23. Miles
I don’t know what this guy looks like. I don’t know the sound of his voice, how tall he is, or what kind of life he’s lived. But I know his eyes.
I imagine watching them roll back as my hands tighten around his throat. I imagine the panic setting in when he realizes no one’s coming to save him. I imagine squeezing until the fight leaves his body, until every last breath disappears beneath my fingers.
There’s something poetic about that image that has me smiling. I can feel the tingling sensation as it travels to my fingertips. I need to get this rage out.
A pleasant tingling crawls through my fingertips, like my body is already anticipating the moment. The rage sitting inside my chest has been building for weeks, festering every time another note appeared, every time Maddie jumped at a noise, every time I saw fear cloud those beautiful copper eyes.
I need to let it out, and when I finally get my hands on him…God help him.
I finish off the rest of my breakfast while everyone throws around ideas for our next move. We go over entrances, exits, cameras, schedules—every possible angle we can think of. Our plan seems pretty solid and I’m confident that if anyone could catch this guy, it’s my men.
I look over at Maddie and see a bit of concern on her face.
She’s quiet, absentmindedly tracing the rim of her coffee mug with the tip of her finger. Her eyes aren’t focused on anything in particular, but I know that look by now.
I reach over and tuck a loose curl behind her ear, and she shifts her attention to me.
I give her a small smile, cupping her cheek.
She melts into it as she always does, shutting her eyes, a wave of peace blanketing her face.
I watch as her chest rises and falls in slow, steady breaths.
I love knowing that I give her a sense of comfort and that she feels safe with me.
It’s what she deserves, and I don’t take it for granted.
“Everything’s going to be alright, Princess,” I murmur, brushing my thumb across her cheek. “I promise. It’s almost over.”
She lifts her hand and wraps her fingers around my wrist, holding my hand against her face for another second before opening her eyes. The worry is still there, and I fear it will be until this whole nightmare is over. But she smiles at me and it’s all I need to keep going.
I give her cheek one last stroke before I head downstairs to the basement. The familiar scent of rubber mats, steel, and old sweat greets me the second I reach the bottom step.
This place used to be my sanctuary.
Whenever Izzi and I got into another one of our screaming matches, I’d disappear down here and work until every muscle in my body screamed louder than my thoughts. It was easier to numb myself with exhaustion than deal with whatever bullshit she’d stirred up that day.
The gym is honestly incredible. My dad made damn sure of that.
Every machine you could possibly need is down here, from free weights to cardio equipment.
A heavy bag hangs near the center of the room, worn from years of punishment.
In the back corner sits a cedar sauna, and beside it is a small kitchenette stocked with everything you’d need to throw together a protein shake or pre-workout before lifting.
I walk over to one of the cable machines and start working my arms. My thoughts are running wild, images of killing Maddie’s stalker flooding my vision as I pull the bar down, feeling the burn in my biceps.
I’ve never had a murderous thought in my life, but there’s something about the idea of another man touching what’s mine that has me seeing red.
I think about all the different ways I can kill him.
Strangling, bludgeoning, drowning. The possibilities are endless.
I’m down here training for maybe ten minutes when I hear someone walking down the stairs. I snap out of my rage induced thoughts and look up to see Morgan walking in, headphones placed over her ears, the music blaring so loud I can hear it from here.
She’s dressed in small shorts and a sports bra, and I internally cringe when I think about the one night I spent with her. I knew even then that it was a mistake, but it was one of those nights when Izzi and I were fighting and Morgan was simply available.
She hasn’t noticed me standing here yet, so I start walking towards her to leave. She looks up at me and stammers, “Oh—uh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know you were in here. I can go.”
She turns and heads back towards the stairs.
“It’s fine, Morgan. I was just leaving.”
She turns back around, a blush beginning to form on her cheeks.
“If this is going to be weird, I can bring someone else in. I don’t need holes in my team. Maddie’s important to me. If anything happens to her—”
“It won’t,” she rushes out. “I’m sorry. I won’t make it weird. It was only one night. That doesn’t mean it meant anything.”
Morgan swallows the lump in her throat, trying so hard not to break eye contact. I don’t have many regrets. I’ve always believed that regrets were pointless. Whatever I was doing, I was enjoying myself when it happened.
However, this? This I regret.
I tighten my lips and nod, walking past her and grabbing a towel on my way out.
I’ll just have to find another way to let out some steam.
I jog up the stairs to the main level and look around for Maddie.
When I don’t see her in the kitchen or living area, I jog up the stairs to the second level where our bedroom is.
I don’t know why I thought Maddie would just be hanging out in an open space she’s not comfortable with.
Panic creeps its way into my chest when I open the door to our bedroom and find that it’s empty. The door to the bathroom is slightly ajar and I ease my breathing when I hear the shower running.
Time to let out that steam.
I smile to myself and crack the door open, steam hitting my face the moment I walk in. Maddie spots me from behind the glass door of the shower and jumps a little.
“You scared me! Ever heard of knocking?”
I chuckle. She’s so damn cute when she’s trying to be angry.
I grin up at her through my lashes, watching as she tries to hide herself from me.
That simply won’t do.
I grab the back of my shirt and pull it over my head, watching as Maddie’s eyes trail over my chest. Her pupils widen, and something darker flickers in her gaze.
“What do you think you’re doing in there, Princess?” I slowly kick my shoes and socks off and look back up at her. “You trying to hide from me?”
I drop my shorts and smirk when I see Maddie’s eyes travel down to my cock, widening as she lifts a single eyebrow. She shakes her head and drops her arms, her breathing picking up slightly, and I watch as her beautiful plump breasts rise and fall with every breath.
God, she’s so fucking radiant.
I open the shower door and walk inside. She steps backwards until her back meets the tile, my body pressing against hers. I run my hand along the side of her face until I reach her chin, gripping it between two fingers.
My eyes narrow in on her delicious lips. “Good, because I’ve already seen all of you, and you have nothing left to hide from me.”
I kiss her tenderly, nibbling slightly on her bottom lip. I pull away just to watch my hand as I trace my fingers down her chest and between her breasts, until I reach her navel. Her breathing picks up even more, and I lift my eyes to hers.
“And if you try to hide from me again, there will be consequences. Do you understand?”
She nods, but I don’t let her get away with that. My hand slides from her cheek to the delicate column of her throat, my fingers wrapping around it just enough for her breath to catch. Her lips part on a soft gasp, those copper eyes widening as they lock onto mine.
A slow grin tugs at my lips. “What did I tell you about using your words, Madelyn?” I murmur, my thumb brushing lazily over the rapid pulse fluttering beneath my fingertips. “Nodding isn’t an answer.”
“Yes,” she whispers. “I-I understand.”
I let go of her throat and bring my hand down between her thighs, feeling her part them for me.
“Good girl.”
I grip one of her legs, wrapping it around my waist. Using my other hand, I slide my fingers between her lips and feel her wetness, earning myself another gasp from her.
I love it when I steal her breath.
I move my fingers up to her clit and slowly rub small circles. Her mouth forms into an O and I watch as her eyes glaze over.
Inserting one finger into her pussy, she moans loudly next to my ear, her fingernails digging into my back. I’m sure it’s going to leave a mark, but I don’t fucking care. I love when she marks me, claiming me as hers.
Adding another finger, I pump them inside her, swallowing her beautiful moans as I ravish her mouth. I pull my fingers out of her pussy, not even bothering to lick them clean this time. I’m too fucking impatient and aching to be inside her.
Picking her up by her thighs, I hold her against the tile. Firmly gripping myself, I align the head of my cock to her entrance and push in, both of us moaning at the same time.
“Fuuuuuuuuck, you’re so goddamn tight,” I groan. “I could live and breathe in this pussy forever.”
The last few times Maddie and I had sex, I tried going easy on her, but I can’t help myself this time.
I’m not holding back. I thrust in and out of her with so much force, she’s screaming in my ear, but I don’t stop.
It feels too good to stop. I can feel her nails digging deeper and deeper into my skin and when I look down at the water below us, I see the dark tint of crimson flowing towards the drain.
The sight of my blood that she drew causes me to thrust faster, harder, and deeper.
I grab a fist full of her hair and pull her head to the side, opening her neck up for me to bite.
She whimpers loudly but doesn’t stop me.
I know I’m being rough on her, but I know she loves it. She’d stop me if she didn’t.