. His tongue took advantage of her small gasp. Her back hit the door as she opened for him. Was she dizzy from how quickly he spun her around or was all the blood in her body racing like a freight train to her head? Did she care?

A deep guttural sound escaped Harry's throat as his tongue baited hers, coaxing her into a desperate response. He could feel her breathing become rapid, fluttering past his cheek, as Madelyn tried to keep up with him. Closing the sliver of space between their bodies, Harry pressed his growing arousal into her belly.

"I want you," he pawed at her top, fumbling to shove it out of the way so he could touch her bare skin.

Against her awakening center, Madelyn felt Harry grind his thigh into her. Her hips rolled against him in a circular motion. Reluctantly, she palmed his shoulders, pushing him back.

"Wait. We have to stop, Harry."

"No stopping," he mumbled into her neck before pulling her skin into his mouth.

He couldn't get enough of her, or the cherry-almond smell that increased when he buried his nose in her hair, the taste of her flesh just behind her ear, the pounding of her pulse under his lips as he nibbled his way along her carotid artery. He wanted to surround himself with her, every second of every day, for the rest of his life.

"No stopping," he pulled at the button of her dress pants.

"Downstairs, Harry. The restaurant. Noah," Madelyn turned away from another kiss. "People need you."

"I need you... Fucking hell!" he grunted, planting his hands against the door behind her. Harry breathed deeply, working to regain control over his body. "Do not go anywhere. I'll be right back."

Madelyn stepped back and watched Harry's retreating back as he whipped the door open and bounded down the stairs at a breakneck speed.

Not knowing how much time she had to kill before Harry made his way back to her, Madelyn got busy. By the time his heavy footsteps were approaching, she was ready. She pressed play on her phone that she had connected to Harry's stereo. Madelyn's moody playlist that began with Anderson East's need for more, to find satisfaction, and would end two hours later with Christina Perri promising A Thousand Years came on in the background. She had no doubt they could fill the time.

"Sweet mother of everything good in this world, Mads."

"Hope you don't mind that I borrowed your shirt," she cooed from his bed. "I got chilly after taking off all my clothes."

Popping the collar of the blue oxford, she ran her fingers down the unbuttoned placket, slowly pulling it aside her breasts.

"You, Professor," he stalked to the foot of the bed, "are a very wicked woman."

Madelyn's mouth slowly curved up in satisfaction. If Harry's pants were getting as tight as his voice, he was suffering. It was a happy thought.

"Me?" she feigned innocence and let her knees fall open as she leaned back on her hands. "I thought you would be a while, so I was going to have a little nap, but then..." she couldn't keep her smirk in check.

"But then?"

"I had an achy spot so I decided to massage it to see if I could make it feel better," Madelyn feigned a pout.

Jesus, Mary, and Joseph, Harry thought. Was she? Yes, she was.

Her hand moved down her belly, fingers reaching between her swelling lips, spreading them. With her middle finger, Madelyn began to stroke a tight circle around the little nub that was peeking out from its hood.

Harry whipped his phone from his back pocket. His fingers flew.

Noah, what we talked about- yeah, I'm out for the night. Phone off, don't knock unless the place is on fire!

The response was immediate.

Got it, boss. Enjoy yourself? lol

Powering down the phone, he shoved it back in his pocket. He came back with a hair tie and pulled his long curls into a bun.

"Gosh," Madelyn batted her eyes, "Maybe I'm losing my touch. Is your phone more fun than me? I can get dressed if you're bored," she teased her fingers lower to outline her entrance.

"Not on your life, you stay right there, naked. I was just confirming with Noah that I'm out for the night."

"Oh, that's not embarrassing at all." The blush in her cheeks was nearly as deep and the blush between her thighs.

"I'll gladly go down there and announce to the entire staff that I'm up here about to fuck my girl and not feel a shred of embarrassment, and neither should you. No one in their right mind wouldn't be envious of what we've found."

Fighting back the sting of happy tears, Madelyn reached a hand out for him. "I love you so much."

Taking her hand, Harry entwined their fingers. He bent over to leave a trail of kisses from her navel to clit, his tongue darting out to lick her opening before sliding up and pushing into her mouth. She tasted herself and moaned at the erotic flavor, pressing her breasts into Harry's chest. Her areolas were puckered, nipples peaked and needy. Harry undulated against her; she writhed in response, little noises forming in her throat.

"I love you, too," he responded, gravel in his voice. "Especially like this. Wet for me and wanting," he lowered his head, drawing her nipple over his tongue. He moaned, suckling deeply, causing her to cry out.

Madelyn wriggled her hand free to claw at his clothing. There was far too much separating him from her. She managed the first few buttons before Harry broke away. He got to his feet, reached over his shoulder to pull the shirt off, then quickly stripped off the rest.

"Touch yourself," he instructed firmly. "Outside only, no fingers inside, that's for me tonight."

Oh. Madelyn's breath caught. Oh, okay. She complied.

"Other hand on your breast, cup, and squeeze, then roll the tip like I do." She hesitated when he turned toward the nightstand. "Do like I tell you or you don't get a surprise. And that would be a shame because I know you're going to like it."

Madelyn obeyed,

"That's my good girl."

He produced two lengths of silk from the drawer and something else hidden in his palm. "Trust me?" he asked, drawing the fabric down her leg.

"Always," she whispered. "But, I have to tell you something."

"What is it? You can tell me anything."

"I should ovulate in the next three or four days." She bit her lip, "Do you have a condom?"

Fucking fuck fuck!

*****

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

Uh Oh! How do you suppose Harry and Madelyn will handle this little hiccup? Yikes!

November is National Novel Writing Month and I've been low-key participating. I'm loving the motivation to kick my writing into gear! To that end, I hope you are enjoying the new chapters and will do me the sweetest favor of leaving your thoughts in the comments and drop a vote on the chapters you've enjoyed so far. It's that kind of interaction that feeds my heart and helps other readers find DELIVERY.

You've probably noticed that I drop music into a lot of my chapters. If you'd like to listen to the playlist that I had on repeat as I wrote this chapter and the next, you can find it on Spotify. It's called SOFTLY and my profile name is dirtyyarn, as always. And that next chapter should be edited tomorrow and up in a day or two.

If you're on Twitter, come on over and give me a shout! I always love to chat writing and of course, Harry!

best- Em,@dirtyyarn