Chapter 9
CHAPTER NINE
annalise
His words echo in my ear and I can’t for the life of me bring myself to ask him to stop. Feeling Maddox pressed against me makes me forget about all the anger I have for him. All I can focus on is the friction between my legs and how much pleasure it brings me.
My body remembers him even though I’ve tried my hardest to forget. It wants to relive being with him. To relive being claimed by him.
Damn my raging hormones for having a mind of their own.
Maddox slips his hand into the front of my jeans and my lips part in anticipation.
The front door creaks open, footsteps quickly approaching. “Masashi, I brought you some—”
Fuck!
Mrs. Kamado nearly drops her bags when she locks eyes with me.
I quickly scramble off of him and approach her, heat that’s entirely fueled by embarrassment crawling up my spine. After all these years, why did our first encounter have to involve her catching me in a compromising position with her son?
Waving my hand, I give her a faint smile. “Hi, Mrs. Kamado.”
Izumi pulls me into a warm embrace. “Oh, Annalise, it’s so good to see you. I have missed you so much.”
“It’s good to see you too,” I say, giving her a warm smile.
She squeezes my hand, her eyes lighting up with joy. “I’m so happy you gave him another chance.”
I open my mouth to respond, but the words escape me. My eyes flick to Maddox, who’s shifting uncomfortably on the couch.
“You two have always been so perfect for each other. Poor Masashi was so devastated when you broke up with him, I had to—”
“Okāsan!” Maddox gets up from the couch and stands behind us with his arms folded across his broad chest.
Izumi whips her head around. “What?”
“We’re not together,” he says, his tone firm.
Her brows draw tight, the corners of her mouth turning down into a frown. “What do you mean? Because it sure looked like you two were—”
He sighs. “No, Okāsan,” he says, shaking his head.
“Oh… I see.” Izumi drops my hand, the light in her eyes fading.
He rakes a hand through his hair. “You have to call me when you come over. You can’t just barge in whenever you please.”
“But you gave me the code to your house so that I can drop off food for you. You’ve never had a problem with it before.” She strokes her chin, eyes ping-ponging between Maddox and me. “Was I interrupting something?”
“Yes, you were,” Maddox says.
“If you want, I can leave so that you can—”
“No. No. You don’t have to do that.” I throw my hands up, chuckling nervously. “You weren’t interrupting anything, I promise. I was, uh… trying to grab something and fell on top of him.” I flash a smile in her direction, but she doesn’t look convinced.
Maddox leans into me, whispering, “I bet you enjoyed being on top of me, didn’t you, Monroe?”
“Please. Nothing involving you is enjoyable.” I roll my eyes at him, but my core starts throbbing madly as memories of how good he used to make me feel surge through me.
It doesn’t help that he’s wearing those damn grey sweatpants that do nothing to hide the outline of his thick cock.
His lips curl into a sly smile whens he catches where my eyes have landed. “Your jeans are still unbuttoned, by the way.”
Heat flushes my cheeks and I quickly button them up, hoping his mom doesn’t notice.
I’ve made a complete and total fool out of myself this weekend. I have to get out of here. I have to get away from him.
“Um, I should really get going. Can you give me a ride home?”
“Uh, yeah, sure,” Maddox says, his tone laced with a tinge of disappointment.
Izumi pouts, looking at me with sad eyes. “Do you have to go now? I made some tonkotsu ramen. There’s enough for all of us.”
My mouth waters at the thought of my taste buds being blessed with her ramen. There’s no way I can say no to her. There are a lot of good Japanese restaurants in San Francisco, but none come close to being as phenomenal as Izumi’s. She’s a Michelin-starred chef, after all.
I pass by her restaurant every day on the way home from work, and I always contemplate getting dinner from there, but I didn’t want to run the risk of bumping into Maddox.
Oh, what the hell. Sharing one meal with my ex and his mom can’t hurt, right?
“I am pretty hungry,” I reply with a smile. “And your ramen is exactly what I need.” My eyes flick to Maddox. “Do you mind?”
A crooked smile ghosts his lips as he shakes his head. “Not at all.”
“Perfect!” she beams. “Masashi, go show her to the dining room, then come back and help me prepare.”
Following Maddox down the hall, I trail behind him as he leads me to the dining room. I pause as we enter, captivated by its beauty.
It’s a traditional Japanese dining room with shoji screens and tatami mats on top of the wood flooring. There is a low table in the middle, surrounded by floor mats. With natural lighting streaming in and the presence of bamboo trees, the space carries an effortless sense of tranquility.
I’m sure sitting on the floor to eat isn’t comfortable for someone as tall as Maddox, but his culture has always been important to him.
“You still like your ramen with an extra boiled egg?” Maddox asks.
I settle down on the cushion. “Yes, that would be great. Thank you.”
He gives me a quick smile before walking back to the kitchen.
My phone buzzes in my pocket. I pull it out and see a new text from Mazi.
Mazi
Bitch, are you alive???
Barely. I feel like shit
Mazi
I’m so sorry!!!
I should’ve never left you. I honestly thought you were vibing with Austin.
Girl, fuck no! His breath stank so bad
Mazi
OMG I feel so bad. I’m sorry for being such a crappy friend.
It’s okay. I still love you
Mazi
I could barely sleep all night. I was so worried about you when I found out you left with Maddox. Y’all didn’t hook up last night, did you?
Come on, Mazi. I’m not so desperate to get laid that I would hook up with that asshole!
Mazi
Okay. I just wanna make sure.
Even though Mazi is my best friend, there’s no way in hell I can tell her about what happened earlier. She can’t stand Maddox and would be livid if she knew how close I came to giving in to him.
“Thank you so much, Mrs. Kamado. It was delicious.” I slurp up the last bit of my rich, creamy ramen, not wanting to leave behind a single drop of the flavorful broth.
Izumi smiles at me, her eyes crinkling. “I’m so glad you liked it.” She turns her attention to Maddox. “What would you do without me? You would probably be malnourished and not have those big strong muscles.”
He rolls his eyes, slurping down another spoonful of ramen.
“Damn, Kamado. You still don’t know how to cook?” I tease.
“I can cook. I just choose not to,” he replies with a shrug.
Izumi snorts. “Putting bread in the toaster is hardly cooking.”
“Hey! It always comes out perfectly toasty!”
“Annalise, remember that time he tried to bake me a birthday cake and you had to come help?” She glances in my direction, chuckling softly.
The Kamados' kitchen looks as though a curious toddler has been left unattended. Their marble counters are dusted with flour, and eggshells litter the floor.
Maddox flashes me his adorable dimpled smile as I assess the mess. He’s wearing his mom’s pink apron that’s way too small, and there’s cake batter all over him.
Dipping my fingers into the batter, I give it a taste and immediately gag, spitting it into the sink. “This tastes like concrete.”
“I don’t know what I did wrong. I followed the recipe.” Maddox pulls out his phone to show me.
Glancing over at the counter, I spot a measuring cup sticking out of a bag of salt.
A laugh escapes my lips. “You used salt instead of sugar, you big goof.”
He slaps a palm on his forehead. “Ah, dang it! How did I miss that?”
I place my hand on his shoulder. “Aw, it’s okay, Maddy Bear. We can fix this. Just help me clean up the kitchen, and I’ll make some new batter.”
Izumi and I shake with laughter at the memory.
She squeezes his shoulder. “It’s okay, Masashi. It’s the thought that counts.”
One of the hardest things about the breakup was not being able to see his family. His dad mostly kept to himself, but his mom and sister, Asami, treated me like family. Izumi always looked out for me and made sure I was fed.
Asami and I became really close, but our friendship ended when Maddox and I broke up. Having to cut ties with people I shared a bond with was not an easy thing to do.
“So, Annalise, what brings you back to San Francisco?” Izumi asks. “I thought you wanted to live in New York and start your fashion line there?”
Taking a sip of my water, I avert my eyes. “I got really lonely and I missed my family.” Not a lie, but not the full truth either. Maddox doesn’t need to know any more about my life than he already does.
My body may have forgotten his betrayal, but I sure as hell haven’t.
Maddox fixes me with a puzzled look, doubt flickering in his eyes and letting on that he doesn’t fully believe me, but I brush it off.