6. Maddison
Maddison
B efore I dare open my eyes, I try to process everything that happened yesterday. My head throbs with the effort of gathering my thoughts into a mental list, starting with the wedding that never was. On and on the list goes, ending with the sex in the shower that also never happened.
I can’t quite decide which of yesterday’s disasters should claim the top spot as the worst moment of my life. Surprisingly, peeing in front of Hunter is nowhere near the top of the list. I don’t even care that he saw the bruise on my back.
Hearing what Barrett secretly thought of me was crushing, and it battles for position with Hunter’s rejection – because that’s exactly what it was. I wanted him. He didn’t want frigid me.
I can hear his soft snores next to me. I have my back to him, and from the way the sheet pulls taut against my shoulders, he’s stayed on top of the covers.
When I’d drifted off to sleep last night, he was absorbed in whatever he was doing on his cell phone.
I was forgotten. He didn’t even say goodnight.
But none of this makes it to the top spot on my list because humiliation is something I can deal with.
What I can’t face is the total and utter failure of mine and Hugo’s plans to save the paper mill.
We’re going to go bust in a matter of months.
It’s not so much losing my father’s legacy that hurts, but letting down our staff and the wider community.
Brimstage is a small enough town that the closure of the mill will have a significant impact on the local economy. Possibly catastrophic.
All I had to do was find a husband rich enough to bail us out, and strong willed enough to keep my useless brother in check. I failed on every possible level, and for that reason alone, I don’t think I can go back and face everyone. But what choice do I have?
I move slowly, and my borrowed t-shirt twists around my middle as I turn to face Hunter.
He’s propped up on pillows in the same sitting position as last night, his cell phone held loosely in his hand.
His face is tilted towards me, his chin covered in dark stubble and his lips slightly parted.
He’s wearing his sweatpants, and nothing else
I can’t believe I’ve seen him naked, even if he did turn around when he took off his boxers last night.
I’d still had a good view of his ass. A coil of longing tightens around my core, and I hold back a groan as I squeeze my legs together.
I’m a virgin by circumstance, not choice, and I’m done with that label.
Hunter’s inked body fascinates me, and I don’t know when I’ll get this close to him again.
Slowly and silently, I rise up on an elbow for a better look. There’s a mixture of geometric designs and mythical creatures covering his arms and chest. I stare at the hard planes of muscle that define and sculpt his torso until sight alone isn’t enough.
Biting my lower lip, I stretch my hand towards the tattoo on his chest. Ever so gently, I trace the eagle’s head, then trail down its spine to the even sharper claws on the lion’s paws.
A mixture of fur and feathers, the griffin looks powerful and deadly, but I still can’t figure out if it’s meant to be a protector or a destroyer.
Hunter might not be one of the bad guys, and I certainly hope he isn’t, but he does have a way of putting bad thoughts in my head.
My fingertip trembles as I continue my exploration. I check his face, but there’s no sign that he feels my touch, not until I notice what’s happening lower down his body. His sweatpants have moved, and as my fingers follow the V that disappears beneath his waistband, his cock twitches.
“You shouldn’t be doing that, little bird,” Hunter warns, his voice still gravelly with sleep.
I keep my gaze focused on the one part of him I can get a reaction from. “You seem to be enjoying it,” I whisper. If I’m going to get my way, I need to exude confidence, even if it’s far from how I’m feeling.
“A lady wouldn’t notice.”
“A gentleman would see to her needs.”
The effect my words have on him are evident from the growing tension between Hunter’s hardening cock and the straining material, but before my smile can broaden, Hunter grabs my wrist. He moves fast, twisting onto his side and using his body to pin me down.
He grabs my other hand and raises both above my head. His face is inches from mine.
Anger makes his jaw clench. “I told you no touching, or were you too drunk to remember what I said?”
I dare to meet his gaze. “It was one fingertip,” I reply, waggling my fingers beneath his grip. “I’m not the one pressing their erection into my hip.”
Hunter’s green eyes sparkle and his features relax into a smile – no, a laugh. “You’re a constant surprise to me, Maddie. How the fuck are you still a virgin at twenty-four?”
“Severely limited opportunities.”
“And now what? Any cock will do?”
I refuse to let his insult get to me. “Given how you took away my only other option yesterday, then yes. Even yours.”
The reminder that Barrett was my first choice is the perfect way to spoil the mood, and Hunter’s arm muscles tense. He releases me with a grunt, then sits back up in bed. His stony expression tells me playtime is over.
Uncomfortable with my supine position, I slide up the mattress until I’m upright too. “What now?” I ask, staring ahead to mirror Hunter’s pose.
“We talk.”
“What do you want to know?”
“Let’s start with the obvious. Why the fuck did you agree to marry Barrett?
” he asks, his jaw clenched as he grinds out my ex-fiancé’s name.
“I know your company is on the verge of bankruptcy, and I can see why your brother would be desperate for the alliance. But you? Maybe you didn’t know his plans, but you knew how ruthless and heartless that bastard is. ”
I’m about to protest, but then I remember that Hunter has seen the bruise on my back. My mouth is suddenly dry, and I take the bottle of water he’d left for me on the nightstand. I down half of it before I reply.
“Firstly, I didn’t arrange the match, my brother did,” I confess. I massage a temple, soothing the ache behind my eyes. “And Barrett promised me he’d be my voice in the boardroom. I thought he’d be able to bring Hugo under control.”
Hunter turns to look at me, but I can’t meet his gaze. “And that’s the part I’m finding hard to believe. You’ve been pretty vocal with me. Why not speak up for yourself? You’re an equal shareholder, for fuck’s sake. You didn’t need to marry Barrett.”
My head snaps to Hunter, something I immediately regret because my throbbing headache intensifies. “Fuck you!” I hiss. “You seriously need to ask?”
His eyebrows quirk. “Yes, I do. Make me understand, Maddie. You’re a smart woman, and from what I’m finding out about your brother, it’s not you who’s mismanaging the company. How could you let it get this far?”
“You’ve just answered your own question, Hunter.”
When he continues to look non-plussed, I sit up onto my knees so I can face him. I point to where my lower belly had been twisting with desire minutes earlier.
“As I’m sure you’ve already noticed, I don’t have a dick.
As far as my father was concerned, it didn’t matter how smart I was.
The only value a woman could add to the family business was to have an intact hymen so I could be sold to the highest bidder.
” I point to my mouth next. “And this is kept shut, unless of course, it’s to pleasure my husband. ”
Hunter’s eyes narrow. “Your dad’s been in the ground for years. You own–”
“Jack shit,” I finish for him. “You need to do better research, Hunter. I presume you’ve checked my dad’s will.” When he nods, I break the news to him. “But you didn’t look up the codicil, did you? If you had, you’d know that I might own half the company, but I’ll never have a seat on the board. ”
“Because you’re a woman?”
“You’re catching on,” I reply. “My father always said that giving women power in a company was a sure-fire way of letting female emotions get in the way of good business sense. Maybe he would have softened that view if my mom hadn’t died so young, or if he’d found another wife instead of a string of girlfriends with questionable character.
Or maybe he just liked paying to have his dick sucked. ”
Hunter’s mouth cuts a thin line across his face. “What else does this codicil say?”
“Oh, my dad thought he was being so clever. The one right he did give me was to veto any proposed takeover of the company. The mill can’t be sold in part or in whole without my agreement. My dad knew that, unlike Hugo, I wouldn’t part with his legacy unless there was a very good reason.”
“Barrett was under the impression he could give you good enough reason to sell.”
“Ah, but that’s where the other part of the codicil comes in.
He wouldn’t need my approval. To make sure I married wisely, my dad ensured my husband would be granted all the rights I was denied.
And in the process, I’d lose my veto.” I sink back against my pillows.
“I was only marrying Barrett because I needed someone to step in and save the mill. Between us, I thought we’d share control of the board, but as we both know, there wasn’t going to be a board left once he’d wrecked the company. ”
“Shit,” Hunter mutters.
He grabs his cell phone and leaps out of bed so fast, it almost unbalances me. I settle back on my heels, and with the ever-present fear for the future holding me in a chokehold, I drink the rest of my water to ease the sting in my constricted throat .
“I take it we’re done talking,” I ask.
“For now,” he replies, not looking up from his cell as he types out a message. “I’ve asked one of my brothers to get you something to wear so we can take you home. I told Hugo we’d be there at midday.”
Hot, searing panic blooms in my chest. “Home?” I repeat with a rasp. “No, I’m not going back there. After yesterday…”