* * *
Scarlett shook her head at Beau as he shuffled out of the elevator, shopping bags weighing him down.
She really couldn’t believe what he’d done at the clinic, putting that receptionist in her place. Of course, then he’d proceeded to embarrass the hell out of her once they were in with the doctor, who had been suitably surprised to see her again.
Nobody had been more shocked than her, when he’d pulled out a piece of paper and proceeded to ask the doctor a million questions. Including how long they could safely have sex and was there any risk in giving her multiple orgasms?
Holy hell. She wasn’t sure who had blushed more, her or the doctor. Then the doctor had turned to her and told her that he was a keeper.
Sheesh. It was bad enough the receptionist had eaten him up with her gaze, but to have her doctor do the same?
Enough.
There’d been so many questions, she’d stopped paying attention after a while. But she’d noticed he’d tucked away a form about nutrition. That wasn’t good.
After the ultrasound, he’d taken her to the mall and told her to go crazy. To which she’d replied he was crazy. That hadn’t stopped him from buying her far more stuff than she needed, including a new phone. Well, that was actually something she needed. But she really didn’t need such an expensive one. She kind of felt ill over how much he’d spent on her, but she knew that insurance would cover most of it. Still, she needed to be careful with her money from now on.
“Let me carry something, Beau.”
“No way.”
“It’s a few shopping bags. I’m not going to hurt myself.”
“I’m the donkey, remember? I carry the stuff. Besides, you’re carrying my babies. That’s enough.”
“They’re each the size of a cherry,” she said dryly. “Pretty sure I can manage a couple of shopping bags.”
“Not happening.”
“I’m not helpless, Beau,” she told him.
“I know, but I like doing things for you. Not like I can carry our babies. You’ve got all the hard work to do. So, you should let me pamper you.”
“Ah, so it’s only because I’m pregnant, huh? Once I’ve had these babies, everything is going to change, isn’t it? Then I’ll be left to open my own door, carry my own bag. I knew you were only with me for my womb.”
He stopped and gaped down at her. “What . . . no . . . that’s not true.”
She burst into laughter. She laughed so hard that tears dripped down her face and she had to lean against the wall.
“Why, you little brat.” He dropped the bags and reached for her, tickling her sides. “You think it’s fun to tease, do you? Let’s just see how you handle this!”
“No, no!” she squealed. “Stop! Mercy!”
“There is no mercy!”
“Well, nice to see the two of you are having fun,” a dark voice interrupted them.
She froze and Beau stopped tickling her. She turned, seeing Maddox standing there, glaring at them, his arms over his chest.
He was here.
He’d come.
But by the look on his face, he wasn’t there to hear her out, or to apologize. No, he looked like he was seconds away from murdering them both.
“I drove to the airport, got the first flight out I could. Had four layovers and then when I got here, you were nowhere to be found. I called you seven times,” he glared at Beau, “and then when you finally arrive, I find you laughing and playing around like nothing’s wrong. You’ve been shopping? What’s even going on? Were you lying to me?” He aimed this at Beau, but she found herself flinching.
“Lying about what?” Beau asked.
“About what happened? Was she even mugged? Her place trashed? Because she doesn’t seem all that traumatized.”
What. The. Fuck.
That asshole.
“Oh, Maddox,” Beau said with a shake of his head. “You’re just digging yourself a bigger and bigger hole, aren’t you?”
“What does that mean?”
“It means you’re a dick,” she told him.
“Oh, that’s nice. Do you know how long it took me to get here?”
“I don’t think anyone asked you to come. Did we, Beau?”
“No, baby. We did not,” Beau said cheerfully as he picked up their shopping bags. “Why don’t we go drop off your stuff and then I’ll take you out for lunch? And afterward, you can take a nap.”
“I don’t need a nap.”
“Damn, because I really want one, and it’ll seem lazy if I take one on my own.” He pouted. “Take pity on a grown man and nap with him.”
She eyed him. “I’m starting to think that nap is a euphemism for something else.”
He grinned at her. “That’s because you know me so well.”
“The two of you cannot just act as though I’m not even here,” Maddox snarled.
“Why not?” She forced herself to act casually, even though her body was at war with itself. Part of her wanted to throw herself into his arms and tell him everything. There was just something so capable about Maddox. Something safe. As though she could give him any problem and he’d solve it.
But the other part of her wanted to slap him and tell him to stop being an ass.
“Because I want to know what the fuck is going on!”
“Why? So, you can yell at me some more?”
His head went back, and he gaped at her, looking like he’d been slapped. “I wasn’t yelling at you.”
“Really? Then what were you doing? Because it sure wasn’t getting down on your knees to grovel.”
“Why would I do that?”
“Because you’re in the wrong, dude. That’s why you’re here. If you really believed she slept with you to get insider info for her boss, then you wouldn’t have hopped on a plane at the first hint she was in trouble and traveled for hours to get here. You know she’s the one for us. But you’re too damn hardheaded to admit it, even to yourself. But maybe you need to take a minute and think about your behavior. If you can act like a decent person, then knock on the door and Scarlett will consider if she wants to let you in. What do you think, Snow?”
She eyed him. “I dunno. He might want to invest in some knee pads first.”
“Why?” He stared at her in confusion.
Beau smacked him on the back, the shopping bags swinging and whacking into him as well. “Because of all the groveling, you ass.”
* * *
Maddox gaped after them. What the hell just happened?
When he’d made the decision to come out here, he’d been expecting . . . well, he’d been expecting Scarlett to . . . to be thankful to see him. To be scared. To need him.
Instead, she’d been smiling and joking around with Beau. They were closer. Closer than he’d thought considering that bastard hadn’t been here long. He wondered if he’d told her that he’d been watching her for days. He doubted it. No woman wanted to be stalked.
And had Beau just told him off? Beau never acted like that. Everything was a joke to him.
Except Scarlett.
Because Beau was right. She was the one. For the both of them.
And maybe he was right about the rest of it. Did Maddox have doubts about her guilt?
* * *
She paced up and down the room.
“You wanna order room service or eat out?” Beau asked her.
“I don’t want to eat at all.”
“You hardly ate any breakfast, Snow. You need to eat something. You’re pregnant, remember?”
“That whole eating for two thing is just a myth.”
“Except you’re hardly eating for one.”
“Beau, I’ve got other things on my mind.” Maddox, being the biggest one. “Was I too harsh on him? He came all this way. He’s probably tired and that’s why he was so grumpy. Plus, he had a point. I shouldn’t have been joking around like that. I have other things I need to focus on. I should call the police and find out if they know who took my bag or
trashed my apartment, I need to call the landlord and see about getting out of my lease, I just can’t see myself living there again even with the locks changed. And there’s all the mess.”
“Right, stop there. First of all, you’re supposed to avoid stress. And what’s the opposite of stress? Laughter.”
“Laughter is the opposite of stress?”
“Yep.”
“Two, the police have my number if they find out something, they’ll call. Three, I’ll call the landlord and talk to him because you got it right that you won’t be going back there. And four, I already got everything cleaned up, remember? Last, you weren’t too hard on Maddox. He needs to sweat it out a bit. Don’t be giving in to him too easily, I need that video of him groveling.”
She stopped and glared at him. “Beau.”
He put down the room service menu and crooked a finger at her. “Come here.”
She shook her head.
“Scarlett, come here. You need to relax.”
She sighed, tapping her foot. “No.”
“Guess I’ll just have to come to you then.”
“No way, I know what your idea of relaxing is, and I don’t have time for multiple orgasms.”
He gasped dramatically. “There’s always time for multiple orgasms.”
A knock on the door interrupted them, and she turned wide eyes on him.
“Up to you, Snow.”
“Shouldn’t you be trying to convince me to let him in?” she asked. “He’s your brother.”
“Yeah, but he can be a real dick. Besides, he used to always steal the chocolate cookies when we were kids and leave all the oatmeal raisin ones. I’m traumatized by that. Traumatized.”
She wiped her smile off her face before turning to the door. She didn’t want Maddox to think she was having too much fun for someone who had been mugged and had her apartment broken into.
Wait. No. Why should she care about what he thinks?
Maybe because you’re attracted to him? Because before he was a jerk, you really liked him? His dominance. His care. Because you could be carrying his babies?
Shit. She needed to tell him.
Another knock.
“Do you think room service would deliver popcorn?”
She glared over her shoulder at Beau. He just grinned back at her.
Another knock.
“You want me to tell him to get lost, Snow?” Beau asked.
“No, I just. I should tell him about the babies but I . . . I kind of want to know why he’s here first.”
The knocking had stopped. Shit.
She quickly opened the door. He wasn’t there. She turned her head to see he was walking away.
“You’re giving up that easily.” She had to admit she was surprised and kind of hurt that he’d just walk away.
Maybe he wasn’t here because he wanted her. Maybe he was here to get his brother and take him home.
“If you want to talk to Beau alone, you can.”
“Why would I want to talk to him? I see him all the time,” Beau moaned.
Maddox studied her curiously. “Why would I want to talk to Beau?”
She shrugged. “Thought maybe you’d come out here to convince him he was wrong about me.”
“Like that would ever happen,” Beau scoffed. “You and I are joined at the hip now, baby. I’m going to get us one of those forever rings.”
“Forever rings?” What was he talking about? “What like a wedding ring?” she joked.
“That’s the one, now are you more of a yellow or white gold kind of girl? You don’t wear any jewelry so it’s hard to know.”
“I . . . I . . .”
“Jesus, did you seriously just propose to her?” Maddox asked.
She cringed as she realized Maddox was standing behind her. Was that disgust in his voice or . . .
“That is not the way you propose,” Maddox told him.
“Why not?”
“You’re supposed to do it in a romantic setting, idiot. Roses, candlelight, wine. That’s what women want.”
“Snow, is that what you want?”
“Oh, well, see . . .”
“Of course it is,” Maddox told him. “Or you have to do some grand gesture.”
“You want a grand gesture, Snow?” Beau asked her.
“Oh, well . . .”
“Of course she does,” Maddox interrupted.
She put her hands on her hips and let out a noise of frustration. “Will you both shut up!”
They stared at her in surprise.
“What Scarlett would actually like is to be asked. That’s how you propose, you ask.” She held up a hand as Beau opened his mouth. “And you are not asking me right now, Beau Malone. We’ve spent two nights together. We haven’t even been on a real date. You are not asking me to marry you yet.”
“See,” Beau told Maddox. “That’s why you don’t ask. I had the right idea.”
“Yeah, I can see that now.”
She blew out a breath. “Why are you here, Maddox?”
He stared from her to Beau. “Can I come in? This isn’t a conversation I want to have out here.”
She stepped back to let him into the room. “Sure.”
Once he was inside, she shut the door and leaned back against it. She didn’t trust her legs to hold her up.
Suddenly, the large hotel room seemed so much smaller. Maddox had a big personality and he seemed to fill every inch of the room.
“Maddox?” Beau said as he leaned back in the armchair.
“Yeah?”
“Don’t upset her.”
Maddox looked from her to Beau. “That’s not my intention.”
“What is your intention? If you’re not here for Beau then why are you here? It’s obvious you didn’t suddenly change your mind about me.”
He ran his hand over his face. He looked tired. As though he hadn’t slept well in weeks.
Well, she knew that feeling.
“I came here because when I heard that you’d been mugged, your place trashed, all I wanted to do was check that you were okay. I came here because a day hasn’t gone by in the last nine weeks where I haven’t thought about you, haven’t wanted to pull you into my arms and hold you. I thought I’d just forget about you. That you’d be easy to put out of my mind. But something happened that night between the three of us, and I can’t forget you.”
“Because she’s the one for us,” Beau added.
“Yes. Because you’re the one for us.”
“Even though you think I’m the type of person to sleep with you for my boss? That I’d whore myself out?”
Maddox winced. “Fuck. That day, I . . . I thought I’d messed up again. I thought I had misjudged you. I thought that you had deceived me. A few months back, there was this woman and I thought I was in love with her. I dated her for months. I was . . . I was going to propose to her.”
Ouch. That hurt.
“Thank God, you didn’t,” Beau muttered. “That bitch.”
Maddox sighed. “Yeah, turns out she was, since she was two-timing me. She was still seeing her ex on the side. See, she’d decided to latch onto me because she thought I would be her money ticket, while still fucking her ex.”
She winced. “I’m so sorry.”
“It messed me up. And then this stuff with your boss trying to blackmail friends of mine into selling their land, it set me off.”
“I know it didn’t look good, me sleeping with you and working for Richard, but, Maddox, I had no idea who you were. Truly. I didn’t know anything about the deal Richard was trying to do. I didn’t even know where the land actually was until he had me book the plane tickets and hotel. Honestly, I’m surprised he even took me.”
“Probably thought it would be a chance to get in your pants,” Beau said.
She let out a small huff of laughter. “Yeah, I don’t think so. I’ve worked for him for years and he’s never once indicated he wants to sleep with me.”
“Did you want to sleep w
ith him?” Maddox asked.
“I don’t think you have the right to ask that question.”
“Did you want to sleep with him?” Beau repeated.
She pointed a finger at him. “Do I ask you about the, probably, hundreds of women you’ve slept with?”
“You slept with him,” Beau said darkly.
“No, I didn’t! Anyway, this isn’t the topic.”
“Oh, I think this is an interesting topic, don’t you, Mad? No, wait, we haven’t forgiven you yet. Please tell me you weren’t attracted to the dick, Snow.”
“I didn’t know he was a dick. I didn’t find that out until after that encounter with you. I never realized he used threats and intimidation to get his way. I knew he was kind of ruthless, but I didn’t think he would go that far.” She shook her head. “I was such a fool for so many years.” She gazed up at Maddox. “But I would never do that. I would never whore myself out for him. I still can’t believe I slept with the two of you that night. I’ve never done anything like that before. I didn’t even have sex with my ex until our wedding night. And then to sleep with two men I didn’t know, when you . . . then you accused me of doing something horrible like that . . .”
“I was out of line,” Maddox told her gently.
“I get why you thought that. It looked suspicious. But you wouldn’t let me explain. And then when Beau didn’t answer any of my texts . . . I thought that you both hated me and I . . .”
“Don’t get upset, Snow.” Suddenly, Beau pulled her against him. “We’re both idiots. And we don’t deserve you. What do I need to do? Do I need to punch him a few times for you? Will that cheer you up? I’ll make the sacrifice if it’s what you need.”
She shook her head while Maddox grumbled something.
“Scarlett, can you look at me? Please?”
She let out a shuddering breath and turned. Beau didn’t let her go, just wrapped himself around her. One arm was across her waist, the other over her chest.
Maddox raised an eyebrow as he looked at Beau. “Let her go. Please.”
“Fine,” Beau muttered. “But if she goes for you, I won’t be here to hold her back.”
“Is that what you were doing?” she asked him, glancing over at him.
Twice the Malone Page 17