19. Chapter 19
Maddie fled back into the house, slamming the door behind her, only to hear it opening one second after. Heath.
She walked into the kitchen, bracing against the counter like she could still feel David’s hands on her arms. Like his voice hadn’t just slithered into her ears, dripping with condescension, with that goddamn control he always wielded over her.
Her pulse was a hammer in her throat.
Heath leaned against the wall, arms crossed, body still tight with adrenaline. His jaw ticked, his fists flexing at his sides. The tension rolling off him was suffocating.
“What the fuck was that?” She demanded. Her skin still burned where David had grabbed her.
“You tell me,” he bit out.
“You punched him.”
“And that’s a problem?”
She shot him a look, unable to even conjure the words to explain how ridiculous that question was.
Heath scoffed, throwing off his hat and raking a hand through his dark hair. “He fucking put his hands on you.” His voice was low, dangerous. “Tell me you didn’t expect me to react.”
Maddie clenched her teeth, storming past him toward the sink. She braced her hands against the counter, inhaling sharply through her nose.
“It’s not about that,” she muttered.
“The fuck it’s not,” Heath snapped, turning toward her. “The guy lays hands on you, and I’m supposed to just stand there?”
Her hands curled into fists. “That’s not what I’m saying.”
“Then what are you saying, Maddie?” Heath’s voice was sharp now. “Because from where I’m standing, this is a pretty fucking simple equation.”
She spun around, fire burning up her spine. “You don’t get it!”
His chest rose and fell with deep, steadying breaths. “Then explain it to me.”
Maddie’s breath hitched.
She shook her head, gripping the edge of the counter. “I don’t want to owe you, Heath.”
His brows furrowed, thrown by the words.
She forced herself to meet his eyes, throat tightening. “I don’t want to owe anyone.”
A muscle feathered in his jaw. “That’s what this is about? Fucking debt?”
She huffed, turning away, pacing across the kitchen. “You don’t understand.”
“No, I don’t,” Heath growled. “So maybe you should start talking, Maddie, because I’m standing here trying to figure out why the fuck me looking out for you is such a goddamn problem.”
She spun to face him, heat rising in her chest.
“Because I spent years letting someone else call the shots!” Her voice cracked, but she powered through. “I let someone else dictate what I needed, what I wanted, what was best for me—”
“Maddie—”
“I let that fucking man be in control of me,” she seethed, hands shaking, “until I owed him everything and had nothing left for myself.”
His face darkened. His eyes flickered with something unreadable.
Maddie exhaled hard, dragging her fingers through her hair. Her hands wouldn’t stop trembling. “I need to do this on my own.”
“I never said you couldn’t.”
She laughed, bitter and broken. “Really? Free renovations, Heath? Stocked groceries? Fucking meals in the fridge?” She gestured wildly toward the kitchen. “And what’s that, exactly?”
His jaw flexed, unwilling to answer.
She sucked in a sharp breath, chest heaving. “I won’t go through this again.”
“And I won’t be your rebound.” Heath’s eyes darkened. His mouth pressed into a firm line. “As you put it.”
“Then don’t be.” She shook her head. “I told you I’m leaving, Heath. Selling this house, getting out of San Diego. This isn’t real.” Her voice wavered. “It can’t be real.”
Something flickered behind his eyes—something raw, unguarded.
Then, after a long beat—
“I can’t charge you.”
Maddie blinked. “What?”
His throat bobbed. “For any of it.” His voice was quieter now. Rough around the edges. “I can’t charge you for the work.”
Her stomach twisted.
The weight in his eyes was unbearable.
He stepped closer, voice thick. “I stopped being here for the job the second we kissed. The second I fucked you on your goddamn kitchen counter.”
Maddie’s breath hitched.
“Tell me how the hell I’d send you an invoice after that?” His voice was lower, his stare unrelenting.
Her lips parted, but nothing came out.
Heath exhaled sharply. “You keep telling yourself this doesn’t mean anything.” His voice dropped to a murmur, something dangerous threading through it. “But tell me why the fuck I keep coming back.”
Maddie swallowed. “I don’t know.”
“Bullshit.”
Her heart pounded.
She shook her head. “Why do you come back, Heath?”
His jaw clenched. His fingers twitched at his sides.
The silence stretched. Thick. Heavy. Electric.
And then—Heath growled.
A rough, guttural sound of frustration that tore through the space between them before he turned sharply on his heel and stormed out of the room.
Maddie just stood there.
Frozen.
Heart pounding so damn hard she could barely think past it.
She heard him in the front hallway—the measured, clipped stomp of his boots against the hardwood, the sharp clank of tools as he shoved them into his bag.
He was packing his shit. He was leaving. It felt final. And goddamn it, wasn’t this exactly what she wanted? To push him away? To prove—to who exactly?—that she could do this alone? That she didn’t need anyone stepping in, fixing things, fixing her?
But as she stood there, listening to the sounds of him moving through her house, something inside her shifted.
She’d fought so hard to regain control of her life. To be independent. To be strong enough on her own. And since she left David, she thought that meant not needing anybody. Not letting anyone in. Not taking anything that felt like a handout or a safety net or a fucking lifeline.
But Heath had never treated her like something fragile. Never acted like she was helpless. Never told her she needed him.
He’d just been there. Steady. Unrelenting. He let her fight him, let her push, let her argue—but he never abandoned her. Never punished her. Controlled her. Not once.
And suddenly, she couldn’t stand the idea of him walking out that door. Her pulse pounded at the base of her throat as she took a slow, deliberate step forward. Then another.
The realization clicked into place like a gear locking into motion.
It wasn’t weak to let someone care. It wasn’t weak to want. And fuck—she wanted him.
She stepped into the front hallway just as Heath zipped his tool bag shut, shoulders squared, posture stiff. The sun slanted through the windows, casting long shadows, catching in the golden strands of his hair beneath his low black baseball cap.
His jaw was tight, set. His fingers curled into fists at his sides. He wasn’t just angry. He was hurt. And for some reason, that just shattered something in her.
“You’re leaving,” she said.
“Yup.”
“Should I hire someone else now?” she said, her voice sharp, accusing, like he was the one at fault.
Heath exhaled hard, nostrils flaring as he slung the bag over his shoulder. “Are you fucking joking?”
The way he said it—Doc—was cutting. A finality she wasn’t prepared for.
“I’m not—” She broke off, hands curling into fists. “That’s not what I—”
She couldn’t even say it. Couldn’t put words to what was building inside her, this wild, chaotic feeling clawing up her ribs.
“You decide, Maddie,” Heath said, voice low, strained, like he was barely holding something back. “I’ll see you around.”
That was the last straw.
The frustration, the tension, the sheer, infuriating presence of this man—always pushing, always steady, always right there—it was too much.
Maddie moved.
Faster than she even knew she could.
She closed the space between them, grabbed a fistful of his shirt, and yanked him toward her.
His breath hitched.
His body locked up—muscles coiled—his hands flexed at his sides, like he didn’t know whether to push her off or pull her closer.
And then, with a breathless, reckless tilt of her head, she kissed him.
Hard.
Fierce.
Pouring every ounce of frustration, want, need into the way her lips crashed against his.
Heath froze.
For a fraction of a second, he was completely still—like he couldn’t believe it.
And then—then—his hands seized her waist, his fingers digging in, crushing her against him.
He let out a growl—deep, raw, wrecked—and kissed her back with all the pent-up frustration of a man who had spent weeks holding himself in check.
His mouth was hot, demanding, his lips moving against hers with an intensity that sent a shockwave down her spine.
Maddie tugged at Heath’s shirt, gripping the fabric in her fists, dragging him closer until there was no space left between them. He let her, standing there solid as a damn mountain, letting her pull—letting her take.
God help her—she didn’t care what this meant. Didn’t care what it broke. Didn’t care that she was already falling. Because for the first time in a long, long time—she didn’t have to be alone.
His hands coasted down her back, then lower, squeezing her hips, her ass, dragging her into him until she could feel everything—the heat, the power, the sheer magnitude of Heath Carrington.
He let out a rough huff against her lips. “Damn, Doc. You kiss like you’ve got something to prove.”
She yanked his hat off, tossed it aside, and fisted her hands in his hair. “Shut up.”
His low, knowing chuckle vibrated against her mouth. “Oh, you wanna play rough?”
Maddie pushed him—hard.
And fuck, that did something to her.
He stumbled back a step, a grin flashing across his face, sharp and taunting.
“Careful,” he warned, voice dipping into something darker. “I bite.”
“You talk too much.” She shoved him again, this time forcing him back into the wall.
He laughed. Actually laughed. Low and amused and completely unbothered.
“You done fighting me yet, McAuley?”
She licked her lips, heart pounding. “Not even close.”
His eyes darkened, heat rolling off him in waves. “Good,” he murmured, pressing his forehead to hers, breathing her in. “Because I can dominate you all fucking day—but you? You’re in charge. You need to own that.”
The words sent something hot and electric shooting through her veins.
She was in charge.
Not just here. Not just in this moment.
But in her own damn life.
She grabbed his shirt, dragged him forward, her lips brushing over his ear as she whispered—”Upstairs. Now.”
His breath hitched.
And then he grinned.
“Bossy,” he murmured, voice laced with something wicked.
Maddie smirked, stepping back. “You got a problem with that, Navy?”
His lips twitched like he wanted to laugh, but instead, he leaned down, kissing her again.
And Maddie? She had never felt more in control in her whole goddamn life.