Chapter 12
MADISON
I’m warm and horny. A man is behind me, his muscular body curved around mine. His cock is firm against my ass, and every couple of seconds he flexes his hips, pressing harder into me. Yes. This is a wonderful dream. I could dream this all night long.
He slides his hand up over my stomach to cup one of my breasts. I arch my back, moving against his touch. He lightly pinches my nipple. I’m on fire, my pussy pulsing with need.
His breath hits the back of my neck and his heartbeat pounds against my shoulder. He pinches my nipple harder, harder, and I whimper.
“Please.” I reach behind me to run my hand over his hard length. The stiff fabric of his jeans frustrates me. Where’s the zipper? Buttons? I need to get these pants off of him. I need more, I need him inside me.
If I can’t get his pants off, I can at least start with mine. When I start pulling down my sweats, he sucks in a harsh breath. “Madison?”
My eyes fly open. Shit, shit, shit. This isn’t a dream. This is real.
And that’s Seth.
But would continuing the fantasy be all that bad? After all, Seth has seen me naked. He watched me fuck Damiano. He even kissed me when I came. We are obviously both very ready for this. There’s no harm in taking it further. I rock my hips, pressing my ass against him.
“Fuck.” He lets me go and rolls away so he’s on his back.
I consider following him, straddling that impressive cock and rubbing against it.
But he doesn’t want this.
I will my heart to slow the heck down.
Ten minutes later, I’m walking him to the door. The cardboard that covers the broken pane looks like a gaping wound.
Seth doesn’t meet my eyes as he pulls up a ride app on his phone. “I’ll go to the home repair store to find someone to fix that window. Will you be home all day today?”
“Uh…yeah? I don’t have any plans.” Talk to me, Seth. Talk to me. What just happened in there? I know it’s weird. I know Kyle’s ghost sits between us. But…what if we moved on? What if we took what we both want?
“Okay. Although I guess if you aren’t here, the workers can let themselves in.” His smile is tight and forced, his hazel eyes guarded. “Be safe, Madison.”
He steps onto the porch and starts down the driveway. A man and woman are walking toward my house, hand-in-hand. Seth exchanges a few words with them before continuing on his way.
The woman has light brown hair with blond highlights, and she’s wearing a pair of sleek workout pants and a purple, fleece jacket. The man’s hair is dark brown and he’s in jeans and a brown jacket. They both look casually expensive.
“Hey!” The woman waves. “We’re your neighbors, the Kavlans. I’m Charmaine and this is Matthew.”
“Hey, thank you so much for the wine.” I start forward to shake their hands before remembering my feet are bare—save for the bandage on my foot. “Sorry, do you want to come up here and chat?”
“No, we just wanted to stop by and introduce ourselves. That’s our house over there.” Charmaine points over the hedges dividing my property from the left. I can see the top floor of their house, just barely.
I’m glad they’re here—I can use some distraction after everything that just happened with Seth. “Well, I’m Madison, and I just moved in yesterday. You should know there was an intruder last night, but the police took him into custody.”
“We saw the police cars.” Matthew stares at me, his blue eyes intense.
I shift to the side and fold my arms across my chest. I’m not wearing a bra, and he can probably tell.
“You’re okay, though?” Charmaine points to my foot. “Do you need anything?”
“No, but thanks. I have a new door coming soon, and I’ll get a security system.” I shudder, thinking of how safe I felt last night when I arrived, then how quickly those feelings evaporated.
I felt safe when Seth was here, though.
Matthew is still staring, but he’s far enough away I can’t tell what he’s looking at. It could be my face, the door past my shoulder, or my boobs.
Charmaine smiles widely. “Well, you let us know if that ever changes.”
She takes out her phone and we exchange phone numbers. Matthew continues to stare. Maybe he isn’t entirely okay?
But he seems to shake off his stupor when Charmaine says goodbye.
“Bye, Madison,” he says with a friendly smile. “Remember, we’re just over there if you need anything, and you have Charmaine’s number.”
“Thank you.” I am not sure what to make of this guy. Best to keep my distance. “And thanks again for the wine! It was lovely to meet you.”
Lovely isn’t quite the right word. I think odd is more fitting. But sometimes people are just awkward, and maybe that’s how this couple is.
* * *
SETH
DIY Depot is utter hell on a Sunday. People everywhere—harried individuals with long shopping lists, wandering around like lost warriors unsure of where their quest will take them.
They loudly shout to get the attention of the yellow-shirted workers, impatient to return to whatever repair challenge waits for them at home.
I knew this place would be hell, and yet I’m still here. Why?
Because I had to get the fuck out of Madison’s house.
What was I even thinking? I should’ve sprinted from the house as soon as she got onto the floor next to me. But no, I fell back asleep.
I woke up dry-humping her like a fucking teenager.
Fuck. She’d felt amazing in my arms. Soft, cuddly. I haven’t felt so…stupidly happy in years. Or ever. Like pieces of my life finally clicked into place. Just from having a woman in my arms? It’s ridiculous.
Yet I can’t deny it.
I can ignore it, however. Which is what I’m doing here.
“Thanks for coming to DIY Depot.” A perky blond woman in DIY Depot’s signature yellow shirt strides toward me. She blazes past another man who waves to get her attention. “What can I help you with today?”
“Doors.”
She laughs like I’ve said something funny. “Doors! Of course. Please follow me, sir.”
I think she’s flirting with me, her eye contact lingering on my face too long, her hand brushing my forearm “accidentally” as she reaches for the store catalog.
I wave away the catalog. “I need something that would suit a Victorian home. But safe. No glass panes near the handle. Extra-strength deadbolt.” Maybe I should buy Madison two or three deadbolts.
Plus a keypad. Fuck, why don’t I just hire someone to build a moat around Madison’s place and fill it with piranhas? Would she be safe then?
The DIY worker shows me a few options. I choose the door that looks sturdiest.
She taps the screen of her tablet. “For delivery, we can offer—”
“It needs to be today.”
“Oh, for immediate service, there’s an additional fee.”
“I’ll pay it.”
She raises her eyebrows. “Money’s no object, huh?”
“Nope.” I give her Madison’s address. “I expect this to be done by five p.m.”
“We can have a contractor out to you and your wife’s house…?”
“My sister-in-law. The door is for my sister-in-law.” The title feels wrong for Madison.
She’s no longer my sister-in-law. But as inaccurate as the title is, it adds some distance.
If I think of her as my brother’s wife, I’ll stop thinking of how responsive she was when I pinched her nipple this morning.
The DIY worker grins and glances at my ringless fourth finger. Yes, she was certainly flirting with me earlier. “We’ll have a contractor out to your sister-in-law’s by two. It should only take them a couple of hours to do the work. Would you like us to dispose of an existing door?”
We hash out the rest of the details and I hand over my credit card. My phone rings in my pocket. Once the transaction is complete, I give the DIY worker a professional smile and stride away, pulling my phone to my ear.
Damiano’s voice is smooth. “Seth. Join me for lunch.”
“I’m busy.”
“You’re a liar.”
I sigh and hold my phone out to check the time. It’s just after noon. “Where do you want to eat?”
“The Thai restaurant near The Corbin. You know the one I’m speaking of?”
“I know the one. I can be there in twenty.”
“Perfect.”
Eighteen minutes later, I’m walking into a Thai restaurant filled with intoxicating, spicy scents. I nod to the host. “I’m here to meet someone.”
He nods and gestures me forward. I step further inside and scan the room, looking for Damiano.
When I find him, I see he isn’t alone. He waves at me and his dining partner turns around.
The bastard blindsided me—he’s here with Madison.