Maddox smiled softly, feeling bad for her. He’d never give her what she asked for. A wife? Children? No. That domesticated life wasn’t for him. But Anne was sweet to include him in the conversation. “You always have Riley to make those dreams happen for you.”
“She’s only twenty-seven. She still has time,” Anne continued, moving to the stove to scoop up some stew for Grey. “Tell me all there is to know about Joss.”
When she returned to the table, placing Grey’s bowl in front of him, Maddox obliged her. “She’s a cop, too, and sweet like you. I’m sure you’d adore her.”
Grey picked up his spoon. “That sounds like you plan to bring her over to meet Mom.”
“Oh, yes, what a wonderful idea,” Anne exclaimed, taking a seat next to Grey after fetching herself a bowl of stew.
Maddox heaved a sigh and shoved some beef and potatoes into his mouth to avoid a conversation he didn’t want to have. It wasn’t like he was some fucked-up guy that didn’t understand why men liked commitment. Of course, he got it. That lifestyle simply wasn’t for him. His father had shown him what love and commitment could do to someone. He remembered the sadness his father had carried for many years after his mother left. Maddox didn’t want that type of headache in his life.
To change the subject, Maddox asked Anne, “Have you been enjoying the Bridge Club still?” She’d only recently become a member after she’d decided one of the women at her knitting group hated her.
“Very much so,” Anne said, blowing on the stew on her spoon. “The ladies were so very welcoming, and we’re all going to see a musical this weekend.”
“That’s great to hear.” Maddox smiled, happy for her. Grey’s father had died ten years ago from a heart attack. The man had smoked a pack of cigarettes a day and didn’t watch what he ate. It wasn’t a big surprise to anyone when he died, even if he did pass away in his fifties.
“So, more about this woman…” Anne pressed.
Maddox frowned down at his bowl. Weren’t they done with this? “I’m afraid there’s nothing more to tell.”
“Are you seeing her often?” Anne asked.
“No.”
“He’s lying to you, Mom,” Grey stated with a full mouth. “He’s seen a lot of her recently.”
Maddox lowered his spoon into his bowl and glared at the shit-stirrer. Payback would be a bitch.
Anne didn’t pay any attention to Maddox’s glare and said in her sweetest voice, “I’m sure she’s already madly in love with you.”
“Actually”—he softened his expression when he addressed Anne—“she isn’t.” That’s what he liked about Joss, even if he still felt a smidgen of concern when it came to that subject. She seemed too good, too sweet, too full of heart to be a woman not out to find love. He trusted that she knew exactly what she was doing, and he only hoped that it didn’t come back to bite him in the ass later.
“You must be wrong,” Anne said, fixing the flower brooch on her purple sweater. “How could she not fall head over heels for you? Maybe she needs to hear you say you love her first. You know us ladies like a confident man.”
“Mother,” Grey muttered, scraping up the remainder of stew in his bowl.
Anne gave Grey another look and then said to Maddox, “All I’m saying is, maybe it’s about time you make this woman a little something more than a fleeting romance.”
“Please,” said Grey, rising and pushing his chair under the table before picking up his bowl. “Maddox only believes in fleeting romances.”
“Don’t listen to him.” Anne rose and came to Maddox’s side. She placed a hand on his shoulder, giving him a warm smile. “Do not become a man who ends up alone.” She pinched his cheek, giving him her cutest grin. “You’re too charming and handsome for that.”
He didn’t respond, not having a suitable response. While Anne moved back to the stove and turned it off, he stared at her back. He was that guy. He liked being alone. He liked life uncomplicated. That wasn’t something he could change about himself.
“Believe me, Mom,” Grey added, scooping some more stew out of the pot. “He’s going to be that old guy whose most beloved thing is his recliner.”
Maddox snorted. “You know that I’m already in love with my recliner.”
Grey glanced over his shoulder and grinned. “You’re right, I do know that.”
“I wouldn’t speak too soon, Greyson,” Anne admonished, pinching his cheek now. “At the rate you’re going, you’ll be sitting in the chair next to him.”
Maddox barked a laugh.
Anne always did get the last word in, and it was usually the wisest.
Chapter 8
The following days were a bit of blur, with Joss taking on two night shifts. By late afternoon on Wednesday—and after three cups of coffee—she began to feel normal again. She drove through Seattle’s busy downtown, tapping her fingers against her steering wheel to the beat of the soft rock playing through her radio.
When the car in front of her slowed, her cell phone rang from her purse resting on the passenger seat. She contemplated not answering it. Though she quickly thought better of it as she glanced away from the taillights of the car in front of her to her car’s dashboard touch screen, seeing both that it was 4:00 p.m. and that her parents were calling for their weekly chat.
With everything that’d happened lately, she’d forgotten about their call. For a second, guilt crashed over her in a thick wave until she let herself off the hook. She was on her way to Maddox’s, and lately, he seemed to steal up all the space in her mind. She rolled to a stop at the red light, her windshield wipers rhythmically sweeping away the steady rain, and she clicked the button on her steering wheel, enabling the Bluetooth. “Hello.”
“Bonjour,” Mom quipped.
“Oh dear Lord,” Joss said with a laugh. “I seriously hope you don’t try to speak French in front of others.” Knowing her mother, she’d walk around with a dictionary in her fanny pack.
“Of course, I do,” Mom defended, an obvious smile in her voice. “Besides, my French isn’t that terrible, is it?”
“Yes, it’s completely horrible. You shouldn’t try it at all,” Joss joked.
“Leave your mother alone,” Dad interjected, playfully defending his wife. “She sounds lovely, and people seem to understand us.”
“Well, that might not be totally true,” Mom added. “I think they feel sorry for us.”
“There is that,” Dad mused.
Joss smiled and watched the pedestrians stride by the hood of her blue Jetta. Some with umbrellas. Some getting soaking wet and not seeming to care much about the rain. “How’s Paris?” she asked.
“So romantic,” Mom said with a dreamy sigh. “You must come see this place, Jossie. You would love it.”
“Maybe one day,” Joss said, not sure exactly when that day would be. First, she lived and breathed becoming a police officer. Now she had a job to think about. Besides, trips were expensive, and she never liked taking a handout from her parents. They’d both worked hard. She wanted them to live it up, not spoil her. “Are you still sightseeing?” She stepped on the gas pedal, slowly getting back up to speed.
Mom answered her. “That’s all we’ve been doing. There’s so much to see here. We’ve been around to see some lovely churches, the Louvre Museum. Tomorrow, we’re doing the Seine river cruise and lunch at the Eiffel Tower.”
“Man, that sounds amazing.”
“Beyond amazing,” Dad agreed.
Joss smiled, glad for them. Her parents deserved these trips of a lifetime they took every year, and she was proud they’d killed their bucket list instead of sitting at home spending their days around Seattle. “Make sure to take lots of pictures so I can see it all when you get back.”
Dad said, “We’re posting some to Facebook tomorrow. Have you been following us on there?”
“Yep.” Sort of. Work and Maddox had been filling her spare time. She hadn’t had time for Facebook. “I’ll keep an eye out for them. Can�
�t wait to see what you post.”
She took her first right, stopping for an elderly lady crossing the street where she shouldn’t be, when Dad asked, “What’s in the plans for tonight? Are you working?”
“Not tonight, no. I’ve just finished a couple of night shifts.”
“Brutal,” Dad commented.
“Very,” she agreed, tapping her fingers impatiently against the steering wheel, watching for the lady to inch her way across the road with her walker. “Luckily, I have tomorrow and Friday off, then I’m back to work on Saturday morning and then off again on Sunday and Monday before going into a long stretch of shifts.” She lifted her foot off the brake and pressed the gas, slowly getting back up to speed once more.
“It won’t always be like this, Jossie,” Dad said softly. “You need to put in your time, and then you’ll get the good steady shifts.”
“Oh, it’s not so bad,” Joss said, mainly because her life wasn’t all that bad right now. Sure, the hours sucked and switching from day shifts to night shifts was hell. But she had a lot to look forward to, including some filthy, dirty sex with Maddox in a few minutes.
As if Mom had read her mind, she asked, “Nothing else new or exciting?” Which in Motherland meant, are you dating?
Joss considered telling them that she was seeing someone, so they didn’t think she was a hermit, but they’d never understand if she said that she and Maddox weren’t serious. Answering endless questions wasn’t in Joss’s plans for the night. “Nope, same old, same old.” And to get the subject shifted quickly, she added, “On Friday, I’m going to Jeremy Walsh’s retirement party.”
Dad piped up then. “It’s about damn time he’s getting outta there. Say hello to the old guy for me.”
“I’ll be sure to send Mr. Walsh your regards,” Joss said with a smile, slowing down as the car in front of her turned right. “But maybe I’ll leave off the ‘old guy’ part.”
“Don’t you dare,” Dad said with a laugh.
When he stopped, Mom added in her sweet, soothing voice, “Okay, my darling, we’ll let you get back to things. We’re thinking we’ll be coming back in few weeks’ time.”
“Send me flight details when you have them, so I know when to pick you up from the airport.”
“Will do,” Dad said.
“Love you, Jossie,” Mom said.
“Love you, too. Bye.”
Joss stopped at the red light and pressed the button on her steering wheel, ending the conversation. The radio came back to life. She continued tapping her fingers against the steering wheel to the beat of the music, her mind going to Maddox. She hadn’t seen him since Sunday night—two whole days of hungering for his touch. Even their schedules didn’t cross over, and she never saw him at the station, not a single time.
By Tuesday night, when she hadn’t even gotten a text from him, she’d thought their fling had run its course, but when she’d returned home this morning, she’d found another gift box waiting for her on her front porch, along with a note giving the time she was meant to arrive at his house.
Now, the lingerie he’d bought her was on beneath her dress as she drove to his house, rested, ready, and eager.
What did he plan for tonight? More wax? More rope?
A loud honk startled her, and she snapped her eyes up to the rearview mirror, seeing someone flipping her off. She stepped on the gas, finding, at some point, the light had turned green.
For the rest of the drive to Maddox’s, she forced herself not to the think about the sexy night ahead or the slow heat building between her thighs. Only when she pulled into his driveway did she allow her mind to return to him. Her fishnet stockings felt tight around her thighs, and the garter clips still felt attached, but she almost wished she could look herself over before seeing him again, make sure everything was perfectly in place.
She exited her car and shut the door, and then her heels clicked against the driveway as she approached his red brick, two-story house. Before she could even get there, the door opened, and her mouth went dry.
Maddox filled the doorway in a dark pair of blue jeans and nothing else. No shoes, no socks, no shirt… I am one lucky girl.
Ripple after ripple, his body exuded masculinity. Her fingers twitched to explore him, to admire the body he clearly spent time maintaining. “Hi,” she said when she reached him.
“Hi.”
The slight curve to his mouth was worthy of salivation. He stepped back from the doorway, letting her enter. He shut the door behind her, then turned to her, folding his arms. “Ready to play?” he asked.
“Yes, sir.” She grinned.
He looked her over from head-to-toe, then arched that left eyebrow. “You have far too many clothes on, and I’d sure like to see the gift I delivered to you today.”
Slowly and playfully, she removed her dress until it fluttered to the floor, leaving her in the black, lacy lingerie.
He stayed where he was, those intense eyes watching her very carefully. “The bra, too, please.”
Her belly quivered with butterflies, and a hot shiver slid through her at the power his stare contained. She reached back, unhooking her bra and letting the girls free.
When her arms lowered to her sides, he approached, glancing at her taut nipples with that sexy smile before looking her in the eye. He took her chin in his strong grip. “I want you to know that it’s taking all of my strength not to fuck you right here, right now. You’ve not been far from my mind these past couple of days. This view…” He glanced her over from head-to-toe once more before his heated eyes lifted to hers again. “I’ve missed it.”
She inhaled sharply. “I’m sure the lingerie helps. Thank you for the gift. It’s beautiful.”
His eyes narrowed. “Believe me, it’s the woman in the lingerie that makes this view so stunning.”
She might have thought a little bit about what that statement meant if he hadn’t sealed his mouth over hers. Good God, the man could kiss. His hands slid across her face, his thick, hard body pressed against her, his tongue dove perfectly into her mouth, tangling with hers.
Only when she became breathless and rubbed herself against his erection did he break the kiss with a grin. “Impatient tonight, hmm?”
“Very,” she admitted.
“Not yet,” he murmured, taking her hand. “I have a surprise for you.”
He led her into his living room on the right, and the moment he stepped aside, letting her see the room, her breath became trapped in her throat. She scanned the space from left to right, finding candles atop every hard surface. Too many candles to count, and since the curtains were drawn, the flames lit the room in a beautiful, romantic glow.
“I gotta be honest here,” she said, glancing over the white taper candles, pillars, votives…amazed by what he’d done. “I’ve had a guy take me to dinner, buy me flowers, run me a bath even, but this…” She glanced at him, finding his expression soft and gentle, “…is the most romantic thing anyone has ever done for me.”
He smiled, but that was his only answer.
Not that she’d expected him to comment on such a statement, and instantly, she reprimanded herself. That was emotional talk. She couldn’t go there. He didn’t want her to, and she didn’t want to either.
She pressed her lips tightly together and watched him as he moved to the stereo next to the fireplace. There, he turned on the power, blasting electronic music through the living room.
When he turned to her again, she found intensity in him that she’d never seen before, and somehow, the music matched his mood. Sure, he could’ve picked something sensual, but that didn’t seem to fix Maddox. The hard beats and rhythmic drums and deep bass sent goose bumps crawling over her flesh.
Though maybe it was simply the change in him causing that. Because now she saw something different there—something freer, more raw, more powerful. She saw him, without shields or concerns over her, and she felt something release within.
His strength, his care, his affecti
on, she melted into it all.
He took a step forward and caught her chin in his grip. “What do you want tonight, Joss?”
“You.”
* * *
Something had changed in her. Maddox could feel it right down to his bones, and he sensed his reaction to the way she looked at him now, the softening of the barriers he kept up. Joss stood there, bared and available, a beauty waiting for him to do any filthy, dirty thing he wanted. There in her eyes, he saw the sweet and tender moment when she’d surrendered her body to him. That trust she’d hand-delivered him warmed something dead and cold within.
Locked into her request, he held out his hand to her, and she tangled her fingers with his. He led her to the table where he’d set out the tray of toys. “Any objections to what I’ve decided for you tonight?” he asked, glancing down at her next to him.
Her long hair slid along her shoulder when she glanced at the black leather flogger and the red-and-black leather cuffs before she shook her head at him. “No objections.”
He narrowed his eyes at her. “What was that?”
“No objections, sir.” She gave a sweet smile.
He grinned and winked. “Very nice.” Drawn into her smile, he brushed his knuckles across her cheeks, enjoying the way her eyes lit up when he touched her—so full of life. Determined to let the games begin, he grabbed the hair elastic and hairbrush off the antique tray and then moved in behind her. “To your knees, sweetheart.”
She faced the fireplace and slowly slid to her knees. He got right to work, moving in behind her and placing the elastic between his lips as he began to brush her hair. She inhaled and exhaled with slow breaths, hands resting on her thighs. When he could easily run his fingers through her tresses, and all the knots were out, he began French braiding.
When he reached the end of Joss’s hair, he fastened the elastic then tucked the braid over her shoulder. He liked the little shiver she gave him as he dragged his fingers along the long line of her neck, and his dick throbbed in agreement. The heat between them couldn’t be ignored.
Heartbreaker (Filthy Dirty Love #1) Page 9