Ridden (Scandalous Moves Book 3)

by Deborah Grace Staley

  Teeth clenched, he said, “I’ve never been so glad to be wrong.”

  She shifted her hips and took him. “Shut up and fuck me.”

  5

  A.J. groaned and surged up into her. His body was on fire. He pulled his t-shirt off and got serious about setting a rhythm that would drive them both right out of their minds. He unhooked her bra, and she shook it off along with her shirt, then her mouth was everywhere. Maddie looked like an angel, but she fucked like a woman possessed. Hell, he was more than willing to be the man who exorcised her demons. He brushed his thumb back and forth across her nipple, and when he pinched it, she exploded. Her shout of release echoed in the room as he continued to move inside her. Just as her orgasm crested, he gave her another one, this one stronger. She tightened on him for a long, suspended moment, then he came with her so hard that his legs buckled. He dropped to his knees, holding her tight, still stroking her.

  When he could form a coherent thought, he turned and sat, leaning against the wall with Maddie in his lap. “You know,” he managed, “We really should try this in a bed.”

  She laughed, and he brushed the hair off her damp cheek. “Where’s the fun in that?” she asked.

  A.J. laughed, too, and kissed her. The moment was so right and natural, but he knew it wouldn’t last. Any moment, Maddie would turn back into the aloof woman battling something he couldn’t begin to understand. But for now, she was happy and a sweet smile softened her unguarded features. Despite himself, his heart shifted inside his chest. He wasn’t a schoolboy with his high school crush. He knew what this was. He was nothing more than a distraction to her. She’d been gone for years. Soon, she’d leave, and he’d probably never see her again. So, he checked himself and broke the kiss. He had a role to play here. A.J. knew how to show people only what he wanted them to see and shove the rest into the shadows of his soul.

  “How did this happen? Again?” Maddie asked. Shit. Had she said that out loud?

  “Is this where I say, ‘One thing led to another’?” A.J. asked.

  Maddie leaned back and looked at them. She was naked to the waist, her skirt was bunched around her hips, and A.J. was still inside her. And that was way too intimate. She stood and gathered her bra and shirt as she pulled her skirt down. “I don’t usually do this kind of thing?” she suggested, but didn’t quite sell it.

  He chuckled, but didn’t move. “You came on to me at the bar,” he reminded her.

  “A gentleman wouldn’t point that out.” She put her bra on and shrugged into her shirt before turning to look at him as she buttoned it.

  He pulled his pants up, but didn’t stand. “I thought we’d established that I’m not a gentleman.”

  Hand on hip, she frowned down at him. “That’s what you want everyone to think.”

  A.J. stood then in one fluid motion. “Bathroom?”

  “Hallway. First room on the right.” As he moved that way, she wondered if he got in a hurry for anything. “I don’t know if the water’s on.”

  After a few minutes, the pipes groaned, but settled, confirming her suspicions. Maddie grabbed her purse and a compact, and stood before the mirror by the doorway to fix her hair and lipstick. What the hell had gotten into her?

  A.J. Johnson. Twice, a voice inside her head squealed like a teenager. She’d been overwhelmed with the feelings that came with being back here, but A.J. had stepped in and redirected her thoughts and those volatile emotions quite effectively. She checked her watch and saw it was after eight. She could call her driver and be home by ten—at home in her penthouse apartment where she could think logically and make rational decisions.

  A.J. sauntered back into the room, his jeans riding low on his hips. He might no longer be an athlete, but he was ripped with bulkier muscles than she remembered him having in high school. She caught sight of those lines that cut diagonally down his hips, partially concealed by his pants. Yeah. He’d definitely made her stupid. His tattoo was fascinating. She’d like more time to examine it, but she had to get the hell out of here. “Do you think the diner’s open?”

  He didn’t respond, just continued the even, measured pace to his shirt. He picked it up, shook it out, and took his time putting it on. Maddie had to swallow hard—a couple of times—before he’d finished. Then he bent to grab his jacket. When he stood, he said, “Why the diner?”

  “I want to call my driver.”

  He shrugged into his jacket. “They’re usually open until nine on Friday,” he said. “We can be there in less than ten minutes if you’re ready to go.”

  She put her purse under her arm and said, “Yeah. Let’s go.”

  He opened the door and waited for her to precede him. “Careful on the steps,” he reminded as she rushed ahead of him. When he joined her at his bike, he said, “I set the lock on the doorknob, but you’ll want to come back by here and lock the deadbolt after you get the keys.”

  She’d forgotten about that. She’d figure something out. “Okay.”

  A.J. helped her onto the bike and then got on. As they drove back into town, Maddie held onto him, her cheek pressed against his back. A.J. Johnson would be easy to lean on, but Madeline Greene didn’t lean on men. She didn’t lean on anyone.

  By the time they pulled up in front of the diner, Maddie was having second thoughts. She could call her driver, but then she’d just have to come right back out here tomorrow to pick up the car. She checked her watch again.

  Ever observant, A.J. asked, “What’s wrong?”

  “I was just thinking if I have my driver come get me, I’ll still have to pick up my car tomorrow.”

  “You could spend the night.” She cut her eyes to his like he’d just suggested she stay with him. But he’d never do that. He couldn’t risk it. “There’s the inn in town,” he suggested.

  She nodded, and for half a second, he thought he saw regret in her clear green eyes.

  “Right. I’ll figure something out.” She looked up and down the street—everywhere but at him.

  This was the bit where things got awkward, and A.J. wasn’t ready for that yet. So, he stepped close to her and said, “I could buy you dinner while you figure things out.”

  She hesitated, considering.

  “We are here, after all. And Jean’s still has the best burger in Jersey.”

  That brought a smile to her lips. “I haven’t thought about those burgers in years. Is Jean still there?”

  “Naw. She retired a couple years back. Her daughter’s running it now.”

  “Jean Jr.?”

  “June,” A.J. corrected. “She gets a little testy when folks call her Jean Jr. these days.”

  “If I remember right, she was always a little testy.”

  A.J. put his hands in his back pockets. “Yeah, but now she’s fixing your food.”

  “Good point,” Maddie said. “I am hungry.” As if on cue, her stomach made a loud grumble. She put a hand to the spot, and they both smiled. “But this will be my treat, as a thank you for your help today.”

  “We can fight over the bill later.”

  He held the door to the diner open and waited for her to enter in front of him. The supper crowd had cleared out. Only a few people populated the booths and stools at the lunch counter. The streetlights of downtown Hidden Harbor twinkled softly through the front windows.

  The smells of Jean’s brought back a flood of memories for Maddie: coming here after football games, shakes with her girlfriends when a boy had broken a heart, and special treats with her children when they were little. The last memory brought other, less happy ones: the price she’d had to pay at home for the innocent outings. As she slid into the red vinyl booth, she shook off her dark thoughts and reminded herself that she wasn’t that person anymore—the one who’d been in a loveless, abusive marriage.

  “Where did you go?” A.J. asked as he handed her a plastic-covered menu.

  “Memories,” she said, but didn’t elaborate.

  “It must be odd being back after all this tim
e.”

  “Odd is one word for it,” Maddie agreed.

  A waitress set small glasses of ice water in front of them. “Hi, A.J.” She turned to her and added, “Miss.” Maddie nodded. “Can I get you something to drink?”

  The name on her badge read, “Tina.” Maddie didn’t recognize her. “Water’s fine for me.”

  “Beer,” A.J. said.

  “Coming right up.”

  The waitress walked away, and Maddie said, “I don’t know why I’m looking at the menu. I know what I’m getting.”

  “Burger and fries?”

  She nodded and closed the menu. “I’ll have to do a few extra miles on the treadmill.”

  “You’ve got nothing to worry about.” His appreciative gaze confirmed his statement.

  Maddie set the menu aside. “I will if I have too many meals like this. Don’t tell me you eat like this all the time.” Men went low-carb, worked out like crazy, and still didn’t achieve bodies like A.J.’s.

  “I work it off.”

  That simple statement and the number of condoms he carried in his wallet had possibilities running amok in her dirty mind. Funny. She didn’t like the idea of him working his burgers off with faceless, willing women. Time to change that line of thinking.

  “So, tell me. What did you do after high school?”

  He shrugged out of his jacket. “College.”

  A man of few words.

  “Where did you go? What did you study?”

  The waitress brought their drinks, and they both ordered burger plates before A.J. answered. “Princeton. Business.” Maddie blinked and stared at him, eyes wide. “You forgetting I was salutatorian?” he said.

  “I had,” she admitted. “Sorry.”

  “It’s okay. That was a long time ago.”

  Still, she couldn’t help asking, “You graduated?” A.J. nodded, so she had to ask another question. “What did you do?”

  He took a draw from his longneck, then set it back on the table before answering. “Same thing most people do. Pursued a career.”

  “In?” she prompted.

  “Real estate investment and development.”

  “In Hidden Harbor?” she said, surprised, unable to make the dots connect. A biker, self-proclaimed bad boy a Princeton grad and in real estate?

  “Now, I’m a consultant specializing in security systems and emergency plans for businesses.”

  “That has nothing to do with real estate development,” she pointed out. “Sounds like there’s a story there.”

  He nodded. She waited for him to elaborate. He didn’t.

  Tina brought their food and set it on the table. The smell of the burgers and fries was heart attack heaven, and Maddie couldn’t wait to dig in.

  “Gran’s been trying to reach you, A.J.” the waitress said. “She really wants you to lead the Veteran’s Day parade next month with the Patriot Guard Riders.”

  “I’ll give her a call,” A.J. said with a smile that didn’t quite reach his eyes. Tina nodded and squeezed his shoulder before walking away.

  Maddie bit into a hot fry and nearly moaned.

  “Good?” A.J. said before taking a huge bite out of his burger.

  “I would say ‘heaven’,” Maddie said, “but this is too sinful for that.”

  A.J. wiped his mouth with a napkin. “You don’t treat yourself very often, do you?”

  “Rarely,” she admitted, still thinking about A.J.’s exchange with Tina. “What’s up with the Veteran’s Day parade?” she asked, careful to keep her tone conversational.

  He took a deep breath and another drink of his beer before responding. “We go through this every year. They ask; I refuse.”

  “Sorry. I’m not following,” Maddie said and ate another fry. She’d taken a bite of her burger before he responded.

  A.J. rotated his bottle, the food forgotten. “I served.”

  Two words. So many questions. “I thought you said you went to college.”

  A.J. just nodded.

  Maddie wiped her mouth while doing the math in her head. “You didn’t come home after college,” she guessed. She’d known a few real estate developers with Princeton credentials. “You worked in Manhattan?”

  Another nod. Jaw tight.

  “9/11?” she asked softly.

  She reached across the table and put her hand on his wrist. He looked at it, then at her, but she didn’t remove it. When their eyes locked, she said, “Thank you for your service.”

  He pulled away from her touch. “I hate it when people say that. I didn’t do it for praise or thanks.”

  “And that’s why you won’t do the Veteran’s Day parade.”

  He gave a curt nod. And then it hit her. He’d said he worked in Manhattan. “You were there when the towers fell,” she said softly.

  After a long pause, A.J. said, “Yeah.”

  6

  A.J. hadn’t talked about this in years. Didn’t know why he was talking about it now. Then he saw the shock on Maddie’s face dissolve into sympathy, and he remembered one of the reasons why he didn’t speak of it. “Don’t,” he said.

  She reached out to him again, but he’d slumped back into the booth so that no part of him was accessible. Undeterred, she touched his leg under the table. “I’m so sorry, A.J. I can’t imagine—”

  He sat up straight, breaking contact with her. “It’s not something I discuss.”

  “I understand,” she nodded, but asked anyway. “Did you work in the World Trade Center?”

  He nodded. “I’d had a late the night and had gone home to get some sleep, so I was late that day.” Maddie waited, hardly breathing. At length, he said, “We lost a lot that day.”

  Maddie noted he’d said “we” not “I.”

  “How about you?” He turned the tables and asked a few questions of his own. “What did you do after you left town?”

  Maddie took a sip of water, clearly needing the time to gather herself.

  Shit. What had he been thinking? He’d said too much.

  “I went to North Carolina. I needed to put some distance between myself and New Jersey.”

  A.J. didn’t respond. He wished that ass she’d married had gotten out of town. If her ex had been anything like he was now, the dude needed to be castrated so no other woman should have to deal with him. The thought of Maddie being mistreated by anyone, much less her husband, made his blood run cold.

  “I had an aunt—my father’s sister—there. She was a retired college professor, and I wanted to go to school since I bypassed that to get married and have children.”

  “How are your kids?”

  “Great.” The pride she felt lit her face. “Taylor, my daughter and the oldest, is in school at Duke. Dixon, my youngest, just started Stanford. It just about killed me leaving him there. California is so far, but he always had an independent spirit.”

  “Is your daughter following in your footsteps at your alma mater?”

  “No. She wants to be a professor like her great aunt.” Maddie bit into another fry. “I went to UNC for undergrad. Columbia for my masters while I was working in Manhattan, learning the business. But my aunt taught at Duke, so . . .”

  “Makes sense.”

  Maddie nodded. “What about your family? Are they still here?”

  “There was just my mom, and she passed years ago.”

  “Oh. I’m sorry,” Maddie said.

  “Your folks?”

  Maddie laughed. “World travelers.”

  An uncomfortable pause stretched between them as they both ate. Small talk had never been her forte.

  “Is the food as good as you remembered?”

  “Maybe better,” she said.

  She was slowing down and still had half a burger to go. “Pace yourself. Tina’ll be back here in a minute pushing pie on you.”

  “Not happening,” Maddie said on a laugh.

  She had a nice laugh. Easy and low-pitched. She pushed her plate away and rested her chin in her hand as she stare
d out the window. She looked a thousand miles away rather than just across the booth. “What are you going to do tonight? Go back to the city?”

  She glanced back at him. “I’m tired. I think I’ll spend the night, get up in the morning, and have another look around my grandmother’s place in the daylight before I head out.”

  A.J. pushed his plate back, too, and rested his forearms on the table. “Sounds like a solid plan.”

  “Thank you for your help today. I’m sorry I took up so much of your time.”

  “No worries. I had big plans to waste the evening at Hale’s. Being with you was much more . . . entertaining.”

  She grinned at him. “Is that what the kids are calling it these days?”

  He returned her smile. “I wouldn’t know. Most days I feel about a hundred.”

  Her eyes heated. “You’re the best looking hundred-year-old I’ve ever seen.”

  Her unexpected praise made him feel good. Damn good. And Maddie Greene was the last person he needed to get messed up with. Hell, no woman wanted to get involved with him.

  “Are you blushing?” she asked, surprised. He squirmed some more. A man had no graceful response to that question. At length, he said, “There goes my bad boy image.”

  “No, no,” she countered. “It’s still in place. It just has an added dimension.”

  “Whatever that means.” He signaled Tina for the bill, and Maddie got her wallet out. Anticipating his refusal to let her pay, she threw a pile of money onto the table—enough to pay for everyone in the place.

  When Tina came with the bill, she stared at the money wide-eyed, but scooped it up. “I’ll bring your change,” she said.

  “No need,” Maddie said and stood.

  A.J. grabbed his coat and followed her to the door. Outside on the sidewalk, she turned to him and said, “Thanks again.” She stepped in to him and pressed her lips to his cheek, so close to his lips that it was almost a kiss. Almost. “For everything,” she added.