CHAPTER FOURTEEN
MADDOX
Until this moment, I would have classified my growing infatuation with Tessa as a mild obsession that was simply due to the mess we were entangled in. The stakes are high, and the sexual tension is taut, so it stands to reason that emotions would be complicated.
But as she darts toward me—enraged but secretly thrilled to see me, even if she doesn’t realize it—I. Am. Gone. So far past the calamity we’re ensnared in.
She’s magnificent. Beyond gorgeous.
Plump, glossy lips. Flowing silver waves. Luscious curves—hidden but hinted at.
Ravishing. Seductive. Intoxicating.
Like a naughty, gothic version of a Little House on the Prairie character.
This woman fucks with my head so much that I’m aching for her impending wrath.
And here it comes.
“Why are you here, and why the hell is your shirt off?” she hisses through gritted teeth.
This is where my proclivity to hurdle boundaries could go either way because she clearly wants me to let her usher me out of here. And not only is that not my style, but I won’t be going anywhere while that douche is following her around.
Deep down, her inner vixen probably loves that though.
So, I go all in with what feels right and scoop her into my arms, palming her head and kissing her cheek. Her hair smells like the ocean, and while I’ve never been a yacht guy, I think I want to live at sea.
Or fucking drown in it.
“You have no idea what a sight you are, Tess.” The air in my lungs whooshes out.
I’m losing my goddamn mind over her, but I don’t hold back.
“This country-librarian look is sexy on you.” When she starts to pull away because she assumes I’m going to tease her, I lift her off the ground so she can’t break free and tune me out.
“You’re stunning in that dress, as always, but it’s more. I needed you.”
In a move that is utterly shocking, she rests her hands on my shoulders and lifts her chin, concern vanquishing her anger. “Did something happen? Are you okay?”
She feels something more for me too. She might not want to, but she does. There’s no denying how that burrows into my depths. This is all so foreign.
“I am now. I just … really missed you.” Truest words I’ve ever spoken.
Is this the first time I’ve held her like this?
Her breath catches, but then her focus snaps to my bare chest, and she resumes her fury. “Where the hell is your shirt?”
Without releasing her, even though she’s squirming, I point to the three dripping kids, surrounded by broken water balloons, staring at us. “From what they told me, I think the one who drenched me is your nephew, but as you can see, I got him back.”
“Hey, Aunt Tessa.” He flips his hand up in an unenthusiastic wave.
“What kind of reception is that for the coolest aunt in the world, Adam?” I cup my hand and motion it to the sky, encouraging him to give it a little oomph, which goes over well with the kids that I believe are from another family, but Adam seems startled, so I lighten things.
“You could do a dance or a cheer, give her a round of applause. That might be weird. A hug would be the best, but you’ll have to get in line for that. ”
“You’re fine, Adam,” Tessa says before her nephew can take one of my suggestions. “You three go play hide-and-seek, and I’ll give you a special treat when I find you.”
They run, but the man I presume to be Hunter stays, lingering like he deserves some airtime.
“Put your shirt on.” She glares when I don’t loosen my hold on her.
I move my mouth to her ear, my scruff grazing her silky cheek. “You like what you see, don’t you, baby?”
She huffs, but her lips twitch. “Please, Maddox.”
“I can’t deny you when you beg. Remember that.” I kiss her temple, let her go, grab my drying shirt from a nearby tree branch, and leer at Mr. Douche while I put it on.
He stands with his hands in his pockets, feigning indifference as jealousy and nervousness radiate off him. He looks like an accountant who golfs a lot. That can’t be her type.
Tessa ignores him, but she frantically searches the faces of the guests who are doing that thing where they pretend they aren’t looking while watching my every move.
Nothing new. I don’t care about them. But her?
I’m not sure if she’s embarrassed that I’m here or if she just doesn’t want me in her business, but we’ll be plowing through both issues.
Her gaze skates over my abs before she forces it away and shifts her weight toward the house. “I’ll walk you out.”
“You’re ready to go so soon, Dollface?” My use of her old nickname is simply to slither under her skin with a hefty dose of annoyance—a coded warning that I won’t be complying with whatever bullshit she’s planning.
Her gorgeous blues bulge, and her jaw sets. My girl is pissed. “You can’t be here.”
“It seems I already am, so …” I shrug as I tuck my damp button-up into my pants. “I won’t be going anywhere without you, and I’d like to celebrate Violet’s engagement, but if you want to leave, I have my bike.”
“He knows Violet?” the douchey guy asks. “Are you … you aren’t just working there … you’re seeing him?”
“You must be Hunter.” I stick out my hand because I’m in some bizarre space where I want to impress Tessa, and this guy is about to be devastated when he realizes she’ll never be his again. The least I can do is be a well-mannered prick, stealing the girl he’s chasing.
“I am.” He hesitates before finally shaking my hand. “And you are?”
Maybe I do like this guy. He knows damn well who I am, which he proved when he questioned her, so that was a grade-A dick move, and I would have tagged him as a weenie.
I wink and give him a nod of respect for holding his own. “Maddox Noire.”
“We are making a scene. Can we do this somewhere else?” Tessa grits out, reaching for my hand to pull it from her ex’s.
It’s just a means to guide me away from her family, but I gladly thread our fingers together anyway.
Hunter steps in front of her. “You and him, or you and me?”
Brazen.
“Both … I mean, neither … Hunter, listen—”
“I got this, baby,” I interrupt her cute, flustered blabbering, and the guy has steam coming from his ears as I continue, “Did you tell her how beautiful she looked when you saw her today? Or better yet, that she was the kind of radiant that men should fall to their knees for?”
“What?”
His answer should’ve been, Of course. Then I’d know that this guy was fighting for her, that he deserved to be in the ring.
Not that he’d stand a chance because I’ve decided I’m keeping her.
No idea what that means or looks like. Regardless, I won’t even pretend to be sorry about it with someone who doesn’t know how to treat her.
“How long were you two together?” I probe, switching gears.
“Two years—”
“A year and a half,” Tessa clarifies.
It’s unclear as to whether that correction was for my benefit, his, or just Tessa owning her queen-of-snark role.
Pain washes over his face as he stares at her but speaks to me. “Twenty months, but I’ve known her and her family since we were twelve.”
He’s defensive because he doesn’t get it. He needs more than a backstory.
Tessa digs her nails into my hand until I’m fairly certain she’s drawing blood. “Maddox, let it go.”
I pump her hand a few times in return, silently assuring her I’ll be gentle on her family friend.
“That’s a lot of history, something worth going to war for.
So, did you tell her whatever drove you apart could be fixed because there was no one in this lifetime who could compare and nothing you wouldn’t do to keep her? ”
“What drove us apart?” He scoffs, flinging his arm toward me. “You are what drove us apart. Her working there or …” He abandons his accusation, swallowing, terrified, like he realized who he was yelling at and thinks I’m going to kill him.
I’m not. He seems harmless. In love with a girl who is no longer his. That’s a terrible fate.
His momentary breakdown illuminates something I didn’t think of before though, and my stomach wrenches, but I brush past it to end this.
“Tell ya what, Hunter. I’m gonna let that disrespect go.
But here’s a tip: next time you’re trying to hold on to someone, start with all the reasons you can’t bear to live without them.
” I lean into him, grip his shoulder, and offer him a hushed, friendly warning.
“You lost her. It’s over. Text her, and I’ll cut off your fingers.
Call her, and you’ll lose your tongue. I’ll let you imagine what will happen if you dare touch what’s mine. ”
He bobs his head, but there’s an air of defiance shrouding him, like he’s brainstorming another way. This isn’t the place to deal with that.
When I glance at Tessa, she’s dazed, so I kick my chin toward the house and tow her with me, addressing Hunter as we pass him. “If you’ll excuse us, I promised her dad I’d make him my favorite cocktail.”
That wakes her up. “You talked to my dad?”
“Yes.” I don’t intend to be short, but my mind is spinning.
“And?” She leads me on the stone pathway that wraps around the side of the detached garage. She’s walking me out, just like she said, and hiding me while she does it.
I don’t respond right away because I can’t get my thoughts straight, but when we’re nearly to the front yard and the guests have disappeared from view, I stop. “I found him when I got here and introduced myself.”
Her features sharpen with a blend of panic and outrage. “Why the hell would you do that?” She shakes her head and twists to see if we have any onlookers before she gets all fiery on me. “Tell me what’s going on. Why would you even think it was okay to come here? Is my family in danger?”
I drop her hand and scrub mine over my forehead. “That’s what you meant when you asked if I was okay. Fuck, I …” Realizing I misread things and seeing the pieces click together, I throw my arm back toward our conversation with Hunter. “He’s why you hate me.”
“What?” she wheezes, obviously exhausted by this day already and not following my meltdown.