Chapter 22
Chapter Twenty-Two
Maddox
I wake before the sun, my mind already racing with all the shit I need to handle today. Amelia’s warm body is curled against mine, her naked skin still flushed from all the fucking we did. Part of me wants to wake her up for another round, but duty calls.
Carefully, I slide out from under her arm, watching as she sighs and rolls into the warm spot I’ve left behind. Fuck, she’s beautiful like this—all soft curves and tousled hair against my sheets. I allow myself exactly five seconds to appreciate the view before I get my ass in gear.
I dress quickly in the dark, pulling on my worn jeans, a fresh shirt, and my boots.
The wooden stairs creak under my weight despite my attempts to move quietly.
My mind is already outside, mapping the perimeter checks I need to make.
Yesterday was a wash productivity-wise—spent the whole damn day getting Amelia and Dylan settled, making sure they had everything they needed.
I played it cool, acted like the steady rock they could lean on, but inside? I’m fucking terrified.
I keep replaying the call I had with Shadow yesterday in my head. If the attack on the bar was really revenge on the Fallen Demons MC, I don’t know what that means for the ranch. Changing the name to Fallen Meadows was supposed to provide protection, but I fear it makes us a target now.
I grab my rifle from the cabinet by the door, checking the chamber. Whatever comes, I’ll be ready. This ranch, these people—they’re mine to protect. No one is getting hurt on my watch. I’ve made my bed with the MC, and I’ll figure out how to lie in it without getting everyone killed.
I set the gun back where it belongs, and secure the lock on the cabinet.
Just as my hand reaches for the doorknob, I hear the soft creak of the stairs behind me. I turn and nearly swallow my fucking tongue.
Amelia stands on the bottom step, her body barely covered by my flannel shirt.
It hangs open, revealing the curves of her breasts and the long expanse of her bare legs.
But what really stops my heart is my Stetson perched on her head, tipped at a slight angle that frames her face in a way that makes my cock instantly hard.
She pulls her bottom lip between her teeth and touches the brim of the hat. “You forgot something, cowboy,” she says, voice still husky with sleep and sexy as all hell.
I stare at her, speechless for a moment, before I pull my head out of my ass. “You’re wearing my hat.”
“Looks like I am.” Her smile is pure sin.
“There’s a rule to that.”
She cocks an eyebrow, curious. “Why don’t you tell me about it?”
Her hand drops from the hat to toy with the lone button holding my shirt together on her body. As I watch, she undoes it, leaving the shirt hanging open. “Better yet, why don’t you show me.”
Something primal surges through me and I’m across the room in three strides, lifting her against me, my hands cupping her bare ass. I carry her into the closest room—the washroom—and kick the door shut before I set her on top of the washing machine.
Ripping her shirt open, I stare at her tits, and the marks I left last night on them.
“Fuck, you’re a sight.”
“What’s the rule, cowboy?”
My gaze lifts to hers. “Rule is, you wear the hat, you ride the cowboy.”
“Then I guess you better take your big cock out so I can ride it,” she whispers, her hands already working at my belt.
Her legs wrap around my waist as I free myself from my jeans. There’s no time for foreplay and no need for it either. Her wetness is evident the moment I thrust into her.
She keeps the hat on the whole time, one hand holding it in place as she bounces on my cock. The other grips my shoulder, her nails digging in through my shirt. I’m still fully dressed except for my open fly, while she’s naked except for my hat and the flannel framing her perfect tits.
It’s quick, dirty, and exactly what we both need. When I come, it’s with a muffled groan against her neck. She follows seconds later, her body clenching around me as she bites her lip to stay silent.
After, I tuck myself away while she fixes the flannel shirt so it no longer hangs off her shoulders, but she doesn’t bother to button it either, keeping her body on display, along with the mess I’ve left between her thighs.
“Off to work you go,” she teases, dragging her finger through my cum as it trickles down her leg. “Have a good day.”
I bark out a laugh, bending my knees so I can reach her lips without knocking the hat from her head.
“How the hell can I have a bad day when you start it like that?” I grin against her lips, savoring the taste of her one more time before I have to face reality.
She tips the hat back slightly, her eyes twinkling with mischief. “That’s the idea, cowboy. Send you off with something to think about all day.”
A man can get used to this.
I reluctantly step back, helping her down from the washing machine. My body’s already craving her again, but if I don’t get my ass in gear now, I’ll lose another day. “I’ll check in with you before noon,” I say, adjusting my belt. “You sending Dylan to school today?”
Amelia hesitates for a moment, the playfulness fading from her expression as she considers the question. Her fingers fidget with the edge of my flannel.
“I think it’s important for him to have a sense of normalcy with all the changes going on.
So yes.” She sighs, running a hand through her tousled hair.
“I’ll be a nervous wreck until he comes home, but I think I’m going to work on my soaps.
Tomorrow is the farmer’s market, and I think it will be good for me to get back out there. ”
I reach out, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. “You don’t have to rush it, you know. Take your time.”
She leans into my touch, but there’s determination in her eyes. “Maddox, I can’t sit around here all day, especially with you at work, and your cock not around to occupy me.”
A laugh rumbles from my chest. “Anytime you need occupying by my cock, you call me, and I’ll give it to you.”
“Careful what you promise me, cowboy.” She winks, adjusting my hat on her head.
My hand closes around her breast, squeezing it. “I don’t need to be careful. Not this time. I will deliver on every promise I make to you.”
“I believe you.”
That’s all I can ask of her.
I give her breast one last squeeze before pulling the flannel closed and buttoning one button.
“If you want to go to the market tomorrow, I’ll call Shadow. He said he’d put a prospect with you.”
“I don’t know how much that will help things. Clearly whoever threw that Molotov cocktail into the bar didn’t care about the MC.”
She has a point, but I’m still not willing to send her off to the market without protection.
“It’s good to have eyes on you, Amelia, and a prospect can sniff out any threats now that the club is alert to them.”
She considers this, then nods. “Fine. But tell him I want someone who can carry soap boxes and look intimidating, not someone who’ll scare off my customers.”
“I’ll make sure he knows.” I press a kiss to her forehead, then to her lips, before pulling back. “I really need to go now.”
“Go,” she says, shooing me with her hands. “Be the big bad rancher. I’ll be here making soap and thinking about this morning.”
She plucks the hat from her head before rising on tip toe to place it on mine.
“I want that back tonight,” she says. “Gonna ride you reverse cowgirl.”
“That so?”
“Sure, is.”
I groan, adjusting myself in my jeans.
Yeah, a man can definitely get used to all this.
When I finally tear myself away from her, I make my way outside. The sun is just starting to peek over the horizon, painting the sky in pinks and oranges as I head for the barn. Seeing that view used to be the best part of my day, but not anymore.
Now the best part of my day is anytime I’m inside Amelia.
The next day drags on like molasses. I’ve been checking my phone every fifteen minutes since Amelia left for the farmer’s market this morning, her car packed with soaps and a prospect trailing behind her straddling his Harley.
I’m in the middle of showing Dylan how to properly grip the reins when Tyler comes galloping up, his face tight with concern.
“Boss, we got a problem. Found a section of fence down on the north pasture. Looks like it’s been cut.”
My stomach drops. “Cut? You sure it wasn’t just worn through?”
Tyler shakes his head. “Clean cuts. Wire cutters for sure.”
“Shit.” I glance at Dylan, who’s watching us with wide eyes. “Sorry, kid. We’re going to have to cut this lesson short.”
Disappointment flits across his face, but he tries to mask it. I don’t miss it, though, and the sight wrecks me. However, I realize it’s an important teaching moment for me. Shit happens, and Dylan needs to understand that I’m not like Russell. I will always come back and finish what I started.
“Why don’t you see if Della needs help? I’ll be back as soon as I can to finish our lesson.”
Della, who’s been mucking out stalls nearby, waves him over. “Come on, Dylan. You can help me clean up around here. I’ll show you how to properly groom Bluebell after.”
I mouth a silent ‘thank you’ to her as I saddle my horse. “I’ll be back soon, Dylan. Promise.”
The fence is exactly as Tyler described—deliberately cut. Someone’s been on my property, and after everything that’s happened, my nerves are on high alert. We spend the next hour securing the fence and searching for tracks, finding boot prints that lead toward the main road.
By the time I’m heading back to the barn, my mind is racing with possibilities, none of them good. I need to call Shadow. We need to increase security even more.
A scream cuts through the air, high-pitched and terrified.
Dylan.
My heart slams against my ribs as I dig my heels into my horse, urging him into a gallop. The sound came from the direction of the barn.