I had a good idea where her story was going, but still, I asked. “What happened?”
She laughed, sounding bitter. “Todd announced his engagement at a function at the office. To one of the partner’s daughters. I wasn’t supposed to be there that night, so I think he thought it was safe. I was so shocked that I stumbled out of the room and into the library to try to gather myself. I sat there for a long time to calm down, and when I left to go home, I heard him in another office down the hall talking on the phone—about me—bragging about how he had the best of both worlds. A slut to suck his cock whenever he wanted, help him with his job load, and a beautiful wife to show off on his arm and boost his career. He figured he’d make partner in a few months and eventually run the practice since her father held the majority shares.”
Rage tore through me.
“What did you do?”
“Confronted him. He told me he had to marry her, but he loved me not her. However, when I told him I’d overheard him in the office, he knew it was pointless to pretend. It got heated and ugly. I kicked him in the nuts and left.”
“Good girl.”
She shook her head. “The next day, I was fired for sexual harassment against him. I tried to fight back, to deny it, but it was his word against mine. No one had ever seen us together, and he was smart enough never to say who he was fucking to the other lawyers.” She scoffed. “I didn’t know what to do, but I got a call from the office where I work now. One of the lawyers used to work at that firm and knew how they operated—the whole ‘boys club’ attitude. She believed me—every word. She offered me a new job, and I’ve been there ever since. After much thought, I decided not to go after him.” She ran a hand through her hair. “He was caught screwing another lawyer, his marriage failed, and he was fired, so there’s that. The last I heard, he was an ambulance chaser when he was sober enough to go into the office.”
“He got what he deserved.”
“I suppose. I don’t spare much time thinking about him. I learned my lesson, though. Like you, Maddox, I swore I would never again allow someone to have that much control and power over me. He never loved me—he used me—and I let him. I realized what I had been feeling for him was lust and not love, but it was enough to prove to me how dangerous love was to people. I watched it with my parents, I witnessed it at work, and I still let the thought of it swallow me up. I swore I would never again let anyone control my life, except me. I swore off it.”
“You are capable of love,” I insisted quietly.
“Yes. The lesson came with a benefit. I realized I wasn’t unfeeling like my father. I do love Cami—with all my heart. I’m very fond of Emmy. Even Bentley, Aiden—” she reached out her hand, squeezing my arm “—and you. I am capable of feeling love. Just not romantic love. Never again.”
Her tone held finality.
“He was at fault, not you.”
She stood, brushing off her silky robe.
“Regardless, it showed me how easy it was to fall into the trap. I like men. I enjoy sex. Still, it doesn’t mean I have to fall in love—they are not inclusive.”
“Some would say the best sex is with someone you love.”
“Well, we prove them wrong, don’t we?” She leaned down and brushed my lips. “Enough sharing. I have to get ready for work, and so do you. You can let yourself out, yes?”
“Yes.”
She hurried away, and I sat lost in my thoughts for a while.
Love had burned her. Her father’s desertion, her mother’s rejection, and the asshole that used her. They all made her think she was incapable of the depth of that emotion.
I knew better. I had seen her with her sister, with Emmy, and even the way she treated Bentley and Aiden. Me. Her capacity for love was deep, but she was too frightened to relinquish control for fear of getting hurt again.
I knew how she felt. She was the one who had changed my mind about love.
I would have to prove to her the reward was worth the risk.
Because the reward of her was worth it to me.
Maddox
Dee opened her door on Sunday morning, looking decidedly nervous.
I indicated the new keypad feature on her door. “I see Reid was here. Is the system not working? You didn’t use the remote.”
“Oh yes, but I was right here. No need for the fancy gadgets.”
“You should check to make sure who is at the door, Dee.”
She rolled her eyes. “I heard the elevator. I know your footsteps, Maddox.”
I wanted to grin at that intimate piece of information.
“Use the system, Dee. We need all the feedback we can get.”
“Fine. I need to grab my coat.”
She was out of sorts again and tense.
“Sure.”
I helped her on with her coat, rubbing her shoulders lightly. I lifted her hand, inspecting the fresh nail bites on the pad of her thumb. “What’s going on, Dee?”
“I don’t want you to tell them we’re dating,” she blurted out.
“We agreed. We are.”
“No. You agreed. We’re just having sex. I’m too old to be dating.”
Taking her arm, I escorted her to the elevator, studying her as we descended to the parking garage. “I am going to say this once. I know you’re three years older than I am. It’s nothing. Get over it.”
“It’s not that—well, not only that. The term dating in general for me… I don’t like it. I’m not comfortable with it.”
I crossed my arms. “Fine. We’re in a relationship. How’s that?”
“Better than dating. It still feels like a lie, though.”
I took her shoulders, meeting her gaze. “Again, this is the last time I’m going to repeat myself. What we call a relationship and how others view it, is not our problem.”
“But—”
I interrupted her. “Are you having sex with anyone else?”
“No.”
“Are you having sex with me?”
Her lips curled into a smirk. I found it rather sexy.
“Yes.”
“Do we have dinner together? Talk? Call and text each other?”
She rolled her eyes. “Yes.”
“Then it’s a fucking relationship. End of story. And today, we’re telling our friends.”
“But…”
I kissed her hard. “Shut up, Dee. For once, just shut up.”
Twice, I pulled her thumb away from her mouth at Bentley’s place. She was jumpy and edgy. Even Bentley noticed her odd behavior, arching his eyebrow at me in silence. Finally, I decided just to lay it out there. I cleared my throat, getting everyone’s attention.
“So, Cami, your sister and I are in a relationship. Are you okay with that?”
Dee grabbed my knee. Cami’s fork froze partway to her mouth, and she gaped at me. Emmy looked shocked. Bentley smirked. Aiden smacked the table.
“I knew it.”
“You’re dating?” Cami gasped. “For real?”
Dee tensed, and I placed a calming hand on her shoulder.
“Dee doesn’t like the word dating. We’re in an exclusive relationship. With each other.”
Cami’s gaze bounced between Dee and me. “And you’re asking my permission?”
“No,” I replied easily. “I was being polite.” I tugged Dee closer, trying to get her to relax. “We wanted to share.”
“I think we need to talk,” Cami whispered, looking at Dee.
Dee stiffened more. “Nothing to talk about. You’re not the only one moving on with your life. Maddox and I are together. I doubt it’s a huge shock, and although he was being funny, if you’re not okay with it, that’s your problem.”
The whole table stilled.
I dropped my lips to Dee’s ear. “I think she’s a little worried, Dee. Don’t get defensive.”
“As long as you’re happy, of course I’m okay with it,” Cami insisted. “You didn’t say anything the other night at dinner. You just surprised me.”
“Like your wedding surprised me,” Dee shot back. “Or the fact that you quit your job and never mentioned it.”
“Oh boy,” Aiden muttered. “Here we go.”
It was my turn to gape.
Holy shit. I was beginning to be sorry I said anything.
Cami flung down her napkin. “Excuse me.”
She hurried away, and after a few seconds, Dee followed her.
Aiden glared at me. “Nice.”
“All I said was we are dating—I mean, in a relationship!”
Bentley sighed. “I think you’ve been taking tact lessons from Aiden. You should have done that in private.”
I jerked my head toward Aiden. “Like those two did when they announced to the table they got married? Fuck that. Dee and I are adults. If we want to see each other, we will.” I yanked on my hair. “You’ve all been pushing it anyway. What’s the goddamn problem?”
Now Bentley glared at me. “Don’t bitch at me because you screwed this up.”
Aiden nodded, seeming pleased. “Yeah.”
Bentley snapped his head in Aiden’s direction. “You zip it.”
Emmy stood, slamming her hand on the table, startling us. “Shut up, all of you!”
We stared at her.
“If you don’t understand this, let me explain. What happened has been simmering since you and Cami got married, Aiden. Whether she admits it or not, Dee was hurt. So was I. We would have loved to be involved in your wedding.” She redirected her gaze to me. “So your little announcement, Maddox, brought it to a head. Finally. Now, I am going to go and make sure they work this out once and for all.” She stalked away, turning at the foot of the stairs. “And for ruining brunch, you three are doing the cleanup and dishes. So get to it.”
Aiden huffed. “Way to go. I’m still hungry.”
“You’re always fucking hungry,” Bentley growled.
“Bottomless pit,” I added, looking at the dishes. There were a lot of them.
“I had nothing to do with the situation, and I still got in trouble. Thanks, Maddox,” Bentley snapped.
“Happy to have included you in the debacle.”
“Shut up, both of you.” Aiden shook his head, reaching for the platter of pancakes. “I’m eating first, then cleaning.”
I looked at my half-eaten plate. “Good idea. Maybe we should cover the girls’ plates, and they can warm them or something.”
Aiden looked over his shoulder. “Do you think they’re fighting?”
“Talking,” Bentley said. “They talk.” He sighed. “They talk a lot.”
“I hope Cami is okay,” Aiden said with a groan. “If I have to beat you for this, Mad Dog, I will—but I’ll try to be gentle.”
“Whatever,” I snorted. “I can take you, big man.”
“You think so? I could snap you like a twig.”
“I’ll throw a couple of lemon Danish at you and run. You’ll be so busy trying to catch them, I’ll be fine.”
He frowned and started to laugh. “That would work.”
We all chuckled. Aiden started eating, and with a shrug, I joined him. The food was too good to waste. When we were done, I laid down my fork.
“I didn’t mean to start anything. I just wanted it out there before Dee changed her mind.”
“What do you mean?”
I wiped my mouth. “Let’s say Dee isn’t as far into this relationship as I am and leave it at that. I’m trying to be patient.” I slouched in my chair. “I need you two to be supportive.”
Bentley rested his elbows on the table, studying me. “Are you serious about this relationship?”
“As a heart attack.”
“And Dee is…”
“Skittish, to say the least.”
“Okay.”
Aiden frowned. “Are you forcing her into something? As her brother-in-law, I think I need to stop you.”
“You really think I could force Dee into anything? All I’ve done is move us along a bit. Once she is comfortable with us being a couple, we’ll go from there.”
“Do you ever do anything like a normal person?” Aiden huffed.
“Like you, you mean? Push the woman I love away, then turn around and marry her on a whim? Yeah, so normal.”
Aiden and Bentley gaped at me, making me realize what I had said.
“You love her? I thought you didn’t believe in love.”
I shifted in my chair. “Well, I’d never met Dee.”
Bentley smiled. “Maddox, that’s great. I’m happy for you.”
“Don’t be too happy yet. I have to convince the lady.”
“You will.”
Aiden grunted. “You hurt her, I will hurt you. She’s my family.”
I met his gaze, serious. “If I hurt her, I’ll let you. She’s everything to me.”
His eyes softened in understanding. “I hear you.”
We heard the sound of footsteps, and we all stood, grabbing plates.
“Enough sharing. If we aren’t busy when they get down here, we’ll all be in shit,” I ordered.
Bentley winked as I grabbed a platter.
“Welcome to couple-hood.”
Dee and I were alone and quiet in the elevator.
Aiden and Cami had left not long after the girls joined us in the kitchen. They rolled their eyes at our efforts and helped us clean up, so we finished the task quickly. They seemed fine, although they all had red eyes and weren’t as chatty as usual. They did appear better when we sat down with fresh cups of coffee and discussed plans for the wedding. We left as soon as I drank my coffee.
I glanced over at Dee. “Everything okay?”
She met my gaze. “Nice announcement. You’re like a bull in a china shop.”
“I said I was going to tell them.”
“You said we’d be subtle.”
I scratched the back of my neck. “Yeah, I forgot that part.” I took the chance and slipped my arm around her shoulders, pulling her close. “Are you and Cami okay?”
She sighed, leaning into me. “We will be. We cleared the air, I think. I told Cami how hard I was struggling not being her first to confide in anymore. She admitted she feels overwhelmed at times, and because we’re not living together anymore, feels as if she shouldn’t bother me.” She smiled at me, her eyes watery. “We’ll work it out.”
The elevator door opened, and we walked outside to the car. “Good. Did you address the marriage part?”
“Nothing much to be done there. They’re married, end of story. It was impulsive on their part, but it was their decision. She and Aiden are happy, and that’s what really matters.”
“Are you sure about that? I think you’re still upset about not being involved.”
“I’ll get over it. We have Emmy’s to plan, and one is enough. Simple as it is going to be, there are still lots of details.”
“So Bentley tells me.”
“Cami has a friend who helps out brides. Emmy is going to go see Jen. It will take a lot of stress off her so she can concentrate on school and enjoy her wedding.”
I pulled into traffic. “Good. Now let’s go home. I’m going to pull rank as your boyfriend and demand sex this afternoon.” I glanced her way. “In your frilly room, with you naked and spread out on that fancy bed of yours.”
She rolled her eyes and looked out the window. “Stop with the boyfriend comments.”
I was certain she smiled, though.
Dee
I opened my eyes, my body warm. I shifted, the weight of something pinning me down. For a moment, I began to panic, then realized it was Maddox. He was asleep, his arm flung across my waist and his head buried next to mine on my pillow. He had one leg wedged between mine, effectively holding me prisoner. His silver hair was bright against the deep red of my pillowcase, and his scruff tickled my shoulder. I had to suppress a smile. Considering he wasn’t someone who liked being touched, he certainly seemed to like touching me. Thank goodness he was on the same page when it came to PDA. It didn’t bother
me to watch Emmy and Bentley, or even Cami and Aiden, snuggle or kiss, but I preferred to keep that side of my life private and Maddox agreed.
At least he hadn’t changed the game rules there.
His sudden declaration that we were in a relationship and wanted to announce it had shocked me. While his thoughts made sense, hearing the words he used filled my head with warning bells.
Dating. Boyfriend. Exclusive. Relationship.
Broken down, none of the words frightened me by themselves. Used together, they scared the shit out of me.
However, he wanted the words, and the entire time we had been involved, he never once asked me for anything else. To my surprise, I found I wanted to give in to him. To please him.
From the moment we first had sex, it was intense. He was exactly what I needed in a lover: demanding, passionate, and controlling. He issued directives I followed without question; I had complete trust in him. No matter what, there was a quiet sense of respect, even when he had me on my knees in front of him. Regardless of the demands he growled in his low voice, his eyes were always warm, his hands handled me with care, and his body drove me to the highest pinnacles of pleasure. We were electric together.
The first time I met him, I had been attracted to him. Tall and lean, he looked older than his thirty years because of his prematurely gray hair. Some of the strands were so light they shone silver, and his scruff was the same. He kept his hair short on the sides, but longer on the top, the waves carefully disheveled. He had a toned and muscled body, his legs long and sinewy. He dressed with care and looked every inch the modern business executive.
He shifted, his hold tightening. Taking advantage of his closeness, I stared at him. In repose, he lost the tightness around his eyes, the skin smooth. His jaw was sharp, the silver scruff soft under my fingers. His eyebrows were still dark, highlighting his light blue eyes. The glasses he wore, simple, with heavy black frames, accentuated the amazing color. His normal expression was somber—serious and contemplative—older than his years. With those he cared for, he showed his humorous side. His smile was easier, and the constant worry lines on his forehead smoothed. His laugh was contagious, and I had noticed it ringing out more lately. When we were alone, another side of his personality shone through—one I knew not even his closest friends saw. A gentle, compassionate side that made me feel protected and safe. He was open and honest with his thoughts, and I loved our discussions about books, movies, and whatever other subject came up.
Vested Interest Box Set: Books 1-3 Page 54