I groaned. I didn’t exactly have the best time during puberty. “No,” I tried, but she had already disappeared into the room. I followed her, shutting the door behind me to keep her from escaping, and raced her to the very unflattering picture of me as a child.
“You can’t hide this!” she yelled as she held it up. “Oh, Maddox. How unfortunate.”
“Give me that,” I ordered and tried grabbing it from her. I was behind her, her small frame between my arms, when she turned and fell into me. My breath hitched, the warmth of her skin pressed so tightly against mine doing unkind things to me.
She dropped the picture as my hand slid to her waist, pressing into her as I’ve been wanted to do since I first saw her. My other hand slid up her back, and her mouth parted slightly as she took a deep breath.
“Maddox,” she whispered, and the only thing I wanted in that one moment was to taste my name on her lips.
Chapter Twenty
Everly
He kissed me, and I thought I was going to melt into a puddle at his feet. His hands roamed my body as if they were starving for me, and I kept a tight grip on his suit as I kissed back. Our tongues met, greedy and hungry, and I sprawled my hands across the thick muscles of his arms. Fingers swept through my hair, pulling at the nape and sending shivers down my spine. I wanted to drink all of this in, soak in the desire that had been plaguing me since I’ve met him, and let him bathe me in his own passion.
His legs started to push me until my ass hit his desk, and without breaking contact, he bent down and lifted me in the air. I sat on the desk and pulled at his tie, forcing it off.
“Shit, Everly,” he said, his voice husky and low. There was such a raw desire in it that it made my thighs squirm, leaving my panties damp. His waist fit in between my legs as he touched me everywhere.
I needed him to touch me everywhere.
My legs hooked around his hips, and he brought a hand on my thigh. I looked down. We both were still clothed, and it seemed as if he had the same thought at the same time.
“Come here.” His voice was but a whisper in my ear, low and raspy as he led me back into his room. I closed the door to his office behind me and watched as he slipped his suit off, and unbuckled his belt.
“Let me do that,” I offered, my hands getting busy to finish it. He unbuttoned my blouse, and his fingers skimmed my skin as he slid it off. His lips pressed against my collarbone, lowering until they were close to my breast. Fingers slid in between my pants and skin, and they pushed them down with such an urgency that my breath hitched.
“That took longer than I thought,” I said as I stood before him in a bra and panties. He chuckled and pushed me onto his bed. His hands were trembling ever so slightly, and there was something in his expression that came across as hesitation. But it was gone the moment I pulled at his pants, and soon we both were only in our undergarments, nearly naked and hot and desperate for one another.
I lay back on the bed and arched my back as he kneeled, pressing light kisses on my stomach and working his way lower.
“Maddox,” I breathed out as his lips came close to my thighs. A tongue slid just beneath my panties, and I gasped. I hadn’t been touched there in so long, and fire ripped through me like a boiling wave as my core ached with anticipation.
At first, he teased me. Running his tongue on the edge of my panties, flicking at the very top of me. Then he grew bolder, pressing his mouth against my entrance and running his tongue against it ever so slightly. I squirmed, my hips gyrating against the bed as his tongue repeated its motions.
I slipped the straps of my bra off as one of his hands crawled up my skin and started tracing circles just below my breasts. I unclasped it with one hand and removed it. I caught his eyes as he glanced at my exposed top, and I recognized the hunger within them. His hand cupped my breast, running a finger in a circle around my nipple.
I moaned, needing more.
His other hand pushed my panties aside, and he started licking me. One fluid motion at first. My hands gripped the bed sheets as I trembled beneath his mouth.
His licks became short flicks against my center, and then gradually returned flat against me. He went between the two as my breathing became more rough, more shallow and hungry with need.
I felt the very edge of release as his mouth continued moving between my legs. One hand squeezed my breast while the other held onto my hip, and I warned him that I was close.
His tongue worked harder until I was screaming, crying from the sudden release as my orgasm washed over me in waves.
He licked me one more time before removing my panties and climbing onto the bed to meet me.
“Do you want to taste yourself?” he asked. “It’s amazing.”
I pulled him into a kiss, tasting the sweet mixture of my own juices on his tongue. He pulled away after a moment and admired his view of my naked body.
“You’re beautiful,” he said and lowered his mouth to my breast. I was still covered in a wave of pleasure, but the sensation of his mouth on my nipple toppled me over.
“Take these off.” I grabbed the top of his briefs and tugged. I could see his member very well, a solid bulge against his waist, but I needed more of it.
“Yes, ma’am.” He joked and shrugged them down. I wrapped a hand around it and he flinched, curling into my body. It was thick and long, and seemed perfect for my hand.
“Everly,” He moaned into my ear. “Do you want this?”
His hand guided his package toward my entrance, and I spread my legs. I had protection; I was wet, he was thick. We were ready. I told him as much. “Please,” I begged.
His hips moved against mine. His hard body pressed against soft skin that was covered in a flush from his warmth. He breathed hard next to my ear until his manhood was deep in my juices, and deep inside of me.
I cried, tilting my head back and clawing his skin as he pushed himself further into me. Once he was as deep as he could go, he stopped, and we both enjoyed a moment of intimacy.
“My world stopped the moment I saw you,” he said, breathless. His gray eyes were staring down at me, and his five o’ clock shadow was a light spread across a sharp jaw. “And I knew,” he continued. “That very moment I knew that I just needed to be inside of you. To know you.”
He started moving once again, slowly, as he told me his thoughts on our first meeting.
The words grew dirty, his thoughts turned to the things he wanted to do to me late at night, and this thrusts grew strong and quick. One hand grabbed my ass and held it tightly as he buried himself deep inside of me, and I felt the moment he came.
And I felt each burst afterwards, as he twitched inside of me.
We spent a moment just breathing when he finished, my head on his shoulder.
Lacey was going to kill me, I realized. I had just gone against everything she said. I was in way over my head, and absolutely crazy about a man who had lied to me, and had a child. I had just let him come inside me. I let him taste me, and then I tasted myself. I could have groaned, but I didn’t want him to think I regretted anything. In his arms, on his bed, on top of the wet spots where he had just made love to me, I felt safe.
His doorbell rang, and I froze.
“Shit.” He muttered and looked at me. “Let’s just stay here and ignore them.”
I curled into his neck. “You’re not going to hear me complain,” I said.
Another doorbell.
His muscles tensed, realizing it must have been important, and he stood. I realized we were both naked, and we hurried to slip on our clothes. I followed him down the stairs while trying to fix my hair in a pathetic attempt, and nearly bumped into him as he flung open the front door.
“Maddox.” A man stood on the other side with blond hair and blue eyes, and in his arms was the small body of a 3-year-old girl, her face red with fever and nose covered in snot. “She’s sick, has a fever, and threw up twice now.”
“Shit, come in, Nick.” Maddox ushered them inside. I stood in the co
rner and watched as Maddox took Abby in his arms. “What’s her temperature?”
“Over 101, last time I checked,” the man, Nick, said. He glanced at me, and I hugged my body self-consciously. The reality of what we had just done hit me without the security of Maddox’s arms. The stupidity of such an act. I couldn’t believe I’d had sex with him, especially when his daughter was one house over puking.
“Everly, this is Nick,” Maddox said, and I grabbed my purse from the counter.
“Nice to meet you. I’ll see you tomorrow, Maddox,” I said, as I rushed out the door.
His hands against my body, lips pressed on mine, inside of me. I forced the thoughts away and pressed my hand over my mouth as I slid behind my steering wheel and dropped my head against the headrest. What had I done?
Chapter Twenty-One
Maddox
The next morning, after a night of a home doctor visit and staying up with Abby as she turned and twisted each and every way in bed before waking up to puke on the floor, I lay in bed and spent a moment to myself. I glanced at the clock. Nearly 8 in the morning, which meant I had finally put Abby to rest in her bed and fell asleep myself maybe three hours prior. My bed felt bigger for some reason, and as my hands ran down the clean sheets, I couldn’t help but think about Everly. She had run off so quickly after Nick and Abby showed up, and I hadn’t had time to text or call her once. She had gotten home and sent me a quick text wishing Abby well, and then our communication had gone dark.
Was she regretting what happened after dinner?
I checked in on Abby and found her with a slight fever. She was getting better, but I decided to take the day off and take care of her myself. It had been a while since I spent a weekday with her, and a part of me was excited to rewatch “Frozen” and sing along and make her banana pancakes in a smiley-faced shape.
I left her in bed and started on breakfast in the kitchen. The doorbell rang, and for a split moment, I expected to see Everly on the other side. Instead, it was Nick.
“How is she?” His face scrunched up with worry. So, he hadn’t gotten much sleep either, which didn’t surprise me
“Better,” I said with a yawn. “Still sick though. I took the day off. You’re welcome to watch royal princess sisters and a snowman with us all day.”
“Technically, one is a queen,” he said. “And I think I’ll leave before the first showing. Let you go through that torture once and see how you like it.”
I finished breakfast with him beside me.
“Sorry we just sort of rushed over,” he said. “I didn’t mean to scare Everly off like that.”
“I think she was just caught off guard,” I said, hoping it was true. “Seeing a sick kid covered in mucus isn’t exactly the way to get someone to like them.”
Nick laughed and left to get Abby ready for breakfast.
“My head hurts,” she said as we sat in the dining room.
“I know, baby. Just eat these and then we’ll go lie down.” I cut her pancakes and fed them to her.
“You don’t feed me like that,” Nick complained and made Abby laugh.
“Uncle Nick, why would Daddy feed you?” she asked.
“Because your uncle is lazy and useless,” I said. Abby giggled as we finished our breakfast.
“Get comfy on the couch, sweetheart. I’ll put on your favorite movie.” I walked to the table for the remote and then to the player to insert the disk.
“Are you watching?” she asked Nick with her doe eyes. I grinned and watched as he struggled to find his words.
“Yeah, I am,” he relented, and we all took our seats on the couch. Abby watched in silence, which was how we knew she wasn’t feeling okay.
Nick left after the first showing and promised to check on Abby later.
“I’m hungry, Daddy,” Abby said, and she followed me into the kitchen as I made her chicken noodle soup. “Are you mad at me?”
“What? What for?” I asked and poured her a bowl. She sat on the kitchen counter and ate.
“Because I’m sick, and because Everly left.” Her little head bowed, and she stared at her hands as she stirred her spoon around her bowl. “I’m sorry, Daddy.”
“No, honey. I’m not mad at all. I just want you to be better, okay?” I said. She nodded and finished her soup. “I just have to make a quick phone call, okay? And then we’ll watch TV the rest of the day.”
“I’ll be on the couch.” She hopped out of her seat and headed for the living room, where her movie was waiting for a replay.
After a moment of hesitation, I pulled out my phone and dialed Everly.
“Hello?” she answered on the third ring.
“Hey,” I started. “I wanted to apologize for last night. Abby had a fever, and she didn’t mean to scare you away like that.”
“Oh,” Everly said. “No, it’s okay. I just didn’t want to intrude. Is she okay?”
“Yeah, she’s better. But we’re not in the clear yet, so I’m going to have to cancel for tonight, and I’ll have you come back when she has a clean bill of health.”
“Of course,” she said. “Just let me know when to come back.”
“Thanks, Everly.” I paused, wanting to mention what happened before Nick showed up. “I put money in your account for the week,” I said instead.
“Thanks. I have to get going; my mom is on the other line, and if I don’t answer, she’ll show up at my door in five minutes.” Her voice faded, and a quiet giggle sounded through the phone. “Bye, Maddox. I hope Abby gets better soon.”
“Me too.” I hung up the phone and stared a moment, unsure of what to think.
So, Everly wasn’t going to bring up what happened, either.
I returned to Abby and helped her pick a movie for us to watch. She cuddled against me, and I slipped an arm around her.
“Daddy?” she asked as she turned toward me. The movie began playing, and I tried focusing on both her and the screen.
“Yeah, honey?” I brushed her hair back from her face and kissed her warm forehead.
“Everly’s pretty,” she said almost dreamily. I smiled.
“She is.” I nodded my head and agreed. The movie was a new kids’ movie that had been released recently, and while I’d never admit this to anyone, I enjoyed watching them. Sometimes I found myself watching them when Abby wasn’t even around.
“Do you like her?” Abby asked. She was starting to sound like a broken record, but then I realized she didn’t understand dating.
“Haven’t you asked this before?” I tried paying attention to the movie. The characters were singing a very catchy song, and this would have normally been Abby’s favorite part.
“Do you?” she asked again.
“Of course,” I said.
“Oh.” She grew quiet for a moment. “Daddy?”
“Yes?”
“Is Everly my mommy?” she asked it so innocently that it took me a moment to realize what she had said.
“What?” I stammered. “No, honey. Why would you think that?”
“Because she would be a good mommy. I think.” Her little face turned up to mine, and her eyes widened a bit as if she wasn’t convinced. “Are you sure?”
“She’s not your mother,” I said. Abby settled back down, and just as I expected the song captured her attention. But it was useless for me to try and focus on anything else now. All I could do, at that moment, was pray that Abby wouldn’t start asking questions about her real mother. That was the last thing any of us needed.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Everly
I hung up, breathing a sigh of relief as I dropped my phone on the kitchen counter. I had at least a few days before seeing Maddox again, and hopefully in that time I’d be able to sort these horrible feelings out. Why was I getting so comfortable with a man who had a life that I had always been so against? A single father, with a mysterious baby mama, and a little girl who doesn’t yet realize just how broken her home is. How could I, in good faith, become close to a fami
ly like that when I’ve been so vocal about my opinions?
It wasn’t fair to anyone.
The phone rang again, and I unlocked it, thinking it was Maddox. A familiar number popped up, one that I had deleted from my contacts a little over a week ago.
“Hello?” I said.
“Everly,” Phil said on the other line. I frowned; why was my old boss calling me? “How have you been?”
“I’ve been good,” I said carefully, as if the phone were a landmine I’d just put next to my head. “Can I help you?”
“Yes. If you can find the time, I’d like to talk to you face to face. Can you swing by the restaurant today?” His voice wasn’t giving anything away, and I searched my mind for reasons he might be calling. Perhaps he regretted letting me leave.
I glanced at the clock on the microwave, debating. I didn’t have anything to do, and there was no used in pretending that I wasn’t at least curious.
“Sure, I’m just finishing up some business here, but I can make it before the lunch rush.” I shuffled my hands to make it sound like I was doing something.
“That works. I’ll see you then.” Phil hung up. I sat my phone on the counter and pressed a hand against my cheek. The only possible explanation was that he was offering my old job back, and it honestly couldn’t be better timing.
I stopped by a diner on the way to Saint Padres and grabbed some brunch, trying to decide what to do if Phil offered a job. It’s barely been a few weeks, so his desperation might help me get a bigger raise out of him. Maybe even a promotion.
I parked in the awful lot a few blocks down and entered Saint Padres through the back.
“Everly!” Catalina smiled as I crossed the kitchen. “I’ve been thinking about you. Phil’s tried to replace you twice, but neither lasted more than two days. He’s desperate, chica.”
“Good to know,” I said and knocked on Phil’s office door.
“Come in,” he said, and looked up as I entered. “Close the door behind you, Everly.”
I did as he said, and stood awkwardly in front of his desk. His eyes continued to glance between me and a sheet of paper on his desk, as if he barely had time to give more than a minute of his attention.
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