Chapter 34
thirty-four
. . .
Maddox
“And that’s how you do it. Winners gonna win, and losers gonna lose!” Georgia shouted, doing some sort of crazy dance as she twirled around in her little skirt with tights beneath it because it was still chilly in Cottonwood Cove.
She refused to wear the helmet I’d bought her, even though the freaking ball pegged her in the cheek when she was playing with her brother, Cage, last week. He’d looked over at me sheepishly when I’d growled at him, and the rest of her siblings thought it was hilarious.
Normally, I despised losing. But losing to this girl felt like a win.
I loved her excitement and enthusiasm for the smallest things in life.
She’d already taught me so much about living.
Here I’d been the one born into this wealthy family, where I’d never wanted for anything.
I’d traveled the world and experienced things most people would never experience.
Yet Georgia Reynolds was teaching me about life.
About living.
Really living.
Playing pickleball, picnics at the park, walking along the cove, and Sunday dinners with family.
We’d been living together for two weeks, and to say that things were good would be a massive understatement.
I wanted things that I’d never thought I’d want.
And they all revolved around her.
I followed her inside as the sun was just starting to go down, and she said that she had a surprise for me.
“What are you up to?” I asked as we walked through the opening at the back of the house that was all glass, and the entire wall opened to the outdoors. We left it open when we were home because we were backed up to mountains and a gorgeous view of the ocean.
“I know it’s hard to lose, so I’m going to do something nice for you. You just sit down on that couch, Bossman. I’ll be right back.”
I rolled my eyes because she loved to rub it in when she beat me. I acted annoyed, even though I fucking loved every second of it.
I sat back on the large sectional couch and glanced around the room. There were photos hanging on the walls now.
Pictures of my brother and me and even the photo we’d taken at my father’s reception hung in a gorgeous frame on the wall.
The photo of my brother and me with my mother was blown up and hanging amongst the others, as well.
Photos of Georgia’s family donned the walls, too.
But my favorite photo was the one of me and my girl sitting under the stars.
It was what we did every night now before we went to bed.
And as corny as it sounded, I thanked my lucky fucking stars every single day for this girl.
For the way she’d breathed life back into me.
The irony was not lost on me. Even though I’d been the one who’d literally resuscitated her, she’d actually been the one to bring me back to life.
“You ready?” she shouted from around the corner.
“Born ready, baby,” I said, using the words she’d said to me so many times.
“Alexa, play ‘Slow Ride’ by Foghat,” she ordered our little speaker in the kitchen.
The next thing I knew, her odd choice of music started playing loudly. It was the song she always played now, since I’d told her that was the day that I’d fallen in love with her without even knowing it. The day she’d danced around my closet like a fucking rock star.
She came around the corner wearing her pickleball skirt, minus the tights, a little white tank top, and my grandfather’s cowboy hat. She wore her infamous wide grin as she strode toward me, and her feet were bare.
She started singing the lyrics to me, and I leaned back, enjoying the show.
She moved closer, climbing onto my lap, one leg moving to each side so she was straddling me.
My hands moved up her toned, lean thighs, and she just continued singing as she smiled down at me.
My fingers moved to the apex of her thighs, and I stroked over her thin lace panties as her head fell back, and she gasped.
We couldn’t get enough of each other.
And it wasn’t for lack of effort.
Her hands found my shoulders as I slipped my fingers beneath her panties.
“You want a slow ride, baby?” I purred, and she bit down on that juicy bottom lip of hers as I stroked along all her wetness as she groaned.
I reached down and shoved my joggers down my thighs, freeing my ever-eager cock, who couldn’t get enough of this gorgeous woman. Her gaze locked with mine, two dimples on full display as she smiled before sliding down my thick erection, inch by glorious fucking inch.
I held her still once I was all the way in, because I just wanted to savor the moment. Because when I was with this woman, I was exactly where I wanted to be.
I’d found my home and my joy and my happiness in this little bundle of a beautiful woman with sapphire eyes, a heart of gold, and the sweetest pussy known to man.
I gripped her hips and helped her slide up and down my erection, slowly at first. I tugged at her tank top and pulled down the straps, needing to see her beautiful body, nudging her bra down as my mouth came over her perfect tits, one at a time.
I flicked my tongue at her hard peaks as she sucked in a breath and her head fell back.
She rode me into fucking oblivion.
And I never wanted it to end.
Her hands gripped my shoulders, and I knew exactly what she needed.
Because I knew every inch of this woman’s body.
I moved my hand between us, rubbing little circles over her clit, just the way she liked it.
“Yesss,” she hissed, as she moved faster.
I wrapped my hand around her neck and pulled her mouth down to mine, and I kissed her hard. My tongue slid in and out at the same rhythm as my dick.
She moaned into my mouth just as she exploded.
Her body shook as little gasps left her sexy mouth, and I pumped into her once more.
And that was all it took.
I went right over the edge with her.
Just like I always did.
Wyle
I think I’m going to buy a place in Cottonwood Cove. Now that I’m living in the city, I want to have a place I can go to on the weekends.
I’d been telling him how we took the boat out the last few weekends, and he knew how much I liked living here now.
Dad said he wants to get a place here now, too. You’re all so fucking clingy.
Wyle
It’s all your fault.
How is this my fault?
Wyle
When the grumpiest dude on the planet is living his best life, people take notice, dickhead.
Because I’m happy, you’re all going to punish me by moving here?
He knew I was kidding, because having Wyle nearby had been really nice.
My family was slowly healing from all the anger and loss that we’d experienced.
My father wasn’t my favorite person, nor did I ever think we’d be close, but I wasn’t going to ice him out anymore.
Claire was a good woman, and they were having a baby, and for whatever reason, I didn’t want to miss out on that.
We still had work to do, but we were moving in the right direction.
Wyle
Damn straight. Can Georgia set me up with some of her friends?
Well, the fact that you want her to set you up with multiple women is a bad sign. She’s not going to go for that.
Wyle
I don’t know. Your girl is pretty soft on me. She baked me my favorite cookies when I was in town last week. You better watch your back, brother.
Not a fucking chance. She likes the broody, brilliant type.
Wyle
Even though you’re an arrogant fucker, I’m happy for you, Maddox. You deserve this.
Now you’re going soft on me?
Wyle
Nothing soft over here, brother. And if you tell anyone what I said, I’ll deny it and tell them that you used to sleep with that penguin stuffed animal Mom got you until you were thirteen.
That was you, asshole. Love you, too.
Wyle
Yeah, yeah, yeah. Love you, dickhead. See you in a few days. You’re coming to look at spec homes with me on Saturday.
I laughed when I set my phone down and looked back at my computer monitor. Our numbers were up this year, and we’d signed several new authors to our client list, thanks to my girlfriend’s keen eye for discovering talent.
I didn’t even like calling her that.
Girlfriend didn’t do her justice.
Because she wasn’t just my girlfriend, or a coworker or even a friend.
She was everything.
There was a knock on the door, and before I responded, she was pushing it open.
She strode toward me wearing a white button-up, a sexy-as-fuck black pencil skirt, and a pair of pink stilettos. She came around my desk and rested her ass on the edge as her legs settled between mine.
“How’d it go?” I asked.
“We signed her to a two-book deal. Easy breezy,” she said, clapping her hands together twice and smiling. “Ashlan Thomas is officially a client of Lancaster Press.”
Georgia wanted to run the meeting on her own with her cousin, as she was building her portfolio of clients, and the fact that she was working directly with Mara Skye and Ashlan Thomas was impressive for someone in their first year of publishing.
But she knew books.
She knew the market.
She had a brilliant eye for design and worked closely with the cover designers to create the perfect packaging.
“You’re amazing. How does it feel to have two of the most sought-after authors out there requesting to work with you?” My hands rubbed along the outside of her thighs.
“Pretty damn good. It’s crazy, you know?”
“What?”
“Well, when I came to work here, I didn’t know what I wanted to do with my life.
I’d just gotten out of a miserable relationship.
I’d studied art and really loved being creative, but I’d felt all this pressure to have a job that could support me.
” She shrugged as her hand found mine, and she interlaced our fingers.
“And then I found you, and everything literally fell into place. I know what I want in both my personal life and my professional life, and that’s all because I fell in love with you, Bossman. You helped me figure out who I was.”
I tugged her down to sit on my lap and wrapped my arms around her. “And you helped me figure out that there was more to life than just working and making money.”
Her head tipped back, resting against my shoulder, and she looked up at me. “What more did you find?”
“That I could actually enjoy the fucking life I’d been born into instead of resenting it. That I did still know how to laugh, even though it had been a long time since I’d done it. And you’re fucking funny, baby.” I nipped at her bottom lip, and she chuckled.
“What else?”
My thumb traced along her cheekbone. “That I could love again, Tink. That’s the gift you gave me.
Because after losing my mom, I really didn’t think I’d ever allow myself to go there again.
To let myself love someone so much that it would hurt to lose them.
And I felt it that day you fell through the ice.
That terror that I knew I would never recover from.
But here we are, living and loving, and that doesn’t even scare me anymore. ”
“So basically, what you’re telling me is that you can’t live without me?” Her glossy pink lips turned up in the corners, two dimples on full display, and sapphire eyes that could see into a soul that I didn’t even know I had.
“That’s exactly what I’m saying. Which is why we’re going to wrap you in bubble wrap for that family pickleball tournament you planned for this weekend.”
“Not a chance. I can’t smoke everyone if I’m being constrained.” She laughed. “Wyle texted that he’s going to be here for the tournament.”
“He told me. He’s looking for a house here now, too. Look at you, healing all the broken Lancasters and putting us back together.”
“I told you, I have a knack for odd sports.”
“You have a knack for making everything better, Georgia Reynolds.”
“And you have a knack for making me feel like I’m the only girl in the room,” she whispered.
“You are the only girl in the room.” My voice was all tease as I raised a brow at her.
But she was right. It didn’t matter if we were alone or in a room full of people.
She was the only one I saw.
The only one I needed.
“Such a smart-ass,” she said, rubbing her nose against mine.
“You know how we sit under the stars every night because it’s our favorite thing to do?”
“Yeah?” She pulled back to look at me.
“Well, when you’re looking up at the stars and talking about all the things that you see, and I tease you because I can’t see any of it?” I paused, and my gaze locked with hers.
“Yes. Which is why I want you to go get your eyes checked.”
“I don’t need my eyes checked, baby. The reason I don’t see what you see when you look up at the sky is because I’m always looking at you. Even with all the stars out at night, I don’t want to look anywhere else. Because I have everything I need. Everything I want. It’s right in front of me.”
“You just beat out every book boyfriend I’ve ever put on a pedestal with that confession,” she whispered. “You’re the perfect leading man.”
“Oh, yeah?” My fingers tangled in her hair as I pulled her closer, her lips just a breath away.
“Yeah.” The word came out all breathy. “You’re ridiculously handsome and protective and broody.
Bossy as hell. But you’re sweet and romantic when we’re alone.
And don’t even get me started on your filthy mouth when it comes to sex.
You’re the whole package, Bossman. I’m the luckiest girl on the planet. ”
“We both are. I love you, Tink.”
“I love you. And we get to write our own happily ever after, don’t we?”
“Damn straight. We’ve been writing it since the day you strode into my office.”
And that was the truth.
I didn’t even believe in that happily ever after bullshit before I met Georgia Reynolds.
But now I was a sappy bastard who wanted it all.
And now that I’d found her, I was never letting go.