Chapter 22
twenty-two
. . .
Maddox
When I woke up the following morning, I looked around when I realized Georgia was gone. I surged to my feet, worried that I’d done something to frighten her.
Jesus. I’d fucked up inviting her here. What was I thinking?
I wasn’t.
I wanted her with me, and I went for it.
And now she knew about the nightmares.
Outside of Wyle, she was the only one.
I hurried down the hallway, and the smell of bacon flooded my senses. I looked in my bedroom, and she wasn’t there, so I pulled on a pair of joggers and my Harvard hoodie and made my way out to the kitchen.
I’d given Hilda the week off for the holidays, not that she ever cooked when she was here.
“My Sharona” played through the speaker on the counter, but the volume was low.
Obviously, she didn’t want to wake me. She had her back to me, but I could see that she was wearing my black sweater that draped over her petite frame and ended at her mid-thigh.
She wore my grandfather’s cowboy hat, and she was swaying her hips to the music as she cracked an egg in the pan.
So fucking sexy.
I just took a minute to enjoy the view before I spoke. “What are we doing in here?”
She jumped, dropped the egg on the floor, and let out a little squeal.
I chuckled and walked closer, reaching for some paper towels and wiping up the mess as she watched me.
“Sorry. Didn’t mean to scare you.”
Once I tossed the raw egg in the garbage, she reached for the cleaner and wiped up the remnants of the egg on the floor to make sure it was gone. She placed her hands on her hips and smiled up at me.
“All that good lovin’ made me hungry. I hope it’s okay that I made us breakfast.”
“Of course it is.” I shoved my hands into the pockets of my joggers to keep from reaching for her.
I couldn’t get enough of her, and that had never happened to me before.
“I was thinking about this whole fling experience, and I feel like this might be my thing. I misjudged the idea of it.” She turned around and cracked another egg in the pan before slipping on a pair of oven mitts from my drawer and pulling the sizzling bacon from the oven.
She had two plates out—she’d clearly already found her way around the kitchen—and started plating our food. It smelled damn good.
“What are we talking about?” I asked, pouring us each a glass of orange juice, as she carried the plates to the table.
“We’re talking about flings. I mean, this is great. I had two orgasms, I slept like a baby, and now we’re eating breakfast together, and it’s totally comfortable. This fling is better than any relationship I’ve ever had.” She shrugged and reached for a piece of bacon and bit off the top.
That was because nothing about this was like a typical fling. I never asked a woman to stay with me for days or to sleep at my house. Nor would I have ever slept with a woman in my arms or enjoyed eating breakfast together.
I spent so much time with Georgia daily, and now we’d added fabulous sex to the equation—the best sex I’d ever experienced in my entire fucking life, if I were being honest. And now I was fucked because I only wanted more.
Nothing about this was a fling.
But I’d most likely fuck it up, so I wouldn’t admit that to her just yet.
“I see.” I forked some hash browns and popped them into my mouth and groaned. Damn, she was a good cook. “This is delicious.”
“See what I’m saying? This is a win-win for everyone.”
I nodded, fighting back the urge to smile. “Thanks for staying last night. I’m sorry about the nightmare.”
“Don’t be ridiculous. It takes a lot to scare me, Bossman.
Finn used to sleepwalk. One night after I’d watched a super scary movie, he came walking into my bedroom in the middle of the night and just stood over my bed, staring at me.
I opened my eyes and screamed. He scared the bejesus out of me. ” Her head fell back in laughter.
“What did you do?” I studied her as I forked some eggs.
“Well, I didn’t know he was sleepwalking, so I lunged from the bed and karate-chopped the poor bastard in the throat.
I thought he was messing with me. But my parents came rushing in, and everyone woke up, and then we realized Finn wasn’t awake.
He wasn’t happy the next morning to learn that I’d assaulted him in his sleep.
He never came into my room again, but he does occasionally sleepwalk.
It’s just like having a nightmare, and there’s no shame in that.
” She took a sip of orange juice and then licked her lips after she set her glass down, and my dick immediately responded.
“I’ve had the same nightmare for years,” I admitted. Hell, it was out there now, I may as well explain it.
“What happens in your nightmare? Do you remember?”
I set my fork down. “It’s always the same thing.
Me finding my mom choking and gasping in her bed.
Not knowing what the fuck I’m doing, but I attempt CPR and there’s no change.
In my nightmare, it goes on and on, but in reality, it all happened very fast. But it’s vivid, and it always feels like I’m there.
Reliving the worst moment of my life all over again.
” I cleared my throat. I’d never talked about it with anyone.
Yes, Wyle knew I had them, but we didn’t discuss the details.
And Georgia had proven herself trustworthy, as nothing I’d shared had ever come back to bite me.
She wasn’t looking to sell me out or make a quick buck.
“How often do you have them?”
“I honestly don’t know because I live alone and sleep alone.”
“So you really never fall asleep with your lovers?” she said it so dramatically it was impossible not to laugh.
“You say it like I’m some sort of male escort. There are a lot of women who are down for a good dinner, good sex, and then you part ways. It’s not that uncommon.”
“I get that,” she said, and her lips turned up in the corners before she set my grandfather’s hat on the table.
“But the after is pretty damn good, right? Or maybe I’m just an affectionate person.
But I don’t know, Bossman, I liked sleeping with you.
Maybe it’s because you work me to the bone, so it’s just habit to be near you. ” She smirked.
“The bone, huh? I’ve got a different bone for you.”
“So dirty.” She paused for a minute and glanced out the kitchen window before turning back to me. “You know how you didn’t like me riding on the scooter, even before you knew me? You knew it was dangerous, right?”
“Yes. Don’t even get me started about that motorized piece of shit.” I raised a brow.
“Well, sometimes, someone on the outside looking in can see things more clearly.” She cleared her throat and took a sip of her juice. “I think you have a lot of trauma from finding your mama the way you did. But I think talking to someone could really help.”
I rolled my eyes. “Isn’t that what we’re doing?”
“We are. And I’ll talk to you about it as often as you’re willing.
But I’m not a trained professional. So I wouldn’t know how to help you with the nightmares, you know?
And you deserve to sleep peacefully without being haunted by a memory.
” Her gaze was filled with so much empathy it made my chest squeeze.
“Don’t pity me, Tink.”
“I would never pity you. You annoy me far too much.” She chuckled. “I’m just mentioning it because my mom is a fabulous therapist, and she’s helped a lot of people.”
“I don’t need a shrink.”
“Just FYI… if you talk to my mom, never say that word. It’s a trigger for her. She finds it offensive. She’s a therapist, not a shrink. So she knows things about this that you and I wouldn’t.”
“Or you could just ride me again, or sit on my face and keep me awake,” I said, reaching for the last piece of bacon on my plate.
“I’d be happy to do either,” she said, her cheeks flushing pink, and I fucking loved it.
“I’ll think about talking to your mom, okay?” I held up my hands when she started clapping like she’d won some big prize. “I’m not making any promises.”
“I’ll take it.”
“So, what do you want to do today?” I asked, because I had her all to myself for a few days.
It wasn’t like we really had to hide if we went out to eat, because we did it often during our work days together already.
We could make it look like we were discussing business.
Or was I just trying to find a way to make what we were doing okay?
If I were capable of the real deal, I’d just let it be known we were together and talk to my grandfather.
She’d have to change job positions, obviously; it would be highly unprofessional to be fucking my assistant.
Which was exactly what I was doing.
But I wasn’t about to lose her at work when there was very little chance this would last past the weekend.
I’d just enjoy this time with her. We’d both be over the attraction by next week, and we’d go back to business as usual.
“Let’s go cross-country skiing today. I know a great trail.”
“Cross-country skiing is so boring, isn’t it? Why don’t we just go downhill skiing?”
“I told you… I excel at untraditional sports. I suck at downhill. I hate the chairlift. And I don’t like going that fast.” She shrugged, and she looked so innocent and sweet as she confessed her lack of skills. It made me want to build up her confidence.
“What if we do one day of each? And when we go downhill skiing, I’ll tuck you in front of me and control the speed.”
“Wow. This is like finding out that the Tin Man has a heart. Look at you, softy.”
“What did I tell you about calling me soft?” I said, rushing to my feet and pulling her from the chair. I flipped her over my shoulder, and my hand found her ass as I jogged down the hallway with her. She was laughing hysterically when I dropped her onto the bed.
Her eyes scanned my joggers to see my eager dick pointing at her. He had a mind of his own, and he had it bad for Georgia Reynolds.
“Well, clearly, soft is not the right word for you. How about we take care of that in the shower together?”
“You want to shower with me, Tink?” I asked, as I moved closer and lifted her arms before tugging my sweater over her head and finding her completely bare beneath.
She sucked in a breath and nodded before reaching forward and pulling my joggers down my legs and then pushing to her feet and sliding her hands beneath my hoodie.
This woman’s touch did something to me. It made me feel things I’d never allowed myself to feel.
I reached for her hand and led her into the bathroom before turning on the shower. I’d never showered with a woman before.
It always felt too intimate.
But I was all about firsts with this girl.
She stepped into the oversized walk-in shower first, her head fell back, and she laughed as the water sprayed down on her gorgeous face.
“What’s so funny?” I held her against my body, my throbbing cock poking at her lower belly.
“I just can’t believe I’m showering with my boss. I guess I’ve taken inappropriate to a whole new level.”
I didn’t like her joking about being unprofessional. I was her fucking boss. I was the one who’d crossed the line. The truth was Georgia was overqualified for the job she’d been given. I should have moved her to a different department a few weeks ago when I’d started giving her manuscripts to read.
“There’s nothing inappropriate about you,” I hissed, tipping her chin up so her gaze would meet mine.
“Buckle up, Bossman. I’ll show you inappropriate.”
And before I could process what was happening, she’d dropped to her knees and gripped my dick before guiding it between her lips.
And just when I thought things couldn’t get better, Georgia Reynolds gave me the best blow job of my life.