by Claire Adams
I did as he told me to and clung to his neck before glancing down to watch him spread me open with deep, slow strokes.
He glanced down, too, grunting with each pump of his hips. "Fuck, that's hot."
"I love it," I murmured and looked up to find him watching me. I wanted to tell that I loved him too, but I wasn't sure it was true. Even if it were... it was unfair to say it after all we'd been through. He was most likely looking forward to getting rid of me.
I would have been.
"I love the way your breasts bounce, Maddie. You have no clue how sexy you are." He pressed deep inside of me and pinned me to the wall.
"I'm just glad you think I am." I brushed my cheek by the side of his head and lifted up, squeezing my body as he gasped.
"Keep that up, and I'm going to come." He brushed my hair back before kissing me a few more times. The slow burn inside of me raged to life as he started his assault again, fucking me harder and faster.
My back smacked against the cold tile, and I closed my eyes and concentrated on the intense pleasure building between my thighs. A scream ripped from my lips as I released, covering his shaft in sticky wetness that seemed to turn him on more.
"I'm pulling out." He moved back and helped me down as he panted loudly. His eyes were wide, skin pale, and all I could think about was watching him come.
I dropped to my knees and moved to take him in my mouth, not listening to his protests. The man who'd taken me to bed a week or so back would have happily emptied himself into my mouth, being angry and violent about it. The one above me now had a look of concern on his handsome face.
"You don't need to." He gripped my hair as I growled and stroked his cock once before lowering it to my lips.
"I want to. Come hard. Yell loud." I flicked my tongue over the tip as his shaft pulsed in my hand.
"Fuck, yes." His voice dropped, and he pressed forward, filling me with every inch he had to offer. I took as much as I could and gagged hard as he forced another inch inside of me. That was all he needed.
His eyes rolled back as he cried out and fucked me strong and fast.
If I wasn't in love before, I was now.
We finished up and dried off before putting on robes and heading to the kitchen. He set the bottle of wine in between us and glanced over at me.
"I'll have the rest of the money deposited in your account in a few days." He glanced down at the counter in front of him and took a shaky breath before looking back up. "Thanks for playing the part today. You were brilliant."
I picked up my glass and lifted it for him to fill it again as my heart tore in two. It wasn't nothing more than a scam... and I was the villain at the center of it.
"You were, too," I whispered softly, not having enough air in my lungs to do much more. I would never get over what I'd done to him and yet, we were too far along to turn back now.
Chapter Twenty-Nine
One Week Later
Gavin
I walked the path back to my mother's house, the sun shining down on me, but the air chilly. Pulling the jacket I wore closer, I glanced around at the flowers. It was beautiful, and where I knew my mother loved it, it didn't seem like enough.
Like I wasn't doing enough.
I let out a long sigh and jogged up the stairs to her house, letting myself in and forcing my thoughts to move away from my lack and onto the woman who would soon be a memory.
Losing her would likely cripple me as losing my father had crippled her, but it was part of life. Loving someone so deeply that when they left you, you knew a piece of you would go with them.
I forced away the thought of that happening with Maddie, too. Mom dying was almost more than I could handle, but now I was throwing salt on the wound by having Maddie pack up and leave at the same time.
But... an agreement was an agreement. She was sticking around until mom passed. That was it. After that, she'd be on her way to California, and I'd be left behind to pick up the pieces of a jumbled-up life.
"Gavin? That you?" Karen called out as I walked toward the kitchen.
"Yeah." I strained to hear if the TV were on in my mother's room, but didn't hear anything. "Mom doing okay?"
I walked in to find Karen wiping down the kitchen cabinets. She glanced over her shoulder with relief on her face. "Today has been pretty rough. She threw up several times this morning and keeps complaining about her tongue and teeth hurting. It's getting bad. I wish I could do something to ease her pain."
"Did you give her the meds the doctor prescribed?"
"Always, but you know her throwing up isn't helping her digest them." She turned back to her work. "She's laying down now, but I know she'll want to see you. She always does."
"Okay." I turned and walked down to my mom's bedroom as the smell of cleaning supplies filled my senses. Where I was glad that Karen kept the place sterile, it still left my insides empty. The end was creeping closer and closer, and I wasn't ready.
Not that I ever would be.
"Mom?" I walked in to find her laying in the bed, her breathing labored. She was watching a small blue jay out the window from what I could tell.
She glanced over at me, her eyes glossy. "Hey there. Come here." She patted the bed beside me and tried to scoot over, but didn’t make it too far. Her arms shook with the effort she exerted. "I wanted to tell you a secret."
"A secret?" I lifted an eyebrow, but walked over and sat down on the bed beside her as my heart quaked in my chest. My father wouldn’t have been able to handle seeing her so sick. It was almost a blessing that he’d gone before her. Unfair, but a blessing of sorts. "Alright. Spill."
She laughed and grimaced, reaching up to rub her chest through her faded gown. "Man, it's been a rough day today. Everything hurts."
"I know." I reached up and took her hand in mine. "I would take it all from you if I could."
"Nope. I'd never let you have this." She put her other hand on top of mine, and the veins showed through.
"So, tell me this secret." I took a shallow breath and tried hard to hold myself together. I hadn't cried too many times in my life, but losing her would be another one to add to the list.
"Loving someone is hard work. It's the damn pits at times." She smiled or tried to. "But, if you write down a few things each day that you like about them, that you find pretty or funny or kind, you'll have something to look back on when the shit hits the fan." She patted my hand. "Because believe me. The shit always hits the fan."
"Did you and Dad do that?"
"I did. Your father didn't, or if he did, I didn't know about it." She smiled and turned to look back out the window. "The world stands against a good marriage, throwing all sorts of lies at it." She turned back to me, her vision looking a little clearer. "You and Maddie have to fight against that, Gavin."
"We will, Mom. I'll start the journal today." Sadness swam through my chest and danced in the center of my stomach. How was I going to make it without her and dad? Most her.
"Good. I'm so proud that you found Maddie. She's perfect for you, and the two of you are together forever." She glanced down at my hand as her eyes widened. "Where the hell is your ring?"
"Oh." I pulled my hand back sheepishly. "I was working on something in the garage earlier and didn't want to mess it up. I took it off."
"Well, put it back on. It's not supposed to stay shiny and pretty. It's there to remind you that you're bound to another person." She narrowed her eyes a little. "When is Maddie moving in? I expected to see more of her."
"Soon, Mom. We'll be over for dinner tomorrow night, and I'll let her update you on all of that. That sound good?" I stood as her eyelashes fluttered. She was beaten.
"Yeah. I'd like that." She yawned and turned to look back out the window. "Close the door on your way out, and put your damn ring back on."
"Okay, Mom." I walked to the door. "And I'll start that journal."
"Good. It will save you loads of heartache, or at least pull you back each time you want to give up." She
turned and coughed, shaking the bed with the violence of it.
I waited by the door to make sure she was alright. As her breathing deepened, I slipped out. I stopped by the house and grabbed my keys to head to the dock. An afternoon on the boat with Ron would do me some good. At least it would keep me from walking circles around my office in hopes of writing something.
The only thing I was doing better than that was missing Maddie. And that was something I would never admit.
"Hey, buddy. How goes it?" Ron offered me a hand, shaking mine as I got onto the boat. He looked far more alive than I felt. Of course, his life wasn’t falling apart on all sides, and I was glad it wasn’t.
I ran my fingers through my hair and glanced around the beautiful view in front of us and took a deep breath. Something about the water soothed my soul and gave me rest when I needed it the most. For that alone, I would always own a boat. "Better now."
"Let's get outta here for a while." He pointed to a cooler on the ground. "I brought beer."
"You're a good man." I moved to start up the boat and pulled us away from the dock.
"No, you're a good man." He pulled out two beers and offered me on, his words surprising me a little.
"Why is that?" I took mine, popped the top and took a long drink.
"Because I realized something the other day."
"You thinking again? You know that's bad for you." I turned in my seat and watched the waves splash up on the side of the boat.
"You married Maddie for your momma, didn't you?" He dropped down into the seat across from me and gave me a knowing stare.
"Why do you think that?" Horror raced through me. Did Maddie say something to Ron? It was one of the rules she was forbidden to break. Ron couldn't lie to save his own ass. He shouldn't have known about what we'd done.
"Because I've known you my whole life. You might like my cousin, but you married her to appease your mother. She's been looking forward to you getting married and having kids since we were old enough to skip rocks across the water." He snorted and lifted his beer toward me. "Maddie didn't say anything to me if that's what you're thinking. I'm just saying that you're a damn good man, Gavin. I'm glad you're my best friend. Makes me feel a little bit better about myself sometimes."
I chuckled as relief flooded my chest. Maddie hadn't broken a rule. Good. I wasn't sure what type of retaliation I would have enacted had she gone against my word.
"You shouldn't feel better about yourself." I smiled. "You're a scoundrel."
He wagged his eyebrows. "The ladies sure like it."
I rolled my eyes and leaned back in my chair. "Maddie played the part well, didn't she?"
"Hell yeah. That girl's got boatloads of talent." He reached out and squeezed my shoulder. "And don't worry about me saying anything to anyone. I know what you've given up to make this happen."
"You do?" I lifted my eyebrow.
"Yeah. Your pride, your time, your energy." He shook his head. "I couldn't do it."
"Sure you could." Relief flooded me again. I was going to have an emotional breakdown if he kept accidentally toying with my emotions so fucking well.
"Nope. Not in a million years." He drained his beer and burped, standing and walking over to get another one. "And knowing my damn luck, I'd end up falling in love. My cousin is a looker for sure."
"Doesn't seem like that's just your luck," I mumbled.
"Hmmm?" He sat down and gave me a funny look. "You starting to have feelings for her?"
"Starting? No. I have for a while." I took a long pull from my beer. "And I need to stop. I'm not sure I'll survive losing her and momma at the same time. Funny thing is, Maddie was never mine to begin with."
Chapter Thirty
Maddie
Thirty minutes. That's all I had to spare on the way to having dinner with my parents after a long day of doing nothing. My agent wasn't doing shit for me, and it seemed that my ability to get new followers was going down the tube.
I needed a pick me up.
The bank was busy when I got there, and after standing in line for a little while, I decided to use the ATM machine instead. I walked back out into the chilly afternoon and pulled out my card, leaning into type in my pin number so no one would see it.
I hit the button to get the balance on my checking account and almost swallowed my tongue. After selecting to get a receipt, I pulled out $300 and moved back, fanning myself as my body heated.
I'd never seen so much money in all of my life. I started down at the paper and tried to take it in. I just knew that any minute I would be flooded with excitement. Like someone who'd won the fucking lottery.
The feeling never came. Instead, a numbness I'd been trying to avoid all day long settled in the center of my chest. Tears blurred my eyes, and I turned to walk back to my car.
"You okay, Miss?" a security guard stopped me, the concern on his face sweet.
"Oh yeah." I nodded and reached up to wipe away a few tears. "Just had a long day."
"Nothing is wrong with your account, right, because they'll be happy to help you fix that back inside the bank."
"No. It's good. Thank you though." I gave him a warm smile and jogged across the street to my car. The same sentence dance through my head over and over.
I'd give up every penny to have a loving relationship with a man like Gavin.
I'd give up every penny to have a loving relationship with a man like Gavin.
"Stop it," I barked at myself as I got into the car and pulled out of the lot. Being with my parents for dinner would help, or would it? Knowing them, they'd be talking about making love or plans to buy something cute for each other.
They adored each other.
I wanted that in my life, but it was too scary to dream that big. People didn't really have a relationship like my folks did. They were an anomaly. A one-off. An outlier.
I drove out to their place thinking the whole time how wrong I was that their relationship was different or weird. Gavin's parents had the same thing. Maybe there were just secrets to really making a relationship last. I wouldn't know. Mine had all been a big fucking joke up to this point.
And now I was in the middle of one that was sure to leave me emotionally bankrupt, and it was my own damn fault.
I got out of the car and walked toward the house, half expecting my father to sling open the door and greet me in a funny voice. Nothing.
"Weird." I walked in to find them in the kitchen, my dad's arms around my mom as they kissed and whispered about something. The soft laughter coming from both of them cause my heart to swell.
"Gross!" I yelled, announcing my arrival.
"You missed the really gross part." My dad turned and walked across the room, leaning down to kiss my cheek. "We were smooching it up in here!"
"Ugh." I pretended to gag and walked into the kitchen.
My mom turned back to the stove and stirred something in a big soup pot. I leaned around her and hugged her from behind, breathing in deeply.
"God, that smells so good." I moved up beside her and bumped her hip, forcing her to get out of the way as I started to stir the thick stew. Chunks of potatoes, carrots, and beef swirled around.
"It's your father's favorite." She wrapped an arm around my shoulders. "A real man's meal."
"That's right. Ph-balanced for a woman, but—" my father started.
My mother and I groaned, cutting him off. I laughed and looked over at her as her eyes grew wide.
"Maddie! What is this?" She jerked me around, scaring me a little. After taking my left hand into hers, she lifted the ring and glanced up at me. "Please tell me you're just wearing this for a photo shoot."
I grimaced. My parents were the type who would always wanted to be involved in my life. Getting married was a really big deal.
I didn't know what the fuck to do, so I slipped into character.
"Surprise! I'm married." I pulled my hand back and turned as my father stuck his head into the kitchen, his eyes wide.
"
Um, what?" He walked in and put both hands on his hips. "To who?"
"To whom," Mom responded and gave me a very stern look. "You had better be kidding, young lady."
"I'm not." I gave them a sheepish grin. "Gavin and I realized the other day that when you find someone you love, you grab ahold of them, and you just don't let go." I had to kick in some serious ass-kissing if I were going to make it through my sea of lies. "And we have something like you and daddy do, like Mister and Miss Hayward did. We can't let that go."
"But why didn't you just come to us?" My mother glanced back to my father. "We wanted to be a part of your big day. You should have had a blowout wedding with a million people there and—"
"Now honey." My father walked in and reached for my mom. "You know as well as I do that kids these days are just wild. Maddie is no exception."
"So wild." I offered before turning back to the soup. I hated lying to my parents. To Gavin's mother. To everyone.
"Hey." My mom touched my shoulder, and I turned back around. "I'm not mad at you. I'm disappointed. Was anyone even there?"
"Gavin's mom was. She's dying, like I told you." I glanced down as tears filled my eyes. That part I wasn't faking. I looked back up as one rolled down my cheek. "I'm so sorry. It was irresponsible and stupid of me not to think to invite you both. He was in a hurry because of her condition and—"
"Hush." My dad reached out and brushed a tear away. "We're good. We'll do something fun on your one-year anniversary or something." He glanced at my mom. "Right, dear?"
"Absolutely." She smiled and pulled me into a tight hug. "But, we do want to see this young man. Dinner. Tomorrow night. Okay?"
I nodded. Dinner tomorrow night would work. Hopefully.
After they had left the kitchen, I pulled out my phone and texted Gavin to see if it was an okay time to call him. Not sure why I felt so unsure of him picking up a call from me, but I did.
He called me instead. I answered on the first ring, anticipating the sound of his voice.
"Hey," I whispered and picked up the spoon to stir the stew again.
"Hey. You okay? Need something?" He sounded slightly panicked. Why that filled me with warmth was beyond me.