Long Hard Road (Crestwood Valley)

13. Nate

In less than a minute, my brain processed several alarming pieces of information. First, Madison just let the bomb drop that she had never had sex, while sitting next to me and looking very fuckable. Then, she carelessly opened the door without knowing who was on the other side while I was still too far away to protect her. When I did reach the door, it was just in time to hear a deep voice bark an obscenity at Madison.

Then she was gone from the doorway and I watched as the monosyllabic man I’d encountered in Amelia’s café pulled Madison to his chest in a tight embrace.

“You fucking had me worried, Madi.” His voice was so deep it was practically a growl.

“That’s what I pay you to do, Eli.”

“Care to explain what’s going on, Madison?” I didn’t even bother to hide my annoyance. Some other man had his arms around my girl.

“Oh. Right.” She stepped back and a shiver ran through her body. Those tiny sleep shorts and practically transparent top weren’t providing her a lick of protection from the cold. “Get inside, Eli. I need to put on some clothes and then we’ll talk.”

Then she darted past me without making an introduction. I had no choice but to step back and let the bastard into the cabin. The entryway wasn’t big enough for two large men, so I backed up a few steps.

“Who the fuck are you?” we asked at the same time.

“You’re the unexpected guest,” I said. “You go first.”

He huffed out a breath. “Ellison Parker. Eli. Head of security for Madison. Based on your lack of clothing, I’m going to assume you’re just a bad mistake.”

“Eli!” Madison snapped as she exited her bedroom. She’d pulled on a pair of sweatpants and a matching sweatshirt. “This is Nate Sullivan. He’s my friend and neighbor.”

“Friend,” Ellison scoffed. “Madi, maybe you should have your friend take off so we can discuss what’s been going on here.”

“I’m not leaving.” I planted my feet wide and pulled my shoulders back. If this guy thought he could push me around, I’d make him regret trying.

“Nate. Relax. I’m not asking you to leave.” Madison put a hand on my back and damn if that small touch didn’t make my whole body tingle. “Let’s all go into the kitchen and have some coffee while Eli explains why he is in Crestwood.”

“I think I’m also owed an explanation about why you are in Crestwood, Madi.” Ellison didn’t look happy, either because of how close she was standing to me or because he always looked like someone had pissed in his coffee.

Moving to the kitchen didn’t make things less awkward. Madison focused on making a new pot of coffee while Ellison surveyed the dishes we hadn’t picked up yet from breakfast.

“Already ate breakfast? You were up early.” His comment was neutral but I understood the implication. He knew I’d spent the night with Madison.

“You take your coffee black, don’t you?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

Madison brought us both a brimming mug and then went back to get hers. She held it in both hands and leaned against the counter. “How did you find me, Eli?”

“How do you think?”

“Kaylie?” She blew out an exasperated breath when he nodded. “I knew she would panic and call you.”

“She’s worried about you.” Ellison’s hard stare had me moving closer to Madison. I leaned on the counter next to her, letting my arm push gently against hers. “You just took off and didn’t tell anyone. Do you know how dangerous that is? To not have any security with you and to not have me even know where you went?”

Her head dropped and her lower lip trembled. “I know. I just… I had to get away, Eli. I couldn’t stay.”

“I know things have been rough these last few weeks, but it’s going to blow over, Madi.” His entire expression changed into something that was softer. Tender, even. That look had me questioning their relationship.

“What’s going to blow over?” I asked.

“It’s a long story.” Madison rubbed a thumb over the top of her mug. “Eli, how much did Kaylie tell you?”

“She told me about the tracker you found on your car. Honestly, Madi, that was all I needed to hear. I got on the next flight out.” Ellison wasn’t as imposing now that most of his anger had faded. “Are there other things I need to know about?”

Madison looked at me and nodded. “Yes. There have been some threats.”

I had insisted she keep the letter from the flowers as well as the napkin from the bar and she laid both of them on the island counter as she explained where each of them had been found. She kept her eyes on Ellison as he carefully examined each threat.

“These were found on the same day?” he asked.

“Yes.” Madison hugged her arms around her chest. Ellison’s frown dipped lower and his eyes narrowed.

“What’s that look?” I put an arm around Madison’s shoulders and felt relieved when she leaned into me. I’d thought she might try to downplay our relationship in front of Ellison. Maybe default to me being the neighbor rather than the guy she’d slept on top of last night.

“It’s a little strange that a stalker would make contact in such quick succession. Usually, there is some ramp-up time.” Ellison looked at me. “You were with her yesterday when both of these notes were found?”

“Yeah. We spent the day together on my family ranch and that note was with the flowers on her porch when we got back. That other note was found after we were together in the bar all night.” I didn’t love the way his eyebrows drew together. “Why?”

“It seems like you may be the catalyst for the threats. The stalker was probably content to watch Madison from afar until they saw her with you.” He thought for a moment and added, “Or, and this is a stretch, maybe you pissed someone off and they are targeting Madison in revenge. They might not even know who she really is.”

“But that first threat was clear about me leaving being the reason they are pissed off.” Madison inched closer to my side and I tightened my arm around her.

“It doesn’t technically say that you left or that they would always find you. Have you moved recently, Nate?” Ellison had pulled his phone from his pocket and was in the process of unlocking it.

“No. I’ve lived in Crestwood for the last couple of years.”

“Well, I need your details so I can run a full background check. We do that with anyone who becomes part of Madison’s life. And we’ll need you to sign an NDA as well.”

Madison’s hand clutched at my shirt. “Eli, we don’t need to do that. Nate isn’t going to do anything to hurt me.”

“You didn’t think those other assholes would hurt you either, Madi, and now you ran away because of the shit they pulled.” He was typing furiously on his phone. “I’m having Kaylie send over the paperwork. If you don’t want me to drag your ass back to Nashville, you’ll have him sign it.”

“Don’t talk to her like that.” I wasn’t someone who angered quickly, but I couldn’t stand when men treated women like they were property rather than people. “If she doesn’t want to go back to Nashville, you’re not making her go. And if you try, I will make sure you regret it.”

Ellison just laughed. “Good work, Madi. You found yourself an alpha.”

“Fuck off.” This guy was at the top of my shit list.

“Eli, I pay you to protect me, not to be an asshole.” She was clearly used to his antics based on her exasperated sigh.

“I need to go back to my hotel and get the paperwork printed. I need you to promise me that you will stay here behind a locked door.” Ellison looked at me again. “It would make my life easier if you would stay with her, but I can’t make you do that.”

“I’m not going anywhere.”

“Good. I’ll be back shortly.” He gave Madison a pointed look. “Make sure I don’t interrupt anything this time, okay?”

I waited until the door shut behind him before saying, “I don’t like him.”

“A lot of people don’t. He’s good at his job, though. The best in the business.” Madison sighed when I pressed a kiss to her temple. “You don’t have to sign anything, Nate. I would never make you do that.”

“We have some things to discuss. Based on how that conversation goes, I’ll consider signing whatever you put in front of me.”

She nodded slowly. “Okay. We should be seated for this conversation.” Then she smiled slightly as she looked at me. “You should probably put on a shirt or I’m going to have a hard time focusing.”

“Thinking about that shower, huh?” I teased.

She blushed all the way to the roots of her hair. “I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have been staring like that. That was inappropriate.”

“Angel, next time you catch me in the shower I expect you to do a lot more than stare. I expect you to join me.” I pressed a kiss to her forehead and then took her hand to lead her to the sofa. The cushions were still indented from where we had laid all night.

Waking to find Madison standing over me, dressed in her skimpy sleepwear and looking so damn angelic in the moonlight was easily one of the highlights of my life. It was quickly topped when she climbed on top of me and let me kiss the fuck out of her.

“Where do you want to start?” she asked, primly folding her hands in her lap.

I had a lot of questions, but some were more urgent than others. “Let’s start with why you left Nashville.”

“Okay.” Her voice had grown quiet. “This isn’t going to be easy to tell you. It’s embarrassing.”

“I got food poisoning in Iraq and threw up on myself and shit my pants at the same time.” I nudged her with my elbow. “It can’t be more embarrassing than that.”

Her tiny giggle healed a crack in my heart that I didn’t know was there.

“You remember those fake relationships I told you about? I explained how they weren’t real but they looked real to everyone else. One of those guys went a little rogue after the planned breakup.” She was so hesitant to continue that it took a lot of restraint for me to not push her to continue.

“Do you know who Adam Colligan is?” she asked.

“The baseball play?” I scoffed. “Yeah. He hit my little brother in the head with a fastball in the playoffs last year.”

“So you already know that he’s an asshole.” Her thumbs tapped together in a steady rhythm. “Adam got a little attached to me while we were fake dating. Or, rather, he got attached to my fame and wealth. He liked how all the young women ran out and bought his jersey when the first pictures of us together went public. He tried to get me to agree to keep up the charade for a few more months, but I just couldn’t do it. He had the personality of a piece of cardboard that thinks it’s the hottest piece of cardboard in the world.”

I had to laugh at the imagery. Based on what my brother Noah had told me about Adam Colligan, that sounded like an accurate description.

“He got pissed when I refused to do what he wanted. So he went on one of those shows where men sit around talking shit about women and he told them insanely detailed information about our sex life.”

“But it was a fake relationship?”

“Yes, exactly. He made it all up. Doesn’t matter, though, because everyone except our inner circles believes it was all real.” She dropped back onto the cushions and closed her eyes. “I’m very careful about who I let get close to me. I know the lengths that a lot of people will go to for fifteen minutes of fame. We are always careful with these arrangements.”

“The background checks and NDAs?” I guessed.

“Yes. Those are non-negotiable. Adam just didn’t give a fuck. He knew that once he said those things it would be too late for me to do anything about it. I could sue him for the violation, but what good would it do? People would just think I’m a bitter ex-girlfriend.”

Her long lashes fluttered over her pink cheeks and her lips were pressed together. She was doing her best to hold back her emotions.

“Want me to have Noah throw at his head the next time they face each other?” I offered.

She laughed and turned her head to me. “No, but thanks for the offer.”

“Anytime.” I leaned back and mirrored her posture so our heads were turned toward each other on the cushion. “Tell me more about Ellison.”

“You don’t want to know what Adam said about me?”

“If it’s all lies, I don’t need to hear it. I’ll just get pissed and have no way to take out my anger. Let’s focus on what I actually can do.”

“You can’t hit Eli. Even if he deserves it.” Her hand covered mine on the cushion between us. “I had a different security team a few years back. My parents had hired them and frankly, they weren’t very good. One day, some crazy guy walked right into my house while I was home. Stood in my kitchen without a stitch of clothing on and asked me to marry him. My bodyguards hadn’t even noticed him walking through my front door.” She shook her head in disgust. “I was on tour with Skylar Hart a few days later and told her what had happened. She told me to lose those idiots and recommended Ellison to me. I’ve never had an incident like that again.”

“Okay, but did you accept the proposal?” I had to joke about it because the reality of what had happened was too horrifying to ponder seriously. A crazy man had walked right into her home and no one had been there to protect her.

“The ring was a cock ring. What do you think?” A devilish twinkle appeared in her eyes and hearing her say the word cock made my own twitch to life.

“I mean… was it at least impressive?” I joked.

“The ring or the cock?”

“You’re going to have to stop saying that word,” I growled.

“Need another cold shower?”

I took a deep breath that did nothing to still my rushing blood. “Angel, there’s not enough cold water in the world to tame my desire for you.”

She crossed the inches of space between our faces and captured my lips with her mouth. Her taste was the only thing I ever wanted to taste. It was sweet and warm and it filled the hunger inside of me. She nipped lightly at my lower lip and pulled back an inch. “There’s something else I need to tell you.”

“Okay.” I traced her lower lip with my finger. “Is this about bacon?”

Her blush was back. “So you did hear me.”

“I did. But I’m kind of dense so you probably better explain what you meant.” I nudged her nose with mine. “You don’t have to be embarrassed about anything with me, Madison.”

“Once we have this conversation, you’re not going to want me to kiss you again.”

“I can promise you that’s not true.” Just to prove my point, I touched my lips to hers.

Her eyes drifted closed as I flicked my tongue against her lower lip. “I’ve never been with a man. I’ve never… had sex.” When her eyes opened, they were full of fear.

“Is that something you want to do?”

“Yes.” Her teeth sank into her lower lip. “It’s kind of all I’ve been thinking about the last couple of days.”

“Is there a reason why you haven’t taken that step with another man?” I had no idea if I was handling this conversation appropriately. At 32, it had been a long time since I had even thought about whether a romantic partner might be a virgin.

“Because I can’t have sex with a man and expect it not to blow up in my face. I just told you about Adam and I never even had sex with him. If I did take that step with a man and he was the wrong man, it could end very badly for me. Pictures or videos on the internet. Tell-all interviews. Attempts to sabotage birth control and knock me up with an anchor baby. For someone like me, it could be risky.”

I had never stopped to think about that particular challenge of being a celebrity. But it wasn’t uncommon for female celebrities to deal with sex tapes and nudes being circulated by former lovers. “I don’t think every man would do something like that, Madison.”

“No, they wouldn’t. But it’s hard to tell which ones would. Money can make people do things they wouldn’t normally do.” She rolled her head away from me. “I can’t have a normal relationship because my life isn’t normal.”

“Why did you decide to tell me this, Madison?”

“Because last night, if you hadn’t stopped us, I would’ve had sex with you.” She kept her eyes fixed on a point in the distance. “I want to have sex with you, Nate. I don’t really know what to do with that feeling because I’ve honestly never wanted to have sex with any other man. I’ve never trusted any of them enough.”

“But you trust me?” I inferred.

“I do.” She sat up abruptly. “But you don’t have to worry. I’m not going to throw myself on you again. I know what you said about me being too young and innocent for you. You were right. It would be a mistake.”

“Would it?” I had been so sure when I’d told her that, but now I had my doubts. Madison and I had insane chemistry, but there was also something else between us. A deeper connection than I’d ever felt with any woman. It felt like she was already mine even though we’d only spent a couple of days together.

“You said you would ruin me.”

I nodded. “That’s true. I might ruin you, Madison, and you might ruin me. But we’ll never know if you end this now.”

When she looked at me, her emerald eyes were shining under a coating of tears. “It’s hard for me to let people into my world. I have a lot to lose. But if I push you away, then I’m going to lose you.”

“Don’t cry, angel.” I stroked a thumb over her cheek. “You don’t have to decide anything right now. I’m not going anywhere. I like being with you even when you’re not throwing yourself on me.”

“When Eli comes back, don’t sign the paperwork. I don’t want you to be treated the same as those guys from my fake relationships.” She grabbed my hand and pressed it to her chest, right over her heart. “The way I feel about you is real, Nate. I can’t explain it, but I just feel right with you.”

My inner demons were screaming for me to slam my walls back into place and make sure Madison stayed firmly on the other side of them. But she had already brushed against my heart. “I feel right with you, Madison.” I leaned in and pressed a kiss to her temple. “I can slam on the brakes and coast until you’re ready to explore this. But make no mistake– you will be mine.”