Chapter 25
CALLIE
Behind me, I heard the sliding door close as Maddox retreated into the room. I forcefully exhaled. I hadn't even realized I'd been holding my breath.
I watched through the glass as he peeled off his shirt, briefly exposing the sculpted muscles of his back, before he was again hidden behind the closed bathroom door.
And not a minute too soon! After everything that he’d done, I was shocked by how intoxicating I could still find the scent of that man. How many times in the past had I loved to bury my face in his neck after a workout, breathing him in like an addict…
That distinctive masculine musk of his, intensified by exertion, had always been my kryptonite.
The salt and heat of his skin, slight cedar notes from his deodorant, mixed with whatever pheromones his body produced.
There was no beating that cocktail… at least, not with my post-divorce partners thus far.
I ruefully recalled some article I once read about the biology of attraction and scent compatibility, claiming it was hard-wired and beyond our control. When we encounter the person whose smell we respond to on a primal biological level, we can’t resist them.
I sighed. It would be nice to really believe that! What a convenient spot to place the blame for my earlier poor decisions. It’s not my fault, the pheromones made me do it.
But as I thought about it, what happened just now was actually an occasion to be proud of myself. Sure, I’d had a moment of remembering how much I loved being surrounded by Maddox’s scent, but I hadn’t let it carry me away.
Instead, I had told him to fuck off and take a shower. I didn’t think he’d even noticed my moment of weakness, when I’d momentarily pictured falling into him and—
I shook my head, trying to clear it. The rain was falling harder now, cool droplets hitting my face and arms.
I tilted my head back and closed my eyes, holding myself perfectly still as the late spring rain of Nightshade Cove cascaded over my face. This was a sensation I had been craving.
After savoring it for a good long while, I opened my eyes—and was jolted by the sight of two dark shapes slipping over the fence into the yard!
Two men in dark fatigues. They were athletic but depressingly baby-faced.
I’d be surprised if either one were older than twenty.
They both had an anxious twitchiness to their movements as they slowly crept through the plants, trying (poorly) not to make a sound.
No nerves of steel from these two. They didn’t even notice my presence, as I was standing in the shadows of the pines, completely shrouded by darkness.
So, this is what the extra security was on alert for.
With their obvious haplessness, I can’t say I found myself particularly worried.
And even if they had seemed more capable, two human men were no match for one witch.
Especially when that witch was me, as my mother would have been quick to point out.
Their clumsy fumbling at last brought them close enough to get a good view into the room. Which was seemingly empty, with Maddox still showering behind the closed bathroom door. Their bodies went rigid with confusion.
“Where did they go? There’s no one there!” The taller one’s voice was already way too loud for effective stealth.
“Maybe they turned invisible? Or shrunk themselves?” speculated the shorter one.
“Why the fuck would they do that, idiot?”
“So we can’t find them to interrogate them!”
The taller one smacked his smaller buddy upside the head. “They don’t know we’re coming, dumbass!”
I watched them bicker, their supposed tactical operation dissolving into a playground argument. I guess there was no IQ test to join the militia.
Stepping out of the shadows, I conjured an invisible shield around myself. Just in case.
“Interrogate me about what?” I asked in a light, teasing tone.
They spun toward me, each pulling a gun and training it on me with unsteady hands.
I noted the way their fingers trembled on the triggers, how fear made their eyes too wide. Astrea had been right. This gang probably couldn't tie their own shoes.
"Don't move!" the taller one barked, trying to sound authoritative and failing.
I smiled. "Sure. What are you doing outside my hotel room?"
The rain was growing heavier, fat drops hammering down through the pine canopy. The sound of it seemed to make them jumpier.
"We want to know what's really going on," the taller one said, trying to hold his gun steady. “With all these other witches coming here. What are you planning?”
“A career pivot,” I said. “It's a job fair.”
"We're not idiots!" the shorter one shouted, waving his gun in a way that would be terrifying, if not for the bulletproof magic protecting me. "Don't expect us to believe that! We want to know the real story!"
"The real story is that it's a job fair. I'll text you the website if you want. All the info is there,” I added helpfully.
“How dumb do you think we are?”
“Oh, extremely.” It came out casually.
“We know you witches aren’t traveling from all over the world for a fucking job fair!” His gun-waving grew wilder and more uncontained. “At least try to come up with lies that are believable, you filthy—”
I didn’t get to hear him finish the sentence.
Instead, I heard his jawbone shatter with a resounding crunch as Maddox’s fist suddenly connected with his face. He had charged out of the room with such speed that he was on top of the militiamen before any of us even saw him coming.
And he was wearing nothing but gray boxer briefs!
“Get away from her!” Maddox roared, savage and animalistic.
I watched in astonishment as he moved with speed and precision, the now torrential rain streaming down his body, plastering the boxer briefs to his muscular thighs and large bulge.
Both guns went flying into the underbrush, the taller man screaming in particular agony as Maddox wrenched the weapon from him.
The shorter one recovered first, lunging from behind while his partner circled around to attack from the side.
As their fight training activated, they didn’t seem so helpless.
Maddox caught the first man’s arm and flipped him over his hip, then grabbed the taller one by his tactical vest and slammed him into the muddy ground with ruthless force.
When the shorter man scrambled up throwing a hook, Maddox ducked and drove his fist into the man’s solar plexus, doubling him over.
Before he could bounce back, Maddox grabbed him by the back of the neck and drove his knee into the man’s face with a decisive crack of bone.
I hadn’t needed him to rescue me. My magic could have handled them both easily.
But there was still something about seeing Maddox’s power this way...
He was taking these two men like they were nothing. As dimwitted as they were, the militiamen were built and clearly knew how to fight. But Maddox was so dominant. He had a force and a fire vastly beyond what these younger men possessed.
And as he pounded away on them, rain streaming down the powerful planes of his chest, I suddenly noticed—
His chest hair was back. After years of shaving, there was once again thick hair that covered his pecs and trailed invitingly down the center line of his abs. I remembered running my fingers through it when we were dating, how it had felt against my palms, my cheek, my lips…
Gods, I’d forgotten how incredible he looked like this. Natural. Masculine. Primal.
He looked like some kind of ancient warrior, defending his woman with brutal efficiency, unbothered by being half-naked and battered by the elements.
The boxer briefs left nothing to the imagination, clinging to every inch of him, outlining the thick length of his cock as he moved.
The soaked fabric molded to the hard muscle of his ass, emphasizing the flex of his glutes with each step.
The raw dominance sent heat flooding through my body, despite everything.
I snapped myself out of it. This was getting out of hand. I needed to get these idiots out of here before Maddox actually killed them.
I focused my teleportation magic and set a target of the Nightshade Cove security office. They’d know how to handle these fools. Both militiamen vanished in a shimmer of energy.
Maddox looked around wildly, his fists still clenched, adrenaline pumping through him. His eyes found mine. He was breathing hard, his chest rising and falling rapidly. Rain ran down his face. He looked carnal and dangerous, sexy in a way that made my mouth go dry.
I walked toward him slowly, my pulse hammering. When I reached him, I placed my hand on his chest, feeling the rapid beat of his heart.
"You're growing your chest hair back," I said, breathier than I had intended.
"Yeah. You said you liked it," he replied, his voice rough but eager.
The rain poured down on us. My hand was still on his chest. His eyes were locked on mine, questioning and hopeful.
I knew I didn’t want him to fuck me. That would give him too much pleasure.
But I knew exactly what I did want.
“Maddox, take me inside and go down on me.”