These Jagged Edges

Chapter 18

Chapter Eighteen

EVIE

After last week I haven’t seen so much as a glimpse of Maddox. As I sit out on my steps today, I’m frustrated because I realize the second he left the storeroom that I haven't asked him how he was doing. He was the one sitting alone with a picture of his daughter. That thought alone has been festering and festering. Nagging me to go check on him.

Everyone has given me a wide berth to process which honestly, I'm glad for. The boys asked where Maddox has been, but I told them he's just been busy with work. Charlie looks at me like he knows I'm lying but so far, he's let it slide.

Vic just makes up any excuse to be over. From needing to winterize the pipes even though it's the middle of summer to fixing the shutters he just built last year. I know it kills him to see me like this and he doesn't want me to be alone. Honestly, his quiet presence is comforting.

"Mama, how long are you going to sit out here looking at Maddox's house?" Bash sits beside me on the step, sweaty from chasing Mellon Collie across the yard .

"I don't know buddy," I tell him honestly.

"Charlie’s still mad at him but I'm not."

I ruffle his hair. "Neither you nor your brother should be mad at him in the first place. Maddox is a good man."

"Just go hug him. That’s what I always do."

"It's that easy?" I chuckle.

"Works for me.” His brown eyes stare back at me like his answer is the most obvious in the world. I think it over a few seconds before responding. It isn’t that simple, but I know the ball is in my court.

"Do me a favor, go to Vic and tell him dinners on him tonight. I'll be right back."

"Yes ma'am!"

Taking life advice from my six year old, I find myself walking across the yard toward the house I've been staring at. I don't even take the first step when the door opens. Maddox stands shirtless, propped in the door much like Mercy the first time we met. He doesn't smile or even say hello, he stands transfixed as if the slightest movement will scare me off. Maybe it will. I quirk an eyebrow as I notice he’s sporting a black eye.

"What happened to your face?" I ask, fisting the bottom of my shirt.

"Vic," he says, nodding towards Vic’s house. I’m not surprised, Vic’s a hard ass and keeps his soft side reserved for me and the boys. While a small part of me is proud to have someone to stand up for me, I hate to see the evidence of it on his face no matter how deserved it was.

Maddox glances at me cautiously, his expression a mix of uncertainty and concern. “Do you want to come in?”

“I don’t know,” I admit, unable to meet his gaze, my heart pounding in my chest.

He bends down until our eyes lock, and for a moment, the world around us fades. “There she is,” he breathes, as if my presence alone has lifted a tremendous weight from his shoulders. “Please, come in…if you want to.”

His sad green eyes are a mirror of emotions—pain etched deep within their depths, regret swirling like a storm, and the faintest flicker of hope that struggles to break free.

I’ve been inside Maddox's house before but very briefly. The outside is rustic and charming. It’s a farm style house with a wrap-around porch and a big swing on the end.

But the inside is unsettling. It’s very barebones on the inside, with no pictures or things that make a home a home. I figured it’s why he had spent most of the last three months at our house. Maddox's house is a cesspool of loneliness and despair. A playground for all your inner demons to come to play. The thought of sitting in there alone makes me shiver, but I also know ignoring the situation isn’t going to make it any better.

"Okay."

He holds the door open and ushers me in. I gasp as I walk in; Maddox has hung pictures, a blanket is folded neatly on the back of the couch, the boys have been over leaving various toys scattered in the living room, and there’s a huge flatscreen mounted to the wall. It looks like a home. Looking at the pictures, I notice there are pictures of three small boys with their arms around each other and huge smiles on their faces, I'm assuming that's Maddox, Henry, and Mercy, a picture of my boys grinning shirtless from ear to ear after helping build their bike ramp, a picture of the boys and myself after a basketball game with Vic, a picture of me and Maddox from my birthday dinner, I'm sitting on his lap, laughing, and he's looking at me with so much tenderness on his usually stoic face. I don’t know who took it, but I need to hug their neck. The center picture is a picture of a Maddox asleep with a beautiful baby with blonde curls sleeping on his chest.

He has brought life into his house, making it a home.

"She's beautiful," I tell him softly as I trace my finger along the picture. I push my hair behind my ear and find him locked on my every move. Maddox hums in agreement.

"Looks like the boys have visited," I say, gesturing toward their toys.

"Charlie came by last week and called me out for well…" he says slowly. "He’s been back every day since then."

"I see." I know he’s been coming over, he always asks for permission no matter where he goes, unlike his brother. Maddox is a good man, and I couldn't bring myself to take the boys away from him. I refused to rip another thing from his life no matter how strained things were between us.

There’s discomfort surrounding us. I don't like this. I'm used to comfortable silence filled with affection. Not this, it makes me want to leave. Seeing as I don’t have the best track record with noticing when the universe shows me red flags, I take it as a sign this wasn't a good idea. Without meeting his eye, I say, "I'm going to go."

"No ma'am. You've been sitting out there for two days staring at my house driving me up a damn wall. Say what's on your mind."

I shift my weight from foot to foot. He won’t force me to stay, will he?

"I'm not going to force you to stay. But something is on your mind. I've sat here for two days watching you, waiting for you to come over. It took everything in me not to storm over there, throw you over my shoulder, and bury my tongue in you until you talked to me."

I swallow and take a deep breath. "That's not the answer to every problem." I fist the bottom of my shirt and twist. "I never asked you if you were okay and it's been bothering me."

A large hand grasps both of mine, stopping my nervous movement, the flinch is unexpected, but Maddox makes no move to take his hands from mine. I take a deep breath and let the smell of pine and fresh laundry surround me, allowing me to relax. He softly rubs his thumb on my hand before letting it go .

"Now, to answer your question, fuck no, I'm not okay?—"

"I mean that day at the gym, you had Livvy's picture out," I say cutting him off, not ready for that part of the conversation just yet.

Maddox goes quiet for so long that I don't think he'll answer. Always slamming a wall up when someone gets too close. "Okay, Big Guy." Head held high, I walk past him making sure not to touch him as I head for the door.

"It was Livvy's birthday." Maddox drops heavily onto the couch, putting his head between his hands fisting his hair.

My hand falls from the door handle. "What did you do to celebrate?"

Maddox scoffs, "Celebrate?"

"Yes, Maddox. What did you do to celebrate her birthday?"

"I don't fucking celebrate my dead daughter's birthday, Evie. I drink the day away until I get black-out drunk.” His eyes have turned to slits as he looks at me from the corner of his eye.

"And tell me, how'd that work out for you?" I snap not backing down.

Maddox jerks his head up and sears me to the spot. His big body shifts restlessly beneath its weight, and I know I struck a nerve.

"I'm telling you this as your friend, find a better way to honor your daughter's memory. Don't you think a precious life deserves something more than stale whiskey and bitterness?"

His gaze is so intense and unwavering that I start to question whether he has heard me at all. The silence grows heavy, stretching out until he finally breaks it.

When Maddox speaks, his tone is so deep and rich that it sends a shiver through me, leaving goosebumps on my arms as his words reverberate in the stillness. "Woman, call me your damn friend again and I'm pinning you to the wall and eating the word friend out of your fucking vocabulary.”

Not a threat, a promise .

A delicious promise.

"Just remember, I'm a big boy, and baby, big boys have big appetites." Maddox rises to his full height and stalks toward me like a predator stalking its prey. I quickly grab the door handle and hurry to make my escape when a large hand slams it closed blocking my escape.

Maddox runs his nose along my neck. "You're right. I need to honor my baby and celebrate her birthday because she was the most precious thing in my life, but I don't fucking know how to because I don’t feel like I deserve to celebrate her life."

"You have to find the light even in the darkest of places. I'm not going to pretend to understand how you feel Maddox, but I do know how easy it is to stay in the comfort of that darkness."

Maddox pulls me closer, resting his head gently on the back of my neck. In a voice tinged with sorrow, he whispers, "What if that darkness is all I've ever known?"

Oh, you big sad boy.

My heart aches for him, feeling the weight of his sadness and the depth of his struggle. “Then I’ll shine some light in there, so you don’t feel so alone.”

Maddox's breath mingles with mine as his forehead rests against my own, a tender yet intense connection that sends a shiver down my spine. I brace myself, knowing that the words he's about to speak will shatter the fragile balance I've been clinging to. "I made you take those classes with me because I was so damn jealous of my brother getting all your smiles and laughs. You were never unwanted. I knew you were the most precious treasure I'd ever fucking set eyes on the minute I saw you dancing with Vic's old ass in the yard on his birthday. The love on your face for him was so pure, it felt like an undeserved blessing, as if God had finally granted me a mercy I hadn't earned. I couldn’t fathom why He would place an angel so close to someone as unworthy as me."

I had no idea he had seen that. The hardest day of the year for Vic was his birthday, his wife Mabel had always baked his favorite cake and then they danced under the carport light for hours and hours. After everything Vic had done for me since moving to Thunder Ridge, I knocked on his door with a vanilla sheet cake and asked for a dance. I'll never forget the way his eyes misted over before he told me I better not have two left feet. We danced, ate cake, and Vic made sure to tell me it didn't hold a candle to his Mabel, but I knew how much he appreciated it all the same.

Maddox didn't forget a word I had told him in that storeroom, but I’m not surprised.

"Tell me how angry you are. Shout at me, hit me again if you have to, just don’t let this be the end.” His finger ghost the side of my face.

"I’m not angry with you, I’m disappointed in you.” I swallow down the emotion clawing up my throat before continuing, “You hurt me Maddox.” He briefly closes his eyes as I place my hand on my heart. “Maddox, I’ve already lived that life, and I refuse to do it again. I deserve so much more than that."

Hurt reflects in his green eyes. "You think I don’t know that, Evie?”

"It’s not about what you think. It’s about what I deserve Maddox.” I square my chin and tell him without hesitation, "I deserve a love that fills me up completely, one that makes me forget every time I felt like I didn’t measure up. I’m not looking for perfection; I want the messy stuff. You know, the kind of messy that turns every fight into something that only makes us love each other more. I want someone whose broken pieces fit seamlessly with mine so that both of us finally feel whole."

Maddox opens his mouth to speak, and I cut him off, “What I don’t deserve is someone using my trauma against me to hurt me, intentional or not.”

Maddox’s face reflects so much shame, the weight of it etched into every feature. He avoids my gaze, staring at the floor as if it holds the answers to questions he can’t bring himself to ask. As he swallows hard, I can almost hear the silent apology in his heart, the unspoken words that linger in the air between us.

“You made me break my promise.”

His brows scrunch in confusion. “Promise?”

“I promised myself I would never let another man see me vulnerable again. I swore off all men for good, but then you came barreling into my life with your big, growly charm, and that commitment I made to myself went flying out the damn window.”

He slowly caresses the side of my face. “What are you saying?” His voice is barely a whisper.

I place my hand on his as he cups my cheek. “You should have told me when you first realized you were falling in love with me.”

Maddox smirks down at me. "It would be a little creepy to tell a stranger you fell for her after she screamed fuck you in your face. Or after she shoved fried chicken in your chest because she felt guilty she didn't invite you to dinner, even though she sent your brother over with all the leftovers a couple nights before."

“You’ve lost your damned mind,” I mutter beneath my breath.

"I couldn't tell a woman who just begged me not to beat her with a goddamn belt I was falling for her and just wanted to hold her and keep her safe from all that haunts her."

Maddox leans closer his nose brushing mine. "I couldn't tell a woman who showed me all her scars how much she was becoming my everything because she finally started to believe she was worthy of everything.”

He places my hand on his racing heart. "You want messy? I’ll be the messiest motherfucker in Thunder Ridge. You want fights? I’ll fight with you as long as we make up twice as hard. We can argue over breakfast, and fuck over lunch. You want my broken pieces? Already yours. I’m going to spend every day loving all those jagged edges you feel define you until you love them just as much as I do.”

I can’t seem to form a single word, my eyes blur, and tears threaten to fall. Maddox takes a deep breath and rests his forehead against mine. “I swear I’ll never threaten you again and I’ll dedicate every damn day being worthy of messy.”

Jesus Christ. Nobody can ever say Maddox Wilder is a man who lacks depth. Maddox Wilder is carved from the deepest part of the most heartbroken places. He makes friends with suffering, loss, and despair better than anyone else. He’s walking devastation; I knew it the night he stood on my porch returning my dog.

Blowing out a rough breath I think logically. I know Maddox would never hurt me physically. It’s something I just feel deep down to be true. There's no excuse for his behavior that day, but I know him well enough to know he has done nothing but let it eat at him. Rotting him from the inside.

Maddox isn’t a man who loves you loudly, he’s a man that loves you quietly. Quiet and unmoving, his love feels like a strong presence that always stays with you. Putting back together the pieces you thought were lost forever and gently healing parts of you that you thought were forever damaged.

"You have to promise me..."

"Done."

I press my hand over his mouth, silencing him. “Shut up and listen to me. If I decide this is something we can work through, understand that it’s the only second chance you’ll ever get with me, Maddox Cole Wilder. I don’t care if it’s ten years from now and we have two more kids; there’s nothing on God’s good green earth that you can do to win me back. I have survived being beaten, raped, and tortured by a monster, and I will not settle for anything less than what I deserve. Do you understand?”

My voice trembles with intensity, each word heavy with the weight of my past and the resolve of my future.

Maddox gives me a curt nod, his understanding clear. I gradually remove my hand, locking my gaze onto his. “And if you ever threaten me again, a black eye will be the least of your worries.”

The weight of my words hangs in the air, an unspoken promise that I won’t hesitate to protect myself, no matter the cost.

"Maddox, get in."

"No.”

We've been easing back into things these past few weeks, allowing things to settle back into place between us. We haven't had sex and despite how badly I crave him I don’t want that dynamic. You know the whole let's fuck like bunnies and hope that magically fixes the problem dynamic. I'm a grown-ass woman; I’m not sweeping anything under the rug. Shit got heavy for a bit and we both need time to work through that without mixing sex into the mix.

It's Joe's birthday today, and like every year, we headed to the lake to celebrate. Nothing compared to Thunder Lake—crystal clear, ice-cold water nestled deep in the piney woods. It was the perfect little oasis. Waylon got the grill going, we all swam, and Vic took the boys fishing. It was our tradition, the same routine, but it never got old.

Henry and Mags usually came, but Henry couldn’t get out of work and Mags was still in Europe. Maddox and Mercy tagged along, and the minute Maddox took his shirt off I cursed myself for deciding to wait before climbing that man like a tree. The man is a walking Adonis, well, maybe an emo Adonis but damn. His olive skin shimmered in the water, and a rebellious curl often tumbled onto his face throughout the day. Every time he caught me looking, he'd give me a knowing look.

"Girl, put that book down and get in the water! It's too fucking hot out!" Vic calls out disrupting my thoughts.

I close my book and take my cover-up off. Bending down, I pile my hair on top of my head in a messy bun before getting in the water. There’s nothing special about my swimsuit, it's a simple black one-piece that’s cut higher on the sides showing off my thighs, and the back is completely cut out. You can’t see my scars unless I’m spread eagle, and I don’t plan on kart wheels or gymnastics anytime today or ever.

As I right myself, I bump right into Maddox. "Jesus! How you can be so big and quiet at the same damn time?”

"Woman, you've got to make sure you warn a man next time."

Old insecurities show their ugly face. "What? Why?"

Maddox's eyes darken. "Because you in this brings me to my fucking knees, and this is a family event, but later, you're going to pull this aside," Maddox slowly traces the bottom of the swimsuit where it sits on my panty line, his large body blocking me from everyone's sight, making me squirm, "so I can finally bury my tongue back in this sweet, sweet pussy."

I lean in closer, my voice low and daring. "You promise?"

"Oh, baby, you’re going to ride my face until I fucking drown in you." His voice is rough and deliberate, each word sliding from his lips as he bites down, his gaze locking onto mine with an intensity that sends heat rushing through me.

Sweet Jesus. I may have come a little right then and there.

"Mama!"

Charlie breaks the trance and Maddox excuses himself to Mercy's truck muttering about me being a little vixen.

As I’m helping Joe pack up, I overhear Maddox tell Mercy that he might feel comfortable trying to drive again, and I know I can help. The boys insist on going back with Vic to help clean the fish they caught. So, I figure there is no time like the present. After a quick kiss goodbye, I turn to Maddox. The only thing left for me to do is make him sit there and trust me to take care of him like he has done so many times before for me.

As Maddox's face becomes increasingly panicked, I know it's my job to offer a bit of strength and nudge him. As I run my hand lovingly up his neck, I faintly trace the scar on his lips, reducing him from a hard stoic man to a puddle.

"Look at me, baby."

Maddox turns those green eyes on me .

"Do you trust me?"

"This is different?—"

"Do. You. Trust. Me?" I ask firmly.

He stares at me intently. "With everything."

"All you're doing is sitting right there." I point to the driver's seat. "We're not driving anywhere, I promise, all you have to do is sit your big sexy ass in that seat. That’s it.”

With a shaky nod, Maddox sits in the driver's seat ever so slowly before shutting the door. I had to push the seat as far back as possible for his long legs and it still isn’t enough room, but it gives him enough room to sit. After the door is finally closed, I round the car and take the passenger seat. Maddox has broken out in a cold sweat and his fists are balled up on his knees. He's staring straight ahead but I know he's a million miles away.

"Tell me five things you see Big Guy."

Maddox slowly blinks. "The lake, the trees, a boat," he pauses and shifts his head left and then right, "the dock, and the boy's fishing poles."

"Good." I slowly clasp his hand in mine and bring it up to the steering wheel, but before he can panic, I ask him to tell me four things he can feel.

"Your hand on mine, the steering wheel..." His knuckles turn white as he grips the steering wheel tighter.

"Keep going baby, only two more." I run a hand through his thick hair.

"Your hand in my hair, and my glasses on my face." Maddox still doesn’t relax. What was next after four things you feel? Three things you hear!

“Okay Big Guy, tell me three things you hear,” I say stroking up his arm.

“Boats on the lake, my heartbeat, and your breathing.” Maddox relaxes just a bit, and I kiss his cheek.

"Good boy." I try to flip the term on him, but it doesn't have the desired effect. Maddox cuts his eyes at me, and I lose my composure, practically falling in his lap with laughter. Before long he's laughing along with me. All the laughter dies in my throat as he stares at me, green eyes ablaze.

"Oh, baby, you’re going to ride my face until I fucking drown in you."

My nipples harden thinking about his filthy words from earlier and I pull back, but it's too late, I know he felt them.

"Evie—"

"Just forget you felt that. Let's continue without any distractions."

"Baby, if you're a distraction then I want you to distract me the rest of my goddamn life." Maddox slowly sweeps over me making me tremble.

"Maddox, I?—"

My words are cut off by his mouth crashing into mine and his greedy tongue demanding entry into my mouth. In frantic movements, we end up in the back of my jeep. Maddox's shirt is off, and his thick cock is poking into my belly as he lays on his back with his legs hanging over the back seat. I put my hand on his hot cock and stroke it when my hand is pulled away.

"First things first, baby, sit that pretty pussy on my face,” he licks his top lip in anticipation.

"Maddox, we have no room."

"You let me worry about that."

"You barely fit in here at all! You’re at least seven feet tall!" There’s no way this was going to work.

"Six five." The fucker smirks. "Now quit stalling and get that ass up here now! Please."

The please makes me giggle as I slowly crawl up his body, stopping when he pulls my breast free of my swimsuit and nibbles on my nipples. Maddox playfully slaps my ass, and I keep going until I'm hovering over his face. Maddox takes his glasses and tosses them in the front seat, and he licks my inner thigh, "I've been fucking starved for a taste of you. "

I laugh. "You've managed just fine."

Suddenly Maddox slides two fingers along the sides of my clit shutting me up. I feel him shudder beneath me when he realizes how wet I am.

"Slowly pull this to the side and let me see just how much this pretty pussy has missed me," Maddox murmurs as he kisses and licks his way along the scars on my inner thighs his eyes never leaving mine. I pull the bottoms of my swimsuit to the side earning me a delicious toe-curling groan from Maddox. "Look at you baby, goddamn soaked." Maddox intertwines our fingers and brings them down to my soaking core circling my clit slowly before sinking one of my fingers in my center.

"Maddox!"

"Don't be greedy," Maddox says, licking his lips.

Without needing to be told, I slip my finger between his lips and in his mouth. I feel him groan around my finger making my center throb. I pull my finger out. "Reach out and put both hands palms up on the roof, and don’t fucking move them. I want to see this beautiful body on display for me."

I place my palms on the roof as he murmurs “Good girl” and I almost come right then. Without warning Maddox licks my throbbing center; I quickly bite my lip to stifle my moan.

"Oh no baby, all those sexy noises you make are mine,” he growls my arousal glistening on his lips. “Now, let’s see how loud and messy you can get.”

Maddox teases my clit a little longer making me a withering mess, until he slides a hand under each thigh and slightly lifts me.

"What the?—"

The words die in my mouth as Maddox sticks that impressive tongue in my aching center and has begun lifting me up and down making me fuck his tongue. My eyes roll back in my head; I can feel myself on the edge and I want to try and prolong this as long as possible because it feels so good. His nose bumping my clit each time I go up and down makes me cry out spurring Maddox to go faster. The pressure is too much and pushes me over the edge and I look down in just enough time to see Maddox hungrily lapping up my release as I coat his face.

I slide back down his chest and pull his hard cock out of his board shorts.

"That was so?—"

"Later you can tell me how fucking hot that was but right now I want to ride your thick cock. So, scoot your fine ass back and give me room."

"Yes ma'am." Maddox moves on command, and I give him my back as I straddle his thick legs and slowly sink onto him.

"Oh, you little fucking vixen," he hisses.

Tears sting my eyes, Maddox is so much deeper at this angle, so I go slowly, giving myself time to adjust to him. Looking back, I see him with his arms stretched across the back with a palm on each window.

"You want to touch me, don’t you?" A shudder runs through his powerful body, and he nods his head; I pick myself up and slide back down taking a little more of him each time.

“Where do you want to touch me?” I swirl my hips and he growls, sounding as feral as I feel.

"Words, give me your words.” I pant as I pick myself up and clench on his thick cock on the way down.

“Every fucking where!” his deranged shout echoes around us.

I brace my hands on his thick thighs and take all of him. "Okay," I hiss out.

Maddox sits up so his front is flush with my back, a large hand caresses my hip before he slowly slides it up my body turning my neck so he can kiss me. I lean forward, holding on to the backseat setting a faster pace that makes him growl behind me. I clench around him, and he wraps both arms around my middle taking charge and driving his hips harder and faster up each time I come down. Wrapping a hand in his thick curls I get lost in the feel of him .

"You’re a fucking Goddess," Maddox's deep voice fills the car.

I bite his neck when he suddenly spanks my clit making me gush. "Oh God!"

Maddox instantly freezes. "I’m?—"

“Again." The moan that slips out sounds nothing like me.

Maddox begins fucking me with wild abandonment, his thrusting becomes faster and the sound of flesh slapping on flesh fills the air. He spanks my clit one, two, three more times before I come so hard my vision fades for a second. Maddox shouts my name as he comes. Peppering kisses along my spine, giving me words of praise as he does so. I’ll definitely need my car detailed after that.

"I can't believe you did that earlier," I tell him on the drive back home.

"What?" he says, cocking his eyebrow at me. I cut my eyes at his innocent expression. "Oh, you mean when I spanked your pussy making you squirt?"

My face turns beet red. "You say pussy as casually as listing the day of the week.”

He tsks. "Now, now. You love my filthy mouth."

I sigh. "Not only your mouth actually, but I also just love you." Maddox becomes deathly silent, and I don't dare look at him. Maddox is the first man I’ve said that to without it being beaten or manipulated out of me, I told him because I do love him. Which is all still new for me, and I’m still processing it myself.

A fiery intensity radiates from those jade eyes as he stares at me. "Stop the fucking car."

"What?"

"Evie, pull this damn car over."

My spine tingles with anxiety as I pull over. Did he not want me to tell him I loved him?

"Pretty Girl, look at me." Maddox softly turns my face toward him. "Say it again."

I traced the scar on his mouth. "I love you. "

"You’re damned right you do. I love you too," Maddox says tenderly before giving me the sweetest kiss.

Once we're back on the road, the fact he spanked me down there makes me laugh again. I don't know why I find it so amusing.

"Something funny?"

"I still can't get over the fact you spanked my..."

"Did I cross a line?" Maddox asks seriously as he begins tracing lazy circles on the top of my thigh.

I glance over at him out the corner of my eye. "Did it seem like I didn't enjoy it?"

"I just want to make sure. Rationality goes out the window when I’m with you."

"Maddox Cole, you made me squirt twice. Once on your face and the other on your cock. If you do something I don't like, I'll let you know." I chew on my bottom lip and tell him, "I trust you; you could easily overpower me but choose to let me have complete control, even when you’re bossy it's for my pleasure, and it's so damn sexy."

"It is?" he asks hoarsely.

"You’re a big sexy ass man, but let me," I run a hand over my body, "Tell you when to fuck me and how to fuck me, touch me or not touch me. It's a power I've never had until you. So, yes oh serious one, I find it to be an incredibly big turn-on."

Maddox intertwines our fingers and gives me a panty-melting grin. "You'll always have that power with me."

After a quick call to Vic to check on the boys, we pick up pizza for dinner before heading home. Pulling down our street, I notice Mercy is sitting on Maddox's steps looking disheveled completely out of sorts, a far cry from his usual laid-back self, and he's not the only one. Sitting beside him is the same woman I’ve run into around town.

"Hey, looks like you've got company."

Suddenly, Maddox becomes deathly still. His carefree gaze gives way to a menacing one .

"Do you know who's sitting with Mercy? I've run into her a couple of times around town. She must be new here."

"She's not fucking new here."

In response, I run a hand through Maddox's thick hair and turn his face towards me. "Maddox, who is she?"

"Allison."